One month on already! Here's January's update; master post
here.
1.
The Case of the Golden Idol (PC - Steam) | 1 January 2022 | 9/10
Completed with all achievements unlocked, no hints used.
The Curse of the Golden Idol is a very welcome addition to the underserved genre of detective games. Presenting players with a series of scenarios each following a recent death, the core task of the game is to deduce the preceding events, from observation of various aspects of the environment. This is done primarily through interaction with specific hot-spots in each case (almost of which span multiple linked scenes), which can then reveal simple descriptions, lines of dialogue, letters or other texts, etc.; a "thinking" panel then describes each scene with a large number of blank spaces that need to be filled. It's a simple precise but pulled off incredibly well, with an impressive level of detail in each scene and just enough clues to make the 'solution' accessible but far from immediately obvious. As the game progresses, the level of complexity of each case ramps up significantly, building to tell an engaging narrative arc that spans the entire game.
The inspiration provided by
Return of the Obra Dinn is clear - and if you enjoyed that you''ll certainly have a good time here - but
The Case of the Golden Idol is a tighter, more accessible take on the detective genre. Don't be put off by the outwardly primitive, even unattractive graphical style, as after only a brief time with the game this seems entirely fitting, and in particular allows the important details of each scene to be clearly emphasised.
2.
Paperbark (PC - Steam) | 2 January 2023 | 6/10
Complete playthrough.
Paperbark tells a simple but charming story of a hungry wombat out exploring and foraging for food, but finding itself in the midst of a summer wildfire. Probably the standout feature here is the watercolour artstyle, which is genuinely beautiful and effectively showcases some of the diversity of Australian wildlife; the developer's passion for this natural world is clear to see. At well under an hour to play through from scratch and only limited interactivity beyond that of a typical 'walking simulator', even with a set of collectibles to extend that
Paperbark won't last long - but it's a decently enjoyable, well-made experience all the same.
3.
Iris.Fall (Xbox One (Game Pass)) | 8 January 2023 | 6/10
Completed with 100% of achievements unlocked (1,000G).
Iris.Fall is a decent but unremarkable puzzle game, largely based around the manipulation of light and shadow to facilitate navigation towards the exit of each 3D environment. With the protagonist being a young girl somewhat reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's Alice, there's an unusual, fairly attractive stylised graphical style, but the puzzle-solving is generally fairly basic, often with a trial-and-error requirement to discern how puzzle elements behave that doesn't prove to be particularly satisfying.
4.
Horizon: Forbidden West (PS5) | 8 January 2023 | 10/10
Completed with platinum trophy earned, 100% in-game progression, all datapoints collected. I simply adore pretty much every part of the world of
Horizon, and
Forbidden West takes everything from the already superb
Zero Dawn, expanding and polishing it to achieve a masterpiece result.
Absolutely the technical pinnacle of 2022's game releases,
Forbidden West's expansive open-world is stunningly beautiful and a joy to explore. From the numerous settlements, to the imposing machines and the simple natural beauty through which they roam, the world of
Forbidden West might be dying, but it always feels fantastically alive. Plenty of times I'd just stop and take it all in - and even as someone who doesn't really use photo modes in games, this one had me engaged a good number of times.
Combat is of course also at the game's heart, and encounters with the imposing dinosaur-like machines - with even greater diversity here than
Zero Dawn - never get old. There's little that's quite as satisfying as tearing off the disc-launcher from a Thunderjaw and using it against the T-Rex-inspired giant - but lesser encounters are just as dynamic, with small, more manoeuvrable machines dancing around Aloy to provide a different manner of challenge.
While the developing story was never going to have the same degree of revelation as the first game and the origins of the (in-game) Zero Dawn project,
Forbidden West's developments are just as gripping, sharply written throughout and with a diverse, engaging cast of significant characters. Of course, Ashly Burch as protagonist Aloy is the standout performance here, but other, both 'big name' and lesser-known actors provide excellent support - Lance Reddick and Carrie-Anne Moss being the best known. A final note has to go to the soundtrack, with great breath always fitting the scenario, all throughout matching the 'wild' sense of the game's world - but particularly headlined by
Aloy's Theme and opening title track
In The Flood.
5.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising (PC - Xbox (Game Pass)) | 12 January 2023 | 6/10
Completed with 100% of achievements unlocked (1,000G). Acting as a prequel to the upcoming
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes,
Rising is a fairly basic side-scrolling action-RPG that has a certain charm but quickly becomes very repetitive. The gameplay loop is pretty much entirely built around a long series of fetch-quests - some simply requiring moving around the single 'town' environment, others achieved through exploring a small set of dungeon environments and fighting the various monsters within. This combat can be enjoyable to an extent, with three distinct characters able to co-operate with a satisfying 'link' mechanic, though again the general simplicity is seen with only one being controllable at a time.
The game is bright and colourful, with detailed, attractive environments that feel alive despite the limited interactivity that they offer. Alongside this, the characterisation of each party member is quite fun and their personalities each come across well, though within the confines of a fairly uninteresting plot. Of course, this may well fit in quite nicely when we see
Hundred Heroes eventually release, but it's hard to say just now. It does need to be acknowledged, though, that with the entire game here being the result of a Kickstarter stretch goal, what's been achieved on a very small budget is impressive.
6.
Metroid Planets (PC) | 14 January 2023 | 8/10
Planet Novus completed with 100% item collection.
Metroid Planets is a highly impressive fan game, firstly presenting a fairly faithful remake of the classic NES
Metroid, but going far beyond that in a remarkably complete package - as well as just some usability improvements while maintaining largely the same graphics and sound, there's an entire new campaign, completely remixing the game world with a significantly higher difficulty, a randomiser, new boss fights and much more. Overall the gameplay still feels relatively basic when compared to later official
Metroid games, but that's a deliberate choice to maintain a level of faithfulness. If you're looking for the classic
Metroid experience, without the much more extensive changes introduced by
Zero Mission, you won't find any better option than
Metroid Planets.
7.
Lil Gator Game (Switch) | 15 January 2023 | 7/10
100% in-game completion.
Lil Gator Game is a wonderfully charming game, with players taking control of an anthropomorphic young alligator on an imagined quest as he plays with a group of new animal friends. Taking place on a surprisingly large 3D island, the game succeeds at capturing something of the freedom of exploration epitomised by
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - albeit still at a much smaller game - with a good-sized cast of playmates to seek out, each of which have some form of task for you. These are never overly deep or challenging - simple fetch quests, 'enemy' hunts or race time trials - for example, but there's enough variety never to get tedious over the game's roughly 4-5 hour duration. That said, with no in-game map it's easy to get a little lost at times, or at least to struggle to find new characters; fortunately for completionists, after reaching the main credits, the game provides a navigation assist for the last 20% or so. Deliberately lo-fi graphics give an artistic feel that contributes to the overall sense of child-like charm, as does the dialogue being presented almost entirely in lower case and various equipment options fitting with how a child's imagination might work - think a stick for a sword or a pot lid for a shield.
8.
Pentiment (PC - Xbox (Game Pass)) | 21 January 2023 | 7/10
Complete playthrough.
Pentiment is a well-written detective story set in Medieval Bavaria, with players taking control of a travelling artist who finds himself caught up in the investigation following the murder the local lord. The game's stunning graphics in the style of then-contemporary art do an excellent job of creating an authentic atmosphere, allied with a large cast of personable characters - primarily poor villagers and the monks from the local (landowning) abbey. Quite aside from the investigation, it's easy to become invested in the developing relationships between various characters. When it comes to the detective-work, the game presents multiple leads and a tight time-frame that limits how many can be investigated (though with key events progressing time rather than a running clock, this doesn't become overly stressful), designed to ensure that there's always some ambiguity and forcing the player to make difficult decisions in their final accusations. Sadly, a change in direction in the final act drops the pace significantly and while this does culminate in a satisfying conclusion, this can't fully redeem the game from the feeling of tedium that starts to creep in.
9.
Please, Touch the Artwork (Switch) | 24 January 2023 | 6/10
All puzzles completed. A puzzle game in three parts, each set of scenarios in
Please, Touch the Artwork is based on interaction with a piece of abstract geometric art. The three puzzle types are quite distinct - one (probably the most challenging) requiring the player to replicate a given pattern of coloured regions, with touching a region changing the colour of all adjacent regions, a second based around parsing the path of a character through a network of straight-line roads and intersections, and the final being direct navigation of line mazes. Progression through each set tells a very simple story, providing justification for the scenarios but not really adding much to the overall experience. There are a few interesting ideas here and the game is certainly well-presented, but there's certainly nothing here that advances the puzzle game genre.
10.
Perfect Vermin (PC - Steam) | 26 January 2023 | 7/10
Completed with 100% of achievements unlocked. An unexpectedly enjoyable surprise,
Perfect Vermin is a very short first-person game, set in a small office and challenging the player to exterminate (violently, with a sledgehammer) all 'vermin' within the area, which in fact are disguised as everyday office equipment (chairs, tables, etc.). After some initial mindless smashing, it quickly becomes apparent that the vermin can be identified by their odd placements - think an office chair in the toilet, for example. The introduction of a timer adds a sense of urgency as you progress through a small handful of levels, while a somewhat disturbing, but undeniably intriguing, story plays out in end-of-level scenes. It's all over in around 15-20 minutes, but makes for an enjoyable snack of a game - albeit with an enduring "WTF did I just play?" feeling!
