The Archive

Before the code, there was the critique. This section contains the original reviews and essays that built the foundation of my journey. I no longer write reviews, as I'm busy building the games I used to dream about.

All Reviews

Player acquiring a Gland as part of the main questline

Mortal Shell

Thu Apr 13 2023

If you love games with Souls-style combat and cryptic storytelling where you can barely heal and lose all your money when you die, then Mortal Shell...

Striver looking at a severed man who says "PUT ME DOWN, PLEASE"

Morbid: The Seven Acolytes

Sat Apr 01 2023

Morbid: The Seven Acolytes is a short and sweet 2D Cronenbergian Lovecraftian Soulslike chock full of gore, insanity, challenging sword-and-board...

Sorceror exploring the gruesome Path of Blood

Diablo 4

Wed Mar 29 2023

There are shitty-but-fun cash-grab mobile MMO games which capitalize on already successful series, and there are painfully well-designed...

A water spell thrown by Frey hurls toward the camera

Forspoken

Thu Feb 23 2023

Forspoken, in a nutshell, is the woke open-world no-blood no-gore happier version of Devil May Cry 2 with outdoor Prototype-like parkour across a...

Jacob looks out the observatory toward Jupiter and another moon

The Callisto Protocol

Mon Feb 06 2023

The Callisto Protocol—Glen Schofield's attempt to revive Dead Space under a different title—is a cosmic survival horror where you play a pilot who finds…

Kratos peers across some vivid Sfvartalfheim landscape from a high bridge.

God of War: Ragnarök

Thu Jan 26 2023

God of War: Ragnarök shows us how a big budget and much collaboration can create a complex, developing narrative filled with diverse characters...

Eivor stands at command of the longship sailing along the river.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

Wed Jun 15 2022

If anyone asks you what Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is like, you could tell them that it's a gorgeous open-world action RPG featuring…

Charles Reed looking up at a sign which reads "Feel the gentle touch of tentacles".

The Sinking City

Fri May 20 2022

The Sinking City, a detective action-adventure game from Frogwares, offers an in-depth Lovecraftian Prohibition-era story dredged with…

Elden Ring player on mount moseying through a very shallow lake brilliantly lit by the golden glowing Erdtree.

Elden Ring

Sat Apr 30 2022

Elden Ring, the highly-anticipated new title by FromSoftware, is a soulslike masterpiece that blends all the familiar elements of the Souls series with...

Main character of Sifu getting beat with a stick by Kuroki on the water.

Sifu

Tue Apr 19 2022

Sifu, a 2022 action beat 'em up from Sloclap for PS4, PS5, and PC, is a challenging fast-paced Kung Fu work of art with…

Protagonist overlooking the dried land toward a setting sun.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Thu Apr 07 2022

Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the 2022 Pokémon side game, flaunts exciting open world gameplay and fun new features for the series which…

Selene gazing up to a statue above the pit.

Returnal

Sun Mar 20 2022

Returnal, a 2021 PS5-exclusive title, is a Roguelike dungeony bullet-hell third-person sci-fi horror shooter with high-risk high-reward...