Category Archives: PC Games

PC Games

The Painscreek Killings

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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.

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PC Games

Soma

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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.

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PC Games

Life is Strange: Before the Storm

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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.

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PC Games

Bad Mojo

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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.

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PC Games

Gateway II: Homeworld

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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.

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PC Games

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami

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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.

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PC Games

Disco Elysium

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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.

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PC Games

Dragonsphere

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Publisher: Micropose
Developer: MPS Labs
Year: 1994
Platform: DOS, Windows, Mac, Linux

Rating: 5

While fantasy-laden adventure games were a dime a dozen in the 80s and 90s, the Micropose team tried really hard to stand out by improving on Sierra’s game design while deploying advanced animation. In those areas, they definitely succeeded with Dragonsphere. While some curious puzzles choices along with some truly awful dialogue and voice acting keep this from being a classic, I still found this adventure compelling.

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PC Games

Perfect Tides

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Publisher: Three Bees
Developer: Three Bees
Year: 2022
Platform: Windows, Mac

Rating: 7

I was sixteen years old when AOL, instant messaging, and chat rooms became popular, and for a good year I often felt more connected to the strangers I met there than I did to anyone in real life. I could be myself and nobody would judge me, and how dare anyone suggest these weren’t real friends. Mara Whitefish, the star of Perfect Tides, finds herself in the same boat and it’s sinking fast in this raw but endearing look at what being a teenager at the turn of the century was like for many people.

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