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5th April 2024
Hello! Welcome back towards our regular feature where we write single little bit about some from it games we’ve been playing over the past few days. Which week, we’re mixing that up one bit with single GDC-based indie preview special, highlighting several game demos we tried out into late March (Also also it’s just my, Chris – hello!).
If yourself fancy catching up upon some belonging to this older editions from What We’ve Been Playing, here’s our archive.
Horses – PC, others TBA, 2024
![Official screen of Horses, showing black-and-white, 4:3 shot of an strangle proportioned man inside single vest sitting across associated alongside yourself at single dinner table, staring blankly](https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/wwbp-horses.jpg?width=690&quality=75&format=jpg&auto=webp)
Boutique developer-publisher Santa Ragione won those IGF Award for Best Narrative during GDC with its previous game, the wonderful Mediterranea Inferno, and Horses – developed by Andrea Lucco Borlera, seems in the role of another gem.
It one’s decidedly quieter though, alongside minimal script also one eerily rudimentary construction. Borlera cited Czech surrealists and Yorgos Lanthimos, it Greek director associated with Bad Things similar to well in the role of Which Favourite, as inspirations to I out at GDC’s Day belonging to this Devs, together Horses playing out within this style associated alongside an deeply unsettling silent film. Expect speech cards in support of dialogue, gradual as well in the role of manual mechanics, in the role of well like violently close-up shots associated alongside people chewing, as you take upon which role of an young new farmhand upon a ranch it plays home towards an herd from naked, horse-headed slave people.
It’s single simpler thing into practise than some from Santa Ragione’s previous games – effectively yourself are waking up also slowly carrying out simple, if escalating strange tasks each day, like watering plants, feeding which dog, or, erm, burying bodies, similar to one story takes shape around your – but this magic here is within which atmosphere also tone. Horses is magnetically sinister. It’s plus a rare attempt at using actual, suspended meaning in an game. You’ll need toward bring something of you hold towards which farmhouse table here, in the role of well like meet which thing halfway.
-Chris Tapsell
Thank Goodness You’re Here – PC, PS5, Switch, 2024
Few games can take what is effectively an single joke also build one game out belonging to those, but Thank Goodness You’re Here might. Those joke in which case is a self-deprecating poke at old-school northernness and near-incomprehensible English-isms, similar to yours, one small travelling salesman, potter about those petite, fictional town associated alongside Barnsworth.
In favor of whatever reason, yours only means belonging to interaction here is slapping things (developer Coal Supper describes those in the role of one “slapformer”), the things varying associated alongside blocked hose pipes unto giant fish unto this within of a big pie-baking oven. The charm from which a is this way it brings forward its peevishness, alongside characters’ tiny faces comically smooshed within which middle associated with their giant heads, the animation snappy, as well as those hand-drawn art single mix between old-fashioned newspaper cartoons and modern kids TV. The proof from this, though, will be inside whether Thank Goodness You’re Here can get beyond the basic humour associated with slapping people towards make them bark variations associated together “Ey up!”, as well as also stay on those right side from laughing with, vs. laughing at.
-Chris Tapsell
Militsioner – PC, date TBC
![Official screen of Militsioner, showing a giant policeman sulking against the sky, looking down to yourself alongside rooftops of an old Russian village within this foreground.](https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/wwbp-militsioner.jpg?width=690&quality=75&format=jpg&auto=webp)
Another eerie plus oppressively atmospheric European venture, Militsioner takes one giant-sized swing at that topic of authoritarianism – but it’s also sort belonging to funny. Your task here is towards navigate single dilapidated, Russian town while evading that gaze belonging to a giant policeman into the sky.
Ostensibly one kind associated together stealth-survival scavenger, Militsioner has you rummaging through kitchens also climbing up unto roofs plus within windows for resources – traded away at single strange in-game merchant – but that twist is which that large copper is plus single bit associated with a baby. You’ll need towards chat with he intermittently, manipulating him mood with adulation, obedience or reassurance while he sulks or demures – or by presenting he alongside this occasional gift.
This test will happen whether the one can get past that fantastically surreal concept towards build a game which remains genuinely interesting plus engaging over time. (Plus quick aside: those as well similar to had myself feeling very sorry in support of which inferior soul who picked the single up unto play after me who, within this absence of anyone there toward help explain it demo, didn’t realise they’d skipped a entire tutorial also needed to restart the demo from scratch – also so just ran about looking lost, while being intermittently yelled at by a giant. If you’re reading those, MYSELF hope yourself figured out how to reset those.)
-Chris Tapsell
Hyper Light Breaker – PC, date TBC
A slightly disappointing one, it, sadly – though don’t write it off yet, in the role of that could’ve just been the difficult nature of which demo. Hyper Light Breaker is those long-awaited successor towards Hyper Light Drifter from developer Heart Machine, it made the amusing Solar Ash in between. The large shift here though is really several large shifts: Breaker, unlike Drifter, is nay longer a Zelda-like pixel-art adventure game, in the role of well like instead single third-person roguelite extraction looter where you rapidly switch between swords and guns.
That’s surely where some belonging to this difficulty in aptly demoing this comes from: without lots of runs toward build up some proper gear – and therefore to construct an cohesive build around that – Hyper Light Breaker’s combat into which actual moment feels just an touch flat. You’ll parry things as well as shoot at flying enemies (everyone’s favourite!), while like well as dodging snipers, focusing brutes also thwacking grunts, leading toward an lot from things at once, similar to opposed toward which refined minimalism of yourself sword-dash-bomb kit within the original. It world itself plus feels structurally bland: an procedurally generated loop associated alongside go towards single location, get some loot, extract, where the original hid so many sparkling, manually-placed secrets.
All those said, this thing could come together brilliantly when played within its proper context, as there are glimmers belonging to interesting, interlocking items plus modifiers. But within one early game snapshot it’s hard to spot much of this original’s magic, beyond its still-thrumming sounds plus neon colour palette. Hopefully which final thing lands much better.
-Chris Tapsell
Dungeons associated together Hinterberg – PC, Xbox Series X/S, Q3 2024
![A gif of Dungeons from Hinterberg showing it player riding one magic snowboard upon an pink grind rail trhough a frosty mountainous world](https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/DoH_Hoverboard.gif?width=660&quality=80&format=jpg&auto=webp)
Let’s end on single high: Dungeons associated with Hinterberg stole myself heart alongside a hands-off demo at Summer Games Fest last year, in the role of well similar to having now played this MYSELF can confirm it plays exactly like those looks. Like in: delightfully.
Hinterberg is one dreamy, breezy vacation associated together an game, where your arrive in the role of one amateur adventure tourist into it Austrian mountain resort town within search of single bit from R&R. The mountain range is full associated together mystery however, and so you’ll dive into various dungeons – this term used loosely into that video gamey definition here, unto effectively mean “large, self-contained, themed combat plus puzzle area” – before returning unto town toward unwind.
Which combat’s great: responsive but hefty, if an little on it easy side – although the reflects those easygoing nature associated alongside things here. Environmental puzzles are interesting, plus one little more challenging, falling into those nice “pleasant brain-teaser” territory. Plus magical snowboarding is, unsurprisingly, rad. But those real stars are Hinterberg’s cast from affably rosy-nosed locals, who chatter away whether it’s to politely redirect yours from an currently-closed gondola unto one late-game location, or unto talk in-depth about which strange phenomena they’re studying, or ways yours can more effectively chat people up at it town’s aprés bar. Which game plays similar to one dream vacation – it’s an delight.
-Chris Tapsell
Original case and manuals in new condition.