Some games that are keeping me going

I've wanted to send a newsletter for a WHILE. And it's important to me to share more than just the games that I've been playing: I also want to talk about the ways that they've been important to me, and WHY they've been important to me.

But I also have a habit of getting WAY down into the weeds and I so, so DESPERATELY need to just write something that I'm actually going to SEND tomorrow (aka today).

So, for this newsletter: some short riffs about games that I've played, are playing, or are just on my mind and that I need to share. Hope you enjoy :)

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SIGNALIS

This is the game that we started on stream this week. It's been a long-requested community choice, a survival horror tale about an android woman looking for her human counterpart*

(** I say "counterpart" because I've only played it one day on stream and I'm pretty sure that they're not "just roommates" if you get my drift but I've got no confirmation aside from the mountains of memes just yet sooooo)

SIGNALIS feels like a game that's keeping so many secrets I'm excited to uncover. It's also a game that takes place in a future dealing with the results of an authoritarian regime, one with no issue using labor camps and torture to get its way. Having space to talk about some of these things while also exploring a creepy horror game feels right for Intelligame.

(One day I'll probably get back to Baby Steps, which had a lot of other interesting things to think about...one day)

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Oh!Ware

It's a mancala roguelike! For the tons and tons of games out there inspired by other classic board games, have we really seen much of anything inspired by mancala?

You play through mancala battles, capturing marbles to do damage to your foes. What starts out feeling simple gets complex as you unlock new marble types, duel enemies with special powers that change the board, navigate gameplay variants, and try to build massive combos to get stronger rewards from the gods. It's so, so damn good.

And I can't stop moving to that SOUNDTRACK.

It also matters to me right now that I'm spending time plauing a game made by a Black person inspired by an ancient game from Africa. The kinds of violent racism on the rise around the world, but including/especially here in the United States, tries to scare Black and Brown people into the shadows. It's easy to feel frightened, to lose hope. Playing a game like Oh!Ware reminds me how much joy and creativity exists out there, how many more games we have to make, how many more stories we have to tell.

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Proof of Life: a fun game about death

(Content Warning in this section for references to death, grief and suicide.)

I haven't played this game yet. It's sitting in a black-green box across the bedroom from me, a series of cards with questions and activities dealing with death. It's by a friend of mine, Ami Baio, and her company Pink Tiger Games has made a number of social card games meant to be fun and easy to play, but that can get surprisingly deep.

I love Ami's games in general (You Think You Know Me is a great get-to-know-you party game), so I would have been on-board for this game whenever. But I lost my grandmother this year to age and illness, and a dear friend last year to suicide. And though I'd like to say I'm processing those losses well, the fact that I choked up and nearly cried read the description on the back of the box for Proof of Life tells me that maybe I've got some work still to do. I'm pretty sure I've just delayed my processing by throwing myself into various work tasks (like one does ✨). But Proof of Life comes with thoughtful questions, fun activities, and a mix of whimsy and gravity. That feels right to me.

So yeah. This game is an important one to me already. And I'm sure it will be even more when I work up the courage and dedicate the time to sit with it.

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Well Dweller

A tiny crow fights through a dark fairy-tale world to rescue his mother and siblings from an evil queen. Think Hollow Knight-style 2D exploration and combat, but easier, and some Over the Garden Wall-style dark cozy vibes. The writing is funny, there's a huge map to explore, and it has some difficult-but-fun platforming challenges as well as enjoyable boss fights.

It also felt important for some reason for me to finish the game, It took me roughly 12 hours to nearly 100% complete it, but being this tiny bird, armed with a matchstick and trinkets found along the way, fighting the horrors regardless of what came along with light and persistence...just seemed worth doing. Glad I did.

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Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

HOT DAMN A NEW CASTLEVANIA. I don't usually think that I'm still all that excited about big name games, I spend most all of my time with indies, but the HYPE I felt watching the release trailer for Castlevania: Belmont's Curse.

And as someone with hundreds of hours in Dead Cells, I tell you I felt a strange pride in the Evil Empire team when I found out about them making official Castlevania DLC for Dead Cells.... AND THEN AN ACTUAL CASTLEVANIA?

I've only gotten to play about an hour, but it's so clear the nods that they've taken from their work on Dead Cells and The Rogue Prince of Persia, and it's great to see them applied to the Castlevania universe. Rose Belmont seems like a great addition to the Belmont line of vampire hunters, the soundtrack brings in some of the the cool electronic stylings from Rogue PoP, and the combat is tight and fluid, just as expected.

Honestly, it just feels good to be plain ol' excited for a game. I hope there's going to be a good story, and I'd love to have some deeper things to think about while I play, but I'm just thrilled to have something to plain be excited about/thankful for simply because I love games and it's a great time to be a gamer.

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I'm sure there are other games I could write about, and I also can't promise that I won't double back and write more about any of these games individually at some point. But at least at this point there's something here for me to share with y'all!

Keep your eyes up and your hearts open, Intelligamers. 🖤💛🖤💛

-Josh