#adventure game
#adventure game
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Relentless in artistic and storytelling ambition, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim still comes off as lacking in confidence. It takes plenty of risks, and in presentation at least marches forward with a swagger that makes it clear Vanillaware knew how many people they could bring in purely on the promise of their incredible 2D artwork and its time-travel, mech centric premise, myself included. Yet by the time the credits roll on the game 13 Sentinels’ big ideas and ambitious remixes of the adventure game formula feel more like distractions than essential components of its storytelling.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Good hand drawn art always gets to me. Despite how impressive games look now, with all the variety of art styles, there’s a certain warmth to hand drawn art and the effort put into them that never fails to charm me. Nairi: Tower of Shirin is one of those charming entries, and it takes full advantage of that warmth with a strong storybook vibe.
Combining elements of adventure games and dating sims, Monster Prom focuses on the experience of collaborative storytelling. Along with Moon Hunters, it follows the legacy of The Yahwg, which drew the blueprint for the intimate style of story told here. Unlike the other two, Monster Prom isn’t concerned with the coming disaster of a fantasy world, but a high school prom. This sets up Monster Prom up as a comedy game, with an irreverent tone that pokes fun at high school archetypes, movie monster mythology, and prep school institutions. It’s a fun synthesis, and when it hits it had me laughing in disbelief, but it also becomes a source of wild tonal shifts that break its stride.
