Gamer's Critical Analysis

 Lost Eden, made in 1995 by Cyro Interactive, is a melancholy game. It contrasts a sense of mourning the past, while looking ahead with anticipation. It is about how the death of one society and culture makes space for something new. It's an ambitious game attempting to tell a story far beyond its technical ability. However, it's completely charming and unique. A time capsule of the whimsical, ill...

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...

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 t...

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 neve...

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....