Update #2

This is essentially an easy puzzle game which never increases in difficulty or complexity. Having 30 seconds to beat the boss in each stage is a cool gimmick, but in terms of gameplay it just means having to constantly run back to town to reset the time. Some of the branching paths are interesting, but the game is still very repetitive. There are some cute characters but in my opinion the writing was never funny, just mildly amusing. I was expecting the game to poke a little more fun at JRPG and anime tropes.

I checked out some of the other game modes after completing Hero 30 but they didn’t appeal to me, so I’m finished with this one.

I found this casual platformer to be decent, but not great. Its main draws are the cute characters and Alaskan setting. The player can switch between controlling the little girl (Nuna) and an arctic fox, each with their own abilities. Nuna can throw a weapon to destroy obstacles, while the fox can reveal and manipulate hidden spirits that serve as platforms. The game handles this well enough; switching between characters is seamless and there’s minimal need for micromanagement. While playing as one character, the other is controlled by AI and will either follow the player or stay put depending on the situation. The AI would often dutifully follow me over platforming sequences, and only rarely got caught on the environment. The platforming is also handled decently but sometimes feels imprecise.

When it comes to puzzles, the game is overly simplistic. It’s always obvious which character’s ability is needed, and the game quickly devolves into a predictable gameplay loop of moving Nuna as far as she can go, switching to the fox, and dragging any spirits over to Nuna to serve as platforms. There are a handful of unique puzzles, but I found them to be too far and few between.

One of the game’s better features is the documentary-style videos that can be unlocked during play. These provide information about Alaskan native culture, and are well done. So are the game’s visuals and audio in general. The characters are nicely animated and there’s some good narration throughout. I’m sure that Never Alone’s style and setting will appeal to a lot of people, but to me they didn’t quite make up for the mediocre gameplay.

This is easily the most beautiful jigsaw puzzle game I’ve played. The images are fascinating and heavily stylized, with a stained-glass look. There is no reference image for the completed puzzle, and the pieces stay as silhouettes until picked up or placed. I really enjoyed unveiling the images, but must say that the game is very easy. The hardest puzzle took me less than 10 minutes to complete, and some were under 2 minutes (and I’m not great at solving puzzles!). 25 puzzles are included, each representing a different country. I think this game is appropriately priced for the amount of content, and any fan of the genre should take a look at it.

Alan Wake has some unique ideas and I think it pulls them off well. I appreciated the emphasis it places on storytelling; the cinematic cutscenes are very well done, and the voice acting is excellent. The collectible manuscript pages are interesting especially when they describe events from an NPC’s perspective. Sometimes they introduce scenes which are yet to occur. It’s an interesting design choice, and I found that they increased the suspense rather than spoiled the surprise.

Both the story and gameplay stress the importance of light. Enemies are surrounded by darkness which must be burned away by a light source before they become vulnerable to damage. There’s a decent variety of consumable and environmental light sources, and I liked the complexity this added to combat. The enemies are quite threatening due to their speed, damage, and some unnerving voice acting. Fortunately for me, the game doesn’t rely on jump scares—in fact, it goes out of its way to avoid them. It makes up for this with its atmosphere. The wooded areas look great at night and the foliage effects deserve special mention. Lots of little details, like historical monuments and radio broadcasts, help bring life to the setting.

My only real complaint about Alan Wake is that it becomes repetitive toward the end. It could’ve used at least one more enemy type, especially in the final episode. It’s still an excellent game regardless.

This is a very solid adventure game that avoids the major flaws of its genre. There are no illogical puzzle solutions or pixel hunting. All of the puzzles involve figuring out where to use or how to combine objects. If needed, the ingame hint system is very good at providing a nudge in the right direction.

Whether this game is worth playing will depend on how you like its sense of humour. The story is firmly tongue-in-cheek and often ridiculous. I liked a good number of the jokes, but found some to be needlessly puerile. The script is delivered with decent voice acting, though voiced lines occasionally fail to play.

I had fun with this one. The three episodes were pretty consistent in quality, and lasted 2-3 hours each.

Boss battlers aren’t usually my cup of tea, so I wouldn’t have touched this one if not for winning it on SG. It actually ended up being a neat little experience. It’s a very different game in terms of gameplay and presentation. Visually it’s as minimalist as possible, while the sounds and music are definitely unique. It’s also a rather difficult game. Much of this difficulty stems from its floaty controls, but I found *David.* to be more rewarding than frustrating. It’s short and simple, but the bosses are quite distinct.