Stories are powerful things. We’re moved by them, draw strength from them. They help us understand the world and ourselves, allow us a chance to escape briefly and imagine a more idyllic world or inspire us to take action. Whether fact or fiction, they’re power is undeniable. The ways we connect with and cherish the…
After so many years of text adventures languishing in relative obscurity, it’s great to see them start getting more attention thanks to works like 80 Days, Subsurface Circular, and more. Most of the recent examples excelled because of how they used the form in new and fascinating ways to help tell their stories, something that…
Considering how widespread open ended exploration is in games these days, it’s odd how seldom flight is represented. Walking through tranquil meadows, sliding down sand dunes, scaling towers to admire the view from the top — for as enjoyable as ground-based exploration is, it’s well-worn territory. Whereas gliding through vast open spaces, navigating tight chasms,…
It feels weird to celebrate how good a year 2017 was for videogames when it was a disaster in just about every other respect imaginable. It all feels so frivolous, you know? But then, given how truly awful and exhausting 2017 was, a distraction of any sort is exactly what we all need. I’ve tried…
I’m drifting down the river on a ramshackle raft. It’s midday. I just finished some repairs on the raft after it suffered some damage while navigating some rapids. As I contemplate what my next move should be, I take a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet. Haven’t seen a whole lot along the river…
Battle Chasers: Nightwar describes itself as an “RPG inspired by classic console greats.” That’s an apt description, as Battle Chasers is definitely a throwback in many ways — for good and bad. But it doesn’t just take and reproduce old concepts wholesale: it tweaks and modernizes them in ways that make Battle Chasers feel fresh…
I’m standing outside a lighthouse. The sun is setting as I watch a cruise off in the distance sail out of view. It’s only been 15 minutes since I arrived, but it feels like I’ve been hanging out here for far longer. A few minutes prior, I was at the top of the lighthouse scanning…
The key to a good local multiplayer game is simplicity. The easier it is to pick up and play, the better. Almost all local multiplayer games understand this, but some embody that quality better than others. Cosmic Kites from Fishmoose Interactive understands it well. A multiplayer take on Snake, Cosmic Kites takes a simple concept…
Anytime a game comes along that purports to take an otherwise complex and inaccessible genre and make it more welcoming toward newcomers, I’m usually at least somewhat interested. Anything that can make games more widely accessible is always a good thing, especially when it applies to genres that traditional have a high barrier to entry….
Nidhogg was a perfect distillation of local competitive multiplayer games at their best. Where most of its peers focus on four-player mayhem, Nidhogg was more interested in tense one-on-one duels. But even with the lower player count, it was just as tense and thrilling — both to play and to watch — its game of…
