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.