Author: Andrea Blythe

Games I Played in June 2024

Games
Slay the Princess | Source: Press Kit

Slay the Princess (Black Tabby Games) is a visual novel about a hero that needs to slay the princess locked in a basement in order to prevent the world from ending. The dark fantasy/horror visual novel features a branching narrative with phenomenal voice acting from Jonathan Sims and Nichole Goodnight. As you play, there are options to slay the princess, attempt to save her, and occasionally to leave.

The way this story branches out, twists back in on itself, and expands into a stunning cosmic horror story is absolutely fantastic. There are so many surprising and interesting places this story goes. I’ve done a single play through so far, and I’m fully planning to play it through again to see more of the pathways. Apparently, an update is coming called the “Pristine Cut,” a free director’s cut with additional pathways and options, so I might wait for that.

My progress towards finishing The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment) has slowed significantly since I started taking a game writing class several weeks ago. I meant to be done with the game by now, but here we are.

I did, however, complete the Murder on Eridanos DLC, in which the player is invited to the Eridanos resort to look into the murder of a famous film star. While investigating, the player discovers a greater mystery involving people seeming to be possessed by strange worms, which either make them uncomfortably happy or turns them frenzied.

The DLC is fun with a solid amount of area to explore and plenty of side quests. It was definitely worth playing.

If you’d also like to know about the books, movies, and TV that I enjoyed recently, you can check out my Culture Consumption for June: https://andrea-blythe.beehiiv.com/p/culture-consumption-june-2024.

Games I Played in May 2024

Games
The Outer Worlds. (Source: Media Kit.)

A friend described The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment) as a summer-beach-read kind of experience, and I think that’s a fairly accurate description. The game is a fun, fast-paced action RPG set in a future in which humanity has colonized distant planets and moons. The combat and RPG character building is fairly streamlined and straightforward. For example, the guns utilize one of three bullets (heavy, light, or energy), making it easy to build up ammo and jump into using any cool weapon that comes along. The maps are also rather small, which means there’s less exploration but it’s easy to work through the quests quickly (perfect for my present mood).

Owned and operated by corporations, the people who live in these communities are beholden to the corporations, forced to spout ads as greetings and entirely dependent on their good will. While there are some counter factions, they have less access to resources and struggle to stay alive on these alien worlds populated with hostile flora and fauna. That said, no one is really doing all that well, as resources are slim and the buildings and operations are all running down.

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Games I Played in April 2024

Games
Control. (Source: Remedy Media Kit.)

Control (Remedy Entertainment) launched to the top of my to-play list once I learned that the story existed within the same universe as Alan Wake, which was my favorite game from last year. From the opening cinematic, I knew this game would hit all the right vibes for me, and as I continued playing, I only fell in love with it more and more.

When Jesse Faden enters the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) looking for her brother, who was taken who was taken by the FBC following a devastating Altered World Event (AWE) when they were children, she learns that the building — called the Oldest House — is under lockdown due to an incursion from an unforeseen threat, the Hiss. Upon discovering the Director dead in his office, Jesse picks up his service weapon, which initiates a test on the Astral Plane. She survives the test, thus becoming the new Director of the FBC.

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Demo for Monochrome Heights Available!

Games, Games Development

Awesome news, friends! Monochrome Heights, a challenging platformer with a unique mechanic created by Patrick Knisely of One Frog Games, now has a demo available (which he also updated recently)!

I’ve been working with Patrick to help develop and write the narrative for this game, in which Happy the robot must climb a tower to defeat an old comrade before she destroys the last of humanity. It is so amazing to see Patrick’s hard work as this game comes together.

Games I Played in March 2024

Games
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (screenshot by me)

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (Night School Studio) is a narrative adventure game about Riley, a 32-year old woman who returns to her home town to work on a local project to monitor signals in the area. Partnered with Jacob Summers, she is tasked with placing transmitters at strategic points in the remote hillsides. Planting the first transmitter results in a sudden burst of light and launches the characters into a deep mystery full of ghosts, a local cult, and inter-dimensional time travel.

Lost Signals expands on the mechanics from the first game. As before, the player can use the radio tuner to tune into strange frequencies and interact with supernatural elements, but they can also use the radio throughout the night to listen to news and music on various stations, which might provide helpful information. In addition, the player can use a walkie talkie to connect with various people, learn about them and their lives, and receive and give aide.

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