On 23rd October, we embarked on a sampling journey through I was a Teenage Exocolonist, ILA: A Frosty Glide, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, and Night in the Woods. VOD here!
Unfortunately, The Sexy Brutale did not have keyboard and mouse support, and with my controller busted, I couldn’t play it ;; That said, I will probably download it on my handheld console to try it on the go instead!
I had a wonderful time with all the games, but since my experience was a really short one, in the next segment I will be pairing my short experience with a sweep of the reviews on Steam.
I was a Teenage Exocolonist
Hime’s experience: I initially intended to give each game about an hour’s playtime, but with I was a Teenage Exocolonist, I found myself immediately immersed in the world of Sol and her alien planet compatriots. The prologue is gripping, and the interactions you get to have with the cast feels genuine and believable. The writing is engaging at each moment, while leaving enough crumbs to have you reading on.
Within the short hour and a half I experienced it, I felt like a part of their world was brought to life. I laughed, sobbed, and had my heart broken along with Sol, her family and friends, and I would happily do it over and over again. Your choices really feel like they matter in this game, though that remains to be seen by me until I get the chance to see how things could have gone differently.
Steam community: From the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, I picked up that many players felt the writing, art, music, and replayability of the game were worth praising. Many players left reviews on how the game left them the same way it did me—in beautiful shambles and wanting more. The only points for improvement I observed was that the gameplay loop might become repetitive, and minor tasks like having to walk around takes up time in subsequent playthroughs.
ILA: A Frosty Glide
Hime’s experience: I signed up for the ILA campaign on Lurkit because the thumbnail graphics looked adorable! Upon opening the game, it was a different visual experience than I expected, with blocky minecraft-like graphics, which were still cute, just a surprise XD. Thankfully, this game supported keyboard and mouse controls, which were quite intuitive and easy to use. The only setbacks were my own poor timing and depth perception, but that’s a skill issue on my end.
The game follows a young girl exploring an island in search for her cat, Coco. Once you land on the island, you’re greeted with some mail from your supportive dad, and get on your way.
The first part of the island seemed to be ‘tutorial island’, where you had to overcome the terrain using taught mechanics and maneuvers in order to move on to the next stage. This island was straightforward. The puzzles and parkour really begins on island 2.
On island 2, you are greeted by a shop manned by a witty magical broom, where you can finally spend some coin! But from I gathered, the things available in this first store were just cosmetic. It took me a long time to clear island 2, not because it was hard to traverse, but because I got stuck at some point and had no ways to receive any clues. We managed to figure it out eventually, but I wished there were an option to get some hint somewhere. :”) Because we played it only 2 days after launch, no guides were available yet, but I’m sure some community guides or walkthroughs will emerge later on. Still, the relaxing graphics and great sound design made it a pleasure, even if I was a little lost.
Steam community: ILA is super new so there’s only a 12 reviews so far, and I’ll be leaving mine later on just to help increase its visibility. But all 12 have been positive with people praising the game’s smooth controls, vibrant world, easy flow, and relaxing atmosphere. Game length wise it seems to be a short game, completable in a few hours. A great experience for anyone looking for something short and comfy.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Hime’s experience: I remembered seeing the trailer for Chicory many moons ago and thinking it looked like an adorable and unique adventure game, so when I saw the campaign for it on Lurkit, I signed up immediately! From the get go, the story has you wondering ‘what is going on?’ and keeps your attention through quirky characters who informally guide you through the controls of the magic brush. This game seems like it would be easier to play with the tablet or mouse, since where you use the brush matters. I loved how we could paint on anything, and there were a number of delightful surprises we found from using our powers.
I found myself stuck at one point, but thankfully there was a little phonebooth where we could ask for help. The hint system is unique and funny, and the puzzles are at a moderate challenge level to me.
The last thing I expected was having to fight with a brush, but you do soon after you begin the game! I think there’s a lot more in store in Chicory for us to discover. Youtube videos on the full gameplay range from 6-7 hours.
Steam community: From the overwhemingly positive reviews on Steam, the game seemed really well-received. Many players enjoyed the creativity, cute art, music and wholesome story. A number of reviews mentioned the game having value as a kid-friendly game which also has a powerful story and childlike charm. The controls are reminiscent of early click-to-colour games, which probably had a part in the mildly nostalgic feel to it. The reviews shared my opinion that there were many discoveries and heart wrapped up into this delightful package of a game.
Night in the Woods
Hime’s experience: Night in the Woods is a chill and mildly chilling(?) game about a little cat named Mae coming back to her hometown in fall. (Great setting for Halloween!) My favourite part of the game was the witty writing. Mae’s kind of a sassy cat, but that was definitely one of the fun parts. It made me want to know how she would interact with all the characters in the small town. It had many heartfelt moments too, from reuniting with her parents, to reuniting with her best friend Gregg. And many parts of the story had charming interactive segments. The story has an underlying sinister tone which I hadn’t yet uncovered what it was about, but its a very laid back experience, which lets you linearly follow Mae and her story.
Steam community: According to reviews on Steam, many players shared my sentiments about this game being chill, entertaining with quality writing, sound design and visuals. The characters have depth, especially the little cat you play. The many minigames you add little joys throughout too. It is highly recommend for lovers of story based mystery. Many players say it is perfect and relatable for those on their way to the quarter-life crisis mark. One user, onidavin, described it well with the term ‘economy of language’. The story is well written while being snappy, instead of what some may expect of a story-driven game, which often has a lot more words.
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If you were looking for a game to pick up for the Halloween season, I hope you consider these that we had the pleasure of playing! ^_^