Games reviewed… eventually
If the second Ace Attorney taught me anything, it was as a stark reminder of the perils of over-excitement. It was certainly a good reminder that visual novels live or die on their writing, and Justice for All definitely floundered. Still, there was of course a lingering hope that, on going into this third entry … Continue reading Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations
It’s safe to say I went into the second Ace Attorney with high expectations from the first game. However, I’m not entirely sure what I wanted from it though. The strengths of the first game were I suppose partly in the surprise of it being a visual novel I genuinely enjoyed, and partly because the … Continue reading Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All
I feel like you can’t play the Professor Layton games and not also stop to take a look in at Ace Attorney. The two franchises feel so intrinsically linked now to me as the premier puzzle-solving visual novel-style games. I appreciate that’s quite a niche subgenre, but Ace Attorney and Professor Layton definitely made it … Continue reading Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
It’s probably a rule of mystery and fantasy writing codified somewhere that at some point you are honour-bound to try and involve time travel in your plot. Then again, when your protagonist is a well-spoken and seemingly infinitely educated British gentleman, perhaps you simply have to throw in some time shenanigans because, well, the comparisons … Continue reading Professor Layton and the Lost Future
I said it in my review of the first game, but puzzle games often just make me feel dim. I’m not really a videogame masochist; I like playing games on easy, I tend not to even glance at games that are supposed to be difficult, and although I’m happy to try pretty much anything, I … Continue reading Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box
There’s nothing quite like flight in video games. All too often it can feel wrong in the execution, clunky, or awkward. But when being able to simply leap up and fly is one of the core tenets of your game, you’d better hope you get it right. AER: Memories of Old (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Switch, … Continue reading AER: Memories of Old
There’s nothing like a puzzle game for making you feel incredibly dim! Professor Layton and the Curious Village (NDS) Released Jan 2007 | Developed: Level-5 | Published: Nintendo Genre: Adventure, Puzzle, Visual Novel Fun fact: this was the first game I ever owned for the DS. I can remember going into an Asda as a … Continue reading Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Some games ask deep and meaningful questions about their players. Questions like “How much control do players have?”, and “Is the violence we express in games merely a symptom of our own, inherently cruel human condition?” Abzu shames all of these petty inquiries. Instead, it asks a truly monumental question of us as players. “What … Continue reading Abzu
Look, some days you’ve just got to play a really mad indie game about octopodes and fatherhood, right? Octodad: Dadliest Catch (Android, iOS, PC, PS4 (reviewed), PS Vita, Switch, Xbox One, Wii U) Released Jan 2014 | Developed / Published: Young Horses Genre: Adventure Meet Octodad. He’s an octopus who, for some reason, chooses to … Continue reading Octodad: Dadliest Catch
The idea of a combat-free game is a peculiar beast. Often combat is a core part of any game; conflict and the player overcoming it provides an easy narrative thrust and a simple yet effective means of measuring a player’s progress. And yet, some games strive to give us worlds and narratives without conflict woven … Continue reading Submerged
