Review key(s) provided by the publisher(s)
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A title that manages to bring the undead into a gameplay cycle akin to This War of Mine, Into The Dark: Our Darkest Days allows players to live out their zombie apocalypse fantasies. When the game booted up, I was interested to see how it would make me care about the designated survivors that it allowed me to choose from. And while I was skeptical about how it would execute its ideas, I was thoroughly impressed by just how excited and entralling Into the Dead was.
Even in its easier moments, this is a game that demands that players take its threatening zombie-filled locations seriously. At the beginning, I consistently failed because I thought I could just Tallahassee (Zombieland reference) my way through zombies. Unfortunately, it takes time, patience, and planning to stay alive. Luckily, its fantastically crafted environments and locales allow for the strategy or plan-b thinking to allow players to get out of harm’s way in a pinch. I love this game and everything it delivers. It’s truly the Walking Dead game that players have been waiting for over a decade.
It’s truly difficult to land on a single stance for a title like Castle of Blackwater. To be honest, I was barely given the chance to play the game the way it was intended to be. Though players speaking from the outside would be quick to call this an Among Us clone, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Though it’s certainly a title inspired by the Clue-like gameplay of Among Us, Castle of Blackwater has quite a bit more gameplay with specific roles and strategy that heightens the gameplay far more than what players have seen in the past.
What makes it a shame is that I never got the chance to play a proper match with other players. I was able to play the game’s extensive and helpful tutorial, but I have not played a single game. The problem is that the game has simply not yet been picked up by players, aside from the small community game nights that the development team hosts during working hours every few weekdays. And as someone who works during the day, these just haven’t been accessible to me. So, as I haven’t played the game fully, it makes it hard to judge it fairly. I would wholeheartedly say that it’s worth playing, as it just needs a community to pick it up.
If you’re a Queer horror fanatic like me, then Scarlet Hollow is for you. That’s it, that’s the review. No, but for real, this is a truly engaging title that bends the mind as you explore what secrets lie throughout what makes up the town of Scarlet Hollow. Along the way, you’ll meet an intriguing cast of characters with their own emotional baggage, some of whom you’ll be given the chance to pursue who you want romantically, regardless of gender.
What brings this title together is its gameplay. You have the freedom to make the world of Scarlet Hollow your own by embodying your character. Of course, we spoke about romance, but players can mold their character through Traits that allow new dialogue options and actions that expand the already impressive options that the game lays out. Everything feels organic and not unlike things that people would say IRL. This is the game for you if you need a new Queer narrative-driven title to get you through the Summer.
