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A Noob’s [Mini] Review – Sea of Thieves

Ahoy, me hearties! The sea is calling.

Do you ever dream about sailing away, off into the sunset where there lies promise of sun, adventure, treasure and grog? If that sounds appealing then do I have the game for you. Sure, there may be the odd storm. A ghost ship or two. The occasional battle for your ship, lives and everything you have ever owned and loved against the fearsome, monstrous creatures of the deep. But it’s not just the party that makes the pirate, and when you’re approaching an outpost ready to cash in your haul, singing shanty’s of the sea into the dead of night, you will tell tales of previous voyages, laugh, and look forward to the next.

Sea of Thieves is an online multiplayer game in which you and up to three friends captain a ship. From there, the world really is your oyster. The game provides you with a huge sandbox world, full of random events. If you would like a fight then it is up to you to stock up your ship and seek out active forts, sea battles, or even other players. If you would prefer a calmer experience then you can instead find treasure maps, using the tools and clues provided to seek out the island you need. You can also become a merchant, follow story quests, or even just pick a direction and set sail, seeing what you find along the way.

What makes Sea of Thieves special is its core mechanics. Sailing a ship requires teamwork. Correctly navigating without incident and adapting when needed is always satisfying. The sea feels like a real sea and there is a learning curve to understand how the boat moves, all adding to the immersion. You will become as familiar with your compass and maps as you will with your sword and cannons. Not to mention, the stylised art style of the game offers an impressive beauty in all weathers, at all times of day.

The overall structure of the game creates an ever changing pace which makes no two sessions alike. The travel adds a downtime that is all the more appreciated after surviving three near disasters in a row, and all the more elevated when your ship is full of treasure and you have no idea what is in the water below, or over the horizon ahead.

Developer: Rare
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Release date: 20th March 2018
Available on: PC and Xbox (One, Series X/S, Game Pass)

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Let’s Play – Citizen Sleeper

Citizen Sleeper is a game inspired by tabletop RPGs. Set in deep space, we play as a sleeper – a human consciousness uploaded into a robot frame. Escaping a life of corporate slavery, we find ourselves on a space station full of outcasts and misfits, all just trying to get by. Though helping others, we can help ourselves in our mission of survival. But what even is it to live? That, ultimately, is up to us.

Join me in a journey of wonder, perspective and community. My complete full playthrough is available now, including the DLC!

Full playlist available on Youtube!

Game Service Roundup – April 2023

Hey everyone! This is a round up of the games entering and leaving a variety of Game Services throughout the month, as well as free game giveaways that have been available throughout.

I like to try to keep track of what is coming and going in the world of game subscriptions but it is hard to find a singular place that does that, so I thought I would give it a go myself. I am going to trial it for a couple of months and see how it feels, whether I would like to add things and so on. Having it all in one place means that you can scroll to see if anything catches your eye, or you can Ctrl+F to whichever service it is that interests you.

Disclaimer: Sometimes dates aren’t announced and surprises are thrown in. I will do my best to make sure the information is as accurate as possible!

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s subscription service for PlayStation consoles. The service is split into three tiers. ‘Essential’, ‘Extra’ and ‘Premium’.

PS Plus Essential

‘PlayStation Plus Essential’ is the cheapest tier. This is the tier that is closest to what PS Plus used to be. When you are subscribed, you get access to playing games online and instant access to the PS Plus collection*. Additionally, Essential offers 3 monthly games**. If you claim them during that month then they are yours to play for as long as you have a PS Plus Essential subscription. If you drop your subscription then you will lose access, but they will still be on your account ready for the next time you subscribe. The monthly games get revealed on the final Wednesday of every month. They are then made available to add to your library and play on the first Tuesday, replacing the previous months games. The games offered occasionally vary by region.
* PS5 Only.
** Occasionally there will be more or less.

⚠ The PS Plus Collection ends on May 9th. If you have any tier of PS Plus and a PS5 then make sure to add the games to your library before it’s too late. As far as I can see, they have taken all traces of the collection from the PlayStation website already so you may have to manually search for each game. Please do take a look because there are many worthwhile games on there.
Here is a list of the games that you need to add to your library before May if you haven’t already –

April PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 4th April 2023 – Monday 1st May 2023

Meet Your Maker (PS5/PS4)
Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5/PS4)
Tails of Iron (PS5/PS4)

May PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 2nd May 2023

Chivalry 2 (PS5/PS4)
Code Vein (PS4/PS4)
Descenders (PS4)

PS Plus Extra/Premium

‘PlayStation Plus Extra’ and ‘PlayStation Plus Premium’ are the next two tiers of PS Plus above Essential. They include everything that you get with Essential plus other benefits.
PlayStation Plus Extra – Extra is the middle tier and allows you access to a catalogue of games, available to play on your console. New games get added to the service part way through each month and stay for an unknown amount of time. Games also leave regularly and it isn’t always communicated well so it is worth checking when you are deciding what to play.
PlayStation Plus Premium – Premium is the most expensive tier. As well as giving you access to the Extra catalogue, it also has it’s own benefits. There is an extended catalogue available as Premium also includes ‘Classics’ – a seperate collection of games from older generations. In addition, game trials and cloud streaming are some more benefits to this tier.
You can find a full breakdown of the benefits here.

April 2023 PS Plus Extra Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 18th

Bassmaster Fishing (PS5/PS4)
Doom Eternal (PS5/PS4)
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS5/PS4)
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (PS5/PS4)
Paradise Killer (PS5/PS4)
Riders Republic (PS5/PS4)
Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5/PS4)
Anodyne (PS4) (4th April)
The Evil Within (PS4)
Slay the Spire (PS4)
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (PS4)
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (PS4)

April 2023 PS Plus Premium Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 18th

Doom (PS4)
Doom II (PS4)
Doom 64 (PS4)
Doom 3 (PS4)
Dishonoured: Definitive Edition (PS4)

Games that left PS Plus Extra/Premium in April 2023

2Dark
428: Shibuya Scramble (EU Only)
Croixleur Sigma
Gabbuchi
Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
Steins;Gate Elite (EU Only)
The Caligula Effect: Overdose
The Wonderful 101: Remastered
Zanki Zero: Last Beginning (EU Only)

Games leaving PS Plus Extra/Premium in May 2023 | Dates may vary

Balan Wonderland
Batman: Return to Arkham – Arkham Asylum
Batman: Return to Arkham – Arkham City
Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon EVERY BUDDY!
Chronos: Before the Ashes
Deadlight: Director’s Cut
Dreamfall Chapters
FlatOut 4: Total Insanity
Graveyard Keeper
Homefront: The Revolution
How to Survive: Storm Warning Edition
Injustice 2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Kona
Last Day of June
Left Alive
Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7
Marvel’s Spider-Man
Metro: Last Light Redux
Mighty No. 9
MX vs ATV All Out
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Pixel Piracy
Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered
Relicta
Resident Evil
Shenmue III trophies
Star Ocean: First Departure R
This War of Mine: The Little Ones
Tour De France 2021
TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2
Virginia
Windbound

Game Pass is Microsoft’s game subscription service. It is split into three different types. ‘PC’, ‘Console’, and ‘Ultimate’. I will currently only be covering ‘Game Pass for PC’.

Game Pass For PC

Game Pass for PC and for Console are seperate subscriptions but are very similar, they just work on different machines. They have their own slightly different catalogues but function the same. Game Pass grants you access to a library of games on your platform of choice. They are then available for you to play as for as long as you have a subscription or as long as they are on the service.
Game Pass Ultimate combines the two, allowing your account access to the service on both PC and Console, along with more perks including XBOX Live Gold.
You can find a full breakdown of the differences here.

April 2023 Game Pass for PC Additions

Goat Simulator
Loop Hero
Ghostwire: Tokyo
Minecraft Legends
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly
Homestead Arcana
Cassette Beasts
Quantum Break
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
The Last Cast of Benedict Fox
Besiege
Redfall
Mass Effect 2 (2010 Edition)
Mass Effect 3 (2012 Edition)

May 2023 Announced Game Pass for PC Additions | Available from various dates

Thursday 4th May – Ravenlok
Thursday 11th May – Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2
Thursday 25th May – Railway Empire 2

Games that left Game Pass for PC in April 2023

Saturday 1st April – Cluster Truck
Saturday 1st April – Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
Saturday 1st April – Kracken Academy
Saturday 1st April – A Memoir Blue
Saturday 1st April – Chinatown Detective Agency
Sunday 16th April – The Riftbreaker
Sunday 16th April – Panzer Corps 2
Sunday 16th April – The Long Dark
Sunday 16th April – Life is Strange: True Colors
Sunday 16th April – The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos
Sunday 16th April – Moonglow Bay
Sunday 16th April – Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction

Games leaving Game Pass for PC in May 2023 | 1st & 16th of the Month

Monday 1st May – Tetris Effect: Connected
Monday 1st May – Dragon Quest Builders 2
Monday 1st May – Destroy All Humans!
Monday 1st May – Unsouled
Monday 1st May – Bugsnax
Tuesday 16th May – Umurangi Generation
Tuesday 16th May – My Friend Pedro
Tuesday 16th May – Before We Leave
Tuesday 16th May – Hearts of Iron IV
Tuesday 16th May – Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition
Tuesday 16th May – Her Story

A lot of people do not realise that included in an Amazon Prime subscription is access to Prime Gaming. Not only does this get you a free subscription to a streamer of your choice on Twitch, they also give away free weekly games and other perks. The difference with this service is that often the games are for different launchers. Some are for Amazon Games, but they also give codes for Epic Games, GOG and more. The best part? As far as I can tell – you get to continue playing the games you have claimed after your subscription has ended.
You can claim your games here.

Amazon Prime Games | April 2023 | Weekly on Thursdays

Thursday 6th April – Wolfenstein: The New Order (GOG)
Thursday 6th April – Ninja Commando (Amazon Games)
Thursday 6th April – Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior (Amazon Games)
Thursday 13th April – The Beast Inside (GOG)
Thursday 13th April – Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition (Amazon Games)
Thursday 13th April – Crossed Swords (Amazon Games)
Thursday 13th April – Ghost Pilots (Amazon Games)
Thursday 20th April – Beholder 2 (Amazon Games)
Thursday 20th April – Terraformers (Amazon Games)
Thursday 20th April – Metal Slug 4 (Amazon Games)
Thursday 20th April – Ninja Masters (Amazon Games)
Thursday 27th April – Looking for Aliens (Legacy Games)
Thursday 27th April – Grime (Amazon Games)
Thursday 27th April – Sengoku (Amazon Games)
Thursday 27th April – Magician Lord (Amazon Games)

Amazon Prime Games | Announced for May 2023

Thursday 4th May – Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D
Thursday 4th May – Super Sidekicks
Thursday 4th May – Samurai Shodown IV
Thursday 11th May – Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition
Thursday 11th May – Lake
Thursday 11th May – Robo Army
Thursday 11th May – Last Resort
Thursday 18th May – Kardboard Kings
Thursday 18th May – The Almost Gone
Thursday 18th May – 3 Count Bout
Thursday 18th May – Alpha Mission 2
Thursday 25th May – Lila’s Sky Ark
Thursday 25th May – Agatha Knife
Thursday 25th May – King of the Monsters 2
Thursday 25th May – Kizuna Encounter

Ever since its inception, the Epic Game Store has offered free games to all. All you need is an account. Every Thursday at 4pm UTC at least one title will be set to ‘free’ and next weeks game/s will be revealed. All you have to do is log in and add it to your library while it is free if you would like to play it in the future. If you miss the window then there is nothing that you can do but you have a whole week to do it. Unlike the services above, you do not need a subscription to claim these games.
You can check out the Epic Game Store here.

Free Epic Games | April 2023 | Must claim in the timeframe

The Silent Age (March 30th – April 6th)
Shapez (April 6th – April 13th)
Dying Light Enhanced Edition (April 6th – April 13th)
Mordhau (April 13th – April 20th)
Second Extinction (April 13th – April 20th)
Beyond Blue (April 20th – April 27th)
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) (April 20th – April 27th)
Breathedge (April 27th – May 4th)
Poker Club (April 27th – May 4th)

Free Epic Games | Announced for May 2023*

Against All Odds (May 4th – May 11th)
Horizon Chase Turbo (May 4th – May 11th)
Kao the Kangaroo (May 4th – May 11th)
The Sims 4 Daring Lifestyle Bundle (May 11th – May 18th)

*These games are announced one week in advance so you will need to check on the Epic Store weekly if you don’t want to miss out. Alternatively, I do always try to post them in my discord server.

I may add new sections as I go but for now, this section is for any other give-aways or notable deals that I come across in the given month. Most of these will have been and gone already but it is interesting to see what games have been given.

GOG Giveaways | April 2023

Under the Moon

Steam Giveaways | April 2023

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock

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A Noob’s [Mini] Review – Astro’s Playroom

Pure joy in a Video Game.

Astro’s Playroom may seem like a strange game to spotlight due to the nature of its release. This is a game that arrived with the PS5 and came pre-installed on all consoles. Because of this, anyone could be forgiven for thinking that it is just a tech demo or tutorial that isn’t worth the time. Thankfully, I would like to let everyone know with great enthusiasm that this couldn’t be further from the truth. While it does do a great job of showing off the features of the DualSense controller, it definitely manages to stand on its own two feet as a full fledged – albeit short – game.

At first glance the game may seem like it is for children due to its cute characters and colourful settings. This is accurate to an extent – it can be enjoyable for all ages – but the true genius of the design is that the parents can have even more fun than the kids. Especially if they have any history at all with PlayStation.

The concept is that this game takes place inside of your console and every time you power it up, this is the magic that is happening within. It is a giant party. We take control of a robot named Astro, making our way through wonderful and bold levels based on different components, such as the ‘SSD Speedway’ and the ‘GPU Jungle’. It is a 3D platformer so your job is to explore, hop, skip, jump, roll, glide and fly your way to your objective, avoiding and/or dealing with obstacles, taking in your environment and collecting everything you can find.

The more that you look around, the more you will get from this game as you notice all of the attention to detail. Every level is full to the brim with references of famous scenes from many different games, providing delight around every corner. Every environment that you enter is built from technology parts in ways that you would not expect. Every area makes use of a unique mechanic, showing off the potential of the haptic feedback in the controller. At the end of each section, you will be rewarded with a nostalgia that – if you are anything like me – could bring a tear to your eye. On top of that, the sound track is fantastic and completes the atmosphere perfectly.

Unfortunately, the only way to play this one is on the PS5. But, if you do have a PS5 then that means that you already own the game and it is absolutely worth the few hours it takes to play through it. It is like the most fun, interactive, joyful museum that you could ever go to, celebrating PlayStation’s past, present and future.

Developer: Team Asobi
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: 12th November 2020
Average play time: 4 hours
Available on: PlayStation 5

If you would like to see my live playthrough, here it is!

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Secarral Snaps

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure.

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A Noob’s [Mini] Review – SOMA

If you play one horror game in your life, I believe it should be this one.

Explaining in too much detail why you should play SOMA runs the risk of ruining the reason that you should play SOMA, but I am going to give it a shot.

SOMA is a narrative experience like no other I have ever had. While it isn’t gameplay heavy, it is a classic example of a story thats impact is amplified due to the medium and the player input that brings.

In this game we play as Simon Jarrett, an ordinary young man who has suffered the misfortune of a brain injury. Taking part in some experimental treatment, Simon arrives to get his brain scan but it does not go as expected. As he comes to, it rapidly becomes clear that all is not how it seems.

This is a game of linear exploration. From a first person perspective, we guide Simon through an ordeal, moving forward through circumstances that are horrifying on a spectrum from deeply personal, to unfathomable.

If you are a person that does not enjoy playing horror games for reasons like jump scares, intensity and/or gore (like me), then all is not lost. While the atmosphere is indeed spooky, the most worthwhile aspects of the game come from the themes and events that can stay on your mind for weeks, as opposed to a cheap scare. To account for these people, the developers added a ‘Safe Mode’. This is how I played and it prevents any lose state, allowing you to be confident that you won’t lose any progress while you explore the environment (which I highly recommend doing to get all of the context).

SOMA is not a pleasant experience. It is haunting, dark and bleak. But, it is up there with the most thoughtful games I have ever played and I think about it on at least a monthly basis. It presents the player with choices that have no easy answer and deals with existentialism among other topics in very interesting ways. It is the only horror game that I would encourage anyone unsure to try to look past the genre, and if you are a horror fan? Turn off the lights, get fully immersed and enjoy.

Developer: Frictional Games
Publisher: Frictional Games
Release date: 22nd September 2015
Average play time: 10 hours
Available on: PC, PlayStation (4, 5) and Xbox (One, Series X/S, Game Pass)

If you would like to see my live playthrough, here it is!

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Game Service Roundup – March 2023

Hey everyone! This is a round up of the games entering and leaving a variety of Game Services throughout the month, as well as free game giveaways that have been available throughout.

Disclaimer: Sometimes dates aren’t announced and surprises are thrown in. I will do my best to make sure the information is as accurate as possible!

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s subscription service for PlayStation consoles. The service is split into three tiers. ‘Essential’, ‘Extra’ and ‘Premium’.

PS Plus Essential

⚠ The PS Plus Collection ends in May. If you have any tier of PS Plus and a PS5 then make sure to add the games to your library before it’s too late. As far as I can see, they have taken all traces of the collection from the PlayStation website already so you may have to manually search for each game. Please do take a look because there are many worthwhile games on there.
Here is a list of the games that you need to add to your library before May if you haven’t already –

March PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 7th March 2023 – Monday 3rd April 2023

Battlefield 2042 (PS5/PS4)
Code Vein (PS4)
Minecraft Dungeons (PS4)

April PS Plus Essential Games | Available to claim from Tuesday 4th April 2023

Meet Your Maker (PS5/PS4)
Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5/PS4)
Tails of Iron (PS5/PS4)

PS Plus Extra/Premium

March 2023 PS Plus Extra Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 21st

Ghostwire: Tokyo (PS5)
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5)
Haven (PS5/PS4)
Immortals: Fenyx Rising (PS5/PS4)
Life is Strange: True Colors (PS5/PS4)
Tchia (PS5/PS4)
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction (PS5/PS4)
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS4)
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4)
Life is Strange 2 (PS4)
NEO: The World Ends With Us (PS4)
RAGE 2 (PS4)
Street Fighter V: Champion Edition (PS4)
Untitled Goose Game (PS4)

March 2023 PS Plus Premium Game Additions | Available from Tuesday 21st

Ridge Racer Type 4 (PS1)
Ape Escape 2 (PSP)
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (PSP)

Games that left PS Plus Extra/Premium in March 2023

WWE 2K22
Danger Zone
Dungeons
Ghost of a Tale
Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5
Override 2: Super Mech League
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Velocibox
Victor Vran Overkill Edition

Games leaving PS Plus Extra/Premium in April 2023 | Dates Vary

2Dark
428: Shibuya Scramble (EU Only)
Croixleur Sigma
Gabbuchi
Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
Steins;Gate Elite (EU Only)
The Caligula Effect: Overdose
The Wonderful 101: Remastered
Zanki Zero: Last Beginning (EU Only)

Game Pass is Microsoft’s game subscription service. It is split into three different types. ‘PC’, ‘Console’, and ‘Ultimate’. I will currently only be covering ‘Game Pass for PC’.

Game Pass For PC

March 2023 Game Pass for PC Additions

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Guilty Gear -Strive-
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom – The Prince’s Edition
Infinite Guitars

April 2023 Announced Game Pass for PC Additions | Available from various dates

Tuesday 4th April – Goat Simulator
Tuesday 4th April – Loop Hero
Wednesday 12th April – Ghostwire: Tokyo
Tuesday 18th April – Minecraft Legends
Thursday 20th April – Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly

Games that left Game Pass for PC in March 2023

Wednesday 1st March – Alien: Isolation
Wednesday 1st March – Crown Trick
Wednesday 1st March – Dragon Ball FighterZ
Wednesday 1st March – FAR: Changing Tides
Wednesday 1st March – Lightning Returns: FFXIII
Wednesday 1st March – Madden NFL 21
Wednesday 1st March – Octopath Traveler
Thursday 16th March – Goat Simulator
Thursday 16th March – Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
Thursday 16th March – Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Thursday 16th March – Paradise Killer
Thursday 16th March – Undertale
Thursday 16th March – Young Souls
Thursday 16th March – Zero Escape: The Nonary Games

Games leaving Game Pass for PC in April 2023 | 1st & 16th of the Month

Saturday 1st April – Cluster Truck
Saturday 1st April – Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
Saturday 1st April – Kracken Academy
Saturday 1st April – A Memoir Blue
Saturday 1st April – Chinatown Detective Agency
Sunday 16th April – The Riftbreaker
Sunday 16th April – Panzer Corps 2
Sunday 16th April – The Long Dark
Sunday 16th April – Life is Strange: True Colors
Sunday 16th April – The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos
Sunday 16th April – Moonglow Bay
Sunday 16th April – Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction

Amazon Prime Games | March 2023 | Weekly on Thursdays

Thursday 2nd March – Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition (Amazon Games)
Thursday 9th March – Adios (Amazon Games)
Thursday 9th March – I Am Fish (Amazon Games)
Thursday 16th March – Faraway 3: Arctic Escape (Amazon Games)
Thursday 23rd March – Book of Demons (Amazon Games)
Thursday 23rd March – Peaky Blinders: Mastermind (Amazon Games)
Thursday 30th March – City Legends: Trapped in Mirror – Collector’s Edition (Legacy Games)

Amazon Prime Games | Announced for April 2023

Thursday 6th April – Wolfenstein: The New Order
Thursday 6th April – Ninja Commando
Thursday 6th April – Art of Fighting 3
Thursday 13th April – The Beast Inside
Thursday 13th April – Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
Thursday 13th April – Crossed Swords
Thursday 13th April – Ghost Pilots
Thursday 20th April – Beholder 2
Thursday 20th April – Terraformers
Thursday 20th April – Metal Slug 4
Thursday 20th April – Ninja Masters
Thursday 27th April – Looking for Aliens
Thursday 27th April – Grime
Thursday 27th April – Sengoku
Thursday 27th April – Magician Lord

Free Epic Games | March 2023 | Must claim in the timeframe

Duskers (February 23rd – March 2nd)
Rise of Industry (March 2nd – March 9th)
Call of the Sea (March 9th – March 16th)
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War (March 16th – March 23rd)
Chess Ultra (March 23rd – March 30th)
World of Warships – Starter Pack: Ishizuchi (March 23rh – March 30th)
Tunche (March 30th – April 6th)
The Silent Age (March 30th – April 6th)

Free Epic Games | Announced for April 2023*

Blazing Sails (April 6th – April 13th)
Dying Light Enhanced Edition (April 6th – April 13th)

*These games are announced one week in advance so you will need to check on the Epic Store weekly if you don’t want to miss out. Alternatively, I do always try to post them in my discord server.

GOG Giveaways | March 2023

Lorelai
Neurodeck: Psychological Deckbuilder
Deep Sky Derelicts

Steam Giveaways | March 2023

Figment

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A Noob’s [Mini] Review – Return of the Obra Dinn

A grim, old timey, maritime delight.

Do you enjoy logic puzzles? Have you ever solved the clues, filled in the grid then sat back and smiled as satisfaction washed over you? If so, then Return of the Obra Dinn could be the game for you.

Not for the faint of heart, Return of the Obra Dinn is a sprawling interactive logic puzzle, set on the ill-fated ship – the Obra Dinn – in the early 1800’s.

In this game you play as an insurance inspector, tasked with deducing what exactly happened on what is now a ghost ship that has recently drifted back to Falmouth. As you explore the grisly scenes that took place onboard and the tragedy unfolds before you, it is up to you to piece together who is who and what fate befell each of them. Armed with a crew roster, portrait, and a mystical stop watch, you will enter scenes of time past. Using your observational skills and wit, you will gather the clues available to identify all 60 souls.

This game is a triumph of not only detective work, but atmosphere. The old timey maritime aesthetic is complimented by nostalgic graphics – a subtly fantastic design choice simultaneously shielding players from the finer details of brutal scenes while also allowing the player to fill in the gaps of the horrors they are witnessing. The phenomenal sound design paired with the fitting sound track will haunt you in the best possible way, bringing the still scenes that you are inspecting to life. Every scene is filled to the brim with detail, things you may not notice at first but can lead to eureka moments down the line. Finally, the none linear nature of the game structure allows for fantastic storytelling, remaining full of surprises all of the way through.

If this has piqued your interest then I recommend that you don’t read any more about this game and instead jump straight in, knowing that you have a harrowing yet fascinating journey ahead. Also, when you bear in mind that this game was developed by the genius mind that is solo developer Lucas Pope, you may feel as much disbelief as I did that such a feat can be achieved by one individual.

Developer: Lucas Pope
Publisher: 3909
Release date: 18th October 2018
Average play time: 6 hours
Available on: PC, PlayStation (4, 5), Xbox (One, Series X/S) and Nintendo Switch

If you would like to see my live playthrough, here it is!

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A Noob’s Review – Pupperazzi

Based on what I had seen of Pupperazzi, this game wasn’t high up on my ‘to play’ priority list. I thought it was going to be a ‘meme’ game and not much more. I am very happy to report how wrong I was about that. This game is an absolute delight through and through. I expected a rough experience that would be fun for an hour, but instead it provided multiple sandboxes of endearing, silly (in a great way), exciting, shenanigans and says ‘go wild’. And wild I went.

+ Atmosphere

The atmosphere in this game is unironically electrifying. The summer vibes instantly swept over me and there was no where else I would rather be. In every direction something weird or wonderful was happening and the energy of everything going on around me was in turn feeding me and my shutter finger.

– Bugs

I was so charmed by the rest of the game that I almost forget that I got some serious bugs. I almost quit in the second area because I thought my game was completely broken. It crashed and when I came back, it had kept my ‘follower’ and ‘item’ progress, but it set me back to the beginning with requests, right back to the tutorial. Thankfully I could speed through them, but then the third time I loaded in the game all of my items were gone. Once again, thankfully I could recollect them, but it was touch and go for being game breaking for me, which would have been a travesty. I am not sure how common these issues are, but being scared to quit the game for fear your progress will be lost is always a bummer, providing a background, gnawing anxiety that I must finish the game in this session.

+/- Jank

Sometimes the photos don’t register the ‘things’ that is in the picture you took, be it a particular breed, a number of dogs, a background element etc. I have read some frustrations from others online that couldn’t complete requests because of this finickiness. Thankfully that was not my experience. Instead, it created some fantastic comedy moments, which is why I give it a ‘+/-‘ rather than a negative. If you are going completionist then it could also be problematic because it is all about taking photos of all of the different breeds and behaviours. By the time I had finished all of the story requests my Puppypedia was pretty much full so it didn’t get in the way for me fortunately.

+ Stylistic Choices

The way the dogs move is hilarious. The lack of animation in their body is perfect. It isn’t something that I thought I would like, but when you enter an environment full of these goofy dogs, you can’t help but smile. Considering they are stiff as literal boards, they still have so much personality. Their faces and responses are animated giving them a lot of character, and each breed is instantly recognisable.

When you get photo requests from clients, each dog and/or thing that you talk to have their own little Disco Elysium style character portraits. This is another touch that didn’t have to be there but gave me a chuckle when I saw them. As much as I laugh at how silly the game is, it can also be beautiful. The art style provides for some beautiful backdrops, particularly the sunsets. It would be easy to see 5 seconds of footage and think that the lack of animation is ‘lazy’, but I disagree. It only takes playing the game for 10 minutes to feel the joy that the creators have distributed throughout so many different areas. Even the player character is an unexpected but light hearted surprise.

+ The Randomisation

The levels feature a specific kind of randomness. There are dogs in different scenareos and doing different things, but the breed that you get in each of those slots is random everytime you load up the level. The fact that the dog breeds are randomised means for more unique photo opportunities between players. Sometimes it can feel like you have hit a jackpot, having specific breeds for specific moments. Other times, loading back into the level can inspire a shot that you didn’t even consider before. This was a great decision to bring even more joy to a game already filled with it. It allows for a kind of spontaneity that you couldn’t manufacture any other way.

+ The Gameplay

This is a photography game that is actually about the photography. You arent going to be learning to use a DSLR or taking photo of the year, but everything in the gameplay loops back to it. The game is structured around taking photography requests in different areas. Doing so earns you money that you can spend on lenses, filters and other items to increase the tools available to you, allowing you to take more of a variety of photos. Exploring the environment will net you new toys, which you can then use to provide new interactions and yet more photo opportunities. A few other games feature a camera as a way of gathering collectibles, but it is often a means to an end. A way of cataloguing things as opposed to getting creative with the photos. This was the first of it’s type that really made me excited about taking good pictures, by giving me everything I needed to play. The only thing I wish was that film wasn’t also tied to that progression. On one hand, only having limited photo slots forced me to not go overboard and keep them organised. On the other, I would have enjoyed the freedom of snapping away as much as I desired.

+ Using the Camera

I really like how easy it is to jump into the camera. Right click to open camera, left click for photo, mouse wheel for zoom, wasd to move and tab for menu. Nice and simple. If you need to open the menu right as you have got a shot lined up (for example to change your filter or lens) you can do it easily and the action freezes perfectly. You can view the scene while altering your settings and it is exactly how you left it, ready and waiting for you to close the menu to get your shot. I was very grateful for the pause as I would have missed many opportunities and it would have put me off using the filters if it wasn’t so easy.

+ The Extra Things

There are some fun surprises in the game. I am not going to spoil what they are but I appreciated the additions. The final level that I unlocked was the first level at a different time of day, and despite spending a lot of time there, when I went back there was something new that made me smile. They can be small details but they make the game feel complete.

One of my goals this year is to properly learn to use my camera. This game has genuinely made me more excited for this. I have tried having photoshoots like this with dogs in real life in the past, and I am so ready to try it again.

I want to express how sorry I am for judging a book by it’s cover, but I already feel forgiven by the warm love that I felt from all of the wonderful doggos on my screen. If you enjoy dogs, taking pictures, summer vibes, silliness and/or charm, then I recommend giving this one a go. A bite-size delight.

+ Atmosphere

– Bugs

+/- Jank

+ Stylistic Choices

+ The Randomisation

+ The Gameplay

+ Using the Camera

+ The Extra Things

If you would like to see more images check out posts Hot Diggity Dog and Gone to the Dogs in my Game Photography section!

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