Publisher: Wadjet Eye
Developer: Wadjet Eye
Year: 2007
Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android
Rating: 6
Right on the heels of The Blackwell Legacy, Dave Gilbert took a risk and went straight to a prequel, which is an especially odd choice given that the first game is far from epic and barely explored the characters there. Yet it still works, and I found myself enjoying the experience significantly more.
Continue reading Blackwell UnboundPublisher: Wadjet Eye
Developer: Wadjet Eye
Year: 2006
Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android
Rating: 4
The first game of a five-part series, The Blackwell Legacy is fairly short and fairly mundane, but it does a nice job of establishing a lore and providing a springboard to the rest of the story.
Continue reading The Blackwell LegacyPublisher: Screen 7
Developer: Faravid
Year: 2014
Platform: Windows, Linux
Rating: 3
While the 2010s and beyond have really brought back the pixel-art adventure, I don’t think I’ve played any game that mimics it so specifically as does The Samaritan Paradox. From the low resolution graphics to the pop up text boxes that interrupt conversations, I couldn’t stop feeling like I was playing an early 90s Sierra adventure. And while I quite enjoyed this nostalgia trip and some fairly satisfying puzzles, everything flies off the rails near the end which makes this a hard game to recommend.
Continue reading The Samaritan ParadoxPublisher: 2K Games
Developer: Supermassive Games
Year: 2022
Platform: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
Rating: 8
As one camp counselor drags her boyfriend into a storm shelter in the middle of the night to investigate some movement she saw, he half-nervously and half-sarcastically says, “Have you seen Evil Dead?” While there is no fourth wall breaking in The Quarry, the characters are definitely aware they are experiencing a horror movie. The forthcoming honest depiction of how nine teenagers might cope with near constant terror is one of the reasons this is one of the best scary games I’ve played.
Continue reading The QuarryPublisher: Nupixo, WhisperGames
Developer: Nupixo
Year: 2019
Platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Switch, Xbox One, XBox Series
Rating: 3
Di Renjie was a chancellor during the Tang and Zhou dynasties and has been portrayed in modern media of being the Chinese Sherlock Holmes. Minh Ta, the founder of Nupixo, developed a murder mystery game to honor and continue that reputation. While the overall story is a good one and it was interesting to learn some Chinese history and lore, this is ultimately a fairly weak gaming experience.
Continue reading Detective Di: The Silk Rose MurdersPublisher: Infogrames
Developer: Infogrames
Year: 1993
Platform: DOS, Windows, Mac, Linux
Rating: 3
I really wanted to like this game. While I’m not a fan of Lovecraft’s stories, the mythos fascinates me. I would not expect it to, since it more or less boils down to cult worshiping of tentacled gods. But the appeal to me, I think, comes from the notion that humans can be driven mad if they dare to know too much about the universe’s power. It certainly helps that Anchorhead, one of the best games I’ve ever played, taps into these insecurities so well. Shadow of the Comet certainly does a fine job in this arena as well. Sadly, the ghastly user interface along with some intractable puzzle design left me mostly cold.
Continue reading Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the CometPublisher: The Brotherhood, Daedalic Entertainment
Developer: The Brotherhood
Year: 2015
Platform: Windows, Mac
Rating: 4
I regularly talk about my love for abandoned research stations and Stasis attempts to quench that thirst. While the premise and plot were interesting enough to hold my attention, I was ultimately left unsatiated thanks to some poor characterizations and ridiculous puzzles.
Continue reading StasisPublisher: Quantic Dream
Developer: Quantic Dream
Year: 2018
Platform: Windows, PS4
Rating: 10
Detroit opens in an elevator as we see Connor (an android whose manufacturer contracts with the police department) flip a quarter back and forth at dizzying speed between his hands. The moment the familiar ding notifies Connor he’s reached his destination, we watch the quarter stop between two fingers, Washington’s face shining with perfect detail. The scene is totally unnecessary, but it sent chills up my spine and my anticipation through the roof. I was not disappointed.
Continue reading Detroit: Become HumanPublisher: Brian Fargo
Developer: Brian Fargo
Year: 1981
Platform: PC Booter, Apple II
Rating: 1
I played this as a child and never got out of the first area. I figured I was young and impatient and decided to revisit this with additional forbearance and wisdom. I got exactly as far as I did thirty-five years ago before pulling up a walkthrough.
Continue reading Demon’s ForgePublisher: Infocom
Developer: Infocom
Year: 1983
Platform: DOS, Apple II, Mac, Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad, Commodore 64, TRS-80
Rating: 4
Playing a tomb raider is a perfect setting for a text adventure, and there’s so many things about this game that Infocom got right. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have a lot of fun while playing.
Continue reading Infidel
Death By Troggles 
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