Another masterpiece by Remedy, Control exceeded my expectations quite a bit. The quality of the writing is, as usually, magnificent, and the worldbuilding is very considerate and thoughtful. The universe Remedy built is multi-facetted, morally ambiguous and reflects the dialogism that is so important in narrative (you have the Bureau's narrative, counter-narratives to it in the form of the conspiracy theories found in letters, the Board's mysterious goals, the mystery surrounding all the supernatural paraphernalia happening around you). While the budget was clearly small (janky facial animations, most cutscenes are very simplistic, much of the lore and story is told through written or spoken collectibles that have little to no visual elements at all), they certainly did a great job with it. The open world also feels rewarding, as there are numerous secrets, side quests, and hidden areas to discover, using the powers you acquire throughout the game. The combat is also a step up from Remedy's previous games, as you now have a far more developed progression system than the simplistic skill-point system of Quantum Break. The looter aspects of the game can be either fun or annoying depending on your position on loot in general. They add a lot of replayability and allow you to make your own builds and test them out, but this will also lead to more time spent on crafting in what is essentially a story-driven game. Nonetheless, I highly recommend the game to anyone who is into supernatural action games. It will not disappoint you.
I was on the fence about this one, but it actually turned out better than I had expected. The writing is exquisite, and almost all choices have a visible impact. They add up, and their consequences are tangible. My main criticism is that the story bogs down a bit toward the middle, going into detail about too many characters at once and diluting some of the mystery, and that it is a bit short. I don't think you can get more than 3 hours on a playthrough, but then again, since there are so many choices, the game really inspires you to have another go at it and see what could work differently. I would describe the narrative as a mix between neo-romantic themes (the very vivid personification of the forest), the expected mystery/thriller/horror sequences, and a backdrop of realistic drama about corruption, ecologism, tradition, and finding oneself. Overall, I heartily recommend it if you can come to terms with playing it several times. Otherwise, it might seem a bit short for the full price, but I would still recommend it on sale.
I've been hoping to see the Silent Hill PC ports come to GOG for a really long time. They had been on the community wishlist for so many years that I had almost given up hope that they would ever arrive here. Therefore, I was more than thrilled when I finally saw them arrive here. For a moment, I couldn't believe my eyes. "Silent Hill finally on a modern digital distribution platform? I must be dreaming!" As for this port, I am among the people who would have prefered a more modernized edition. I would have loved it if it had achievements, full modern controller support, and some intuitive default M/KB controls (even tho I admit that would've meant basically a new release altogether). Nonetheless, it is amazing as it is. It plays completely out of the box if you're playing with M/KB, but I would advise some control remapping, since the default ones are horrible. Other than that, however, it's DRM-free, has cloud saving, modern resolution support, and the FPS in the cutscenes has been fixed (along with the fact that, obviously, it installs perfectly fine on Windows 10). It's great to finally see Konami invest in bringing their classics to modern systems, and even though this has been said a million times in the other reviews as well, I would REALLY LOVE to see the other Silent Hill entries (particularly 2 and 3) on GOG as well. (Don't kill me if I say this, but I would also love some ports of Origins, Shattered Memories, and Downpour. I would totally pre-order them Day One. I know that others may disagree, but don't kill me please, I love y'all :D)
Honestly, this blew me away with its level of quality. It improves upon everything in the original and provides an amazing survival horror experience. Not only is the game extremely fun and full of interesting secrets and characters to discover, but it also offers a really compelling story that fuses manhwa motifs with micronarratives about trauma, loss, cultural memory, and redemption. The quality is exquisite, and every point shows the amount of care and attention to detail that the developers put into it. In the end, the entire lore becomes crystal clear if you collect all the notes, while the challenge of discovering all the secrets through backtracking is lots of fun. I'm honestly telling you: if you're a fan of horror or anime-style fiction, you will not regret buying this.
Since the game already has a lot of reviews, I will instead address some of the criticism pointed out in them. First of all, your choices DO matter because they change they way you interact with Delilah. That IS the story: the bond between two complete strangers that are workmates in a very unusual environment. The game is atmospheric and story-driven, so if you are not interested in getting immersed in this emotional bond, I agree that there is not that much to be found here. Therefore, I think many of the bad reviews simply come from misunderstanding what "shaping the narrative" means. In fact, I would almost go as far as to argue that, in terms of the interaction between the protagonist and Delilah, this game offers even more impactful choices than Telltale games. Secondly, despite the fact that it is short, there are all sorts of secrets hidden around. The biggest fun in the gameplay is simply trying to figure out where you are by reading the signs, checking your map all the time, and trying to read the environmental cues around you. Additionally, there is a neat little thing that you can take photos with an in-game camera that you can then pay for to be delivered to you irl in printed format (not sure if that feature is still available in 2020, but I still find the idea quite nice). I agree that the ending could have been better, but I don't think that's a valid argument to give the game such a low score. In conclusion, particularly given its price, Firewatch is an excellent atmospheric and story-driven, whose quality surpasses that of many games of its genre. Highly recommended!
I think few people can argue against the fact that this game has an absolutely gorgeous design. The story is equally great in its own turn: no text involved as far as I played, but the sheer experience of being put in the shoes of a kid faced with his worst nightmares (very recognizable monsters from children's stories) makes for a fresh and interesting narrative. Sadly, the gameplay is extremely problematic. First of all, the checkpoints are annoying af (I was pushed back 3 rooms at a certain point), as they are quite rare, forcing you to redo whole segments of the game because of a single mistake. Moreover, the controls are extremely annoying as well. Very often, though I knew what to do, I would fail because of pressing a key too much to the left or to the right (forcing me to restart the whole sequence, ofc). Not to mention that many puzzles are not that intuitive, which forced me to check online walkthroughs to progress. However, I do recommend it for its imaginative concept and design. But, be advised: you must be ready to get very annoyed if you want to get anywhere near finishing it (and no, I spent way more than 3 hours struggling with the clunky controls and messy checkpoints). P. S. If you can, play it with a controller. It seems to have been designed with this in mind, as they keyboard+mouse controls are even worse.
This game is by far one of the best horror games ever made. It has also gone down in history as the first game to have the physical interaction system better known to Amnesia, which has been adopted by so many games today. But this masterpiece is far, far more than that. Apart from an eerie atmosphere and puzzles which will actually force you to think, it also has an original and gripping story, which will linger in your mind years after you have finished it. Nothing can possibly describe this game's true worth, and words such as "excellent", "masterpiece", "extraordinary", can only give a hint as to what it actually represents, both as a game in itself and for its contribution to the gaming industry.
