Operation Backlog Completion 2026
Nov 012015
 

Alien IsolationThis year, to enhance our celebration of horror and spooky events, I held a simple contest to give away one of my favorite survival horror games, one of the few modern games to embrace the classic gameplay mechanics, Alien: Isolation.

This contest saw greater participation then some of our past events, which is great!

Since October has ended, I selected the winner this morning. The prize of Alien: Isolation (or an equivalent game reward) goes to Ludwig Von Koopa. Congratulations! I’ll be in touch so you can receive your prize.

Thanks again to everyone who participated. To those who didn’t, stay tuned for further events. And everyone, let me know in the comments what you’d like to see in future contests.

Oct 302015
 

What better way to conclude our celebration of Halloween than with a game all about Halloween?

Costume-Quest

Costume Quest isn’t a horror game. Instead, it’s a turn-based RPG from Double Fine Productions. When your twin is kidnapped by monsters on Halloween, you go on a quest to save them and stop the monsters.

With charm typical of Double Fine games (and much better than Broken Age, which disappointed me), Costume Quest includes many different aspects of Halloween.

To track down your twin’s location, you need currency. The currency here is candy, so you need to go trick-or-treating (while also exploring and completing side quests to get more candy). However, some of the doors you knock on will be answered by monsters, at which point a battle begins.

Your battle form is determined by the costume you have on. For example, if you wear the robot costume, you’ll appear in battle as a giant robot. Combat is turn-based, but includes quick-time events for certain moves. As you progress, you’ll meet party members and find parts to make new costumes. Each costume has its own unique attacks.

Costume-Quest-Grubbins-On-IceIt’s a short game, only about 6 hours long, but those 6 hours are filled with humor and Halloween charm.

If you enjoy Costume Quest but want a change of scenery, it has one DLC episodes, the winter-themed “Grubbins on Ice,” which adds a few new gameplay features but otherwise plays the same.

Costume Quest and Grubbins on Ice are available for PC, Mac, Linux, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS, and Android.

Its sequel, Costume Quest 2, expanded its console availability and can be played on PC, Mac, Linux, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U. However, I haven’t played the sequel, so I can’t vouch for it.

I love the original Costume Quest and consider it one of the most Halloween-y of Halloween games we could look at. What Halloween-themed games are your favorites?

(And don’t forget, you only have two days left to boost your chances of winning Alien: Isolation!)


Buy Costume Quest from Amazon
Buy Costume Quest from Steam

Oct 162015
 

The-Starship-DamreyPeople say you shouldn’t trust reviews, but make your own decisions about games.

I’m not entirely on board with that (reviews can be quite useful), but I like several games that received medicore or bad reviews. For example, Fragile Dreams, Amy

…and The Starship Damrey.

The Starship Damrey is part of the Guild series, smaller games with no connection to one another released by Level-5. With a style reminiscent of survival horror, The Starship Damrey interested me from the start, and I bought it shortly after it released on the 3DS eShop.

It begins with a warning that “This game contains no tutorials or explanations,” and gives you no further guidance throughout the game. The puzzles never become overly complex, although one optional puzzle required to unlock additional dialogue in the ending might give you some trouble.

While not explicitly horror, The Starship Damrey has a tense, unsettling atmosphere and simple mechanics straight from the survival horror genre.

Starship-Damrey-mysterious-figure

You’ll solve puzzles, open doors, and backtrack with items to open new paths. Through it all, you slowly learn the story of what happened on the ship.

One downside is that the game is short. You can complete everything in 3 hours or less. However, the concept intrigued me and I wanted to learn more. I played the game in a single sitting, although I went back later for the bonus ending.

It’s short and simple, but its unguided presentation and creepy plot should appeal to many survival horror fans. If you’re in the mood for a few tense hours with your 3DS, go to the eShop and delve into the mysteries of The Starship Damrey.