Harold Halibut lives under the sea. The city of Fedora was haphazardly founded decades before his birth, after a ship crash-landed on a strange planet with no habitable landmass, and its people have been trying – and failing – to leave these alien waters ever since. But Harold’s worries are not that meaningful or grandiose. No, one night, when he …

Written by N. K. Jemisin, The Killing Moon is a compelling page-turner: a fantasy novel with big ideas, strong narrative arcs, and good character development. It introduces us to a fantastical world, based on dreams and religion, where war and corruption are supposed to be extinct. Its main characters, however, start to discover that those are elements intrinsic to human …

Horizon Zero Dawn is a competent open-world action-adventure that has a strong start and boasts some great art direction. If it doesn’t reach the heights of its peers, then it’s mainly due to its disjointed narrative and stiff quest design. The world of Horizon Zero Dawn is full of bestialized mechanical monsters: robots that look and act like tigers, buffalo, …

I find it quite curious that questions of identity are far from being the core themes of Tron: Identity, which is much more interested in discussing the control and monopoly of data than anything related to the construction and framing of the self. This visual novel’s very brief runtime, however, shackles the story in such a way that it leaves …

There is a note at the start of Night of Knives, written by Gardens of the Moon author Steven Erikson, stating categorically that the work of Ian C. Esslemont is not to be considered simple fanfiction for taking place in the same rich universe introduced by his series of novels: Esslemont’s “the Malazan Empire” series is a canonical, integral part …

Luigi’s Mansion, a launch title for the GameCube back in 2001, still holds up today as a quirky little game: it excels in its whimsy and charm, creating a playful horror atmosphere that is a perfect match for its funny protagonist. However, the entire experience can become a little repetitive by the end, thanks to an incredibly rigid structure that …

Sometimes good ideas are not enough. Pokémon Legends: Arceus, for example, feels like a promising proof of concept for what could be a terrific finished game one day, as it indeed shakes up the stagnated Pokémon formula, presenting many fascinating ideas without any type of polish, failing to make great use of any of them. Arceus’ story is an Isekai, …

The Fifth Season talks about revolt with remarkable fury and finesse, building a bold and challenging narrative that uses the second-person in a meaningful way while presenting us a trio of main characters who are as fascinating as they are tragic. The book starts with the world ending twice. On a microscale, there is the world of the woman Essun, …

Sleeping Dogs is a decent open-world game with a compelling premise and some interesting mechanics that give the whole experience a cinematic flair. However, it could have used just a little more ambition, especially regarding its structure: Sleeping Dogs is a bit too safe, too predictable. The story follows Wei Shen, an undercover cop who infiltrated Hong Kong’s triads to …

I Am Setsuna is a simple JRPG that tries to discuss themes such as death and alterity but fails to do these complex subjects justice, being dragged down by a shallow cast of characters, dull writing, and a painfully unexplored combat system. The plot revolves around a tragic pilgrimage. Setsuna, a young girl who has just turned 18, is chosen …