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The Myst-iest one yet!

I got this game in mid 2017 but it wasn't until last month that I actually ran it for the first time (backlog, huh?)

This game is Braid meets Super Hexagon

I was immediately hooked. This may be the best puzzle-platformer I've played since Braid, except instead of a narrative experience, all levels take place in concentric circles that you can walk on, either inside or outside. The challenge and variety then comes from avoiding the different demons that have their own behaviors and properties, to be able to jump to the next circle. You then progress into increasingly difficult concentric circles until you reach the level goal. After a series of levels, there's a unique boss fight that uses the same circle jumping methods. It's a very mechanically pure game, so if you enjoy that type of games, you may like this.

As if that wasn't enough, there's a secondary game mode called Circle Affinity that's puts less emphasis on nevigation puzzles and instead on pure twitch reflexes, as you have a time limit to jump to the next circle before the outer circles close into you. And it features unlockable color palettes à la Downwell, and I'm a sucker for those.

Oh, and the soundtrack is great!

A little gem. Highly recommended.

A little gem!

Worth it for the illustration book style artwork alone

Extremely derivative and dull, with very boring enemy patterns and a soporific pacing

Area X almost gave me Stendhal syndrome

Recommended, with reservations. Read below:

ABZÛ is a linear exploration "experience game" from some of the devs who worked on the PS3 masterpiece, Journey.

With this pedigree, I was quite excited to check out what the creative team behind one of my favorite games of all time had to show us next. However, I was pretty disappointed.

ABZÛ follows roughly the same structure as its predecessor, the problem is that it drinks too much from the same well, retreading ideas we've seen before.

ABZÛ tries to hit most of the same moments and setpieces as Journey, in some cases down to the same camera angles and similar musical direction. The problem is that in ABZÛ these setpieces feel unearned. The game is trying to convey this sense of elation and joy without really providing the connective tissue to relate emotionally with the player. The end effect is comparable to that weird remix of a favorite song of yours that, while not ruining it, doesn't quite feel completely right.

It's no surprise that ABZÛ's best moments are the ones that haven't been cribbed directly from Journey, where the game can speak with its own voice. Sadly, they don't occur often enough to elevate it to the same level as its predecessor. While both games feature a unique mythos that the player progressively learns about, the worldbuilding in ABZÛ feels much more unintuitive to grasp compared to the effortlessly integrated lore in Journey.

While retreading similar imagery (historical glyphs, islamic inspired architecture such as gates and corridors, a magical world with its own rules) ABZÛ's version doesn't compare favorably in any aspect to Journey, which makes it feel less elegant in many respects. There's even a collectible aspect that feels like a tacked-on afterthough as opposed to a similar system in Journey, which was perfectly integrated with both mechanics and narrative and worldbuilding into a holistic component of that game.

I can't really give ABZÛ a "not recommended", because it's not a bad game. The game is gorgeous and features really technically impressive elements like massive schools of fish and wavy seaweed. Swimming around and controlling your character is a joy, the lighting and mood are fantastic and the acuatic flora and fauna are great. It even has manatees! Manatees, you guys!

On its own it holds up as an impressive, if fairly soulless, audiovisual interactive experience. Unfortunately, I can't avoid being disappointed in a game that misses an oportunity to explore new territory and instead just retreads previous ideas, all of which have been executed better in Journey.

If you haven't played Journey. Get hold of a PS3 or PS4 and give it a playthrough before ABZÛ. Otherwise, ABZÛ is still alright, but as harsh as this sounds, you'll be basically getting a low-rent Journey.

If you want to try one of the modern Telltale adventure games, and think you'll probably want to play more than one, please don't start with this one. Pick a different game from their lineup.

This is by far the best Telltale has ever done with their format. If you play this game first, everything else will feel like going downhill from here and there are a few other gems worth experiencing without expectations clouding your enjoyment, such as The Wolf Among Us.

If, on the other hand, you are 100% positive that you'll only ever play one Telltale game, make it a priority to play this one.

Don't let the fairly competent pixel art deceive you. That's pretty much all there is to Stranded. No real substance here, you basically just walk around (slowly and unskippably) throughout the same few rooms, triggering events until you finally reach the ending. Then you are done.

It's more of a demo or proof of concept than a game.

Hopefully their next work, Murder, will have some actual gameplay, as the art is quite decent for a small indie dev.

Brilliant game that integrates an -on the surface- monotonous gameplay that gets increasingly convoluted with an unraveling story full of real moral dilemmas. No "Save/Harvest" here, often both your choices have drawbacks and you must weigh their long-term consequences against the short term benefits (or vice versa).

The music and the fantastic pixel art style depicting a soviet-like dystopian setting elevate it to genius level.

Sadly overlooked gem that provides a magnifically crafted sci-fi blockbuster atmosphere in a way that feels like a classic game transported directly to the 21st century. Snappy cover shooter mechanics and a body-part based damage model for the enemy robots that is immensely satifying. A common complaint is that the game doesn't initially give you much indication to where you need to shoot bosses to damage them, which can lead to protracted fights. I'll fix this right now:

1: Break their armor
2: Shoot the exposed shining blue things. Those are their drives.