Come see all the games, more games than one can play. I put some of them in my special book, thinking of days distant with hours unturned.

In this episode, nineteen more games I have not played are added to the Crashbook.

243/ Inkulinati

Inkulinati is an ink-based strategy straight from medieval manuscripts, where a rabbit’s bum can be deadlier than a dog’s sword. Become a master of the Living Ink, build your own bestiary, defeat medieval superstars and collect perks to unleash hidden powers.

Crash notes: I’ve not looked too closely at how this plays as the art style blinded me to everything else.

Windows, Mac | Steam Link | Early Access

244/ Atomic Heart

In a mad and sublime utopian world, take part in explosive encounters. Adapt your fighting style to each opponent, use your environment and upgrade your equipment to fulfill your mission. If you want to reach the truth, you’ll have to pay in blood.

Crash notes: I think everyone has heard of this “Russian Bioshock” with a Mick Gordon soundtrack by now and I can’t quite see myself playing this. The Eurogamer review covered everything I needed to know.

Windows | Steam Link | Just Released

245/ Alucinod

Alucinod is a first-person puzzle game where gravity changes to match the ground beneath your feet. There are no walls, there is no up, it all depends on where you stand.

Crash notes: Oh, I just ate up the screenshots of this. I didn’t get the impression this was a brilliant game but I get some Mirror’s Edge tingles looking at it.

Windows | Steam Link | Released 2019

246/ Birth

Birth is an adventure puzzle game about constructing a creature from spare bones & organs found around the city in order to quell your loneliness. Solve physics-based puzzles & discover secrets in lovingly hand-drawn museums, bakeries, bookstores and more.

Crash notes: Very curious whether the puzzles are casual (purely to integrate players into the narrative) or difficult.

Windows, Mac | Steam Link | Just Released

247/ Humanity

A unique blend of puzzle-solving and action-platforming. Play a lone Shiba Inu charged with commanding massive, marching crowds to the goal in Story Mode, or browse a wide array of user-made levels crafted via the in-game Stage Creator!

Crash notes: It looks like Lemmings but with humans.

Windows | Steam Link | Unreleased

248/ Nine Sols

Nine Sols is a lore rich, hand-drawn 2D action-platformer featuring Sekiro-inspired deflection focused combat. Embark on a journey of eastern fantasy, explore the land once home to an ancient alien race, and follow a vengeful hero’s quest to slay the 9 Sols, formidable rulers of this forsaken realm.

Crash notes: Some of the hand-drawn animations look swish.

Windows, Mac | Steam Link | Unreleased

249/ Voices of the Void

You work as a scientist in the isolated research lab in the mountains of Switzerland. Your task is to gather signals from space, analyze them, process them and sell them to get points.

Crash notes: Inspired by a cult hit called Signal Simulator which I’d previously never heard of. It sounds like fans expected more patches for Signal Simulator but nothing has been forthcoming; so they’ve been looking at alternatives… welcome to Voices of the Void.

Windows | Itch Link | Early Access PWYW

250/ He Who Watches

Manipulate gravity, walk on walls, and use your magical arrow to solve mind-bending puzzles in this grid-based dungeon puzzler. Decipher secrets of the canvas and search for the mythos known as He Who Watches in this continuation of the Dungeon Crawler Jam 2022 winning entry.

Crash notes: The trailer suggests this is a first-person game about switches and creating pathways – but I quite like the theming.

Windows | Steam Link | Unreleased

251/ Scars Above

Scars Above is a challenging sci-fi third-person action adventure shooter combining the rewarding feel of overcoming difficulty with a compelling and intricate story, set in a mysterious alien world to explore.

Crash notes: Thought this might be a solid third-person shooter. Reviews aren’t stellar but I’m still attracted to titles trying to punch above their weight. Put it on the list because, who knows, maybe I’d enjoy it?

Windows| Steam Link | Just Released

252/ Ravenbound

Fear everything and nothing for death brings you closer to victory in this challenging open world action-roguelite. As the Vessel of an ancient power you must use steel and skill to complete your mission in a dangerous fantasy world inspired by Scandinavian folklore.

Crash notes: Open world roguelite? I have questions.

Windows| Steam Link | Unreleased

253/ Blackout Hospital

When the power goes out while working night shift in the hospital, the emergency lights come on with an eerie glow…

Crash notes: Sometimes I follow my instinct. This ust felt like the kind of off-piste game I should probably tak a look at.

Windows| Steam Link | Just Released (Free)

254/ Urban Explorer

Urban Explorer is a first person perspective exploration game with parkour mechanics and horror elements. Explore abandoned buildings, top secret facilities and catacombs, as well as places still in use, such as engine rooms, elevator shafts and abandoned building floors.

Crash notes: Ah, now, this looks like the kind of game I’d like to play but its enthusiastic fans are convinced the project is dead despite the developer saying they haven’t abandoned it.

Windows, Mac | Steam Link | Unreleased

255/ ENDLESS BECOMING – APARTMENT

It is an interactive virtual art installation. Utilizing Virtual Reality or First Person modes, users are encouraged to explore at their own pace. Users will experience an unfolding landscape of architecture, spatialized sound and digital phenomena.

Crash notes: And why not?

Windows, Mac | Steam Link | Released 2021, Free

256/ bio-Synthetica

Take on the role of R3-M1, a newly activated robot, as they venture through a dark, dystopian world in search of answers. The clues lay buried within dust and ash, data files and audio clips left behind by decaying corpses from a not-so-distant past.

Crash notes: Looks like a JRPG.

Windows | Steam Link | Unreleased

257/ Can of Wormholes

Push, slice, ingest, flip, and squish worms in this puzzle game in which you play as a little sentient tin can.

Crash notes: Not entirely sure what’s going on here, but I see some block pushing. May take a look at this in a Thinky Games stream.

Windows, Mac | Steam Link | Unreleased

258/ Someday You’ll Return: Director’s Cut

How far would you go if your daughter didn’t come home? Someday You’ll Return: Director’s Cut is a first-person psychological horror. This story-driven game offers enhanced features, an improved story, and additional content. Enter the woods if you dare and begin a search you’ll never forget.

Crash notes: From the Czech developer of J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars I know little about this one which was originally released in 2020.

Windows | Steam Link | Just Released

259/ The Creepy Syndrome

The Creepy Syndrome is an anthology that offers several psychological horror stories, with different pixel art and retro 1 bit, 8 bit, gameboy, etc. styles. Stories of a disturbed mind that intertwine with each other while being analysed by a mysterious psychiatrist.

Crash notes: I’m pretty shallow. The above screenshot got me. The trailer didn’t hurt either.

Windows | Steam Link | Unreleased

260/ Hellscreen

Use a rear view mirror to blast your way through a digital Hellscape in this 90s-inspired retro-fps. Shoot behind you, detect invisible enemies & never fall victim to enemy traps.Find new weapons, unlock abilities & warp to maps at any time!Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear!

Crash notes: The rear view mirror will probably be sensory overload for me but I like the idea.

Windows | Steam Link | Unreleased

261/ Isle of Arrows

Isle of Arrows is a Puzzle Tower Defense game in which you build a fortress in the sky. Place towers, expand the isle, and build your own paths. Can you find the perfect spot for each tile to beat the RNG and defend against waves of invaders?

Crash notes: I learnt from a Mastodon conversation between Nick ‘Temple of Snek’ Bell and Amicable ‘SOLAS 128’ Animal that this was made by the creative director of Lara Croft GO. I loved that game. Straight onto the list it goes.

Windows, Mac | Steam Link | Released Sep 2022

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13 thoughts on “Crashbook #16

  1. I read Crashbook and more games inevitably appear on my Steam wishlist. It’s as if they are somehow connected.

    Joel, I actually am playing Atomic Heart, so I’ll report back to you; however, as you noted, the Eurogamer review (and/or the RPS one) does indeed tell you everything you need to know. It has moments — more than a few — but overall so far it is, at best, “okay.” There are undoubtedly other AAA games more worth your money and limited time. That said, it’s the only game I’ve ever played that features sexually aggressive vending machines, so if that’s something you’d like to experience, you’ll find them here.

    Scars Above I played a bit of during one of the Next Fests, and I did like what I saw. A sci-fi game with a Soulsian vibe, I enjoyed the landscapes and use of elemental weaponry, but the demo certainly didn’t make it climb to the top of my list or anything. Given the lackluster reviews I feel this might be best acquired at sale price.

    261 items on the published Crashlist now? You’d better get crackin’, my friend.

  2. Oh I played Madison Karrh’s previous game Landlord of the Woods and Birth was instantly recognizable! From the plot as well as the art style.

    My impression from that, confirmed by the reviews on the page, is that the puzzles are more casual than difficult (or systematic) and… this makes me a bad person probably but I’m much happier to have done that in a $1 short game than an $11 one.

  3. Coincidently I’m currently playing Atomic Heart and so far so good, playing everything with the graphics in max with my humble PC and is running well all things considered, for now I’m enjoying the ride. I played this new Dead Space remake for one hour or should I say waited almost 30 minutes to load the game and got so angry and annoyed for a number of things that I ask to refund, it felt at the moment a very opportunistic (more than the entertainment industry already is) and empty remake. It’s funny how people are defensive about this game and try to gaslight you every time on how amazing this game is. I wonder why… After the few time I played, besides the awful PC port full of problems of performance and bugs, I was thinking that this game had some things off, not only in comparison to the original and not only those superficial (and questionable) changes that receive all the attention, but as a game itself, so I go see the first hour of the original Dead Space from 2008 and after I started to paying attention I got very surprised by the differences, specially of the prologue, would need a full article about that. Suffice to say the first Dead Space was so successful, because they really invested on the gaming experience and integrated the narrative into the game, so it felt like you are inside a space horror movie in “real time” and your immersion was prioritized, I got the impression of a well thought game design and a development that know what they were doing. Also in terms of engine, graphics, visuals, use of light and shadow, map design, sound, music, etc., seems very “off” to say the least. This and many more other things that we could talk about. Nevertheless, I will play again later, hopefully I will change my mind and see that in fact this a master piece, even because I really liked the Dead Space 1 and 2, principally the 2, and as fan of this genre at the very least I expect to get some of that good old distraction from those virtual fast foods. If anyone is looking for any recent survival horror game, I still recommend Signalis, good quality game and was made by a studio run by only two persons. Worth to mention new games that will come using those technologies using “A.I.” either those that generate image or that generate texts. One that catch my attention recently is called “Story Machine”, according to the site “Story Machine is a powerful no-code game engine designed to make creation simple & put the power in the hands of the storyteller”, “Assemble your game with the ease of drag and drop, no programming required. Story Machine enables top-tier 2D adventure game development through a direct, visual grammar.”, and is “AI-infused”, “Generate AI art for prototyping or production directly in Story Machine.”. https://www.trystorymachine.com And there is already one game announced on steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2321000/Beacons_Bluff/

  4. I have to admit that the coverage of Atomic Heart has made me more curious to play it than I would have otherwise been. (I probably won’t mind you – I own way too many games already!) I don’t know whether the developers deliberately courted controversy, but I suspect they probably aren’t too disappointed at all the additional exposure the game received.

  5. I’ve played an hour or two of Inkulinati, and my partner has played rather more. It’s good! The art style is a big plus; what’s beneath is a very challenging tactical game where positioning is critical. Far too many battles have ended with our key piece being shoved off the side of the map, or shoved into the ‘apocalypse’ that begins to encroach after a few turns . The battles are wrapped up in a roguelite FTL-style structure where you can gain new weirdos to use in your army, and buff your health and ‘living ink’ (summon currency). There’s some fun humour and the game seems very solid for an early access title. To repeat, though, it’s very challenging.

    I played Atomic Hearts in the days immediately following its release – thank you, Game Pass – and was taken by the utopian vision of the initial section, which resonated with me thanks to Francis Spufford’s novel Red Plenty. The visual design is also very striking, and as you know, Joel, I’m all about more weirdness and idiosyncrasy in visual design. A lot of the early reportage of the game’s controversies struck me as Russophobia with limited basis in fact; I still feel this, although the criticisms seem to have stacked up, even as the evidence behind them seems thin.

    But I can no longer muster the energy to dig into the situation either way since, beneath what I already mentioned, Atomic Hearts is a reheated Bioshock with an emphasis on melee combat and a looting/crafting system that is Just A Bit Much. (It has a cool system where you hold down a button and telekinetically harvest all the loot wherever you look, which initially feels great because it spares you the tedium of interacting with every container, but then you realise that it’s a system that is just lampshading the tedium without really addressing it. The looting is still boring and too frequent, it’s just easier and looks cooler.) I’m just not inspired to play more.

  6. Shaun, that’s good info about Inkulinati! Some of the Steam reviews made me worry about whether the game behind the wow! graphics was good, but that sounds fantastic. More Into the Breach than FTL-sounding, maybe?

    The videos of Can of Wormholes looked pretty Pipe Push Paradisey to me! Urban Explorer seems like… it kinda might be my thing if it didn’t have the enemies and stuff? But then it might not be other people’s thing. But then it might exist.

    The comment on Ravenbound is bait and I will not take it.

  7. Matt – hey, that’s a decent comparison! It’s a few years since I played ITB, but a few key points of departure would be that Inkulinati doesn’t have the same unusual movement and attack templates, and turns swap back and forth between players (until available units are exhausted) rather than mapping out a set of moves to execute all at once. So you lack that ‘perfect knowledge’ component. But I’d say that if you enjoyed ITB, Inkulinati might scratch a similar itch.

  8. Steerpike Thanks for the colour. Crashbook is always weird – I usually spend a couple of weeks with nothing on the list and then suddenly I’m spotting titles everywhere. Soon enough I’m worried it’s too big.

    Matt/Zara Thanks for confirming my suspicions about Birth. Regardless, would love to give it a whirl.

    Pedro I was a big fan of the original Dead Space (I’ve never played the sequels) so it’s slightly sad to hear your negative reactions to the recent remake. I’ve been excited to try out Signalis ever since I committed it to Crashbook.

    Not sure what to think about Story Machine although I guess the multifingered Cthulhu proxy is an art AI’s favourite kind of prompt.

    CA Same here. I think I would have missed Atomic Heart is if it wasn’t for all the controversy.

    Shaun Yeah, like you, I wasn’t entirely convinced by the “Russian propaganda” angle on Atomic Heart. Although whether I play or not is an entirely different matter.

    Really appreciate the info on the Inkulinati, definitely much more excited for this now. Maybe I should get it onto a Thinky Games stream.

    Matt yes it is bait

  9. Speaking of open-world roguelite bait, I saw a trailer for Hyper Light Breaker. Then I remembered I haven’t ever played Hyper Light Drifter. Or got into the real interesting part of Hollow Knight, having been defeated by the first boss, my inability to git gud, my lack of hard drive space, and whatever Apple did to make it stop working at all. Or even downloaded Dead Cells after buying it.

    Hyper Light Breaker looks like something one can really dream on, though. Like No Man’s Sky, huh.

  10. I’ll second Shaun’s thoughts on Inkulinati! I played and loved the demo (and was disappointed when I realised it was only releasing into Early Access recently!). It’s a gorgeous game with a great sense of humour but there’s some crunchy strategy in there too. I recall it feeling very different to other turn-based strategy games which was as exciting to me as it was daunting! One of my favourite elements of the game was seeing a story being written around the battlefield, tracking events as they unfolded. Really amusing, cool and clever.

    Yes, Voices of the Void intrigued me as well! Can’t remember where I first spotted that.

    I have Isle of Arrows on my phone and it plays beautifully on there. I would like to play it some more!

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