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.
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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, illogical, and fantastical stories that used to dominate video gaming. It is a world of talking dinosaurs, medieval humans, learning to forgive and overcome the sins of the past. There are also a whole bu
I have complicated feelings toward Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. It is a massive game, but its core thesis is incredibly weak.
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 race,
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.
Outer Wilds is a stunning and brilliant game. It has the spirit of a point-and-click puzzle game from ages past, all wrapped within the action-packed silliness of a modern survival game. It scratches the side of the brain that relishes discovery and problem solving. Its recipe is equal parts brain-teaser, open world exploration, and action platformer. It will make you feel like a scientist, archeologist, and detective as it tasks you with pondering clues, making theories, and putting those theories to the test in harrowing, breakneck speed adventures through a solar system seeking to kill you.
