Review

She's multi-track drifting!

Why

• Never stops adding new mechanics, but somehow never overwhelming
• Easy to complete but tough to master
• Instant revives a-la Celeste are a great fit given the pace of gameplay
• Top-notch style and soundtrack
• Extremely tropey shonen storyline is a great fit

Why Not

• You can beat stages with slow reactions, but it'll feel pretty bad until you learn them
• Hard to read dialogue during the action (100% my fault for using Japanese audio)

Impressions

Denshattack is Unbeatable crossed with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, but you're a train. The story...

A game about grief; intent on giving you firsthand experience

Why

• JRPG combat for a souls-like fan
• Incredible, emotional story
• Voice actors live up to their reputations and the composer earned one
• I've never taken more screenshots in a game
• Somehow walks the tightrope of funny/traumatic

Why Not

• You hate games?
• You only have a Steam Deck :/

Impressions

Some games are so hyped it seems impossible for them to ever meet those expectations. Most don't, especially in the AAA space. I'm pleased to report Expedition 33 is not one of those, instead joining...

If you feel that a corporation you know has been the victim of a hate crime, you can report it through our confidential portal.

Why

• Well written mystery
• Worldbuilding continues to be an entertaining look at cyberpunk dystopia
• Serra

Why Not

• Reading to gameplay ratio skews heavily to reading
• Leading to much lower energy than the demo

Impressions

After the initial shock at the degree to which dialogue/gameplay balance collapsed in the direction of dialogue compared to the demo, I had quite a good time with this episode. It makes sense there's a lot...

A City on Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith.

The Expanse without the optimism

This book feels like it should open with NO in large, bold type, centered on the page. Despite being space nerds the Weinersmiths convinced themselves over the course of their research that any substantial off-world settlement in the next century or so is not only unlikely but probably undesirable. Having finished hearing about their reasoning I'd have to agree, as if Elon Musk providing the only shot at achieving such a settlement wasn't reason enough to avoid it like the plague.

I shudder to think how much planning this took

Why

• Genuinely creative, M.C. Escher-esque puzzles
• Intuitive without being hand-holdy
• 'Ah, that was it!' moments abound
• There's probably a story to piece together if you tear yourself away from puzzling

Why Not

• You strongly dislike puzzle games

Impressions

Gorogoa is a concentrated shot of puzzle design with a simple concept, brilliantly executed. Gameplay takes place in a 4-square grid and consists of clicking to move or focus within a square or dragging squares to a new position. Sounds simple, but exploring for ways to line...

Like this but Funnier by Hallie Cantor.

Compound interest works on mistakes too

Quite a fun read, I never expected to relate so much to someone who stalks their husband's therapy patient and uses their murder dreams to pitch a shitty TV comedy but here we are. I can definitely believe Hollywood works as portrayed and even if it doesn't the main thing is it's an entertaining backdrop to Caroline eternally spiralling from the small mistake of accidentally glimpsing her husband's patient notes. Probably won't leave a mark on me like Infinite Jest for example, but...

Freeman's Bizarre Adventure

Why

• The no cutscenes/environmental storytelling very much holds up
• Weapons all have their niches and feel good to use
• Fun sorta-puzzles to break up the shooting, exploration rewarded
• Half Life's Xen may not be great but Black Mesa's is fantastic
• Feels very 'designed'; if you can't decide what to do just look carefully

Why Not

• You don't want compulsory breaks every hour or so when it crashes
• You hate shooters with a passion

Impressions

I never played the original Half-Life, but if the only differences to Black Mesa are a shorter...

I can see why they recommend playing this one first

Why

• The first iteration of the Persona we know & love, but shinier
• Some standout character moments & solid overall plot
• Shadow variety/designs are pretty good
• Theurgies are a cool gimmick; especially for the protagonist
• No mascot!

Why Not

• I felt much less connected to the team/social links than Royal
• Less personal stakes
• Very ambiguous ending; explanation locked behind a DLC only purchasable in a bundle
• Mostly Persona 5 Royal exists & I played it first

Impressions

Reload is a great game in a...

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.

Being seen as human is truly inconvenient

Keiko is a 36 year old convenience store worker who has worked at the same store for half her life. The konbini is her safe space from the outside pressures of friends and family who seem intent on her getting a 'real job' or 'settling down'. The book makes it quite clear that Keiko thinks very differently from most people, sometimes frighteningly so, but the structured environment of the konbini allows her to fit in and thrive.

Her attempts to fit in by cooperating...

What if the noir detective was a lawyer?

Why

• Quality writing & mystery so far
• Nice soundtrack & plenty of visual flair
• Characters & world seem interesting
• Twist surprised me but still felt earned

Why Not

• Seems a little hand-holdy, but it is just a demo

Impressions

This is quite an interesting way to promote your game; a free demo covering the basic mechanics and giving a taste of the story/characters which can then be continued with longer 'DLC' episodes. It definitely worked on me; I'll be picking up the available episodes next time...

One day, tiny flames will dance across the darkness

Why

• A perfect end to the series & its world
• Friede, Gael, the Dancer, Pontiff... so many great bosses
• Fan service galore for those who've been there from the start
• World design is more DS2 than 1, but still plenty of secrets/shortcuts

Why Not

• Nope, just play it

Impressions

It feels so long ago that the pandemic gave me the push I needed to finally play Elden Ring, starting a journey which ends today with the first flame finally fading. I'll play all the other...

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain.

A pauper can prince, but can a prince pauper?

Like the Tom Sawyer books I struggled reading the archaic English to begin with, but I'm glad I stuck with it. These days the overall plot would be considered a pretty standard 'Freaky Friday' type deal; two very different people learn to appreciate their own circumstances by switching places, but even after 150-odd years of similar stories Twain's still stands out.

Both the pauper-turned-prince and prince-turned-pauper acquit themselves admirably over the course of the book despite obvious difficulties in...

Yep, that's a Daniel Mullins game

Why

• Typically deft 'game about games' from this dev
• The more different games you play the more you'll enjoy this
• 'Break/build the game' sections are a highlight gameplay-wise

Why Not

• Genre-hopping affects pacing if you dislike some genres
• Don't try the 'Space Marine' sections on a trackpad

Impressions

You might think being known for 4th-wall breaking meta-games might blunt the impact of said games, but that doesn't stop Daniel Mullins churning out bangers. Inscryption set a high bar; and while The Hex doesn't quite reach it a...

Self enjoy. Game good.

Why

• Beautiful hand-drawn art-style
• Plenty of chuckle-inducing moments
• Chill & atmospheric

Why Not

• You require action or difficulty for a game to be good
• Completionists may have the chill atmosphere ruined by rage-inducing hide and seek

Impressions

I bought this as another attempt to nostalgia-bait The Wife into enjoying gaming after Axyz ended up being more fun for me than someone who played Kula World decades ago. This time was much more successful, as she actively asked to play Moomintroll multiple times (and in quick succession!). I even had...

I bet you're hoping I do-nut make any puns

Why

• Satisfying core loop
• Expands (slightly) beyond 'eat small then big'

Why Not

• Doesn't expand on the core concept enough to be memorable
• Story best described as 'functional' and 'there'

Impressions

You can spend a solid 2 hours with Donut County, but you might not remember them in a month. The concept is fun (you control a hole which grows as it eats) and there are some nice touches of humour, but despite some token efforts at puzzles nothing much changes from the first...

The Director by Daniel Kehlmann.

The Director follows the broad strokes of G. W. Pabst's life during the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, with liberal sprinklings of fiction to fill in the gaps of what various characters would have been doing and saying at any given moment. There's an eerie, surreal quality suffusing the book, and not just in the sense that a man with a Jewish wife voluntarily returned to Nazi Germany from America. Events often toe the line of reality before stepping over to highlight the unreal situations characters find themselves in, before jumping back...

Pretty but no personality

Why

• Much more realistic graphics than most (any?) Metroidvanias
• Tries to differentiate itself with combos/multiple weapons

Why Not

• Combat is going for weighty but lands on clunky
• Story/characters do nothing for me
• Never felt any desire to play it

Impressions

FIST (what a name) stands out with its impressively realistic graphics compared to others in the genre, but falls down more or less everywhere else. Despite being fully voice-acted the story is ham-fisted and formulaic, exploration is there but basic and the combat just feels bad. There are plenty...

Chained to (uneven) mediocrity

Why

• Overdrive adds enough to keep combat engaging
• No grinding required
• The bones of an interesting plot
• Some cool enemy designs, and GIANT MECHS

Why Not

• Dialogue ruins the plot with its unbearable clunkiness
• Little opportunity for build customisation
• Nothing about it wowed me

Impressions

Chained Echoes made a strong first impression and was never really bad (other than the dialogue), but also failed to live up to the game it probably could have been.

Its opening has you jumping between the characters who'll make up your party for...

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison.

This time Sherlock is very much on the side of the angels

I had a good time with this one; always been a fan of Sherlock and this is an interesting familiar-but-not twist on it. As usual Addison is better at teasing worldbuilding than paying it off but since this is a solo book that's much less disappointing than the Teixcalaan series and frees us up to just enjoy filling in the blanks with imagination. Reads a bit like a fanfic and apparently that's how it started, but...

Vacation vibes without the friction

Why

• Exactly as wholesome/cozy as it looks
• Great for short bursts of playtime
• A bunch of cool little quirky interactions

Why Not

• You're looking for action/a challenge

Impressions

TOEM is exactly what it seems; a chill, wholesome and whimsical journey which is more than the (admittedly fairly cool) destination. The gameplay loop boils down to enter biome -> help x people by taking photos of various things -> get enough stickers to move onto the next biome, which sounds simple but is carried by the sheer amount of...

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig.

Too real for my liking

An interesting premise submerged under ham-fisted writing and near constant political commentary. I agree with they guy's politics but I don't read fiction to see fictional worlds ruined by the same petty right wing bullshit the real world is, without even the benefit of any interesting changes in the setting. I did only make it a few chapters in so maybe later on there's something to make the constant commentary/events seemingly ripped straight from real life more palatable, but with so many other great things to read I...

Ballin'

Why

• Immaculate vaporwave vibes and soundtrack
• Chill but satisfyingly challenging puzzles
• Consistently introduces new mechanics with a smooth difficulty curve
• Diegetic menus and UI elements are great

Why Not

• Some levels require quickish reactions, so maybe not ideal for pure puzzle heads

Impressions

I initially picked up Axyz for my wife because she played Kula World as a kid, but ended up playing more than her and now I'm planning to 100% it. The puzzle gameplay is great, starting with a simple premise and gradually expanding it with new mechanics as...

Have you ever played a 90min music video?

Why

• Feels like one big anime finale
• Plenty of replay value with challenges/score chasing
• I replayed it immediately after my first clear
• Every level is great; some are spectacular

Why Not

• You hate music and creativity?

Impressions

Sayonara Wild Hearts is the ultimate argument for short games. The thing about rhythm games or endless runners (the closest comparisons in terms of gameplay) is their endless nature means the visuals are necessarily kinda samey and generic, so they can be reused across multiple songs/levels. Totally logical and...

Billionaire genius mouse philanthropist

Why

• Retro vibes with modern polish
• Gives hints, not answers to its many secrets
• Challenging but heavily customisable combat/traversal
• Endless cool details, starting with the in-game manual
• Achievements are meaningful/interesting, not just chapter markers

Why Not

• The burrowing/4-directional attacking takes a while to learn

Impressions

Mina the Hollower is a retro Zelda-like with combat inspiration from Bloodborne of all games. It's jam-packed with secrets and attention to detail, from the old-style in-game manual which is great as both a concept and source of extremely useful info to the many...

Existential crisis as a psychedelic space odyssey

Why

• Brilliant start and finish
• Visuals never fall below spectacular

Why Not

• Drags a bit in the middle

Impressions

The Artful Escape takes you on a carefully curated journey through the cosmos and a teenage boy's attempts to get out from under the shadow of his famous uncle. You won't find any meaningful decisions here, and to be honest not much gameplay either, but there's just enough to keep you engaged and moving through the spectacular alien vistas Beethoven & Dinosaur have crafted, accompanied by an...

Solid with a smattering of spectacular

Why

• Detailed pixel art which improves in creativity as the game progresses
• Some very unique/mechanically stimulating boss fights
• Plenty of secrets, some creatively hidden/hinted at

Why Not

• Instakill lava
• Only one type of map marker
• Story is kinda just there

Impressions

Kingdom Shell starts off as bog standard as a Metroidvania can be, albeit with very detailed pixel art. You have some basic melee and ranged enemies to beat up, ability gates to bounce off and secrets to discover. This persists even after the first boss, where...

Number go up in its purest form

Why

• Great second screen game
• Very committed to its excellent blobby aesthetic
• You can have runs so broken that it doesn't matter where you launch the ball
• Probably not something you can sink hundreds of hours into

Why Not

• Probably not something you can sink hundreds of hours into
• (Seemingly) not that much strategic depth

Impressions

I put in about 2 hours of shifts at Nubby's Number Factory while watching League, and it did its job of filling in gaps in the action brilliantly. I like...

But why schoolgirls?

Why

• Extremely varied approaches to combat, almost immersive sim-like
• Detailed, dynamically lit pixel art
• Clearly a lot of care and attention to detail

Why Not

• You will feel the need to google 'how to hide games from my Steam friends'
• Seriously, the devs are just too goddamn horny

Impressions

Lost Ruins has a lot of interesting ideas, from realistic interactions between the elements and various aspects of the environment to survival-horror like item scarcity and lack of healing at checkpoints. The combat is just solid gameplay-wise but really shines in...

I'm starting to think I just don't like puzzle games

Why

• Beautiful painting-inspired art style
• Constantly introducing new wrinkles
• A lot of puzzles have very clever/creative solutions

Why Not

• Some frustration from platforming, even with rewinds
• You don't like puzzle games, not matter how many great ones you play

Impressions

Braid is clearly a great game and I can see why its one of the classics of the genre, but I just can't make myself finish it. My brain-rotted millennial attention span has me reaching for hints or even a guide after ~5...

Don't talk to me or my dragon son ever again

Why

• Unique, charming and funny in clever ways
• Fantastic aesthetic and soundtrack
• Never stops surprising you with how many layers a match 3 + visual novel can have

Why Not

• You need a lot of action to enjoy a game

Impressions

Titanium Court is a weird hybrid of visual novel and match three game, but never has 'more than the sum of its parts' been more appropriate. I was pulled in right away by its unique premise and style; then kept around by...

We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker.

What if corporations could enshittify... us

Finished this on the train to drop The Wife off at the airport for her yearly trip home then promptly forgot to write a review for it in the excitement of unlimited gaming time, so this is over a week late.

That's no particular reflection on the book though; it felt very relevant to the times and had some interesting characters/dynamics between them. It came a year and a half after ChatGpt launched so I wonder when the author started writing it and how much...

Sokovania? Metroban?

Why

• A Metroidvania with Sokoban-style gameplay is unique
• Plenty of variety, with new weapons & enemies introduced semi-frequently
• Character portraits in conversations are stylish, and overall a nice GBA-esque aesthetic

Why Not

• A lot of collectibles/story which I didn't have a reason to care about
• Map is janky and makes it hard to distinguish areas
• Very unclear where you should go for primary objectives at times

Impressions

Sliding Hero eschews the classic 2D platformer formula for Metroidvanias and instead asks 'what if the only way to move was sliding until you...

The psychedelic gardening metroidvania

Why

• A real sense of exploration, not just of the map but of systems
• The 'attack variety' mechanic puts an interesting twist on otherwise basic combat
• Incredible, psychedelic art direction
• The central time-loop conceit is a big swing

Why Not

• Lack of direction can be frustrating at times
• There are times where you know the solution but just need to wait for it to grow
• Time looping requires plenty of back tracking

Impressions

Ultros isn't content with having been designed by an art team eating LSD like it's food;...

Jack Sparrow, but sober and a woman

Why

• Gives you the tools to create crazy combat sequences
• And forces you to use them
• Writing is the perfect level of camp
• Art style is a perfect fit for this game

Why Not

• Forcing you into extended 1-1 duels for some fights seems against the spirit of the game
• A replay mode would be amazing

Impressions

En Garde is exactly what it sets out to be; a swashbuckling, improvisational romp through incompetent goons and scenery chewing villains. The combat allows for incredible highs straight out...

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh.

Maybe aliens are people too?

Less than halfway through this book I was genuinely confused by how there could possible be another half of a book left. Kyr had successfully escaped her the militaristic cult she was raised in, started seeing aliens as people and started to understand why her older sister did the same. Sure she still planned on killing an alien dignitary but to be fair he did end up being personally responsible for the destruction of Earth. Then everything goes downhill; her genius 'friend' decides to use the...

Bright but short lived

Why

• Clean visuals, especially the fire-related stuff
• Combat is solid & varied, especially for a short game
• Frequent checkpoints to prevent frustration

Why Not

• Very short, under 2 hours
• Easy to inadvertently miss secrets

Impressions

As with most people I got this while it was free to promote the sequel, and it was pretty effective at that. There's defnitely enough here to pique my interest in what the team can do with a longer, more ambitious game.

The focus of the game's world is fire and its role in combating...

An appropriately titled game

Why

• The memento puzzles are kinda neat brain teasers
• The premise of the game is an interesting concept

Why Not

• Somewhat incoherent story in a story-driven game
• They don't do as much as they could with the premise
• Nice pixel art ruined by constant filters
• Dialogue can be forced at times

Impressions

I've heard a lot of good things about this one but just don't get it. The premise is cool but underutilized in favour of a focus on characters who just aren't that interesting and their mountains of sad...

It's ok to just be ok

Why

• Charming pixel art & very nice water
• Which is used to creatively signpost some secrets
• The core combat/traversal mechanic is a cool idea

Why Not

• The core combat/traversal mechanic is more or less the only cool idea
• And it has a few drawbacks holding it back from carrying the game
• Didn't unlock a single achievement despite meeting the requirements...

Impressions

Sealed Bite is a short but solid platformer held back from being special by slight annoyances with its primary mechanic. Shortly after starting your journey a...

A whimsical fantasy metroidvania with Sanabi's gameplay but pacifist

Why

• Deeply weird in all the best ways
• Atmosphere really sells you being in a fairy tale
• Movement is much easier than it looks
• Boss 'fights' are fantastic, visually and mechanically
• Great use of achievements to signpost/hint at weird side content

Why Not

• You only care about the length of a game, not its quality

Impressions

Key Fairy is a surreal, unique experience which feels like a fairy tale come to life. Rather than fighting 'enemies' you liberate them from corruption by zooming...

Hyper-chaotic 1000xResist vibes with Persona's flair

Why

• Will definitely surprise you
• Also very good at the things you'd expect
• So much love & care was clearly put into it
• Banging soundtrack and visuals
• A multitude of cool little details

Why Not

• You're a cop

Impressions

I came into Unbeatable expecting a solid rhythm game with a unique style but ended up on a non-stop chaotic journey of emotion and philosophy. From Beat waking up in a meadow to escaping from police helicopters on a scooter and well beyond, I found it nearly impossible to...

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine.

Surely there are better ways to communicate than nausea-inducing singing

The follow up to A Memory Called Empire doesn't land quite as well with me due to its wider scope, but is still a worthy successor.

The aliens clearly set up as antagonists in the first book are back, and they brought so, so many new characters along for the ride. Many of them POV characters too, I don't remember there being anywhere near this many POV shifts (if any?) in the first book. Off the top of my...

Nothing Mid Beyond this Point

Why

• Genuinely unique approach to a metroidvania
• Basic but very evocative art style
• Combat system is a cool concept well executed
• Story is suprisingly interesting
• It just has the juice, couldn't put it down despite a frustrating start

Why Not

• Exploration can be painful until you get certain abilities
• Giving the second boss anti heal was certainly a choice

Impressions

This is not what I expected at all from a 580yen Metroidvania which looks like they didn't bother hiring a background artist. Nothing Beyond this Point is a great...

More like Planet of Mui

Why

• An rare brightly colored Inside-like
• Also considerably more hopeful
• Makes great use of its 'simple' art style
• Great framing/atmosphere, I took so many screenshots

Why Not

• You hate puzzles

Impressions

Planet of Lana takes the classic INSIDE-like formula and iterates on it with two great additions; non-monochrome colors and Mui, your dog-shaped puzzle solving companion.

The game kicks off with Lana in an idyllic looking fishing village, getting up to wholesome mischief with her sister Elo. Sadly some machines show up to interrupt their sisterly bonding time, capturing...

The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera.

The Saint of Bright Doors opens strong and doesn't let up, as a young Fetter's mother rips his shadow from him to make him a more efficient instrument of death aimed at his father, The Perfect and Kind. The first chapter acts as a prologue; chronicling Fetter's childhood of training to be an assassin, before jumping years into the future where he's just another guy in a fantasy New York run by religious fanatics and racists.

The worldbuilding is great; it reveals enough to keep you interested while holding enough...

The longest pun I've ever heard

Why

• I liked the humour, pretty clever dialogue in places
• Cool aesthetic, fun minigames
• References abound

Why Not

• You'd better like the humour, because it doesn't change

Impressions

Later Alligator is a fun, silly game which accomplishes exactly what it sets out to. You play as a faceless but strongly mob-enforcer coded character who bumps into a hypochondriac alligator called Pat, who's convinced his family plans to kill him at a mysterious meeting they've set up that evening. You have the rest of the day to get to...

Paper Mario with bugs?

Why

• Combat is turn based but interactive, has some per-enemy strategies
• The art style looks basic at first but grows on you
• Light puzzle-solving and platforming mixes things up
• You can dodge random encounters/start with an advantage by attacking first

Why Not

• Nothing about it grabbed me in the first 2.5 chapters
• Pretty easy? I dodged a lot of encounters and never felt weak

Impressions

I grabbed this from an 'Overwhelmingly Positive' Humble Bundle which has definitely reminded me that 'buy stuff other people think is good' is not always...

Surprisingly souls-like

Why

• Nails the intangibles, feels better than it should
• Evocative pixel art
• Compact & fair, even on hard

Why Not

• Pretty short
• Not especially challenging, even on hard

Impressions

My expectations for this were right around Shantae given the similarities; retro pixel metroidvanias which at least from their store page look like they were drawn with one hand. In reality Momodora was more or less the exact opposite of Shantae; rather than being bright & cheery but clunky and frustrating Momodora sets a distinctly Dark Souls-like mood and plays with surprising...

See you fantasy cowboy

Why

• Well written & voice acted
• A gigantic, crunchy CRPG to sink your teeth into
• Turn based mode! Very cool they went back to add it

Why Not

• You don't have 100+ hours to sink into a single game

Impressions

This is absolutely a game I would've burned 100+ hours on back in my days of gaming freedom, but with a wife and soon kids I do not have 100+ hours to burn.

Right from the start, Pillars makes it clear you're in for the long haul. There's more lore...

Man I wish Valve still made games

Why

• The orignal but better
• More variety in scenery/the tools at your disposal
• A lot of interesting lore about Aperture/GLaDOS
• Humour is spot on just like the original, and more frequent

Why Not

• You hate thinking just as much as Wheately

Impressions

The original Portal was a really cool puzzle game with some light story and funny moments to keep you motivated, but there are only so many white-walled test chambers a mute can struggle through. The best parts of that game were when you broke out...

Waifus fight music

Why

• Pretty wide range of difficulties
• Songs play pretty differently to each other
• Enough tracks that there'll be a few which hit for anyone
• Monetisation seems very fair

Why Not

• Not incredibly fan-servicy, but there are some skins you wouldn't want your partner to see you using
• Some tracks require incredibly quick/well timed consecutive inputs, even on easy

Impressions

I took a flier on this since it was ~200yen and was pleasantly surprised; never tried rhythm games before but this probably won't be my last. The presentation and character designs are...

Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

Now I'm definitely playing Pacific Drive

The origin of the Stalker movie, then the Stalker games and finally Pacific Drive; I can definitely see why it spawned so much different media. Roadside Picnic is a masterclass in pulling you in through what you're not told rather than what you are, little about the Zone is explained, years of time are skipped and major action sequences are cut as unnecessary. The book is more interested in the effects the Zone's bounty has on humanity than glorying in the sci-fi or horror...

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.

Entertains while teaching

It's not often that being called Demon Copperhead would be considered the least of a person's problems, but that's certainly the case here. Born on the floor of their trailer home to a drug addict mother, young Demon manages to have quite quite a pleasant childhood with his brother-in-terrible-name Maggot until his mum shacks up with a new man. Thus begins the rollercoaster of Demon's life, suffering through awful situations to seize a ray of hope then be brutally shoved right back into darkness.

Get a part time job?...

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-ju.

At least she's not a woman in the 19th century?

Another in the storied tradition of 'being a woman sucks' books, this time set in modern(ish) Korea. It starts off like it could be non-fiction and since I've heard a bit about how rough things are for woman in Korea I didn't really start wondering if it was fiction until near the end when I started wondering if you'd have to be Kim Jiyoung's shrink to know all this. I'm sure there are plenty of Korean women who've been through...

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.

Surely there are better ways to communicate than holographic scrolls

Another example of me being surprisingly interested in political intrigue after Goblin Emperor and for much the same reasons; the characters are well-written and likeable. I guess something inherent to the genre forces authors to actually think about troublesome things like motivations, worldbuilding and how people might act in a given situation rather than having their characters do whatever seems coolest at the time.

Our protagonist Mahit is ambassador from a small space station to the galaxy-spanning Teixcalaan Empire,...

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas.

Lesbian lovers leap lustily

In 1967, four female scientists invent a machine allowing time travel (to any time the machine exists, so no going back to see dinosaurs). A burst of celebratory trips the night before they reveal it to the world triggers an underlying psychological condition in Barabra, causing her to have a breakdown on camera the next day and be excommunicated from the project.

Decades later the other three scientists work for (or run) The Conclave, the organisation which monopolizes time travel, while Barbara has been in...

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

Liminal space fantasy

Piranesi (the protagonist, not the book) has a simple life as one of two people left alive in the world, and one of 15 confirmed to have ever lived. He and The Other are scientists, searching for signs of some nebulous 'Ultimate Power' in a series of endless, statue-filled halls which stretch from the sea to the clouds. Despite our only POV being Piranesi's religious reverence for The House, attentive readers will notice things are not as they seem to our protagonist. Eventually he joins us in noticing these discrepancies,...

The Midsolar Murders by Mur Lafferty.

Imagine being so good at solving murders people just keep dying around you so you can solve more.

Just a fun series. You'd think a setting with wasp hive minds, sentient space stations and living rocks which turn into spaceships by drinking the blood of their enemies would be all about the world-building but it's the characters that're the focus here. There still is plenty of quality wordbuilding, it's just relegated to the background where it effectively serves as interesting color rather than requiring you to think too hard about its...

The End of Everything by Katie Mack.

Quantum nihlism

This was pretty interesting! I'd heard of a few of these theories from random Reddit posts, but the book obviously goes into much more depth and provides some science to back the theories up. I've soured on pop-sci a bit since in hindsight most of the stuff I've read is either pushing the author's political agenda or just has a lot of stuff made up to be more interesting, but this neatly sidesteps the issue by being about stuff which won't happen for billions upon billions of years....

A bit too much lamp-rubbing in this one

Why

• Bright & colorful vibe is a nice contrast to many metroidvanias
• Has a lot of personality, even if not familiar with the (apparently established) characters
• Mostly chill & breezy gameplay...

Why Not

• ...but towards the end RNG takes a bit too much of a role
• Progression gates can be a little adventure-gamey at times
• The biome where every female character ends up in a Slave Leia costume wasn't strictly necessary

Impressions

I may not have finished it, but the 70%ish I did play of Shantae...

John Wick meets James Bond meets Pinocchio

Why

• Nails the frenetic, improvisational combat it's going for
• Also nails the cyberpunk disco vibes
• Never stops introducing new mechanics

Why Not

• Feeling as cool as it makes possible isn't easy
• Maybe a few too many mechanics to keep track of in a ~5 hour game

Impressions

You deflect a bullet with your bag, use your shapeshifting bat to combo down an enemy, pick up their gun so you can unload it into an elite then throw it at them and unleash a giant robotic fist to...

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.

Everyone(?) is terrible

A fictional retelling of Grace Marks' real story which brings the characters to life without drawing its own conclusions.

It's rare to enjoy a mystery which goes unsolved, but Atwood's Grace and the various side characters are so compelling and colorful I don't really mind knowing if she's guilty or not. Mary Whitney and Jeremiah the peddler are highlights in support of Grace and Dr. Simon Jordan's delusional confidence, as is the sheer unfairness of the historical setting. Despite seemingly constant backsliding in the quality of life people can...

Why ask forgiveness when you can just murder god?

Why

• Side-scrolling, religion-inspired Dark Souls
• Nails the strong points of both souls/metroidvania genres
• Boss/core character designs are crazy
• Challenging without being punishing

Why Not

• Platforming is frustratingly clunky at times
• Getting all endings requires a second playthrough

Impressions

I cannot overemphasize the degree to which this feels like a Souls game but side-scrolling. The Game Kitchen nailed everything FromSoft's games do from the looping paths & shortcuts to the atmosphere and difficulty. Managing this while also making the game a great Metroidvania is even more...

Always read the Terms and Conditions

Why

• Genuinely funny, surprisingly good story
• Makes 'turn based' combat interactive & interesting
• Endless cool little details to discover
• Should be way more popular than it seems to be

Why Not

• You hate fun

Impressions

With over 19 000 games released on Steam each year it's inevitable some will get lost in the shuffle. It's an absolute crime Deathbulge was one of them though; its cant-miss humour may be subjective but the music-themed, far more active twist on traditional turn-based combat alone would make it worth playing. But...

Beats up your heart along with the baddies

Why

• Typically Yakuza drama with heart
• Side stories are also typically fun, the cabaret club in particular
• Deuteragonist structure used to brilliant effect

Why Not

• Bosses have a lot of health & huge difficulty spikes
• Kuze epitomises 'How many times must I teach you this lesson old man?'
• Majima is too much of a real person for later games to make sense haha

Impressions

After playing (and loving) Like a Dragon I decided to jump back to where it all began for some context on...

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.

Godlike cyborgs re-enact Romeo & Juliet across untold millenia

Kinda surprised I liked this as much as I did; the prose feels overly flowery, the seemingly omnipotent technology the protagonists have access and its implications are mostly handwaved as irrelevant and there's not much going on plot-wise other than an enemies to lovers romance. Despite all that I really enjoyed the ~2 hours it took to finish; the limited world-building does what it needs to by setting up background intriuge and it's fun...

Light Souls?

Why

• Interesting, original IP and world in a big budget game
• Combat strongly encourages thinking & using abilities
• Strikes an ideal balance between combat, exploration puzzles & platforming
• Great aesthetic and worldbuilding, dark in tone not visuals

Why Not

• Surprisingly tough combat, don't assume it's a game for kids

Impressions

Kena looks like a children's game with bright visuals, beautiful vistas and cute sidekicks. Writing it off as such would be a mistake though, as the cheery aesthetics come hand in hand with a challenging combat system, satisfying puzzle platforming/exploration and a...

Maybe I wouldn't like DnD after all

Why

• A lot of effort went into making a believable world
• Compelling characters with personality and their own stories
• Simple but effective art style

Why Not

• Swamps of dialogue with nothing to break it up
• No real sense of progress after 3 hours
• Trusts the player a bit too much

Impressions

I feel bad for dropping what's clearly a quality game so early, but three hours into what's meant to be a ~12 hour experience I need to feel more invested than I do here. I'm leaving...

Does this unit have a soul? Absolutely.

Why

• Nails exploration & world design
• Unique, beautiful artstyle with a matching soundtrack
• Modifiers allow for a variety of approaches to combat
• With Ground Healing on, platforming feels like budget Celeste

Why Not

• Runbacks are just unnecessary
• Brutal difficulty jump for the true ending

Impressions

Mio is an excellent Metroidvania which learns from its peers while adding enough to stand out. Despite a few frustrating design decisions I never wanted to stop exploring its incredibly designed and rendered world, eager to see what panoramas awaited.

The core...

My Husband by Maud Ventura.

The perfect couple

The narrator is just a normal woman who loves her husband. Over the course of a week, endlessly escalating revelations exemplify just how normal and healthy her love for her husband is. I'm hesitant to write about the plot in any detail for fear of spoiling it, not because it's reliant on twists or shock value (both of which are plentiful), but because the journey of perspective you go on as you read is part of the experience. The prose is also excellent, posessing that intangible 'quality' I so...

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman.

Everything is fine, nothing is answered

This one just didn't do it for me, despite not being meaningfully different to the preceding two. Part of it was definitely a bit of ick from two characters I very much saw as kids (Lyra's ~12 in this book!) suddenly being very interested in romance. I mean it makes a lot of sense, most kids are at that age even without the extensive trauma-bonding, but much like their other authentically child-like reactions and decisions it's just not fun to read for me.

Something else...

What if world-building was the gameplay?

Why

• Your favourite part of games is learning about their world
• If 'intriguing' is a more attractive description than 'fun'
• You want something chill & different

Why Not

• Definitely slower paced
• If you care about literally anything other than learning about the world, there's not much here for you

Impressions

I briefly wanted to be a marine biologist when I was a kid, mostly because I thought dolphins were cool (they are) and I liked the idea of being away from my family for months at a time...

Beauty is only skin deep

Why

• Stunning 2.5D with plenty of care put into (most) environments
• Combat is pretty fun, if not particularly challenging
• Packed with personality/pop culture references

Why Not

• Story is laughably incoherent, plays out like bad fanfic
• Lots of dialogue, lots of it awkward (in English)

Impressions

"Frustration". If I had to choose one word to describe ANNO: Mutationem, that'd be the one. ANNO gracefully delivers a stunningly rendered cyberpunk world packed with cool character designs and fluid combat, then falls flat on its face the second it opens its mouth.

...

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman.

What's better than one impulsive child with a reality warping macguffin? Two

Opening a sequel with the POV of a completely unknown character is always an interesting move, leaving the reader wondering if they'll be important going forward or killed off immediately to set up a new threat. Someone does kick the bucket in the first chapter but it's not Will Parry, our new deuteragonist from a version of Earth slightly more familiar than Lyra's. With him come a cast of modern villains and allies, as well as a surprise returning...

Drunk yes, Batman no

Why

• A great hook that I'd love to see as a full game
• Strong characterisation over a short runtime
• Thematic artstyle
• Style system incentivizes finding more creative/optimal solutions

Why Not

• Can be very, very short
• Not much to do if you just get to the end as fast as possible

Impressions

Man what a strange experience. This game has two characters and can take as little as 20 minutes to complete, but it does a lot with that time. Both Hank and The Unraveler pack a lot of personality into...

Beautiful but flawed

Why

• Stunningly detailed pixel art
• Hints of background lore are tantalizing
• Bosses make you think rather than git gud

Why Not

• The gameplay just isn't fun
• Never really felt challenged, I was just progressing
• Some unnecessary friction

Impressions

There's plenty of evidence Owlboy took even longer than Silksong to make. The absurdly detailed pixel art, clever enemy interactions with the environment and intruiging world building show the incredible care the devs obviously put into it over 9 years. Unfortunately the tiresome gameplay, unnecessary friction and inconsistent plot are likely also...

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman.

I can certainly see why ~8 year old Brett liked this

Lyra Belacqua is a tenacious young lady who, despite her cautious daemon and noble birth, just wants to be a kid. Over the course of this first entry in the trilogy she lives out the dream of every child with an overactive imagination. From finding out her decidedly not-dead parents are famous, interesting people to befriending an armored polar bear and rescuing hundred of her peers from an evil research station, Lyra's bucket list is probably done at the tender age...

Unfinished, but doesn't need to be

Why

• Unique art direction looks amazing
• Bosses especially have cool designs, and some have interesting mechanics
• Cool lil' easter eggs to find in each level

Why Not

• Enemy placement is a bit Dark-Souls-2-like at times

Impressions

I took one look at the screenshots and knew I was playing this one, the sketched aesthetic of the bosses really appeals to me. The rest of the game's art didn't disappoint either; the small cast of enemies each have interesting designs and the background art matches the overall aesthetic while providing...

A Major swanSong

Why

• Feels like an alternate version of the main game
• Major Song is a badass in her own, completely different way
• Arguably more complex & difficult than the base game

Why Not

• Lacks the strong story which made the main game so special
• Set in a factory, so no stunningly detailed backgrounds to admire

Impressions

I was fortunate enough to play Sanabi after the DLC released, so I got to go straight from getting my ass kicked by Major Song to kicking ass as her. It's pretty shocking how differently...

Together We Will Go by J. Michael Straczynski.

Not sure how to feel about this one

On one hand, 12 strangers getting on a bus for a cross-country roadtrip ending in their collective suicide by driving into the ocean is a pretty compelling setup. On the other, the same things which make it compelling also make it very difficult to pull off. I'm not an author, so I'm not sure how a book like this should be written, but IMO this isn't it.

The overall structure is there I think; you have a varied group of people...

Cyberpunk revenge Spiderman

Why

• Stunningly detailed pixel art
• Unique movement mechanics feel amazing
• Excellent pacing between gameplay and story
• The story actually rivals the gameplay for best part

Why Not

• There's definitely an initial adjustment period to the movement
• This is a cyberpunk setting, it's pretty dark

Impressions

I came into this expecting a fun action platformer, and for the first ~6 hours that's exactly what I got, with a bonus serving of amazingly detailed pixel art. The core mechanic of grappling feels amazing once you get used to it, thought that took me...

Let the dice fall where they may

Why

• Well written characters with cool designs
• An interesting story with consistent themes
• Peaks and valleys of pressure make progress feel earned
• Role-playing elements are pretty strong

Why Not

• Themes are arguably a little too consistent if you zoom out a bit
• Success snowballs, you can be kinda OP by the start of the DLC
• Some DLC dialogue doesn't seem to change based on your choices

Impressions

Citizen Sleeper starts off as a pressure cooker. You wake up on a space station called 'The Eye' as a...

Liberty's Daughter by Naomi Kritzer.

Sadly the rich were not eaten

Beck Garrison lives on the seastead, the classic libertarian dream of a sovereign nation in the middle of the ocean. If one ever made it further than the 'buying a cruise ship' phase. In Beck's universe they made it quite a bit further than that, and the book's strongest point is building out what these seasteads would look like.

A few different 'nations' have sprung up on the converted cruise liners and sea platforms, from the debauchery of New Amsterdam to the unrestrained techno-capitilism of Sal...

Feel the power of a petty bureaucrat

Why

• Makes inspecting paperwork somewhat interesting
• Plenty of fun little interactions to discover
• Tells some interesting stories (Jorji!)

Why Not

• Pretty hard to not lose quickly on Steam Deck/a trackpad without Easy Mode
• Difficult to play for long stretches

Impressions

Papers please is definitely an interesting game; if not a fun one. But I suspect that's by design. Every part of the game from the music to the washed out color palette, tedious document checking and arbitrary rules handed down from on high conspires to make you...

I've never had so much fun clicking sentences

Why

• Innovative (at least to me) detective gameplay
• Genuinely interesting mystery, delivered (almost) entirely through transcripts
• Surprisingly intuitive, no tutorial and it's not needed

Why Not

• You'll spend a lot of time staring at transcripts
• Only one mystery, I could definitely play a whole game of this

Impressions

I won't spoil the mystery, but essentially you're a traumatized old detective trying to pull together the details of her only unsolved case from the shattered pieces of her memory. There's a bit of dialogue at the start...

John Wick in watercolor

Why

• Every frame is a beautiful painting
• An emotional story supported by a stellar soundtrack
• A lot more 'gameplay' than Gris
• Movement and combat feel satisfying

Why Not

• You somehow hate the art style?

Impressions

This is the second game from Nomada Studio, the team behind Gris, another absolutely beautiful game telling an emotional story in watercolor. I really cannot overemphasize how beautiful this game is, the screenshots are impressive but still don't do justice to how it feels to play. If you were picky you could call Gris a...

Why

Why Not

Impressions

Somehow lives up to its tagline

Why

• Hades was a GOTY contender and this is a noticeable improvement
• Lovable cast of new characters plus some returning favourites
• Melinoe feels very different to Zagreus while keeping the same gameplay concept
• Amazing art, story and soundtrack
• Supergiant is great at making a roguelike that feels like it isn't
• Spectacularly well-handled difficulty curve

Why not

• The sheer amount of great content could be overwhelming in the early midgame

Impressions

Similar to Silksong, this is a godlike sequel. If you liked or were interested in the first...

Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

I'll probably see these very differently in a few years

Two (mostly) cozy books about the escapades of the titular boys in 1840s Missouri. The first is a more lighthearted romp from Tom's POV, while the second picks up soon after the events of the first and follows Huckleberry on quite an adventure down the river.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Much of the first book is spent establishing Tom as the absolute epitome of boyhood through a series of short stories where he...

Team Cherry does it again

Why

• The level of polish explains it taking 7 years
• Crests provide genuinely different playstyles and are all viable
• Every boss was at least memorable, and at least 5 are truly amazing
• Just moving around feels so good once you get a few abilities
• Hornet having a personality & dialogue adds a lot of character
• The sheer amount of content is ridiculous, it took me as long to finish as base Elden Ring
• Somehow, very very little of that content could be considered filler

Why Not

• People saying it's hard...

Florence but sadder

Why

• Nice artsyle/sound design
• Gameplay/story combine to really make you wonder what's going on
• Exactly as long as it needs to be

Why Not

• You don't like these kinds of narrative-heavy games

Impressions

and Roger is another game in the style of Florence, which got me into the genre, though it's definitely a lot darker. I won't spoil too much about the story, but where Florence mostly combined its beautiful art and music to elicit emotional responses, and Roger adds gameplay to the mix in a much bigger way. The...

Too wholesome for me

Why

• Pixel art conveys the differences in worlds well
• Nice music
• Background mystery seems like it would be interesting

Why Not

• 'Puzzles' are basic/tedious
• Story hasn't done much to pull me in after ~4 hours
• Moral of the story seems... obvious?

Impressions

Rakuen definitely has some strong points, but I think it's just not for me. You play as a (probably terminally ill) kid in a hospital, whose family conveniently happens to own a magical book granting access to a parallel world with a wish granting deity (the Morizora). Less...

Choose-your-own-adventure Suicide Squad

Why

• Fantastic characters
• Nice animation & music
• Gameplay is actually pretty fun
• Story has some twists but a hopeful tone

Why Not

• You're a child/going to play in front of one
• If you only care about gameplay it's might not be for you

Impressions

Robert (Aaron Paul) is just a dude. Albeit a dude who's a renowned hero with a giant flying mech suit. Until his pursuit of revenge lands him without the suit or its macguffin power source, but with responsibility of dispatching his team of "reformed" villains to resolve...

Girlfailure makes friends

Why

• Focused, intriguing plot
• Small cast of characters you'll get very familiar with
• Visuals and music add a lot to the atmosphere
• Lots of personality jammed into the limited character illustrations

Why Not

• Essentially 'just' a book with pictures and music
• No choices if that's something you need in a Visual Novel

Impressions

Our POV character is Asya, a Russian high school girl with many friends who like to play pranks on her and a very strong grip on reality. One day a girl (sometimes) in her class is nice to...

The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison.

There's a point at which humility ceases to be a virtue

A satisfying end to Thara's saga, assuming it continues to be that. The stakes are raised yet again, this time resulting in the animosity of a Shell-level corporation and providing an even scarier dead thing for Thara to send off into the ether. All the characters we've come to know and love (or be annoyed by) make appearances in addition to a dashing goblin principate guard, a bumbling prelate and the kafka-esque bureaucracy of the Catacombs Guild.

It's essentially...

I could hardly bear the despair

Why

• Wacky cast of characters you might actually end up attached to
• Ensures you have enough knowledge to solve mysteries while letting you make the connections
• Interesting minigames to make points during the class trials

Why Not

• Dialogue is often painful/repetitive
• Some of the mysteries are ridiculously convoluted/probably don't stand up to scrutiny
• Sometimes leans too hard on shock value/anime tropes

Impressions

Danganronpa has a lot of problems. The dialogue is generally so poorly written I skim-read 80% after the first chapter, it leans on shock value/edginess a...

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison.

Way too eager to explore a haunted area called the 'Hill of Werewolves'

The 2.5th chapter of Thara Celehar's suffering starts off on a worryingly positive note. He gets to do normal things at his job, have minimal interactions with people in positions of power and even gets an apprentice! Fortunately we quickly return to normal, as investigating the suspected murder of an elderly marchioness leads him on the mother of all tangents, ending with something notably scarier than a ghoul and serious consequences.

Also, photography is apparently inherently pornographic...

2spooky4me

Why

• Seemed to have some creative mechanics
• Cool vibes, I definitely felt scared

Why Not

• Difficult (for me) to overlook the "checklist of stuff" gameplay
• You don't like horror

Impressions

Saw this on special for ~300yen and thought I'd give it a try to see if I'd like spooky horror games. Unfortunately it seems I don't; I definitely felt the tension and appreciated some cool ideas but overall it just wasn't an enjoyable experience.

Starting with the positives, there are some cool visuals here and it definitely nailed the spooky vibe for me....

We're all just flowers in a garden of her making

Why

• Book-quality story which wouldn't work in a book
• Every single character makes you feel something
• Respects your intelligence by giving you the opportunity to piece things together
• Always changes things up just in time to prevent getting stale

Why Not

• You absolutely need action in your games

Impressions

If you like story-driven games, or just good stories at all, stop reading and go play this. What a crazy journey, setting and incredible cast of lovable/hateable characters.

You're Watcher, one of many clones of...

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison.

What if the emperor was a decent guy?

Poor Maia is the 4th son of the elvish emperor, consigned to a remote manor with his abusive uncle for the crime of being born to a wife the emperor didn't like very much. Or at least he was, until the airship his father and three brothers were on exploded, making him the new emperor.

Growing up with no one to talk to other than a drunken uncle who beats you for fun is perhaps not the most standard training for emperorhood, but...

Doesn't just jump the shark; plays hopscotch with it

Why

• Absurdly over the top, but can still get you invested in characters
• You never know what you're gonna get when you start a side quest
• Entertaining JRPG combat with depth and real-time elements
• Ichiban is strong candidate for my number one protagonist

Why Not

• Gets a bit grindier toward the end after mostly avoiding it well
• Some late game bosses are absolute tanks even if you're levelled appropriately

Impressions

Trying to predict where Like a Dragon will go next is an exercise in futility....

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison.

I came here to drink tea and solve murders

The more I read of this the more convinced I became it was partway through a series, but I never really felt compelled to put it down and check. Celehar's very matter-of-fact approach to decidedly not matter-of-fact situations is a perspective which seems like it should make him a boring character, but never manages to. Instead he's just a competent guy trying to get his job done in the midst of murder, undead and office politics.

We begin with the...

The most beautiful thing to make me want to throw my Steam Deck across the room

Why

• Distinctive art-style
• Nice music
• Some interesting puzzles/really beautiful areas

Why Not

• Platforming can be painful at times

Impressions

A beautiful little puzzle game aiming for a cozy, relaxing experience that lets itself down a bit with rage-inducing platforming.

You're a little girl minding her own business when a scary looking bug dude called the Oscuro comes along and steals the light that seems to make everything in this universe function. Since you and the bug are the...

The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei.

Birds solve crimes in space

I enjoyed this while reading it, but struggle to think of anything that stood out looking back. Our protagonist (Asuka) is one of 80 crew members on a an all-female colony ship which just had its course forcibly adjusted by the same explosion which killed its captain. As the 'alternate', the only person on the ship without a clearly defined role, Asuka gets roped into becoming humanity's first space detective. Her investigations are interspaced with flashbacks to their training on Earth, providing context for her constant...

Starting a new game taken literally

Why

• Just do it
• So much creativity
• More than it seems
• Even if it was only what it seems, would still be a good game

Why Not

• The idea of battling with card-shaped objects is abhorrent to you

Impressions

Yeah just go play this one. If it looks even slightly interesting to you from the store page, or honestly even if it doesn't, don't spoil yourself by reading reviews. Trust me bro and go buy it.

If you're not willing to blindly spend ~$20 on the word of...

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey.

Noir detective with magical-sister issues goes back to high school

I really enjoyed this one, even stayed up an hour past my usual bedtime to finish it off last night. Ivy is a very human protagonist who's quippy without entering Marvel territory, and the supporting cast all fill their roles well. She's a private investigator estranged from her magical sister, at least until a death at the magical high school her sister teaches at smashes them back into each other's lives.

The cast & overall story are kept tight & focused...

The Night the Lights Went Out by Drew Magary.

Man hits head, wakes up and wants fried chicken

I like the way this guy writes; even though it's kinda performative it's performative in a genuine way, probably something like how I'd write about a traumatic event in my life. There's not really one thing which makes this book interesting; you can read about the effects of a brain injuries, loving families and certainly straight white guys being idiots/in love with meat in other places, but this one pulls those elements together in a compelling way that made...

High concept scribbles

Why

• Genuinely unique art style that somehow works
• Combat is pretty engaging/complex
• If you enjoy having absolutely no idea what's going on

Why Not

• You don't like the art-style
• You hate having to do multiple (short) playthroughs for all the content

Impressions

I bought this a while ago after being drawn in by the raw, sketchy art-style then forgot about it for a while. I had some reservations about how good the actual gameply would be since enemies being collections of abstract art doesn't really lend itself to visual clarity, but...

Everything sounds cooler en français

Why

• Creative and sometimes challenging puzzles
• Distinctive art-style and beautiful soundtrack
• Creepy vibes and story
• Easy to pick up & put down for quick sessions

Why Not

• Essentially a puzzle game, so if you dislike those it might not be for you

Impressions

It's crazy to me that this only has ~650 reviews at the time of writing, it's an absolute gem. The art style and music really drew me into the vague story, which is slowly revealed by conversations between a little girl, her shadow and a mysterious...

Atonement by Ian McEwan.

Home & Away style drama but compelling characters

When I look back on the plot it seems simple to the point of ridiculousness, but the emotional highs and lows carried me through so well while reading that I didn't notice. I wasn't expecting to get so attached to a bunch of aristocrats and their ward, but Briony, Cecilia and Robbie are all deeply flawed, deeply interesting people trying to do the best they can in the world as they see it.

Unfortunately for Cecilia & Robbie, Briony sees the world as a creative...

What if INSIDE was a noir movie?

Why

• Very atmospheric & cinematic
• <2 hours to finish

Why Not

• You're playing on Steam Deck & don't like slideshows
• <2 hours to finish
• Missing the tension/sense of danger from INSIDE

Impressions

This is my first INSIDE-like after enjoying that game and its predecessor LIMBO quite a lot earlier this year. You're a helpless little raven girl in a big scary noir-style world which hates birds, only able to walk, jump and climb ladders.

While INSIDE puts the pressure on right out of the gate by having...

Becoming Superman by Michael J. Straczynski.

A lot darker than you'd expect.

Man, this guy had a rough life. The first few chapters where he lays out the (surface level!) history of his family is a tough read, and I could definitely see people bouncing off there. Things get better eventually, at least for the author, but not without chapter upon chapter of reminders that people can be really fucked up. It would've been pretty incredible for Michael to become just a functioning member of society, but the fact he went ahead and became a massive success...

Mobile games are... good?

Why

• Absolutely mindbending
• Beautifully crafted levels
• An chill soundtrack with a lot of attention given to sound effects

Why Not

• You only like games with action or conflict

Impressions

The Monument Valley series is 3 chill, beautifully designed puzzle games about (sometimes) lone wanderer traversing the ruins of an ancient civilization who played fast & loose with geometry. I played the original on one of my first smartphones and loved it, so when I saw the first two 90% off on Steam I jumped at the chance to relive my...

Crossroads of Ravens by Andrzej Sapkowski.

Goddamit now I have to play the Witcher games again

I first read the Witcher series in 2015; can't remember if it was because I played the games or I played the games because I read the books. Either way I absolutely devoured them; the core characters were all charming but flawed, the setting was my first encounter with a grittier, more 'realistic' fantasy and the writing had that intangible sense of 'quality' you get from a good author. It probably didn't hurt that I was all-in on the 'Witcher Expanded...

Interesting ideas don't stop it becoming a victim of 'Not Slay the Spire' syndrome

Why

• You want a bit of story in your roguelite, but not too much
• You like the idea of being able to fight or negotiate, and have different decks for each
• Or cards levelling up with use

Why Not

• For a game focused more on story the characters are pretty one-note
• I feel like sticking to a single deck might've allowed for more intersting/creative archetypes

Impressions

I got this for negative money in a bundle with Shogun Showdown so...

Killing god(s) with the power of teenage angst

Why

• Everything about it is slick, stylish and choreographed
• You will get deeply attached to at least a few of the characters, probably most
• It never feels stale over a 100+ hour runtime
• Has a low complexity floor, but Excel spreadsheets worth of ceiling
• Finishing it made me genuinely sad to say goodbye to a bunch of pixels

Why Not

• You despise anime, JRPGs or long stretches of dialogue

Impressions

There are so many great things about P5R, but its flair is likely the one that'll...

The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett.

My YA novel moratorium lasted all of two weeks

In my defense, I'd just finished [Homo Deus](/books/2025/homo_deus.md and wanted something light after the inevitable depression brought on by thinking about the future. I really liked the main hook of the magic system; being able to just argue reality into giving up and letting you do what you want is cool. The protagonist's ability to then argue with the things arguing with reality, and exploit their single-mindedness to convince them to do things they weren't designed for, lead to some highlight...

Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari.

Turns out assuming corporations will be shitty makes you look like a prophet.

I read and enjoyed Homo Sapiens at my fiance's recommendation, so was interested to see where a forward-looking version would go. Unfortunately it mostly went exactly where I expected, since unlike history I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about technology and the horrible ways corporations use it.

This was written 7 years before ChatGPT convinced the general population fancy autocomplete meant AI was finally here, so Yuval is missing an absolute goldmine of practical evidence of the changes...

A genuinely unique 'card' battler

Why

• Deep gameplay and plenty of replayability
• Makes some big changes to the card battler format that pay off
• Cool pixel art and varied scenarios

Why Not

• You want a game with a clearly defined/visible endpoint
• You're heavily motivated by story

Impressions

This is a great game which clearly lives up to its overwhelmingly positive reviews, but after ~3 hours I'm dropping it.

It's not the game; it's me. The gameplay is great; moving from the typical many cards/few upgrades to few cards/many upgrades (and cooldowns on cards rather...

Maybe not a good sequel, but a great game.

Why

• You want a different but familiar take on Dark Souls
• You enjoy being thrown into ridiculous situations and fighting your way through
• You like power-stancing to the same unhealthy degree as one of my coworkers

Why Not

• The only reason you liked Dark Souls was the interconnectedness of the world

Impressions

This one didn't pull me in to the same degree as the original; I took two long breaks to play other games (Ender Lillies/Magnolia, then Persona 5) and I think that's the biggest...

I'm getting too old for this.

• The Day Death Stopped by Rebecca Thorne

There are a lot of problems with this book. The characters are so one dimensional and the story so straightforward I skipped from the first third of the book to the ending and still perfectly understood/expected what happened. Much of the time which could've been spent making the characters anything other than tired cliches was instead spent details which exist just to be quirky, and worldbuilding/a power system which frequently contradicts itself. I'm mildly annoyed that I wasted as much time as...

The Book of Love by Kelly Link.

Desperate Housewives but university first years and magic.

Not winning a Pulitzer, but it was an enjoyable ride. The opening gave me high hopes by teasing an interesting world beyond the protagonists' understanding, then let me down by proving it was still beyond their understanding right up to the end.

Every interesting secret or ability ended up being disgorged in their general direction or handed to them before they even needed to think about it. Need to learn magic by a deadline? Just don't think about it at all and...

An unexceptional story, exceptionally told.

Why

• Beautiful art, animation & music
• An emotional story with a message
• Plenty of delightful little details to discover

Why Not

• You need games to have plenty of action/player agency

Review

Florence is a visual novel where rather than selecting dialog options you interact with the world as the titular character, much more effectively putting you in her shoes.

These interactions take the form of simple mini-games, designed more to align you with Florence's state of mind at that point than to provide any sort of challenge. I don't...

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman.

A classic Arthurian legend; minus the Arthur.

This book subverts expectations so often that it wraps right back around to meeting them again, but it's still an enjoyable read. As the story takes great pains to impress upon you, Arthurian legends should be filled with gallant knights rescuing damsels in distress and undertaking glamourous quests for King and Country. In this version of Camelot though, the knights are decidedly human with all the vices that entails, the damsels are quite capable of rescuing themselves and the last glamourous quest severely culled...

What if Jesus where a blue haired teenage girl?

Why

• Cozy game which doesn't ask too much of you but provides some nice worldbuilding and story
• Fun core gameplay loop
• Your journal has a cool art style and offers background on the world, incentivising collectible hunting
• Overall art direction is a good fit

Why Not

• A little janky at times
• Combat feels like an absolute chore, apart from one specific enemy type

Impressions

First impressions were great, it's clearly not meant to be challenging but the movement feels fluid, voice acting and art are...

The Assassins Creed 2 of video game sequels.

Why

• All the stuff that made Ender Lilies amazing, with the rough edges sanded off
• New setting and new (slightly) less depressing vibes
• Stronger connections to all your summons as characters
• Satisfyingly links the two games in the same universe

Why Not

• Can feel a little too similar to its predecessor, at least when played back to back

Impressions

A fantastic sequel which takes the medieval fantasy foundation of the original and brings it into the steampunk-ish future. The basic gameplay and premise are the same,...

Named for what it provides David Foster Wallace while people try to guess what on Earth is going on.

• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

It's a testament to the difference between great and decent writers that I had absolutely no idea what was happening for the majority of this book, but was still enraptured enough to spend something like 40 hours finishing it.

DFW opens with the classic 'start at the end' gambit, then constantly keeps the reader off balance by jumping around in time and resolutely refusing to reveal anything resembling an overarching...

Breaking out of time loops with the power of friendship.

Why

• Distinct and interesting gameplay for each crewmate
• Having three for each run + meaningfully different ships opens up a lot of possibilities
• Funny/charming story & characters

Why Not

• You don't like card games, roguelites or quirky animal-like characters.

Impressions

As someone whose time to play games is more limited these days, my favourite thing about Cobalt Core was that it had a story with a clear and satsfying endpoint; which left me feeling I'd experienced all the game had to offer. That's not...

Smol girl with big スタンド.

Why

• You like metroidvanias, beautiful art and great sound design
• You like having varied styles of combat, without any real penalty for switching it up
• You're annoyed by never knowing if you found every secret, but don't want your hand held
• You're looking for a focused 15-25 hour experience that leaves you wanting more

Why not

• You don't like metroidvanias

Impressions

For some reason I went into this one with kinda low expectations, and man was I wrong. The first hour or so pulled me in with the visuals,...

Charming cultists conspire, cockily causing calamities.

Why

• You like cool collectibles, world building and the feeling of an answer slowly revealing itself
• Stylish cult in a pocket dimension trying to revive dead gods vibes
• Strong characters, both lovable & hateable

Why not

• You only like games which require a lot of action, or mechanical skill
• You want a mystery which requires strong deductive skills to solve

Impressions

If you like collectible hunting, you'll love this game. Right after being given unrestricted access to the world I inadvertently jumped over a railing instead of heading...

Doom's modern return is the best kind of power fantasy.

Why

• Very, very fun
• Weapon/enemy variety is great and perfectly staggered
• Frantic pace, all mechanics encourage you to constantly move
• Looks & runs great on Steam Deck

Why not

• Bosses can be a weak point
• You're squeamish
• You strongly dislike violence

Impressions

This is very different to the games I usually play. Some of my favourites are Baldur's Gate 3, Divinity Original Sin 2, Slay the Spire and obviously souls-likes. All fairly slow paced, deliberate games with excellent story telling and characters. Doom does...

A story-driven roguelike deckbuilder based on Arthurian legends.

Why

• Interesting lore, fully voiced
• Wide variety of playstyles and mechanics

Why not

• A little easy?
• Mechanics aren't explained well after first class
• Exacerbated by janky feeling UI

Impressions

This is a neat little game, and if I played it before Hades/Slay the Spire/with more free time I probably would've finished it. As someone with a full time job and hundreds of hours in two of the best roguelikes made though, nothing about this one stuck out enough to keep me playing.

I unlocked 4 or...

Implementation Notes

• 'who should buy' matrix at start

Impressions

• Very frantic at the start, absolutely no idea what you should be doing if not prepared
• Can see a lot of people taking their time and ending up way underlevelled/not knowing why
• Very interested to see solo difficulty
  • lack of other people means less pressure to play 'optimally'
  • not ruining some else's run if you just explore/try stuff
• Upgrades are not exciting, at least at start
  • Have heard character-specific ones from story are better tho
  • they are, more interesting/stronger
• wall jumping can...

A murder by crows

Why

• Charming/stylish artstyle
• Characters brimming with personality
• An interesting mix of souls/Zelda level design
• Surprisingly satisfying souls-like slaying

Why Not

• You're looking for something really difficult

Impressions

In the world of Death's Door, Grim Reaper is a job like any other (as long as you're a crow). The soul harvesting business is slow these days though; at least until a mysterious older crow steals the surprisingly powerful soul you just claimed.

Needing it to meet your quarterly KPIs, you end up on a quest across three biomes to defeat the...