raft is a video game about raft-building, not survival
Raft is a raft-building game first, and a survival game second. The open world video game was developed by Redbeet Interactive, and published by Axolot Games. It was released on Steam as an early access title in May 2018, and…
wingspan game review: the best cards match strategy mechanics to real birds
If there’s one game that’s captured my imagination — and my time — recently, it’s Wingspan. I’ve played dozens of rounds of the bird-themed board game, against friends and against the AI on Steam. Wingspan is about collecting bird cards…
don’t starve together, with a little help from my friends
I was introduced to the ominous ink-drawing world of Klei Entertainment’s Don’t Starve by two bona fide experts, who invited me into a custom server of Don’t Starve Together one lazy winter afternoon. Between them, my friends had more than 2,000 hours of…
phasmophobia review: a ghost game about shared scares
Despite being in early access, the indie VR/PC psychological horror game Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games) has become the it-game of the 2020 Halloween season. The 4-player co-op psychological horror game has you tracking down and identifying ghosts like a modern-day Scooby-Doo…
scare tactics: game design of fear in dead by daylight
October has rolled around, which means Halloween and all the associated spooky celebrations. And since I’ve not been able to partake in many of my favourite Halloween activities, like pumpkin picking and costume making, I’ve kept up with the gaming…
recipe for horror: asymmetric multiplayer and slasher video games
Since it’s spooky season, I thought I’d write a post on a game mode that is the perfect match for horror video games. I’m talking about asymmetric multiplayer, in which different players play and experience the game in a different…
gotham knights’ 4 playable bat-family characters: hopes and fears
One of my latest lockdown activities has been playing the eleven-year-old video game that put Batman games on the map, Arkham Asylum. That nostalgia, combined with my love of Batman, games and comics, had me on the edge of my…
the thrill of narrow wins in slay the spire and mario kart
You know that moment in a movie when the hero is certainly doomed but pulls himself through at the very last second? From Indiana Jones’ evasion of a rolling boulder to Jack Sparrow’s escape from the gallows, some of the…
3 time zones, 1 board game: gaming together in a time of social distancing
My first thought about playing a board game online was that it was never going to work. Nowadays, getting a group of friends together is almost impossible without weeks of notice, and even then, at least one person is bound…