Indika throws a lot of cool things at the wall, but too little of it sticks, creating a mess of elements which work in a proof-of-concept but fail in a full game. While the narrative and storytelling are capable of moments of intrigue and even greatness, the story and game as a whole are thematic skeletons where nothing substantial ever came to be. It succeeded in pulling me in, but didn’t do a great job of keeping me there. That said, there were enough exceptional elements that I am eager to see what Odd Meter/11-bit studios do next.

‘I describe the original Alan Wake as “an early-years Stephen King novel married to an extended cut of Twin Peaks” and feel that does a pretty solid job of capturing the aesthetic. Alan Wake 2 is more original, carving its own path while retaining and respecting that foundation, creating a next-level survival horror narrative that strikes a remarkably well-balanced note between action and story.’

Sagebrush opens with headlights crossing a desert. There’s a brief monologue wherein a woman recounts meeting someone named Amy, who promised inner peace through the teachings of a man named James. Not the disciple, but an actual flesh-and-blood figure who had a church out in the wilderness. Shortly thereafter, the car pulls up outside of the Black Sage Ranch, an abandoned compound somewhere in the American Southwest where the gates are chained and the windows are dark.

‘Single Malt Apocalypse is a great way to spend a few hours. The story, while familiar, is paced and executed well, and the gameplay has just enough depth to remain interesting. It’s a debut that shows promise from the lone developer, and while I don’t think this game will ever be a breakout hit, I look forward to the developer’s sophomore effort and believe we could see some very good things from this creator in the future.’

‘IMMORTALITY is among the finest examples the video game as an artform’

I cannot overstate the perpetual sense of menace that permeates every moment of Visage. Even when you have a good grasp of the game’s mechanics and know where you’re going next, walking down a hallway can feel suffocating, and the sprint across a dark room to the light switch is as tense on the twentieth rendition as it was on the first.