I can’t think of a better set up for a point & click adventure.
The Drifter
Developer: Powerhoof, Dave Lloyd
Release Date: To be announced
A Pulp Adventure Thriller – A murdered drifter awakens. Alive again, seconds before his death. Hunted and haunted, help him untangle a mad web of conspiracy in this fast-paced point ‘n click thrill-ride.
The Drifter is a demo that I tried for the first time around 2019, back in one of the early Steam Next Fests. It left such an impression that it has been on my Wishlist ever since. I was thrilled to see the game in the LudoNarraCon line up and delighted that I enjoyed it just a much the second time around as I did all of those years ago.
The first thing that immediatly stands out to me is the presentation of the game. The pixel art and animation is fantastic, the colours immediatly setting the gritty tone that will continue throughout the entirety of the chapter contained within the demo. The game is fully voice acted, including narration from the main character himself which in my opinion, elevates The Drifter from a typical point and click adventure to a more unique cinematic experience.
The demo can be played in less than 30 minutes and even in such a short space of time manages to establish two excellent story hooks. One is more realistic, setting the tone in what immediatly feels like a very down to earth game. However, the other is a science fiction twist that has the potential to allow for some very stressful, suspenseful, intense story and puzzle scenarios, or even hilarious ones if they want to. One of these hooks would have been enough but together, along with the entire aesthetic, this is the set up for a narrative that I am itching to see play out.
Demo Length – 30 minutes At a glance + Lovely pixel art and animations. + Great story hooks. + Narration. + Writing feels good so far. + Drama. + Nice, clear, time saving UI.
1000xRESIST is a thrilling sci-fi adventure. The year is unknown, and a disease spread by an alien invasion keeps you underground. You are Watcher. You dutifully fulfil your purpose in serving the ALLMOTHER, until the day you discover a shocking secret that changes everything.
This is a write up of my first impressions of 1000xRESIST having played through 2 chapters of the game. I intended to play around an hour or the first chapter – which ever came first – but this game got it’s hooks in me. I had to tear myself away otherwise my first impressions would become a full blown review. On one hand, I wouldn’t mind that but on the other, I have lots more games to try out during the fantastic LudoNarraCon.
*My first impression posts aren’t usually this long but I had a lot to say about this game!
First thing’s first, this is an experimental game. It does exactly what it wants to do and does so confidently. I will admit, I was not sold at first. I found the opening slightly off-putting, feeling like I was supposed to care about these characters that I had never met, having an experience that I don’t understand. However, with a little more patience the world was built, less through exposition and more through exploration and character interactions. Half way through chapter 1 I got into my groove and by the end of the chapter I was all in.
The steam description sets up an epic story about aliens and diseases and the ALLMOTHER, and while these are all certainly present, creating the entire setting for the game, it surprisingly feels very personal so far. Even more impressively, it remains personal and creates an investment despite incredibly flawed and some even dare I say unlikable characters.
The game splits between the present time and the past, parts of the chapter taking place in the form of what I would call long vignettes. The character who’s memories we are exploring, in my opinion, is down-right awful, but I am compelled to see what made her that way. What particularly shines are the relationships, personalities and actions of the people around her.
A common complaint in either cinematic narrative games or walking simulator style stories, is that there isn’t enough for us – the player – to do. I feel it is important to point out that I can personally enjoy a narrative game with very minimal mechanics. Having said that, I find 1000xRESIST to have struck a great balance of engaging gameplay so far. The primary verbs that I have experienced so far are walk around, interact, and a time hop mechanic.
The time hop mechanic alone warrants the existence of this game. Not to sell the other aspects short, but the way it weaves intricately with the environmental storytelling and level design has been fantastic to experience so far. Not to mention that in each chapter the mechanics have been used in their own way, leaving me eager to see what other ways the story is going to be told throughout the rest of the game.
An example of the impact of the aethetic contrast.
The presentation – particularly in chapter 1 – felt inspired. The lighting alongside fixed camera angles were super effective, I felt dread rounding every corner without it ever being too much. The design of the aliens that have literally plagued humanity and the effect that they have had on the world brings a fantastic contrast to the world of 2047, an unknown amount of years prior, right before the effects took hold. Switching between both of these times in the blink of an eye creates a jarring effect aesthetically and a devastating one emotionally.
It is hard to describe what to expect as this game is unique, but I felt influences or slight similarities every now and again from other media. The first being that the experience of Chapter 2 is exactly the experience that I wish I had from the game Virginia. A wonderfully executed montage experience that I can’t say I have seen many games try. Other looser and unexpected vibes I got lead me to think of set up and themes of stories like Signalis and Everything Everywhere All At Once. I am not saying that you will have the same experience in this game as you had from those other properties, but they felt worth mentioning none the less as if you enjoyed them, I think there could be something here for you.
1000xResist is an experimental narrative game that resonated with me in ways that other experimental narrative game sometimes have not. Both chapters that I played were strong and emotional. What is different about this game is that I don’t actually know what I am going to be doing next. Rather than being goals driven, I am being taken on a journey. A tour of a world entirely different to the world I know. And that is great too. I am excited to see what lies in store.
This game breaks the mould – this is what Indie Gaming is all about.
At a glance + All in on the experimental storytelling. + Enough input required from the player to keep it engaging. + Time hop mechanic. + Environmental storytelling. + Very intriguing concept all around leaving me hungry for more. + Not exposition heavy. + I feel invested in characters despite not agreeing with them or even liking some of them. + The Asian-Canadian perspective enriches the whole experience. + The aethetic – particularly in chapter 1 – is great. + What a cool idea for a disease. +/- The characters are flawed, and I think the game is trusting player curiosity to carry on despite the player characters feelings on the situation. +/- Took a while to understand what is happening. +/- No indication about what is next, just this really interesting world. – Disconnect in dialogue took me out of it occasionally e.g. Watcher talking as herself when people see her as Iris.
If at first you do not succeed, try and try again, and again, and again
The Posthumous Investigation
Developer: Mother Gaia Studio
Release Date: Coming Soon
Travel to a noir Rio de Janeiro in 1937 and investigate the mystery behind the murder of Brás Cubas, famed character created by Machado de Assis. Until the truth is out, you’ll be trapped in a time loop, amidst a plot full of conspiracy and treason.
The Posthumous Investigation has the makings of a time loop game done right. We have been tasked with solving the murder of a man, hired by the deceased himself to unravel whatever trouble he got himself into. We only have one day but fear not, if at first you do not succeed, try and try again, and again, and again.
The area in which we are investigating is alive, with events happening all around whether you are present to witness them or not. Whether this means you wander into a dramatic confrontation or stumble upon the aftermath of an incident, it makes each loop a joy as it becomes less about being in the right place at the right time, and more about reverse engineering the situation to discover what happened before.
The noir atmosphere and classic cartoon style complement each other wonderfully, setting the scene both in universe and to the player. In contrast, the UI is modern, clean and easily readable, almost as smooth as the jazz occasionally gracing our ears.
Often with these types if games it is impossible to tell in advance how well the full game will hold up. It is going to rely on the mechanics continuing to feel fresh, the story staying interesting and an appropriate runtime. However, the demo did enough to stop me playing. In a good way of course, I am interested enough that I didn’t want to play anymore until I could have the complete experience.
Demo Length – 1+ hour At a glance + All in on the aesthetic. + User friendly options to prevent time loop tedium. + Lots of events happening inspiring ideas for next loop. + Clues carry over but items do not, creating a puzzle in the order of operations. +/- I didn’t feel the (dialogue) writing was great but it did the job.
SUPERHOT broke me. It tried to break its way into my mind, but instead, it just broke it. Let me explain.
In case you don’t know, Superhot is a first person shooter. Anyone that knows me will be thinking ‘Noob? Playing a first person shooter? Wut?’. As it turns out, there is a little more to it than that. In this game, time only moves as you move. As a consequence, every move you make has to be deliberate and precise. Stay still and watch bullets moving towards you at a snails pace. Panic though and it’s game over as they speed up and hit you before you can blink. This unique mechanic allows the game to present as a corporeal puzzle game as much as it is as a shooter, which is ironic considering the incorporeal theming involved.
+ Innovation
This is a game concept that makes so much sense. Even if you have never thought about it in your life, you hear the explanation of what this game is and think “wow, of course, how come I didn’t think of that?”. And it works! There isn’t another game like it, at least gameplay wise. It is one of those titles that creates something completely new and showcases it to its full potential.
+ Aesthetic
What can be seen as a simple aesthetic actually serves to be a great asset in the gameplay itself. There are three colours. White, red and black. Red = enemies. Black = objects. White = anything else. This completely eliminates any visual clutter aiding even further in the idea that the gameplay IS the game. It is distinctive, it is thematically appropriate and it is everything that it needs to be.
– Hitboxes
The hitboxes weren’t quite as precise as I would have liked considering this can be a game about millimetres. It could be technical limitations, it could be a choice to be discourage using cover, but bullets being stopped in the air by an invisible corner is frustrating when you feel you have otherwise made a good play.
+ Fast Pace
Levels vary in length but they rarely outstay their welcome. The short bursts that the game gives you allows for going ‘all in’ – getting creative without fear as dying will only set you back a couple of minutes. This can go two ways. On one hand, you can bash your head against the level until you nail it. It isn’t a problem because once you have died you are already back in the game trying again before you even have time to finish any outbursts it may have brought on. As soon as you complete it you forget the struggle, feeling like the baddest ass in all the land. Or alternatively, you nail it first time and truly are the baddest ass in all the land.
– Difficulty Curve
This is where my troubles began. I would say the difficulty throughout the game is sprinkled. Naturally, it starts off simple, but there were some early levels that tripped me up in the same way as some later levels, while there were some later levels I did easily in one try. For some, this will provide an interesting pace. For others, it may be a little more frustrating as it can be difficult to tell if you are improving at the game.
The final level, however, is something else. It is long. Mercifully, it is checkpointed, but that didn’t save me. The previous levels contained more strategically placed enemies, highlighting the puzzle element that I mentioned earlier. This level though is – for lack of a better phrase – on another level. Personally for me, it felt different from all the rest of the game. Yes, it felt climactic, but also it lost a lot of what I enjoyed about the previous sections. I don’t want to say specifically why as that is spoiler territory, but my strategies weren’t working and I couldn’t find a set answer to get through it. This, sadly, marked the end of my Superhot experience. The frustration outweighed the potential pleasure of succeeding and I had my first ever on stream rage quit. As it turns out, I had been probably around 15 seconds from completing the game, but unfortunately I have no desire to return.
+ Story
I like the story this game is telling and more so the way it tells it. It is brief, it is memorable and it uses the medium well. As you progress an unsettled feeling creeps in and the further you go, the more it grows. It plays with ideas of control and reality, and it was always welcome to check back in at the pc every few levels.
Upon putting it down, I vowed never to go back to this game. As much of a shame that it is that it ended this way, I still had fun in the lead up. The short snappy levels were great fun and when something works out well, it truly feels superhuman. Punching an enemy in the face and catching their gun to then shoot them in the face isn’t something that you get to do very often and while it may be a novelty, it doesn’t lose its appeal for the duration of the game.
SUPERHOT wanted me to complete the game, so in a way, technically, the fact that I quit actually means that means I won. So with that in mind, to conclude.. SUCK IT SUPERHOT. I BEAT YOU.
+ Innovation
+ Aesthetic
– Hitboxes
– Difficulty Curve
+ Story
If you would like to see ALMOST the full game then you can here!
Remember the Steam Next Fest that took place one month ago that I said I would make some content for? It’s here! I played so many great demos and I am very excited to finally share them.
One night I had an idea – which then became a personal goal – to create a magazine. It seemed like a fun challenge to get to practice writing, graphic design and art all at once, and that turned out to be true.
Although the festival has been and gone, the games last forever. Some still have demos going and some have even released, so it is always worth taking a look.
You can view on desktop directly or download a PDF below to view at your own leisure. This is something that is a little different for me so if you have enjoyed, please don’t hesitate to let me know!
![A Noob’s [Mini] Review – Death Trick: Double Blind](https://ctrlaltnoob.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/death-trick-double-blind-review.png?w=840)
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