Gamer's Critical Analysis
A literary look at interactive worlds. Game reviews and articles from a critical point-of-view. Creating interpretations and displaying the artistic merit within gaming. Discovering where play and literary story telling meet. Written and hosted by Caleb DeLaurentis.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Doesn't Have Much to Say4
I have complicated feelings toward Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. When I finish games, I am usually eager to write, feeling as if the game sets up a conversation between its creators and me. KCD2 did not elicit this response in me, sadly. There were aspects of it that really intrigued me, but on the whole, I find it hard to say much about the game. It is full of content, but void of meaning. It is a massive game, but its core thesis is incredibly weak.
Does that make it a bad game? Absolutely not. It's fun...
Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor
Self-reflective, nauseating, perplexing, confusing, and, most of all, compelling. Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor by Sundae Month reminded me of my late teens and early 20s, highlighting that gnawing feeling that life is passing you by. The silly idea that many of us are possessed with as young people, that if you don't achieve things before you are 23, maybe 25, you missed your shot! It parodies the discomfort that follows many through youth, from their bodies to their place in society. It's a game that is filled with promises of adventure, but tricks you into being last place in the rat...
TIS-100: Inaccessible, Brilliant
TIS-100 by Zachtronics is one of the most challenging and intrinsically rewarding games I have played. It has a cool, vibey feel and is packed with brain teasers that will keep you staring at your computer screen for hours. It will have you pulling out paper, sketching flow charts, and working through simple programming puzzles. It’s a programming and logic puzzle game with a light story that never really takes center stage; instead, the game is all about challenging you as you focus for hours on end. The puzzles are very similar to exercises you might find in a...
Outer Wilds: The Detective Rogue-Like.
Overview
At its core, Outer Wilds is a roguelike detective game. Its roguelike elements come from the 22 minute timer ticking away in the background. Once you reach the end of the run, the sun goes supernova, destroying everything, and the run resets. However, unlike in other roguelikes, where you unlock new mechanics and tiny stat increases between runs, Outer Wilds rewards you with information.
This is where you take on the role of a detective, trying to solve the mystery of why you are stuck in this time loop. This role includes a camera and...
