Recent reviews by Lord Weh

Hindsight is a slow, thoughtful exploration of a life in reflection, triggered by the death of a loved one. Visiting a childhood home to pack up belongings, the game places you into a non-linear narrative where you experience first-hand sequences and standalone moments that represent memories of a place, of a time, of people. The game is wonderfully narrated, a single-sided dialogue from the protagonist to the deceased, a poignant reflection on an imperfect and very human childhood and adolescence.

The use of visual ‘snapshots’, small scenes to explore and consider as the dialogue threads everything together, creates a strong empathy with the protagonist. There is a genuine feeling of moving through memories, sometimes sense memories triggered by a sound, sight or smell, other times a recollection of a specific moment or conversation. These are all collected into a linear story that uses a non-linear timeline to flesh out the protagonist and her relationship with her parents.

The game does not have any particular big twists, but it is full of very human experiences that feel real and grounded, moments that are relatable and affecting.

The art of the game has a visual flare, often feeling poetic with the monologue as they work together to represent events and emotional experiences. Minimal, but very effective and clear.

A short but poetic experience that will tug at your heartstrings and possibly trigger a little self-reflection of your own.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a (very) slow game, but one that is thoughtful and with a surprising amount of depth.

Growing up in a village in England, I found the game's setting of Yaughton to be immediately familiar, the entire experience is exactly like wandering through a real old English village. The visuals are not state-of-the-art, but they certainly do a good job of making Yaughton feel like a real town, and the writing and voice acting peoples it with a cast of engaging characters. As you wander around, following 'guiding lights' you discover certain points of interest, scenes which play out with ghostly echoes of events that happened before. This forms a non-linear narrative, where you wander through the valley slowly piecing together the ways in which the lives intertwined and how things played out during a mysterious apocalypse.

The game surprised me in that the premise is laid out almost entirely before you in the opening area of the game. There is little twist or deviation from this, but instead you learn more and more about the people, their actions and histories and conflicts and desires. It is a sci-fi story with a very grounded, very human heart. It shows you a community, and whilst the plot doesn't exactly twist and turn, becoming familiar with the stories of these folks is definitely engaging. They are all brilliantly voice-acted, too.

For all that I enjoyed Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, I must explain that this isn't a game that respects your time. I should state that I'm a very patient person, and a big fan of 'walking simulators', but I found myself feeling frustrated at the slowness of the movement speed. There is a 'sprint' button, which it took me a little while to work out actually only kicks in a few seconds after you've held it down, and then it only increases your speed marginally. I would consider this 'sprint' speed to be too slow for base movement, let alone the maximum speed. On top of this, the game continually slows your movement speed even further (to a very deliberately painful crawl) at certain sections, presumably for dramatic effect, which again results in frustration. Additionally, once you have beaten the game there is no way to skip the credits or bring up the menu (I watch credits anyway, but again, the game felt it wasn't being sparing with your time).

Another testament to this is the achievements...

'Passive observer' - Do nothing for five minutes.
'Last Orders' - Wait in the two pubs in the game for three minutes each.
'Wrong Number' - In the first phone booth in the game, enter it, close the door, and wait three minutes.
'Perpetual Motion' - Stand on a children's playground ride for two minutes.

Now, I'm not an achievement hunter, but these seem a bit random and mean-spirited to me, there are other things they could easily have implemented rather than 'go here and stand still for [X] minutes'. Not ultimately important, but I think it does show the lack of respect for your time that the game seems to have.

Additionally, the guiding lights in the first section of the game felt like they were pulling me all over the village, and often moved too fast for me to catch up to (further infuriating the issue of movement speeds), and it took me a few 'sections' of the game to get to grips with what is essentially the core mechanic (discover minor plot points around an area, before moving in for a larger 'central' plot point to play out, then be guided to the next area). I felt this settled down in later areas, but still occasionally found the guiding lights frustrating... They would occasionally double back on themselves whilst I was following them, and sometimes just hover somewhere, whilst I was unable to find any point of interest nearby. Exploration is fun, but with the movement speed being so slow, the idea of quickly checking down a side-street before going into a building, etc becomes more of a chore than a pleasure. The world is beautifully rendered, I just wish the game let me explore it at my own pace (which is, a little faster, but more thoroughly).

So, for all its faults, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a very, very slow game, one with a premise that is laid out before you almost immediately, but one that has a lot of heart, and explores its theme thoroughly. I became very invested in the lives of the villagers, and seeing how their stories played out and what fate they came to was engrossing. The game has several ways to interpret it's endings and themes, and I found it interesting to read up discussions afterwards. Very engrossing, just be aware that it does require patience.

ABZU is Journey meets Ecco the Dolphin. A serene underwater experience, you swim through aquatic environments taking in the sights, sounds and beauty as you venture deeper and deeper into the ocean. On your way you explore the environments for shrines and strange technology, unlocking routes to progress.

The game is made memorable by the superb art direction, courtesy of Journey's Matt Nava. This combined with the beautiful and considered score from Austin Wintory (also of Journey fame), the entire experience is full of wonders and moments of sheer delight. Wanting to explore new vistas, accompanied by the ebb and flow of the orchestral soundtrack, is a real driving factor here. It is a pleasure to venture further and further into the unknown depths of the ocean.

Plot-wise, there's both more and less going on than Journey. The details are a little more complex and obfuscated, but the crescendo and flow of action and gameplay feels very much the same. There is a little mystery behind everything, and once you've completed the game whilst you won't understand it all, you'll feel like you've had a satisfying journey. My only criticism is that ABZU's gameplay and narrative flow don't quite have the same universal message that Journey had at its core, but there is still a lot to love here and the game certainly doesn't disappoint.

Ultimately, ABZU is a slow but engaging adventure, and a truly memorable experience. I'd recommend it to those who don't care about the challenge of the game (as there's not much of that here), but instead are happy with a game that offers something interesting and artful.

DOOM is great.

It's full-on fast paced fun with lots to discover, there's a great and meaningful variety of weapons and unlocks, the health / ammo system is brilliantly balanced, the melee glory kills system is graceful and balletic in the midst of frenetic combat, the levels are chock-full of secrets and bonus challenges, the enemy variety is both interesting and meaningful in combat...

The campaign story is played just the right way, there's just enough to keep you invested, it doesn't take over, the protagonist is angry at everything, and your main goal is to blast everything in the face until it dies. There are some big moments, but nothing earth-(or mars)-shattering, but it is varied and interesting enough to draw you through. The art style is great, with a great variety in colours and map styles, and the weapons and models are all gorgeous.

The multiplayer is not so great, whilst a throwback to Unreal Tournament style of gameplay, it didn't hold my interest for long, and I'm not a big fan of the snapmaps system (which creates maps that feel clunky and like they're made on a tile system, because they are). Maybe some will get some great fun out of these options, but I considered them some underwhelming extras to dive into if you so wish. The meat of the game is the campaign, and it is glorious.

DOOM is great.

HITMAN is a 'live' game, as such I will update this review as new chapters arrive

-OVERVIEW-
This latest iteration of HITMAN feels like a must-have for fans of the series, and I would recommend it to anyone else who enjoys stealth games. There's a lot of variety here in the current levels, and the gameplay is deep and engaging.

I've played every HITMAN game, and Blood Money has always been the high point of the series for me. I enjoyed the increased narrative in Absolution, but they really lost out when it came to gameplay. However, HITMAN is the best of both. The levels are large and very 'sandboxy', with lots of approaches and methods open to the player.

I've really enjoyed my time with the game so far, and I'd highly recommend it to any fan of the series, or anyone looking for an interesting and varied stealth game experience.

As for the episodic nature, I personally am fine with it. The levels so far are really large and take about 2 - 4 hours to get a first decent 'basic' playthrough done, and completing the mission in a variety of ways unlocks new equipment, starting locations, drop-off caches, etc that enable you to try and plan the 'perfect' hit. Having the updates drop on a regular basis keeps the content interesting and frequent enough that it is enjoyable.

Season One's content is now available in it's entirety.

-SEASON ONE-

Prologue
Two smaller levels designed as 'simulations', to teach you the basics and get you up to speed. Even so, these missions are fairly roomy (especially the second one), and give you lots to play with.

Paris
The first mission proper, this sees 47 attending a fashion show to eliminate two high profile targets. The mansion is expansive, with service staff working hard behind the scenes and in the basement areas, the fashion show on the first floor, and a secret auction taking place on the top floor. This level really starts to showcase the scale of the HITMAN levels and your options within them.

Sapienza
Off to Italy in this mission, where we have another two targets to eliminate in a grand manor, and a deadly secret to destroy in a hidden lab underground. The level is even more expansive than the Paris mission, including a large chunk of the town of Sapienza to wander, a morgue and church, shopping area, pier, sewers, the manor is divided into several large buildings including an observatory, plus the ruins of a castle at the back of the manor. The lab area requires a keycard to enter (or the use of noisy explosives), there are a multitude of 'zones' that you can access with different disguises (kitchen staff, gardeners, security, lab scientists, priests...). This feels like, so far, the best mission a HITMAN game has had.

Marrakesh
For me Marrakesh is the low-point of this season of HITMAN. The level isn't awful, and there's plenty to do, but for me the level loses major points in terms of structure. You begin in the middle of a maze of streets. At one end of this maze is one target located within a Swedish consulate, and at the other end is your other target hiding out in a derelict school. There's little to do in the streets imbetween each end of the level (although a few opportunities are present), and these areas basically exist just to pad out and provide a little flavour. Whilst other missions feel like they offer a wide variety of ways into each location and a lot of opportunities, Marrakesh felt limited and repetitive. You need to rely on just a couple of entrances to each location at either end of the level only, and once inside the play area is relatively restricted, even once disguised. Visually interesting and varied, but a major disappointment to me in terms of sandbox play.

Bangkok
Off to Bangkok, to the Himmapan Hotel, a glorious little sandbox. You arrive, and can check in as 'Mr Rieper', an alias of 47's. The hotel comprises of two multi-floor buildings divided by an atrium. One of these buildings is open as usual, whilst the other is closed to the public due to pesticide spraying on the lower floors and a pop group have temporarily converted the upper suites into a recording area. Most of the suites here require a security keycard to access, so some sneakiness is required to obtain them, or to bypass them entirely. The two targets each occupy a different side of the hotel, although opportunities can pull them out of their 'native' environment. This level is visually spectacular and you really feel like the hotel is a working building with each group of NPC's going about their duty (hotel cleaning and desk staff, security, cooks, gardeners, etc). This level is an absolute highlight.

Colorado
Here we see an increase in difficulty, as there are four targets this time spread across a militia-occupied Colorado farm. There is no 'civilian' area here and 47 must hide at all times or assume a military disguise. The areas of the farm are distinct and interesting, with portions being used for training drills, target practice, bomb creation and testing, and a farmhouse with a hostage held down below. The targets are each interesting and memorable, some with great narrative elements, and there are a couple of ways to get to them each through the opportunities (alongside the many ways you could improvise dealing with them). I had a great time wandering this map and experimenting with how to quietly and effectively deal with each target. A wonderful sandbox to play in, with a bit of care.

Hokkaido
Season One's finale takes us to a private medical hospital located in the snowy mountains of Japan. Due to the secretive and restrictive nature of the facility, you must make do without any equipment when starting out (at least initially), which really helps increase the difficulty of this mission. Additionally, patients rooms are access via RFID tags within the gowns each patient wears, providing opportunities to subdue and access other areas. The medical facility is striking in design and visuals, and the glimpses of snowy mountainside exteriors and the zen garden area really compliment the stark, clean interiors.

Oh, and that skybox really is gorgeous, one hell of a view and beautiful paper lanterns drift by, a great touch.

Somehow Hokkaido feels a bit smaller, more personal than the missions that came before, but it is still an interesting finale for Season One, and it is a fitting and enjoyable challenge.

-SEASON ONE BONUS CONTENT-

Summer Bonus Episodes: Sapienza and Marrakesh
Two bonus episodes were released in summer, one for Sapienza and the other for Marrakesh. Each cuts out a small portion of the level, sets it at night and blocks off the exits, making a smaller sandbox area for a new narrative to play out. Sapienza sees a film crew recording a sci-fi blockbuster in the town square and 47 is hired to take out the director, whilst Marrakesh sees the action focus around the under-utilised markets area.

Whilst it's interesting to see these locations reworked for nighttime and with some fairly major overhauling of the levels, I didn't find the bonus episodes particularly engaging as they are so much smaller than the original levels. As a bonus they are fine, but nothing I'd rush to experience over the core experience, I found many of the vanilla levels 'escalation' missions (content that uses the existing levels but has new targets, conditions and complications) far more engaging.

Christmas Bonus Episode: Paris
update coming soon

-SEASON TWO-
Season Two of HITMAN has been announced. It will launch from the same game client, adding another series of new levels and challenges to the game, allowing all current unlocked content to be utilised. I will update the review as-and-when it arrives.

I backed Hyper Light Drifter on Kickstarter for $40, which got me a copy of the game on launch, a giftable copy for a friend, and a copy of the digital soundtrack and digital art book.

Hyper Light Drifter is a blend of its peers that seemingly inspired it; Studio Ghibli, Akira, Diablo, Legend of Zelda, Dark Souls. This is evident from the beautiful opening animation that stylishly hints at a greater world, one that seems to have been fractured by some nebulous but terrible event, beautiful but broken and now tainted by a spreading darkness. Atmospheric music and sound and wonderful pixel-art work together to create a hand-crafted and gentle neon apocalypse tinged with grittiness.

After a short intro sequence that sets the scene and provides some minimal tutorial, you are off into the world. There are dungeons to go into, bosses to defeat, weapons to upgrade, secrets to find. It's part Diablo and Legend of Zelda in terms of moment-to-moment gameplay, by way of Dark Souls in terms of storytelling and difficulty. This is a difficult game. But don't let that put you off. When you die you respawn at the last checkpoint (they are numerous, at a minimum once per 'area transition', but often more frequent). The challenge comes in trying to learn the enemies, how they move, what they do, and then deal with them with a minimum loss of resources. The bosses, all of which I found fun, are actual credible challenges requiring multiple attempts. They require you to learn their moves and timings, to vary your tactics, to try again and again, learning a little more each time until you can get them. And you will get them, eventually. They each took me about 20 - 60 attempts, some taking a couple of hours to master. On one I had to go away, thinking that returning later with new items and unlocks would help, but ultimately it was all about learning, timing, and trying again.

I completed the game in about 20 hours, which included a lot of travelling off the beaten path looking for secrets. The game is divided into three 'regions', and a fourth that unlocks once the other three are complete. In these regions you have several 'dungeons', partly linear but with multiple entrances and routes through the regions, it always feels like there is a lot to explore. You'll get lost, you'll go in circles, you'll find dead-ends and eventually begin to figure out the layout and what the requirements are for advancing in each area, you'll discover secrets... I was immersed in this cycle of exploration, discovery, challenge and story. I've seen some people say they've completed the game in about 6 - 7 hours, I can only assume they are much, much better at the boss fights than me, and likely made a dash for the finish line and ignored most hidden areas and side content.

In terms of story, whilst it is by no means groundbreaking, it is well told and does a good job of immersing you in the world of Hyper Light Drifter. I loved it, it is understated and subtle and slow, hinted at rather than told outright. Ruins, bodies, glimpsed vistas, flashbacks and so-on will drip-feed you the context-delivered story. There is no dialogue, no text to read, you discover it all through images and discovering scenes and putting pieces together. Each region has its own story thread, that ties into the piece as a whole, and you discover some context through finding survivors and other wandering adventurers who offer a glimpse of context through some pixel-art still scenes of their experiences. At the end of it all, I'm not 100% certain I understood what transpired, but I have an idea, the essence of the story pulled me into it and immersed me, I was going with the broader strokes and the finer details seemed unimportant come the final showdown.

Oxenfree is a mellow and engaging dialogue-driven adventure game with an 80's teen sci-fi horror vibe.

The story is engaging and the characters feel natural, your choices are often varied and feel like they matter in the form of how relationships are formed and managed. Whilst (usually) not life-or-death decisions, your choice of who to support, who to challenge, and who to work with feel very honest and natural. This helps the game feel grounded and gives the characters a believability, which helps you invest in them as things start to fall apart around you.

If I could criticise anything about the game, I'd say it doesn't play it's cards close enough to it's chest, from just a few minutes into the game some strangely sci-fi things are happening and we learn a lot about what's wrong on the island fairly early on. To the game's credit, this didn't diminish my desire to continue hunting for even more clues, and the drama kept me hooked right until the games closing credits, but a little more mystery and build up early on would have been nice.

Overall, I absolutely loved this game, and I'm eagerly looking forward to whatever Night School Studio turn their hand to next. I recommend this game, thoroughly, and whole-heartedly.

Full disclosure: I backed Homesick on Kickstarter for £7 for a copy of the game and my name listed in the credits.

Homesick is a slow and low-key 'walking simulator', where beautiful music accompanies your journey through a gently serene and slightly eerie run-down building. You slowly gain access to new areas, and begin to build up an understanding of what happened in this house whilst solving some (mostly) simple puzzles.

The game is interesting, although slow and the plot is relatively straight forward... however the message is a good one, and the scenery and music create a thoughtful tone.

Short and simple, TIMEframe has you wandering around the ruins of a civilization moments before an asteroid hits. The music is minimal but really adds to the isolation and intrigue, and some minimal text provides context for the ruins.

A nice little experimental game, nothing grand, but still interesting in it's own regard.

The less you know about SOMA going in, the better.

The basics; SOMA is a horror game that is light on pressure-scares and deeper on psychological and existential horror. It explores some seriously interesting concepts, in slow but thought-provoking ways that have stuck with me for days after completing the game.

The game environments are detailed and engaging, there is a lot of backstory that can be found by searching around. The locations are varied and there's a gritty but down-to-earth feel to the locations and details that aids the suspension of disbelief.

One thing that really impressed me is the game treats you with a good deal of respect. Often you have to figure out the next step on your journey, often simple enough, but the game world follows some simple rules and it trusts you to figure out what to do. A vital door doesn't open? Check power panels... something burnt out? Find a replacement part. There are a dozen little puzzles like this in the game where you have the agency to look and figure out what to do yourself, without a quest pop-up or an NPC explaining it to you step-by-step. It sounds simple, but it really adds to the feeling of reality in the game, and is so much more satisfying.

Overall, a scary game (not TOO scary, I couldn't handle Amnesia but I made it through this) that plays around with interesting concepts and explores them in a way that really gets you thinking. Highly recommended.