All posts by Beau

PC Games

The Blackwell Epiphany

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Publisher: Wadjet Eye
Developer: Wadjet Eye
Year: 2014
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS

Rating: 8

The first four games in the Blackwell series, while enjoyable, left me underwhelmed. While there were hints at some overarching story, they mostly just felt like episodes of the week with lots of characters we get to know for five minutes and never see again. The Blackwell Epiphany pays everything off in spades, culminating in an epic adventure that delivers the intellectual and emotional weight the series had been lacking.

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Interactive Fiction, PC Games

[I] doesn’t exist

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Publisher: DreadXP
Developer: LUAL Games
Year: 2023
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Rating: 5

>/ review

[review] doesn’t exist

>/ start

You are reading about a unique illustrated text adventure by LUAL Games, a two-woman indie studio. If, like many, you have a visceral allergic reaction to text adventures, keep reading anyway. I promise you will not be harmed in any way. You may even consider braving this visually arresting and brain-breaking world that throws a rather large wrench into the genre. While the current version is still a bit rough around the edges, and its surreal nature is perhaps a bit inaccessible, [I] doesn’t exist is a worthy escapade for the few hours it will take you to play.

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PC Games

Norco

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Publisher: Raw Fury
Developer: Geography of Robots
Year: 2022
Platform: Windows, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, PS5

Rating: 6

Norco is a real place, a highly segregated (but mostly white) CDP that was renamed in 1911 after the New Orleans Refining Company was established. Part of “Cancer Alley,” Norco refines 10 million gallons of oil per day and regularly spits pollution everywhere and very notably during two catastrophic explosions in 1973 and 1998 and also during Hurricane Ida in 2021. It’s three square miles and is home to about 3,000 people.

Norco the game takes place in an alternate future, still dominated by the petroleum industry but somehow darker, bordering on apocalyptic. The U.S. government is barely there, parts of the country are in civil war, and organized crime is everywhere. Androids are also common as well as a relevant technological advancement of being able to upload memories onto computers. Norco well establishes a gritty atmosphere, a city where complex humans are doing their best to make their home a livable place. Unfortunately, the narrative occasionally takes a hit thanks to some occasional obtuse puzzle design and a story arc that becomes a little grandiose at the end.

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PC Games

Firewatch

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Publisher: Campo Santo
Developer: Campo Santo
Year: 2016
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, PS4, XBox One, XBox Series, Switch

Rating: 5

A quite common theme with lower-budget indie developers when it comes to three-dimensional gaming is the general lack of NPC interaction. I get the reasons why but it often limits the scope of the narrative. Suspense is often a theme of these types of games as the player’s isolation is highlighted by finding cryptic notes and mysterious situations highlighted by spooky sounds and a haunting soundtrack. Gone Home subverted the player by pretending it was horror when it turned out to be anything but. Firewatch does deliver some earned suspense along the way, but similarly and disappointingly negates the player’s experience at the end.

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PC Games

The Blackwell Convergence

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Publisher: Wadjet Eye
Developer: Wadjet Eye
Year: 2009
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS

Rating: 4

After playing Blackwell Unbound I commented how doing a prequel was a strange choice, especially since the case involved just seemed like a regular day at the office. I wrote, “As alluded to earlier, the ending is a bit of a letdown, and it just feels like part of a larger episode with no great stakes, at least as it pertains to Rosangela.” Well, The Blackwell Convergence appropriately connects the stakes as it pertains to Rosangela. But while the story has improved cohesion, nearly every other aspect of this third installment in the Blackwell series felt like a step back.

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PC Games

Repella Fella

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Publisher: 2 Left Thumbs
Developer: Misadventurous
Year: 2023
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Rating: 9

Repella Fella is the funniest game I have ever played.  No notes.

Okay, I’ll provide some notes, but first, take twelve seconds to watch this clip of the opening credits. If that didn’t at least make you smile, you would probably be miserable playing the actual game. Everyone else, you’re in for a treat.

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Interactive Fiction, PC Games

Thaumistry: In Charm’s Way

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Publisher: Bob Bates
Developer: Bob Bates
Year: 2017
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android

Rating: 6

Bob Bates is a legend in the world of text adventures. While his two games for Infocom (Arthur and Sherlock Holmes) are generally not considered among their best, he co-founded Legend Entertainment and had his hands in almost every game, including Eric the Unready, Gateway, The Blackstone Chronicles, and Quandaries. After being co-president of Zynga and working on all sorts of projects, he returned after 20 years to the world of interactive fiction with the delightful Thaumistry: In Charm’s Way. I was one of the kickstarters and even got a couple of lines into the game myself. Naturally, I was quite eager to play. And while it’s a very short game with little freedom, it’s still a joy for those who like wordplay and tongue-in-cheek humor.

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PC Games

The Walking Dead

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Publisher: Telltale
Developer: Telltale
Year: 2012
Platform: Windows, Mac, PS3, Xbox360

Rating: 9

My favorite episode of The Walking Dead is “The Grove,” which is a fairly common opinion. The climax was some of the most gut-wrenching TV I’ve ever witnessed; and while the moment itself is ridiculous on paper, the show earned the moment as they had been slowly building towards it for two seasons, making it seem like a natural progression in this terrifying universe. Anyway, this is basically how I felt at the end of playing this game. Only I cried for twenty more minutes.

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