Let’s make this a series. Here are 5 more quick hit summaries of games that I’ve played this year:
Lara Croft Go
Lara Croft Go takes what was good about the formula of turn-based action from Hitman Go and adds more action and adventure. The puzzle format translates well to climbing – in fact, I think that the deathtraps and careful movement required in LCG make its climbing more interesting than in a lot of the mainline series. That’s some of the magic of the Go games: by turning everything into a puzzle component, overall gameplay design becomes more thoughtful and inspired. Creativity under constraint. Now, if only fewer puzzles seemed to rely so much on the reset button, or if there were multiple solutions available to some puzzles. Then the Go series would really be cooking with gas.
Nina Aquila: Legal Eagle Ch. 1
“For what serves as an introduction to an episodic game made on a shoestring budget, NALE could be worse, but it doesn’t have much going for it, either. The characters are thin, the courtroom gameplay is a Phoenix Wright knockoff, and the case presented in this episode involves a jealous ex-girlfriend who frames her erstwhile friend, who is now dating her clueless ex-boyfriend, for arson. This is not played seriously at all within the courtroom scene. However, there is one moment afterwards in which the titular Nina reveals her worry about how close the case went to sending an innocent person to prison for a serious crime on a false accusation.
The humor is one-note and aimed at an imagined nerdy audience, but there aren’t jokes as much as attempts at references or tropes that fall flat. The epilogue, which puts the defense lawyer heroine and her mentor in bunny and cat costumes to pitch the next episode, is cringe-inducing fan service. I am willing to give the next episode a shot to see if it has more to offer and if it puts its recycled mechanics and art to a more interesting purpose, but NALE Chapter 2 will start on thin ice.”
I wrote that back in June. I have yet to play Chapter 2, and very much doubt that I will. While I feel a little bad beating up on an indie game that was probably made in RPG maker, this is one of the worst games that I played all year.
Lumines Remastered
Miziguchi sure knows how to put together an hour of relaxing gameplay that stretches the player into taking different approaches, track by track, skin by skin. I realized in completing the remaster that there were some tunes that I hadn’t heard (at least while playing) in years. Lumines is, if anything, an underrated puzzle game that stands on its own in terms of originality. It’s also interesting to play through it after Tetris Effect and to see which ideas Miziguchi decided to keep and which he’s moved past.
Infamous: First Light
Out of the Infamous games, Fetch is the most fun protag. It’s good that in her spinoff she’s overpowered from the start. That avoids the some of the boredom of Infamous 2 and Second Son. But as with the other games in the series, Sucker Punch attempts to handle some social issues (homelessness and drug abuse in this case) and mostly falls flat. And I can’t imagine who requested the survival arenas or more of the collect-a-thon. Plus, there’s not even the usual semblance of choice. Fetch disintegrates her villain and gets revenge, and the game makes you press buttons to do it, but there’s no ‘mercy’ option. I guess SP had to set up a single canon ending to lead into the start of Second Son, but I can’t see why that requires Fetch to become a murderer. Just put in an alternate ending and say it’s not canon, and that problem is solved.
At least the laser pew pew is fun. The goon blasting and freerunning are really enjoyable in First Light, easily being the best of the series. Tearing around parts of Seattle as Fetch is definitely enough to hang a few hours of enjoyment on, and then you’re out. First Light doesn’t wear out its welcome, and it’s the better game because of it.
Arcade Spirits
An excellent VN from start to finish, Arcade Spirits isn’t afraid of conflict, hardship, and repeatedly confronting the MC with their own self-doubts. As a wonderfully queer game that emphasizes self-expression, the choices presented nonetheless feel impactful on the direction of the story. Character romance intertwines well with that story, overall. Sure, gameplay is the standard multiple choice and stats-based fare, but the writing and characters shine over those basic mechanics.
Optional Objectives is a contributing editor for Gamers With Glasses. He also writes for a bunch of other online publications and zines, including Unwinnable, Heterotopias, First Person Scholar, Clickbliss, and Haywire Magazine. You can find more on twitter, both @opobjectives and @donaever.
Get involved!
Comments