Garry Gordon
While touted as the first member of the “walking simulator” genre, there is something to be said about the mood and tone that Dear Esther evokes through what you see and hear. As a chill and explorative experience, it delivers a coherent narrative more than another recent hit (or miss) No Man’s Sky. Even if you don’t know what you are doing, it is a structured, and directed, storytelling experience.
Switching games can be like starting new relationships. Maybe it ended badly, and you want to move on to something fun to help you keep your mind busy and moving forward. Perhaps the interest disappeared and you want to find something different from everything else that is out there. Maybe you are looking for something similar to what you already had, but without the lying to yourself that something isn’t inherently wrong. Perhaps you are keeping your options open until the right one comes along. There is no secret about it, Lords of the Fallen has been around the block this past year. But if you can keep an open mind and accept it for what it really is, you just might be able to enjoy your time with it. While it isn’t the shiniest game out there, you might actually be moved to see the love this game has for the genre.
If you own a PS4 and do in fact have a queue of turn-based or action RPGs you want to get around to, then maybe Divinity deserves to jump to the front of the line. And if you are a PC gamer that owns the original version of Divinity, you should know the upgrade to this edition is free!
Transformers Devastation is a great game if you like loot, tweaking stats, high velocity chase sequences, and brawling battles. The game is chock full of features and extras that show the source material was revered by the developers. Games like this deserve the extra time you will sink into it to complete the trophies/achievements. Building up your Autobot your way is empowering and a great compliment to what The Transformers are all about.
The spirit of Grow Home lies in its unforced exploration, leisurely collecting of items, and experiencing those "oh $H#@" moments as B.U.D. loses his grip or you miss your jump at 2000 meters in the air. There is added value to the game as you unlock skins with abilities and other items. After the end credits, you also have the choice of accepting an extra mission. All of these features add to Grow Home's appeal as a special game where it pays to be curious and daring, and you are properly rewarded if you are thorough.
Legend of Kay Anniversary is a game you want to pay close attention to if you want to acquire the bonuses throughout the levels. It will most likely be your second or third play through before you start finishing the extra quests. This is because you will likely trigger the end of a chapter before finishing them. Is the game worth a second go-around, or even a first play? If you like cartoony platforming games that remind you of the PS1 and N64 era, then this could be your jam.
From the prologue and tutorial levels of The Book of Unwritten Tales 2, you will see that this game was lovingly put together. You will also find that the mechanics of this game, while considered to be outdated, were carefully and creatively considered. This was a successfully crowd-funded Kickstarter game, and it shows. The team behind this game was right to courageously risk adventuring outside their personal castles to rescue the point-and-click game genre.
Playing I am Bread can be both sweet and sourdough, but you definitely will feel the game was made waffle love. There is a lot of attention to detail pancaked into each level. Although the game may leave you in a pretzel during some stages as you get stuck between a crumpet and hard place, there is always a different mode to panini the game in to bruschetta your skills.
Mortal Kombat X was built with value in mind. The studio wanted to give you the most modes, densest gameplay options within each mode, and the options to help you play the character you like the way you like to play them.
A big thing The Order: 1886 doesn't have going for it is replayability. There is no multiplayer or even a co-op mode. You never really get to have fun with the two cool guns in the game. Due to how QTEs and cinematics are wrapped into the game play, speed runs are pointless. With everything taken into consideration, the game could be a good budget buy down the road.