Author: Pickled Sea Cat

Manor Lords

“Upcoming medieval strategy game for PC that combines deep, organic and realistic city building with large scale, tactical battles.

“Manor Lords aims to provide a gridless, organic city-building experience with full freedom of placement and rotation, but utilizing snapping tools to make the planning more comfortable.  The building mechanic is motivated by the growth of real medieval towns and villages, where major trade routes and landscape often influenced how the settlement shaped and developed.”

Wishlist on Steam

Platforms: Windows
Release: fall 2020

Afterparty

“In Afterparty, you play Milo and Lola, recently deceased best buds who suddenly find themselves staring down an eternity in Hell. But there’s a loophole: outdrink Satan and he’ll grant you re-entry to Earth.

“What adventures will you stumble through in the underworld? Every step is up to you. Time to go on the best bender ever, uncover the mystery of why you’ve been damned, and drink the big guy under the table.”

I recently played through this with a friend on Xbox and loved the story, setting (lots of dark humour going on), and the voice acting. There are some very light gameplay mechanics but this is definitely all about conversations and narrative. Even though they are quite different games, the humorous corporate underworld along with the charming characters brought up a lot of Grim Fandango nostalgia.

We were really enjoying it until we hit a game breaking bug halfway through and it was a bit depressing to have to restart. That being said, due to the branching nature of the story we decided to take a different path the second time through which turned out to be a lot more enjoyable than our previous choices, and saved us a bit from having to go through all of the same dialogue again.

I am still very much in love with the game and I’m going to go have a peek at their previous game Oxenfree, which I missed out on before.  Other than the bug it was a really enjoyable trip, and if not for that I would fully recommend it to anyone looking for a very narrative focused adventure that touches on mental health in an interesting way.  Hopefully you will have better luck than we did. 🙏

Visit the Website

Platforms: Windows, Mac, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Release: October 18, 2019

Lonefarm

“A management first person farming and driving simulator game on a floating farm in the middle of nowhere.  Harvest crops and sell them in town.  Transport everything you need in your VW Bulli 76.  Prepare your food, drinks and decorate your little cabin with furniture that you can buy.

“Enjoy the peace and quiet of a lonely farm.  Although you can be alone in the morning drinking a delicious cup of fresh coffee, you can also go to the town to buy pots, seeds, tools, food and small decorations for your cabin.”

Wishlist on Steam

Platforms: Windows
Release: TBA

Outrider Mako

“Take on the role of Mako on her quest to seek out and subsequently deliver her, uh, deliverables in this top-down view 2D action game.

“In accordance with a deal made with self-proclaimed “delivery service” and all-around mysterious entity known as Bumon, Mako has taken a job working as a lackey at the Bumon Delivery Corporation in “Mayoi” – the world of the gods.  She was told that if she finishes up her assigned tasks and collects the stamps of approval for her various deliveries, then she’ll be able to return to her own world, but…”

Wishlist on Steam

Platforms: Windows
Release: 2020

Adam – Lost Memories

“A psychological horror game, based on a true story that happened to me when I was a child.

“Fear in real life is not from zombies that want to eat your brain, or the ghost that came back from the after-life to open your fridge while you slept.  True fear is when you cry in the corner of your small room for some food and water.  True fear is when you are constantly shamed, terrorized, and humiliated for years.  True fear is when you can’t see the end of it.

“Back then, the only thing I had was a book.  When I read it again and again, it would sometimes feel like I was inside it, in a different place.   For me, that was an escape from reality.

“This game builds up an unforgettable and unique atmosphere from the beginning.  This is not a walking simulator, and this game does not contain jump-scares.  You play as a mentally ill person who suffers from panic disorders.

“You play as me…”

Buy on Steam

Platforms: Windows
Release: July 4, 2020

Before I Forget

“A woman alone in a house.  A mystery and a love story.  Explore the present to uncover the past, in a short story of love and loss and a life well-lived.

“A narrative exploration that examines a world where memories are constantly fading and jumbled.  A game about dementia and what happens when you can’t hold onto the things you’ve done or the people you’ve loved.”

Buy on Steam

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Release: July 16, 2020

The Library of Babel

“A tale revolving around a dark futuristic world, unfolding through platformer elements, stealth and investigation.

“In this videogame the player will embody Ludovik, a robotic entity sent to look for knowledge about human beings, extinct for millennia.  Ludovik will have to interact with the beings of the jungle and explore it’s most dangerous recesses to resolve the dark mystery of the library.”

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Platforms: PS4
Release: 2021