Video Game Reviews [April 2023]

Been on a roll recently. Most of these were from the Bundle For Ukraine that was on itch.io last year. Ordered very roughly from most enjoyed to least enjoyed.

A Short Hike
A short open-world game where you play Claire, a bird who’s trying to get to the top of Hawk’s peak.

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Pyre
Supergiant’s third game, where you guide exiles as they compete for the chance to return to their homeland. Got it for super cheap in the Steam sale currently going on.

The cut below is full of spoilers, obviously. TL;DR Would recommend it.

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Arcade Sprits and its sequel, Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers

Dating sim visual novels that heavily feature arcades. In the first, you work at a small arcade that’s getting threatened by the big franchise next door. In the second, you join a pro competitive fighting game team that’s climbing through the ranks.

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Backbone
Howard’s a racoon private-eye in a noirish city ruled by apes, and a typical case of a deadbeat husband leads him into the darker underpinnings of the city.

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We Should Talk

You are at your local bar talking to the people and intermittently texting your girlfriend. The dialog system is mildly entertaining, what with letting you cycle through options for different parts of your reply, but the game really is a 20 minute “....okay I guess that happened.” experience.

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There were a couple of other games I started but soon decided I wasn’t enjoying enough to continue (Promesa, Celeste), so I don’t have much to say about them.