Category: Previews
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Hokko Life: Buggy And Boring – PC Early Access Review
I recently began to question how interactive a video game needs to be. My original hypothesis was that, for the most part, the more you can interact with a video game and its systems, the better the game is. But over the years, and thanks to the countless hours I’ve sunk into less than stellar…
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Frozenheim: The Epitome Of City Building RTS – PC Early Access Review
The serenity commonly offered by city-building RTS games has been lost on me as of late. Apart from the rather spectacular, The Colonists, most city-building games have let me down. They’ve failed to capture the same bliss and imagination afforded by their predecessors. Frozenheim initially promised me a trip through memory lane, a best-of collection…
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We Are The Caretakers: Utterly Phenomenal – PC Early Access Review
One of the main reasons I got into games journalism was to explore a side of video games that I had previously neglected. Up until about a year ago, the majority of the games that I played were either triple-A titles or well established indie games. But, upon starting my career at The Game Crater,…
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A Space For The Unbound: Hi-Bit Narrative Bliss – Demo Preview
When initially scrolling through the games in this year’s LudoNarraCon, it only took a single look at the screenshots to sell me on A Space For The Unbound. I hopped into the prologue and was immediately taken in by its hyper-detailed hi-bit rendition of Indonesia in the 1990s and drawn into the heartwarming magical realist narrative. In…
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Mind Scanners: Papers Please Meets 1984 – Demo Preview
While there have been some attempts to capture the brilliance of Lucas Pope’s Paper’s Please, none have innovated and scratched that pencil-pushing itch for me as much as the demo for the upcoming game Mind Scanners. In this dystopian future, you take control of a mind-altering cog in the machine, clamping down on anyone not…
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TUNIC: A Nostalgic Soulslike – Demo Preview
Featuring in this year’s Ludonaracon round-up of demos is TUNIC. It is a golden-hour lit hack and slash adventure game that combines the melancholic atmosphere and combat of Hyperlight Drifter with a warm blanket of comforting nostalgia. “Underneath the combat is a satisfying Metroidvania experience” From looking through initial screenshots and playing through the first…
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No Longer Home: A Beautifully Bleak Portrayal Of Life – Demo Preview
If this year’s LudoNarraCon event has taught me anything, it’s that narrative-heavy games are my bread and butter. I love them all, from the downright quirky to the solemnly poignant. No Longer Home fits into the latter category. Despite being a bleak portrayal of the downtrodden youth culture in the UK, something I am all…
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Minute Of Islands: Nothing Quite Like It – Demo Preview
I can well and truly say that I’ve never played anything quite like Minute of Islands. It is wholly unique in both concept and design, with an uncomfortably eerie narrative set across extraordinarily detailed and horrifying environments. Its demo offers an insight into a game that will undoubtedly go down in history as one of…
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Chicory: A Colorful Tale: A Brush and a Dream – Demo Preview
Chicory: A Colorful Tale is one of the games to feature at this year’s LudoNarraCon, and it is one of the best games I have played in a while. In Chicory, you travel through each area, restoring colour to the world. However, it isn’t as simple as it seems. There is a deep narrative hidden…
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Do Not Buy This Game: Strange Yet Worth Buying – Demo Preview
Do Not Buy This Game features at the 2021 edition of LudoNarraCon, and it is easily one of the strangest games I have ever played. Do Not Buy This Game begins with no menu. You are quite literally thrown straight into the game with no help on how to play. The game forces you to…
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Lake: Simply Perfect – Demo Preview
I’ve been hotly anticipating Lake since it was announced a while back. There is something incredibly appealing about the mundane in video games. Whether it’s unpacking boxes or delivering post, I find myself drawn to them every day. It is therefore understandable that I’d be enormously enthused by Lake’s premise. This is a game in…
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Beacon Pines: Hauntingly Charming – Demo Preview
At this year’s LudoNarraCon, I got to try out a demo for Beacon Pines. Fortunately, I am happy to announce that not only did I absolutely love it, but that I cannot wait for its full release. Beacon Pines is a delightfully charming title with a lot of wit, character and laughs to be had.…