Well, someone had to cover that week that closed out 2021 and welcomed in 2022, and that someone turns out to have been me. Which I didn't actually know until today because I was busy setting up my new desktop and didn't have Steam chat open during the process. So there's that. It turns out there were precisely three submissions during the period (all submitted on the same day), so everyone who participated places. On with the results!
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Third Place: qomp (PC) by EmP
You might want to search for "you’ll forget you’ll often forget" and "/" and make some adjustments to the body of your review. Also, the last sentence needs some attention. But aside from those points, this was a beautifully written review that makes me aware of a game I never heard of AND makes me kind of want to play it for myself. That's a theme that ran through all three of this week's reviews, actually. Nice going!
Overdrive Place Runner Up: Husk (PC) by JoeTheDestroyer
This review makes me think Husk would absolutely be for me... if I weren't so interested in avoiding horror games for a while and possibly forever. Silent Hill is a terrific franchise, and the review makes the case that Husk is an homage to that other series in most of the best of ways. I don't mind that it's a "walking simulator" so much by the time I reach that point in the review, because you've sold me on the tension and setting and even (to an extent) the plot. This sounds like a perfectly serviceable game that should definitely appeal to people who enjoy a little dread with their escapism. That's not me, but reviews like this one do help me to understand the appeal even if I don't always feel it personally.
Review of the Week: Touhou Luna Nights (Switch) by mariner
This was a terrific review of another Touhou game. They definitely do vary in quality. I have reviewed a few I liked a lot (as you liked this one) and I have played a few that were thoroughly disappointing. I like your review because you acknowledged your lack of interest in the overall IP (which is always no more and no less intriguing than you described, at least for me), then showed how many things the game does right to defy its limitations and provide a genuinely intriguing experience. I want to play this game now, whereas previously I had barely even heard of it. You definitely sold me on it with your strong descriptions, particularly of the time freeze mechanics and the ways it works with health restoration. Great work all around!
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Thanks to all who participated to close out 2021 with a bang. This was one of the closest weeks I can remember encountering in some time, so thanks for that and here's to a happy and fulfilling 2022 for each of us!
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Third Place: qomp (PC) by EmP
You might want to search for "you’ll forget you’ll often forget" and "/" and make some adjustments to the body of your review. Also, the last sentence needs some attention. But aside from those points, this was a beautifully written review that makes me aware of a game I never heard of AND makes me kind of want to play it for myself. That's a theme that ran through all three of this week's reviews, actually. Nice going!
This review makes me think Husk would absolutely be for me... if I weren't so interested in avoiding horror games for a while and possibly forever. Silent Hill is a terrific franchise, and the review makes the case that Husk is an homage to that other series in most of the best of ways. I don't mind that it's a "walking simulator" so much by the time I reach that point in the review, because you've sold me on the tension and setting and even (to an extent) the plot. This sounds like a perfectly serviceable game that should definitely appeal to people who enjoy a little dread with their escapism. That's not me, but reviews like this one do help me to understand the appeal even if I don't always feel it personally.
Review of the Week: Touhou Luna Nights (Switch) by mariner
This was a terrific review of another Touhou game. They definitely do vary in quality. I have reviewed a few I liked a lot (as you liked this one) and I have played a few that were thoroughly disappointing. I like your review because you acknowledged your lack of interest in the overall IP (which is always no more and no less intriguing than you described, at least for me), then showed how many things the game does right to defy its limitations and provide a genuinely intriguing experience. I want to play this game now, whereas previously I had barely even heard of it. You definitely sold me on it with your strong descriptions, particularly of the time freeze mechanics and the ways it works with health restoration. Great work all around!
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Thanks to all who participated to close out 2021 with a bang. This was one of the closest weeks I can remember encountering in some time, so thanks for that and here's to a happy and fulfilling 2022 for each of us!
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality
"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world
"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world
