tldr videogame curation
melbourne, australia

Platform: PC (Microsoft Windows)

I really want to like this because of it’s unique artstyle and cool people behind it, but it wasn’t working for me. Likely a me-problem, but controls and movement style felt more broken than fun.

Spiritfarer is overwhelmingly beautiful, cathartic and well put together. Manages its fun and relaxation with a genuine emotional depth. Incredibly impressive. Great art, music, writing, characters.

Relies a lot on its IP, and benefits a lot from the inherent fun of VR (if you have it), but didn’t do much for me otherwise. Satisfies childlike dreams of flying an X-Wing, and the story is passable.

You are a frog detective. You make friends and solve a mystery. It’s very cute. (Just wish the transition animations were a bit quicker.)

Full of potential, but I wasn’t feeling it. Great atmosphere and intriguing world, but let down by underwhelming combat and a fair bit of enemy repetition. If you’re desperate for a soulslike, try it.

A whimsical and charming puzzle/exploration which feels like a gamejam concept dialled and polished up to 11. Has a fantastic and unique core mechanic which is used to great extent. Cute, fun & smart.

As heartfelt and charming to play as it is to look at. Warm, cosy and quintessentially British, I Am Dead is a exploration/puzzle game with a unique mechanic and ruminations on community.

A stellar albeit hyper-minimal discovery & adventure game with surprising emotional depth. Beautifully crafted, relaxing and immersive. Fantastic visual design, sound design and music.

Significantly more polished and refined than its predecessor, but no less charming and creepy. Has frustrating moments, but overall a fantastic, memorable experience. Play the original first.

Won’t be for everyone, with an arguably repetitive gameplay loop, but I found it to not outstay its welcome and love it. A surreal squirrel mystery puzzler, surely showing its love of Firewatch.