What a compelling game! It really hit that sweet spot of slowly creeping sense of dread interspersed with triumphant aha! moments. There were a few scenes that gave me genuine chills, and a couple puzzles that were really brilliant (and made me feel brilliant too). The core mechanic was a neat logic puzzle that was fun and engaging the whole way through. I'll be thinking about this one for a while!
As I played Never Gives Up Her Dead, I kept coming back to the same thought: "wait, there's MORE?"
This game is BIG, featuring lots of areas that are mostly separate and self-contained. Some rifts have opened up on your ship and you've got to solve whatever wacky situations are inside all of them to fix everything. If that seems a bit contrived, rest assured that one or two characters think so too...
(Spoiler - click to show)As you progress through the game, the story takes a turn for the meta. Why does Emrys have to put some robots through a training course? Because the Record says so. Because the game says so. If everything that happens was already written down, do Emrys and Arawn have free will? Does the player?
Each area is almost like a game all on its own, with its own vibes and style of puzzle. It made for really fun and varied gameplay. I really enjoyed this game!
The game world is huge and full of personality and humor; I loved exploring each and every inch and looking at absolutely everything. The puzzles were fantastic-- I had to look up maybe one or two solutions-- and the little scenes that often followed after I solved them never failed to make me smile. I was legitimately sad when I realized the story was drawing to a close.
Astonishingly clever and laugh-out-loud funny, with vivid world building and a central mechanic that makes perfect use of the medium. I loved every second of this game.
A sprawling, engaging game stuffed with puzzles and the joy of discovery. The game doesn't do much to direct you, which meant there were a few times I had no idea what to do next-- but it meant I truly felt like I was exploring this strange and magical museum.