VA-11 HALL-A (Valhalla) is a visual novel about a young lady working as a bartender in a dystopian futuristic city. Like most visual novels, a lot of the gameplay is reading; in this case talking to the interesting characters that visit the Valhalla bar, seeing how they (and you) develop over the course of a Christmas-New Year period (how fitting)

Since you're a bartender, there's a mini game about mixing drinks for the patrons you're chatting with. There's a recipe book, you can take as long as you want, and the only challenge is ingredient selection, but, drink choice is the primary way of changing narrative paths (rather than dialogue selection), so it's a good idea to do it well. I guess the right drink at the right time can change a lot

And since it's dystopian fiction, there's an extremely light side game about managing your monthly funds, juggling required bills like rent, electricity and porn, with secondary concerns like sweet posters and new video games. Doing well at your bartending job obviously directly impacts this side, but being able to buy the nice things for your apartment also helps with your mental state back at the bar

Overall, a good game to relax in bed with, a cup of tea nearby, and a good pillow at your back

The King's Bird is a momentum platformer, which if you've been reading my stuff for a while, you'll know that i don't really get along with

The more physics basis is obviously very frustrating for me, making things feel a bit more out of my control, but it is fascinating to see ghost recordings of people who've somehow managed to wrangle this beast

Personally, i'll just give some thanks to the gaming god for Assist Mode, as it basically allowed me to beat this one

Now this is a Metroid love letter. I played Axiom Verge earlier this year and it's hard to not draw direct comparisons - with Environmental Station Alpha coming out ahead (in my opinion)

ESA is basically a deconstructed, minimalist Metroid: Fusion, in visuals obviously, but also in narrative and mechanics. In spite of this paring back it manages to cut much closer to the "spirit" of a good metroidvania (or perhaps the paring back just made the spirit more visible)

The story and plot are a bit simpler than Fusion, almost as if to match the lower res graphics. Many pieces are almost directly stolen: a research space station orbiting a subject planet; different sectors of the station dedicated to different biomes; a straightforward system malfunction that slowly morphs into a malevolent sentience wreaking havoc. It's so clearly homage that i immediately forgave it, and the simple text-log presentation activated the nostalgia in my brain without pulling me into judging favourites

Mechanically it's a very traditional metroidvania, and i mean that in the good sense. Abilities are almost always fundamental changes to the way your character moves and engages with the world, rather than disguised key-cards (a small few are this though). A nice feature is the option of turning off individual upgrades in the status screen, allowing the game to have areas that require you to survive without an ability you've come to rely on - it doesn't do this as much as it should've though

One of the divergence points in ESA is over its post game content, with opinions seeming to split sharply in either direction. While everything above does technically describe both halves, it's angled more towards the main game. The post game is much more experimental, adding cryptic puzzles that require lateral thinking, hidden areas that come close to pixel hunts, instant-death dash mazes, and of course, crushing super-bosses and secret endings.

Personally, i lean more towards the less-enjoying camp with this stuff, but i will recognise that this part of the game is just not for me, but for the over-achieving secret hunters who want to squeeze every drop out. The problem (and this is definitely still a personal one), is that a bunch of achievements need me to engage with this half, and so i had to bash my skull against the deadly dash maze for a good hour or so.

Just be aware of this part of the game if you're thinking of diving in yourself, but that ends my PSA about ESA's post game

Otherwise, lovely little metroidvania. It's almost sad that i missed this gem for so long, and that it was only the (recent) achievement addition that brought me round to it

I was weirdly looking forward to Icewind Dale during the Baldur's Gate play-through. Perhaps because i imagined it as a more relaxing, Diablo-like game without the focused narrative - you know, something you can play while you listen to a podcast, or while (re)watching some internet video

Two problems: 2nd Edition D&D rules (and perhaps all editions, i'm not the expert) are not really designed for half-brained play - not without Story Mode at least, and even then you might find yourself occasionally hitting a wall. Secondly, they stripped out the advanced party AI from BG 1&2, which obviously means you need to do a lot more micro-management as a player

As a bonus third point, i really underappreciated how much the narrative brings to your motivation as a player. The entire party is created by you, so while you may feel a part ownership of them, they don't have any quests or personality beyond what you imagine yourself - so it feels more like carting a few of your toys on an adventure across your parent's garden

I'm not talking down to that childish sort of play - i did that a lot as a kid, and it's probably a primary driver of writers and game designers and dungeon masters towards creating their worlds - it's just that the companion characters lent a social element to the experience (even if it's simulated) that feels like it's missing here. Perhaps it was a mistake to play it after the Baldur's Gates, or perhaps i really am burning out a bit

You do fly through character levels like, well, a Diablo character, and the game is a lot shorter than either BG game, so at least my whole month wasn't killed again. Here's hoping i can play enough other things so that i'm fresh and ready for Planescape Torment next month

I definitely enjoyed my time with Immortal Redneck. A good-feeling rogue-like with barely any fluff. Just dive in and start shooting mummies

The "Redneck" part is just an excuse for guns, with you starting with the classic sawn-off, a pistol and some "fishing" dynamite. Your quest is to blast your way through the floors of three pyramids, up to the boss at its apex. "Blast" is the operative word here, as you start off rocketing around at nearly Doom/Quake levels of movement speed - sprint jumps can take you clear across some rooms. This speed can be increased, and double- or triple-jumps (or more) can be unlocked for even more air acrobatics

Between runs you have a literal skill tree that you feed with gold earned in the pyramids, unlocking character improvements and starting load-outs. These are all themed on ancient Egyptian gods, with suitable passive and active skills, and they're pretty good for trying out a new style every now and then. Everything the gods offer (and a lot more) can be found inside the pyramids, as during a run you find scrolls to add blessings (or curses) to your character, as well as the fundamental video-game offensive object type: guns

The level design is pretty good, but you do start to recognise room layouts after a while. The environmental design helps out a lot here though, with everything having that stereotypical ancient Egypt style, but with a fantastical - even cartoonish - edge. This was a good move, in my opinion, as enemies and platforms are easier to read at mach speeds, which is more important to me than realistic graphics. The setting also lends well to the fantasy of searching for hidden treasure and dodging deadly traps

Good senseless violence to close of the month with a satisfying pop

A nice short metroidvania palette-cleanser after endless hours of Baldur's Gate. Pretty much by the numbers as well, so very appropriate

Controls are a bit stiff, but that might be because it's a 3DS port, but otherwise it's solid. One small thing that irked me was putting Trevor's story after Alucard's, as the narrative climax seems to be at the end of Alucard's chapter; also, traversal abilities carry over between chapters, which just feels a bit weird when we're going back in time, and back to non-vampire form. Probably could've just swapped these chapters without much issue.. although the maps would have to be adjusted too, so maybe not so simple

Anyway, bit of comfort food after stuffing myself on the all-you-can-eat Baldur's Gate banquet. Let's see what else is in the fridge…

And so i've finally finished the sequel. Unsurprisingly, it's very similar to its predecessor - although that might be due to the Enhanced Edition's consistency overhauls

Everything is much more epic. We're now at levels 10 - 30, so we're attacking three times a round, and casting spells of literal life and death. Suitably, our foes are now liches and beholders and mind-flayers. We're a long way away (about 100 hours in my case) from killing rats in the kitchen, and you can feel the difference. As much as i don't get along with 2nd edition D&D, this sense of progression is very satisfying

We have a new nemesis to chase across the map, although this time he's far more interesting, with more human motivations, which counter-intuitively makes him easier to hate. Structurally, it's almost the inverse of the first game; there, we meandered through the wilderness towns until finally reaching Baldur's Gate, where a bunch of side quests and story threads are revealed. This time you spend a large chunk at the start solving all the problems in the city of Athkatla, before setting out on the mostly linear chase. The expansion is a kind of battle royale of demigods, where you fight the most powerful remaining children of Bhaal, for the titular Throne - content fit for your high level character

Special note should be given to the companions, as this game is where you can see Bioware solidified their style. Romance is now a prominent option for some, and each has their own personal quest to follow. These are usually given after traveling together for a while, whereas later games let you do nearly all of them through regular chats at home base. I primarily kept the returning characters from BG1, and it was quite (bitter)sweet to witness their stories evolve and eventually close

Enjoyed this one a bit more than the first; i think they're growing on me (Stockholm syndrome perhaps?), but wow do they take long to play. Decimating my monthly completion rate…