Games Archives - Page 18 of 345 - Unwinnable

A screencap from Tears of the Kingdom when the Stable Trotters band is brought back together to sing for a Great Fairy

Getting the Band Back Together: Players Orchestrating Worlds

By Jonathan Fenn • March 13th, 2024

The reason bringing musicians together works so well as a gameplay trope, is that it capitalizes on connection and creativity at its core in a mechanically satisfying, and often narratively significant way.

Artwork for the game Watch Dogs 2 with a portrait of the lead on the right wearing a black face mask, ball cap, sunglasses, and headphones as they look intently at his mobile phone, hacking

Escape from Tomorrow

By Zonghang Zhou • March 12th, 2024

The greatest pity is that Marcus does not succeed where Aiden has failed – to rebuild.

Mystic Punks, Part One

By Stu Horvath and John McGuire • March 11th, 2024

The squares sure aren’t gonna save the day.

Area of Effect

A screenshot from Beasts of Maravilla Island shows the protagonist observing a pair of colorful monkey sitting on the branch of a tree in a tropical forest.

Seasonal Space

By Jay Castello • March 8th, 2024

I played one section of Beasts of Maravilla Island and then I got on a bus, and the naked tree branches seemed more interesting than ever.

I Played It, Like, Twice...

Key art for Disney's Lorcana game, with ice queen, Mickey Mausritter, and crow queen standing in a line together

Versus Mode: Lorcana x Sorcerer’s Arena

By Orrin Grey • March 7th, 2024

Unlike Lorcana, Sorcerer’s Arena is not an original game cooked up whole cloth. It is, instead, an adaptation of the mobile game of the same name. I’ve tried out the mobile game a bit, but not enough to really get a feel for it, and there’s something to be said for the joy of pushing little plastic standees around on a board.

Interlinked

The title screen from the original Prince of Persion, showing an Arabian palace in all its pixellated glory.

Making Leaps

By Phoenix Simms • March 6th, 2024

Sometimes a certain long-running series will grow alongside you, its relationship with you and your associated subtexts with it morphing over time.

Here Be Monsters

A screenshot from Dead Space shows a terrifying space monster attacking Isaac Clarke as he tries to scramble away backwards in his spacesuit.

In Defense of the Jump Scare: A Manifesto

By Emma Kostopolus • March 5th, 2024

Jump scares function as a necessary pressure-release valve for the experience of watching horror, thus allowing the experience to be less unrelentingly tiring.

Mind Palaces