What I Played:
Balatro (Local Thunk)
This game has already received a bunch of coverage and numerous 2024 Game of the Year (GotY) nods. As such, I’m going to keep my write up of it brief.
I would describe the game as a deck-building rogue-like in the vein of “Slay the Spire,” but with a more widely understood mechanic at the heart of the game: poker hands. I would also describe it is both an incredible value (I got over 80 hours of play despite the game costing about $15) and a game that “would’ve ruined my life if it had micro-transactions.” On one hand, it’s a shame that Local Thunk’s rejection of monetization is so unusual in the gaming space (given how much the wider industry loves to “Trojan Horse” gambling mechanics into their games). On the other hand, good work deserves accolades.
With that said, here’s my cold take of the day: I’d pick “Elden Ring” and its DLC, “Shadow of the Erdtree” for my GotY over Balatro. Why? Balatro could really use more music. The music on offer never got grating for me, but I definitely noticed I was listening to the same few tracks over and over again. Also, while I appreciate that the game has numerous “exit points” (eg the ‘Completionist’ ‘Completionist+’ and ‘Completionist++’ achievements), finishing the game was very much a slog for me. (I stopped at “Completionist,” for the record.) Still, Balatro came close to securing my 2024 GotY. It was certainly my “brrrrr number go up” game of the year, at least.
PS: here’s three tips to help you take your score to the next level if you struggled like I did in the beginning of your Balatro play-time.
- A strong Joker line-up includes: Economy / Money, Chips, +Mult, and xMult.
- Huge scores (100M+) depend more on your cards (and re-triggers) than just your jokers
- Building around easily obtained hands (like two pair) can take you further than you’d expect, especially as you “shape” your deck
Meditteranea Inferno
The game is a visual novel set in Italy in 2022 with the pandemic lock-down having been recently being lifted. It follows three gay men: Claudio (grandson of a renowned fashion designer), Mido (self-styled influencer who “blew up” during the pandemic), and Andrea (a social butterfly and extrovert who struggled deeply during the pandemic). While the the trio were close before COVID-19, they drifted apart while it raged. The story follows their reunion in Claudio’s grandfather’s summer home in southern Italy, and things go sideways from there.
On the plus side, the game has many of the creature comforts I’d expect from the genre (save states, the ability to run the game at 5x speed, etc). I wish it had a “skip viewed text” or “auto-play” function (especially while I was hunting all the achievements), though. The music was also surprisingly good for a genre that so often pays it little mind. The visual design and art direction are also fascinating. It is simultaneously excellent, interesting, and striking, while also being (to put it harshly) “deviant art amateur hour.” In short, the use of religious iconography is incredible and some of the visual effects are striking (e.g. entering a “mirage” / dream sequence) and the occasional interplay between 2D and 3D is memorable.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, the key 2D drawings (everything that isn’t a background) is where the game falls short. All of the character models have the same face, so the player is left to differentiate them more by text / dialogue than by appearance. Some of the anatomy is just wonky (e.g. Madama and the start of the nightmare sequences), one of the secondary characters literally has straight black lines for a beard, and the depictions of Nino (Claudio’s grandfather) don’t look a day over 20. It generally wasn’t jarring enough to take me out of the experience, but it did leave me longing for a bit more polish and refinement to better tell the story.
In short, the game takes a lot of big swings both with its narrative and art direction. Many hit, but a few miss catastrophically. Really, though, I’d much rather play a game that’s interesting and flawed over safe, generic “AAA” garbage any day of the week. The game also covers a difficult topic in a nuanced way and highlights a community that’s near and dear to my heart (the LGBTQ+ community). Still, I can’t recommend the game to everyone.
Mediterranea Inferno won’t convert folks who already disdain visual novels. It also focuses on difficult subject matter (I would recommend reading the trigger warnings included on the game’s sale page for specifics), so the game isn’t for those who are only interested in power fantasies or escapism. If you can appreciate a deep story with excellent imagery and symbolism (and you can look past some jank with regards to presentation), however, this game is worth your time. I’m sure the game will hit especially hard for members of the LGBTQ+ community, and even harder if you are also a member of Gen Z.
PS: as an accessibility heads-up, the game includes a photo-sensitivity warning, but no option to disable flashing.
He Fucked the Girl Out of Me
I would describe this game as a “walking simulator meets visual novel.” The game-play boiled down to holding a direction and occasionally pressing a button to interact. Then again, the game-play is very much not the point of the game. Instead, I understood it as a semi-autobiographical account of the developer’s experience as a transgender woman and sex worker. In that way, it is devastating in its stark and honest depictions of the author’s life, especially as she is failed by the people and systems around her (her parents, her health insurance, her friends, etc). To be clear: the game is marked as “adults only” for a reason: its mature themes and potential psychological distress, not lurid content.
You may ask: “who is the game for?” I wonder if it was for the developer? I hope it was cathartic for her, at least. Moreover, I suppose the game can be for anyone who wants to support the developer (and who is in an emotional space to handle the subject matter). Just like “Mediterranea Inferno,” I definitely recommend reviewing the trigger warnings before diving into this game. Ultimately, I hope this game reminds players to strive to create a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Endless Monday: Dreams and Deadlines
The game is a visual novel that follows Penny, an “office grunt,” as she tries to finish a work project on time despite numerous distractions (and despite having had months to work on said project). I have a lot of good things to say about the game, so let’s start there.
The visuals and art direction are both excellent and distinct from other visual novels by way of its “pixelated” aesthetic. The writing is funny and over the top; it fits in perfectly with the game’s tone and cartoon-y aesthetic. The game also includes a variety of endings, from the ‘bad’ and ‘bittersweet’ to the ‘upbeat’ and ‘bat-shit insane.’ The game also includes a number of mini-games. They’re fine, but more interesting as story beats than game mechanics. The game’s soundtrack is also fine (though I’d call it “unobtrusive” rather than interesting). The “to-do list” on Penny’s cellphone was also a great feature, providing a cleverly integrated guide to push the player toward the best ending.
With that said, the game lacks a “skip (seen) text” feature, which makes going for the various endings / achievements more annoying than necessary. I also wish the game was more explicit with its LGBTQ+ representation. Maybe some of the characters are “just good friends,” but … c’mon. I also didn’t bother seeking out all of the achievements (mostly due to the lack of a “skip seen text” feature).
Ultimately: for what appears to be the developer’s first game (or at least their first on Steam), this is an incredibly engaging and polished work. It has a lot to say about art, creativity, AI, corporations, and shitty bosses, AND it has a huge heart. To me, the game was definitely worth the price of admission ($9.99); the same could be true for you, especially if you like visual novels or you appreciate the game’s art style.
What I Read / Listened To:
The Summer of Jordi Perez (Amy Spalding)
I listened to this book for free, first as a part of my Kindle membership, then from Libby after I (finally) cancelled my Kindle membership. (Eat my whole ass, Jeffery B.) The story follows the trials and tribulations of Abbey as she goes from being the ‘side-kick in her own story’ to a girl with a girlfriend and a part-time job in fashion. I found the book a pleasant enough listen, so if the premise sounds interesting to you, I’d give it a look. I hit a few snags with it, though.
It may be because I am getting older, but I’m finding it a tad more difficult to relate to teenage protagonists. Abbey is 17 in this story, so I’m basically old enough to be her mom. Oof. Beyond that, Abbey says some nasty things to the eponymous Jordi Perez (her GF) during the ‘dark night of the soul’ of the story (at Jordie’s photo exhibition), and she is never held accountable for it. It’s not that I want or expect a “tit-for tat,” but not acknowledging or apologizing is a bad look, especially if the MC is going to be portrayed as having ‘grown up’ and ‘learned a big lesson.’ There are also a few small continuity errors in the work. That part isn’t a deal-breaker, but I found it to be an immersion-breaker, at least.
Ultimately, I found the story to be fine for what it is: a YA novel focused on the coming of age of an LGBTQ+ youth. It didn’t blow me away and I doubt I’ll revisit it, but for “free.99,” I can’t really complain. Plus, who doesn’t love LGBTQ+ representation in fiction?
Ministry for the Future
The work spans a few decades and starts in 2025 with the founding of the eponymous “Ministry for the Future.” From there, it incorporates a variety of writing modes. From meeting minutes and first-hand accounts to monologues from the perspective of a of a scientific concept (like a neutron) to dialogues between two unnamed speakers who debate things like the the role of “the market” and “technology” in the state of human affairs, this work has it all. As one might expect from the subject matter (climate change), the work hits on a number of genres, too. This includes everything from speculative fiction (obviously) to espionage and horror. The first chapters are among the most gripping depictions of a deadly heatwave I’ve ever encountered. The work isn’t graphic or lurid in its depiction, but it is shocking nonetheless.
With that said, here are some of the key ideas I pulled from the book (in no particular order):
- While technological developments will play an important role in the handling of the ongoing climate crisis: 1) it is unlikely to be a panacea and 2) it will be resisted by those who stand to lose from its implementation (e.g. oil executives, etc).
- Failure to mitigate the worst of the ongoing climate catastrophe will lead to untold human (and Earth-wide) death and destruction. This could lead to everything from the radicalization and militarization of the parts of the world most heavily affected by climate change to an immigration / refugee crisis the likes of which Earth has never before seen.
- The work is more Pollyanna on certain technologies than I am: AI and Bitcoin / Block Chain. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong and they’ll both be essential tools in sorting out the climate crisis. I’m not holding my breath, though.
- The work ends on a bittersweet note: it posits that a “perfect” or even “good” solution is unlikely. Instead, we will have to do our best to trudge along, build community, and “build the plane as we’re flying.” It also suggests that non-violent solutions are critical (but also notes that the “Black Wing” of the Ministry and the “Children of Kali” were both violent and critical in engendering climate action and change).
In any case, I think this book was a more-than-worthy read and gives me a modicum of peace and hope for the future (even if it is one that will require time, energy, and sacrifice to manifest).
