Darkwood is a top-down survival horror game, ok but what more? The game is weird, a lot. It's dark, it's awful, unforgiven and it make the player be in a state of tension, astonishment, discovery and not knowing very well what are seeing. In the survival section we find things like crafting, use components, place barricades, traps... but it is not necessary to eat, drink or sleep, something wich is habitual in this kind of games. The game has a "basic" mechanic: during the day the player has to explore, find resources, talk to whoever it finds, scavenge for supplies, it must to prepare itself (but you can die here too, the danger is everywhere)... because at night, it will be better to be safe ... because the darkness holds horrible surprises. The game has an utterly dark plot, very lovecraftian. It's weird and twist, made up of shifting perspectives, sometimes the player will not know what just happened, but it will have happened and you will have participated in one way or another. Has three different difficulties, one of it is permadeath. The game doesn't led you by the hand in any moment, it's unforgiving like i said. It knows how to use the sounds, the music, to maintain a constant pulse between fear and paranoia. Staying self locked in a room, and hear how the adjoining door it is opening... the game played all those elements better than other "main" games about survival/terror. There some events that just happens when you do not expect them and everything change and become bizarre. You can upgrade your character, trade with another characters, and other things that probably can imagine, but better don't reveal all the surprises. You can use melee and fire weapons to defend yourself too. It a mix, a good one, between Subterrain (the core game is practically the same), the paranoia and mysterious plot of Sunless Sea (of course without the astounding and smart writing of that one). If you like the kind of game with an interesting and weird plot, survival kind, with extreme difficulty, and you like the view and visual style you can see in the pictures, I recommend the game.
I will start by saying that I have not played any of the previous games, in fact I know the franchise with this one. The thing is that this analysis is based exclusively on this game and I do not make any comparison with the previous games. The game consists of 3 campaigns, well I prefer to see it as a single campaign from three different points of view, because each campaign consists of only 7 missions, you can play the Allied, the Russians and the Reich. The game has online mode and the classic skirmishes (very limited, only four maps in this moment, five, if you preordered the game). The game allows you to customize the interface and every indicator you can see on the screen what I think is pretty cool. Visually the game is a delight, the visual style achieved with Unity (very in the line of Pillars of Eternity) makes the scenarios look beautiful while transmitting that sadness of the situation, and it have a certain tonality of that time, like old. The level of detail is amazing, the particles after an explosion, the bodies, the marks of wheels on the ground, the vegetation that sinks when being trampled, the lights of the vehicles at night, the rain... I really would like a higher zoom level, both, to zoom in and out, especially to zoom in. The climate is dynamic and can change during operations. In the same way a mission can begin at night and end with the dazzling sun. (I saw this in a walkthrough, I'm not go that further on the campaign of course). The sound effects are great too and you can select the language of the troops, being able to establish the native for each army And sas a "typical" soundtrack, beautiful and epic. The game only has two difficulties (easy and normal) maybe later you can unlock one more. Due to different doctrines and challenges the game presents replayability. As a curiosity, when you overcome a mission, you will unlock real recordings about that mission. Much of the game's strategy is similar to that seen in recent games such as Company of Heroes 2, there are a number of commanders (three per faction) that allows you to select different advantages over the course of operations. During the game,the good positioning of the troops, look for cover, and wait for the exact moment to attack are necesary. Prepare ambushes is is vital, and the possibility of hiding your troops in the woods is simply awesome. The different units have some abilities, like granades, open the hatch for greater vision in the tanks, build bridges... The game is more slow than CoH2 for example, where in the end everything becomes chaotic and too fast (although not a bad thing). Here you must meditate well every time, and for this, there is the tactical pause (optional), for those who want that everything be precise and exact. I recommend the game, the best RTS of World War II since CoH2, but it stays a little far.
Talk about Senua's Sacrifice is to talk about a different way to make a game. This game backtrack to another time, when the studios made games just like a form of art, not following the mainstream, not pursuing the money, not doing copies of a copies of copies... this is a unique game, the care they put on it is astonishing, is an original game, an experience, you may like it or not, but it's undeniable the fact that today is difficult to find game like this. Because the game try to be innovative, take risks, make decisions that others do not take, plays with the rhythm, with the conventions on videogames... Like I said the things can go wrong at the end, or all the opposite way, but when you see the effort, the passion, the good intentions they put in here... you can feel disappointed in one way, but you cannot feels cheated or mad with the studio. Now about the game itself, the game is not for everyone, it's a weird game, a mix between an exploration/walking simulator game an a fighting game. The game is more "simpler" than usual, but that's part of its charming, you don't need to level up in every game if it isn't an rpg, but now almost every game do that without sense. It's not neccesary to craft items just because it's mandatory today, or collect every item on the environment just because yes. Here you will not do any of that, you just walk. You will only walk, surrounded by voices and a deep narrative, surrounded by a surprisingly beautiful environment, and suffocatingly oppressive. You will simply walk and when the time comes you will face imposing enemies and bosses. There are puzzles that you will have to solve in order to continue advancing, so, in short: Walk, fight, resolve puzzles, this is the basic mechanics, until now, Maybe there's some surprise later. The story are very rich and deep, it's interesting and the plot really catch you from the very beginning. The game can contain some disturbing material, because it's too phycological deepens in the fears and mental illness. The combat style is similar to that in Wild Hunt, more simplier, but you can get an idea of how it's works. In this game the sound is far very important, it's highly recommend to play it with a good pair of headphones. It use binaural sounds, and surround sounds. The music and effects are outstanding. The sound really lead the plot. Graphically it's awesome and it is very polished and well optimized. This is a game you play for the story, for the experience of playing it, the emotions and feelings that it gives off. If you like the kind of game that are original and focus in a good story and the way it is narrated, this game is a jewel. If you only want a combat game, you probably will be dissapointed.
For where to begins, Outlast 2 is a good game, is more of the same, there's not new mechanics or abilities (ok, now you can hide on barrels for example but that's the same) in general lines the game is just equal than the first Outlast but with a new plot and scenary. Overall I like the game but it's not that good, the first one is way better. Where the first one shined this one is more generic. For example in Outlast there's like three "bosses" who haunt you, here's only one and is so dull and feels forced like "we need to put something there whatever the cost". In the first one, you need to hid many times, feels the tension while the enemies are lurking for you, feels claustrophobia. The enviromet was so menacing and spooky and the story... You would never expect that ending. But in Outlast 2 I never hid, literally, I just ran and everything was ok, the enemies are just stupid, the scenario (for me at least) is not that scary or frightening, is so opened that you don't feel pressure and sometimes is just too, TOO, exagerated that causes to laught (many dead bodies in sites without sense like wtf?). The story is not that good, it's hard to follow and the things you catch is like "ok, generic", sometimes you don't even know for where to go because you don't see nothing, and not in a good and scary way, but in the frustrating way. And while I was expecting some horrible and disturbing things... there aren't, the game is so much soft than the first Outlast (and if you compare it with Whistleblower dlc is more soft yet). Where the game stands out is at certain times in which tells another story, moments of terror much more psychological, definitely my favorite parts. The game is good but it's not a real improvement from the first, is more of the same but with less interest. I recommed it if you like this kind of games and definitely if you like Outlast, just keep in mind that is not brilliant.
Gonner is a game like no other, you just needs to see a image of it to find that out. It's a tough roguelike, a mix of platformer with shooter and permadeath. (It reminds me Super Meat Boy but with guns). A procedurally-generated 2D world whre you find strange creatures and a fantastic level design. Weird music absolutely outstanding and a visual art awesome, never seen before. The characters are adorable and creepy and the same time. The control is very smooth and intuitive. And there are differents items and guns to make differents combinations. The game is hard, a lot, but has tons of fun, they could called it "prepare to die edition". Without no doubt, this is a great game, very fun and challenging. I recommend it to anyone who likes platformer and hard games.
A being with an intellect will strive to understand itself, learn about themselves, be itself. will make questions, will look for answer, but not knowing what or where to look... usually destroys that very thing it seek. SOMA is an ambitious, cerebral and well crafted sci-fi horror-adventure, something much more meaningful buried underwater, beneath the oceans. Complex and dark, the detailed world, marvelous background design (visually it's amazing) tension and oppressive atmosphere, the pulsating music, creepy and solid sound effects, great voice acting, smarter writing and well designed, disconcerting ambiguity, a frightening journey into the mysterious depths and the self-be. Everything will get under your skin... stuck in your mind. It's not about a game, a scare, a history, the horror... it's beyond that, it's about the importance of consciousness and essence of humanity.
