HER STORY REVIEW

Wow.

That’s the first reaction I had when I ultimately saw the “ending” of Her Story, when I found out how the murder at the center of the story occurred. However, this was around the middle of my play through, and though for all intents and purposes I had “solved” the central mystery, there were still so many unanswered questions that I dove right back in.

Her Story is unlike any other game I have ever played before. I am probably going to use “game” in the loosest sense here. You’re not controlling a character, per se, but rather scavenging through a police database and viewing hundreds of video clips. In Her Story, you are investigating the murder of a man, and to do so you must watch footage of the same woman being interrogated at multiple points. The twist is, however, that the footage has been broken up into various clips of varying lengths, and these clips are not immediately available to you. Instead, you need to use the database’s search engine, using search terms to see if that gives you any sort of results.

The main mechanic of the game is searching through a police database.

That’s the beauty of Her Story. I guess the term “risk-and-reward” could be used here, but in the case of “risk”, the only “punishment” is being presented with zero clips. You start of with general terms, such as “kill”, or the name of the victim, to figure out the general details of the case. But then you hear something that piques your interest, and then you subsequently enter that term into the database, and hopefully, you will be rewarded with brand new clips, and with them, new details that had never previously crossed your mind. One issue, however, that I had with the game is how you can just throw any term into the search engine, and these out-of-nowhere terms can present you with previously unseen clips. It’s a minor complaint, sure, but it did take a bit of the fun out of using a small detail presented to you and using that further your investigation. 

Playing Her Story is what I would call going down a rabbit hole. Hearing one term can lead you to discovering other clips containing that term, and those clips may have another term that you look more into, and so on. By the end of my play through, I had entering specific terms, like objects and names of people, which I won’t list here due to them being spoilers. Believe me, you do not want to be spoiled about this game, as this is a game that lives on reveal upon reveal.

The story of Her Story is full of twists and turns that had me legitimately shocked, and I was completely engrossed the whole time. The non-linear story is what kept me engrossed the whole time, and the beauty of it is that while it is a narrative with a set ending, you craft the sequence of events, and one person playing may have a vital piece of information that another may not have even discovered yet.

Hannah (Viva Seifert) is the only face you'll see in the game.

I’ll say this now, Her Story is not a story about solving a murder. You’re not tasked with determining the guilt of the woman in question, that’s already happened. The goal of Her Story is to figure out why this murder occurred. This rests on the shoulders of Viva Seifert, who plays the woman in question, Hannah Smith, wife of the victim. Seifert is the only actor in this game, and as such, the game rests on her performance. And she absolutely nails it. The performance requires her to be both grounded and larger-than life, a performance that is both down-to-earth and larger-than-life. While the story is what kept me engaged, Seifert’s performance is what sold the story.

It’s been a few days since I finished Her Story, but I’m still thinking about it. It's been a long time since a game has gripped me so much. It's not a game that takes very long to play. In theory you could find the ending after a couple hours, but even then, really digging into the game's story took not much longer than that. Her Story is a special game, one that all gamers should play. Not only is it gripping, but it's also innovative. 

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I'm still thinking about Her Story, but thankfully I'm not tweeting about it, so you can go ahead and follow me on Twitter . Also don't forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel! 

VIRGINIA REVIEW

An experience unlike anything I've ever played before.

Virginia is a special game. It's a game I thought about after finishing, a game I'm still thinking about. A game that I will most likely come back to soon. But I also use the term "game" very, very loosely. You have very little control in this game, and it funnels you through its story. Despite the limited control, Virginia is one of, if not the most cinematic game I've ever experienced. It's a brief experience, and one that may not be for everyone, but if you're a fan of games like Gone Home, Firewatch, and the like, I highly, highly recommend this game. 

Anne Tarver

Virginia puts you in the shoes of rookie FBI Agent Anne Tarver, a rookie who is put on the case of a missing boy in a small Virginia town. You are paired with veteran agent Maria Halperin. The fact that Halperin's office being down in a grungy basement, along with you being assigned by Internal Affairs to keep an eye on her, immediately makes you wonder what exactly Halperin did to become so suspicious in the eyes of her superiors. Halperin isn't exactly thrilled to be paired up with your young upstart, doing things such as leaving you with the bill after morning coffee, but the developing relationship between the two is one of the highlights of Virginia.

Both the missing person case and your relationships drive Virginia's story

I'm far from the first to make this comparison, but Virginia is very much in the vein of Twin Peaks. FBI agent investigates in a small town, only to discover a much larger conspiracy. One scene in particular almost directly harkens to Twin Peaks, featuring a torch singer. Now, Virginia doesn't go as in-depth into the psyche of the town and its people as Twin Peaks does, but instead it focuses on what lies behind the surface of the FBI and its agents. I loved learning the secrets our two main heroines hid beneath the surface. Why Anne is plagued with nightmares involving her graduation, and what is the deal with the mysterious woman on Maria's locket? These are answers that are slowly revealed in the course of Virginia's under two hour story. 

This is maybe a bit of a tired comparison, but of any game I played, Virginia very much felt like an interactive movie. This is mostly due to the sweeping score, performed by the Prague Philarhomic Orchestra. The score added another layer of emotion to this tale, and appropriately aligned with what was currently going on in the game. Virginia most definitely has one of the best scores in any game I've played. 

The fact that Virginia lets you connect so easily to its main characters, and makes you so invested in their backstories, is incredible considering that this is a game with no dialogue, written or spoken. This isn't even a case of environmental storytelling, either, this is a narrative-driven game with no words spoken. Surprisingly, the story and development excels, despite the "limitation". There were some parts where some parts were I was a bit confused about what was going on, but these weren't major issues, and I eventually figured out what was happening. I even think that these somewhat ambiguous parts were intentional, and the game seems to encourage repeat playthroughs. 

However, the game, to me at least, falls apart during its last act (the game is divided by days of the week). The combination of the lack of dialogue, plus many things happening at once, made it almost impossible for me to follow. Again, I figured out what happened, but it was just way too much going on for one to comprehend it fully. 

This game is one of the most surreal I've played

The bigger problem was the lack of interactivity. The goal of the game is to go through this concrete story. It's a brief experience, taking me just under two hours to complete. However, for a game about solving a mystery, there was very little exploration. There are some points where you are given a bigger areas to explore, but even then, you are given a specific location to go, and no other room to find other pathways. Other times you are driven down a specific path, and sometimes the location cuts while to another mid-walk. I'm not complaining about being guided through a story, as I adore The Last of Us, but in that game, you are still given large areas to explore despite the point of The Last of Us is to experience one specific narrative. It's a shame, because the painterly world of Virginia is gorgeous. 

 I really, really loved Virginia. To be fair, this is not a game for everyone. The absence of dialogue, in addition to the relative lack of control in the game, will probably be a turn-off for some. It's a game that encourages multiple playthroughs, from its brief playtime to being able to select chapters to play from the menu. Virginia is a special game, and if it even sparks your interest, play it.

REVIEW - "OXENFREE"

Of all the games I've played recently, Oxenfree has been one of the best when it comes to atmosphere. Wandering around Edwards Island was extremely engaging and unsettling. It also has some of the best character work and interactions I've seen in a game, which while not exactly realistic, worked for the world of the game. The biggest issue holding this game back is its pacing, but despite this, Oxenfree is something special.

The game is often very creepy and unssettling

Oxenfree casts you as Alex, a girl who is approaching a crossroads at her life. We've all been there; approaching graduation, unsure of what do to do with our lives. Alex has also recently had tragedy in her life, which has also had an impact on other people in her life. The game begins with Alex, her friend Ren, and new stepbrother Jonas going to Edwards Island, an abandoned island, where they plan to meet some others to have a party. Turns out the only other people there are fellow students Nona and Clarissa, who doesn't like Alex especially. You later find out why, and that adds another layer to the relationships between these characters.

Dialogue choices affect your relationships with the characters

The characters and their relationships are what help make this game stand out. As the game progresses, more and more layers of these characters are revealed, deepening your connection to them. The dialogue isn't the most fluid and realistic, but the voice performances are so good that it fit perfectly in this world. Early in the story, I found Ren to be quite irritating, and I tended to side with other characters during the game, and that came back to haunt me. The character I connected with the most was Jonas, who was my first companion during the game. Because of this, I decided to go on my whole journey with Jonas, and two people who were almost strangers slowly became siblings.

One of the best mechanics of the game is that there are no true cut scenes. Conversations and dialogue choices are made while walking from one location to another, which helped keep the game's flow going. And I'm glad I never lost control, as I was completely enthralled with the world of this game. The game slowly became more and more unsettling, and by the end of the game it became a full-on horror game. I just wish the pacing of the game were better.

Oxenfree involves a lot of walking

Now, I know I said that the lack of cut scenes helped keep the flow, but that doesn't mean it didn't mean the game's pacing was consistent. In fact, there were many points where the game started to drag. You see, the only form of transportation in this game is walking, and there are no quick-travel points. So that means you have to walk to every point in this game, and many times it involves walking through many locations before getting to your destination. Now, the conversations mentioned earlier do help, but many times these end before you get there, meaning it's just you walking in silence to your next location.

This criticism also applies to the game's mechanics, or rather, mechanic. There's only one real mechanic in this game, and that's the radio that Alex has on hand. The radio is used in everything, from unlocking doors to closing supernatural rifts. This becomes a bit monotonous, as all you do is reach a location, open your radio, and cycle through it until you reach the one station that happens to be the solution to that specific problem. This problem is amplified when you get an upgrade to your radio later in the game, which has even more stations to choose from. Now, this isn't something that ruins the game, but it is most glaring issue in what is otherwise an amazing game.

Oxenfree isn't perfect, but it's so far my favorite game of the year. The narrative, character development, performances, and environment all come together to create one of the most memorable experiences I've had in a long time. I was engaged and connected with the characters all throughout, and I cared so much that I thought carefully about which dialogue options I chose, lest I run the risk of ruining my relationships with the others. The mystery at the center of the story is something I actively wanted to get to the bottom of, and the atmosphere was effectively unsettling. The game's pacing issues unfortunately bring the game down, and it has the unfortunate problem of monotony, but at the center of it all it's an engaging and heartfelt story about growing up and dealing with all the problems that occurs along with it.

REVIEW - "ABZU"

If you think about it, the ocean is pretty scary. I'm sure you already know that we've only discovered about 5% of the earth's waters. When you think about it, it's amazing that there have been so few games actually taking place underwater and capitalizing on it's mysteries. You've got Flow, Endless Ocean, everybody's favorite Echo the Dolphin (which is amazing just for the absurdity of its story, but I digress), and a few others, but nothing particularly noteworthy (and no, I'm not counting Bioshock here, because even though it does take place underwater, that's hardly the focal point of it). Enter Abzu.

Riding the sea life was one of my favorite features of Abzu

Abzu takes place underwater, but the focus of this game isn't how scary the ocean is, but how much of it is there to discover, and how awe-inspiring it can be. There's no combat, no supplies, and no sort of health or time limit to worry about. The emphasis is on exploring this unknown section of our planet, and the game encourages you to take the time to do so, and discover some hidden objects, like enabling a whole new species of fish to roam around. However, this is not an open world game. It is very much a linearly progressed story, though each level encourages extra exploration.

There are many instances where you'll find yourself surrounded by fish

The most striking thing about Abzu to me was its visuals. The cell-shaded visuals are vibrant and colorful, and immediately make this game stand out.  The only time I really experienced any framerate issues was instances when the screen was filled with fish. Besides that, the game always ran smoothly. The controls are also surprisingly fluid, especially in comparison to other underwater controls. I don't know if I would call them "natural", however, but navigating Abzu's underwater world was some of the best underwater movement I've ever felt.

I've never felted more relaxed while playing a game, at least in recent memory. With no enemies or health to speak of, the game just wants you to explore and appreciate its world, and the ocean truly does feel like its own world. Each section of the game feels distinct from the other, with not only each area looking different, but each area has its own set of life as well. One of the coolest, and most relaxing features of the game, was the meditation feature. Each area includes a shark statue, where you can sit and literally meditate for as long as you want. When you meditate, you follow a certain species as they do their thing in the water, and can switch between the available ones. I spent a good amount of time just sitting and scrolling through the different fish, and seeing what they were up to.

Abzu includes many awe-inspiring moments

My biggest problem with Abzu was its story, or lack thereof one. Now, that's not to say there isn't a story, but it's so abstract that I couldn't follow along with most of it. I'm all for abstract storytelling, though. Case in point: 2013's Journey, which Abzu is very clearly inspired by, (the main force behind this game, Matt Nava, worked on Journey, natch) featured quite the abstract story, but it was told in such a way that it was very easy to follow along with. Abzu does has its moments; I got legitimately emotional during one scene, and it does have some surprises in store, but for me, the story was one of the weakest aspects.

Abzu isn't a perfect game, but it's a damn memorable one. It's probably not for everyone, though, but for those who can appreciate a game with no real objective other than exploration, Abzu highly recommended. If you want a game to just relax with, look no further than here.

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I'm as terrified as the ocean as I am completely fascinated by it. If you are too, you should follow me on Twitter!

REVIEW - "LIGHTS OUT"

Warning: slight spoilers follow

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Horror is a very difficult genre to master. Besides comedy, it may be the hardest genre to be successful in. To genuinely scare your audience, and to have it feel natural and in service of the story, isn't easy. The last few years has been fairly interesting with regards to horror; along with the usual sub-par remakes and many films assuming gore = horror,  there have been some great horror films, like The Witch, It Follows, and The Conjuring, among others. Lights Out, from director David F. Sandberg and producer James Wan (The Conjuring, Insidious) is really none of these things. It's probably not going to be going to be remembered as a masterpiece in the horror genre, but it isn't a complete disaster of a film, either. It's a perfectly good horror film, one with many positive elements.

The film, based on a 2013 short film of the same name, centers around Rebecca (Teresa Palmer), a young woman who is estranged from her mother, Sophie (Maria Bello). You find out that Sophie has been previously diagnosed with depression, but that isn't what drove the women apart. Rather, it was something else, something more sinister. Sophie has an "imaginary friend" or sorts named Diana. But instead of it being merely being a product of Sophie's mental illness, it is in fact a malicious entity, one that can only function in darkness. Rebecca's half-brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) begins encountering Diana, causing him trouble in school, leading Rebecca to re-enter her family's life. You soon discover that Rebecca has had encounters with Diana herself, and that she may in fact be responsible for the disappearance of Rebecca's father. (You see Martin's father, and Sophie's husband being killed by Diana, unnamed at this point, at the beginning of the film.)

The film is a little over an hour and twenty minutes, though it didn't felt like that at all when I watched it. The film just flew by, and the pacing was very good. The film didn't bother to drag on any one detail for too long, and the film just seemed to go from one plot point to the next, though in a way that felt very natural.

Gabriel Bateman, Teresa Palmer, and Alexander DiPersia in Lights Out

The cast in this film were all spot-on, with Bello effectively playing a woman who deeply cares for her family, but also knows she can't fully be there for them. She acts towards Diana as a close friend, though there is always a little bit of tension every time she brings her up. Palmer also shines as Rebecca, a girl who still loves her mother, but is too overwhelmed to be able to fully become close to her again. The relationship between the two is fantastic; the estrangement, but obvious love, between the two adds an extra layer of tension in a film already filled with it. Alexander DiPersia also does his best with the limited role he has, playing the role of an unconventionally supportive boyfriend.

As the main antagonist is something that is only powerful in darkness, the film uses a lot of minimalist horror, which I loved. I'm of the opinion that horror is at it's best when you can't see what the menace is, as that only adds to the tension. For much of the film you don't see Diana, as she is hanging in the dark. I'm not a big fan of the "jump scare-athon" that so many horror films have become, as the the impact of them is lessened the more they happen. The film does not completely avoid them, they are not the main focus of the horror. Rather, especially near the end, the film relies much more on an increasing sense of tension.

Maria Bello in Lights Out

The film does get pretty heavy-handed in its themes, especially towards the end of the film. This culminates in a ending that amounts to what was a very bad metaphor for depression. Many may not find this to be a problem, but many others will, and have, find it to be fairly tasteless, and as was said earlier, heavy-handed. Now, this doesn't detract from the film as a whole, as it's still a very enjoyable horror film, but it is a glaring sore spot.

All in all though, Lights Out is a very enjoyable horror film, and rarely more than that. It won't be remembered as one of the all-time greats, but it is a well-made film, and a surprisingly very good debut from Sandberg. Lights Out may not be a masterpiece, but with a debut as strong as this, one of his next films may very well be.

REVIEW - "LIMBO"

Limbo's a game that's been out for a while now, on virtually every system, and is one of the most critically-acclaimed games of the last few years. I just finished my first playthough recently, and somehow, have learned almost nothing about the game in the years following its release. Therefore, I decided it would be a perfect game to review, as I had no real pre-conceived notions of the game; just that it's supposed to be very good.

Note: The version played for this review was played on the Playstation 3.

Warning: Spoilers for a game released 6 years ago follow.

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Limbo is a deceptively simple game. If you just looked at screenshots and videos of it, it would appear that you would get everything the game has to offer; a platformer with a monochromatic color scheme. However, once you play the game, you realize it's so much more than that.

Limbo doesn't offer much in the story department. Once you start the game, you're just dropped in the middle of this world. You play as a young boy in the middle of the forest. You're not given any instructions or context, and therefore you just continue on. The world slowly becomes more and more hellish, with various obstacles in your path, may of whom are lethal. You have no one to help you in this world, and the brief glimmers of hope are sparse. You're all alone, and you have to rely on your wits to survive.

NOPE

While the game has many platforming elements, Limbo is much more of a puzzle game. This isn't a Mario platformer you'll be playing. Jumps are short and floaty, and most times when crossing a gap you'll just barely make the edge. You have no way of directly killing those that oppose you, so you have to be creative. And the game is creative. The puzzles in this game are all just great. They're quite inventive, and while many in a certain area share similar elements, no puzzles are quite the same. Take a puzzle from relatively early on in the game, for example. While running through the forest, you come across a giant spider, just waiting in the trees. Try to approach it, and it strikes with one of its legs, with the goal of impaling you. Before you reach the spider, you notice a bear trap sitting on a branch. Obviously the trap is necessary to get through, but how do you get the trap in the first place? The answer is quite brilliant, honestly. While avoiding getting struck, walk close enough to the spider to let it slam its leg onto the ground. Do this a few more times, and the trap will fall, where you will have to repeat the same process, this time with the bear trap positioned so the spider's leg will get caught in it.

This game is hauntingly beautiful

This puzzle is pretty indicative of the game as a whole. This ins't a very difficult game, but it's not an easy one, either. It requires a lot of thinking, and many puzzles take some time to get through. This game doesn't spell out how to solve the puzzles, but the elements to solve it will be laid out, and once you figure out how it all comes together, it's a real "a-ha!" moment. I may have gotten a little frustrated a few times while playing it, but it never caused me to quit, and I it consequently ended in a "duh!" from me. I don't know if I would necessarily use the term "trial-and-error" to describe the game, as that generally implicates a negative tone, but I did die a lot. So if you somehow haven't played this game before, be prepared to die a lot.

This game is gorgeous. While the graphics certainly look nice, it's the art direction for me that I remember most. The monochromatic look is just so striking, it is one of the most visually distinct games I've played. The game also makes an amazing use of depth of field. With things in the background and foreground having less focus than your protagonist and the world he interacts with. This game also uses light beautifully. With the (few) shines of light just standing out from everything else. It may not have the best graphics in a video game, but it's certainly one of the prettiest games I've played. And this is a game from 2010!

This game really makes you think

I do have one minor complaint, and though it's noted above, be warned that this paragraph will include mild spoilers. There's these slug-like things that periodically show up in the game, and land on your head. When they do, they control you body, forcing you to move in one direction without your input. The only things you can do is control the speed at which you're moving, and jump. The direction can only be changed only by touching a light source, and only a certain creature can remove them for you. I was alright when it first happened, but it started to irritate me a bit when it happened again, especially at a crucial point in the game. I can get why they included it when they did, but it just felt cheap to me, and a way to just prolong the game.

Besides that, I don't have much other complaints; some minor quibbles, but nothing major enough to note in this review. Limbo's a short game, taking me about a few hours to finish (note: I did not play in one sitting, due to time circumstances), but it's a rewarding one. I thought the ending was very powerful (even though the last puzzle of the game may have been the hardest for me to get through). The fact that this was developer Playdead's first game is mind-boggling. A studio's first outing being this polished is almost unheard of, but they just nailed this game. With only one game, Playdead has established themselves as a studio to watch, and if every game they make is as memorable as Limbo, that I can't wait to see what else they have in store.