What Remains of Edith Finch is a narrative exploration game about the memories of the title character and her family. The Finch clan is quite an unusual bunch, and rumor has it the family has been living under a curse for many generations. Exploring the Finch property and interacting with personal effects let you learn more about each family member.
It's time for another double feature, and since we were in full spoop mode in October, here's two frightful titles!
First up is Greetings, a first-person experience that was made for the UE4 Summer Jam 2017. I can't say much without spoiling the entire game, so I'll just let what I mentioned at 19:43 in the above video stand as is.
The second title, Concluse, is a first-person horror game with puzzles and a PS1-era aesthetic. You can find my thoughts on the game at 4:01:19 in the video, which are mostly positive with some criticisms and suggestions.
Marie's Room is an excellently written story-driven point-and-click adventure. You're tasked with collecting your friend's journal penned back in highschool some 20 years ago. Thus begins a trip down memory lane with a story of friendship, love, trust, compassion, secrets, betrayal... and much more. You can find my thoughts on the game (warning, includes spoilers) at 1:49:53 in the video above.
If you'd rather skip the spoilers, here's a brief take on the game. There's a great story here told in snippets, out of chronological order. Collecting these memories fills in the journal, which lets you understand what order all the events take place. The delivery is important, and Marie's Room does a wonderful job. Each segment is short enough to keep you from getting bored, but just long and personal enough to get you invested in the characters very quickly. If you're familiar with my thoughts on Doki Doki Literature Club, you'll understand just how much I appreciate the quality (over quantity) of writing found here. Marie's Room also has a great atmosphere for such a small area to explore - again quality over quantity - and a couple surprises as well.
Red Rogue is a retro roguelike with action or turn-based gameplay, made with Flash. It's a fun time-waster and a decent free alternative to WazHack (though I highly recommend buying WazHack). You can find my thoughts on the game at 3:07:42 in the video above.
One thing not mentioned in the final thoughts (but definitely discussed throughout the video) is the sleeping mechanic. You can sleep to attempt healing, but there are risks. Monsters may wander by and attack, forcing you out of sleep. You might instead have a nightmare, which includes creepy in-game sounds and images. A particularly bad nightmare will even spawn an enemy that (as best as I can tell) is immune to damage and chases you for a length of time until it finally disappears.
Stoneshard: Prologue serves as a demo and mini-prequel to the roguelike RPG of the same name. You wake up in a prison inhabited by undead and other beasts. It's a fight for survival as you contend with monsters, traps and your own well-being while trying to make it out alive...
Avoid traps, tricks and a lurking ghost to find your way to freedom!
I Can't Escape is a horror-themed maze game with procedural generation. As you can probably guess, your task is to escape the maze... which is much easier said than done.
I'm having a fairly enjoyable time in SWL. I like the combat system and in-depth story. Investigation missions can be a bit frustrating sometimes, but they're a nice addition to the game.
Experience action, stealth and intrigue in the New World!
There's probably nothing I can say about Assassin's Creed that hasn't already been said. The franchise is so huge that a film is about to release in theaters as I write this. What I can do is express my first impressions of the title from the standpoint of someone new to the series, but not to gaming.
Search your home and descend into madness with a mysterious music box.
In Notes of Obsession, you play the mother of a small family that wakes up on a dark and stormy night in your home. The music box your husband brought home recently is playing upstairs. Investigating the sound, you pick up the music box and discover a secret. Can you figure out a way to end the madness before it overtakes you?
The Old Tree is a point-and-click adventure puzzler made in Flash. You assume the role of a creature that reminds me somewhat of a wacky wall crawler toy, and your job is to solve puzzles to get the little guy to the next screen.
This game has a great deal of atmosphere, with a dark but relaxing art style and music to match. Unlike many titles of the genre, you don't actually control the main
character - instead you clear the way for him to continue his journey. This was kind of a nice change because you could focus more on the environment than where your character was positioned to solve the puzzles.
Sadly, the game lacks a lot of substance. The puzzles aren't terribly difficult and there seemed to be no penalty for failure - you just keep trying things until you sort it out. There's no replay value, unless you want to see the levels again (which admittedly look very nice). There doesn't seem to be a story, save for whatever you make up in your head as you go. It's also an incredibly short title, as you can finish the entire thing in less than 15 minutes.
If you're more about the journey than the destination, perhaps The Old Tree may be worth checking out.
A haunting look at survival in a dark and lonely future.
A Night in the Woods is an interesting experience. I'm inclined to call it art more than a game, as there's not much mechanically going on... but it makes up for that big time with atmosphere and exposition.
The title screen appears briefly, then drops you right into the game itself. It's dark, and you've stumbled upon what seems to be a long-abandoned town, though the street lights are still functioning perfectly. Crickets chirp in the background, but it's otherwise quiet. Being dark and cold, you're tasked with collecting scrap paper for kindling.
At first glance, the game appears to be a horror title. It has a dark and lonely setting, you've no way to defend yourself, and early on you find a flashlight. This keeps you guessing as to if there's any danger ahead, bringing the tension up a bit.
As you scavenge for kindling, you discover notes, books and newspapers hinting at what led to the world you now inhabit. The game gives us a glimpse of a possible (and rather bleak) real-world future based on present day issues.
A Night in the Woods is a thought provoking and atmospheric title with a cautionary warning as to where we may be headed. I felt like I was inside an episode of The Twilight Zone, which made for a unique and satisfying experience.
Trapped in a dark tunnel system and questioning your sanity, you realize you're not alone...
Like many horror titles, VANISH thrusts you headlong into the game with minimal backstory. The short intro suggests you've been thrown into an underground tunnel (perhaps sewer) system against your will, with no explanation as to why.
The area is quite dark - with the brightness turned way up for the video, I could barely see before walking right into a monster. Playing at the recommended settings makes it so you're lucky to see several feet ahead, meaning you'll have to tread with caution so as not to bump into a baddie. This gets progressively worse as the darkness eventually takes hold (whether physically or in the character's mind I'm not certain) and it goes pitch black even with a glowstick and your brightness up.
Those complaints aside, I found the rest of the game to be quite good. It's full of atmospheric sounds that keep you guessing if something evil is lurking nearby, and there's a number of environmental startles like bursting pipes and tunnel collapses thrown in for good measure.
The real kicker though is the unpredictability of the tunnels. Not only is the layout procedurally generated, but it can change behind you too! It's a cool feature that considerably ups the creep factor and reminds you that no place is safe. The downside to this however is the possibility that one could get incredibly unlucky and be hopelessly stuck/lost (though it's hard to know for sure, considering the changing nature of the tunnels). The game seems designed around short play sessions though, making this situation more like a "bad run" in a roguelike title.
In all, VANISH blends atmospheric horror with a slight roguelike twist into a thrilling test of your bravery, patience, and sanity!
The Mask Reveals Disgusting Face offers up some insight into depression as well as some scares. You play as Gary, who has isolated himself from friends and family due to his mental illness. Paranoia, depression and insanity have taken their toll over the last two years, but Gary wakes one day to find he's now trapped... and he might not be alone.
One of my favorite things about this game is its atmosphere, especially the audio. As you approach a window, you can hear the rushing wind outside. I recall there being a faint dripping sound somewhere as well. These bits added in with the obligatory spooky sounds (footsteps in the hall, pounding on doors, etc.) really helped to bring it all together.
Unlike many other horror titles, this game has almost no jump scares (but there's definitely a panic moment or two). It is incredibly dark most of the time though, leaving your imagination to fill in what might be lurking in the shadows (which is quite effective).
I enjoyed playing through The Mask Reveals Disgusting Face, and found the ending rather interesting as well.
