Greak: Memories of Azur is a pretty straightforward game. A 2D platformer base, with some puzzle-ish elements, and light combat mixed in - a design so classic it's almost traditional

The twist here is that you control multiple characters (well, you start with one, and then build up to three), using the unique characteristics of each to progress forward. You can switch between them at will, but there are also neat commands for grouping them together to control as one unit

It reminded me a lot of World to the West, which had a different camera perspective, but used a similar system to try tell a sort-of twisting narrative tale from multiple characters' viewpoints - or at least that's maybe what it was trying to do, but i'm not sure if it was altogether successful. An interesting idea for an interactive story though…

As for Greak's plot; at the start i expected it to be the classic grand fantasy tale, but i was surprised to find that it was relatively grounded, with the main characters focused on quite modest goals. Could just be a bit unfinished - or even sequel-bait - as it does end on a bit of a "new lands"-type stinger

Anyway, an alright time, although a bit shorter than expected from online data

Toem is a short, cute game about going on a trip to see a sight, and taking pictures along the way. Lots of little quests to do, and funny characters to meet along the way

So many little touches of care, but a few that i particularly liked: in-game music is entirely controllable by a "hikelady" in your inventory, that you find tapes for; and completing quests gives you a literal stamp on a completion card, which is really satisfying in a very tactile way.

Short game, short review, but good fun

Inscryption is a pretty tasty blend of rogue-like deck-builder set inside an escape room cabin, with a vibe so thick it pushes back on you a bit.
The card game and escape room are both fairly simple, but they do interact and feed into each other pretty well, with some fun surprises. Both clearly want to push you forward, giving you tools and upgrades to keep you moving to the end

And the end is.. not the end, because it's just the first act. After that, things get a bit weird(er), and i'm not sure how many people will be fully on board. I've played Dan Mullins previous games and he clearly likes the "haunted media" trope, and i do too, so i enjoyed seeing where it went and the tricks it played, but i'm guessing a lot of people would prefer more of the self-contained, dark-ish vibe, simple but curious gameplay of Act 1

And for those people, they made the Kaycee's Mod update, where you can play Act 1 over and over on increasing difficulties. I've played it some, and got enough from it that i can call the whole thing beaten, but i personally don't think there's enough mechanical meat on those bones to keep chewing, in a manner of speaking

Overall though, very much enjoyed my playtime here, and looking forward to the Pony Island sequel

Now this is why we play video-games. Beautiful art, excellent music, lovely storytelling, and gameplay that's unique but still tight and well executed.
You'd expect as much from Supergiant, but Pyre exists as the kind of middle-child of their output - not talked about as much, or recommended, so here i am to say it should be put on equal footing with Bastion and Transistor, at least (i haven't played Hades (yet))

Art and music, and general presentation is gorgeous, as i've said, and frankly there's not much more to say. Character and narrative writing are similarly great, but the particular twist that the winning team of each league will set a chosen member free, messes up your brain's game plan in such a delicious way - or at least it did mine

Because you want to win, right? And the characters in the game do too. So awesome, there you go, your prize is to have to say goodbye to someone for the rest of the game. And you know that keeping anyone back because they're your best player, or because you like having them around would be unfair

The fact that it's written like a sports anime, where you get to know all your rivals, and they each have a distinct characterisation, adds to that whole mess. You start considering mercy, because some of them feel about as deserving of freedom as any one of your team - some others definitely shouldn't go free, and circling back to these characters again and again is great fun

And i think that's the message in the end maybe; no matter your decisions, win or lose, you'll make stories with the people left behind. And maybe we'll hear some news from the ones who went ahead. Lovely, lovely, gorgeous game

Well this is the most delayed review so far.. thankfully it's a brief one, so i can ease back into the rhythm of these things

Boltgun is a simple game; a boomer shooter, some might call it, or a doom-clone, if it was back in the day. It's clearly taking a lot of inspiration from those early-early 3D shooters, so perhaps doom-clone was even on the dev doc at some point. Coat the whole thing in a Warhammer 40k paint-job, and you have yourself a decent time

Weapons, gunplay, enemies, visuals, music - everything is alright to pretty good. Some soft-remixing ideas come with the weapon "strength" stat vs enemy armor, but nothing brain-changing (at least on normal). The narrative has 40k flavour, but as is tradition in these games, is just a thin excuse to shoot more things, which is fine

All in all, i can respect the commitment to the old-school 3d shooter bit, but perhaps they can be a bit bolder next time

I'm not too sure about the Plucky Squire. It clearly wants to be a smart, glossy rethink of the classic children's storybook tale (and in some ways it is), but it seems too afraid to let the player make any substantial change to its own rigid story, or even really trust them to explore (or play!) much on their own.

Now, if i view it through the lens that it's made for the younger crowd, and they need simpler toys to play with, i can forgive a little more, but that's a trickier argument to swallow when Wandersong exists, like right there - a game that actually looks at the hero's story from a different angle, both mechanically and narratively

So yeah, the presentation is gorgeous (that desk is a joy to look at, and the book illustrations are lovely), and mechanic ideas are great, but it really doesn't do enough that's inventive - or even expressive - with them

I was first made aware of Pseudoregalia through a "souls-like games you might not have heard of" youtube video, which might give you an idea of the type of game this is, but you'd only be half right, and that's because combat is a minor aspect at best. I encountered two bosses, and enemies could almost always just be avoided

Where it does get the souls-like influence from is the environmental aesthetic, and overall vibe. It's your classic derelict castle, with odd creatures roaming the halls, and much to explore, but it also does the souls thing of not explaining anything, leaving it all to interpretation. I have a soft spot for this style, and i like that Pseudoregalia leans into the light comedy of this sort of storytelling. The N64/PS1 graphics also help with this dream-like vibe

Mechanically, it's a 3D metroidvania, but in the purest sense. The main thrust of the game is almost entirely focused on gaining new movement abilities, and then mastering those abilities to reach new areas. Pseudoregalia nails this loop down to a science - pretty much every ability is useful on its own first and foremost, and the fact that they gate your progress almost seems incidental. Brilliant design, in my opinion, and feels good to play with too

Another lovely game played. A bit sad that it doesn't have achievements, but on the other hand, it was kind of freeing, to just play the game as it is, and not worry about anything external