How ‘Catherine’ Became the First Puzzle Game I Ever Loved
Catherine is the first puzzle game I have truly loved and is perhaps the only puzzle game I fully intend to play again.
Category: Features
‘Dark Souls’ and Expert Boss Design
The boss progression of Dark Souls is an incredibly well-crafted one, teaching the player mechanics through the designs of the fights themselves.
The Forgettable Home Run of ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’
Guerilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn is often spoken about in the same terms as other big-budget 2017 masterpieces such as Nier: Automata and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but I found my experience with Horizon to be decidedly underwhelming across the board.
2021 and Video Game Resolutions
One thing I’ve constantly reflected on this year is how appreciative I am of video games. They’ve manufactured social interaction when there was strikingly little of it to find elsewhere and served as a...
The 20 Best Games I Played in 2020
People have played more games than ever in 2020. Here are 20 games that stood out this year.
Top 10 Times We Saved Christmas in Video Games
Christmas is an important plot point in many video games. Here are our favorite times where the player has to save it.
How CD Projekt Red Squandered A Decade of Good Will
CD Projekt Red will have to do a hell of a lot more than fix Cyberpunk 2077 for me to buy one of their games ever again.
Revisiting ‘Death Stranding’ – A Game That Predicted the Future – With A Completionist Approach
Death Stranding predicted 2020, which makes it all the more meaningful to play in the age of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Console Wars: Which Console Had the Better Launch?
Which console had the better launch? Now that the Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 have been out for a few weeks, we sat down to determine which of the two had the more successful start.
‘Karen: An Outrage Simulator’ is The Most 2020 Game You’ll Play This Year
If 2020 is beating you down like a Dark Souls boss, Karen: An Outrage Simulator is there for a quick, cheap laugh.
Video Games and What We’re Thankful For in 2020
The Epilogue Gaming Staff share what they’re grateful for in video games for 2020. What are you thankful for?
‘Black Ops – Cold War’ Has a Great “Bad” Ending
The following article contains spoilers for the Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War “Bad” Ending The Black Ops series has never shied away from being experimental, often toying with unreliable narrators and...
How Two Video Games Helped Me Come Out As Transgender
If Found and Tell Me Why are deeply important games that helped me publicly come to terms with my gender identity as trans. Here’s how.
More Than a Meme: A Review of ‘Bugsnax’
Is Bugsnax more than a catchy theme song?
Why Do People Love the ‘Yakuza’ Series?
After uncovering the façade of Yakuza 0, I finally understand the outpouring of love and good will towards this righteously beloved series.
Top Ten Launch Titles for PS5 and Xbox Series X: Ranked
While the consoles have seen plenty of hype, including being totally sold out just about anywhere you look, there has been less talk about the games themselves. Here’s an early look at the top ten launch titles for PS5 and Xbox Series X, including both exclusives and third party games alike.
Can A Visual Novel Succeed As A Two-Player Game? An Exploration of ‘Locked In’
Locked In is a two-player visual novel that, despite its brevity, is more than its co-op gimmick.
‘Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’ is the Best Game in the Series: Here’s Why
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is a bold new direction for the Nathan Drake series. I want more games with Chloe and Nadine.
Should You Play ‘Until Dawn’ If You’re Afraid of Horror Games?
I am terrified of most horror games, but Until Dawn was actually great. Here’s why.
Toadally Worth A Play – A ‘Battletoads’ Review
For its sheer variety alone, Battletoads is worth a look, and has enough of a mechanical foundation to keep me wanting more.
Why ‘Sleeping Dogs’ Deserves a Sequel
Sleeping Dogs often gets dismissed as a GTA clone, but the characters and setting are worth revisiting for next gen consoles.
‘The Last of Us Part II’ is The Most Disappointing Video Game I Have Ever Played: Here’s Why
As a lover of the original game, ‘The Last of Us,’ this sequel left me cold. In fact, I wish it had never been made.
The Hard Choice: An Epilogue For ‘The Last of Us Part II’
The Last of Us Part II is an emotionally complex and intentionally misleading adventure that offers us insight to overcoming grievances and the consequences of resolution.
How ‘Undertale’ Subverts Expectations
Undertale is a masterclass of subverting expectations. Consistently throughout, Undertale creates scenarios that are both hilarious and unexpected.
Why the ‘Halo’ Trilogy Isn’t That Good
The Halo trilogy is dated and never managed to find its footing. There may be glimpses of brilliance, but they are overshadowed by mountains of monotony.
Why ‘Bully’ Deserves A Sequel
Rockstar’s cult classic has been dead in the water for years, but the next console generation would be the perfect opportunity for a sequel.
Is ‘Spec Ops: The Line’ More Than A Military Shooter?
Although Spec Ops: The Line’s gameplay is mediocre and repetitive, the story’s moments of moral quandary stand above nearly any other installment in the shooter genre.
The Whirlygig: Why ‘Fall Guys’ is Worth Playing
Some of its mini-games don’t work quite as well as others, and the consistency can lead to some frustrating rounds. Still, even when it’s not at its best, Fall Guys is fun.
How ‘Persona 5: The Royal’ Helped Me Through A Pandemic
I avoided Persona 5 for a few years despite everyone I know recommending it as a masterpiece. I traditionally avoid games that exceed the 30 hour mark, but my fond memories of playing Persona...
‘Ghost of Tsushima’ Isn’t Worth Your Time – A Review
There is so much going for Ghost of Tsushima, but spectacle alone doesn’t make it worth playing.
Is ‘Paper Mario: The Origami King’ Worth Playing?
Ultimately, it feels unfair to compare Origami King to games it seems to have no interest in competing with. Almost everything it delivers feels experimental, even if a lot of its strengths are core to what has made the franchise so popular.
Is ‘Sunset Overdrive’ Worth Playing?
Despite its shortcomings, it was satisfactory enough in the gameplay department to see what the end of the crazy stylish adventure had in store for me.
Playing the Narrative: ‘Psychonauts’
Psychonauts stands tall as a shining example of ‘playing the narrative’, incorporating gameplay into the narrative of so many unique characters in a way no other game has done before.
Bittersweet Nostalgia – A ‘Spongebob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated’ Review
Despite the heavy dose of nostalgia, it’s easy to question why this remake even exists.
Why ‘NieR: Automata’ Isn’t That Good
Overall, my experience with Nier: Automata was a mixture of confusion and frustration. The initial A route was fine until the rest of the game slowly spiraled down afterward, both in terms of gameplay and narrative.
A Fantastical Exploration Adventure – An ‘Outer Wilds’ Review
Outer Wilds was an incredible experience that focuses on the adventure while keeping the destination shrouded in secrecy.
A Critical Review of Pokémon’s “Isle of Armor” DLC
Pokemon Sword and Shield quickly became one of my favorite Pokemon games to date. And with the first DLC finally out I am pretty disappointed to say that while Isle of Armor does deliver...
Why I Almost Stopped Playing ‘That Dragon, Cancer’
There’s a moment in That Dragon, Cancer (TDC) that nearly stopped me from playing the game. A baby lies in a crib, crying at night. The crying escalates from soft whines to proper sobs...
Playing the Narrative: ‘Celeste’
An imposing mountain looms overhead. A young girl has travelled a long way from home, planning to scale this mountain and reach its peak. She climbs not because she wants to, but because she...
Reflecting on Two Years as a Twitch Streamer
Though streaming can be mentally taxing, it is also one of the most rewarding things that I do in my daily life. Before being shuffled indoors over these past few months due to social...
A Boundless Adventure: A Heartfelt Review of ‘Final Fantasy 7 Remake’
How do you redevelop a five-hour moment from an original game into a new experience that easily reaches 30 hours without coming off as some bloated malformation of what used to be? The Final...
‘Doctor Who: The Edge of Time’ is the Most Broken VR Experience I’ve Ever Had – and I Kind of Loved It
I have never been terribly raucous about the potential for virtual reality (VR) games to pioneer the medium forward. But as chance would have it, I found myself purchasing a steeply discounted PSVR headset...
The Top 10 ‘Street Fighter’ Characters of All Time
Within the Epilogue Gaming community we have a monthly vote between games whose titles we as a whole regard as worthwhile experiences that warrant either initial playthroughs for some as well as replays for...
The Highlights of LudoNarraCon 2020
This year’s LudoNarraCon event – a showcase celebrating narrative games – was jam packed with indie games of all stripes. It’s a remarkable time for games that I’ve previously written about, like Neo Cab...
What ‘Kill la Kill – IF’ Gets Wrong About the Series
Kill la Kill is one of the greatest single-run anime series of all time, featuring an exaggerated parodical critique of fashion culture. Naturally, the idea of playing an incarnation of that universe in video...
The Left Behind Game Club: ‘A Short Hike’
When I began working on the Ludonarrative Podcast a few years back, one of the first things I did was look around for similar podcasts – shows that produced thoughtful, engaging, critical, and unique...
Playing the Narrative: ‘Bloodborne’
Beasts run rampant all over the city of Yharnam, terrorizing the populace. The Healing Church, the organization running the town, has recruited some hunters to keep the city safe. Unfortunately for the people of...
The Cost of Caring: The Powerful Impact of ‘missed messages.’
It’s often difficult to argue that certain video games are “important” in the same way that knowing how to read and write is important. It’s furthermore difficult to convince a skeptic that some video...
Elegant, Curious, and Spirited: A Critical Review of ‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’
It’s Ben’s recommendation that you listen to the Ori and the Will of the Wisps score, composed by Gareth Coker and published by Microsoft Studios, while reading the review. It’s easy to get lost...
Escaping to ‘Mutazione’ Island
I recently felt like I needed a quick vacation from massive 50+ hour games, and Mutazione was the perfect getaway. Mutazione reinvigorated my spirits, creating a relaxing but compelling narrative adventure through one of...
