SuperHarman’s May Journal

A note on my rating system. If something is bad, I feel there’s not much room to move there so I came up with a simple 5 star rating system where there only “bad” rating is 1 star. Here are how you should take any rating below:

= Bad, * = Okay, *** = Good, **** = Great, ***** = Exceptional

Future Shooters

I finished Pragmata just before the end of April and started Saros basically the following day so despite their key differences, the two games are intrinsically linked in my mind and I think that says a lot about where these cool Sci Fi shooters are. While they both play differently, both are fast reflex games with a lot of quick thinking needed. On a funnier note I spent a lot of both games dodging, which was a real pain when I got to Saros as the dodge button was mapped differently. Though for every similarity the games have, there is a gulf of difference.

I’d already played the demo to Pragmata so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from the combat, but the way the game just kept building on those elements just made me want to power on through. The game felt slow and deliberate though also frantic at the same time, it’s a tight rope that the game absolutely nails in execution. The way the game keeps building on its level design, enemies and bosses also makes working through it anything but a chore.

Saros is very different in its structure but it’s something I knew going in as a Returnal veteran, in a lot of ways I was thrilled to get more of that style of game though it did take a while for everything to really gel for me. The strong element of Saros is its frantic, constantly on the move combat and it really helped me understand why I didn’t like Doom: The Dark Ages last year, everything in that game felt slow and far to open. Despite the open areas in Saros, it doesn’t take long for things to feel claustrophobic and sometimes, honestly a bit frustrating. On the frustration note, finishing this game was a real pain for me because I ran into a glitch where random damage would happen (I have video evidence of me dying to the last boss after performing a dodge and landing safely) and because this glitch only resets if you reboot the game…which I didn’t do…run, after run, after run. Once I actually looked up what was happening, I nailed him first try. That all being said, this game unlike Pragmata can be a chore but the itch to complete one more run is ever present.

Another area where the games wildly differ wildly is in their story, Pragmata is a ham fisted attempt at the Dad/Child game and it’s corny and often, pretty sweet. The relationship between Hugh and Diana is never overly complex and the big revelation at games end didn’t really come off as anything but an, “oh okay” to me, but I enjoyed it for what it was. Saros, there is a lot more to chew on, I love an ambiguous narrative and really enjoyed what Returnal had to offer, here it was a bit of a mixed bag, I liked that we had NPCs to interact with, but the structure of the game meant actually interacting with them was more of a chore, lots of the history is told through audio logs and if you are willing to dig in, there is some cool stuff in there, it’s just that again, the structure of the game doesn’t lend itself to digging into that stuff for me. That said, I enjoyed where the game ended, the final shot being a great thinker.

I mentioned it above, but I can’t tell you how bummed I was with last year’s Doom The Dark Ages, we rarely get big action packed Triple A Sci Fi shooters and Doom 2016 and Eternal were real gold standard games for me. Having these two games come crashing in and reminding me there is still so much to be done in this space and exciting new ways to experience it is just what I want in this space. It's why despite their big differences, I can't separate them, even on a score basis.

Pragmata: ****

Saros: ****

 Other Games:

Exit 8: Realising that the film was playing at the cinema next door to my work and the game being super cheap to buy, I picked his up and played it in a single sitting. I had only a brief understanding of what to expect going in and wandering around aimlessly for the first 10 minutes was pretty wild, then I took a deep breath and really started to pay attention. It’s an incredible experience, even if it took me about an hour to finish, it was such a wild ride and was filled with moments of genuine dread. *****

Mixtape: This was a bit of a strange one for me because so many people said to sit back and spend a night on this game, I was like, nah and played it in short bursts and you know what? I found that to work really well for me. A lot of thought has gone into sequences in this game with some great music selections and stopping and sometimes bringing up those songs to listen to while I did something else helped build the vibe and this game is all about vibes. While I don’t recognise myself or anyone in this game (and I graduated the same year as these characters) it was easy to fall in with the urban nostalgic fantasy of it and honestly, I still think about it. ****

Fatal Frame II – Crimson Butterfly Remake: Despite only getting into horror games in the last couple of years, Fatal Frame has always been a series that I’ve wanted to give a shot, I like gimmicks like using a camera to fight. So it’s a bit ironic in that case that my least favourite element of this game was the camera combat that quickly had me bumping the difficulty to Story because of my early annoyances. That being said, I did enjoy my time in this quite a bit, from the creepy atmosphere and fun ghost story, by the very nature of the games combat, these need to be slow at methodical games and wandering through this village was always great. I’m concerned about going back to earlier games in the series given they’re only remasters but I’ll probably give them a shot because this one worked for me. ****

 Pointing and Clicking – May

Now up to 13 for the year, half way to my goal. There was only one this month as I wanted a bit of a break to refocus.

Phonopolis: Okay, so the only other Anamita Design game I’ve touched is Machinarium and that was extremely brief. This isn’t usually the type of design I’m interested in with point and click games but I read a great review of this one and also liked the premise. It’s pure joy start to finish with incredible art and sound design. My only issue is the telling of the story is a bit too children’s story book for me personally, there is a charm to that but it’s just not for me usually. I also wasn’t a big fan of the bouncing puzzles which is a bit of shame because they’re among the final puzzles in the game. Overall though, strong recommend with the fun story and just incredibly well designed world. ****

 Other Media:

Mortal Kombat II (Film): If I’m being honest, MKII starts a little shaky, it introduces two new characters while doing its best to shrug off some of the less popular elements of the first film, a film I largely enjoyed but felt a bit off. The film starts to shine though in the fights and really kicks it up a gear with the Kung Lao vs Liu Kang battle, from that point on, the film just had me not just because, for what feels like the first time, they just created a live action version of an MK fight, but also because it just starts ramming home just how fun this whole world is. When I left the theater, I honestly wanted to buy a ticket for the next session, that’s how jazzed I was. ***

Exit 8 (Film): Going into Exit 8 a couple of days after I finished the game was a real trip because the film does such an incredible job of capturing the experience of playing the game. There came a point in the film where I was like, okay, we’re in the loop now but is this all there is, then the film built on the concept in such an incredible way that it had me deeply drawn in. I can’t recommend this one enough, even if you haven’t played the game. *****

Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway The Sorcery of Nymph Circe (Film): As a big fan of Universal Century Gundam, especially the earlier series', by the time I eventually got to the original Hathaway film, I found myself kind of bored with it. I get that these stories can’t just be dumb tales of big robots fighting, but it felt a bit laboured and uninteresting to me. The latest release does a bit to correct some of the issues, unfortunately I was tired and had a headache when I went so it again felt like a bit of a chore. I did like some of the elements towards the end and the hints towards what will be coming in a third film, but I’m going to have to rewatch this one when it hits streaming to give it a better shot. **

Star Wars – The Mandalorian and Grogu (Film): This was a bit of a wild one for me because like a lot of reactions I’ve seen, I came out of the theater feeling good and enjoying the ride, but that’s all it was, a ride. To me, this is the first real Disney Star Wars film, a film that just wants to be entertaining, a film that is so deathly afraid of having anything to say, making any character growth or advancing any sort of larger story. It’s the worst kind of reset for a franchise that has hinged itself to those elements, especially with its big screen entries. If this is the star of rebuilding the franchise, I’m not sure I’m all that interested in what is being built despite the fun I might have along the way. **

When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Solà (Novel): A pretty incredible piece of magical realism that was often challenging but ultimately rewarding. While not what I expected going in, the book played out more like a collection of short connected moments where the past is constantly haunting the future. I was enthralled and look forward to reading more of Solà’s work. ****

A Different Kind of Tension by Jonathan Lethem (Short Story Collection): Jonathan Lethem is my favourite author and this is a comprehensive collection of some of his short fiction that spans his career. The only issue for me? I’m not the biggest fan of short stories though I’ve found more appreciation for the form through authors like Mariana Enriquez recently. All that being said, there are some real gems in here and Lethem’s earlier speculative work can often come off as quite prescient. Though I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone wanting an entry point to Lethem’s work, if you like the form, it’s solid. ****

 June Plans:

007 First light is my first port of call this month, I’m a big James Bond fan and am looking forward to seeing how I land on this one as some of what I like about the character and series don’t often align with popular opinions. Still need to get to Call of the Elder Gods and because I have some train trips coming, will look for some Switch games to dive in on, this might be working through the first Paranormasight.