Recent reviews by garnetofeden

Siebenstreich’s Nerdventure first piqued my interest as a point-and-click game framed around a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game. Did it succeed in bringing the magic of tabletop RPGs to the niche point-and-click genre? I, at least, was not disappointed. Although the game is not without flaws, it is a fun romp full of laughs, and in some ways, it even exceeded my expectations with some delightful surprises.

The game begins with the player arriving late to a tabletop roleplaying session. The Game Master (GM) tells the player there is no time to make a character and gives the player the role of a tailor, Taylor Vaughan. Henry, the other tabletop RPG party member, will play the character of Trudie, a vegan carnivorous plant.

From this fun tabletop framing, the player jumps into the world of Mirrormore and goes on an adventure with an unexpected environmental sustainability message. As a fan of fairytale retellings, I was pleased when I recognized “The Brave Little Tailor” as the backbone of the narrative arc. The world is built up with many humorous nods to various shows and games, such as Monkey Island, Dungeons and Dragons, and Final Fantasy, with Easter egg references to real-world figures like Bob Ross and Sylvester Stallone. It is obvious a lot of passion went into making this game and its world come alive with fun. I was laughing throughout, and I enjoyed my time in Mirrormore.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2672603279

The tabletop adventure frames the point-and-click gameplay in a fun way. Trudie, as the second member of the player’s party, provides a naturally included hint system, and since Henry has made Trudie skilled in crafting, her character is usually (but not always) how the player will combine inventory items. Sadly, the tabletop changes made to the player’s attributes (e.g., +1 strength, -1 courage) throughout the game are cosmetic and do not meaningfully impact the story.

The puzzles are fun and punny, but Siebenstreich’s Nerdventure seems to be another recent point-and-click game that has unfortunately prioritized the controller experience over mouse-and-keyboard. The lack of hover or hotspot feature was challenging; most of the time where I got stuck was not finding the exact perfect place to click to activate an object, even when I suspected the object was there. In the mouse-and-keyboard PC version of the game, there wasn’t a way to close the inventory, which also made it tricky to pick up objects that were in that area of the screen. I did encounter bugs a few times while playing (e.g., inventory objects disappearing), but the bugs were usually resolved by reloading.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2672603786

Despite a strong throughline for the majority of the game, it does lose steam at the end, with the final ‘puzzle’ being a trivia show. I ended up not being clear about the resolution of some earlier plot points. This doesn’t bother me too much though as it is very in keeping with the fact that tabletop RPGs can sometimes go in random directions as influenced by the players making unexpected choices that derail the Dungeon Master’s plan.

There is nothing particularly novel about the hand-drawn art and animations other than not being the typical aesthetic found in tabletop fantasy artwork. In fact, there are some aspects that are a bit odd, such as the main character’s mustache. In other words, the art style and graphics are satisfactory, but I doubt the game will be praised for its visuals.

Within the game universe, the music for Siebenstreich’s Nerdventure is chosen by the GM to fit the story, and in a funny oops moment, the GM even accidentally starts playing the wrong track at one point. There is technically voice acting, but in what I find a puzzling decision, the developers have opted for nonsensical speech (think a cross between The Sims and the adults in Peanuts). Similar to the art style and graphics, the sound and music are interesting but not particularly noteworthy.

Siebenstreich’s Nerdventure has 15 possible Steam achievements, with some that are missable. It appears as though some achievements may not be possible within the same playthrough, which will make 100% achievements a challenge since the game does not have multiple save slots. Also, as of the time of review some achievements may not be unlocking correctly. For example, I unlocked the achievement for successfully finishing the game in 42 minutes or less during my first playthrough of 3 hours, but I am unsure how that was calculated if it’s not using real time.

Siebenstreich’s Nerdventure is $14.99 USD at the time of review and took me about 3 hours for an initial playthrough, so it is perhaps a little expensive to buy at full price considering its rough edges. However, for an effort from a team of two, it is full of laughs and overall very solid, even if not perfectly polished. I certainly hope to see future efforts from the developers and am excited to see where they go from here.

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I live in an area of the western United States that was geographically part of the “Wild West”, so I always find the mythology of the “Wild West” fascinating, particularly since the reality was, of course, quite different. In many ways, Lone McLonegan : A Western Adventure hits the right notes for its “Wild West” setting, but unfortunately it also heavily incorporates some aspects of the “Wild West” mythology that are better left out of contemporary fiction. The developers clearly aimed to emulate the beloved Monkey Island franchise, but the game falls short of reaching that caliber in some significant ways.

Lone McLonegan, the eponymous character, has just been unseated as “The Most Wanted Outlaw in the Wild West” by Bragg Badass, and he sets out to reclaim that title. Along the way, he’ll frequently break the fourth wall, and Easter egg references abound among humorous moments openly inspired by the Monkey Island series. Unfortunately, there is at least one part where animal cruelty is played for laughs, and the decision to include stereotypes of indigenous peoples and a white savior narrative also makes many of the jokes fall flat. The developers are from Spain, which may explain this choice, and some players may not mind generic storytelling that plays into oversimplified cultural preconceptions.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2658333373

Lone McLonegan : A Western Adventure has full controller support, but I played with the mouse and keyboard more traditional to point-and-click games. Unfortunately, it seems as though perhaps too much focus was placed on the controller experience as the mouse-and-keyboard controls are unwieldy and counterintuitive. I repeatedly found myself pressing the wrong button for what I was trying to accomplish. The map must be used through the inventory rather than being a separate function, which I found increasingly cumbersome as the amount of locations on the map and the number of items in the inventory increased. There is also no way to increase walking speed or jump to the edge of a scene, which can really be a drag when traversing the multiple sections of each location. For example, the player will always jump to the front gate of Oldewell when using the map, but Oldewell has more than 20 sections that must be walked through multiple times during the game.

The main issue with Lone McLonegan : A Western Adventure, however, is poorly-designed puzzles. Puzzle solutions range from Moon Logic to Guide Dang It! This is particularly unfortunate considering that the game has no hint system to help bridge the gaps created by obtuse logic and missing clues. There are a few puzzles requiring unnecessarily complicated solutions that the game effectively describes as ‘more fun this way’ in its many fourth wall breaks. Probably one of the worst though is the puzzle that requires the player to perform an action that in the real world would definitely result in the death of an animal, although in the game the animal in question is unharmed.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2658333963

The game’s art style utilizes fabric textures in a visually interesting way. Unfortunately, the dialogue text frequently covers up the scenes, which is immersion-breaking and disappointing. Many of the characters have black eyes that make them look rather creepy and more like they belong in a science fiction setting, while other characters end up as racial caricatures instead. The “Indian Village” uses a hodge-podge of imagery from indigenous peoples in vastly different locales rather than any particular nation that exists in reality. For example, totem poles are from Northwest Coast peoples while tipis are from Great Plains peoples.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2658333049

Lone McLonegan : A Western Adventure has no voice acting, but its music is inarguably the best feature of the game (although that isn’t saying much). Many tracks utilize twangy folk instruments themed as expected for a Western, although there are some tracks that are unusual and feel out of place. For example, a Gregorian chant plays at one point. The sound effects are sometimes interesting (e.g., the sounds that you hear behind the closed door at the undertaker bring to mind a horror comedy).

Lone McLonegan : A Western Adventure has 14 possible Steam achievements. The game also has the player collect Sheriff Stars, but it’s unclear to me whether that is connected to an achievement or if there’s some sort of bonus for collecting them all. I’m also not sure if they don’t show up in the collection wall on the loading screen until the game has been completed or if there’s a bug, since I’ve definitely found several of the stars in the game.

Although Lone McLonegan : A Western Adventure technically offers enough content for the price ($9.99 at the time of review), I find myself leaning more in the thumbs down rather than the thumbs up direction. Frankly, I’m struggling to finish the game between what I find an uninteresting narrative and not wanting to continually reference a walkthrough for the convoluted puzzles, so this is not the 2021 point-and-click game that I would recommend to people. However, some players may find the game’s charms weighing more heavily in its favor, and if so, I heartily wish them enjoyment! If I’m lucky, the developers will implement some quality of life features eventually to make 100% achievements not as much of a slog.

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The original Kathy Rain came out in 2016 to much critical acclaim from the point-and-click community. Five years later the developers have released a Director’s Cut of the game. With this sort of rerelease, the question is why buy this if I already own the original? Let’s unpack this.

It’s 1995. Kathy Rain, our eponymous heroine, is an acerbic, chain-smoking journalism major in her early 20s. Our tale begins when her roommate, Eileen, reveals that her estranged grandfather, Joseph Rain, has passed away. Kathy returns to her grandparents’ and her childhood home and finds out that in 1981, shortly after her mother took her away at the age of 6, her grandfather experienced a mysterious accident that left him in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. On her trusty motorcycle Katmobile and with help from Eileen, Kathy sets out to investigate this mystery, learning about her family, her hometown of Conwell Springs, and finding catharsis along the way.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2649071283

Even in the original game, the story and worldbuilding of Kathy Rain were strong, but the Director’s Cut has introduced an “extended storyline, including a longer and more satisfying ending”. I definitely feel like the ending now makes more sense, although there are still some unanswered questions. This game isn’t from Wadjet Eye, but fans of Rosangela Blackwell and the supernatural detective Blackwell franchise will find much to like in Kathy Rain, both the character and the game. There are hints that there could be a sequel, and I would love that. After all, the tagline for the original game was “A Detective is Born”, so perhaps this improved release is a prelude to what’s coming next.

The gameplay and mechanics of Kathy Rain: Director’s Cut will feel familiar to point-and-click veterans and players of Wadjet Eye’s investigative Blackwell franchise, while still providing tutorial information for players who may be new to the genre. This allows the focus to be on the story and the puzzles, the true stars of the game. In addition to the standard inventory, Kathy has a notebook where she collects clues that can be used to further dialogue, and since the game is set in the ‘90s, a phone book is used a few times to have conversations or get new locations. New items will become interactable or the way Kathy interacts with items will change as the storyline progresses, preventing the player from picking up items long before they’re needed. Some people will consider this a pro, and others will consider it a con.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2649071540

Some of the changes made to add full controller support to the Director’s Cut have made certain aspects of the point-and-click gameplay more challenging for mouse-and-keyboard players. For example, I found the click and drag to be a real pain to initiate sometimes because it was too easy to accidentally trigger the click response and fail to drag. The Director’s Cut didn’t add any sort of hint system, which is a bummer. I played the original Kathy Rain, so some puzzle solutions came back to me quickly, but the Director’s Cut has made some changes. I’ve played enough point-and-click games that I didn’t get stuck for long with any of the puzzles, but there are a couple I could imagine being tricky for players new to Kathy Rain or inexperienced with point-and-click idiosyncrasies.

The visuals are one of the areas where Kathy Rain: Director’s Cut has received a noticeable upgrade. The enlarged game environments for the widescreen have made the already high-quality pixel art really pop and immerse the player in the story world. The level of detail in each scene, down to the in-game movie posters and paintings, is stunning; even with pixel graphics, the Titanic poster is recognizable at a glance. I constantly found myself oohing and aahing over the enhanced cinematography, shading, lighting, and weather effects. The developers have taken the genre staples (e.g., dialogue portraits, location map) and made them their own.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2649071898

Fans of Wadjet Eye Games will be pleased to hear some familiar voices. The voice acting for the original Kathy Rain was directed by Dave Gilbert, and the Director’s Cut has added new dialogue with the original cast (more than 700 new lines according to the Steam store description) to fully flesh out the extended storyline and ending.

The place where the audio for the Director’s Cut really stands out, however, is the soundtrack. The already stellar soundtrack from the original has been audibly enhanced. This can be heard immediately from the game’s loading screen where the new version of the song has added drum and guitar, giving off a vibe that better fits Kathy’s character.

Kathy Rain: Director’s Cut has 40 possible Steam achievements, twice as many as the original game; some of which are the same as those found in the original Kathy Rain. Although the game has an auto-save, there are also ample manual save slots to make it easier to pick up missing achievements on replay.

Another fun extra the Director’s Cut has introduced is five unlockable bike designs for Kathy’s motorcycle. Including the original design, there are six designs to choose from once they’ve all been unlocked. In my first playthrough of the Director’s Cut, I only unlocked two of the designs, so it appears the game is going to make the player work for them.

The original Kathy Rain would have received a recommendation on its own if I had gotten around to writing a review for it. With the original and the Director’s Cut the same price ($14.99 USD) at the time of review, it’s a no-brainer for an interested person who hasn’t yet purchased the game to buy the Director’s Cut.

But what about those who already own the original; is it worth buying the Director’s Cut? I would say yes, unless not at all interested in replaying. Players who already own the original Kathy Rain can purchase the Director’s Cut for 50% off ($7.50 USD) as of the time of review. For those who love the story of Kathy Rain and would enjoy a replay, this seems a worthwhile price for the visual and audio upgrades alone, plus there are other improvements to the plot and even more achievements and extras than the original.

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UNSIGHTED first caught my attention as a tale about automatons, one of my favorite science fiction staples, often diving into deep themes such as what does it mean to be alive. When I sat down to play, I realized that the game is described as a metroidvania, a subgenre I was familiar with by name and not much else. Historically I have avoided games with that tag due to my belief that they would be too difficult for me, but I tried to go into playing UNSIGHTED with an open mind and have had a thoroughly enjoyable experience despite the challenges. That said, this is essentially my first experience playing a metroidvania game.

UNSIGHTED borrows from classic Japanese fantasy games as well as cyberpunk manga and anime to spin its own story. The character awakens in a lab with no memories of who she is or how she got there, only that she is looking for Raquel. Eventually the player meets other characters and learns she is Alma, an automaton created by the human Doctor Zeferina to be perfect to fight the humans who are attempting to run out the clock on all Automatons. Automatons are given consciousness by Anima from a Meteor which landed on their world some time ago. Humans at war with Automatons have sealed away the Meteor and begun stripping Automatons of consciousness, as Automatons who run out of Anima become UNSIGHTED, mindless killing machines. Alma sets out to recover five Shards that will allow her to access the Crater Tower blocking the Meteor.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2641730516

UNSIGHTED is not a 2D side-scrolling platformer like some classic metroidvania games but contains key elements of the subgenre, such as a large interconnected world map with areas that become explorable as the player gains the right abilities or equipment. The game can be played as both single-player or shared-/split-screen co-op and provides full controller support as well as remote play on phone, tablet, and TV. As of the time of this review, I’ve only explored the single-player mouse-and-keyboard options on PC. There are three levels of difficulty to choose from: Explorer, Action Girl, and Robot Apocalypse. Action Girl is the recommended difficulty level, but as an inexperienced metroidvania player, I opted to play on the Explorer difficulty for my first playthrough. The Explorer mode offers additional customization, including invincibility, although I refused to enable that particular option.

One of UNSIGHTED’s key gameplay features is the limited amount of time each character has left before they become UNSIGHTED, which is indicated by a timer near their name. This time can be extended 24 hours by using Meteor Dust, but since there is a limited amount available, the player must decide whether to use it for Alma or whether to give it to someone else. The player can see which Automatons they’ve met and how much time they have left in the Contacts List. In Explorer Mode, the Character Timers can be disabled, but I hope to have this feature on in a future playthrough once I’m more familiar with the game’s mechanics in order to fully experience the spectrum of choices as far as storytelling is concerned.

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The game saves at Terminals, with only one save slot per playthrough and three save slots total. Dying causes Alma to lose half of her accumulated bolts (the currency of UNSIGHTED), but they can be recovered once she returns to the location where she died. The player can choose to respawn at the last Terminal or Gear Village. Fortunately, ‘dying’ only applies to combat and not to falling off a cliff or in the water; in those cases the player simply respawns where they were before falling. The Terminal is also where the player can adjust Alma’s chips or teleport to other visited Terminal locations on the map. Chips are effectively equipment that increases Alma’s stamina, health, or other attributes. There are a limited number of chip slots, although additional slots can be purchased with enough bolts (up to a point). Crafting Tables can frequently be found near Terminals, and with Blueprints Alma can craft better weapons, chips, or cogs. Effect Cogs are a consumable resource that can temporarily enhance Alma’s attack, defense, stamina, or other attributes. Crafting isn’t the only way to get weapons, chips, or cogs though, as they can also be picked up during exploration.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2641733911

Alma has two weapon slots available. The first one is activated with the left mouse button, and the second one is activated with the right mouse button. It’s important to use the mouse cursor to help aim Alma’s attacks. For me, it worked well to have a melee weapon in the first slot and a ranged weapon in the second slot. Some of the weapons effectively become part of solving puzzles; for example, the shuriken is a guidable ranged weapon that the player can navigate around curves to hit switches that are otherwise out of reach.

The art style and graphics nail late 80s/early 90s arcade games, with a retro comic book color palette, pixel art, and anime character attributes. Alma’s hair in particular is very dynamic, waving as she walks. Day and night visually cycle to show the passage of time. Death calls to mind classic arcade games as Alma flies in the air and the background fades to black, leaving Alma laying defeated in the center screen.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2641734468

The sound effects are an homage to late 80s/early 90s video games, and the soundtrack is clearly inspired by that era as well. The music uses industrial and electronic elements to create a cyberpunk ambience with notes reminiscent of MIDI.

In addition to the Main Story, UNSIGHTED also has Dungeon Raid and Boss Rush challenge modes. There are 42 possible achievements, some of which are definitely going to make the player work to earn them.

UNSIGHTED offers a high-quality gameplay experience with plenty of content for variety throughout multiple playthroughs, well worth buying at full price ($19.99 USD at the time of review). Fans of metroidvania will find plenty to love here, and for players like me who have been hesitant to give metroidvania a try, UNSIGHTED offers an engaging story and characters, fun puzzles, ample gameplay customization options for the inexperienced, and an artistic retro feast for the senses.

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Near-future science fiction is “set just far enough in the future to allow for certain technological or social changes without being so different that it is necessary to explain” (Encyclopedia of Science Fiction). Taking place about 40 years in our future, Midnight Protocol creates a remarkably robust and immersive gameplay experience using only keyboard commands - no mouse!

Taking place in Budapest in the year 2062, the player takes on the persona of Data, a hacker arrested one year prior after being doxxed who has recently been released due to insufficient evidence. Along with their allies Clover (a hacker trained by Data) and Snail (an information broker), Data sets out to learn how their identity was uncovered and why it was exposed.

The story unfolds slowly, which makes sense for a game where the action is occurring within a computer universe. Much of the terminology will feel familiar to players knowledgeable about computers, such as command, program, SysOp, boot, and more. The subtle use of leetspeak and textspeak builds a realistic world without seeming overdone. For example, Clover’s nom de guerre is written as C10v3r for her username. There are also some interesting terminology choices, such as the word ‘deck’ for the programs selected to be taken on a particular mission.

The Steam store describes Midnight Protocol as “a tactical narrative-driven RPG”. The flavor of a particular playthrough is influenced by the player’s choices. Reputation can be gained in three areas that influence what missions and programs become available. Grey hat reputation will be required no matter what as it relates to Data’s accomplishments and skill as a hacker. White hat reputation relates to making choices favoring ideals, while black hat reputation relates to criminal or selfish actions. While I agree the game is narrative-driven, I feel the gameplay and mechanics have more in common with turn-based strategy games. There are broadly two areas of play: the home console and networks.

The home console is where much of the story progression takes place, through email conversations and performing research on the intranet, as well as preparing for missions. The Port Scanner under Addresses can provide useful information about a network, such as what types of nodes will be present or the length of the trace bar. The player can only take a limited number of programs, called a deck, with them on each mission, so part of the strategy is deciding which programs to choose. For example, the player may want to take the leech program to help siphon funds from finance nodes or the spoon program to help decrypt encryption nodes. It reminds me of deck-building games, which is perhaps why the developers chose the term. As the game progresses, the player can choose to buy new programs or hardware from the Black Market, as long as they have sufficient credits, so it’s important to be choosy about which programs to buy in what order.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2634776057

Networks are where the turn-based aspect of the game comes into play. The player has 2 actions per turn, which include commands like moving to an adjacent node, running one of the programs from their deck, or interfacing with a node. There are different types of nodes (e.g., finance, encryption, bridge, data), and the interface command will be different at each type. For example, at an access node the interface command can be used to remove three traces from the Trace Bar once per mission. Most networks have some level of static protection in the form of Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics (ICE). Triggering an ICE will cause nasty effects for the player and increase the trace. The player passes the turn to the AI by using the end command. The network tries to trace the player on its turn, and if it succeeds enough times to max the Trace Bar it causes problems, such as loss of credits or deleted programs. Some networks will also have a Systems Operator (SysOp) that patrols the connections and adds an additional layer of strategy and challenge. Being cautious and checking a connection for ICE before moving takes time, but moving without checking runs the risk of triggering an ICE, so the player must balance speed and risk. Managing the distribution of processing slices per program is an essential part of gameplay strategy. Some programs require a set amount of slices and run a set number of turns, while some programs’ effectiveness depends on how many slices have been assigned to that program. Leaving slices idle at the end of a turn generally leads to less desirable outcomes. Once the objectives have been met, the player can use the exit command to leave the network. Unless otherwise stated, a mission cannot be replayed once it has been completed, so it is important to confirm that the desired outcome has been achieved before leaving the network.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2634776559

The art style of Midnight Protocol is minimalist, mainly using a monochromatic color scheme with purposeful noise reminiscent of analog television or VHS tapes. The home console user interface design is largely intuitive, and the player can choose from several themes to customize its appearance. All of the themes available at the start of the game are essentially monochromatic color schemes with varying levels of noise. There are additional themes that can be unlocked while playing, but I haven’t successfully done that yet in my playthroughs.

The visual representation of networks is where the game really shines. Different networks are visually distinct with consistent shapes for the node types. I found the default screen layout intuitive, but it is fully customizable if a player would prefer to change the location of components such as the Trace Bar or Objective List.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2634776907

The sound effects enhance the worldbuilding with typing as well as pinging, beeping, and other electronic elements on-brand for a hacker game, and the electronic aspects carry over into the music as well. The music of Midnight Protocol is emotive yet subtle, “letting your keystrokes become part of the soundtrack” as the Steam store description says. As of the time of review, I haven’t encountered any voice acting in the game, but this makes sense considering the game’s immersive style. I’m interested to see if the music changes in the later game, particularly with regard to how the story evolves with white hat, grey hat, or black hat reputation.

Midnight Protocol offers hours of content between the main plotline and optional side quests, as well as Steam trading cards and 18 possible achievements, making its $14.99 price tag (as of the time of review) more than fair. One flaw that merits a mention is the inability to save manually, which hampers full exploration of the different avenues without significant repetition. Since the game’s release the developers have been responsive to making improvements to the gameplay experience, so my fingers are crossed that manual saving becomes an option sometime in the future. I haven’t finished my initial playthrough yet, but I’m enjoying my time in the Midnight Protocol universe. I would recommend Midnight Protocol to fans of hacking games and culture, the near-future science fiction subgenre, or keyboard-only typing games.

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The Rewinder is a true point-and-click delight. Rich cultural connections in the narrative and art build a fantastic game world with fun puzzles to engage the mind for a pleasurable immersive adventure. Although the main character is not a detective, there is a mystery to be solved, and fans of paranormal investigations such as the Blackwell universe will find this game along the same vein.

Centuries ago, the Four Keepers granted a select few the ability of Rewind, entering and influencing memories to alter the timeline as needed to maintain the Reincarnation Cycle. In this universe deeply rooted in Chinese mythology and folklore, Yun is the last of the Rewinders. With the aid of the spirit Light, he is tasked with investigating and solving the mystery of what happened in Reed River Village seven years ago.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2628279441

The player acts as Yun during the majority of the game, although there is one part where the player acts as Light. Some features of the gameplay and mechanics are typical of the point-and-click genre. Icons indicate what actions can be performed with objects, such as a question icon for information or flavor text, hand icon to pick up inventory items or tools, speech bubbles for chatting, and arrows to indicate directions of doors and paths. Some of the tools are common to point-and-click games, such as the pickaxe and lighter, while others are unique, such as the pipa (a traditional Chinese plucked string instrument). Relevant clues and information are collected in a journal log and gallery. While dialogue text is sometimes presented as options that the player can select, as far as I can tell the choices don’t actually change the game’s ending or even influence flavor.

Although certain aspects of the gameplay and mechanics will be familiar to point-and-click players, I found several of the puzzles innovative in their clever use of math, computational thinking, and logic. I particularly enjoyed the lever scale puzzle. Some of the puzzles do require timing and coordination, such as the spinning wheel. Puzzle instructions and assistance are usually delivered by Light, which adds to the immersive feel and experience.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2628279648

The Rewinder’s true power is the ability to Rewind, to enter memories and change the past, altering the outcome of people’s lives. Going into memories is intimate, so getting to know the villagers as individuals is crucial. To enter a memory, Yun must collect a memory item from a person and bring it to the shrine, unlock the shrine by watching a scene and performing the same movements in reverse, and know whose memory he is entering. Once in the memory level, Yun must collect Senses to try to influence people to make different decisions. Some Senses can be collected merely by looking around, but others must be collected from the thoughts of other characters in the memory when they’re in a state of musing. By figuring out which Senses will sway key characters into making different choices when they’re in a state of hesitation, their future will be changed. There are some timing aspects to the memory levels, but the level can be paused, fast forwarded, or reversed to checkpoints as wanted or needed.

The game autosaves at checkpoints, but as of the time of review there is currently no manual save option. However, after the game has been completed once, the Karma Stone will unlock, allowing the player to jump to different chapters and checkpoints if needed to unlock the secret memory level and finish all of the achievements.

The Rewinder beautifully and brilliantly uses retro pixel art to evoke Chinese ink wash paintings, pushing the boundaries of richly detailed pixels as a true art form. There are even subtle background and atmospheric animations, such as blinking eyes on masks on a wall or falling leaves, rain, and snow. While the game is rich in scenic and mythological details, the level of detail for human-like characters is frequently less, with most of them lacking facial features. In-game texts, such as notes and signs, are written in hanzi (Chinese characters), and an English translation overlay will pop up when clicked on or as needed.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2628279120

While most of The Rewinder’s dialogue is presented through unspoken text, there are a couple of places with voice narration or singing in the Chinese language. Although I lack enough knowledge of the Chinese language to rigorously evaluate the quality, it sounded pleasing to my American ears. From the number of voice actors in the credits, I wonder if there is more voice work in the Chinese version than the English version.

The soundtrack is where the audio really stands out, and I could see myself buying and listening to it outside of the game. The music uses traditional Western and Chinese instrumentation with occasional electronic elements to create rich and immersive aural experiences. This is further enhanced by excellent ambient sound effects, such as wind in the trees, characters sighing, and a scribble sound for journal entries.

The game has 21 possible Steam achievements, some of which are missable. I have yet to unlock the secret memory level, but I believe it has something to do with collecting flowers for the Tree Sage. I’m eager to finish the achievements and uncover the secret to hopefully answer my remaining questions about what happened in Reed River Village.

The Rewinder is a point-and-click gem deeply rooted in Chinese mythology and folklore, well worth buying at full price ($14.99 at the time of review, more than 6 hours of content for first playthrough, plus additional play time for unlocking secrets). Since the game’s release, the developer has continued to make updates, not only to fix bugs but also to make quality of life improvements such as refining the English translation. The ending leaves room for a possible sequel, which I would love.

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Warp Frontier is Brawsome’s first game in over ten years, but they definitely didn’t rest on their laurels in the interim, delivering a masterful science fiction creation in the point-and-click genre. The game is probably the best of the genre that I have played this year, worthy of inclusion in any point-and-click fan’s library and a great jumping off point for those wanting to experience what the genre has to offer.

Following a cataclysmic event called the Reset, humanity expanded from Earth, and people are divided based on their planet. Vince Cassini, COP (Cetus Orbital Police), nicknamed Tin Man for his mechanical heart, has spent the last ten years searching for people who went missing after an interplanetary war. His intense focus on this task has complicated his family relationships, and he realizes he’s forgotten his stepdaughter’s birthday just before his ship’s hull is breached by two fighting ships flying by. As Vince investigates this occurrence, he gets pulled into a discovery of massive scale and must navigate the far-reaching consequences of what he’s learned along with his personal life.

Although more realistic and serious in tone rather than comedic, there are enough jokes and puns to keep the mood from getting too dark. Since Vince has chosen not to be chipped or augmented, he operates alone out in the field except for his MAC (Machine Assisted Controller), and the recurring joke poking fun at the fourth wall that MAC makes about Vince thinking out loud is my favorite. There’s also a fun homage to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in one of the puzzle solutions.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2619810958

In many ways Warp Frontier is a traditional point-and-click adventure game. Vince picks up inventory items, and those items can be used with characters and objects to progress the story. Rather than having Vince select from actions to look at or use an item, the player must use the item with Vince just as if they were combining two inventory items. One nice feature is that if the player hovers over an object, it will display the flavor text or available actions without needing to click on it, so the player can get worldbuilding details without needing to click on objects that aren’t going to be used.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2619811741

Warp Frontier manages to avoid the idiosyncratic puzzle solutions that are often a feature of classic point-and-click games. Most puzzle solutions are logical, although it was tricky at times to figure out how to cue the game to move forward. It’s nice to have many items be utilized in multiple puzzles rather than having to find similar items or items with similar functions multiple times because the character abandoned a functional multi-use tool. Sometimes this meant that the game created a third inventory item when the player combined two items. For example, if the player had Vince use glue on an item, the glue and original item were still separate in the inventory, as well as a new glue+item object. It took me almost to the end of my first playthrough to get the hang of checking my inventory for the newly created combination item.

Whether or not Vince picks up certain items and has them available to use at the right times influences the outcomes of different parts of the game, as does which dialogue options are chosen. Some dialogue or action options will time out if the player waits too long to make a choice, and unfortunately there’s nothing that lets the player know a particular sequence is time-sensitive other than the dialogue options disappearing or the story moving forward in a decisive way.

In addition to working with MAC, Vince’s ship plays a role in many puzzle solutions. I loved how immersive and realistic it felt to use different functions of the ship. The player needs to consider whether the cargo ramp is up or down, the atmospheric pressure outside compared to inside the ship, and other engineering and mechanical considerations. There was so much great technical attention to detail!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2619812000

The game provides many ways for players to get clues if they are stuck. Hovering over Vince shows the current goal, and talking to MAC gives additional details on the current objective. The player can use a button to show hotspots and whether they are merely flavor text (e.g., just a dot) or an action can be performed (e.g., a speech bubble or a hand icon). If all that fails to get the player’s creative juices flowing, there’s a well-designed and robust leveled hint system. If the player does need to click on the hint button, it starts by providing a very basic clue, then the player can click the right arrow to get increasing details if they’re still stuck, ensuring the player gets enough help to get unstuck but avoids spoilers as much as possible.

The feel of the art style and graphics will probably seem familiar to point-and-click veterans, but although they aren’t particularly innovative, the realism is exceptional. This can be seen in the technical appearance of the ship’s dashboard and airlock control and the detailed paintings in the backgrounds of some scenes, but can sometimes be disturbing depending on the content. The dark color palette is well-suited to the sci-fi world of the game. If there is one flaw in terms of aesthetics, using all capital letters in the text for location names and certain reports would be it. While the font itself is in keeping with the sci-fi ambience, the lessened readability can detract from immersion. The font for the more critical dialogue is just fine, so the all-caps is a minor annoyance.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2619812581

The majority Australian voice acting cast is solid, and the sound effects enrich the details of each scene (e.g., breathing when Vince is using his space suit, alarms). The music evokes the ambience at every part of the game, from mysterious to noir to eerie, although it doesn’t cross over into memorable.

Warp Frontier offers Steam trading cards and 69 possible achievements. Since there are multiple choices and endings, a player won’t be able to get all achievements in a single playthrough, but there is a manual save function in addition to an auto-save. On Oct. 4, 2021, the developer increased the amount of manual save slots from four to fifteen, which will make it easier to explore the possible narrative branches while avoiding repetitiveness. The game also offers a commentary feature I’m excited to use in my next playthrough to get insight into choices made in the game design process.

At $14.99 at the time of review and approximately 7.5 hours for an initial playthrough, plus extras for replayability, Warp Frontier provides great value at full price. Brawsome has built a detailed and immersive sci-fi universe. Although Warp Frontier perhaps isn’t the most artsy of games I’ve played in 2021, it is superb craftsmanship when it comes to worldbuilding and point-and-click gameplay. While the first ending I unlocked surprised me with how quickly it wrapped up, I hope the other endings resolve my lingering questions and plot points that seemed like loose ends in my initial playthrough. Hopefully it won’t take Brawsome as long to release another game, but if it takes place in this game universe, I’m in.

Note: This review has been condensed from its original at SaveorQuit[saveorquit.com].

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From the developer of Existensis and taking place in the same universe, The Müll Littoral was originally created in 2017 but only released on Steam in August 2021. Ozzie Sneddon has built a vivid and multifaceted high fantasy universe. In addition to the two distinctive game genres of The Müll Littoral and Existensis, he has also utilized graphic novelization and other artistic media to tell the stories of this world.

Juul spends day after day at the beach, suffering from a curse of anxiety that, unbeknownst to her, is affecting the world at large. One day she is approached by Glasswalker, a practitioner of the Empathy Arts, using the power of understanding the universe to edit reality, and together they embark on a pilgrimage to break the curse.

The Müll Littoral takes place in “The Age of Empathy” universe, a fantasy post-apocalyptic Earth where the world has reformed into a place inhabited by tulpas called Thoughtforms, beings that originated in the imagination and then manifested in physical form. Occurring chronologically earlier but in the same universe as the game Existensis, The Müll Littoral shows the backstory for some of the characters who later appear in Existensis. There’s even a reference to the main character of Existensis, although he makes no appearance in this game.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2611797368

The story takes place over three acts, and while it is dealing with abstract concepts in the same way as Existensis, the focus on the themes of anxiety and depression means it’s darker in tone and not as lighthearted despite taking place in the same colorful fantasy world. For this reason, I think The Müll Littoral is best played after Existensis despite occurring chronologically earlier.

The player mostly acts as the character Juul, although there is one challenge where Glasswalker takes center stage. While Existensis is a platformer, The Müll Littoral is more of a point-and-click adventure. Most challenges start with time frozen as the player uses a lens to examine the environment. As information and clues are collected, the player can form a plan of what they need to do once they put the lens away and time starts again. Once time starts again, the player has a short amount of time to click on objects in the correct order at the correct time to solve the puzzle and get the desired outcome to progress the story. Failing a challenge simply leads to retrying as many times as are needed.

In the puzzles that have a timing aspect, there is logic to the sequence, so it isn’t just randomly clicking and hoping that everything works out. The player interprets the clues in the provided information, and when it all comes together in a successful solution, it is a unique and fun way to utilize point-and-click genre mechanics. Not all puzzles have a timing aspect to them, but even though I am usually not a fan of timed challenges, in this case I feel that the timing aspect makes sense considering the game’s theme of anxiety. Some of the challenges involve battling issues related to this theme, such as insomnia and social anxiety.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2611797733

The game unfortunately doesn’t have a way to save progress, but the player can select from one of three acts to jump to different points in the story and avoid some replaying if desired.

The Müll Littoral was created before Existensis, and I can see how Ozzie Sneddon’s artistic skills have grown over the years. Much like his more recent game, the art and animation are done by hand in a traditional style, and the world is a colorful fantasy feast for the eyes. Each character’s dialogue text has a unique font and speech bubble. Unfortunately, I did find the volume control on the screen immersion-breaking, but overall that is a minor quibble.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2611797969

Just as with Existensis, although the music doesn’t get mentioned in the promotion text for The Müll Littoral, it is one of the best parts. The music is perfectly themed for the mood (e.g., anxiety) and/or ambience (e.g., tavern) of each scene or challenge in the way that will best tell the story, and I frequently found the tracks stuck in my head long after playing the game. Similar to how the art and animation is done in a traditional style, the music is a shout out to retro video game soundtracks, utilizing classic instrumentation with electronic components. There is no voice acting or other sound effects; the game chooses to rely on the music for the auditory component of the experience.

Although The Müll Littoral has no achievements as of the time of review, it does have hidden/secret content to extend the game. Each of the two main storyline endings will give a password when completed, and entering those using the Password Input on the loading screen will give clues to unlock the hidden ending. Completing the hidden ending will also give a password, and inputting that password will give clues to unlock a secret bonus level.

At $4.99 at time of review and approximately 1.5 hours for a first playthrough (2 hours to get all endings and hidden/secret content if using acts option to jump ahead in the story), The Müll Littoral is well worth buying at full price. Although it occurs in the same universe and chronologically before Existensis, I would actually recommend playing Existensis first to get a broader view of the world as The Müll Littoral dives deeper into the lore and characters. I know that Ozzie Sneddon has other projects in this universe, although I’m not sure if any of them are games. Regardless, I will be eager to return to this world again if another game is released.

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Step into a nature journal, enjoy the hand-painted backgrounds of Milo and the Magpies, and experience a neighborhood through the eyes of a cat while helping Milo on his adventure home.

Although the title Milo and the Magpies may sound like a band name, Milo and the magpies definitely aren’t friends. Milo, a gray cat, needs help getting past the interfering meanie magpies to get home. Along the way, Milo gets to know his neighbors as he travels through their gardens and other spaces.

Milo and the Magpies is marketed as “a point-and-click, hidden object game”, but while it has some elements that will be familiar to players of both genres, it doesn’t robustly lean into either. The player does not act as Milo, but rather as a benevolent helper who can tell Milo when to move and take actions that will assist Milo in getting home. The puzzles require using logic and clues (frequently hidden in the artwork) to solve and progress and are unique to each yard and garden (frequently requiring getting to know the inhabitants). All in all, it’s a distinctive and relaxing gameplay experience.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2606698866

The art for Milo and the Magpies is definitely the star of the game. The developer, Johan Scherft, is primarily an artist by trade, frequently drawing on nature as a source of inspiration. The environments and animals are hand-painted and hand-animated with beautiful detail and color in the style of classic nature journaling. One of the most realistic looking animals in the story is the scary pike, a species of carnivorous fish, doing his predator best to blend into the background until the opportune moment. Each yard or garden has a unique vibe and charm, much like the people who created it, although the people tend to be less stylistically nuanced than the environments and other creatures.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2606699090

While Johan Scherft did the majority of the art and animations, artist Barthel Brussee also assisted with the animations, particularly for the cat. The animations of the eponymous cat character, Milo, and the other cat characters have clearly been done by someone who has spent a lot of time observing the unique features of cat behaviors. My own cat is gray like Milo, so sometimes watching Milo was like seeing her in animated form.

The composer, Victor Butzelaar, has crafted a soundtrack that maintains a relaxing tone throughout the game, while at the same time creating individualized musical theming that reflects the different personalities of the inhabitants of each yard or garden. Although most of the tracks are original compositions, at least one, Gnossienne No. 1 by Erick Satie, may be familiar to people from its presence in the film The Painted Veil. Beyond the music, the sound effects are clearly meant to complement the atmosphere created by the art, including sounds from nature like bird songs and other ambient sounds such as a fountain running.

Milo and the Magpies has ten possible achievements, one of which is awarded for completing the game. The other nine achievements are related to finding a secret - a hidden artwork inside each chapter.

Milo and the Magpies is a short experience, taking slightly under 90 minutes for an initial playthrough, but at $1.99 at the time of review and with achievements for replayability or to extend initial playtime, it is well worth buying at full price. The hand-painted backgrounds alone are worth the cost of the game. The beautiful art makes it a relaxing experience, and one that I think will especially appeal to nature- and cat-lovers.

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Finding good games with well-developed LGBTQ+ characters can be challenging. While there are certainly games that have included those characters, and even developed them well, those games are sadly few and far between. It’s even rarer to find an LGBTQ+ character represented as a main rather than a supporting character. No Longer Home is one of those rare quality finds.

No Longer Home follows Bo and Ao, two students just graduating from university in London. While both Bo and Ao are non-binary and use they/them pronouns, in many other respects they are very different from each other. Bo is a native Londoner, while Ao is from Japan; Bo is funding their education with student loans, while Ao’s schooling is being paid for by their parents. The game takes an introspective tone as the characters navigate the major life event of transitioning from university to post-university life. While they pack up their flat to move out, the game explores themes surrounding adulthood, such as student loan debt, job applications, taxes, and affording rent, as well as gender identity, such as dysphoria. Hints of magical realism are also incorporated.

No Longer Home is semi-autobiographical, based on the lives of the two main developers Cel Davison and Hana Lee, also both they/them pronouns. The story may resonate differently depending on the age of the player. Players who are more similar to Bo and Ao in age (early 20s) or stage of life (university or recent graduate) may find the game more personally relatable and immediately relevant, while someone who is in their 30s or older and several years past that part of their life may find the game more reminiscent of their past experience.

Included in the game is a 10-minute prelude called Friary Road, which takes place a couple of years before the start of No Longer Home and before Bo and Ao move in together. There is an option to skip the prelude if desired, but Friary Road is mentioned by several of the characters throughout No Longer Home.

Since No Longer Home is interactive fiction, the mechanics are fairly simple, but still more robust than many visual novels I’ve played. The player alternates between playing as Bo or Ao and can make dialogue choices for them as well as other characters in the story. The playable character can be moved around the environment, which can be fully rotated in 90 degree increments in order to get a different perspective of the space and open up different options for interactions. Icons pop up for looking, talking, or touching depending on which part of the room or place is being viewed.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2592912784

The game has an interesting way of giving instructions regarding how to play, such as saying that the function of your actions may seem abstract and try not to worry about it, or saying that going through doors will help you gather a sense of place. The game autosaves, although players can also choose to manually save. However, there is only one save slot per playthrough (although you can have three playthroughs on file total).

The art style for No Longer Home is minimalist, with characters having no eyes or mouths, yet each character is still visually distinct. The environment is represented in a visually interesting way, with a two-point perspective that can be rotated 360 degrees to, for example, see all four walls of the room and the spatial relationships. Since the game is taking place over a span of time where the characters are moving out of their flat, as the game progresses you can see the effects of slowly packing as objects disappear from walls and boxes appear instead. The animation style is also distinctive, showing the walls floating or sliding in and out from the sides, top, and bottom of the screen to construct or deconstruct the rooms or yard of the flat or widen the view when entering a more mental space.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2592912088

The music for No Longer Home uses piano and other instruments with synth in the musical tradition of video game composer greats such as Nobuo Uemastu of Final Fantasy fame. The main composer and sound artist, Eli Rainsberry, is also non-binary, and they have crafted tracks that dovetail perfectly with the story. The included ambient sounds also enhance the overall experience, both the sounds that are evident to the characters (such as ambulance sirens or the cat purring) as well as the sounds that are for the player only (such as the apt sounds that play while rotating the environment or while the dialogue text is being typed on screen). While the sounds and music are excellent in and of themselves, I also really enjoyed that the game provided audio descriptions - text describing the music and sounds. I found this text added an interesting extra component in interpreting the game. I imagine that the audio experience would be even further augmented by the recommended use of headphones, but I was able to fully enjoy and immerse myself in the experience with my speaker setup.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2592911713

No Longer Home has 12 possible Steam achievements. It may be possible to unlock them all in one playthrough, but I at least will have to do a second playthrough to pick them all up.

No Longer home is a brilliant example of LGBTQ+ characters and stories done right. At $14.99 at the time of review and approximately 2-2.5 hours for first playthrough, the game is technically a little expensive in terms of time/content for price when compared to a movie ticket, but I think it’s still worth buying at full price for its treatment of subject matter that is so often handled poorly.

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