Heather Johnson Yu's Reviews
Beyond Blue has a familiar objective when it comes to educational games focusing on the ocean, but it approaches the objective with a novel narrative. It will certainly appeal to any aspiring marine biologists or those looking for something more educational when it comes to ocean exploration games. If you’re looking for a way to relax alongside gentle giants in their (virtual) natural habitat and want to possibly learn something along the way, look no further than Beyond Blue.
As long as you are entirely truthful and lay bare your soul to the title, Waking is by far the most deeply personal, deeply moving experience in video game history.
I was so, so excited for The Academy: The First Riddle, and although I feel pretty letdown by the experience, I believe there’s still something to it. It’s entirely possible that the dev team works everything out within the next few months and the flaws are ironed out, leaving only pure puzzle goodness to grace our screens.
In the same way you visit your hometown after being away for a decade and notice all the changes in familiar places, Catherine: Full Body’s alterations may come as a surprise to those who held the original in high regard. After the initial shock wears away, however, it’s clear to see the wisdom behind the choices made, and Atlus, yet again, achieves greatness.
Kili’s Treasure is short and sweet — literally, I completed it in an hour — and its mechanic leaves something to be desired, but it ultimately leaves me with happy tears and a powerful message about leaving room in your heart after the passing of a beloved pet.
In all honesty, I wish I had experienced Assemble With Care on my iPhone before playing it on my PC. I don’t regret the experience and still think this is a gem worth playing no matter what the platform, but knowing it was far more beautiful and more intuitive on another device that I own makes me wonder if I’d had a better time with this title. Still, I urge you to pick up Assemble With Care, even on PC, for a touching story about second chances with those we hold dearest to us and that, if it’s worth keeping, it’s worth fixing.
If you’re a fan of “those weird Japanese games” and want to get your hands on something truly wild, it would be considerate of you to at least consider KUUKIYOMI: Consider It.
A Short Hike stayed in my backlog for far too long, but the truth is, there wasn’t a better time than now to play it. With quarantine canceling many summer vacations, those of us trapped in urban jungles have likely been longing for the beauty of the wild outdoors. Even in its low-poly form, A Short Hike delivers on the experience, healing players in a way that only the feel of nature can.
Honestly, I can’t recommend Seek Not a Lighthouse, which saddens me. Part of me thinks my hopes were too high for the title, but even reading the description again and realizing there was no connection between it and the game itself, I remind myself that, no, sometimes a game is just… not great. Not every dusty corner of Steam is going to yield a gem, and that’s okay — it happens. It’s pretty criminal Seek Not a Lighthouse has such a cool name and feel but doesn’t live up to what the eyes receive; here’s to hoping the next title the developer releases gets better.
Creepy Tale hearkens back to a time when scary meant something else entirely and modern indie game design was still coming into its own. The story flows wonderfully and is easy enough to follow; it’s only hampered by odd puzzle design and choices.
There’s so much fun to be had with the Rock of Ages series, and Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break showed that really clever mechanics can be taken a step further, pushing already ridiculous limits. Although the difficulty barrier to entry is a little steep if this is your first foray into the franchise, Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break is still fantastically fun and will keep you glued to your screen for months to come.
It hurts to rate Beyond a Steel Sky like this; I don’t want the bugs to hold back what is truly an incredible and unique game. The world-building is genuinely amazing and the hacker tool is such a clever mechanic I’m itching to try out more. But the storyline is paced a little too slowly considering the urgency of the situation, and a bug preventing progression unless the player had the foresight to save early on is hard to look past.
CARRION‘s greatest triumph isn’t the beautiful aesthetics or the extremely fun gameplay, however — despite it having both — but the game’s ability to make players own the identity of an amorphous creature discovering itself while finding a way out and feeding on the unfortunate. If that’s not immersion taken to the coolest extreme, I’m not sure what is. CARRION is a must-play; grab it before it grabs you.
I could have forgiven We should talk.’s narrative if it weren’t for the length. I could have forgiven We should talk.’s length if it weren’t for the narrative. The game could be short. The game could push a specific philosophy in relationships. But it couldn’t be both and still get high marks unless you absolutely already 100% agree with the developer’s stance on relationships.
In terms of gameplay, I’m left wanting a little more (those in-between portions weren’t my favorite), but the stories and emotional connections conveyed are bar-none the strongest I’ve read all year.
An instant mood-booster with a lot of love to give, Sayonara Wild Hearts is absolutely anyone’s game. Music fans, retro gaming fans, gamers young and old, casual and hardcore, or those simply looking for something new will find at least one level that blows their mind, walking away from the experience impressed and uplifted.
I really didn’t want this non-game to end, and I bet that you won’t either. Be sure to pick up There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension as soon as you can — I can’t promise you there will be a game, but I can promise you’ll absolutely enjoy the experience.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout was the surprise hit that no one — especially not the developers — saw coming in terms of its resounding popularity and success. A slightly bumpy launch will not knock this game down, however, as the dev team is working day and night to get it back up and working to its full potential. If you want to play a quick round (or 10) of addicting eye candy that’s fun for all ages, be sure to pick up Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout as soon as possible.
Despite any hangups I experienced during my time with Aeolis Tournament, I will say it accomplished all its goals. It’s accessible — I can see kids as young as four getting the swing of this. It’s replayable — quick burst rounds give off that “one more go” gameplay. It features a focus on multiplayer — as there is no mode available with fewer than two characters on the field, you’ll always be playing against someone, even if it’s the AI.
Despite any hangups mentioned, Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town aimed for a Monkey Island-shaped moon and landed among the stars in the immediate vicinity. In terms of puzzles, the Bone Town level is bar none one of the best point-and-click designs I’ve played in modern memory, and the storyline is straight outta pirate-filled nostalgia. It’s held back by some design choices and perhaps the length, but the game itself is certainly a solid experience to be proud of.