West of Loathing (http://westofloathing.com/) A very rare thing indeed: a game that is actually funny. I’ve long been a fan of the podcast that the creators put out (http://videogameshotdog.com/), and dabbled in Kingdom of Loathing a bit when it first launched. Besides the top-notch comical writing, sly references and groan-inducing puns what I appreciate most about this game is how it does not waste your time, while at the same time rewarding creativity and investigation, and the weird kind of internal sense everything makes. Search a haystack? Of course you’ll find a needle. Need to find where a guy named Dave is buried? Head to the Daveyard, of course. Finally, one of my favourite game company logos in the industry: http://asymmetric.net/

Assassin’s Creed Origins tour mode (https://news.ubisoft.com/article/assassins-creed-origins-discovery-tour-shows-different-side-ancient-egypt) The main draw of the Assassin’s Creed games for me has always been the opportunity to play tourist in a well-realised version of a historical time and place, rather than the running around stabbing people bit. One can of course argue about the accuracy of specific points, but I’m happy with any opportunity to wander medieval Damascus or (in the latest entry in the series) ancient Alexandria. As such, I applaud and welcome the initiative to put out a version of the game that lets you play through a combat-free, guided tour of the locations. Removing the mechanical barrier to entry to these gorgeous game worlds is a very cool move in my book, and somewhat brave given the usual response by ‘gamers’ to anything bypassing their skill-based gamekeeping. I’ve not had a chance to play this game yet but I’m keeping my eyes on it.

DYO (https://josia-roncancio.itch.io/dyo) A fascinating and mind-bending two-player cooperative platform puzzler. Luckily for someone with my tastes, the emphasis is strongly on the puzzling aspect. The key mechanic is that the screen is split down the middle, and as long as each of the two players is in another half of the screen, that player can ‘lock’ the scrolling for that half of the world. If both halves are locked, players can pass through the middle of the screen, otherwise this split acts as a wall. This lets puzzles be solved by for example walking to the side a bit so that a blocking wall scrolls off the screen, at which point you can lock the world, and pass through that bit. It’s difficult to explain so I suggest following the link and watching the animation there. I’ve played through the first third or so with a friend and had a great time, though we weren’t in the mood for anything too difficult and quit at the point things got too hard. I wil definitely revisit this. One of those games that makes you laugh with delight at your own cleverness at times.

Subnautica (https://unknownworlds.com/subnautica/) After spending years in early access, Subnautica has released. To me this is one of the great success stories of early access, with the game improving by leaps and bounds over this period. I picked it up relatively early, partially to see how well it would suit my children. I’m always on the lookout for games where the primary mode of interaction isn’t antagonistic, and where the means to an end aren’t necessarily violent. Add to that a great focus on and attention to the flora and fauna of the world and the uniqueness of the ocean setting and you have a game that hits a lot of high notse for me. Like most survival games, the actual survival part is of little interest to me, and I’m glad to say that this is one of those games in the genre where you can tune it to suit your preferences, and where the story and way the world is set up makes it so that you organically do what’s needed anyway. I’ve yet to get very far since the launch but I don’t hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking for something fresh.