‘Twelve Minutes’ Is a Diabolical Dive Into the Human Psyche
What caught me off guard was the extent to which I began to revel in pushing the limits of behavior. At one point, I realized that I could use the…
‘Pac-Man 99’ Is a Battle Royale Game That’s Actually Accessible
“I like 99 a lot—the modern take is introducing more chaos over the simple gameplay,” says Lapetino. Deep Down, 99 Is the Pac-Man You Know and Love Jeff Pickles knows…
‘Pokémon Unite’ Is the Perfect, Simple Game We Need Right Now
Each year, right up until peak peach season, pop-culture mavens weigh in on the reigning “song of the summer.” It’s got to be danceable and upbeat, yes, and somewhere up…
‘Emily Is Away’ Re-Creates Social Media’s Awkward, Early Days
Ask someone who played it what they think of the indie game Emily Is Away, and they might confess to shedding a tear at the end. If they did, they’re…
The Incredible, Absurd World of ‘Disco Elysium: The Final Cut’
In pursuit of that vision, Final Cut’s addition of political vision quests answers your selection of one of four deranged political ideologies with a fever dream on day three about…
‘Chair Simulator’ Is a Game About … Sitting
Over the weekend, I finished my first desktop gaming PC build, complete with an RTX 3080, a wicked-fast hard drive, and more RGB than is fully necessary. Once I was…
This ‘Post-Soviet Sad 3D’ Game Is Not About Having Fun
“Nothing awaits you. Just a broken radio, loneliness, and endless snow.” That’s how Ilia Mazo, the brains behind It’s Winter, introduces potential players to his game on Steam. That’s pretty…
The Wondrous, Tedious Ocean of ‘Subnautica: Below Zero’
Compared to the free-form exploration, this aspect of Subnautica: Below Zero is notably systematic. I acquire blueprints that are basically “crafting recipes,” whose ingredients I source from the seabed. For…
‘Resident Evil Village’ Is Too Self-Conscious to Fully Enjoy Itself
Ethan Winters, protagonist of Resident Evil Village, wakes up from being stabbed half to death to find himself in a scene that feels as much indebted to Hellraiser as it…
‘Olija’ Is an Indie Platformer With Love, Loss, and Harpoons
There were also a few moments in the game where a scripted sequence had me falling through a broken platform, only to find that moving forward required me to backtrack…