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While I wish the actual platforming were a bit stronger, Arise: A Simple Story is still a lovely experience which I recommend you try. Frustration over dying a handful of times passes quickly when you’re enveloped in such wonderful sights and sounds. It's just an experience you'll get nearly as much out of watching as you would playing.

MechaNika is definitely a quality game. The love and care put into it are obvious. There is a lot to like about the game. I appreciate the risks it took and its commitment to its unique style. The environment and characters are well-designed and memorable. However, its style is so strong that it won't be everyone's cup of tea. For most people, it will be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of experience. That makes it impossible for me to recommend it unequivocally. However, if you are looking for a unique point and click adventure that revels in black humor and nerdy pop culture, MechaNika is a game you'll want to try. I greatly enjoyed my time with the game, even though it was not always a comfortable experience.

Blacksad: Under the Skin isn’t just a comic book conversion but it manages to tell its own solid Blacksad story, making it effectively a sixth entry in the series that is on hold at the moment for its writer being committed to other works. It took about 15 tumultuous hours to see Blacksad’s investigation through, including repeated quick-time events. Years’ worth of reading and watching detective stories didn’t go wasted as I figured out early on who must be the mastermind behind the crimes and in the end, I was really pleased that I got it right. I was happy how my story concluded but there’s a lot of variation how individual scenes or even bigger lines can turn out based on choices you have made along the journey. Blacksad: Under the Skin is stylish, involving, exciting and despite its animal characters – or because of them – harrowingly humane, a gripping pastime for any mystery buff.

Agatha Knife is all barks and no bite as it makes fun without being mean or mocking. I expected to sit through some profound lesson but much to my surprise – and without spoiling too much – the outcome was positive for all the parties involved. In the end, the unique presentation and a curious premise hide a somewhat familiar parody and the so-called criticism the game likes to think it represents isn’t as sharp as Agatha’s knifes. Or maybe I’m so used to all things weird that it would take something more outrageous to freak me out. On the other hand, maybe it’s better that Agatha Knife plays it safer because even the most straight-laced individual can enjoy the charm of Agatha’s sincere antics set against a strange world of (make)belief.

Koral is part science display, part puzzle game, and all design compromise. It feels like a roadmap on what not to do when designing an environmentally conscious game. Without a doubt, the visuals are initially captivating, but their flair quickly wears off and you’re left with the game’s dismal content. The game provides a clunky experience that doesn’t satisfy in any meaningful manner. Too shallow in both its educational content and puzzle-solving gameplay, Koral finds the perfect middle ground to embody an especially painful kind of mediocrity. 

As it stands, Effie is fun and charming, and its flaws and frustrations don’t entirely ruin the experience. There is no shortage of 3D puzzle platform games in the world, but Effie stands out as a colorful and vibrantly realized translation of a fairly tale come to life.

If you’re looking for a game with not even a sliver of hand-holding, Viviette will scratch your itch. If you need no motivation to explore a spooky mansion, you’ll find that in the game. However, If you need either of those things even in the slightest, this is one game I would suggest you hide from.

Games like The Station and Downward Spiral left me wanting similar games and Red Matter does enough to satiate my appetite for VR adventure games, if temporarily. It’s a short game, taking about an hour or so to reach the end credits but the time is well spent and nothing feels wasted or padded for length. The game’s puzzles are just right, neither too easy or too hard, and in some cases make a great use of the facility’s retro-futurist technology. Some might balk over the absence of enemies or outright peril but hungry aliens, killer robots, or demon possessed soldiers would only serve as annoying distractions and just get in the way. All in all, Red Matter is an awesome science fiction yarn built with an eye for dreamy, retro futurism aesthetic.

The true beauty of a minimalist story tied with absolutely stunning visuals and emotionally resonant music make for a genuine masterpiece. Gris is an absolute gem of a work that definitely deserves your attention.

With its tagline, Solo promises an experience that is both introspective and puzzle-based, and it lives up to that promise. Its unique presentation of the theme of love is backed by solid, well-designed puzzle gameplay. It's refreshing to play a game that not only makes you contemplate a theme in a way that other games do not, but also does it in a manner that does not neglect the aspects of games that make it a unique medium. The game does not revolutionize the puzzle game genre, but it doesn't have to. Solo is a successful experiment that is easy to recommend for those of you who like to experience new takes on what gaming has to offer. It's also easy to recommend for those of you who want to enjoy games as an art form, but are weary of experiences that come up short in the "game" department. 

There are a lot of smart, complicated action games and shooters on the market, and let's be glad for that. But there is plenty room for a pure old-school shooter like Immortal Redneck, where speed, adrenaline and lack of pretense are supported by a colorful presentation and well-designed levels and gameplay. Not everyone enjoys the potential frustration that is baked into the rogue-like genre, but aside from that, Immortal Redneck is entertaining, goofy and a lot of fun.

Be prepared for the best and the worst of the 80s with Crossing Souls. For the most part, the action-adventure against the comfortable backdrop of the era’s popular culture is a heartfelt and charming trip down the memory lane. At its best moments, the game made me even feel like a kid again, and that’s hell of a triumph. The torturing endgame drags Crossing Souls needlessly down, and is a cold reminder that all those games we remember fondly from decades ago were actually a bit sadistic in their nature. Just stock up plenty of Sugaheart candies to the items hotbar when you’re about to brave the closing chapters, and you’ll be fine. Hopefully!

I really want to love Blues and Bullets. It could have been a good start to the series, but there are some really frustrating elements, and it baffles me how the developers looked at them and said, “yes, this is the product we want to release to the world”: the terrible semi-fixed camera that moves in an unpredictable manner as you move around, the boring gunfight segments, and the fact that, for a standalone episode, pretty much nothing actually happens. But if it capitalizes on its strengths, polishes its mechanics up, and fixes those issues I mentioned, then future episodes of Blues and Bullets could definitely be winners.

That said, “It’s functional” is the game reviewer equivalent of “It didn’t make me sick.” Had Randal’s Monday been released in the time period it misses so badly, it would have been considered a passable but pointless imitation of other, better games. In 2014, it’s an embarrassing reminder of why this genre should remain ignored by all but the most talented developers. Barring the possible subtext about adventure game protagonists (which may be entirely in my head), the game is artistically bankrupt – it copies ideas, spouts constant references in lieu of jokes, and features a story so flawed that even its own writers seemed to give up by the end of it. The experience can easily be replicated by watching Groundhog Day with some friends, and pausing to take turns being jerks to each other every time Bill Murray tries to interact with something.

Depending on how much you like choose-your-own-adventure books, your enjoyment of this gamebook may vary from mine. Due to the subjectivity of literature, there is a chance (however slim) that you may consider Mr. Stiff the Isaac Asimov of gamebooks; however, in my opinion, I would say a more apt comparison would be to call him the Stephanie Meyer of science fiction. Regrettably, despite my initial interest in Heavy Metal Thunder, and my high hopes for a piece of gripping and thrilling science fiction set in an inspired and fleshed-out universe, the final product failed to entertain me with every dull page-turn.

Three years in the making, Mind: Path to Thalamus is a valiant effort on the part of Carlos Coronado. There are moments that impress, but the parts all add up to a mediocre story shoe-horned into a mediocre first person puzzler. I encourage the development team to keep it up, but I can’t really recommend this one as a must see.

Simple but effective, The Last Door offers a great, chilling narrative experience. A little on the short side, episodes do not run longer than thirty minutes or so, but its levity is no reason to ignore this well written and conceived story of the supernatural. I sincerely hope that Season Two will see a speedy release.

Short yet sweet and thoroughly enjoyable, although suffering in certain key spots.

Deadlight shows a lot of promise but ultimately falls short. Frustrating mechanics and design elements that shift away from its initial premise make for a less tantalizing experience. It’s not all bad however, as the graphics are really top notch and the depiction of a destroyed Seattle is a terrifying and strangely beautiful sight. If you’re the kind of person who needs to absorb any and all piece of zombie-related media then by all means, pick it up. However, yaking the price point ($15) and its issues into consideration, it might be best to wait for it to go on sale.