Final Fantasy Explorers

20 Hours

This is an unabashed Monster Hunter clone, minus the charm, challenge or controls. It's difficult to recommend this, even to the most ardent of Final Fantasy fans. Ultimately, it's a boring series of missions, scarcely enlivened by a class system that makes choices in character development fairly meaningless. Whoever decided to make virtually every attack in the game require a combination of shoulder and face button should be fired. Version 2.0 could improve considerably, but even then I suspect it will remain a few generations behind its inspiration. I've left all of the endgame content on the table. I'm just counting up until the credits rolled.

Punch Club

12 Hours?

It's amazing that they bungled the stats in this game at launch, given that it's basically nothing but stats. Thankfully a post-game patch fixed the issue of overpowered agility and allowed me to complete the game. Still, I'm not sure that it was worth the effort. This is essentially Cookie Clicker without the cookies, and with far too little variance in your options at any given point. The game too often puts opponents in front of you one at a time, leaving few options beyond grinding until you luck out and randomly squeak out a victory. It's not a difficult game by any means, but it's one that demands a certain sort of persistent dedication, which is oddly thematic in a game centered around repetitive athletic training.

Firewatch

4 Hours

Four hours I won't be getting back. Gone Home without the innovation or the emotional hook. These walking simulators are now a genre unto themselves, but at a certain point they'll have to swing back toward offering some occasional gameplay hooks, especially if they persist, like Firewatch, in having poorly written characters and dialogue. In retrospect Firewatch's plot makes little sense, but it's an enervating, unrewarding experience even during the course of play, giving you precious little to do than literally walk from A to B.

Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders

10 Hours

A pleasingly old-school adventure game, even down to it's Sierra-style scorekeeping system. Although it's never so difficult to impede narrative progress, there are a few challenging item-manipulation puzzles scattered throughout. Much of the other time is spent questioning witnesses and suspects, and the game's collection of minigames makes this an engaging experience. As in L.A. Noire, you need to pay close attention to each line of dialogue and the characters' mannerisms... there will be a quiz later. Final Score: 495/600.

Not a Hero

5 Hours

Hotline Miami is given the typical Devolver treatment in this diverting if ultimately forgettable action title. That is to say Not a Hero features vaguely retro pixel graphics, fundamentally sound (if not quite addictive) play mechanics, and a cheeky sense of humor. The premise here, that you're a hitman helping a corrupt bunny secure political office, is oddball, but quite as disturbing or compelling as the one in Hotline Miami. Similarly, the gameplay is as twitchy and repetitive as in HM, but somehow never becomes a pure extension of your thoughts as it does there. Twenty one levels makes this a brief game, even if you're bound to die dozens of times during the run. Still, that's arguably too long for the amount of gameplay variety that Not a Hero offers.

Musaic Box

2 Hours

Almost ridiculously simple after completing The Witness, this puzzle adventure game is focused entirely on using Tetris-shaped blocks to reassemble music samples. The puzzles are easy enough, even for someone relatively tone deaf like myself, and the adventure game segments in-between are inoffensive, if unexceptional. The story is extremely basic, with little to no progression to reward you, but for a two hour game, you can't expect too much. A pleasant activity that doesn't outstay its welcome.

The Curious Expedition

2.5 Hours

A roguelike, so I haven't seen everything that it has to offer, but I've completed six expeditions without dying, so I'll take that as a win. The game is familiar in broad strokes, recalling similar titles such as 80 Days and Sunless Sea, but charming and unique in its particulars. Much of this charm comes from the setting of Victorian-era exploration. The feeling that a cannibal or a raptor could be around the next corner keeps every click exciting, and ultimately this is better as a fun storytelling romp than as an exercise in resource management. Memorable and likely something I'll return to once it's out of Early Access...