Tell Me Why (Dontnod Entertainment) is a narrative adventure game about two twins separated from each other after one of them kills their mother in self defense. Reunited as adults, they return to their family home to clean it out and try to understand why their mother suddenly attacked them. Using the Voice (the ability to share their thoughts), the twins are able to delve into the past, replaying their shares memories (which sometimes differ, depending on their individual perspective).
With it being spooky season, I decided to take a break from Cyberpunk 2077 and jumped into a game I’ve been wanting to play for a long while — Alan Wake II (from Remedy Entertainment). I absolutely adored the first Alan Wake, and I was excited to delve into the sequel (which arrived 13 years after the first game) — and I’m having great, if semi-stressful and terrifying, fun so far.
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.
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.
I adored Alan Wake (Remedy Entertainment) and the way it weaves a creative meta narrative into its gameplay. Alan Wake is an author of thriller novels, who has found himself facing depression and anxiety due to writer’s block. Hoping for a reprieve, Alan and his wife Alice travel to a small town, called Bright Falls, Washington. As soon as they arrive in this quaint community, however, things go horribly wrong. Alan wakes up in a car accident with no memory of what happened during the previous week and his wife missing. While desperately searching for Alice, he must face off against darkness-possessed enemies attempting to kill him.