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Röki and Eldest Souls – United Label Are One To Watch:

Posted on by in Gaming

Whilst I was at EGX, I got the chance to chat to the folks at United Label and try out their two games – Röki and Eldest Souls. First, I want to say a massive thank you to all the team I chatted to, who were a delight! They were all clearly passionate about their creations and the origins behind them, which only made me more excited to try out their games. It’s clear that a massive amount of care and detail has been put into their works and I highly recommend you go check them out, they’re deserving of all the love and attention you can give them. However, Röki and Eldest Souls are two very different games. Much like oil and water, they’re two creations that you wouldn’t expect to find under the same umbrella. So, lets talk about them and why they caught my eye.

Look at Tove’s cute little hat and backpack! LOOK AT IT!

First up, let’s talk about Röki. Made by Tom and Alex from Polygon Treehouse, it is their first venture into the indie gaming community, and it looks incredible. At its core, it is a game about kindness and courage. Based on Scandinavian folklore, you follow Tove, a young girl on a journey to save her family and confront her past. The world is full of monsters, but they are not inherently evil. They are merely creatures, like you and I. Pain, sadness, fear, happiness and humour – they experience these emotions as we do. Taking a step away from the traditional “must stab monsters” view that a lot of games based on exploring a world tend to follow. To move forward in the game, you help them solve their problems and in turn they’ll help you solve yours.

Inspired by the Monkey Island series and games like Day of The Tentacle, Röki has a strong narrative that is supported by various complex puzzles that encourage you to explore the expansive world. Straight off the bat, you will be astounded by the sheer beauty of the game. The art style makes a strong use of colour and silhouette to create a living, breathing world that you feel a genuine part of. This is added to by the excellent sound design. Wind whistles through the trees, you hear leaves rustle and the crunch of the fallen snow beneath Tove’s feet. You hear birds calling and squirrels chittering, the monsters grunt and mutter to themselves as you run past. When you stop to think about it, each piece of the world is just as important and alive as the main character is.

Can confirm, I spent several minutes running around in the snow like the child at heart I am.

Röki comes across at first glance, as a cute little indie romp through a forest. However, the moment you boot it up and immerse yourself in the world, its clearly so much more than that. You are merely a piece on the chessboard, moving your way across to the other side and tackling whatever problems cross your path. The story of Tove, of her journey to find her family and face the demons of her past, is one of many tales being told in this fairy tale forest. The kindly troll by the bridge, the oracles in the trees and the abandoned woodsman’s house, they all have their own story to tell. Why is the hut abandoned? What were those buried in the graves like when they were alive? How did the troll come to be injured anyways?

The puzzles are not inherently hard. They require you to think outside the box a bit more than most games in this style. However, the game provides you with hints if you ever get stuck in the form of the oracles. Inside a few key locations, are the wise oracles whom you can consult for assistance in your journey. Although cryptic, they will provide you with hints and suggestions as to what you need to achieve in order to move forward – e.g. who you need to help or which area you need to explore further to find that key item. Röki will be one of those games that are inherently calming and peaceful, especially to those of us who suffer from anxiety. Standing by the sea or in a forest, I feel at peace. The world keeps turning, the environment around me lives on whilst I stand still, unmoving. It makes sense, when a lot of the world doesn’t seem to.

LOOK HOW GORGEOUS THIS GAME IS! SERIOUSLY!!

In contrast, Eldest Souls falls on the opposite end of the spectrum. Taking a leaf from the Souls series, it follows the lone warrior as he attempts to slay the imprisoned Old Gods before the remnants of humanity are completely wiped out from the world. A combination of exploration and boss fights, Eldest Souls sees you explore a crumbling ruin known as The Citadel, encountering NPC’s, mysteries and the Old God’s themselves. These encounters are not for the fainthearted and the chances of you making it out alive are very slim. An RPG at its core, it allows you to decide how you wish to approach its challenges and how much of the hidden lore of the desolated world you wish to uncover.

Made by Fallen Flag Studios, a group of developers that started out as students, Eldest Souls puts a unique spin on the “souls” combat style. Each boss you come across is a completely unique fight, requiring you to rethink how you approach each combat encounter. Once you defeat a boss, you gain their unique “ability”. Say for example, a boss used a spin attack against you. Once beaten, you could gain that skill and apply it to unlock new areas of the Citadel, tackle previously impossible bosses or just make life a bit easier for you. Apart from the initial tutorial boss, you have control over the order in which you tackle each boss. Struggling on one in particular? Then go try another one and come back later. Obviously, there will be a few bosses that need to be beaten in order to progress the story further but the flexibility of it is brilliant.

I have to admit this is a very cool logo.

Eldest Soul’s art style is in the form of pixel art, which gives a slightly lighter note to the bleak nature of the world. An incredible amount of detail has gone into each sprite, including the telegraphing of their attacks and how they respond to you. The world around you, although decimated, feels like it is slowly beginning to live again. The artists have added tiny details that when you notice them, make all the difference. For example, during the small section that I tried out, it opened on a boat. The boat rocked from side to side as the waves flowed against it, the rain falling as if a great storm was approaching. It felt like an average day in Cardiff, I’m not going to lie. From particle effects in their teleportation system which lets you choose to exit a boss fight and come back later with ease, to the crumbling of obstacles as you smash through them, it’s a breath-taking game to experience.

When in doubt, stab it and run away at full pelt.

One key bit that I really want to highlight is the music. I had the chance to chat with the composer of the game’s soundtrack and honestly, even if this kind of game isn’t your thing, just get the soundtrack. It’s hauntingly beautiful, matching the tone of the areas you venture through. As you step into a boss arena, the music builds in tension, exploding into a heart racing anthem to your struggle against the Old Gods and their dark creations. Although I never actually beat the boss (because I’m terrible at Souls games), I can say with confidence that the music helped me get into the mindset to defeat it. It gives off a “David vs Goliath” feel that I think is missing from a lot of games, where you are up against an insurmountable foe, but you believe that you can defeat it.

The Citadel is an intruiging place to explore, where you aren’t sure what is around the corner but are excited to find out.

I think that both Röki and Eldest Souls are games to keep an eye on. Sure, there are more major releases over the next year that everyone is keen on, such as Cyberpunk or the Avengers game, but I have always thought that the indie gaming scene is where the true stars shine and United Label has not let me down on that front. I can’t wait to see their finished products and to follow what they do in future and I hope you’ll give them a shot too.

If you enjoyed this article, give it a like and comment below any games or topics you’d like me to cover in future! I’ve got a lot of post-EGX content for you all, with Monday’s piece being all about the amazing charity – Special Effect. Till next time,

CaitlinRC.

EGX 2019 – Too many games, too little time

Posted on by in Gaming, Real Life

If anyone had told me six months ago, when I published my first article on the site, that I’d be attending EGX in London with a press pass – I’d probably have fallen over in a weird combination of anxiety and disbelief. Throughout our lives, we have always had it hammered into our heads that we are representatives of our schools, of our clubs, of our generation. If we misbehave or act out, it is deemed a black mark against that group, rather than just against the offender. So, stepping into a 4-day gaming convention, with my silver wristband and my notebook, was a tad terrifying. At that moment, I wasn’t just Caitlin who loves to play video games – I was Caitlin, owner of Mind Games. My site, my articles, my online presence and those who support me, all would be judged as a result of my actions. No pressure.

For those roughly curious about how the whole process of a “press pass” works, I’ll give a quick rundown. You fill out a simple form, explaining what site/organisation you represent, what your focus is and why you’d like to talk to the developers at EGX, as well as any potentially statistics or figures that you feel might benefit your application. I was lucky enough to receive a press pass, which is essentially a “super-pass” – giving access to all four days of the convention and the chance to organise meetings with various developers to talk about their games! The pass itself is given as a free ticket, which as a student I was incredibly grateful for!

Dramatic silver press pass is dramatic

Up until last week, the biggest convention I had been to on my own, was Rezzed, the sister convention of EGX, held in the Tobacco Dock. This smaller location worked well for me, reducing my feelings of anxiety caused by large groups of strangers. If needed, the exit was relatively easy to find, and some areas were a lot quieter than others. I have nothing but fond memories of Rezzed and if my studies allow it, I’ll be there in March. EGX, however, is held in the ExCel Centre. It’s so much bigger, with over 80,000 attendees at the convention each year, more than 250 games available to try out and countless exhibitors eager to show off their work.

For someone with mental health issues, a convention can be our worst nightmare. No matter how much preparation you do, it can’t truly prepare you for the chaotic environment of a convention hall, filled with thousands of excited game fans all chatting about different things. As someone who gets easily overwhelmed, it’s the main part of the experience that I dread. Especially on the busier days, you can go from enjoying yourself immensely, to trying desperately to find somewhere quiet enough that you can calm yourself down in peace. It’s kind of eerie really, feeling so isolated and overwhelmed, whilst being surrounded by thousands of likeminded people.

PRESS TO HONK!

Thankfully, conventions have cottoned on to this and have begun to provide quiet zones, safe spaces and accessibility options so that everyone can enjoy themselves, not just the most outgoing individuals. This is key, especially in industries like gaming, where a lot of individuals use the media as a form of escapism. Playing games is a coping mechanism for many, so tainting that experience for someone with a bad day at a convention, is something that all convention runners should avoid like the plague. A good example of this is the charity CheckPoint, who provide mental health resources for gamers and quiet zones at conventions, where you can go to decompress, calm yourself down and chat to someone if you wish to.

I don’t think there is anything that can truly prepare you for a convention. It’s a completely unique atmosphere, that you don’t find anywhere else. Heck, the atmosphere changes from year to year! Part of that, I believe, is due to the ever-changing nature of the gaming industry. As much as there are the few specific gaming companies that seem to have existed to the dawn of time and will outlast us all, these events are about trying new things. Be that a new piece of hardware, a new instalment in a long-running series or dipping your toe into a genre that you’ve never tried before, there is something for everyone. For example, I spent most of my time flitting between the indie games section and the board games area, as those were the two main bits that I cared about – both as a gamer and for any press meetings I had. Meanwhile a couple of my friends, made a beeline for the Doom Eternal area, as they were very keen to punch some demons in the face.

Convention too busy? Play some board games 😀

The highlight of the convention for me, was getting to chat to the developers of the games that were available to play. I think something that a lot of us forget, is that there are so many talented and unique individuals behind the games we take such joy in. Each of these creators has walked their own path in life to get to that moment, faced their demons and tackled events that none of us will really understand. They pour all those experiences into their creations, so being able to talk to them in depth about their work and their lives, gives you just an inkling of their potential as creators in the gaming industry.

Although I’ll go into more detail about the conversations I had whilst at EGX in other articles, I wanted to say something that floored me. Every person I spoke to, whether they had their own mental health issues or not, completely agreed that video games and mental health had a strong link. From escapism, to tackling delicate issues with care, each member of a development team has a duty to ensure that their game will make a positive impact on their audience members. From accessibility options for the colour blind, to telling a story about loss through symbolism, each decision made in the process of designing a game is key. It’s about building a community with your players.

This was too comfy a spot not to take a photo in – at the PHOGS stand 🙂

This idea of community also extends to the convention, since these events can be a massive boost to those looking for likeminded people to talk about their love of gaming with. I speak from experience, that conventions are a massive opportunity to meet those online friends that you’ve been chatting with for months and just mess around together as if you’ve known one another for years. From someone killing your character in space by stealing their oxygen, to working together to combat a horde of monsters, these events foster a sense of companionship and loyalty to one another, even if you’ve only been talking to someone for a few minutes.

If you can afford to go to these kinds of events, do it. Don’t let fear or anxiety stop you because the friends you make, the experiences you will have and the joyful memories will stay with you forever, whilst those negative thoughts will be gone before you know it. Some of my best memories of the last decade are from conventions and the amazing friends that I have made through the gaming community. We all deserve happiness and who knows, maybe through a convention like EGX, you’ll find yours.

Till next time,

CaitlinRC.

The Blackout Club – What Is It You Think You See:

Posted on by in Gaming

We have always feared the dark. Even now, as adults, we still flinch at the shadows. It’s not the fear of the darkness or the blackness, it’s what lurks within it. When we know what we are afraid of, when we can examine it from all sides and judge it accordingly, we can begin to combat that fear. We are afraid of the unknown. A lot of horror games focus on this concept, by having creatures lurk in the shadows or force you to fumble along a corridor towards a monster, that you can’t see until you’re pressed up against it. In our fear, we appreciate every second of light and visibility that we can get, clinging to the hope that our flashlight batteries will last just a few seconds longer. Not that our fervent praying impacts it, but we can believe that it does.

What a lot of horror games don’t do, is force you to cut off one of those senses. During a tense moment, we are on alert, our senses working overtime to take in every minute bit of information that they can, no matter how pointless or odd it may seem. So, when The Blackout Club instructed me to close my eyes, my first thought was “There is no way on this planet that I am going to do that.” Obviously, curiosity got the better of me and I did as I was told, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this article! The point of closing your eyes is so you can see “The Shape”. Invisible to the naked eye, it prowls its way around the levels, seeking out the player characters to force them to do it’s bidding.

The Blackout Club is a multiplayer horror game that follows a group of teenagers living in the town of Redacre, who have banded together to investigate the strange events occurring in their hometown. The kids have been experiencing blackouts, where they wake up in strange locations that they don’t remember going to (like students who drink too much). The various adults in the town have started to sleepwalk and during the game’s prologue, one of the club’s members, Bells, is kidnapped. This spurs the club to start collecting evidence and build an understanding of what on earth is happening beneath their feet.

The Maze is not for the fainthearted.

Ignoring the frustrating amount of grinding you need to do in order to level up, I honestly love this game. It can keep you on edge throughout the missions you complete, using the sins system. During a mission, a kid may break into a house or knock out an enemy. Although necessary, if discovered, these sins will be reported. If your group of teens is too sinful, then The Shape comes into play. It targets the most sinful player and is relentless in its pursuit. Every time you close your eyes to see where it is, it’s that much closer to you. If caught by the Shape, you lose control of your mind. Powerless to do anything, you are forced to watch as your character wanders around the map, hoping that one of your friends can manage to save you. If you get caught too many times, the Shape no longer wants you to be one of them. Instead of controlling you, you are slaughtered.

Taking a lead from the Outlast games, you don’t get a gun or the ability to kill your pursuers. Sure, you have a few non-lethal weapons that you can use to distract or temporarily take an enemy out of the equation, but you cannot kill. These people wandering around and trying to get you? They’re your neighbours, your community, even your parents or your best friends. These people, although not in control of their own minds, aren’t entirely innocent either. Beneath the town is a labyrinth of rooms and corridors, called “The Maze”. It seems endless, growing and adding new locations as you explore it. Entering this place is not something a player should do lightly as you are not alone in there. During the game’s prologue, you get a glimpse of the cult like activities happening beneath your town and how outnumbered your group of teens truly is.

One optional element of the game that really intrigues me is the addition of Stalkers. The Stalker is a former member of The Blackout Club, who has betrayed the cause and is now working for the Voices – the god like entities that whisper to the residents of the town during their blackouts. The Voices promised that the Stalker’s family would be safe if they assisted with reporting the Blackout Club’s sins to the Shape. As a regular player, you are not told whether there is a Stalker amongst you. Unless you directly encounter them or they record you committing sins, you may never know exactly where they are. Traitors in game’s storylines can be a bit… dramatic in their motivations but in this case, I get it. Sure, maybe reading this you question what kind of person would betray their friends to an entity that is clearly causing harm to their town? However, I ask you this – how far would you go to protect those you love? I know for a fact; I’d go damn far.

You can’t run forever.

There is something about the Blackout Club that I want to highlight from a mental health perspective. It’s called the Enhanced Horror system. If you’d like to experience this for yourself, then go try it out and then come back to read this bit, as I’m going to go into detail about it.

Everyone ready? Let’s chat.

The Enhanced Horror system is an opt-in feature within the game that allows the game to listen to and record the player’s voices as they play. If you are lucky, or unlucky depending on how you look at things, someone will be listening. The Voices will respond to you. A voice that is not your friends will respond to your questions, give cryptic statements and encourage you to do their bidding – anything from being selfless, to taunting enemies. These Voices may reward you with story information or gameplay items in return for your services, with the interaction being shared with the greater community – so you can all try to decipher exactly what is going on within the town of Redacre. Whether this voice is actually real or just a creation of your mind, who can tell? Those with psychosis can attest to this, it seems real. That’s the problem.

How you choose to engage with this is up to you, but I think the more curious amongst you will be keen to collect as much information as possible. After all, how often do you get to talk to a deity like creature and have it respond? Anyways, I think The Blackout Club is a game that people should check out, especially if you aren’t great with solo horror! Why not terrify your friends at the same time, so you can all suffer together!

Don’t look back. If we look back we are lost.

So, I am at EGX this week (Wednesday to Sunday) meeting with various lovely developers about their games, so there will be a lot of content coming out over the next few weeks. If you’d like to keep up to date with all I’m doing at EGX, then go follow my Twitter – https://twitter.com/OurMindGames . I’ll be posting updates and pictures from the show as much as I can! Remember to follow, like and comment on the site.

Also, I just wanted to say this on here as well. As of a few days ago, we hit over 1,000 views on the site. We also hit our six-month anniversary. I am beyond humbled and amazed at the kindness of all of you, my marvellous readers. Your comments, suggestions and feedback on everything I do is why I keep writing and exploring these sometimes-heavy topics with you. Here’s to even more milestones.

Thanks,

CaitlinRC.

Escape Rooms – I’ve Never Wanted to Get Outside More:

Posted on by in Real Life

Much like video games, the real world goes through phases and fads like a student goes through pasta. A lot of these tend to only last for a month or so, before something new comes along and grabs our interest. In a way, we’re a lot like magpies when you think about it. Our attention flits from one shiny activity to another, such as indoor skydiving, laser tag or roller rinks. Obviously, these still exist nowadays but they’re a bit harder to find. One fad that doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon and that I personally adore, is escape rooms.

For those who have never done an escape room, their premise is simple. You and a few friends get locked in a room/series of rooms for a specific length of time (normally around an hour), and in order to escape, you must solve puzzles. Now the puzzles vary massively depending on the room’s designer, with some rooms being themed around cryptography or spatial awareness tasks, but they tend to be sequential. The solution to one puzzle opens a cupboard that contains a clue to the next and so on.

Ciphers are a big part of some escape rooms but not all!

It’s a remarkably satisfying process that gives you a real sense of achievement and is actually a very good team bonding experience. I did an escape room with my current housemates to check whether we could handle living with one another, after all, if you can get locked in a room together (and a cage in our case, with me handcuffed to a chair!) then chances are you can handle living in close proximity of one another. Escape rooms can get a tad frustrating depending on who you are completing them with, as dominant personalities can collide but if you all keep calm, it’s a great way to see people shine in ways that you didn’t expect.

Let me give you an example. I’ve done quite a few escape rooms, since they’re a great non-alcoholic activity to do and I’ve been lucky enough to make friends who are willing to do them with me. Let’s focus on the one with my current housemates (hi guys if you’re reading this). We’re all a bit whacky in my house so an escape room seemed quite up our alley. After opening a new room, we all gravitated towards different clues – with one of my housemates instantly recognising mirror writing as she used to practise writing in it all the time! Or how one of my friends from a placement knew how to brute force a padlock by squeezing it tight and feeling when the tumblers fell into the correct slot.

Some escape rooms are themed and have a story!

In the case of my housemates, I’ll give you some background. There’s five of us in our house – three of which are computer science students, whilst the other two focus on biology and occupational therapy. So, when it comes to problem solving and logical thinking, we have a bit of an edge. Here’s the thing though – you can be the best cryptographer in the world and still struggle in an escape room because it challenges you to think beyond what you know and try things that you might not think of.

For anyone reading this who isn’t a big puzzle solver or a logical thinker, don’t be put off! You don’t need any skills to solve an escape room. Sure, knowing about the common techniques they use can be helpful but everything you need to escape is given to you. Who knows, maybe your unique way of thinking will be what cracks the final clue? If you feel anxious or need to step out for a bit, 99% of rooms provide a instant “exit” button that lets you out when you need it, so those with claustrophobia can still enjoy themselves – these rooms are there for everyone and the creators want you to enjoy them!

Some can be quite spooky, I ended up in a serial killer one once!

You see this theme of escape rooms in gaming as well. There are hundreds of puzzle games out there that challenge you to escape the house or the abandoned theme park as fast as you can. So, it’s no wonder why it has become such a massive thing in the “real world”. Considering a large part of what I do involves puzzle solving and tackling problems from a different angle, it’s not hard to see why they appeal so strongly to me.

After becoming a Dungeon Master and running campaigns for my friends, escape rooms have jumped massively up my list of interests. After dedicating so much of my time to creating unique puzzles for my players to solve, I have a deeper appreciation to the designers of escape rooms, especially when it comes to difficulty levels! Sure, it’s satisfying to complete any of them but the harder rooms, there’s an innate determination to conquer it when other’s have not.

Note: Don’t karate chop the lock to escape, that will hurt.

Anyways, I’ve rambled a bit much this week rather than a fully form article but hey, you guys seem to like it regardless, so I’d love to hear your thoughts on escape rooms! Leave a comment or tweet me at @OurMindGames with your experiences! The schedule for the next fortnight is a tad all over the place due to EGX as I’m in the process of sorting meetings with developers to chat about their games but I’ll aim for The Blackout Club article to come out next Monday as planned.

Thanks,

CaitlinRC.

Untitled Goose Game – My Cousin Is Afraid of Geese and Now I Know Why:

Posted on by in Gaming

I’ve never been a fan of geese. Then again, I don’t think anyone on the planet is particularly fond of them. They are known as the douchebags of the avian world, with their terrifying spiky tongues and tendency to harass anyone that even glances at them. Thankfully, I’ve only really been chased by geese rather than outright attacked but both my cousin and my sister have felt the sharp nip of their beaks. When we were all younger, we used to go feed the ducks and play by the riverside. Every so often we’d see a swan glide past or a group of geese honking at one another. Whilst feeding a duck some seeds, a goose snuck up on my cousin and started honking aggressively, flapping its wings and hissing like the big jerk it was. Being a six-year-old at the time, my cousin burst into tears and froze on the spot, triggering the goose to bite her and cause her to drop her little bag of seeds. My aunt chased it off, but my cousin still hates geese to this day and she’s twenty-two!

Although utter jerks, geese are a part of nature and I get a great sense of peace from watching the birds on the canals near where I live. It’s a calming moment amongst some of the darker times that the real world likes to burden us with. Video games seem to follow this trend recently, with a lot of recent releases being rather gritty, hard-hitting games that reveal some of the darker features of human nature. Games strive to show us a part of ourselves that we refuse to admit is there, highlighting important issues and teaching us lessons that can’t always be taught in school. However, considering how dark the real world can get sometimes, turning to a video game that is just as dark, can seem a tad depressing. Which is why silly games like Mount Your Friends or Quiplash are so important in bringing joy back to our lives. One game that takes this concept and runs headlong into the village with it, is the Untitled Goose Game.

Time to listen to BBC Radio HONK!

If you’ve been hiding in a cave without an internet connection, then I’ll quickly explain the premise of the game in the words of the developers – “It’s a lovely morning in the village, and you are a horrible goose.” As the goose, who I have lovingly named Flerken (thumbs up if you get that reference), your job is to roam around the village causing all sorts of chaos. From stealing the gardener’s rake and throwing it into the lake, locking the shopkeeper in the garage, stealing a man’s shoes off his feet and making another trip over, there’s no end to the potential hilarity of this game.

At its core, it’s a puzzle game. To progress, you must complete a series of tasks on your to-do list in order to unlock the next area. Some tasks require a bit more planning than others but no matter what task you complete, you get a great deal of satisfaction when that item gets crossed off your list. I think House House, the developers behind the game, have managed to create a game that brings childlike delight to all who play it, as well as providing a series of complex tasks that feed into the concept of reward motivation. Whether that reward is progressing the game, getting to see the hilarious consequences of your actions or simply the pleasure of crossing an item off your list, House House encourages it’s players to keep trying – after all, when we know there’s a reward at the end, we are more determined to get there.

Don’t hire the goose as a waiter, he has a fowl mouth.

There are two things that I feel we as humans should do on a regular basis. The first is to cry – just sob and let all your emotions pour out of you. We can’t hold it all in forever, eventually, we will explode, and I’d rather explode in the private of my own home rather than lashing out at those I love by accident. The other is to laugh. Not to snigger or laugh politely at a bad joke, but a proper laugh. One that shakes your shoulders and leaves you gasping for air, where your stomach aches and your cheeks hurt from smiling. When you laugh like that, it leaves a grin on your face for the rest of the day and makes everything seem that bit lighter. Running around as a goose, annoying people and honking like a maniac manage to bring me those moments of laughter.

It’s a game that appeals to the troublemaker in each of us. Growing up, we are told not to cause trouble as it upsets and frustrates those around us but a little part of us finds it funny. House House taps into this vein of mischief with a charming little game that apparently started as a joke that snowballed into a gaming phenomenon that even the most cynical of people can crack a smile at. Even in games where you are given the choice to act like a jerk, we often choose to be kind because most of us inherently want to be good people. So, a game that is based around being a gigantic jerk to the various humans and causing as much chaos as possible to this sleepy little village, is a delightful time for the devils that sit on our shoulders.

FEAR ME TIMMY! I AM THE GOOSE!

There’s an incredible amount of detail that has gone into this game, with each “level” providing you with more opportunities to wreak havoc than you could ever imagine. The villagers wandering around the level all respond to the goose differently, some actively encouraging you and others chasing you away with a broom, so you have to adapt your approach to solving each objective dependent on whether you’re going to be chased after by a big burly man. Little thought bubbles pop up above the villager’s heads in response to various events, such as what they are going to do next or what item has magically disappeared from the garden and ended up in the lake (it wasn’t me I swear), which provide good clues to the player for those slightly trickier objectives.

From replayability to speedrunning, the game has a great deal of potential for sticking around as a darling indie games that are beloved by all. Undertale, Super Meat Boy, Cuphead and The Stanley Parable are all examples of this, and I hope more than anything that this delightful chaos causing goose becomes a staple in the gaming community for decades to come. Its art style won’t have to worry about graphical updates making it look bad in comparison, and what’s not to love about being a goose? HONK! I can agree, that this game was definitely worth the wait and although I’ve already finished all the objectives and claimed my little goose crown, I will be replaying it time and time again, for that sense of pure joy that it provides even when my mental health decides that it’s time to suffer. HONK HONK!

Well, well, well, what do we have here.

Anyways, depending on how much free time I get this week, I’m going to try and finish off Prey and write about it! The mimics will probably be the focus of the article as the concept of things not being what they appear is a big problem that those with mental health issues have to combat in everyday life. Until then, like, leave a comment and follow the site, plus my Twitter to keep up to date with everything @OurMindGames!

Till next time,

CaitlinRC.