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The first game of The Dark Pictures Anthology, Man of Medan, has some good ideas up its sleeve, but they are ultimately wasted on a very problematic story. The game fails to develop interesting characters and build a horror atmosphere, especially on repeated playthroughs.
The story follows Alex, a young man who decides to go for a dive with his girlfriend, Julia, to explore underwater wrecks. Alex’s brother, Brad, has found a note talking of a “Manchurian Gold”, with some coordinates in the paper, and they decide to investigate the subject. However, they’re soon boarded by pirates, who take them to the coordinates, finding a ghost ship.
Man of Medan opens on a negative [...]
Abzû, an adventure game developed by Giant Squid, has a similar proposal to the last title directed by Matt Nava, Journey: to tell a touching story almost exclusively through exploration, traversal, and interaction with the environment.
In Abzû, the player controls a mysterious diver (their face is hidden in shadows inside a mask) who is alone in the open sea, right at the entrance of the ruins of an ancient civilization. Your goal is to uncover the history of the place and discover information about the protagonist’s identity.
Nava faithfully follows the formula used in his previous game: Abzû uses a cel-shaded graphic style to present an environment rich in color, [...]
Developed by Starbreeze Studios, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a touching adventure game whose dramatic and fantastic elements work together to create a poignant and fascinating story. With a simple control scheme that reflects the relationship between the main characters, A Tale of Two Sons fails only at one moment: the twist that leads to the climax, besides being predictable, doesn’t connect well to the story’s core themes.
The beginning of the game is marked by tragedies. After a boat accident, a boy tries to bring a woman back on board, but his weak muscles are unable to hold her for long. Years later, he finds himself on the edge of a cliff next to a tree, [...]