Review: Blue Prince
Blue Prince. Here’s the review: look at the rating, buy the game, grab a notebook – hell, buy a nice journal specifically for the game, so that you’ve got something better to remember it by than a few scrappy, crappy notes wedged between shopping lists and fantasy football line-ups – and spend your next month of evenings playing it.
Review: The Darkest Files
The Darkest Files from Paintbucket Games sees players take the role of Esther Katz, a young prosecutor in 1950s Germany looking into historic crimes from the tail end of the Second World War. The game is a spiritual successor to Paintbucket’s earlier title, Through the Darkest of Times: both games are, unsurprisingly, pretty heavy experiences, going along with the studio's mission to develop video games that leave a lasting impact and focus on strong narratives.
Long-time readers won’t be surprised to hear that The Darkest FIles sounds like “my sort of” game: digging through swathes evidence and piecing together a story from various accounts… what’s not to like?
Review: Urban Jungle
Urban Jungle is the debut game from three-person studio Kylyk Games. In it, players take the role of Ayta Borisova during snapshots over almost thirty years of her life, between the years 1996 and 2024. As with many cosy games, it opens with Ayta during a fairly miserable moment in her life, worn down by corporate life and being yet another cog in an unappreciative system.
What she’s really passionate about is her plants, with the core gameplay coming from players placing plants to make each of those snapshots a cosy — and green — environment.