Tag Archives: symposium

Symposium: Balatro, May, 2, 2024

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Dan Cox

Balatro (2024) describes itself as a “poker-inspired roguelike deck builder all about creating powerful synergies and winning big.” At least in my experience, the very last part is questionable. I tend to lose many times and then stop playing for … Continue reading →

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Symposium: Lies of P, December 7, 2023

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Dan Cox

A look through the reviews and media coverage of Lies of P (2023) shows a frequent term: “Soulslike.” A quick search of the PlayStation 5 coverage via Metacritic, for example, shows the term appearing over 30+ times across the reviews … Continue reading →

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Symposium, November 2nd – Frostpunk

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Steve Gillham

The survivalism at the heart of 11 Bit’s Frostpunk is far from a triumphant indulgence of rugged individualism. Cold and desperate, the settlers that collectively attempt to forge a New London in the midst of an unthinkable blizzard are confronted … Continue reading →

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Symposium, June 1, 2023 – Hi-Fi Rush

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Dan Cox

Hi-Fi-Rush (2023) stealth-dropped during the Developer_Direct stream from Xbox on Jan 25, 2023. Within a week, IGN, PC Gamer, and PC Mag had praised its art direction and soundtrack. However, many, like PC Gamer, have noted how its rhythm mechanics … Continue reading →

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Symposium, May 4th – Against the Storm

Posted on April 30, 2023 by Steve Gillham

The magic word for so many descriptions and writeups of Against the Storm is “roguelite” – even the game’s developer can’t resist using the term when asked to describe their work in this city-builder. If we push ourselves to escape … Continue reading →

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Symposium: Norco, December 1, 2022

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Dan Cox

It’s hard not to put the point-and-click adventure game Norco (2022) in conversation with Kentucky Route Zero (2013). Both present their own takes on the surreal South, a location as much grounded in the poverty of the moment as it … Continue reading →

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Symposium, October 6th – Citizen Sleeper

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Steve Gillham

Somehow, Citizen Sleeper has managed to land right in the intersection of so many of our Symposium discussions, from Disco Elysium’s interrogation of the narrative capabilities of tabletop mechanics to Nier Automata’s exploration of how the body and self are … Continue reading →

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Symposium: Tunic, August 4, 2022

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Dan Cox

Tunic (2022) revels in nostalgia. Playing the game, it is hard not to see echoes of the past from previous titles like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991) and Dark Souls (2011). It is a game … Continue reading →

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Symposium: Psychonauts 2, March 3, 2022

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Dan Cox

Psychonauts 2 (2021) is the long-awaited sequel to the initially commercial unsuccessful but critically praised game, Psyhonauts (2005). With nearly 16 years between the two, each presents very different approaches to level design, gameplay accessibility, and platformer combat. The second … Continue reading →

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Symposium, 6 January 2022

Posted on January 2, 2022 by rogertravisjr

I’m going to continue on with my symposium series about what I call the cooperative adventure card game. This time around, I’m hoping to zoom in on The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, though with the usual call … Continue reading →

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