October Round-up
A little bit about the games I played in October
Keeper
I’m almost all the way through this light-hearted adventure about a sentient lighthouse and its bird companion and, unfortunately the premise had more promise than the final product that has been delivered. I think Keeper will land where most Double Fine games do; praised because it’s made by Double Fine and we all love Double Fine, but from a gameplay point of view, completely middle of the road. Keeper has a lot of colour and character but is essentially a walking simulator, focused more on sweeping panoramic shots and flattering camera angles than actually offering any depth in terms of gameplay and puzzles.
Don’t get me wrong; there are some Double Fine games that I think are underrated gems (I’ll go to bat for Stacking, The Cave and Headlander) but I don’t think Keeper is anything special. I’m glad that in this industry that’s increasingly suffering at the hands of corporate greed, average games like Keeper can exist. I’m of the belief that Microsoft won’t shutter Double Fine (yet) because it will be a PR nightmare but are lying in wait for the opportunity. And if I were a hard-nosed Microsoft accountant, Keeper would be the type of game I’d reference when sliding everyone at Double Fine their P45s or the American equivalent.
Perhaps Keeper being on Game Pass is extra armour and protection against Microsoft’s financial Eye of Sauron in addition to Double Fine’s status as an indie darling. I hope they remain bulletproof as they are too much of a creative beacon to be snuffed out in favour of a shareholder being able to redecorate their yacht. So whilst I don’t agree with many outlets saying Keeper is cult classic material (it’s not good or memorable enough to be in my opinion), I’m glad they’re vouching for it so that the payroll at Double Fine remains nothing more than rounding error for the moneymen at Xbox and Microsoft.
Dispatch
It’s good to have the spirit of the Telltale Games back in the form of this superhero workplace comedy from AdHoc Studio. Even the visual glitches I experienced whilst playing the first episode of Dispatch made me nostalgic for the once-promising Telltale era of narrative adventure games. I’m only one episode into Dispatch (so far only the first four episodes of eight have dropped) but it gives a strong first impression. The art, animation and voice acting are all top-notch and whilst the gameplay (basically 911 Operator with some Quick Times Events thrown in) doesn’t look that inspiring, I’m really looking forward to see what a modern, adult take on the superhero experience looks like now that we’re removed from the sludgy mire of cookie-cutter MCU movies.
Strange Antiquities
As someone who doesn’t do too well with horror games (even Little Nightmares II was a test of my resolve), it was nice to still be able to partake in the spooky October festivities whilst not have my nerves absolutely fraught. Quite the opposite as Strange Antiquities probably aligns more with the ‘wholesome’ and ‘cosy’ genres than horror. Like the equally satisfying Strange Horticulture that preceded it, Strange Antiquities is set in the moody town of Undermere; picture Victorian England with a heavy dose of occultism; and sees you act as the purveyor of strange artifacts.
The cosiness comes from the fact that you don’t move beyond the four secret-laden walls (screens) of your antiquities shop where you’ll do much of the puzzle solving. Expeditions to find more artifacts are portrayed in the style of a text adventure whilst you remain in situ, still within reach of the shop owner’s pet cat that adorably lays on the front counter. There’s a growing unease in Undermere that reveals itself across the nineteen-day story but it doesn’t stray into outright horror, just an eerie level of intrigue. Strange Antiquities doesn’t stray too much from the winning formula that Strange Horticulture nailed but it does improve on the experience with UI and quality of life tweaks and more challenging and varied puzzles.
Although I treated Strange Antiquities as a game to wind down with as the autumnal evenings set in, it is still a game that requires a good level of thought and consideration. Whilst there are no real fail states, Strange Antiquities compels you to engage your brain. You’ll need to use deductive reasoning in order to identify the correct names and properties of the various artifacts to sell to your patrons; lateral thinking to solve various riddles to discover more artifacts; and attentiveness to avoid red herrings. Strange Antiquities doesn’t hold the player’s hand and trusts the intelligence of its audience all the while offering the perfect outlet for cosy autumn vibes.
Prince of Prussia
A free PICO-8 game from Adam Saltsman of Canabalt fame that can be played in-browser over on itch.io. It’s a minimalist puzzle platformer that riffs on the original Prince of Persia; essentially jumping over gaps, avoiding spike pits and taking out guards, albeit with much better controls and set during WWII. It’s a short, fifteen-minute experience that reminds us that the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi.
PowerWash Simulator 2
The ultimate therapeutic experience. I feel like I enter a state of zen whenever playing PowerWash Simulator 2 and become one with the hose. I’ve only completed three jobs and will savour the rest of the levels across the next several months. The only reason I don’t enter a complete fugue state when playing PowerWash Simulator 2 is due to the occasional narrative pop up that emerges during one of your cleans. The story arc in the first game was so delightfully ridiculous and, for me, is what elevated PowerWash Simulator from being a great game to an all-time favourite. I’ve already cleaned a public toilet that emerges from the ground like an automatic bollard so I’m eager to see what bizarre twists the writers have in store and what mad shit I’ll be hosing down in the future.
The Rise of the Golden Idol: The Curse of the Last Reaper DLC
The last DLC drop we’re getting for The Rise of the Golden Idol. Even throughout my most arid of gaming droughts, I’ve always played the two Idol games and their respective DLCs because they remain the pinnacle of logic games. Like the DLCs that preceded it, The Curse of the Last Reaper tells a standalone story in the same Idol universe that has treated us to various absurdist tales of greed and megalomania. This time we witness the downfall of a group of pirates seeking a Lemurian artifact; the folly of so many across the Idol universe (will they ever learn?). The Curse of the Last Reaper pays homage to that which came before it with an entire scenario seemingly dedicated to being a tribute to Return of the Obra Dinn; arguably the game to which the Idol games owe their entire existence. The Curse of the Last Reaper maintains the same quality we’ve come to expect from the Idol games; grotesque caricatures, grisly deaths, other-worldly occurrences, subtle cluing, intelligent deductive reasoning and mind-blowing revelations. I enjoy every entry into the Idol games and pray this isn’t the last we’ll see of the series.
What’s next for November?
Speaking of Return of the Obra Dinn, have enough years passed to replay that with a fresh pair of eyes? Maybe but to be honest, I’m probably going to dedicate my time to newer games that I seem to keep amassing in my Steam library. The Séance of Blake Manor recently came out and whilst I was going to play it anyway as I loved the Darkside Detective games from Spooky Doorway, the gaming press have likened it to games such as the Idol Series, Return of the Obra Dinn and Blue Prince so that’s moved up the priority list.
Pacific Drive dropped onto Game Pass so I might try my hand at some apocalyptic jalopy driving. Alternatively, other driving-adjacent games Easy Delivery Co. and Keep Driving are still calling out to me.
Remedy’s games are solid but I didn’t play Alan Wake II when it released a couple of years ago. I couldn’t resist picking it up for £15 on sale even though it’ll probably be free on some service by the time I get to it if I don’t make it my mission to get to it sooner. It’s a beefier game than I’m used to these days but I hope to at least give it a go and see whether I can cope with it’s level of horror.
Anything else I should be looking out for this month? What are you playing? Let me know!