Author: Malindy Hetfeld

[ad_1] Let’s be honest, a lot of games use deckbuilding. There seems to be almost no game mechanic that can’t be expressed through cards, whether that’s melee combat in Fights in Tight Spaces, citybuilding in Stacklands or summoning monsters in Black Book. There’s a deckbuilder for everyone. Floppy Knights, by Rose City Games, dedicates…

[ad_1] The first time you meet him, Triangle Strategy’s protagonist Serenoa Wolffort seems to be nothing less than a fairytale prince, riding in to save his betrothed from bandits. Frederica, the lady in question, is entering into a political marriage with Serenoa as part of a new peace treaty between the three nations of Glenbrook,…

[ad_1] Let’s get one thing out of the way first: If you’ve enjoyed Horizon: Zero Dawn and are already looking forward to the sequel, there’s likely only a very small chance you won’t enjoy Forbidden West. Guerrilla Games made sure of that by giving you a game that is functionally identical to a lot of…

[ad_1] Norzelia is a land divided. To the West, the Duchy of Aesfrost holds the essential supply of iron, to the East, Hyzante keeps a tight grip on salt supplies. Between them sits Glenbrook, a neutral domain, dependent on both of its neighbours in equal measure. Triangle Strategy begins after what’s known as the Saltiron…

[ad_1] In November 2021, narrative designer Megnha Jayanth posted a transcript of a talk entitled “White Protagonism and Imperial Pleasures in Game Design” online. In it she argues that games are deeply rooted in Anglo-American and European imperialism. It’s a complex argument, and I highly recommend you read the whole essay, but there is one…

[ad_1] Even after many years of playing video games, I still sometimes come across some I don’t quite know how to describe. It’s an exciting thing, but also deeply inconvenient when part of your job requires you to, well, describe games. Strange Horticulture calls itself a puzzle, but it isn’t a puzzle in any way…

[ad_1] I am repeatedly drawn to games with strong visuals, and Wytchwood was no exception. In its very first moment, you wake up as a witch, herself a plump figure with what looks like a pot for a head, in a hut that looks like it comes straight out of a fairy tale pop-up book.…

[ad_1] Games like to take us places, whether it’s space, hidden jungles or a bygone version of England. As much as I love these alternate realities of the real thing and the joys of video game tourism, increasingly they’ve made me think about the home, the place in the physical world where most, if not…

[ad_1] Hello! Over the next few days we’re going to be going back over some of our favourite games and moments and themes and whatnot from this very strange year. We hope you enjoy looking back with us! This year I saved a sleepy village from a monster, I tried to unite a divided caste…