Games

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 …

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 …

Tacoma explores an (awfully close) dystopian future, where our society is fully dominated by large corporations and is much worse because of it, by focusing on the crew of a space station in crisis. Transforming audio diaries into something new and refreshing, the title only slips up at the very end, when a single plot twist alters how we view …

“What a frightening thing is the human, a mass of gauges and dials and registers, and we can only read a few and those perhaps not accurately.” ― John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent Charlotte Maria Gray is in a cabin in the middle of nowhere at night. It’s snowing heavily outside, so she’s got to make a fire so she …

Last Stop presents three different stories set in the same city, mixing family drama with the fantastical: they are mostly well-told tales, featuring endearing characters and some neat ideas, even though they take too long to converge into a proper climax, which consequently feels rushed and underdeveloped. There are three main characters in Last Stop. We have John Smith, a …

The Order: 1886 makes a lot of promises it doesn’t intend to keep, leaving so many elements underdeveloped that it ends up feeling like the first couple of episodes of a TV series, instead of the full season. The game opens in media res, during a prison escape. The protagonist, Grayson, is being tortured by two English soldiers, who are …

One of the main distinguishable elements of the Gothic genre is the spectral presence of the past, which returns to haunt the characters and remind them of the things they want to forget – and usually the more we live, the more we want to forget. The setting in What Remains of Edith Finch is a house built on memories, …

Replaced is quite beautiful. The framing of the scenes, the buildings in the background, and especially the striking use of lightning and depth can all make us gasp in wonder. The HD-2D pixel art is atmospheric, and the environments are all incredibly detailed, layered, and bustling with life. We fully believe in Replaced’s world and are immersed in it just …