What I've been playing
(Or watching the playing of.) Over the past three years. Part 1, Part 2.
Deadlock: It’s all well-made and you have all these memorable characters with different powers, but… it’s a MOBA…
Fidel Dungeon Rescue: Wraps a conceptually intense series of puzzles in an appealing world; the dog is absolutely necessary. The Baba Is You of this type of game. I wish the path-on-a-string mechanic, wrapped in other interesting ways, was part of more games.
Four Last Things, The Procession to Calvary, Death of the Reprobate: This is not good gameplay in the same way that 90s adventure games were not good gameplay. But it is not trying for that. It is trying to show you 15th century Flemish art and baroque music and the seven sins. Just a joyous world. Run it in the background of your life on your random devices, be happy.
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy: Are you making an indie game? Can you see any kind of similarity between it and Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy? No? Start over and then convince yourself and the audience that some element of your game is like an element in Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy.
Glittermitten Grove: I will write a separate post on Glittermitten Grove it’s so good. But in short:
The reason it’s good is barely related to the fact that it is “Frog Fractions 2”, or its secret nature. (It was released as a random C-grade anonymous game of doing resource management with fairies, success at which (after one hour or so) then reveals to you the main game.)
The main game’s balance, flow, sense of discovery, creativity, and the exact right level of challenge for the audience that wants to explore wonderful creations and appreciates being challenged in novel ways, but does not play games for challenge (and somehow creates an emotional frog-related finale) — to create a game so enjoyable requires such care about your audience, and such perseverance. And then to hide it behind fairy resource management. It is one of the 10 best video games ever made.
GTA V: Actually a very clever and original creation, even today. The three different worlds of the playable characters, and the scenes when you switch between them, and how the switching feels — no game since 2013 has done something creative of this kind. And the mini-games it peppers the main quest with are not nearly as bad as mini-games everywhere else; something like “tattooing someone” surprises you with how it works.
Gwent and Thronebreaker: Wonderful music. I don’t get deep into deck-builders, after a few hours the challenge always seems to be the same and not the kind I enjoy, but trying out what all the deck-builders do is fun. Thronebreaker in particular might be the best of all, because its battles are pre-arranged puzzles.
Hades and Hades 2: I can see why a teenager would enjoy this, but not an adult. I have tried to feel what others feel. I think the love that humans have for Greek mythology obscures the quality of creations that incorporate Greek mythology. That may be the case here… It’s not a bad game. It’s not a good game.
Inscryption: Just unbelievably full of love and care and detail. I’m not sure how good of a card game each act is because I didn’t play it. But like with Glittermitten Grove, you feel the designer earnestly thinking about you — thinking, “How can I give a mesmerizing journey to someone that offers me hours of their time, and trusts me?” And very few designers think like this.
