Evergrace, A Forgotten FromSoft Classic

Evergrace, A Forgotten FromSoft Classic

I experienced a strange moment of déjà vu when I first set foot on the Altus Plateau in Elden Ring, the breakaway hit game of 2022. There was something about the way the golden leaves of the trees swayed in the breeze that stirred my memory. I had definitely seen this place before. I had walked through these abandoned ruins. I had gotten lost on these plains, and I had died under these golden leaves. In fact, I had died kind of a lot.

(more…)

Review: Soul Void Dives Deep into Retro Body Horror

Review: Soul Void Dives Deep into Retro Body Horror

Soul Void is a dark fantasy Game-Boy-style adventure game that takes about three hours to finish. Its story of a young woman navigating the perils of the underworld is intriguing and cathartic, and its art design makes incredible use of the eeriness of its retro pixel graphics. For anyone who enjoyed the characters and worldbuilding of Undertale, Soul Void offers a similarly offbeat odyssey of mystery and friendship illustrated with disturbing but brilliantly creative horror art. (more…)

Review: Fishing Vacation Dredges Up Unwholesome Summer Fun

Review: Fishing Vacation Dredges Up Unwholesome Summer Fun

Fishing Vacation is a retro Game-Boy-style game that answers an intriguing question: What happens when you cross the wholesomeness of a retro fishing game with the gothic horror of an abandoned cabin in the woods? Created by Teebowah Games with open-source GB Studio software and originally published on Itch.io in 2020 as part of a “fishing horror” game jam, Fishing Vacation is now available to a wider audience on Nintendo Switch. (more…)

May Roundtable: Labor in Games

May Roundtable: Labor in Games

May Day may have come and gone, but it’s always a good time to talk about labor and worker’s rights. Both in and out of games (and the games industry), we’re seeing a growing consciousness of how exploitative labor practices shape our society. From increased pushes for unionization to games explicitly about striking or exploitation in the workplace, these ideas are also part of ongoing conversations within the gaming industry. That’s what we’re discussing this month—labor and work within the games industry, both representationally and behind the screen. (more…)

How Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Navigated Fan Expectations

How Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Navigated Fan Expectations

Four men sit in a dimly lit conference room. Their expressions are impassive as they watch Nintendo’s conference at E3 2003. The next year finds the same four IGN reporters sitting on a couch as they watch a remote broadcast of Nintendo’s presentation. They erupt into motion, their excitement comically evident on their faces. This dramatic pair of photos has become a meme, with the storytelling of the images surviving long past the memory of their original context. (more…)