Games reviewed… eventually
Over the years I've been writing this blog I’ve reviewed a few of these games which use a deliberately old-fashioned style as a throwback to games of yore. I like to think I can approach things with at least a vague sense of awareness of what I think makes a good game and not just … Continue reading Tiny Dangerous Dungeons
I’m starting to feel like I’m finding my niche - or at least my blog’s niche - when it comes to exploring visual novels. While I know there are plenty of VNs out there that are lengthy and, presumably, many that are exceptionally well-revered, I have to admit to a genuine sense of satisfaction over … Continue reading Serre
On paper, there’s no real reason I would be interested in Wheels of Aurelia. If there’s three things I know very little about, it’s visual novels, racing, and the rise of neo-fascism in 1970s Italy. And yet, it’s this wild trio of things that I find myself having to understand amidst the rush and hubbub … Continue reading Wheels of Aurelia
The Kingdom Hearts series sure has gone in some weird directions over the years. Even though the core games in the franchise have stuck with a simple action-JRPG formula, the developers over at Square Enix have certainly never shied away from playing with a plethora of different gameplay ideas in their other releases. Series veterans … Continue reading Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
If there was ever an idea for a game that I would never have called, a Power Rangers-themed fighting game in 2019 would be pretty high on that list. I can’t remember the last time Saban and Hasbro’s zany franchise about teenagers who gain magical powers, transform into spandex-clad warriors, and defend the world by … Continue reading Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
I have a bit of a history when it comes to playing Shadow of Mordor. I can remember being maddeningly excited for it back in 2014; I still had glorious memories of playing the old The Return of the King game, not to mention the fun RPG The Third Age, but both of those were … Continue reading Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
When it comes to the SNES era of Final Fantasy, I feel like V is one which sometimes gets left out of the discussion. There’s good reasons for that - in contrast to the wider releases of its predecessor and successor, V was alone in not getting an English release on its original console, needing … Continue reading Final Fantasy V
The subject of politics in videogames is, to put it lightly, a bit fractious. As the years have progressed and peoples’ personal politics have skewed wildly due to factors like a rampant and uncontrolled press shored up by making profit from fascism and stoking hate, ineffective centrists doing their best doormat impression as they say … Continue reading Democratic Socialism Simulator
If you grew up on the Internet during the early-to-mid aughts, you almost certainly remember escape-the-room games. These were an absolute staple of early Flash gaming, with titles like The Mystery of Time and Space, Don’t Escape, and (perhaps the one most deeply resonant for me, with its screens well and truly burned into my … Continue reading Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Building mystery and tension is a key component of any story. Without it, it’s all too easy for us, as readers, to give up; after all, if there’s nothing to solve, or to puzzle over, or simply to ponder, why bother reading on? It’s the mark of a great writer to craft that sense of … Continue reading One Night Stand
The Almighty Backlog 