Games I Played in May 2026

Games
Game screenshot showing an illustrated style. A generic white man in a collared blue shirt stands with his back to us, facing a conference table with various superheroes, including a demon woman, a man with a bat head, and a giant rock creatures, among others. Dialog options include: "You set this program on fire", "You are all Phoenixes", and "You're all burnt sh*t".
Dispatch | source: AdHoc Studio

Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) feels like an interactive superhero sitcom. The player takes on the role of Robert Robertson, aka Mecha Man, who faces off against an enemy too clever for him, resulting in his mecha-suit being destroyed. Following his injuries, he’s approached to join the Superhero Dispatch Network as a dispatcher for a dysfunctional team comprised of former villains. The choices you make throughout the game — how you deal with conflict and who you support or romance — has an affect on how the story plays out.

In addition to the choice-based narrative, the game features some incredibly satisfying mini-games, like he dispatch system, in which you assign heroes to specific calls is a fun challenge, along with the hacking puzzles. In the end, I really loved my team of misfits, who often made me smile or laugh at their bickering and antics. It’s was a great time and one that I’d return to again sometime (maybe to explore some different narrative pathways).

Art, Dreamscapes, and Haunted Podcasts: Nine Games I Played at the Capital Creative Showcase

Games
A grid of five images, including the logo for the Capital Creative showcase 2026. Around it are images from the games, Wherever You Get Your Podcasts, HerSalon, Fugue Shot, Prickles, and Puzzle Spy International.

Capital Creative Showcase (CCS) is a one day event that brings together game developers and creatives from the local Sacramento area, Northern California, and beyond. Around 120 games were showcased at the event (both in person and via the online Steam event).

It was a fantastic showcase, with more games than I could have possibly played during my short time there in person. I especially liked having the opportunity to speak with devs (some of whom I know from online discussions) who could share insights into their work.

Continue reading on Once Upon the Weird…

Games I Played in April 2026

Games
Exploring the Orchard in 1000xRESIST | Source: Fellow Traveller

I knew nothing about 1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor) going in, except that it has been highly praised for its narrative. The game immediately launches the player directly into a shocking scene, in which a prayer is interrupted by violence. There’s confusion in this moment. What is happening? Who are these people who call each other “sister” and then “mother”? What is this shiny scifi world?

The story then shifts backwards to explore the events that lead us here. Taking the role of Watcher, who is being inducted into new knowledge by being granted permission to explore the memories Iris (“Mother”), only to witness and report a betrayal from Fixer.

Games I Played in March 2026

Games, Review
A screenshot from The Séance of Blake Manor showing three panels of images. The first is a view of the bustly streets of Victorian Dublin, Ireland. The second shows a man approaching another man who is reading a newspaper, and the third shows a letter being passed from one to the other.
The Séance of Blake Manor | screenshot by me

I started playing The Séance of Blake Manor (Spooky Doorway), a first person puzzle adventure and detective game. Declan Ward is hired to find Evelyn Deane, a woman who seems to have disappeared at Blake Manor. The Manor (a high-end hotel) is hosting a séance, attracting a dozen or so strange individuals who believe in the supernatural and strange. The player’s job is to explore the Manor, sneak into guest rooms, and interrogate guests and staff to find evidence of what happened to Evelyn — all of which is displayed on an elaborate mind map that allows the player to make connections to find the truth in the limited time before the seance takes place. Each investigative action costs the player a minute of time, building a sense of tension and the need to rush.