narratively-driven

I took one look at the trailer for Loretta and thought it would be my bag. Hand me a good story and I’ll be happy. Coming from Yakov Batuzov, this 1940’s noir delivers a thriller full of secrets, lies and intertwined lives that successfully kept me engaged. Whilst it is […]

Loretta – PS5 Review

April 15, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged adventure / choices / film noir / hitchcock / loretta / mystery / narratively-driven / Pixel art / thriller / Yakov Batuzov by Mike

One advantage of this job is the opportunity to genuinely see games that fly well and truly under the radar. Grotto is an experimental, narratively-focused effort that places you, intentionally or otherwise, at the helm of a nearby tribe. Despite not being one of them, they seek your advice and […]

Grotto – PS4 Review

February 8, 2024 in PS4 / Reviews tagged brainwash gang / decisions / grotto / life and death / mysticism / narratively-driven / soothsayer / stargazing / tribal warfare by Mike

I often wonder with gaming narratives how to truly judge them. There are entirely story-driven games where the focus shifts from gameplay which ultimately diminishes the interactive element of the medium. Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories by Froach Club is another one of these games. With the gameplay reduced, I often […]

Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories – PS5 Review

April 15, 2023 in PS5 / Reviews tagged animal town / corporate espionage / crime story / froach club / gameboy aesthetic / melon journey bittersweet memories / narratively-driven / puns by Mike

I’ve often wondered how to view games that don’t carry a lot of challenge. I can feel like a passenger throughout but some of my most memorable experiences have also felt very trivial to complete. It’s a quandary I’ve had to keep in mind whilst playing Wavetale, an adventure platformer […]

Wavetale – PS5 Review

December 27, 2022 in PS5 / Reviews tagged adventure / apocalypse / exploration / narratively-driven / platforming / thunderful / waterworld / wavetale by Mike

With the democratising of games development, it’s nice to see more solo developers get off the ground. Wreck Tangle Games is a one-person studio that’s looking to mix bedtime stories with horror. The result is Quintus and the Absent Truth, a visually appealing title that does somewhat suffer from a […]

Quintus and the Absent Truth – PS5 Review

July 23, 2022 in PS5 / Reviews tagged adventure / horror / mouse / musician / narratively-driven / platforming / quintus and the absent truth / wreck tangle games by Mike

I know games sometimes like to cover civil unrest, protest and it’s consequences but they largely don’t concern themselves too much with ethical quandaries behind the curtain. There’s always a greater good and the good guys usually win out. Vengeful Heart has a fairly obvious cause to fight for but […]

Vengeful Heart – PS5 Review

April 4, 2022 in PS5 / Reviews tagged cyberpunk / dystopia / eco-terrorists / insurgency / l / narratively-driven / salmon snake / vengeful heart / visual novel by Mike

FMV games are always a fun thing to dig around. There’s something about an interactive medium featuring physical actors which always brings about some interesting results. The latest of these to come my way is Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus? Coming from Wales Interactive, this is a product that […]

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? – PS4 Review

March 18, 2022 in PS4 / Reviews tagged adventure / family quiz webchat / full motion video / Murder mystery / narratively-driven / poison / wales interactive / who pressed mute on uncle marcus by Mike

A while back I reviewed Strawberry Vinegar and it was arguably the moment where I really, really started to sound alarm bells about the visual novel genre. It was probably one of my first introductions to the fiction that is, ostensibly for weirdos, by weirdos. I knew Ebi-Hime had written […]

Blackberry Honey – PS5 Review

March 1, 2022 in PS5 / Reviews tagged blackberry honey / ebi-hime / love story / narratively-driven / victorian housemaids / visual novel by Mike

It’s been interesting to see puzzle games find their way into my rotation lately. A lot of them have been of an indie persuasion and they haven’t been especially enduring. A puzzler with a good hook or some interesting ideas will always grab me and In My Shadow manages to […]

In My Shadow – PS4 Review

February 25, 2022 in PS4 / Reviews tagged house / in my shadow / jumping / narratively-driven / playbae / puzzle platformer / puzzles / rooms / saws / spikes by Mike

Occasionally, adventure games catch my drift and The Song Out of Space seems right up my alley. Coming from Pixel Noire, the tale of extra-terrestrial interference, murders and Cold War tensions do tick a lot of my boxes. Unfortunately, it all seems rushed and doesn’t linger on the intrigue to […]

The Song Out of Space – PS5 Review

February 21, 2022 in PS5 / Reviews tagged aliens / cold war / fbi / narratively-driven / pixel noire / point and click adventure / the song out of space / visual novel by Mike

It’s another day in the visual novel dungeon for me and this might be the first time a direct sequel has landed in my queue. Kansei: The Second Turn HD is the middle chapter of Sakevisual’s Green Tea Line narrative. Following on from Jisei: The First Case HD, our nameless […]

Kansei: The Second Turn HD – PS5 Review

February 9, 2022 in PS5 / Reviews tagged green tea line / kansei the second turn hd / Murder mystery / narratively-driven / police procedural / sakevisual / visual novel by Mike

If nothing else, visual novels are a way for me to get out of my comfort zone and see into other people’s lives. It’s a genre very much not for me but, over the years, it’s given me plenty to think about. A Year of Springs, developed by npckc is […]

A Year of Springs – PS5 Review

December 19, 2021 in PS5 / Reviews tagged a year of springs / baths / friendship / Lgbtq / love / narratively-driven / npckc / relationship / spa / visual novel by Mike