DeVuego

There are quite a few anomaly-finding games out there, but The Cabin Factory has a few unique twists that help to set it apart from the rest. The story is nothing to write home about, but let’s be honest, that’s not what most people are going to care about. What’s important is that the game is fun, easy to play, and delivers on some satisfying scares. It’s a short game, taking about an hour or so to see everything it has to offer, but for its low three dollar price tag, it’s well worth checking out.

Neva is a fantastic and emotional journey the whole way through. The bond between Alba and Neva feels real and earned, so the stakes feel even higher when danger befalls them. It’s a game that makes us think about the hardships of life and survival, but at its core drives home one main theme: hope. Neva will have you running through a whole gambit of emotions in its four hour run time, so have some tissues handy, but it’s an experience well-worth your time.

Blasphemous 2 is a brilliant follow-up to its iconic predecessor. The combat has been improved from the original, and features new weapons and skills to better customize the gameplay to different playstyles. The world of Cvstodia is visually striking, with its highly detailed, gothic pixel art. With multiple endings and tons of secrets to find, there’s plenty of incentive play it more than once. Regardless of whether or not you’ve played the first one, Blasphemous 2 is worth experiencing.

It pains me to say that I found Verne: The Shape of Fantasy to be a somewhat bland experience. This is especially disheartening because the premise was so creative. To me, it just didn’t live up to its potential. The story was too slow and predictable, and the gameplay was either too easy or too frustrating. To give credit where credit is due, it is a beautiful game, and I enjoyed learning more about Jules Verne, even if it didn’t necessarily add to the story. It’s a short experience, only taking about three to four hours to complete, so if you’re a diehard Jules Verne fan, then it might be worth your time. Just don’t expect Verne: The Shape of Fantasy to be overly imaginative.

There have been several VR ports for games originally released on PC or consoles, but the ones that are successful are few and far between. Thankfully, Call of the Sea VR falls into the successful category. Despite some flaws, mainly with its visuals due to the limited hardware, Call of the Sea VR is an incredible addition to the VR gaming library. It’s an amazingly immersive experience that’s a must play for fans of VR and adventure/puzzles games in general. When it beckons, will you answer the call?

It’s hard to recommend Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo. On one hand, the story is interesting, at least interesting enough to have made me want to see it through to its conclusion. But on the other hand, it’s incredibly padded with unnecessary sections, rife with bugs and glitches, and has some distractingly bad lip syncing issues. At least it’s playable, unlike the developer’s last game, Blacksad: Under the Skin. If you’re not really into gaming, but like a compelling story, then maybe give Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo a chance. I’d highly recommend waiting for it to go on sale though, as the price tag is a bit steep for a messy one-time playthrough experience.

Call of the Sea wasn’t quite what I expected, but that’s not a bad thing. It surprised me in a lot of ways. While the ending was easy to guess early on, the writing for the rest of the story was so strong that I still found it compelling.

Etherborn is an ambitious game that tries to give players a truly unique adventure. While it misses the mark in certain areas, like the story, it nails it in plenty of others. Its clever use of manipulating gravitational pull and changing set pieces at times provide a really tough challenge. Thinking outside the box is a must in order to complete the game and solving the levels offers a truly gratifying experience. My biggest complaint is that it is a really short game, only taking about five hours or so to complete. I guess that’s the mark of a good game though; leaving the player wanting more. For fans of puzzle platformers, Etherborn is a game that they shouldn’t let disappear into the ether.