Recent reviews by Nerdie

Delightful puzzle game that requires out of the box thinking and spatial experimentation. I should not have played it at 11 pm, getting increasingly less certain of reality and fact as 1 am rolled around. Although maybe that's the ideal way to play it...?

I love the Nancy Drew games a lot but it should be noted that the reason my runtime is 20 hours is because I fell asleep playing this one twice. Its just... none one of the better ones.

The Darkside games follow a pretty straightforward path. Weird mystery, goofy jokes, point and click puzzles. Its not aiming to be more than a short fun time and it excels at what it does. Still, the first game struck me as a bit mean-spirited and cynical in its utter disinterest in (even outright distaste for) a wider narrative.

That sensibility is still present here, but its more polished and refined. The already tenuous 4th wall completely drops in Fumble in the Dark. Characters bemoan that they don't love the archetype/obstacle they have to be this episode, but push through for the sake of the puzzles. The puzzle designer shows up to get angry at the idea that McQueen would want to skip the puzzle she worked so hard on. So on and so forth. It feels more like actors going through the motions than a goofy world. You'd think it'd get tiring, but it ends up swerving back around to endearing somehow.

I think what really makes this work is the shift in McQueen and Dooley's dynamic. They were a classic serious downtrodden protag/goofy sidekick team, with McQueen often the brunt of being treated as a fool and a loser by his "friend" Dooley. Because the 4th wall is almost nonexistent, McQueen and Dooley develop this new dynamic where they both know their roles and thrive in it. The dumb jokes are more for the other's benefit than the audience's. When their usual back-and-forth starts back up, there's more affection to it. Its the Sam and Max dynamic rather than a sadsack hero and his dumb friend. The rare moment the game tries to be sincere, its always focused on McQueen and Dooley's friendship rather than some big threat. It adds a much needed dose of heart to a game series that I enjoyed but found a little hollow.

Its just a sweet game about solving puzzles with two goofballs pointing to something weird and going "that's stupid. Let's go make fun of it together."

Delightful mystery game that doesn't spell things out for you and really lets you solve things at your own pace. Awful final case and ending though. Killed almost all my enjoyment. I'd say skip the last case and enjoy the rest of the game as it is.

Profoundly high on my personal kickstarter/indie point and click collection. Excellent puzzles and lots of areas to explore. Wonderful character moments. There's always a fresh new mechanic that's used to very good creative effect. Gameplay works really well, simplifying the point and click style to its bare essentials. And it tells a complete story, with love and care. Charming and delightful all around.

A fun 90s adventure throwback. The characters aren't necessarily well-developed or nuanced, but the writing is surprisingly tight. By the end of the game, I could trace where every character was at every point of the game and understand what they were doing and why. It makes me crave more mystery thriller visual novels in this style.

Cozy twenty minute game capturing a nostalgic feeling. Some glitches and frustrating issues picking things up, but otherwise a really charming experience.

Psychonauts + Chulip should not work as well as it does. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

Among the walking sim genre (we gotta get a better name for that), its visually distinct from the pack. I think its art style adds a nice layer to its storybook premise. Its a little too blunt though, saying things that I think should be whispered instead of shouted. It feels a little inspired by Rule of Rose, but it lacks the ambiguity that really worked for that game.

At the same time, maybe I shouldn't have played it at 1 to 3 am right after finishing Kentucky Route Zero, a game I'm still riding the high of. That could be on me and its not the game's fault I'm stuck in that zone. Also its only choice (stopping the fire vs making it burn brighter) carries that same sort of "well, what choice means more to you?" KR0 spirit I like. Is it better to hold onto those precious memories or just let them go? Its a really interesting choice to give players and its really the only sense you get that the devs wanted their audience to freely interpret the game as they wish.

All in all though, I think Scarlett made a good pick in dating Cam. That dude seems just like a straight up chill, reliable boyfriend. Better give that guy a ring now that you're out of that purgatory, girl. Game is fun, worth the two hours

Girlfriend and I went after the co-op date ending as sort of a romantic goof. Ended up being a really emotional conversation that demonstrated our compatibility and bond as a couple. Great date night. 10/10.