Returning to Blogging + February 2026 Game Review Roundup

13 Feb, 2026

Spinning the blog back up with some scattered thoughts and mini-reviews that I've written over the past couple of years.

I'm back. If you've been here before, you probably notice it looks a bit different. I've migrated away from Ghost to the Bear Blog platform. It's cheaper, leaner, and represents the "small internet" I love and support in the age of enshittification.

I may have fallen off the blogging over the last year-and-a-half or so, but I haven't stopped writing entirely. Soon I intend to get back to my Tamriel Eternal project, but in the meantime I'm using this space as a repository for the various reviews and the like that I've written over the last couple years. Substantive pieces have gotten their own posts which you can find on the home page, but here I'll collect all of my quick mini-reviews and one offs that I've accumulated over on my Backloggd. There will be more to come soon.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Jun 17, 2024

I have a lot of fond memories playing this as a child and completing it many times. It unfortunately doesn't hold up so well today and is better off left in the past. I couldn't bring myself to finish it this time around.

The Forgotten City

Jun 17, 2024

A fantastic game and a unique experience. Worth going in completely blind. Highly recommended.

Wolfenstein 3D

Jul 05, 2024

An FPS classic whose simple fun holds up to this day. When accounting for the Nocturnal Missions and Spear of Destiny, it's a little long for its own good due to lack of variety in the content, but the original three campaigns are well worth a play for a little slice of FPS history.

Signalis

Oct 16, 2024

A wonderful little work of art. A modern take on the survival horror genre, which wears its influences on its sleeve while still presenting a refreshing and unique experience.

I have some minor gripes, mainly a lack of enemy variety and rather simplistic boss fights, but these pale in comparison to what the game does right. Immaculate presentation, a thought-provoking narrative, and exploration and puzzles that are challenging without being interminable, all add up to an experience no horror fan should miss.

Silent Hill (1999)

Oct 28, 2024

Impressively ahead of its time. Through a purposeful use of fog and shadow, Silent Hill uses the tech limitations of the time to enhance the experience rather than detract from it. Exploration feels organic and natural, and puzzles are tough without being interminable. A foundational survival horror classic that is still worth playing today, whose surreal and otherworldly qualities have only grown with time.

Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk

Feb 08, 2025

Interesting mini visual-novel that succeeds in crafting a very weird and unsettling atmosphere over its short run time. Captures and empathizes with the experience of being the "other." Excited to try out the fleshed-out sequel.

Anatomy

Feb 09, 2025

An unnerving and suffocating experience that is one of a kind. Dead simple but masterful in execution. Go in blind if at all possible.

I'm going to enjoy walking through my dark house to go to bed after this.

Standard Dev1ations GGB: Grim Gauntlet Beneath

Mar 14, 2025

A great little clone of the classic pedit5, which adds a little bit of QoL and convenience without deviating from the simplicity that defines these old PLATO titles. For those wanting to experience the forefather of all CRPGs without mucking around with a PLATO emulator, this is a great option.

Also, the guy who made this is a cool cat and deserves your support. :)

Thieves (1997)

Mar 20, 2025

An interesting historical curio. That said, unless you've absolutely tapped the vein of the platformer genre, you have very little reason to play this.

The Children of Clay

Mar 29, 2025

A very unique little atmospheric horror game that is well worth the 15-20 minutes of your time it will eat up. Would love to see an idea like this explored in a longer format.

Voyager-19

Mar 29, 2025

Interesting indie take on cosmic horror that does a good job capturing the bleak hopelessness of deep space, the atmosphere is immaculate. While short already, it could have been one or two missions shorter without losing anything.

The Moth Inside Me

Mar 30, 2025

The Moth Inside Me occupies that saturated space of analog/PSX/surrealist horror and does so effectively. The atmosphere, aesthetics, and sound design are all on point and unsettling, but it's so vague in its messaging and approach that I doubt I will think about it much again now that its short runtime has concluded.

The Stanley Parable Demonstration

Apr 01, 2025

Clever little demo that is entirely standalone from the main game it precedes. It's worth checking out and seeing if this brand of meta-humor will land for you, it did for me.

If you're the kind of person who cares about achievements, you may end up playing it twice. ;)

Undying Dusk

Apr 03, 2025

Undying Dusk drapes itself in retro RPG aesthetics but is really a trial-and-error puzzle game at heart. The order tasks can be accomplished are completely linear, down to the exact order of attacks and spells needed to complete fights. Later encounters in particular are a frustrating cycle of attacking, failing, and backing up to a previous page to try a different order of operations.

That said, the game is a triumph and a labor of love. Lucas-C has has pushed the PDF format to its limit here, and the way static pages are woven together to present the illusion of a game engine is very sleek. Both the visuals and music are charming, and satisfying progression as well as some clever puzzles await the intrepid adventurer willing to put up with the idiosyncrasies of this format. If nothing else, Undying Dusk is worth checking out for the sheer novelty of it.

Yakuza 0 (2015)

May 16, 2025

Yakuza 0 is my introduction to the long-running series and it has been an incredible experience. Between the main story and the absolute glut of side content, every bit of it drips with joy and sincerity even when the tone constantly jumps from serious crime drama to over the top testosterone-fueled insanity. The Western AAA landscape wishes it had this much heart.

Rental

Sep 13, 2025

A short and sweet little horror game worth checking out for indie fans. Throws a fun mini collect-a-thon and an eerie maze at you, then bugs out in less than half an hour. There's really not a whole lot to stick with you here but it's enjoyable in the moment if you enjoy the aesthetic. Plus, it's free!

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Sep 16, 2025

An unproven studio attempting such an ambitious project looked like a recipe for disappointment, but the end result is anything but. Even removed from the hyperbole that surrounds its release, Expedition 33 is a resounding success in storytelling, systems, and presentation. A joy whose many qualities vastly supersede whatever minor criticisms I can levy against it. I can safely say it lives up to the hype.

10 Beautiful Postcards

Sep 21, 2025

I respect what this is doing at an artistic level but the minute to minute experience here is anxiety inducing and ultimately not for me. After playing an hour and finding three postcards I think I get the gist. A very unique and disorienting experience.

Halls of Torment

Oct 06, 2025

This is my first foray into the "Survivors-like" subgenre. I dig the very Diablo art style, and it's certainly fun and entertaining, but this is perhaps the most mask-off dopamine drip in the shape of a video game I've ever encountered. It makes me hyper aware of every minute I spend on it, and I can't bring myself to return to it for the time being. If you truly want a brain-off time killer, this is by no means a bad choice, but be aware of that going in.

Age of Mythology: Retold

Oct 06, 2025

This is my first foray into the "Survivors-like" subgenre. I dig the very Diablo art style, and it's certainly fun and entertaining, but this is perhaps the most mask-off dopamine drip in the shape of a video game I've ever encountered. It makes me hyper aware of every minute I spend on it, and I can't bring myself to return to it for the time being. If you truly want a brain-off time killer, this is by no means a bad choice, but be aware of that going in.

Gothic II

Oct 14, 2025

Doubles down on everything that made the original title so special, whilst increasing the scale tenfold. Immaculate.

The Silver Case

Oct 24, 2025

This game drips swag like a broken faucet. Certain gameplay elements feel like tedium and filler, and some chapters drag, but the writing, atmosphere, and world-building are immaculate and unlike anything else I've encountered within this medium.

Lunatic Dawn: Passage of the Book

Nov 02, 2025

The UI and aesthetic here is delightful. While I understand the appeal to a game like this, the end result here is a little too aimless for me. Games with a similar freeform approach like Daggerfall or Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol give you a strong sense of progression and facilitate setting compelling goals for yourself as you play. This feels very "make number go up" in comparison and I have a hard time sticking to it, particularly when I'm having to interpret the machine translation at every turn.

Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis

Jan 29, 2026

There's a lot of childhood memories here for me and the presentation is charming. The dinosaurs look and act great. But the gameplay and systems are a little too sparse for me today.

Kannagi Usagi

Feb 03, 2026

A lean and charming exhibition of one of the best combat systems in gaming. If you want bite-sized Sekiro, or simply more of it, play this.

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