Platform: PC (Microsoft Windows)
Journey Death Stranding, but Ueda. A wonderful, melancholic little adventure reflecting on nature and hardship. Striking visuals and pleasant audio encourage an ascent through towering landscapes and mysteries. I really like this pared back, focused DON’T NOD - cool game.
Following a successful launch, Lies of P director Ji Won Choi has confirmed plans for and showcased some art from forthcoming DLC. He also mentions some balance and QOL changes, a couple of which are huge improvements. Watch the full Director’s Letter here.
Everything from the first one has been energised and elevated to the next level. Fluid, engaging combat combined with smooth and expressive movement make for a challenging-but-rewarding loop through which you’ll happily die and reset… a lot. Some new mechanics are a little janky, and the story isn’t particularly gripping, but overall an exhilarating time that doesn’t outstay its welcome.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Alan Wake - and even less so of horror games in general - but this sequel is something else. Remedy have taken the entirety of their back catalogue and combined it all into a captivating and masterful nightmare. Probably the most graphically impressive game I’ve ever played, but its technical achievement would be hollow without the sublime art direction and sound design. The story is kooky but cool, even if the writing is a little overbearing at times. Absolutely love Remedy’s vision and ambition here - it won’t be for everyone, but IMO it’s a triumph.
What a huge step forward since the first one! The dual world concept is fantastic and executed really well - transitioning between realities feels fresh, and exploration is way better this time. Difficulty feels a bit artificial at times and I questioned balance more than once. Combat is varied, flexible & satisfying (if a little bit floaty). Boss battles are often really artistic and often memorable. Mixed feelings linger, but it’s definitely worth a play.
Definitely a cool game - love the atmosphere, styling and general foundation. I can see this becoming something great over time, but currently the loop and endgame are a little underwhelming. Even with that though, the game is fun, fairly priced and an enjoyable little romp.
A silly but compelling gamejam entry from Mega Crit of Slay the Spire fame, Dancing Duelists is a deckbuilding autobattler with a dance-off theme. Understandably doesn’t have the same depth as StS given its jam roots, but it’s already a neat idea which proves to be fun and addictive. Absolutely worth a go.
Ahead of Alan Wake 2 releasing on October 27th, Epic Games have unveiled a clever promotional tie-in, in the form of a playable custom Fortnite island. Alan Wake: Flashback is a ‘reimagining the iconic story’, available now with island code 3426-5561-3374. We’ve seen these sort of collabs before, but this is a bit more involved, substantial and creative. Perk of a good relationship I s’pose!
It was already the best selling game of all time, but at this year’s annual Minecraft Live, it was announced that they’ve sold over 300 million copies. This puts Minecraft over 100 million ahead of the next best selling game, GTA V. Crazy.