Game 9 of 2024 - The Talos Principle

The Talos Principle

Developer: Croteam
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platform: PC
Genre: Puzzle, First Person, Philosophical

Difficulty: Moderate
Hours: 10

Finished: Not yet
Final Rating: 8.1/10

The Talos Principle is one of the best puzzle game I've ever played, and yet I'm not so sure I'm going to finish it. You see, I'm a little on the dumb side and there are only so many puzzles I can take.

The Talos Principle explores philosophical topics such as what is a person, and can a machine become a person if they are indistinguishable from one? The story is the best part and is what kept me going through the puzzles (which range from insultingly easy to stupid hard), of which there are many. You learn about the world you inhabit little by little as you find ancient correspondence from a long gone team of scientists and engineers. Speaking of the world, it's super pretty!

See? Would I lie to you?

A mysterious voice known only as Elohim guides you through the worlds it has created for you, warning you to stay away from the tower as you will only find death, which sounds like a threat to me.

Must be this tower. It's the only one.

I guess my real complaint about The Talos Principle is the number of puzzles. There's a shitload of them, and you need to finish them to collect these little tetromino lookin' things that unlock more abilities and more areas to explore. Despite finding the story engrossing, I got a little tired of the puzzles that have very little to break them up. Also, some of the puzzles are just... not fun. They don't challenge logic and deduction so much as spatial awareness (not my strong suit) which I found pretty frustrating.

There's a lot here for a puzzle lover to enjoy, and I think most gamers will really enjoy the story and themes attached to the game.

Hypnospace Outlaw - Game 20 of 2023

Hypnospace Outlaw

Developer: Tendershoot, Michael Lasch, ThatWhichIs Media
Publisher: No More Robots
Platform: PC
Genre: ...I'm not really sure. Puzzle? Adventure?

Difficulty: Some hard-ass puzzles
Hours: ~5

Finished: Yes
Final Rating: 9.7/10

I'm not sure how to describe Hypnospace Outlaw other than FuCkInG aWeSoMe!!!!!

I choose T4b1l3sp00n as my handle, which was funny to listen to the AI pronounce

Dive back into the 90s internet as a HypnOS Enforcer. Your job is to moderate Hypnospace, a network that users log into while they sleep. Users access Hypnospace via a special headband that they wear while sleeping, allowing their subconscious to socialize and browse while their body rests.

As a volunteer Enforcer, you'll be tracking down cases of harassment, copyright infringement, illegal file sharing, and malware. You're not paid in real money but in Hypnocoin, which you can use to buy  things like music, desktop wallpapers, and virtual pets.

The hypnopages just scream 90s internet, complete with cringy boomers, conspiracy theories, edgy spinning graphics, and embedded music. There's even a collectible sticker game (SquisherZ) which has a theme song and it slaps! It's these details that really help make Hypnospace Outlaw something great.

Even Hypnospace isn't immune to bullshit moral panics.

Hypnospace Outlaw also gets fairly difficult later in the game. The first few cases you get can be solved by just browsing some webpages, but eventually you need to peace together clues yourself, using snippets of information you get from webpages along with the search function to find the information you need. A few of these puzzles are tricky, but so rewarding once you find the solution. 

The game also has a great, tense, story that's told through webpages, email threads, and cases, which kept me playing late at night. It's not a horror game, but there are moments that are truly unsettling.

Hypnospace Outlaw is absolutely worth your time. I feel guilty grabbing it for cheap during a Steam sale, as I would have gladly paid full price for this one.

Game 2 of 2023: The Case of the Golden Idol (2022)

 The Case of the Golden Idol

Developer: Color Gray Games
Publisher: Playstack
Platform: PC
Genre: Mystery, Puzzle

Difficulty: Moderate
Date Started: Jan 19th 2023
Date Ended: Jan 21st 2023
Hours: ~5

Finished: Yes
Final Rating: 9/10

I'm told this is a lot like Return of the Obra Dinn. If that's the case, I'm going to need to play it. 

The Case of the Golden Idol is a detective puzzle game, where you need to solve the mystery of twelve strange deaths over 40 years. Despite the premise, this game is lean and mean and no character or plot point is wasted.

It's fucking awesome.

In Exploration Mode, you can explore the environment and characters to gather keywords.

The Case of the Golden Idol lets you take your time with each case, and they are all re-playable in case you want to go back and refresh your memory. There is an overarching story and each case reveals a little bit more of the plot, with well developed characters and motivations. 

Oh, you would. You would spontaneously combust during an important meeting, wouldn't you?

The story centers around the aforementioned Golden Idol and various groups that desire to possess it. It takes place in a fictionalized 18th century England with a sort of supernatural element. As I played it, I really felt a connection to the story and characters, probably because each scenario requires you to closely examine each and every detail at the scene of death.

This is one of the most engrossing mystery games I've played in a while. 

Pros

• The graphics. They're rendered in a charming old-school adventure game aesthetic that I really liked. 
• It's relatively short. This is always a plus in my book. Great characters and an interesting story that doesn't overstay it's welcome makes this guy with limited free time happy!
• The challenge. The cases remain challenging enough without ever seeming overwhelming or making extreme leaps of logic.
• The story: Not only is the deduction part of the game fun, but the story you uncover just hooks you in with just the right amount of mysteries and plot hooks.

Cons

• Also the graphics: Many have referred to the characters as 'fugly,' and yeah, they're not exactly lookers. I felt it contributed to the game, but this might be an acquired taste.
• I honestly can't think of anything else.