All posts by Beau

PC Games

The Silent Sky: Part I

Leave a comment

Publisher: KAPA
Developer: KAPA
Year: 2022
Platform: Windows

Rating: 2

Half of an ambitious solo project from first-time Estonian game designer KAPA, The Silent Sky is a wonderfully hand-drawn and animated game about a boy who finds a portal in the woods behind his country home. Unfortunately, great animation is about all that it has going for it. Poor localization, poor dialogue, poor character development, and mediocre puzzles make it difficult to recommend.

Continue reading The Silent Sky: Part I →
PC Games

The Painscreek Killings

Leave a comment

Publisher: EQ Studios
Developer: EQ Studios
Year: 2017
Platform: Windows

Rating: 7

The abandoned mansion/abandoned asylum/abandoned town plot device is beyond overdone. I get why, as having no other characters in your game is a lot easier and cheaper to program. But it still feels amateurish and thus I was hesitant to dive into the first game by indie developer EQ Studios. I needn’t have worried. Rather than going for spooks, The Painscreek Killings goes pure detective mode and does not disappoint.

Continue reading The Painscreek Killings →
PC Games

Soma

Leave a comment

Publisher: Frictional Games
Developer: Frictional Games
Year: 2015
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series

Rating: 8

The older I get the less I can tolerate the horror genre. Perhaps it’s the state of the world right now, or maybe I’m just getting old, but my nerves are already wound up enough without artificially tightening them further. For example, Frictional Games is most famous for their Amnesia series. I’ve attempted that, and despite enjoying it, have not been able to get through it due to my anxiety.

Yet they catered to me with Soma, adding an optional setting that more or less prevents you from dying at all. At first I worried that the horror would be dampened by eliminating the risk, but then I remembered that I still enjoy reading a Stephen King book even though I know I’m not going to die then either. Soma’s atmosphere is incredibly intense, risk or not, and the story is strong enough that it’s easily one of the best horror games I’ve played.

Continue reading Soma →
PC Games

Life is Strange: Before the Storm

Leave a comment

Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Deck Nine
Year: 2017
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox One

Rating: 7

Coming out two years after the hit smash Life is Strange, Before the Storm attempts to recapture the magic with a prequel detailing the beginning of Chloe Price’s relationship with Rachel Amber, her dear friend who is missing at the beginning of the original game. While essentially (and disappointingly) puzzleless with an unfortunate number of plot holes, I still very much enjoyed my time hanging out with Chloe for a few more days in this emotional roller coaster of a game.

Continue reading Life is Strange: Before the Storm →
PC Games

Bad Mojo

Leave a comment

Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Pulse
Year: 1996
Platform: Windows, Mac

Rating: 5

I just got done playing as a cockroach!

One of the grossest adventure games I’ve played, Bad Mojo flaunts a ten out of ten concept, using photorealism to depict the adventure of a cockroach, allowing the player to only do things a cockroach would be physically capable of doing. Sadly, while learning to utilize the roach in this context is always fun, the concept is dragged down by a confusing plot, laughable acting, and some frustrating moon logic.

Continue reading Bad Mojo →
PC Games

Gateway II: Homeworld

Leave a comment

Publisher: Legend
Developer: Legend
Year: 1993
Platform: DOS

Rating: 6

A direct sequel to Gateway, I was psyched to finally sit down and play one of the more heralded games by Legend about Frederick Pohl’s Heechee Saga. While it’s a well built game and has several high moments, I was overall disappointed, only because it failed to be as excellent as its predecessor.

Continue reading Gateway II: Homeworld →
PC Games

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami

Leave a comment

Publisher: Happy Broccoli
Developer: Happy Broccoli
Year: 2024
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, Switch, XBox One, XBox Series

Rating: 6

The deducktion genre has really come into its own over the past several years, though many of the games, including Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol, are incredibly dark in nature. Duck Detective is the antidote, with an adorable cast of characters and whimsical narrative to support the mystery.

Continue reading Duck Detective: The Secret Salami →
PC Games

Disco Elysium

Leave a comment

Publisher: ZA/UM
Developer: ZA/UM
Year: 2019
Platform: Windows, Mac, PS4, PS5, Switch, Stadia

Rating: 8

I’ve always had difficult playing characters that have less than desirable personalities or ethical codes. For example, it was difficult to get through parts of Gabriel Knight due to his sexual harassment of his employee. Many games now give the player a broad leash to be as noble or dickish as they want to be. Disco Elysium is the worst of both worlds, giving you control over Harry Du Bois, a detective whose recently demonstrated a lot of gross behavior. Then you get to decide if you want that to continue or to go for a redemption arc. Despite this predicament, I couldn’t get enough of this game, at least for one playthrough.

Continue reading Disco Elysium →