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Haven is a game that celebrates love with a wholesome vibe and simple mechanics. Its narrative excels at developing the central relationship between the main characters, but the lack of conflict and some boring parts eventually hampers what could have been a great and memorable experience.
Haven is about two runaway lovers. Yu and Kay have successfully managed to escape together in Yu’s small spaceship to a faraway planet called Source, which is divided into small floating islets connected by “flow bridges”. After an earthquake, however, their ship is badly damaged, leading them to search the planet for parts that could help Yu repair it.
The narrative handles [...]
The Outer Worlds is a space-western that presents a satirical story about the ever-growing power of mega-corporations. Despite its interesting theme, however, the game is ultimately dragged down by a lack of complexity, cohesion, and nuance in its narrative and gameplay systems.
You play as a survivor of a colony ship subtly called Hope. A scientist by the name of Phineas Wells wakes you up from cryo sleep and sends you on a mission to help him wake up the rest of the colony.
The Outer Worlds is not shy about its themes. The first character you meet after landing in Halcyon has been hurt in an attack and yet refuses medical attention because he is contractually [...]
“When education is not liberating, the dream of the oppressed is to become the oppressor” – Paulo Freire.
Dragon Age II is a rare type of RPG: instead of offering an epic, episodic adventure, filled with exotic people and wondrous locales to explore, it has a single, almost barren location and a thematically focused story. Its reused assets and simple combat can get old fast, but the quality of the writing more than makes up for that.
You play as Marian Hawke, a character that you can rename and customize: you can even choose to make a white alpha male if you think like Ubisoft’s top executives or are just so inclined. The first [...]
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is far from being one of the franchise’s best installments, failing to explore the series’ tradition and the few new things it brings to the table. It’s a simple and tedious JRPG that offers a bland, bad developed story, and boring gameplay.
The plot follows an unnamed hero – who serves as the player’s male avatar – whose mission is to end the curse that plagues a king and his daughter: the king has been turned into a troll and the princess into a mare. To do this, the protagonist needs to destroy the one who has cast the curse, a mysterious court jester named Dhoulmagus – although he eventually discovers that there are more [...]
Shin Megami Tensei IV is an RPG with great narrative ambitions, trying to discuss relevant themes – such as the purpose of religions and the problems surrounding the forms society is usually structured and organized – while presenting a complex – albeit very unbalanced – battle system. Its narrative, however, is very erratic – there is a good chunk of time when nothing relevant happens – and sometimes it also falters by putting its focus on its least interesting elements.
The game’s protagonist, initially called Flynn, works as an avatar for the player, who can change his name. Flynn is a commoner that lives in the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, a medieval society based on a rigid [...]
The Last Remnant is pure, crystalline perfection. Every facet of the game, every element, every design decision, they all work in unison to create the most excruciating experience possible. If you are looking for a thing that can annoy and infuriate you in equal measure, there’s no other option around that is so flawlessly, impeccably constructed to fulfill and even surpass any masochist desire. The Last Remnant’s systems are tailor-made to produce a dreadful sense of utter frustration and make players feel virtually impotent against everything that is happening on the screen. Meanwhile, the story is so nonsensically bad, with an idiotic protagonist, loose plot, and shallow [...]