Author: CtrlAltNoob

Grunn – Demo Impressions

Who gardens at night anyway? ⁿᵒᵗ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿʸᵐᵒʳᵉ

Grunn

Developer:
Sokpop Collective,
Tom van den Boogaart

Release Date:
4 October 2024

A gardener gets hired for maintenance work over the weekend. A simple task, but strangely some tools are missing…The owner of the garden isn’t around, and their house is off-limits. Perhaps new tools can be found in the mysterious town, or maybe some of the reserved townsfolk have seen them?

Grunn mixes together a type of game that I love with a type of game that I hate. Together, they become a genius concoction that I absolutely don’t want to play despite REALLY wanting to play. Let me explain.

I love a task simulator. Give me games like Powerwash Sim, House Flipper or similar and I can play them all day, getting myself into that hyper fixated state of ‘just one more task’. The entire idea of this genre – in my opinion – is to allow for a flow state, zoning out of your everyday life, keeping your hands busy and your dopamine bar full. No thinking, only doing. As soon as I begun cutting the grass in this slightly overgrown garden I instantly fell into this zone, my safe zone, forgetting any uncanny feelings I may have had prior. What a perfect zone to get someone in before intruding, pulling the rug and making their hair stand on edge.

In Grunn, we are hired to do some gardening. We are left some instructions, a deadline, and that is all you get as you are let loose into this sandbox of oddities. I am not going to spoil in which way this is a horror game, you will have to play yourself for that, but I will say that at one point I did squeal. Once you notice something strange, you may notice something else, until the things you are noticing are probably nothing at all. Or.. If you are like me you will just get on with the job you were hired to do, happily snip-snip-snipping away without a care in the world. Once you realise, however, that things don’t quite seem ordinary, the dread creeps in and the real game begins.

You have been placed into a playground and the world is yours to explore, experiment and tidy up.. or not. Every action you take, object you find or information you obtain will lead you to the next, adding to your knowledge banks ready to take action somewhere down the line. The game takes place with a running clock, which means you only have limited time to do what you need to do, and there is far more to do than you could achieve before the deadline. The time pressure looms as you make your choice on what you pursue. I recommend a notebook as you find yourself zipping around, following clues without context and discover leads that you may want to follow up on.

I found the games unique aesthetic to be a little jarring at first. The generally soft colour palette draws you into the initial ‘cozy’ atmosphere, but it never feels perfect as what can only be described as a surreal wobble obfuscates your environment. This can be turned off in the settings but I quickly got used to it, preferring to keep it on as a scapegoat for any potential peripheral movement that should not be, that I would rather deny happened.

The demo contains 5 endings, with the full game presumably adding many more. In my playtime I found 2, neither of which being the true ending of the demo. While I had ideas of more things to try, I decided to wait for the full game to puzzle it out. Maybe then, I will finally dare to stay out after dark.

If you enjoy weird and wonderful, subversions and curiosity, I recommend giving this one a go. Something is going on here, and it is NOT wholesome.

Demo Length – 1+ Hours
At a glance
+ All in on the surreal aesthetic that can so easily turn creepy.
+ Tasks feel good to do and complete.
+ Freedom/No handholding.
+ So weird.
+ Multiple endings feel achievable in a game this length and densely packed.
+ Non-traditional puzzle game.
+ Contrasts cozy ideas with less cozy moments.

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Phalanx – The Thirteenth Colossus

Shadow of the Colossus.

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Pelagia – The Twelfth Colossus

Shadow of the Colossus.

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Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop – Demo Impressions

Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Fast is panic. Oops, let me repair that for you. Repeat.

Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop

Developer: Beard Envy

Release Date: November 2024

Come on down to Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop, for all your roguelite spaceship repair simulation needs!

WARNING: Untested genre not suitable for people with tentacles for arms or an aversion to dying horrifically. Side effects include improved reading comprehension under pressure and a furry fetish.

Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop is a roguelite puzzle game that is built around minigames. We have been soulbound tasked to run the local Rocket Shop, and not only do passers by need their ships fixing to the highest standard for you know, safety, we have rent to pay and the better job we do, the more sweet sweet space cash we earn.

This is a game about problem solving, following instructions and being strategic where it matters. In focused mode you can take your time, meticulously getting to know the machines you are repairing and the components within. In frantic mode, the more jobs that you get done within a certain timeframe, the more money you earn. Personally, I enjoyed the idea of frantic mode, feeling reminiscent of games like Among Us, Tin Can, Keep Talking and No One Explodes and Papers, Please. However, for me, focused mode was the way to go, feeling more akin to House Flipper or a building flat pack furniture situation, allowing me to take my time, dig deep into the detailed and amusing instruction manual, and still somehow manage to do something wrong.

Not only does the gameplay have a high concentration yet flow state inducing element to it, the entire design is great. Everything is simple enough and clear to read, while also being very distinct and colourful. Everything you click on is responsive and makes visual changes that communicate to the player clearly. The design of the different aliens arriving at the shop and the vehicles in tow are creative and fun, the dialogue is funny, the random events that occur always made me smirk and I continued to be surprised at the new things occurring each run.

The game has run based progression that is erased when you die/lose, as well as a classic meta progression system that ticks over with you onto your next run. Dialogue and scenareos are slightly altered each run, adding more elements and allowing forward momentum as you get more familiar with the loop. It is the type of game where familiarity is going to help you improve equally as much as the upgrades.

The attention to detail is fantastic, the game play is silky smooth and my time with the demo was an absolute joy. I am going to be keeping an eye on this one for sure.

Demo Length – 2+ Hours
At a glance
+ High concentration yet flow state gameplay.
+ Funny.
+ Polished.
+ Two key options for gameplay offer different experiences.
+ Keeps on giving.
+ The roguelite aspects feel seamless.

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Celosia – The Eleventh Colossus

Shadow of the Colossus.

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The Dark Pictures Anthology: Season 1 – Shared Story Mode – Ranked

The Dark Pictures Anthology offer a rare and unique experience. I find the series as a whole to be underrated, not for their narrative or quality, but because they created Shared Story Mode.

Shared Story is a game mode that I don’t see talked about very often but feels revolutionary in the realm of narrative co-op gaming. Admittedly this is potentially a niche that couldn’t actually quantify a realm, but is the audience really that small? or do they just not realise the super interesting and fun play experience that this unique mode can provide.

So, Shared Story Mode is the ability to play these game via online co-op. This differs to the couch co-op option, because rather than passing the controller, you will each be playing different characters at the same time. Sometimes you will be in the same scene, exploring together and talking to characters – sometimes on either side of the same conversation, picking up clues and discussing the story. Other times, you will split up, taking charge of different characters in their own scenes, sometimes completely separate and sometimes affecting each others experience.

There is no right or wrong way to play this, but I believe the best way is to play with a friend that has similar values to you (e.g. explores a similar amount, investment in story, same intentions for characters etc) in a voice chat. When you’re characters are exploring together, you are free to chat away, but as soon as you are alone then you both mute yourselves, in a pact not to talk again until your characters have reunited (if they are so lucky). At that point, you can tell each other about what you did, what you found and what you learned. 

Now, I am not saying Shared Story is THE definitive way to play. There are pros and cons. For example, in Shared Story you accept from the start that you aren’t personally going to get to play/see every scene. This is probably the biggest factor against playing this way. This also means that you may miss out on some context as you won’t get to see all of the clues that your parner saw, and therefore can’t make your own complete theories. Depending on your situation you may be rushing, unsure what your partner is doing and whether they are waiting for you. However, the game does a really good job of accounting for that.

While some of the edits can be a little janky, I am always impressed with how they manage to seamlessly tie the two playthroughs together. You never end up stuck waiting around, not knowing what to do. Also, in our experience, the gameplay is divided well, ensuring that both parties each get to play some key scenes. There are even some moments that you wouldn’t see in single player mode as you can only ever have one point of view. It is always fun to have the potential unpredictability that a friend can bring to a simple conversation between two characters, and it is always funny when it goes wrong.

Without further ado, here is my ranked list of Season 1 of The Dark Pictures Anthology, based on my Shared Story experiences.

4. House of Ashes [2021]

At the close of the Iraq War, Special Forces hunting for weapons of mass destruction unearth something far deadlier – a buried Sumerian temple containing a nest of unearthly creatures. To survive the night below, they must forge a brotherhood with their enemies from the world above.

House of Ashes seems to be quite widely regarded as the best of the bunch but for whatever reason, that was not my experience. The issue? I cannot remember most of what happened in this game. The intro was strong, and I remember something happening at the end. Other than that? I have no idea. I cannot decide which is more damning, a bad impression, or no impression at all.

3. Little Hope [2020]

Trapped and isolated in the abandoned town of Little Hope, 4 college students and their teacher must escape the nightmarish apparitions that relentlessly pursue them through an impenetrable fog.

Little Hope is one of the games that I have the most conflicted opinion on in my entire games catalogue. It should be number one on this list, easily. The time spent playing this game, getting to know the characters, making connections, having the wildest theories and being excited by the potential, all washes away because of one thing that I cannot specify without spoiling the game.

I was so into what this game was doing. The non-linear storytelling is surprisingly fun to experience as a duo and the intrigue surpassed the horror, urging us to discover every clue that we could possibly find. The entire experience was such a thrill and delight, and while my buddy Hajda did not have the same turning point as I did, I was so disappointed that 20 minutes of the game managed to colour the rest of my entire experience.

2. The Devil in Me [2022]

A group of documentary film makers receive a mysterious call inviting them to a modern-day replica of serial killer H.H. Holmes ‘Murder Castle’. But on arrival they soon discover they’re being watched, and even manipulated, and suddenly there is much more at stake than just their ratings…

The Devil in Me is the one out of all of the games that has the premise that interests me the most. The trailer gave very saw-esque vibes and that is the flavour of horror that I grew up with. I was disappointed to see upon release that the general reception was ‘meh’ at best. However this did lower my expectations enough to be thoroughly impressed with the time that I had.

I loved (and hated) walking around this claustrophobic, dingy, vintage environment, not knowing what was going to be around every corner. I loved that we were a documentary film crew, a classic but perfect reason to go to opt into traveling to a murder island. I loved the mysteries and isolation. This is the game that suffered the most from not being able to view all of the clues, as there were a lot of names and dates that got lost in communication. However, the experience of the story within the moment was a fun one, and I don’t think I could have handled this hotel alone.

1. Man of Medan [2019]

The Dark Pictures Anthology is a series of stand-alone, branching cinematic horror games that can also be played online with a friend. In Man of Medan, five friends set sail on a holiday diving trip that soon changes into something much more sinister.

Man of Medan – the first of the bunch – remains my favourite, not because I didn’t enjoy the others, but because the premise of the game lent itself so perfectly to the shared experience. Once again, it is difficult to express the particulars for spoiler reasons, but trust me when I say that if you are still blind on the series and are interested in Shared Story mode, try it out for this one at least.

The truth is, even the bottom of my list offered a super fun time with my friend where we got to discover a story in a way that no other game offers. Shared Story Mode – despite its flaws – is a gem of an experience and I really hope that Supermassive manage to succeed in their Season 2 goals. The only other studios that I can think of that play within in this space are Hazelight (A Way Out/It Takes Two), using the narrative but using a lot of split screen, and Total Mayhem Games (We Were Here) which is much further into the puzzle genre.

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Tiny Bookshop – Demo Impressions

Resisting the urge to buy a trailer and a bunch of books irl as we speak.

Tiny Bookshop

Developer: Neoludic games

Release Date: To be announced

Leave everything behind and open a tiny bookshop by the sea in this cozy narrative management game. Stock your tiny bookshop with different books and items, set up shop in scenic locations, and run your cozy second-hand bookshop while getting to know the locals.

Tiny Bookshop is a cozy management sim about running your own portable bookshop from a trailer on the back of your car. I can’t express how pleased I was that the peaceful atmosphere was complimented by engaging systems, allowing me to live a fantasy that I never knew I had.

The game is not heavy on the management systems, or at least not from my time in the demo. This, in my opinion, is a good choice, allowing the player to fully absorb into the relaxing vibes. I didn’t feel the need to min-max everything, optimising my shelves in an attempt to wring my customers dry. Instead, experimentation felt key in these early stages.

On a daily basis you are able to manage your inventory, decor and location in order to sell as many books as you can in the most aethetically pleasing way posible. The books that you place on your shelves determine the chance that a customer will find a book that they like in the given genre they are looking for. If they successfully find one, they will continue looking, picking up books until they find no more that they like. While this is of course RNG, it feels so clever and realistic to the shopping experience. Sometimes you will go into a shop with something in mind and nothing speaks to you, or sometimes, you will find way more than you expected. Throughout the day as your shelves get depleted, it will naturally be less likely that your customer will find the book that they are after, but there is still always a chance.

Although it is RNG, we can affect the outcome somewhat with the choices we make and it still feels very nice when you succeed. In my case, one lady picked up 10 books. That was 10 coin flips in a row, except luckier as the 50% chance got lower every single purchase.

If the pleasing aethetic and breezy management wasn’t enough, there are more mechanics to the game. Visiting different locations is essential to build up your knowledge of the area. Meeting people will give you leads on new areas and events in the town. Reading the paper will allow you to buy more books as your stock runs dry, as well as decorations. I love the inclusion of the paper, not only as it narratively makes a lot of sense but it is also, on purpose or not, makes the game even more ‘feel good’ by being an eco-friendly business. 

Finally, every book you have on your shelf is an actual book, written in real life. Chances are, you have read some of them. One fun way that the game plays with this is that throughout the day, customers will ask you for recommendations. They will tell you a genre, mood, preference, or specific things that they want or don’t want from a book. Then, it is up to you to scour your shelves, reading the descriptions to find a good match. Of course once you sell the book it is gone, so if you think that you have the perfect match for some one, you ought to hope no one has snatched it up in the meantime.

I went into the Tiny Bookshop demo expecting a pleasant way to pass half an hour but I got a lot more than I expected. It is an instant wishlist from me while I look up the price of trailers and have a peak at Facebook Market Place for book bundles, contemplating a pivot to a travelling librarian.

Demo Length – 30 mins
At a glance
+ More to this game than I expected, while not being too complicated.
+ Aesthetically pleasing.
+ Lo-fi vibes.
+ Especially fun for book lovers.
+ Recycling.
+ Bookshop fashion.

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Spilled! – Demo Impressions

The waters are clear as we clear the waterways.

Spilled!

Developer: Lente

Release Date: Coming soon

Clean up ocean waste in this relaxing & satisfying cozy game! Recycle, earn coins, upgrade your boat, repeat! Explore and clean up new areas with more waste and new challenges!

Spilled! is a breezy 10-15 minute demo that I recommend checking out if you enjoy flow-state, meditative games.

Upon booting up the game I was greeted with a very wholesome screen with a small amount of information about the developer. They are creating this game after leaving school to follow their dream, living from their savings while living on a boat! I honestly would love if more indie games would do this as I immediatly felt more of a connection knowing the story behind the game. This isn’t the entire reason for the recommendation of course. The game is zen, therapeutic and ran smooth as can be.

In Spilled! we take control of a boat, driving around clearing spillages and plastics polluting the water around us. The more that we collect, we can cash it in to buy upgrades for our boat, allowing more efficiency in our cleansing operation. The more that we clear the waters of the litter, the clearer they get in colour, giving us the real time effect of the efforts we are making and we can collect wildlife along the way.

Lente the developer, is very transparent about the goals of her project. This isn’t going to be a long game, but it is clearly made with love and I hope that the game sells well when it gets a release, allowing her to move onto further projects!

Demo Length – 10-15 minutes
At a glance
+ A meditative experience.
+ Very pleasing on the eye.
+ Cleaning rather than fishing fits the wholesome feel.
+ A solo developer with an interesting story.
+/- It is going to be a short game.

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A Noob’s [Mini] Review – Death Trick: Double Blind

Time is a balancing act.

Death Trick: Double Blind is a detective visual novel. And it is a very good one. There has been a murder at the travelling circus and it is their last day in the area. We have until the conclusion of their big show tonight to solve it and it is up to us to use our time wisely.

This game was satisfying on both a narrative and mechanical level, the game-play providing a fantastic spin on the genre while the characters played a large part in populating this colourful world.

In Death Trick, we play as dual protagonists. A private detective hired to investigate the case, and a magician, here to ensure that the show goes on. Through both of these characters we get to know the cast of the circus from both an outsiders perspective and within.

The game is played in hourly blocks. First, we play as the magician, behind the scenes of the circus getting ready for our big performance. We are under cover as the famed murder victim herself, meaning that not only do we have to work to be accepted by our peers but we must avoid public areas to keep our performance a surprise. Then, we play the same hour as our down on his luck detective, re-orienting himself after a nasty black-out. As an outsider, we are not allowed into the behind the scenes sections, catching the entertainers for a word in the public areas between their performances.

Conversations are made using Action Points. Every hour they refill, and it is up to us how we use them. As we chat to different characters we gain topics and evidence that we can then question them about. Each question takes up an action point so you really want to take care to ask the questions that matter. Scouring environments for clues and calling out contradictions also use points. You can’t talk to everyone about everything, so a huge part of the game play is prioritising your questions, deciding whether you want to chase up every lead immediatly, or get to know a character in ways which may or may not get you closer to solving the mystery.

The circus setting is pleasing, the cast are colourful to say the least, the currency of points adds an angle of puzzle and the dialogue, as well as the mystery itself are well written, entertaining to read and easy enough to follow along. The music sets the scene, the art is evocative and does a good job visually presenting the characters personalities and styles alike.

I discovered two things playing this game. One is that I want more games set in a travelling circus. The other, is that I want many other games that follow this structure, set in their own weird and wonderful locations and telling their own fantastical stories with their own cast of characters. If any of this sounds appealing to you then I would urge you to give the game a go for yourself.

Developer: Misty Mountain Studio
Publisher: Neon Doctrine
Release date: 12 March 2024
Average Playtime: 7 1/2 hours
Available on: PC, Switch

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The Operator – Demo Impressions

I’ll be your newly hired guy in the chair. How can I help you today?

The Operator

Developer: Bureau 81

Release Date: 22 July 2024

Welcome to the FDI. As our newest Operator, your role is to use your detective skills to assist our field agents and investigate mysterious crimes. Use cutting-edge FDI software to dig for clues, solve puzzles, and uncover the truth.

In The Operator, we take control of a high security computer, using the tools available to us – such as a person database, evidence files, photo and video analysis and more – to assist the agents that are out in the field.

I have played a few games that take place within a computer interface and I am thoroughly impressed at how this particular game has implemented it so far. In order to recieve files to investigate we communicate with agents via phone call. These are fully voiced and continue running regardless of whether we are listening intently, or furiously doing our own research in our other files. It is all transcribed and logged in-case you need to re-read and the dialogue itself feels natural and easy to follow.

At it’s heart this is a puzzle game. We are provided with information and questions, and it is up to us to solve the query, whether it is as simple as finding someone’s last known address, or a little more complex like pointing out discrepancies in a victims testimony. A notable point is that we don’t loose access to the previous case we were working. I am very curious to see how far they take this. Can you imagine the web of mystery that we could uncover, finding minor, seemingly unrelated details that weave together further down the line, unravelling a mystery that we didn’t even know we were trying to solve? Someone get me a corkboard and some string!

While the demo is brief, it told me everything that I need to know about how The Operator plays, showing that I am not in for a railroaded experience and will be required to use my brain in detective-like ways. Not only that, it laid plenty of ground to get me feeling very intrigued. The opening minutes of the game set a scene that is unexpected for a computer based experience, and the final minutes confirmed that there is more going on than meets the eye.

Demo Length – 30 mins
At a glance
+ Polished.
+ Allows player freedom.
+ An unexpected but intriguing mystery.
+ Potential for some complexity.
+ Very user friendly.
+ Good voice acting and dialogue.

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