Summer Literary Game Reviews: Part Two

 This summer I was fortunate to be able to play several new games coming to Steam. My first few game reviews from this series were posted back in July, and you can read the reviews here. Thank you to Keymailer for sending me review copies of the following games.

Super Farming Boy

Have you ever said to yourself, "I really want a game that combines the gameplay of Stardew Valley with the art style and humor of Cuphead"? Wait, you have said that? Well then, Super Farming Boy is definitely the game for you!

I'll openly admit that I had no idea what to think about this game going into it. I could see that it was going to be a unique take on the farming game genre that has now embedded itself forever in gaming culture, but I had no idea just how unique it would be. I can honestly tell you now that Super Farming Boy is one of the most unusual farming games I have ever played -- and that's definitely not a bad thing. The farming genre has admittedly grown a bit stale, with hundreds of Stardew Valley imitators popping up on Steam constantly. Super Farming Boy is NOT a Stardew Valley imitator by any stretch. Instead, it's one of the few games I've played recently that actually goes its own way and defies the expectations that modern day gamers might want to place on it. Honestly, I can't really think of any currently existing labels that actually fully fit this game. Even Steam seems to be having trouble defining Super Farming Boy -- the labels currently showing on its page are "farming sim," "arcade," and "match three." If I hadn't already played the game I would, frankly, be confused by those labels, and rightly so. Probably the most similar game I can think of would be Plants Vs. Zombies, but even that's a bit of a stretch. Basically all I can say is that you should play Super Farming Boy if the idea of crop-based-combat interests you.

Story:

There isn't a lot of story to Super Farming Boy, but the story that does exist is harrowing. The game opens abruptly with so much action on the screen you might get overwhelmed and quit before you even start (genuinely: if you are neurodivergent and get easily overstimulated by lots of bright, moving colors, activity, and sounds, be aware that those are the things that most define the aesthetics of Super Farming Boy). Shortly after you are dropped (or... spat out by your living, gelatinous home) into this world, an absolutely terrifying menace that personifies the evils of capitalism shows up, takes everything you own, and kidnaps all of your friends (including your mom!?). His name is "KORPO™®©" and he makes Tom Nook look like the nicest guy you've ever met. From here on, the story consists of working for the man and trying to buy your friends back from him. 

TLDR:

Overall, I recommend this game to anyone who loves farming games but has become bored with the banality of recent farming game offerings. It's also a perfect game for those who love unusual indies, interesting combat styles, or Cuphead-style cartoon art. If you are looking for cozy games, however, I would warn that while Super Farming Boy could be described as cozy in a roundabout way, its bright colors and frantic time schedule could be off-putting to someone who is trying to wind down and relax. 

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co

Gecko Gods

I was given a chance to play the demo for upcoming game Gecko Gods, and I'm very glad to have done so! At first glance, Gecko Gods looks like a basic platformer -- you play as a gecko, which is a really cool concept, but really, how different is that from games like Yooka-Laylee? It turns out Gecko Gods is very different from Yooka-Laylee and its anthropomorphized brethren, a fact that I might not have realized if I hadn't played the demo. For one, the gecko protagonist in Gecko Gods is a fairly realistic representation of a real-life animal, and I found it fun to run up the walls like a real lizard! But more importantly, the gameplay may be described as platforming, but it is really less like Crash Bandicoot or Spyro, where the focus is on traversing difficult paths and looking for collectibles, and more similar to The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, with a focus on exploration, puzzle-solving, and story. Alongside Wind Waker and the earlier handheld Zelda games, I would say that Gecko Gods is also similar in feel to Shadow of the Colossus, though a tad more colorful. As a huge fan of the Legend of Zelda series and other Zelda-like games, I am excitedly anticipating the release of Gecko Gods in late 2025. 

Review: The Necromancer's Tale

 The Necromancer's Tale is a new RPG created by Psychic Software that came out on Steam in July 2025. According to the developer, 

‘The Necromancer’s Tale’ is a narrative-driven top down story-rich gothic RPG with an isometric viewpoint. Master the rituals of an ancient spellbook. Raise an undead army to march against your enemies. Commune with the realm of the dead & struggle with your descent into madness. Progress through secrecy, diplomacy, blackmail, coercion & seduction until ready to reveal yourself. 

 

When you begin the game you spend a fair amount of time creating your character -- not in a visual character creator, but in a story book where you answer multiple choice questions to create a backstory for your protagonist. I was immediately impressed by the complexity of the backstories you can create for your character; most RPGs with strong story elements give you a paragraph or two of backstory for each character option, but this game allows you to create several pages worth of story about your protagonist. 

After you finish creating your character, the game dives into a battle in a top-down, third person viewpoint reminiscent of ARPGs like the Diablo and Torchlight franchises. The gameplay style actually makes me feel most nostalgic for the classic Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale games of the late 90s and early 2000s. In these older Dungeons and Dragons computer games, roleplaying a character you create was an important feature (just like in the tabletop games they were created to emulate). The Necromancer's Tale uses similar story roleplaying elements and even allows you to use your own artwork for your character, if you have it. The main difference I noticed between The Necromancer's Tale and Baldur's Gate/Icewind Dale is that The Necromancer's Tale is easier to play solo than the older games. BG/Icewind Dale strongly recommended a multiplayer experience (again, like the original tabletop Dungeons and Dragons), which is how I played them -- over a LAN connection -- back in the day. The Necromancer's Tale is much better for the hermit I have become in my old age. 

I have only played The Necromancer's Tale up to chapter three, so I can't speak on the entire game yet, but so far the story and mystery-solving aspects of the game far outweigh any battle elements that you might expect from an RPG. For me, that doesn't slow the game too much as I enjoy stories more than fighting, but many RPG players who like a lot of combat in their games may be turned off by this. My biggest difficulty with the game is that I am playing it on Steam Deck, but it's very clearly created to be played with a mouse and keyboard. Steam says that the game is verified on Steam Deck, but I have had a lot of frustrations with the controls. Fortunately the developers have been actively patching the game since its release and I suspect that controller support will improve in upcoming patches.

The TLDR:

I recommend this game to anyone who loves the roleplaying aspects of roleplaying games. It makes a great personal-time activity for someone who plays DnD (or other TTRPGs) with a gaming group, but who then wants even more roleplaying when they get home. Do you love talking to NPCs in Dragon Age: Origins? If yes, you'll love The Necromancer's Tale. But if your idea of playing an RPG revolves more around combat, like in the Diablo series, this may not be the game for you. 

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co

A response to NPR article, "A high school student's mural angers parents[. . .]"

 Today I read an article published by NPR and written on October 20, 2022 by Vanessa Romo titled, "A high school student's mural angers parents over what they say are hidden messages." I'm a little late to the party, as this article was written almost three years ago, but I want to respond to the event discussed in the article. Click here to read the NPR article before you read my response. 

First, I want to thank NPR for their sensitive and empathetic reporting on this topic. The following is a brief summary of the situation as reported by NPR:

School district officials and a high school student in Michigan have drawn the ire of parents who allege that a painted mural contains LGBTQ propaganda, a depiction of Satan and a message of witchcraft.

The painting covers a wall inside a teen health center at Grant Middle School in Grant, Mich., and was created by a local high school sophomore who won a competition.

 When I look at this mural, I see standard images that would be expected in a children's health center: anthropomorphized animals dressed as nurses administering care, smiling kids, and a few images from popular culture, like Hatsune Miku and Hello Kitty. This is a cheerful mural and it looks a lot like something I may have submitted to a contest when I was a young teen. 

Now, I'm not even going to address the homophobic comments from some of the "parents" (or possibly community members who insert themselves into discussions centered around kids -- this happens far too frequently). If you know me you know that I do not tolerate hate speech and will not give a platform to people who use hate speech. I applaud the Grant Middle School administrators for doing the right thing by also disregarding the hate speech presented to them. The NPR article reports:

"At Grant Public Schools, we are committed to promoting civility, respect, understanding and inclusion. We do not condone, and we will not tolerate discrimination, harassment or bullying whether in word, deed or on social media," a district statement read.

 What I do want to address is the following assertion: "Throughout much of the meeting, incensed parents claimed the artist intentionally subverted the mural's "Stay Healthy" theme to promote anti-Christian messages." This claim refers specifically to one small doodle to the right of the brown nurse bunny, which adults claimed was a depiction of Satan. Many of my regular readers may already know by this point where I'm going with this blog post. The image in question, when viewed by a regular gamer or by anyone who is even half-way familiar with Japanese mythology, is clearly an Oni mask. The teen who drew the picture was likely referencing Fortnite, a game that is extremely popular with younger audiences. In Fortnite, "Oni Masks are a type of item and a gameplay mechanic [. . . that] were introduced in Chapter 6: Season 1." (Source: Fortnite Wiki) In fact, the artist even said something to this effect when she addressed her adult bullies: 

The student explained that the so-called Satan mask is a character from a video game and that the painted hand is a Latino symbol of protection. She eventually left the meeting in tears.

 While the artist may have simply been referencing Fortnite or another game that evokes Oni imagery, I feel that the accusations made in the meeting were also insulting towards Japanese culture as a whole. Note that I am not Japanese. I am just a humble scholar who studies literature and folklore from a variety of cultures. While I can't speak for Japanese people, I can defend non-European cultures against blatant Christianity-oriented bigotry. 

Sessen Doji Offering His Life to an Ogre (Japanese Oni), hanging scroll, color on paper, c. 1764. Painting by Soga Shōhaku (1730–1781).

The Oni is a common image in Japanese mythology that dates back to at least the Heian period (794–1185). (source: Wikipedia). While oni are frightening creatures, often depicted as evil, it would be unfair to the culture to compare them to Satan, which is a Christian construct. Translators in the past have often translated the term "oni" to the English word "demon," but modern best practices would tell us that this is a poor translation practice, as you cannot equivocate Japanese Buddhist and Shinto cultures with western Christianity. Michael Dylan Foster writes in his work The Book of Yokai, "[R]eligion in Japan is notoriously complex; the very idea of "religion" as such is really a modern "invention." (Foster 20) This means that a person who was raised in the Christian (or any other monotheistic) religion may have difficulty understanding concepts from Japanese religion and folklore. 

Parents and other ignorant adults have been disparaging innocent pop culture like this for years. Probably since the beginning of human history. I have memories from the 1990s of my child-self having to defend video games against overly critical adults who were offended even by depictions of angels... because angels were "new age." (Wait, aren't angels from the bible? I can't make these arguments make sense.) See "satanic panic" for more on parents going wild in the '90s. 

How can we, as a society, quell the fears and bigotry of the average parent and citizen? One idea I have is that schools could, or perhaps should, bring in experts to speak to parents and explain concepts that may be new or foreign to them. The Michigan school discussed in this post could have brought in an (adult) expert on video games, pop culture, or folklore to explain concepts like oni, or other mythological imagery used in the mural. I believe that education is the best way to combat ignorance, and a calm, patient talk from a credible expert could do wonders to help people understand things with which they are unfamiliar. I am not the only person in the world using my degrees to study and write about popular culture. Colleges and universities the world over have begun to introduce programs about video games, film studies, and the like. If you are a school administrator and you would like to hire me to speak to your parents, faculty, or staff, feel free to contact me at the email address provided here. I am available for online meetings and local (North Georgia area) short speaking engagements.

Works Consulted and Suggested Further Reading:

Foster, Michael Dylan. The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore. University of California Press, 2015. 

Nishimoto, Keisuke. Strange Tales from Japan: 99 Chilling Stories of Yokai, Ghosts, Demons and the Supernatural. Translated by William Scott Wilson, Tuttle Publishing, 2021. 

Summer Literary Game Reviews, Part One

In May I posted a compilation of reviews of games that I had played for a few events that were happening simultaneously, and since I liked the format of combining reviews of games I had played recently I decided to do it again. The following are reviews of games that I received either in full or as demos from the publishers and from Keymailer. Thank you to Keymailer and to the individual publishers for sending me these games. 

Spirit City: Lofi Sessions

I was excited to play Spirit City (#spiritcitylofi)... or rather, I was excited to try this beautiful productivity software, so when #Keymailer gave me a chance to use it I jumped. Spirit City has some game-like moments -- you can unlock various spirit friends by doing different tasks in the game -- but primarily it is a piece of software made to enhance your work environment. Not only does Spirit City offer a beautiful view of a room and your preference of window scenery, but it also includes calming music (and there's a lot of music to choose from) and helpful tools to improve your workflow. In the above screenshot you can see that I decorated my room, dressed up my avatar, and chose a snowy scene outside the window to trick my brain into feeling a little cooler (even though I live in one of the hottest parts of the United States and it is currently summer). 

In this screenshot, you can see the screen of my Steam Deck right now as I am writing this post. I'm vibing to the music while I write and I have a little to-do list telling me the one thing that I most need to accomplish today (to write and publish this blog post). As a wheelchair user I really appreciate that my character is able to be shown sitting in a wheelchair. I hope to be able to use and play around with this software more in the future (right now my desk is inaccessible due to the "spring" cleaning we're doing in my house, but when I can work at my desk again I'd like to play this software on my second screen and see how that helps me!). 

Two Falls: Nishu Takuashina

Two Falls (#TwoFalls) was sent to me in full by #Keymailer, and I was very excited to play this one, considering the historical literary premise. According to the Two Falls official website, the purpose of the game is to,

"Explore 17th century Canadian wilderness in Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina), a linear 3D narrative exploration experience. Live the intertwined adventures of Jeanne, a shipwrecked French woman crossing the Atlantic in hopes of starting anew and Maïkan, a young Innu hunter who is trying to discover what is disturbing his native forest, land of his ancestors. Your choices shape the traits of your protagonists, so make every decision with your heart." (Source)

Unfortunately I was unable to play the game past the first chapter, so I can't provide a complete review. The following is the review I posted on the game's Steam page. I hope others will be able to play this one, since it seems really promising, but my motion sickness wouldn't allow me to play it.

"I'd like to give this game a positive review, but right now I can't. The visuals and controls are very choppy and jerky no matter how I tinker with the settings. I'm playing on a Steam Deck so I'll do some research and see if I can figure out how to fix this, but right now I physically can't play the game because it's causing motion sickness.

I got through the first chapter before I gave up (due to the aforementioned issues). The story seems like it should have promise, and I'd like to find a way to finish it. The writing isn't the best, however. A lot of the dialogue seems off to me, and the subtitles look like they were written by my boomer stepdad (why are so many random words put into quotation marks?).

So far I think the soundtrack is my favorite part of the game. The scary music is REALLY scary and the rest of the soundtrack fits nicely with the tone of the moment."

 Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile

I've been a huge fan of Agatha Christie's books since I was a teenager, so I get really excited every time a new game based on the Dame's work is announced. The latest game, set to release in September of 2025, is Death on the Nile (#DeathontheNile), based on the Agatha Christie book of the same name. This particular story is currently popular because a movie version was released just a few years ago in 2022, starring Gal Gadot as the murder victim. The movie took some liberties with the story (I won't say more for fear of spoiling it), and from the little I was able to play in the upcoming game's demo, it looks like there will be some changes to the story in the game, as well. For one, there is a new detective character added to the story who will be assisting Poirot. For another, it takes place in the 1970s... several decades after the book was actually written. 

I was only able to play the early part of the game in the demo so I can't yet judge the full game, but I was impressed with what I saw. The way that you put clues together in your "mind map" menu could be interesting and inventive, but I could also see it being a tedious mechanic after playing for a long time. Compared to much older Agatha Christie games I've played in the past, this game feels like a "real" game, as opposed to the "licensed shovelware" that was And Then There Were None on the Wii. (Great book, terrible game adaptation). 

I am eager to play the rest of Death on the Nile when it releases in September -- check in later to hear my thoughts on the complete game!

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of these products from https://www.keymailer.co

LudoNarraCon Game Reviews

LudoNarraCon 2025 was an online convention that took place from May 1 - 5 on Steam and elsewhere on the internet. 

 

At the beginning of the month I promised reviews of some of the LudoNarraCon featured games. While life got in the way for me for much of May, I did play several of the games featured this year and they did not disappoint! 

WANDERSTOP

First off, since I had already written a glowing review of Wanderstop, go here to read that review.

HERALD: THE INTERACTIVE PERIOD DRAMA

Developed in The Netherlands, Herald is a choice-driven adventure game set during an alternate 19th century in which the West is united as a colonial superpower: the Protectorate. Help tell the story of Devan Rensburg, a man of mixed heritage who became steward on board of the HLV Herald, a merchant ship set for his country of birth. As Devan it is your job to keep the peace among the crew and passengers by resolving their daily squabbles. Set during a time of widespread inequality and injustice, you are challenged to uncover a great mystery that surrounds the Herald's perilous voyage. 

I didn't have the highest expectations for this game simply because I had never heard of it before and it seems to have flown way under the radar, but I was pleasantly surprised by the dramatic narration and twisty storytelling in this game. The "historical" events in the game are, of course, fictionalized, since this is an alternate history story, but much of the history that is shared feels accurate in terms of vibes, if that makes any sense. The horrors of colonialism are fully realized and the game will leave you feeling like you learned something about history. I love how the story didn't pull its punches. My only gripes are with accessibility and gameplay. The brief moments when you have to move your character are beyond sluggish and oh so tedious. Accessibility is also a major issue in that there just aren't a lot of accessibility options for any type of disability that may be impacted while playing this game. The fact that you are expected to read letters that are written in cursive is not only inaccessible for people with vision impairments, but it is likely inaccessible for a majority of young people who haven't even been taught to read cursive in school. I hope that these problems will be addressed soon in patches and updates to the game. Overall I did very much enjoy this game and I believe it's a solid purchase for the price of $20.

 AFTERLOVE EP

From the creator of Coffee Talk comes a slice-of-life adventure set in modern Jakarta about love, loss and finding your own way forward.

I have not yet finished Afterlove EP, so please be aware that I don't know how it ends yet. From what I have played, I think the story is engaging, the artwork is cute even if it is seemingly low effort, and the characters are fairly realistic. I would strongly compare Afterlove EP to the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series. Both stories seem to be about young adults in their early twenties who don't really know what to do with their lives. Where Scott Pilgrim is trying to date a new girlfriend, however, Rama of Afterlove EP is trying to deal with grief because his girlfriend died. This is where we get to the part of the story that just doesn't do it for me. Rama's girlfriend, Cinta, dies of a mysterious coughing disease (meaning the writers never explain in detail how or why she died -- just that she was coughing one day, dead the next). As a disabled person, this feels like lazy writing to me. I feel like a character as important as Cinta deserves to have an actual diagnosis, and a real cause of death, and the mysterious coughing disease feels like a cop-out that a lot of lazy writers use when they don't care to make their characters three-dimensional. Cinta also seems to be treated as disposable, even though she is very important to the entire story. Cinta isn't really given her own personality, though -- she only exists to move Rama forward in his life and his story. I will continue to play this game to the end and if my opinion changes, I will update this review.

ETA: I don't know how much of this story was created before Fahmi, the game's creator, died, or how much of the game's narrative and dialogue he actually wrote. Fahmi died in 2022 and his cause of death has not been shared (much like Cinta's cause of death is basically unknown in Afterlife EP). I adored his first game, Coffee Talk. If I'm being brutally honest, Afterlife EP isn't nearly as good as Coffee Talk, but that's okay. It's still a story worth experiencing. 

KEEP DRIVING

Keep Driving is a road trip management RPG set in the early 2000s. You're young, you have time, keep driving. The story elements of the game are minimal and there is little narration, but the random hitchhikers and friends you make along your road trip each have their own stories that you can learn over time as you drive from town to town, gas station to gas station, and attempt to reach a concert on time (or get distracted by other tasks along the way). The gameplay is wholly unique and unlike anything else I've ever played, and I was entertained for about six hours, in which time I got two of multiple possible game endings. 

TINY BOOKSHOP (Demo)

Leave everything behind and open a tiny bookshop by the sea in this ambient narrative management game. 

While I only played the demo for this game, I am delighted that there is a game where you can sell and recommend books and genres to virtual customers! Many of the books you sell are real book titles with real descriptions and your knowledge of real-life books can certainly help you play this game. I'm so excited to play the full game when it releases later this year!

Thank you to Fellow Traveller and LudoNarraCon for sending me review copies of these and more games.