Solar Ash- Videogames As Art

I’ve just finished Solar Ash, a visually stunning and kinetic action-adventure videogame from Heart Machine studios. The game mixes a horcrux-like finding exploration of different biomes before culminating in Shadow of the Colossus big boss battles. The game has a fluid protagonist who skates along and does some fantastic gymnastics.

The 8 hour gameplay loop is addictive and looks spectacular when running. Here are some screenshots of my playthrough.

Stray- Videogames As Art

Stray gained a lot of hype before release as it was billed by many as a cat simulator game and the internet loves cats. I didn't play it upon release as I had so many other games I was working through but, when a window of time came up after finishing the RE 4 Remake, I bought this on sale to have a shorter experience.

The story, such as it is, is that you are a cat in a dystopian future. You need to survive against crazed robots and a violent world when you fall from the lush green overworked into the depths below. The game is gorgeous as the lush green world at the beginning contrasts heavily with the dark, damp pipe system and the sodium orange and neon hues of the decaying lower city.

I enjoyed the game just fine and, whilst some of the puzzles are obtuse and unclear, the artistry of world-building and graphics is stunning. Here are some screenshots of my playthrough.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom- Videogames As Art

Nintendo has been a firm fixture in my gaming life since I was about 8 years old. Zelda: Ocarina of Time remained my favourite ever game until it was surpassed by Breath of the Wild just 6 years ago. It was with some high level of expectation that I was awaiting the release of Tears of the Kingdom and I have not been disappointed. I clocked in 121 hours on my Switch in 2023 and 83 hours was on TOTK.

This was by far my most played game this year across my PS5, PS4 and Switch.

It is an absolute masterpiece and, whilst I prefer Breath of the Wild due to its fresh approach to an openworld gaming, I appreciate the novelty of the Ultrahand power which led to some crazy builds and possibilities.

Here are screenshots of my playthrough.

Resident Evil 4: Remake- Videogames As Art

I have a deep love for Resident Evil with RE 7 and Village being a couple of my most recent favourites from the series. I have fond memories of playing RE 4 on the Gamecube when it was a timed exclusive and it immediately became one of my favourite games ever. It was a hugely influential game and changed the landscape of 3rd person shooters forever.

When I heard a remake was underway I was a little concerned that it would lose its B-movie vibe and, whilst some of the more ridiculous edges have been sanded down, what remains is still a great game. Sure, it doesn’t have the quirks that made the original goofy but the game is solid enough with phenomenal set-pieces that stand the test of time.

Road 96- Videogames As Art

Road 96 is a first person adventure game in which you take the lives of several individuals trying to escape a despotic totalitarian dictatorship in a made up country (which is definitely America) in 1996. The youths all seek a way out through a passage north to a land of freedom and equality (a definite stand-in for Canada). The game is tense, exciting, hilarious but also sad in places. The message it gives is that change and progress is worth fighting for. The art style is singular with an economy of design that really lends the whole game an artistic bend. I loved it and here are some screenshots of my playthrough.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart- Videogames As Art

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a mascot shooter-platformer game that was much feted on its arrival at the start of the new console generation. I had never played any of the previous games in the series but knew they were well liked. I bought the game whilst it was on discount and enjoyed my time with it- it is an exceedingly beautiful game which is well designed. Here are screenshots of my playthrough.

Dordogne- Videogames As Art

Dordogne may be the perfect game to play in the summer holidays as you play a young woman revisiting her Grandma's home where she spent a formative summer as a pre-teen. The game is presented in a stunning watercolour style and this choice of medium is perfect at conveying nostalgia of the past, vibrant and detailed in places but blurred and fuzzy in others.
It may only be a few hours long, but it's long enough to leave an impression on you, one that'll have you feeling reflective and nostalgic yourself.

Alba : A Wildlife Adventure- Videogames as Art

I was looking for a cozy game to play with my daughters over the summer holidays and bought Alba:  A Wildlife Adventure. The game is by Ustwo studios, the folks behind Monument Valley, and what appealed to me was the idea that you play as a pre-teen girl who is trying to help the environment and save a nature reserve.

My own girls are really into nature trails and love animals, especially birds, so the gameplay loop of traveling around a beautiful island, taking pictures of different species and cleaning the environment, sounded perfect.

We loved playing the game together as the joyful music, simple but effective art style and inclusive nature (there's a woman with a headscarf and people from different backgrounds) really made this a joyful game.

Gley Lancer- Videogames As Art

I have a huge amount of love for shoot 'em ups or *shmups* as they are now commonly called. This genre has always held a special place in my heart as once the enemy patterns are learnt and memorised you can look like a boss completing a game. I have a clear memory of playing R-type at Heathrow airport and getting to level 3, that huge base ship. I bought the game on the Amstrad CPC 464 and felt like a bad-ass as my little ship took down a warship that was bigger than a screen, in fact it was a whole level in and of itself.

Over the years, I bought R-Type again on the Master System and then progressed to the Megadrive where I continued my love of shoot 'em ups. The Thunderforce series was excellent and I felt 3 and 4 were a high benchmark.
After that, bullet hell games became derigeur and traditional shoot' em ups became less popular, especially here in the West. So when I heard that a rare and classic of the genre was coming out on the Switch I bought a digital copy. I had never played Gley Lancer before but had heard it highly praised.

Playing it I was blown away and the sense of nostalgia flooded me-not because of experience with the game but it took me back to the early 90s when the Megadrive hair rock chiptunes were banging, the weapon upgrades were awesome and the speech was crispy and crunchy and left you guessing as to what had been said. The game cutscenes are beautiful and the story anime AF but that's not a knock, it is a product of its time and I'm here for it.

Goodbye Volcano High- Videogames As Art

Goodbye Volcano High is a visual novel, music rhythm and teen drama game. The game has been on my radar ever since I'd seen the screenshots in Edge a while ago and the trailer cemented the feeling that this would probably be my bag. Having played and finished it over a couple of nights, I can most definitely say that it is my cup of T-Rex.... I'll get me coat.

It brought back waves of nostalgia for the 00s teen high-school dramas that I occasionally watched on T4. The earnestness, self belief and, yes, arrogance that you have in yourself as you feel that what you're doing is important and matters as a later teen... the feeling that this moment will last forever, is captured beautifully here.

I was never a Dawson's Creek guy but more into The OC and this hits like that. Now, I'm not saying Barking, Essex, England was anything like Orange County but the idea of a small local area where music opened up possibilities to something more than the crumbing ruin around you is something very teen. The only other game that made me feel like this was Night in the Woods as it was similarly relatable. Both games know that music soundtracks your life and moments and are formative- forever intwined in your memory.

I don't think we'll have that again as there is just so much content now but back then there was more of a monoculture. The same artists and songs would play on the radio but when you found your band, your tribe, you felt your true self. For me, it was the Manic Street Preachers' Design for Life that was formative. However, going back and listening to their previous The Holy Bible album blew me away. Well, it was this, Interpol's Antics, Arcade Fire's debut Funeral and Muse's Absolution. These albums soundtracked my formative mid to late teen years.

Anyways, the game is emotional and has enough truthiness to hit as well as being a metaphor for climate collapse so enjoy this game of existential dread and ennui mixed with camaraderie and hope.

Last Stop- Videogames As Art

Last Stop is wonderfully atmospheric narrative-driven adventure game, in the style of what some people sometimes called in derogatory terms, 'walking simulators.' As opposed to many walking simulators, this game places you in the role of different characters across three different but ultimately converging stories, all set within a fictional part of London.

Over the course of 6 chapters per story, It gets progressively weirder. We start off in the 70s with some scallywags nicking a copper’s hat, to a trio of kids doing gas and skipping school whilst watching a creepy neighbour, to an 80s inspired Freaky Friday style bodyswap piece to a kitchen sink melodrama featuring a spec-ops government official.

Ghost of Tsushima- Videogames As Art

Over the past year, I've been overwhelmed with the sheer choice of amazing AAA games. I working my way through the unholy trinity: Elden Ring (167 hours), God of War: Ragnarok (31 hours) and Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West (31 hours). I found myself at a bit of a loose end after completing these and, after taking a bit of break, thought I’d work my way through games I’d had my eyes on but never got around to. So, I bought and played through Ghost of Tsushima, an Akira Kurosawa inspired open-world game. I loved the experience and thought the clever hidden HUD, which used the wind to guide you, was an ingenious idea. I enjoyed the story and though the story of growth of protagonist Jin was very well done.

Here are some screenshots from my playthrough:

Sackboy: A Big Adventure- Videogames As Art

I'm a bit of a platforming fan. Nintendo has been a huge part of this as its creativity and uniqueness in creating wonderful gaming experiences that you can play with your family has been pretty much unchallenged for years; Super Mario 3D World, Yoshi's Crafted World and Kirby's Epic Yarn are all great fun. The sheer creativity and wealth of ideas on show has been crazy.

In the past few years, there have been a few challengers to the throne. Rayman Origins, A Hat in Time and now, I’d like to add Sackboy: A Big Adventure. The game is bursting with personality but the soundtrack is what really sets this game apart. As well as unique tracks there are bangers like Britney’s Toxic, Bowie’s Let’s Dance and Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk. The gameplay is usually reactive to the soundtrack and it just really pulls you in and helps the gameplay flow very well. Check out screenshots of my playthrough.

The Excavation of Hob's Barrow- Videogames As Art

I recently completed The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, a folk horror point and click adventure game. The story follows you as Thomasina, a barrow digger, who carries out an excavation in Bewlay, a quintessential British folk horror village set in the moors, where the English locals don't like outsiders. As she excavates, Thomasina discovers the eldritch horror that lurk beneath the village that rendered her father, who had excavated the same site 25 years earlier, catatonic.

The sense of creeping dread is wonderful as you know Thomasina is not okay as she recalls her story in flashback, but can you save her? I won't spoil it but this is one of finest games I've played in many a year purely based on the story, however the pixel art, sound design and voice acting are also excellent.

Check out screenshots from my playthrough, below.

Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West- Videogames As Art

When Horizon Zero Dawn came out 6 years ago, I enjoyed the stunningly realised open-world and the robot dinosaur antagonists. The story was intriguing and I found the moment to moment gameplay enthralling. However, unfortunately for the game, it coincided with the release of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which took the wind out of its sails - pun intended. The constant chuntering of Aloy alongside her martyr complex made her a frustrating character to warm to, especially when she built up friendships after years of being shunned yet discarded these connections to go on her solo missions.

Luckily, this time the developers have given Aloy's colleagues time to shine and the cadre of friends really helps the game. It's warming to see Aloy grow as a character and the story develops well as a result. Also, Aloy is now able to hack and fly robot pterodactyl equivalents- and that’s always going to be amazing!
Unluckily, Forbidden West coincided with the biggest game release of last year, the juggernaut that was Elden Ring. I've only just got around to completing Forbidden West after Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarok and was suffering open-world fatigue, but thankfully at around 30 hours, the game doesn’t overstay its welcome.

I enjoyed my time and will eagerly pick up the set-up third game but hope, for the sake of the developers, that it doesn't get overshadowed again as it is a gorgeous game that is well worth your time.

Here are some screenshots from my playthrough:

Life is Strange: True Colours- Videogames As Art

About 7 years ago, the first of five episodes of Life Is Strange was released onto an unsuspecting world. The creators, Dontnod, had previously produced an okay but unremarkable game called Remember Me- it was pretty forgettable-so the episodic tale of an introverted photography student with the power to rewind time did not garner much excitement. However, it ended up being one of the most talked about games of the year, garnering strong reviews and approval from the video games community at large. Since then we have had the prequel Before the Storm, and a whole new storyline with new characters in Life is Strange 2.

What appeals with these games is the mumblecore movie like vibe; authentic sounding dialogue delivered well with only a occasional clunky pieces of dialogue. The games are usually shot with an eye for cinematography, a great central mystery that pulls you in and likeable or relatable characters.

I played the latest entry, True Colours and loved getting to know Alex Chen and see the effect her empathic powers had on her. There were the usual moments of wonder, surprise and tenderness that will stay with you long after the game is over but it's the characters portrayed with depth and personality that are the real triumph here- I like the portrayal of strong women in videogames who don't need rescuing.

The game was a great palette cleanser from the open world fatigue I've suffered from after playing Elden Ring and Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West for over 200 hours.

Elden Ring- Videogames As Art

I've been playing videogames for a looong time (click here for my article on this) but Elden Ring has been a game changer for me. When I wasn't playing it, I was thinking about it. When I wasn't thinking about it, I was reading about it. When I wasn't reading about it, I was watching video essays on YouTube about it. The thing took over my gaming life and most of my nights for most of this year- my wife even complained when I entered the bedroom past midnight most nights due to the game. It's my most played game ever with over 155 hours clocked.

I didn't know how much I needed this experience. I've become used to more linear experiences in the past decade or so but From Software’s masterpiece demanded focus and attention. The scope of the game is sublime and the map(s) opens up very early on. Gone are the parochial way finding icons splodged on the map, removing any hint of a surprise (I'm looking at you Ubisoft) to a more natural, diegetic method of discovery and wonder. Okay, I don't pretend to understand all the nuance if the narrative but man, this is one of the best games ever made and it’s been a heck of a ride getting to the end. Below are screenshots of my playthrough.

The Artful Escape- Videogames As Art

I've often said that videogames can be the most amazing form of media as they can be as varied as movies and novels but they also have the added benefit of player agency.

Too often, the headline games are about shooting and killing, or worse, matching three fruits/ gems/ numbers! However, every now and again a game comes along that refreshes the palette and offers you look at the medium through a different lens and that's what The Artful Escape does. It's a story of a young musician living in the shadow of his dead famous Uncle who wants to express himself musically but feels he can't. By going through a trippy journey across alien backgrounds and worlds, many of which could have been lifted from the prog rock album covers from the 70s, he finds the strength to be true to himself.

It's a short journey, lasting about 3 hours, but boy is it a spectacle. The visual flair on show is phenomenal whilst the music matches the epic-ness of the game. If you haven't, please do check out The Artful Escape as it's a pretty unforgettable journey. Okay, all you do is press right and occasionally jump but not everything need to be a frame-reading, ball-buster of a game.

Ghostwire: Tokyo- Videogames As Art

Ghostwire: Tokyo is a stunning survival-action horror game, which doesn’t lean too much into the gore or scares. The game follows a man who is possessed by a spirit after a Rapture-like event wipes out the population of Tokyo. Instead, yokai and malevolent spirits roam the land and impede your mission to rescue your ill sister who is taken by an evil man in a mask looking to break the walls between the human and spirit world. The game is okay but the fighting does get samey and drags on after while but the animations and rain effects are incredibly beautiful. I finished the game at about 8 hours so it doesn’t overstay its welcome but it does feel like a typical Tango Studios game, great ideas that don’t fulfill their potential.

Anyways, enjoy the screenshots of my playthrough!

Elden Ring- Videogames As Art

Elden Ring is an absolute masterpiece. As more games have added bloat and pointless mission markers all over the map, losing the sense of discovery, From Software have trusted the intelligence of their audience and created a true open-world experience (at least for the first 90% of the game before it becomes more mainline). As a result, we have the most awe inspiring open‑world game where exploration is encouraged and the story is slowly unearthed. I’m 140 hours into the game and am still not finished yet, currently bashing my head against Malekith, The Black Blade, however I am loving the experience. Check out my screenshots so far!