Unwinnable

A simple cute smiley face on a field of white, made up of two dots and a squiggle that looks like a sideways "3."

Purrcy from Mystic Mansion

By Deirdre Coyle • July 9th, 2024

I find myself thinking about how Purrcy fits into the kawaii template of vulnerability and harmlessness. Purrcy does have these visual signifiers. I do want to help him. I am also terrified of him.

Grimrock Isle

By Stu Horvath and John McGuire • July 8th, 2024

Welcome to Dove’s Bay, the most horrible island in Maine (take that, Stephen King)!

The Guest

A still from Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water shows the main character underwater with a humanoid yet amphibious creature, the two of them totally about to make out.

Monsterfucking

By Amanda Hudgins • July 5th, 2024

Monsterfucking is about showing a mirror to the monstrosity within – both in terms of society and in terms of the relationships between the parties involved.

A screenshot from Dying Light in a wooded area facing a sunset with a teammate holding an automatic rifle and another in a cowboy hat with a sword with extra swords bolted on

“Rage, rage against the dying of the light”

By Zonghang Zhou • July 3rd, 2024

Though the fear of impending death is rendered moot by respawn mechanics, you know it will eventually run out. Still, you flatly refuse to go gentle into that good night.

Past Presence

A screenshot from Katamari Damacy shows a gigantic ball of detritus in a field of green, a rainbow stretching across the blue sky. A cow and her calf graze nearby, incuriously.

Killing the Dragon

By Emily Price • July 3rd, 2024

Both Dungeon Meshi and the Katamari franchise ask you to zoom in and look closely, keep your eyes peeled for small details, and never forget them even when they’re a speck on the surface of a massive star.

A screenshot from Rain World, featuring a white slugcat in between two enormous black rabbits with tendril horns, all caught in a noisy junk-filled world

Making Peace in the Toothy Maw of Rain World

By Hayes Geldmacher • July 2nd, 2024

After experiencing Rain World’s unforgiving cycle of death and punishment, it is not only understandable but anticipated that players would get fed up with the abuse and walk away to games that welcome their time and attention with any amount of appreciation. Why, then, do some players stay?

Run It Back

Cute

By Oluwatayo Adewole • July 2nd, 2024

Kawaii is consumed by the West as beauty without threat, whereas the very designation of Blackness is full of threat. What does it mean for a Black woman to try and be “cute?”

Exploits Feature