Is Demon’s Souls hard? The game that basically started its own subgenre (the Soulslikes) is forever trapped in a discourse about difficulty, even though it excels not at challenging us with hard-as-nails boss fights, but at building an oppressive and somber atmosphere that immerses us in a dark and dangerous world where everything seems complicated. The story takes place after …

The first time we see Elliot, he’s out in the woods looking for a simple comb an old man dropped when he was gathering herbs. He doesn’t care that it’s not a glorious job or even that the old man won’t be able to pay him much; it’s just the right thing to do. Elliot is that kind of guy. …

The cruelty of serial killers can feel a tad unnecessary when we are perfectly capable of bringing misery to our lives ourselves. Their evil can get a bit excessive, you see: the world would still be a harrowing, unjust, and vicious place without doctors killing and eating people or anonymous dudes sending puzzles to the police. We wouldn’t exactly be …

Divided into two distinct parts that remake the previous two games in the series and weave them into a cohesive whole, Another Code: Recollection explores our often-troubled relationship with our parents and how our memories make up who we are. 13-year-old Ashley thought her parents died when she was three. But one day, shortly before her birthday, she receives an invitation …

Vampyr excels in making its mechanics, systems, and presentation mirror its protagonist’s inner struggles. It associates vampirism with disease and corruption, immersing us in a claustrophobic, hostile city whose inhabitants are at the mercy of predators of every kind – including the main character, Dr. Jonathan Reid. The game starts with a discussion on mortality, framing dying as a blessing: …

“You got kids? Sounds rough.” Hugh Williams asks his colleague Nicholas No Last Name, who promptly replies, “Nah. I wouldn’t trade it for a thing.” Parenthood is at the core of Pragmata, a game that boasts an innovative and engaging combat system, but a narrative so sparse, shallow, and repetitive that it makes us long for the next moment our …

There is nothing inherently wrong with unlikable narrators, as their problematic personality can very well add to the narrative, being tied to its themes and discussions in an engaging way. Liars Called’s despicable narrator, however, only subtracts from the experience: if at first, the protagonist’s self-centered attitude seems to be a perfect fit for an allegory for predatory capitalism, his …

Indivisible is a curious mix of RPG and Metroidvania that boasts great art direction, building a colorful and vibrant fantasy world, but is unfortunately marred by some questionable design choices that take the fun out of combat and exploration. The story follows Ajna’s quest to avenge her father, who was murdered in front of her by a soldier named Dhar. …

Orange cats are Jellicle cats. I could could happily ramble about the nature of a Jellicle cat for hours, and explain how they can fly on a broomstick to places far distant or sing, in more than one key, duets by Rossini and waltzes by Strauss, or even more importantly, how Jellicle cats can, would, and do, but suffice it …

The Warded Man, the first volume of Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle fantasy series, is a well-structured book that presents a frightening universe inhabited by tormented characters. Its final act, however, throws both character development and common sense through the window, demolishing much of what had been built so far. The story takes place in an even more bleak and …