We covered a lot of the bigger names back in December,
but James still had a ton of cool little games on his list to recommend
so we figured it's time for another "Games you Might Not Have Tried"
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As usual, perhaps even more than usual,
don't expect all of these games to be great,
but they *are* all interesting
and may be worth having a look at if anything I show you here intrigues you.
Here we go. First up:
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Have you ever wished that you could play the beginning part of Civilization -
the part where you're exploring - for the whole game?
If so, Thea has got you covered.
Its storyline is actually stronger than it needs to be for a turn based, CIV-esque game.
Its combat, while not incredibly deep, has more to offer than standard Civilization II,
and there's a ton of gear to craft.
The tech tree and buildings for your settlements leave a bit to be desired,
but that's not really what the game's about.
It's about exploration, in a quasi-Eastern European fantasy setting.
Every new monster lair or abandoned city you explore
is either filled with loot, or opens up another sprawling narrative quest.
Every unexplored tile might be filled with peril or rewards.
And the game also borrows rogue like elements:
the map is randomized every game,
your characters have perma-death, the game only allows one save slot,
and there's a meta-progression system so that each time you lose (and you will lose),
you retain some of your progress as your deity grows in power
and bestows new bonuses to the next tribe you start up,
which is a fascinating addition to this type of game.
It wouldn't work in Civilization, but this game lets you know from the outset
that you're not gonna win right away, and yet sets you up to come back for more.
The game can have some of that fiddly chore-like management that CIV does very late in the game
and the combat, while rich at first, becomes a little tedious when you have large stacks of units
but overall, if you want to play something that takes that early exploration phase of CIV
and spools it out into an entire game, try Thea, the Awakening.
(electro music)
Usually on these episodes, we try to give a shout out to games that do something different.
But, you know, every once in a while, you gotta just respect solid craftsmanship.
And Axiom Verge is that.
That's not to say it's perfect - there are still plenty of places to get stuck
and plenty of frustrations to be had, but
if you're looking for an old-school Metroid experience
(and I do mean Metroid, not Metroidvania)
Axiom Verge delivers.
But the real reason that we're recommending it is:
if you're interested in design, it's fascinating to compare it with the old Metroid games
just to see where design thinking has changed in the last few decades.
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And here we go recommending another Warhammer game.
On the one hand, I feel like Games Workshop basically ran the license into the ground
by just handing it out to everyone and getting so many terrible games in return,
but they've handed it out to sooo many people now that at least a few of them were bound to turn out good.
and, I've gotta give it to Mordheim,
it is just what I was looking for in a sort of rogue-like, tactics game.
Mordheim is a small units strategy game,
very akin to Valkyria Chronicles in how it plays, but very different in theme.
It's 3rd person, with lots of unit progression, party management, equipment and skills to play around with.
Most of the battles are randomized encounters that make for functionally infinite content,
while its handcrafted story missions always feel exciting, terrifying, and special.
Now the game saves after every move, so you can't escape Mordheim's permadeath penalties
but characters who fall in combat aren't simply removed from your army forever
Instead, they roll on a table of possible wounds,
so you don't often end up feeling like you should just quit the game if your favorite character falls.
or that you need to hold back your most awesome unit because they're just too precious to put into danger.
Now, if you decide to play this, might I recommend trying the Extra Credits Challenge,
in which you never open up the overhead map.
You see, in game, you can press Shift to see the layout of the level,
and where all the loot and the known enemies are.
which is great, it makes the game a lot more playable.
But, if you want it to feel like that dark, oppressive Warhammer world,
try it without the map.
You have to search every house for loot yourself,
without ever knowing what might lurk around the corner.
If your team gets split up, they'll have to find their way back
wandering through the deserted streets of an unknown city.
desperately trying to find their war band before something finds them.
Tactics are all about guesswork, and what can be seen with the naked eye.
It's a lark. Maybe frustrating at times, but entertaining.
So if rogue-like and tactics sound good together, you might want to check this out.
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This was one of the most bizarre and disturbing games that I've played this year
It's not for everybody, not by a long shot.
but if you want a game that puts you in a really uncomfortable place,
pick up this piece of head trauma for free.
I am just going to leave it at that.
You can play it in less time than it would take me to spoil it.
(electro punk music)
Since we talked about Undertale last time,
(and you did all go play Undertale, right?)
I think it's time we talked about Lisa.
If you want a summary of this game,
just think about all the things that Undertale made you feel,
and then imagine the exact opposite.
Yes, this is a post-apocalyptic RPG,
but it's nothing like anything you have seen in that genre before.
This game can only be described as brutally uncompromising.
It is perhaps the grimmest, bleakest tale in video games,
but if you're looking for an RPG with devastatingly horrifically meaningful choices in it,
if you're looking for a game that doesn't shy away from trauma or abuse or addiction,
if you're looking for a game that will continuously lead you shocked
without ever once feeling like it's simply going for cheap shock value,
you're looking for Lisa.
Just understand, this is a depressing trip through and through.
but it's also a game that manages to embrace Snaz RPGs sensibilities
while dealing with its theme in a more mature way than most mature rated games today.
So if you're ready for an apocalypse more bleak than 'The Road', well, here you go.
and finally, let's talk about something lighter and wholesome to cleanse the brain,
Tearaway Unfolded.
(ukulele and xylophone music)
Tearaway Unfolded is a PS4 remake of the utterly charming Tearaway for the Vita,
which never got the attention it deserved because of the platform.
It's got an endearing narrative, fantastic narration, and a gorgeous papercraft world.
But the reason I wanna talk about the remake, rather than the original, is the central conceit.
A big part of the controls relies on using the motion control features built into PS4 controllers.
Basically, the little glowy bit on the back of your controller
serves as a giant flashlight in the game.
And this idea of using the controller as a beam of light is a really interesting one.
The controls were still awkward at times,
and I found myself wishing that I didn't have to use all the motion control elements of the controller
to play the game, but, unlike most motion control attempts with gyroscopic controllers,
this doesn't feel artificial.
Their central conceit of the light from the controller being a beam of light in the game
and the way their narrative embraces the idea that
you as a player are really sitting somewhere on the other side of the screen from the game
makes it all feel real and connected.
It's one of the rare integrations of the PS4's built in gyroscopes
that actually enhances your connection to the world and the play
rather than sucking you out of it.
So yeah, give Tearaway a look. It deserves it.
Well, I hope we have pointed you towards something that you'll enjoy.
See you next week!