November 2016 Archives

It's been over a year since we left Daniel and llehctiM in their quest, but now it finally continues, in The Splitting: Chapter 2, by Fireberry Studio. llehctiM advises Daniel to go to an asylum, where a small group of people who got split are living. This group might have seen Daniel's reflection, and might help him to find his mirrored twin. Will he manage to find his reflection? Stay tuned.

Sometimes you just need to get some time away from it all, and this soothing crafting role-playing game by Chibig is just the thing. One part Harvest Moon, one part The Little Prince, Deiland features a young prince who is the sole inhabitant of Deiland the Tiny, smallest of the outlying minor planets. Fortunately the land is great for mining, farming and lumber, enabling you to craft tools and buildings and upgrade them with improvements, cook, catch fish, learn recipes and craft them either for yourself or for the traders who occasionally stop by from time to time. Mun is a brave hunter of bugs who will often have just the right items you need, Lock is a kindly old man with plenty of potions and mixtures and an interest in any herbs or produce you happen to have, and Brram is an interstellar chef who buys and sells culinary masterpieces. While slightly briefer than most games in the genre, with its tranquil music and positive attitude Deiland is uncomplicated and interesting enough for young people while involved enough to keep adults interested. There's always something to do, and it's also just the thing for keeping the hands and eyes busy if you're the type to listen to lectures, radio plays or audiobooks in the background. When you do finish Deiland in about a week, be sure to check out its free sequel Ankora for Android and iOS, which is more advanced and features Mun the huntress crash landed on a much larger farmable planet.

Quick! If someone walks up to you and yells: Glitchhhhh Gamessssss what's the first thing that springs to mind, apart from thinking that that's a mighty odd way to start a conversation? If you're like many of us point-and-clickers, perhaps it's Forever Lost, that modern classic of a dark adventure trilogy.

But perhaps the second thing is, "But wait, odd person! After Forever Lost and its mini-spinoff Cabin Escape, they made A Short Tale, with its bright colors and almost alarmingly (if deceptively) cheerful tone. They were all great, but suddenly I can't stop thinking of puppies, rainbows, and talking toys, and I blame YOU."

Well, fine, Debbie Downer. Without further ado, I give you The Forgotten Room, which takes us right back to the vivid but gloomy first-person atmosphere of the FL series. This time you play as "paranormal investigator" John Murr, who's been called in to investigate the disappearance of 10-year-old Evelyn Bright, last seen playing a game of hide-and-seek with her beloved father.

While it's a bit shorter than the Forever Lost games, everything you like about Glitch remains intact there: the gorgeously rendered graphics, the clever puzzles, the occasional burst of cheeky humor, even the helpful camera interface that relieves you of the need to take lots of pesky notes.

What happened to Evelyn Bright, and on the assumption that it probably doesn't involve either puppies or rainbows, do you dare take the risk that it might happen to you as well? If so, dim the lights, put on some headphones, and go in search of The Forgotten Room.

Those of us old enough to remember the early 1990's (sadly, I do) may also remember playing the original Monkey Island series. At the time a heavily-pixelated Guybrush and Le Chuck were at the forefront of design and a list of controls on screen were praised as a flawless innovation in Adventure gaming. 25 years later thankfully the world of graphics has moved on and those images are a fond memory of what life used to be like, however Monkey Island's low-res animation appears to be coming back into fashion. Amongst many other games we've had The Last Door series and three installments of CGDC winner Deep Sleep, and now we have The Darkside Detective to get our teeth into.