Recent reviews by hlilje

Logging Simulator 2021

Some games linger in your memory long after completion. For me, Life Is Strange is one of those games. It is by no means perfect; there are a fair number of clichés present, some choices are illusionary, certain main characters could be a bit more nuanced, the "gameplay" is kept to a minimum, and the dialogue is a bit cringy at times. Still, I adore the game.

What Life Is Strange gets particularly right is the presentation. By going for a heavily narrative-driven approach the designers are able to carefully construct scenes in the game, achieving the desired emotion through use of framing, objects, light and music. The story arch is in itself interesting, but it is the characters that sell it. Max's internal dialogue will force you to ponder your decisions, but it is the interaction between Max and Chloe that really stands out as engaging.

I enjoyed many of the themes in the game, though I would have liked to see the writers more bravely explore some of them. While not necessarily a "theme" in the normal sense, photography drives the narrative of the game. My understanding of photography is only superficial, but I believe the game primarily uses it as a plot device. This is most likely intended to avoid distractions, keep the story telling snappy and make it more accessible. All photos you can take are predetermined, which does feel like a missed opportunity.

The time rewind mechanic works well, and I recommend you take the time to explore the different outcomes of your choices, something I did not do myself as I knew exactly how I wanted to play the game. The gameplay largely consists of interacting with characters and examining environments, but I never felt it becoming stale. Seeing what percentage of other players made the different choices at the end of each chapter is a nice touch.

Life Is Strange has received a lot of recognition, and rightfully so. It may not have the most interesting of core game mechanics, but the presentation, storytelling and characterisation are absolutely brilliant.

Undertale is a masterpiece of a game which is best played without any prior knowledge whatsoever.

Frictional Games are masters at creating true horror games, and SOMA is no expection. For this game they decided to focus more on psychological horror rather than the traditional "haunted house" approach of Amnesia. I absolutely loved the theme of the game, and the existential questions raised throughout it. Unfortunately there where slightly contrived moments where the protagonist did the reflection for you. I understand their decision to go for a talking protagonist this time, but I still think it would be more powerful to leave it up to the players themselves to ponder.

The setting is incredibly atmospheric, with details galore to further enhance the claustrophobic feeling of being in a research facility underwater. The soundtrack fits the mood perfectly, and their new game engine contributes massively to the atmosphere through lighting, fog and distortion effects. The physics engine alone merits commendations, and is accompanied by excellent sound design. Your movement is heavy and satisfying, though I would have preferred to have visible limbs.

The plot is linear with an excellent pacing, but do not expect to get stuck on puzzles for too long. I enjoyed the story immensely, even though the protagonist was a bit too quick to accustom himself to his situation. I finished the game in just under 11 hours, which I think is a perfect length for a game of this type. Even if you are not into horror or science fiction, I still recommend this game for its theme, setting and beautiful storyline.

A charming and modern take on the classical point-and-click adventure genre.
The game sure had its moments, but the second half of the game was a bit inconsistent. This second half of the game is significally harder than the first, which is a result of the game being released in two parts and the first part getting critique for being too easy.
You should definitely give the game praise for avoiding many of the poor tropes currently present in video games.
If you can stand some of the more frustating puzzles in the second half of the game, it's definitely worth picking up.

I didn't know too much about this game beforehand, but I was intrigued by the style of it. It's a wonderfully atmospheric and moody title which gets quite philosophical at points. Gameplay-wise the puzzles were not too hard, even though I rarely play puzzle games. Slowly developing and interesting story.
Wholeheartedly recommended.

Throwing yourself and shooting people in slow motion never gets old, though constantly watching cutscenes does. The game runs superbly though and looks great, with some of the better physics I've experienced.
Be aware that the game is extremely directed, and you are constantly being pulled to advance the story (many times literally as the camera is moved in the correct direction). This is my biggest gripe with the game, and it makes it a prime example of games being overly inspired by films.
You are rushed to move along in the levels, yet still they have added collectables to encourage exploration.
All-in-all it is worth playing for the bullet time mechanics and physics if you can stand the story-telling, even though the story never really caught my interest. Also Max saltiness got really tiresome half-way through the campaign.

An okay game. Basically the same game as Dead Space (1) but with a worse story. Satisfying combat and good UI, very well built environments. Making Isaac a non-anonymous protagonist was a bad decision, since before the story was somewhat excusable. This game suffers from the same problems as the previous, in that the jump scares becomes really predictable after a while. The story is basically built around the formula: get to X to escape, X is broken/blocked/gone, get to Y to escape instead, repeat.

If all you want is more of the satisfying Dead Space combat, I can recommend this game. Otherwise you should probably play something else instead.

Originally posted on my blog[hlilje.tumblr.com]

BioShock has always had a special place in my heart, a game set in a wonderful world plagued by underwhelming gameplay. BioShock 2 improved slightly upon the mechanics, but did nothing to evolve the setting itself, which resulted in an experience a bit too familiar. BioShock Infinite thus resembles the first titles in the series by creating an amazing world with rather average gameplay and gunplay, which through the environment alone still manages to keep you interested in it.

The opening level takes you, the former Pinkerton Booker DeWitt, on a boat trip to a lighthouse with a simple mission:

> Bring us the girl, and wipe away the debt.

Shortly thereafter, you are taken to Columbia, the utopian city of the skies ruled by the proclaimed prophet Comstock. After going through your baptism, you are thrown into a world of religious fanaticism, patriotism, propaganda, ideology and steampunk. I immediately got That BioShock Feeling(tm) of being a misfit in a world where the beliefs of the originator has made the city and its inhabitants gone a bit awry.

Throughout the game you will be continuously impressed by the sheer spectacle of your surroundings. Ken Levine and his team has once again managed to create a world which doesn't only impress visually, but this time also comments on social issues like racism and religion. These topics are clearly portrayed negatively, and this game will be remembered as a standing proof that games surely are, as they say, art.

Unfortunately the gameplay is far from as engaging. BioShock Infinite has been accused of force feeding you typical first person shooter mechanics, and I agree to that point. They add vigors to spice things up, supernatural powers equivalent to the plasmids of the earlier titles. To excite things even more, you now have sky rails which you can hook onto and ride roller coaster style. This gives some sense of freedom of movement, and is a welcome addition to the otherwise way too stale shooter mechanics. The deuteragonist Elizaberth has the ability to open up tears, ripples into parallel worlds that in practise only works by teleporting various objects and resources into battle. All-in-all, I did not feel that these additional combat element alone warrants playing this game, and I quickly got tired of the combat sequences.

I played the game on the 'hard' difficulty level, which felt mostly fine for a more experienced gamer. It does bring with it one annoying problem, which was also present in previous titles on the higher difficulty settings. Enemies tend to be quite 'bullet spongy', and I did far too often find myself out of both ammunition and salts (vigor mana) when battling the tougher enemies. When you've emptied your last magazine and thrown all your spells at your opponent after rigorous looting, it stops being a matter of skill.

There are a fair amount of scripted sequences, which in itself can sometimes work for a single player game, but when you as a player lose control over Booker it hurts your immersion in the game. Contrary to previous BioShock titles, you now play a fully voiced character in the game. The interplay and dialogue between Booker and Elizabeth is a core part of the game, and this is enhanced through subtle additions like comments and having Elizabeth throw you items you might have missed. Personally, I much prefer the silent protagonist in a first person shooter, and every time Booker speaks it lessens my feeling of being involved in the world.

Speaking of the world, it cannot be overstated how well crafted and interesting it really is. They have put a lot of effort into various details the levels, and even though it might not be that interactive, it is still really impressive. I found myself admire various parts of the scenery even though it is essentially just that, scenery. Technically, the game also runs flawlessly on my computer in spite of the good visuals.

The ongoing conflict between the rebellious Vox Populi and the followers of the antagonist Comstock is reflected in the levels and is well told through the various places you will visit. I never felt I lost interest in the story, which in itself is one of this game's many strong points. I won't spoil any significant parts of it, and I instead advise you to experience it yourself.

Finally, I would like to address the elephant in the room. Elizabeth as a character is a prime example of the Damsel in Distress, one of the most tired tropes in gaming, and this was the aspect of the game that probably bugged me the most. Sure, there can be some value in this classic type of story, but the way it is handled in BioShock Infinite is sometimes just plain ridiculous. Elizabeth has the power to rip open tears, warping space and time itself, yet she still appears helpless in front of the hero Booker. Sure, there is a fair amount of character development involved, but Irrational Games could have done so much more with this character, had they let her step outside the role of the helpless woman.

To summarise, I may have bashed this title a bit more than necessary. Just praising all the good things would not have made for that interesting of a read, and I feel most reviews have already touched upon the better aspects of this title. The biggest strengths of BioShock are its setting and story, and if you can bear with the average mechanics and slightly irritating characterisation, you will find one of the best titles of 2013.

I was actually a bit blown away by this one. Expected a standard indie game with a gimmick, but found one of the most coherent games I have ever played.
The visuals, music and gameplay is connected in a way really few games manage, and it's apparent how much care and thought has been put into this game.
Both simple and cerebral, a title I will remember for quite some time.