mystery

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 of the good things about this job is the chance to refresh one’s memory. I recall being pretty sweet on Darkwood‘s original release from Acid Wizard. The atmospheric horror managed to deliver a lot with a grimy aesthetic and a survivalist approach. With the Playstation 5, very little has […]

Darkwood – PS5 Review

February 7, 2023 in PS5 / Reviews tagged acid wizard / crafting / darkwood / escape / forest / mystery / survival horror by Mike

It’s always odd for me to be introduced to a long-running series I know nothing about. Games come out in all shapes and sizes but finding out FM Studio’s output does make me realise my knowledge of available games is a drop in the ocean. The two-person studio have been […]

Forgotten Hill Disillusion – PS5 Review

January 8, 2022 in PS5 / Reviews tagged fm studio / forgotten hill disillusion / horror / logic / museum / mystery / point and click / puzzle by Mike

It’s the season for spooky tales and what better way to close out October than with a visual novel with some heavy supernatural leanings? Hermitage: Strange Case Files is a detective story that puts a heavy emphasis on the bizarre goings on. I feel the genre needs no excuses to […]

Hermitage: Strange Case Files – PS4 Review

October 30, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged arrowiz / hermitage strange case files / japan / lovecraft / monsters / mystery / narratively-driven / supernatural / visual novel by Mike

There was a time at PlayStation Country where if a visual novel came in it meant that I, as the resident fan of niche Japanese games, had to do it. Basically I like JRPGs therefore I was the best set for visual novels. Thankfully that’s not necessarily the case any […]

Root Film – PS4 Review

March 31, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged Danganronpa / murder / mystery / phoenix wright / root film / root letter / visual novel by Gareth

It’s a stone could fact that there are more visual novels born than people these days. Sure enough, another one has crossed my path asking me to look at some anime artwork whilst trying to pay attention to some dialogue. It’s Nicole‘s turn. Coming from Winter Wolves, this dating simulator […]

Nicole – PS4 Review

August 6, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged college / dating life simulator / mystery / narratively-driven / nicole / visual novel / winter wolves by Mike

Now I’ve done it. I’ve opened the Pandora’s box on visual novels now and another one has been sent my way. It’s not a genre I’ve ever been enamoured with but at least A Summer With the Shiba Inu offers a decent mystery on paper. It’s a genre where the […]

A Summer with the Shiba Inu

July 5, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged a summer with the shiba inu / dogs / military laser tag / mystery / narratively-driven / quill game studios / spying / visual novel by Mike

Despite being out there for sixty-odd years, there’s still a tremendous mystique about making it to space. ADR1FT by 310 Digital is looking to touch upon the pressures of being miles and years away from Earth. This first-person adventure aims to deliver a thought-provoking story amidst a four-hour spacewalk and, for […]

ADR1FT – PS4 Review

July 24, 2016 in PS4 / Reviews tagged ADR1FT / mystery / narrative driven / space / walking simulator by Mike

Some people just want to watch the world burn and, in the case of the men and women of Wyoming’s Firewatch, it becomes a profession. Rather than develop into an arsonist’s fantasy, Campo Santo’s debut adventure aims to tell a tight tale about a small cast of interesting individuals. You […]

Firewatch – PS4 Review

February 12, 2016 in PS4 / Reviews tagged exploration / firewatch / mystery / narrative driven / walking simulator by Mike

Like many of us I like scaring myself a little. I like the feeling of unease you get with a good ghost story. Whispering Willows sets out to tell a ghost story from the perspective of a protagonist who is searching for her father, and it includes elements of a whodunnit […]

Whispering Willows – PS4/Vita Review

July 6, 2015 in PS4 / Vita tagged 2d / ancient indian burial ground / ghost story / mystery / spooky by Steven