I've done a post on board games before, but this is the first time I will be talking about computer games. Why? Because I am an idiot savant when it comes to gaming. It is one of my favourite ways to waste time, but I rarely play a game as it comes out, I am not a very skilled gamer and the only devices I own are a laptop, a PS2 and a couple of old gameboys. Nevertheless, I enjoy gaming a lot and that is all that matters (or should matter); I've gotten away with it so far.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
I am not going to spoil the plot for you because, as the name suggests,
in both games you wake up and discover you suffer from amnesia. As the
game progresses, you gain clues and slowly start to remember again.
Personally,
I think the Amnesia games are the absolute creepiest games ever brought
into existence ever so if you like horror, these are a must.
Admittedly, I haven't finished The Dark Descent yet but I can tell you
that A Machine for Pigs has a fantastic plot as well - it is slightly
less terrifying though.
Protip: play on a big screen with a group of friends. I promise it will be fun. No really, trust me.
Alice: Madness Returns
Most people will have heard of American McGee's Alice; Alice: Madness Returns is the sequel. I
haven't actually played the first one but I am enjoying this one an awful lot. You play as Alice Liddell who is being plagued by visions and has ended up in
an asylum. The game begins when Alice is finally free to go, but of course the visions begin again and she needs to regain her memories in order to save Wonderland.
The
images in Alice: Madness Returns are absolutely stunning at times and freakishly disturbing at
others. There is a wide array of fascinating creatures and characters, many of whom you might remember from the original Alice in Wonderland. I do find the gameplay to be rather difficult which makes the game frustrating at times, but mostly the images and storyline make up for
that.
Don't Starve
I have seen people jokingly call Don't Starve 'Tim Burton's Minecraft' and to be
honest, that is a pretty decent description. The goal of the game
literally is not to die. You hop around in a world you don't know, collect resources and food, build a camp and basically try to survive as
long as you can because literally everything will try and kill you. Well, almost
everything.
Don't Starve is one of the funnest, silliest and surprisingly, most challenging games I have played in a while. It is full of dark humour and references and the imagery is, well, very Tim Burton-y. Honestly, I can't stress enough how fantastic this game is. I am also immensely looking forward to Don't Starve Together, because dying on multiplayer is just that bit more fun.
The way Eldritch looks might put you off at first - the visuals are much like Minecraft's - but it really works while
you're playing. The goal of the game is to get through three levels (every level consists of another three levels - I know, I know) and claim the soul of Dagon, the soul of
Nyarlathotep and the soul of Cthulhu. You could also visit the Mountains
of Madness somewhere in between or save a couple of souls from the
asylum. I haven't been able to finish it yet because it's incredibly
challenging but it's perfect to play for short periods of time.
Here, have a hilarious traile that explains it better than I can.
The Secret World
The Secret World takes place in a world much like our own, only much, much darker. It is full of secrets, conspiracies and evil. First of all, you must make a choice: will you join the illuminati, the templars or the dragon? When you make that decision, your storyline is determined and you can start uncovering secrets and fighting... well, who knows?
The gameplay is a bit tricky at first - The Secret World is an MMO but
the leveling works entirely different from most other MMO games. The conversations are full of humour and even references to (pop) culture. As I have only recently begun playing this game (as in, yesterday) I can't tell you much about the plot yet but it all looks very promising so far - this game has been on my Steam wishlist for almost a year so I am very excited to discover more. And anything labeled 'Lovecraftian' just has to be good, right?
