Freedom of virtual movement
Steam's NextFest inspired me to download a handful of demos: Bloodthief, Goodlands, Haste, TypeInc, Unyielder, Void War, White Knuckle. The thing that charmed me about all of these experiences, regardless of their levels of originality or quality and whether or not they're a direct rip off of Faster Than Light, is their focus. I'm excited to see where these projects go because there's no bloat, anywhere. There's no time to include anything that isn't needed in the thesis you're presented. These projects have to make a good impression or they won't make it off the ground, and I'm (maybe too easily) impressed.
- I also put time into Phantom Spark, a Trackmania-lite game that isn't my usual flavor but is a great movement game,
- shortcut my way to a credit roll in Echo Point Nova with a buddy,
- have been obsessed with RoboQuest, a 2023 Doom-like movement shooter,
- have yet to top the summit in Hades II on a difficulty higher than Testament 2.
It's really been about movement games lately. Maybe I need to get back into Mirror's Edge.