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Mystery is where my adventure with Graytail begins and ends. In the deepening night, rain clatters loudly to the ground outside. My dimly lit detective’s office looks classically noir, though brought to life in a refreshing 2.5D pixel style. My head is killing me and a sudden wailing from the phone nearby does nothing to ease it. I pick it up to a voice identifying itself as a doctor. A doctor? Have I been to the hospital? Will my screen-splitting symptoms get worse? How many

Sometimes a game looks so simple, yet I know there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. That’s the case with KAZ, an arcade-style roguelike that has me smashing the arrow buttons frantically to get the highest score possible before my time runs out. The concept is pretty simple. I’m presented with a couple of tiles for my character to move on. The best way to describe it, think of a game board that may have squares or tiles to move on. The first couple of levels will only have

In the early 2000’s, in my little suburban neighborhood of Ogden, Utah, I used to rollerblade around the cul de sac at sunset with my ipod mini. It was a time where everything was beautiful and nothing hurt, and it wasn’t until I got my hands on RollerGirl that I was immediately taken back to that specific time and place. As someone who prioritizes slice-of-life games with simple and satisfying mechanics, I feel predisposed to enjoying RollerGirl. When I noticed that music i

One of my favorite RPG tropes is when we begin our adventures in the world with a festival to help get settled in, and Aikyam’s demo captures those feelings of anticipation and happiness that I love when games kick off with a party. It gets us invested in the characters as we see them having fun, we get to familiarize ourselves with the traditions of the world, and it immediately sets up stakes for what we’ll eventually feel compelled to protect. Following this tradition, Aik

It’s 1998, and somehow you find yourself in a room with a girl who’s just about to do a terrible thing. She says her name is Reina, although you’re not too sure if that’s true. All she wants is for everything to end. And you’re about to help her achieve that goal. That’s the setup for Rain98, the debut visual novel by C#4R4CT3R. In a Tokyo where the rain never stops, both of you will change the world. To do so, you have to perform a ritual. Well, Reina will be doing that, but