And with that in mind, the permadeath side of things is actually rather effective; it’s a similar approach seen in games like Dark Souls, where repetition encourages you to sharpen your skills, spot new things and do a little better each time you try. Eventually, you’ll prevail — just don’t give up if you don’t manage it right away!
Some of Chilla’s Art’s games can be a bit of a hard sell to those who prefer a little more direct involvement and player agency from their games — The Caregiver strikes a good balance between the team’s more narrative-centric titles and their games that are a bit more inspired by survival horror specifically. If you’re new to the work of Chilla’s Art, this is probably a good one to start with — and as always, its brief length and low price means that you’re not risking much by giving it a shot!
This somewhat gentler approach, singular conclusion and short runtime — it probably won’t take you any longer than about 20-30 minutes to beat the game, even if you explore the environments thoroughly — has led the game to have somewhat mixed user reviews on Steam — but if you enjoy Chilla’s Art’s other work, Okaeri is worth experiencing. If nothing else, it’s a good indication of how their work has developed since 2019 — but that likewise they’ve always had a good understanding of how to create a powerful sense of atmosphere through relatively minimal visual assets and astonishingly good use of sound.
So if you’re up for a few scares and a bunch of brainteasers to keep you busy, Tormented Souls comes highly recommended. Here’s hoping it’s a big success and affords Dual Effect and Abstract Digital Works further opportunities to explore the survival horror genre — ’cause they’re damned good at it.
Like the other Zoo Corporation games, Pretty Girls Panic! is never going to be held up as some great masterpiece of gaming or anything like that — but it is a solid, enjoyable, arcade-style casual game that will keep you busy for a few minutes at a time when you just fancy a quick play with something.
All in all, Tetris Effect Connected is a great addition to an already excellent game — and now it’s available on all platforms, everyone can enjoy it together, even across different platforms. World peace might be within our reach after all.
For that reason, Inunaki Tunnel might not have as broad an appeal as some of Chilla’s Art’s more explicitly “horror” titles. It’s a much more subtly told story with an almost “gentle” sense of unease about it rather than in-your-face scares — but that makes it rather interesting to explore, especially alongside this prolific developer’s other work.
Once again, it’s important to go into Stigmatized Property with appropriate expectations. This is an interactive short story, not a horror game epic; it will take you less than an hour for your first playthrough and a second run if you want to get the other ending (or an achievement that it’s not possible to get on your first run) you’ll doubtless be even quicker. While you’re having that experience, it’s absolutely, completely, delightfully immersive — and like any other short story, it’s something you can easily return to in the future if you just feel like enjoying that tale again.
Missing Children is definitely one of Chilla’s Art’s better titles; its emphasis on investigation and atmosphere rather than outright horror means it will likely appeal to a broader audience than some of the team’s other games, too. So if you’ve typically passed on these titles, you may want to give Missing Children a go — after all, like all its stablemates, it’s only a couple of quid, after all!
On the whole, The Convenience Store was, like Night Delivery, an experience I’m glad I had. The game won’t be for everyone due to its slow pace and emphasis on mundane activities before juxtaposing those with the more horrific elements — but if you’re into the idea of an unsettling interactive short story with a surprisingly immersive little world and an interesting narrative, this is definitely a creep show you should get yourself a ticket for.
It’d be nice to see some more varied textures on the level walls as you progress through the game, but as previously noted, the wonderful level designs, interesting encounters and well-implemented mechanics more than make up for this slight aesthetic shortcoming — and as a result, The Citadel is a fun, engaging and highly memorable experience that is well worth taking the time to blast your way through.
On the whole, bugs aside, I enjoyed my time with Night Delivery. It provides an interesting and compelling story that keeps you guessing until the end — and, unlike a lot of other indie horror games from the last couple of years, it actually provides a satisfying conclusion to the whole thing rather than just fizzling out ambiguously with an unspoken invitation for you to consider “but what did it MEAN?!”
While I will miss delving into the Labyrinth of Time and kicking the snot out of multiple incarnations of Chronodia in this version, I do still have a copy of the PSP version where I can do that any time I want. So while it’s a shame that newcomers to the first Final Fantasy won’t have the opportunity to take part in those enjoyable endgame jaunts, the main game is completely intact — and, with a couple of tweaks, very enjoyable to engage with. Plus, for under a tenner when bought solus, it’s a good deal.
If you enjoy classic ’90s-style management gameplay, this should be high on your shopping list. And if you’re new to what can be a potentially daunting genre, Idol Manager is an accessible way to get involved; its good humour, slick presentation and enjoyable blend of scripted and emergent narrative all keep things constantly engaging and interesting. And as any veteran of the management sim’s golden age will tell you — that’s a sure-fire recipe for a game that will keep you up until the small hours.
I could easily go on about Samurai Warriors 5 for another two thousand words at this point, but for the sake of your sanity I will cut that there and simply say that this is one of the best Warriors games for a very long time — not to mention a great starting point for those new to the series. And who knows? It might even kick off a fascination with the real history of Japan — you certainly wouldn’t be the first to draw inspiration from Samurai Warriors in this way!
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a well-presented game that is full of the typical Nintendo and Sega charm, and is a fun game to bust out when you just fancy some simple, straightforward arcade-style fun for which you don’t have to think too hard. This isn’t a game you’re going to be playing for months at a time — but it is one you may just find yourself wanting to get down off the shelf now and again the next time you fancy seeing Daisy in a leotard.
Should you buy a copy if you already have Delicious! Pretty Girls Mahjong Solitaire? Sure! You get more puzzles, more girls, more outfits and some new music — albeit not nearly enough of the latter. Plus, y’know, it’s a fiver; that’s pocket change these days.
With its very likeable cast, distinctive and memorable heroine, beautiful presentation and compelling narrative setup, BUSTAFELLOWS should be on the shopping list of every visual novel enthusiast — not just otome fans.
Whether you like to blast through a game’s story as quickly as possible or take your time mastering every possible mechanic along the way, there’s something to like in Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book. So if you’ve passed this installment in the series by up until now, I’d encourage you to give it a go — particularly if you’re one of the series’ many new fans who came along with the introduction of Ryza. You won’t be disappointed!
It’s absolutely fantastic, and should be considered an essential purchase for any discering shoot ’em up fan — particularly if you enjoy the Star Soldier series. Now we just need to find someone up for publishing a nice physical release of that Switch version!