Amnesia: Rebirth starts not entirely unlike its predecessor, although the circumstances surrounding it are quite different. Our protagonist, one Anastasie "Tasi" Trianon, suffers a catastrophic plane crash in the middle of the Algerian desert and wakes up in the wreckage realizing that the rest of the crew is nowhere to be found – what’s more, she also has trouble remembering exactly what happened to them.
In Vaporum: Lockdown you follow the adventures of Ellie Teller, a scientist just trying to make it out alive from a mechanical tower called Arx Vaporum where all hell seems to have broken loose, with robots, mutated roaches and steampunk zombies attacking everything in sight.
Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”, a tale about a man turning into a hideous insect in his own bedroom, is probably one of the most iconic and important literary works of the early 20th century – as such, it comes as no surprise to me that a video game would attempt to use it for inspiration.
What Happened, a psychological horror game from developer Genius Slackers, touches upon a topic that I feel needs more exposure – it tells the story of a disturbed high school student, Stiles, as he struggles with severe depression and anxiety, highlighting his unstable mental health through a series of a surreal, symbolic experiences.
If you only know one thing about developer Cradle Games’ sci-fi action-RPG Hellpoint, it’s probably that it’s essentially Dark Souls in space. And honestly, I can’t even argue with that.
So, first things first. WarriOrb is a platformer that has you take on the role of a demon trapped in an orb-like body – and indeed, this is no coincidence at all, as the game’s puzzles and multitude of challenging obstacle courses demand that you jump and hop around the place like a sentient, out-of-control basketball.
Team Ladybug’s project has, at long last, launched via Steam Early Access, affectionately mixing the setting and characters of the famed Lodoss War franchise with stylish Metroidvania action and gorgeous pixel art. Which sounds fantastic on paper, but how does it all work out in practice?
Imagine a game with plenty of potential and some decent ideas packed into it. Now imagine that this same game is also very much capable of driving me up the wall and making my brain boil like the soup I just left on the stove. Done? Good.
Much like the first installment, DreadOut 2 stars Indonesian teen Linda Melinda, a girl with a special affinity for the supernatural – and if you don’t remember what happened to her in the original game, don’t worry, the sequel has a special “The Story So Far”-type video to get you up to speed.
You almost immediately take control of two protagonists: a boy hoping to make it to the top of a massive tower, and an adorably rotund soccer ball of a cat that tags along for the ride and lends a helping paw whenever it’s necessary.
