Having bested a giant mechanical worm during a chase through an enemy-infested cavern, protagonist Laika confronts the cowardly miner who, moments earlier, had assured us that an army of eager allies was waiting inside. With the survival of Laika’s settlement riding on the recruitment of new reinforcements, suspense is high as the interrogation begins. “Then why you lured me into this?” she asks. The tension slackens.
Laika: Aged Through Blood’s grand narrative ambitions stumble in an early script littered with similarly jarring grammatical errors, but the foundations of an absorbing tale are here. At heart, this is a sombre story of a diligent mother trying to protect her young daughter from the dangers of life in a post-apocalyptic society on the brink of total collapse. In this bleak world, childhood is short and innocence is fleeting – and while there are hints of a conspiracy playing out in the background as an invading army of territorial birds wrestles for control of the region, it’s the familial relationships that take centre stage. For a universe populated by anthropomorphic animals, everything we’ve seen from the story so far seems refreshingly human – if in need of spit and polish. The frequent detours back to your starting homestead are emblematic of this wider focus, offering both a moment of respite between longer excursions to shop for materials, cook meals, and craft weapons, but also the chance to check on family members.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2023-Ausgabe von Edge UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2023-Ausgabe von Edge UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles
Anyone familiar with the concept of kitbashing is already halfway to understanding what Tomas Sala’s open-world builder is all about.
Children Of The Sun
René Rother’s acrid revenge thriller – an action game with its limbs broken and forcibly rearranged into the shape of a spatial puzzler – is at once a bonafide original and an unlikely throwback. Cast your eyes right and you wouldn’t blink if we told you this was a forgotten Grasshopper Manufacture game from the early PS3 era (we won’t be at all surprised if this finds a spot on Suda51’s end-of-year list).
Post Script
What does Rise Of The Ronin say for PS5 exclusivity?
Rise Of The Ronin
Falling in battle simply switches control to the next person up, and then quick revive fixes everything
Post Script
The pawn and the pandemic
Dragon's Dogma 2
The road from Vernworth to Bakbattahl is scenic but arduous. Ignore the dawdling mobs of goblins, and duck beneath the chanting harpies that circle on the currents overhead, and even moving at a hurried clip it is impossible for a party of four to complete the journey by nightfall.
BLUE MANCHU
How enforced early retirement eventually led Jonathan Chey back to System Shock
THE MAKING 0F.... AMERICAN ARCADIA
How a contrast of perspectives added extra layers to a side-scrolling platform game
COMING IN TO LAND
The creator of Spelunky, plus a super-group of indie developers, have spent the best part of a decade making 50 games. Has the journey been worth it?
VOID SOLS
This abstract indie Soulslike has some bright ideas