Escape from the Fishing Community Island

Title: Escape from the Fishing Community Island

Genre: Survival

Completion Time: About seven minutes on small/easy

Beware of demon fish.

Interesting:

I haven't played enough survival games to know how this stacks up. I do know that the "find three items and then escape" concept is fairly typical, and combat doesn't seem to be particularly exciting. However, the flavor is unique (demon fish stalking you on land!). In addition, I think the most interesting part of this game is the companions. When you find someone hiding, you can assign them a task--as you go your party gets more effective but also more cumbersome, which makes for interesting gameplay. 3/5

Fun:

It has its exciting moments, but overall it's moderately repetitive. This is a prototype so hopefully they will shore it up (no pun intended) in the future. 2/5.

Moving:

As I mentioned in the last review, I am a huge fan of mechanics being used to reinforce mood. The fish can attack not only you but also the members of your party, who are slightly slower than you--I've spent plenty of time dashing around the island going "Run, kid, run!" I'll tell you, I felt pretty bad the first time I let a kid get eaten by a fish (I tried to run away when I should have stopped and battled) and the impact is doubled by the fact that losing a party member means losing functionality. Not the most emotionally compelling game overall, but they do a nice job of creating moments 3/5.

A short, interesting prototype--it doesn't have a ton of replayability, but it's definitely worth checking out.

The Only One

Title: The Only One

Genre: Puzzle adventure

Completion Time: Nineteen minutes

One of the best implementations I've seen of using mechanics to reinforce mood.

Interesting:

This seems to be a budding genre: games where you do the same thing repeatedly, getting further each time as you gather information and master skills. I am a huge fan. This is a fairly straightforward implementation, although it gets points for creative marriage of genre and theme. 3/5

Fun:

The action was exciting and for the most part it was smoothly designed. For a game like this, being at loose ends would be torturous, and the way the world is laid out mostly managed to avoid that. That said, I wouldn't have wanted the game to be any longer. 4/5.

Moving:

This game is short and simple, lacking the depth of my five-point games. That said, a lot of emotion is packed into the small interactions between the characters. And while I've never experienced a loss like the main character, I am familiar with the crippling depression he starts with. I thought the game did a phenomenal job capturing the experience of breaking out of apathy and re-engaging with life and the world.  4/5.

A powerful experience in a small package. Great demonstration of storytelling that can only be done via the unique medium of gaming. Highly recommended.

Densha

Title: Densha

Genre: Puzzle

Completion Time: Approximately one hour and fifteen minutes

The next time someone claims games can't be art, hit them with this.

Interesting:

The way the game plays with certain concepts is phenomenal. I don't want to spoil the sense of discovery so I will just tell you it deserves full marks. 5/5

Fun:

 Fun is not really the point of this game at all. Parts of it can get tedious, particularly carting around the stepladder. That said, it moved smoothly and I never got stuck for too long. (Take copious notes and be sure to reference the included translation file.) 3/5.

Moving:

I already gave it 5/5 for interesting, so if I could give it 6/5 for moving then I would. This game used a phenomenal blend of visuals, sound, story, character, and surrealism to pack all the emotional punch of a good short film. I may have gotten some bonus chills because of my Japanese heritage, but I imagine this will affect anybody. 5/5.

An intense experience in a beautifully crafted package. Highly, highly recommended.

Pretentious Games

Title: Pretentious Game 1, Pretentious Game 2, Pretentious Game 3

Genre: Platform

Completion Time: Five minutes for the first, seven for the second, thirteen for the third., 

Really three episodes of one game rather than three different games, the Pretentious Games riff on platforming mechanics and tropes to tell a story.

Interesting:

Each level has a goal, and the strategies or obstacles are hinted at by a line of story. It's a clever concept and should appeal to fans of wordplay. 5/5

Fun:

I thought the better levels were the ones that called for puzzle-solving rather than platform maneuvering--episode 3 got a little frustrating. But overall there tended to be a very nice "Aha!" moment as you figured out each challenge.  4/5.

Moving:

The creator was definitely onto something when he or she titled this. The story leans heavily on clichés, and the emotion feels like the creator was trying to imitate other works of art rather than pulling it from within him/herself. But it's strong enough to carry the game, and the threading of multiple storylines is nicely handled. 3/5.

If you like games that play with what games can be, this is well worth the half an hour or so that it takes to complete all three.

King's Ascent (Highly Recommended)

Title: King's Ascent

Genre: Platform

Completion Time: Forty-five minutes.

An interesting, challenging platform game that is extremely enhanced by its strong story.

Interesting:

You're being chased by a monster, and different types of platforms do various pointy things to the monster once you jump off of them. If you hit the top of the level without having killed it, you're kind of in trouble, so you have to trade off  dropping as many platforms as possible with efficient movement upwards. I'm not really familiar with vertical-climber games, but JayIsGames assures me that this is a novel twist. 5/5

Fun:

This game is loads of fun. The mechanics are exciting, the controls are pretty smooth, and the difficulty was right in the zone for me. I died a lot, but the quick and smooth level reset meant the flow was never broken. 5/5.

Moving:

The game touches on themes of guilt and responsibility that I haven't seen addressed much in a game. The story is also integrated beautifully with the gameplay. It's a little too rough around the edges to get a perfect score, but I found it extremely compelling. 4/5 

Fantastic little short short story of a game. Highly recommended.

The Onomastica

Title: The Onomastica

Genre: Platformer

Completion Time: Six minutes.

This game upends the concept of "word games."

Interesting:

I would consider this the very model of a game that is more interesting than fun. The mechanic is simple--everything in the landscape is words, and you can push one- or two-letter words to combine them and create effects. However, they do a variety of neat things that made me repeatedly think "Hey, that's clever." 5/5

Fun:

For me to consider a game fun, it usually has to meet one of two criteria--it has to either be delighting and surprising or induce flow. For those who aren't familiar with flow, it is a great feeling that is typically achieved when challenges and ability level are well-matched. While this had some clever ideas, it didn't quite meet the first criterion, and the challenge level was too low for it to meet the second. This felt like a demo for a game that had actual puzzles. 2/5

Moving:

Emotional content is nonexistent. 0/5 

A clever and well-executed art piece, doesn't really qualify as a game.

Don't Escape

Title: Don't Escape

Genre: Point-and-click

Completion Time: I quit in frustration after fifteen minutes.

The anti-escape game. 

Interesting:

The premise has tons of potential--you are a werewolf, and have to close all exits to prevent yourself from escaping the room once night falls. I love, love, love escape-the-room games, so I really appreciated the twist. 5/5

Fun:

The implementation was profoundly disappointing--lots more pixel-hunting and random guessing than actual deduction. I quit in frustration after fifteen minutes. 1/5

Moving:

There's a lot of emotional potential in the idea that you are a werewolf trying to stop yourself from ravaging the town. It would have been pretty neat to see them go deeper with this. 2/5 

A brilliant idea--hopefully someone will be inspired by this and do a better take on it.

Upcoming

Man, JayisGames is on fire this week. Note to self, play the following:

BackDoor Door 1: The Call
Don't Escape
Ghost Party
Labyrinthine Dreams

Moon Waltz

Title: Moon Waltz

Genre: Webtoy

Completion Time: Approximately two minutes per runthrough, I went through five times.

A werewolf-themed webtoy with tons of hidden surprises.

Yes, that is a werewolf in handcuffs.

Interesting:

A simple, one-button premise--hit space to uncover the moon, which turns you into a werewolf. Extremely novel, turns out to have tons of potential. 5/5

Fun:

They put a lot of depth into this--for example, turning into a werewolf right next to someone is different from turning into one a little ways away. For such a simple concept, I kept wanting to play over and over. 5/5

Moving:

Emotional content is pretty minimal, although I am a sucker for games that let you destroy things. 2/5 

A great little webtoy, clearly demonstrating the power of attention to detail.

Coming Soon Update 1

Italics = New Strikethrough = Reviewed ...But That Was [Yesterday]

400 Years

A House in California

A Small Talk at the Back of Beyond

Alone in the Light

Anodyne (Highly recommended)

Banana Breakers

Dys4ia

Eversion (Highly recommended)

Evoland

Fear Less!

Grey

Gunpoint

Hanamushi: Flower Insects

Ib (Highly recommended)

ImmorTall

Loved

Misadventure No-One Has to Die

Off

Orpheus

Silent Conversation

Simian Interface

Small Worlds

The End of Us

The Fabulous Screech (Highly recommended)

The Majesty of Colors

The Which? Series

To What End

Today I Die

UnderTale (Highly recommended)

You Find Yourself in a Room

UnderTale (Highly recommended)

Title: UnderTale demo

Genre: RPG

Completion Time: I got ten minutes into the demo and then decided I wanted to wait for the full version. 100% will be playing.

A cute, Earthbound-esque RPG that includes the option to talk your way through fights instead of battling.

Interesting:

Combat is interesting on multiple levels. First, there is the aforementioned ability to talk instead of fighting. During the ten minutes I played, I never landed a blow. Always refreshing. Second, the enemies' attacks are little avoidance minigames that are unique to each enemy so far. This would have been engaging on story and tone alone, and they really went the extra mile. 5/5

Fun:

The combat can get a little repetitive, but the minigames do keep it exciting. The puzzles I encountered definitely could have been more engaging. I wouldn't play it just for the mechanics, but the gameplay is a perfectly serviceable complement to the engaging world and tone.. 3/5

Moving:

The characters are engaging and endearing, and I laughed out loud within the first five minutes. Great soundtrack too. I also found it surprisingly satisfying to be able to resolve combat nonviolently. Nothing weighty in the game yet, but I was drawn in emotionally just by the demo. I will be interested to see if the full version makes it up to 5/5. 4/5 

The most Earthbound-esque non-Itoi game I have ever played. I am beyond excited for the full version.

Gunpoint

Title: Gunpoint demo

Genre: Puzzle, action

Completion Time: Thirty-six minutes, which I suspect is kind of embarrassing. I got shot and found myself accidentally jumping onto the ceiling a lot.

From the website: "Gunpoint is a stealth puzzle game that lets you rewire its levels to trick people. This video will explain it."

Interesting:

Fantastic, unique premise. You have to electronically rewire the building so the guards will accidentally do your bidding--leaving a room, opening doors for you, etc. The autosave system is pretty innovative and really reduces frustration. Also, tricking people is funny. 5/5

Fun:

I'm not particularly good at puzzles that involve planning ahead, so I suspect this could have been a lot more fun than I was having. I tended to brute-force everything--hook up all the doors to the light switch and then punch out the guards. I suspect I will enjoy it a lot more once I have gotten the hang of the nuances. 3/5

Moving:

The plot and characters are pretty light, but the music adds a lot to the atmosphere and the dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny. Like Misadventure, Gunpoint accomplishes what it was aiming for. 3/5 

A light game with a clever concept, I am definitely looking forward to the full version coming out.

Misadventure (Highly Recommended)

Title: Misadventure

Genre: Action, horror

Completion Time: One hour and twenty-three minutes, including many, many deaths and game-overs. I'm pretty bad at these games. After mastering it, a single run-through took ten to fifteen minutes.

An arcade-style horror game best played full-screen at night.

Interesting:

The premise is that this is a portal to the demon world disguised as an old Atari-style game, and they do some neat things playing with that idea. I won't spoil them for you but it adds heavily to the game's appeal. In addition, although it is a simple arcade-style game on the surface, environment and enemy mechanics are both unique and fun to play with. 5/5

Fun:

I'm the kind of person who rage-quite the third time I die. But in this game, the constant deaths slowly become more and more spread out, leading to a feeling of mastery. The first time you blow through a series of rooms that had repeatedly killed you when you were first playing, you will feel awesome. Not to mention that the game makes extremely satisfying use of a (semi-)invincibility mechanic. 5/5

Moving:

Not emotional in the typical sense, but "weirdly unsettled" is definitely an emotion. This game creates a neat atmosphere of horror through graphics, sound, and gameplay. Not exactly weighty, but it definitely accomplishes what it was aiming for.  3/5 

A combination of concept, gameplay and atmosphere makes Misadventure an absolutely gripping game.

Hanamushi: Flower Insects

Title: Hanamushi:Flower Insects

Genre: Point-and-click adventure

Completion Time: One hour and fifty minutes to complete the main story, parceled out in pieces over a couple of days and with occasional referencing of a walkthrough.

A surreal, haunting, and oddly endearing Japanese point-and-click adventure.

Interesting:

For the most part this is a fairly standard point-and-click adventure, although the dress-up mechanic is interesting in that it is both functional and aesthetic. In addition, the artist has scattered galleries of his other work throughout the game, which is a neat concept. 3/5

Fun:

Without a walkthrough this would have been too frustrating to be worth my time (since the entire world is mostly open, realizing that you missed something means having to comb over at least a dozen screens). With the walkthrough, it was smooth and pleasant if not particularly exciting. Sadly, I have to dock a point for two minigames with aggravating interfaces. 2/5

Moving:

This is another one where the real power is in the aesthetics. The characters are intriguing in design, and the whole world is beautifully executed with a very unique style. The ending was not mind-blowing or anything, but did provide a satisfying and affecting wrap-up that was worth playing through to.  4/5 

While not really meant to be played in one sitting, Hanamushi: Flower Insects provides a lovely little world to drop into during your coffee breaks.

Orpheus

Title: Orpheus

Genre: "Interactive art" is really the best word here, as the "game" elements are minimal.

Completion Time: Seven minutes on my second run-through. I have relative pitch (similar to perfect pitch) so it may take others longer to solve the music puzzles.

The story of Orpheus, presented through simple, music-based gameplay and lovely illustrations.

Interesting:

Sadly, the gameplay of Orpheus is pretty minimally interesting. Even the "puzzles" don't really deserve the title. 1/5

Fun:

This game is designed to be beautiful, not fun. But the gameplay never gets repetitive or frustrating, allowing you to move through the environments at a pleasant pace. The game was created for a class project in eight weeks, and I definitely would have loved to see more levels but also appreciated its role as a tiny, impactful diversion. 3/5

Moving:

I am such a sucker for anything having to do with Orpheus and Eurydice (see Don't Look Back, to be reviewed later, and the album Hadestown), and unfortunately the game doesn't quite carry the emotional punch that the original story does. However, the real strength of this game is in the visuals--I've never seen anything quite like this style, which is simultaneously alien and evocative. 3/5 

Orpheus isn't so much a game as a stroll through some stunning illustrations--interactive art in the most literal sense. A lovely diversion that fits neatly into a short break.

Coming Soon

A short(ish) and very incomplete list of games I hope to review in the future:

Ib (Highly recommended)
Eversion (Highly recommended)
You Find Yourself in a Room
The Fabulous Screech (Highly recommended)
...But That Was [Yesterday]
Off
400 Years
Evoland
Alone in the Light
To What End
Dys4ia
XOrpheus
The End of Us

Anodyne (Highly Recommended)

Title: Anodyne

Genre: A retro, Zelda-esque action-adventure game

Completion Time: My logged playing time was 6 hours and 25 minutes. Someone more coordinated than me might finish more quickly.

Anodyne is, for the most part, a dark, surreal, and cryptic imitation of old Zelda games like Link to the Past or the Game Boy ones. Add in its Earthbound-like diversity of quirky worlds and characters, and Anodyne was pretty much everything I could want in a game concept. Your mileage may vary.

Interesting:

Like I said, Anodyne is very firmly based in old Zelda games. However, instead of a sword the main character is armed with a broom, opening up a whole array of dust-related puzzles. (Not a phrase I ever expected to write.) There are also a lot of puzzles that involve exploiting the behavior of enemies. An old concept, but with some compelling twists. 3/5

Fun:

For starters, I will tell you this: you are going to fall in pits and die. A lot. Jumping is always finicky in these kinds of games, and plugging in a gamepad bumped up the fun level at least two points, and even then there were some rooms where I was ready to pitch a fit. That said, the gameplay is otherwise excellent. Puzzles are logical and varied, and combat is at a nice level of challenge. The world is sprawling and involves a ton of exploring, but a good map and teleportation system means that the spatially challenged (e.g., me) can wander about the beautiful maps without fear.  5/5

Moving:

What this game lacks in coherence it well makes up for in atmosphere. This is clearly a very personal game for the writers, but not in a way that tells you anything concrete for them, so I think your reaction to the game depends on whether their personal mythology resonates with you. In a world so packed with detail, though, I had no problem finding plenty of things that pulled on something deep in me. If any of you play this, I will be very curious what you think. 4/5

A bizarre, beautiful, and compelling game in the body of a much more commonplace one. This game will stay with me for a long time.