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Shortly after beating Disco Elysium and being properly enthralled by it, a friend suggested I try Roadwarden. Looking at the trailer, I was very skeptical -- how could a game that looks so simple match the grandiosity and genius of Disco? But is in this simplicity of systems and focus on a small-yet-very-dense world filled with interconnected events and great writing, Roadwarden took me and never really let me go.

Many people have already mentioned the typos that happen maybe a bit too frequently throughout the game, and I'll admit it bothered me, but not enough to write the game down. If it might seem the game lack polish, I am still willing to let it pass since this is mostly an one-man job. Graphically, Roadwarden gives you enough to suggest what the world looks like, but never enough to rob you of imagining your version of it. Musically, it's simple yet evocative, again, letting your mind wander and fill the gaps. But is in the game's writing and plot that it transcends most other RPGs.

I mean, the name implies it, but most RPGs are quite limited in the amount they let you effectively roleplay, but in Roadwarden, this is the whole game. The open-endedness of the tasks you're given and the tools to achieve them is shocking. I struggled to remember another game in recent memory that felt so … pen-and-paper like this one. My game ended mostly as I wanted, being an honorable fighter that spared more beasts than I killed, that respected most opinions even though they were different from mine, but that didn't shy away from tough confrontations with bandits or tyrant village lords. I was not able to achieve all my objectives, effectively antagonizing one tribe I was seeking the favors of and failing my personal goal, but it never felt like a proper failure, just as a life well lived where you do your best and sometimes fail to come through. The journey was harsh at first, easy later on, and entirely satisfying.

If you're looking for pure roleplay, there are very few games that match Roadwarden charm, ambition, scope and freedom. It might not be the prettiest boy in town, but it's certainly one of the smartest and most entertaining. It's harsh at first like life on the road, but it gets easier once you have friends in the wilderness and knowledge of the beaten path. A must for any pen-and-paper RPG fan.

Pragmata is a sci-fi action shooter. A hack-and-shoot, if you will. You play as Hugh, a human trying to find his way home after a tragic incident. Along the way, Hugh meets an android girl named Diana.. Diana is able to hack enemies, objects, and doors. They decide to team up.

This game is absolutely bubbling with personality. There are a lot of little moments and things you can discover that bring the characters to life and add a lot of charm to the game.

The gameplay is excellent. It revolves around hacking and shooting. Use Diana to hack the enemies, It's like a little puzzle game where you move the cursor from one end to another. Very easy. Once the enemies are hacked, Hugh can shoot and damage them. I played on keyboard and mouse, which allowed me to use the mouse side button for hacking. It was crazy how easy and seamless it felt on mouse.

As you progress, you can unlock more hacking variations and weapon choices. There are some really unique ones that you can use to strategize in battle instead of brute forcing every enemy. I'm not a great double tasker so I thought about skipping the game, but after the demo I realized how easy it was. I learned how to hack/shoot by the first enemy.

I loved the enemy variety, the detailed level design, and the optional dialogue you discover through exploration. If I had to say one thing I didn't like, it just feels a little repetitive. That might be because I never try to 100% my games, but this time I did. I grabbed all the collectibles, and I was just ready to finish by the end. There is an unlockable post game mode, but I haven't played it.

Overall, Pragmata really stands out. It's unique, has it's own identity, is full of charm, and is just adorable. I'm a sucker for the adoptive dad trope, and Hugh and Dianas relationship is the stand out of the game. I recommend it.

Yes, Your Grace is a pixel art choice game. You are the king, who sits on the throne and talks to your people in the kingdom. They have troubles, and you can choose who to spend the resources and coin on, and who to deny.

The game is very story heavy. There is a war that you, the king, are involved in. You are struggling being a dad, preparing for a war, and making the correct choices so you don't sink the kingdom. It sounds like it would be a game like Papers Please or Reigns, but it's not very similiar. The story comes first in this game, the small decisions just compliment it. There are slightly different endings and variations depending on your choices.

The game has comedy, and balances it with some very dark moments as well. It puts a lot into its story and characters, so you do want to help this family succeed. I really enjoyed almost everything about this game. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't more about the choices that involve helping the kingdom, but the story gripped me and made me forget that it wasn't the game I was expecting.

The only negative thing I'll say, is that the ending is very anticlimatic. I won't spoil it, but the effort (or lack of) you put in to prepare or the choices you make, always leads to the same moment. It's also very abrupt. It's building up, building up, building up, and over.
Still, I'd overall recommend it. Especially on sale.

I have beef with Supermassive games. It's one-sided. I enjoyed Until Dawn. We all did. Fun games. Good choices. When I heard they were creating an anthology of multiplayer horror games… you betcha I was ecstatic.

Then I played them.

Man of Medan was… okay. Very disappointing and absolutely full of annoying bugs. It wasn't very good. A rough start, but it happens to the best of us. Then I played Little Hope.

I don't even want to talk about Little Hope… but I will.

I'm playing with my boyfriend and we get an infinite loading screen that's impossible to bypass. I tried every fix. I even contacted the developers to no avail, or reply. It took not one, but two restarts to get past it. Restarting the chapter? Nope. Restarting the entire game? Second time's the charm.

What did I get for all that effort? A disappointing game with an even more disappointing ending.

You're probably thinking, why in the world did you play House of Ashes after all that? I actually didn't. Shelved it for over a year. Then it got picked in my Play or Pay. I didn't realize the friend pass was a limited time thing. I kinda thought it was similar to what Hazelight Studios does. You buy one game, you can play with a friend. I ended up having to buy a copy for my boyfriend so we could play.

I tell you all this so I can rant, but also put you in my mindset of how angry I was at this game.

But then I played it.

So yeah it's actually very enjoyable!

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is a multiplayer (or single-player) story horror choice game. You play military men and women in the special forces, that are sent on an important mission. You get sidetracked when you fall underground and have to survive deadly creatures.

This game is not for everyone. The gameplay only consists of walking, QTE's and quick decisions. There are QTE's constantly, and failing a few can be the difference between life or death. I don't mind them, but some people definitely do. Just like their other games, you can get everyone killed, everyone out alive, or everything in between.

Because the gameplay is so limited, the appeal really falls on the horror, the story, and the characters. The story was solid. You can find plenty of lore and it slowly builds the mystery. The horror is definitely present. It's not terrifying, but the setting automatically makes you uneasy, and it's nerve-wracking trying to get these people out alive.

The characters is where the game really shines. Most of these games have characters I liked a little, and a lot that I hated. This game does a great job as purposely making the characters a bit unlikable, and then giving them the spotlight as you progress. If you manage to keep them alive long enough, you are awarded with character development and deeper character bonds. By the end, I liked them all.

The multiplayer played well. Still a lot of bugs, but nothing game breaking. My boyfriend and I were in different locations with different characters for the majority of the game. It's worth playing at least two times, due to how many scenes you won't see.

Overall, we really enjoyed this game. The QTE's feel outdated, but the characters drive the story and we had a lot of fun playing it. That being said, I do think these games are very overpriced and I recommend buying them on sale.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a Nintendo Switch game. It is not on Steam. I have never played or heard of the other Tomodachi Life games, but I kept seeing this one online and it looked like fun.

Tomodachi Life is a very quirky life simulator. You create Miis and put them on the island. The Miis are fully customizable. You can customize them using the preset options, or you can draw features on them.

I am not an artist. I can't even draw a straight line on a Switch. Luckily, the character customization has a lot of fun options. You can play with the features to make the features look different than how they are intended. You can mess with the size, length, and color of most facial features.

Because the game is pretty much a sandbox to do what you want, most people make Miis that resemble fictional characters, family or friends, celebrities, or OCs. You are in charge of watching the Miis, and they address you as a player often. They will ask you for conversation starters, decision making, and to play small minigames. You can force the Miis to interact, or you can just sit back and watch them. They live out their lives and have interactions, even when you aren't playing. They can become friends, dislike each other, or even have crushes or get married.

There are a lot of little cutscenes and interactions between the Miis. Most of them are funny and weird. A lot of the comedy is self-made. If you create a strange batch of characters, it'll be funny to see who interacts with who. You can see the most unlikely characters fall in love, fight, or become friends.

It is optional, but Tomodachi Life gives you a lot of chances to be creative. Not only can you draw characters, but you can also create objects for them to interact with, draw their homes, or their outfits. You will also be asked for conversation starters or general questions and you can type anything you want as an answer. This leads to many humorous moments because characters will randomly bring up your topics from time to time.

My island is filled with fictional characters from TV shows and movies. I use the website "Tomodachi Share" for examples on how to create characters I want. You can upgrade the island slowly and add more Miis as you play. You can add 70 Miis total.

The game does eventually get repetitive. It has a lot of content though. I'm still enjoying it a lot. It's just some turn your brain off fun. It's not trying to be an award-winning achievement of a game, it's just very enjoyable.

I recommend it if you have a Switch, a good imagination, and enjoy watching your created characters be little weirdos.