Izzy's 2024 gaming year in review.

[isthatallyougot]

#16 Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC - 2001) 4/5 (Playtime 10-ish hours)



The first-person shooter genre is sort of a funny one for me. It's clearly one of the more popular mainstream forms of gaming, and while I also enjoy the formula, it's pretty rare that I find one to be exceptional. There are a select few that I'd elevate into my own personal hall of fame, but by and large, it's a genre that's almost always good fun but rarely leaves a truly lasting mark with me. So, I'll play one here and there, and they're always within my rotation, however sporadic.

Expecting to have another round of good but relatively forgettable fun, I fired up Return to Castle Wolfenstein in 2024. The only other entry I'd ever played in this long-running series was 2014's The New Order - a game I really enjoyed. Fighting Nazis must be one of the most natural gaming expressions. I suppose it satisfies a culturally acceptable outlet for violence (for most). It fits nicely into one of the most popular genres. And there's plenty of room for exploring more ‘out-there’ elements with Hitler's (and the Nazi party's) supposed fascination with occult stuff. It's easy to see why this series (and concept) has lasted as long as it has.

In this entry, we're sent along multiple missions from the titular castle to various other locations, both indoor and out. Places like air bases, research facilities, military outposts, and others provided plenty of visual variety for the mostly routine shooting. I really appreciated the overall variety, and this was accentuated by missions that were both of the stealth and action variety. The stealthier missions required you to take out foes from a distance with long-range scope-based weapons or up close and personal with your blade or silenced pistol. The stealth was relatively simple and not off-putting, I would imagine, if you don't care for that more narrow genre, though. The action-focused missions made up the bulk of this familiar shooter experience - levels like you'd expect in most any other shooter, and they were good cathartic fun as well. The enemy AI wasn't dumb as bricks either, as they'd kick back grenades you've thrown and move around corners in varying patterns. To be clear, the AI wasn't particularly noteworthy, but it was fun enough to keep things engaging. The overall challenge (on the default difficulty) was quite nice, however. Even though you're given suitable weaponry to deal with any situation, you can have your health and armor whittled away in a flash, especially if you get yourself into a tight spot. And the hail of gunfire was nicely unpredictable, as you'd sometimes have foes unloading their clips in a maelstrom of whizzing projectiles while missing you altogether, and then at other times you could get nailed by an unseen sniper, shaving a good chunk off your health in an instant.

There were also plenty of secrets to find in every level. Some of the secrets gave you extra ammo and armor, while others were Nazi treasures you could add to your booty count. And these were nicely hidden, as I rarely found them all within a level, which could add some moderate replay value should you find yourself really immersed. I also LOVE that Return included a kick button. Granted, it was no Bulletstorm boot of catharsis, but it was quite satisfying and funny to destroy Nazi chairs, pictures of Hitler, radio equipment, and other elements of their military campaign as you made yourself a general nuisance to their cause along the way.

In terms of presentation, the sound was really nice. The soundtrack was very military in tone,with a heavy emphasis on percussive elements that wonderfully suited a campaign with this wartime backdrop. The general sound effects were also well done,with plenty of little immersive touches like radio, enemy chatter,and lots of little audiovisual elements to bring the locations and overall scene to life. I always enjoyed hearing the Nazi forces yelling out, “Halt” whenever they found me. The guns provided nice audio feedback as well for the most part and were varied enough to feel like you had a complete and satisfying arsenal. Granted, some guns were far preferred over others, leaving some basic pistols sitting unattended in your rotation, but there were some interesting weapons, some of which were experimental in nature, which kept the carnage fresh. And the general atmosphere had an excellent horror-tinged flavor to complement the action due to the Nazi occult shenanigans, opening doors that should remain closed.

On the other side of this coin, I have heard that the main draw with this title has always been the multiplayer component, something that I didn't play and honestly had no interest in. And the performance could have been better in some spots. I've heard this was an issue with the “iortcw” version/patch that I played at first, and it must have been since it couldn't have been a hardware issue. And this was not a plug-and-play experience for me on Steam, having had a few hiccups in getting things going before finally being able to make my way smoothly via the aforementioned “patch,” which ultimately ran outside Steam. Also, the few bosses were pretty uninspired as well as being a bit unbalanced. They served their purpose but were not close to the highlight they ought to have been.

But overall this was generally what I've come to expect with the FPS genre. It was really good fun from beginning to end, and yet not something I'd necessarily go “gaga” over. The gunplay was greasy-quick and fun, the environments were varied and interesting, and the campaign was lengthy enough that I felt like I'd been on a proper adventure when all was said and done. Look, if you've played and enjoyed this genre in the past, you know what to expect. For me, it's a solid 4/5. Really good fun, but not quite something I'd personally place as an all-time classic.

[canedaddy]

I love the variety of this list. Great stuff.

Never heard of FUMIKO. Just watched the video and looks very cool.

[isthatallyougot]

I love the variety of this list. Great stuff.

Never heard of FUMIKO. Just watched the video and looks very cool.

What can I say, I'm a fractured being with no solid identity, and so I identify with all things. (and nothing )



But yeah, FUMIKO is great!

[isthatallyougot]

#15 Kaze and the Wild Masks (PC - 2021) 4/5 (Playtime 19.8 hours)





Revisiting a genre to which I often eagerly return, I picked up Kaze and the Wild Masks in 2024, a game released in 2021 by PixelHive, their only title to this point. This 2D platformer offers a minimal narrative hook about some tragedy or other that has befallen some anthropomorphic kingdom with a heavy fixation upon vegetables - a tragedy that can, of course, only be remedied by running, jumping, and collecting across four worlds and multiple levels for each. I certainly didn't mind the minimal narrative in this platformer that hearkens back to the more spartan presentational offerings of years gone by, a period of time when you just got right into the action.

Within each of the worlds, there are a series of levels you traverse on a map from left to right as the titular Kaze, along with a variety of objectives to keep you engaged. Besides simply making it to the end of each level, where you jump into a glowing portal for completion, there are different tasks to pursue. In the first place, there are four letters spelling out the name of the main character to collect. For every level you complete in this four-part task of grabbing K-A-Z-E, you get a complete golden gemstone, and you open up a journal page that has a piece of artwork to help inspire your connection to the world and story as you try to connect the dots via your imagination if you are so inclined to work out the details of the presumably interconnected imagery. There are also two hidden (to various degrees) levels within each level where you can collect 2 halves of a complete green emerald gem. These levels are timed challenges in which you usually must pick up a certain number of green crystals while avoiding obstacles or simply platform your way to a goal. When you collect both, you get the complete gem, and when you've collected them all for one of the four worlds, you open up a bonus and extra-challenging level, and I really enjoyed these creative and interesting takes on the overall formula. Finally, there is a goal to collect 100 red crystals in each level. There are usually 10 or so more available than required, but some of these can be tricky to grab, making it a fun goal most of the time. Beyond that, you can engage in timed challenges where you can earn various medals for your aptitude for speedy navigation through each of the stages. In all, there were plenty of little carrots (no vegetable pun intended) incentivizing your trips and revisits through the many levels, and I was really engaged by always having something to pursue as I tried to get closer to that satisfying 100% completion percentage, something that I eventually did, much to my own satisfaction.

The platforming itself in Kaze is also very tight, and the level design is quite precise and well-conceived, requiring a consistent level of execution to avoid having to restart. Even one mistake can send you back to the beginning unless you collect one of the rare hearts, which afford you an accidental bump with a hazard, although a fall out of the world will still kill you. There's also only a single checkpoint at the midpoint of each level, so there's really a nice challenge where you're forced to learn the levels well as you progress, which was a satisfying process all its own. It could surely be sometimes frustrating as you tried to get things just right and had to replay levels/sections over and over again, but there was a very pleasing sense of mastery as you made your way forward. The first world isn't too tough, to be clear, but the difficulty ramps up quite rapidly from there on, especially if you are pursuing a complete game file. There is a “casual” mode that gives you more lives and checkpoints, but I found the “original” mode to be thoughtfully balanced and nicely challenging without being overly frustrating most of the time. But the general flow of the levels was really clever and well designed, making the platforming both fun and challenging. In addition, there are the “wild masks” referenced within the title. These are masks that transform Kaze at various points within some levels into one of four beasts. There is a flying bird-type creature, a shark, a tiger, and a lizard creature of some sort. Each of these beasts has different abilities and limitations. The bird can, of course, fly throughout levels, and controlling Kaze in this state allows you to hover and circumvent moving aerial obstacles. The shark will naturally swim and can do so at various speeds, along with a dash that can break through enemies and barriers. The tiger can air dash, cling to walls, and scurry up them. And finally, the lizard creature is like Sonic in the “I gotta go fast” sense. This transformation forces Kaze into forward movement with no option to slow down or stop, which makes for some really fun and challenging sections, transforming those parts into a sort of auto-runner. This animal can also rapidly dash downward or apply an extra boost jump, and those abilities were woven nicely into the overall set of challenges. All of these different creatures really added to the nice sense of variety on offer, and they were also used within the various - and also very well-designed - pattern-based boss fights. To the point, there was an excellent sense of variety to the types of mechanical engagement throughout the experience, and the simple moment-to-moment act of playing was very satisfying, both in its immediacy and in the constant little incentives that kept pushing you forward.

I will say that, excellent design notwithstanding, Kaze has a very familiar feel in many ways. I've heard some criticize it for being overly derivative, particularly in regard to Donkey Kong Country. Clearly there are elements drawn from that series, like the collect 4 letters (KAZE/KONG), as well as the barrel-launching-inspired catapults that make their appearance in many spots. I've also heard people mention Rayman, and the tennis-shoe-wearing lizard form, along with the speedy nature of that transformation, and it also brought Sonic to mind in many ways (in the lizard form). And of course, it's a 2D platformer, which on its own carries a significant amount of déjà vu for most who've been gaming for very long. But I felt that the overall package was more fun than one of its more obvious inspirations - referring to DKC in particular here. (at least the first one, which was the only one I've played) And the visuals here don't make me want to scratch my eyes out. It also oddly reminded me of Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Hidden Treasures on the Genesis in terms of appearances in some ways - probably due to Kaze being a rabbit. I read quite a few opinions that claimed this was a pale shadow of DKC, and then I remembered how irrational Nintendo's hardcore cult memb...um...fans can be, and I quickly recalibrated my interpretation of those extremist views. This is the better game, imho. And while the music was generally good, it did feel a bit, um, “AI” or paint-by-numbers. There wasn't any real passion or unique flavor to the relatively inoffensive soundtrack. Finally, the game had an odd fixation with vegetables, with even the intro screens preaching the virtues of eating such rabbit food. It wasn't off-putting, and maybe even a little charming in a quirky sort of way, but it was a little strange nonetheless.

But I really don't have any harsh criticisms here. It may be well-trodden territory in terms of formula, but it was executed with an excellent level of finesse and was fun from beginning all the way to 100%. And I haven't even mentioned the graphics and animation, both of which were of a similarly high quality to the rest of the overall package. I don't know what else I can say. It's a great example of a beloved form of gaming that goes back to the early days of this medium. Highly recommended. 4/5.

[isthatallyougot]

#14 No One Lives Under the Lighthouse (PC - 2020) 4/5 (Playtime 3.3 hours)




Looking for something spooky to play around Halloween this year, I perused my options and landed upon a game I picked up on PC not so long ago. I bought the game No One Lives Under the Lighthouse because it's low-poly (close to PS1) horror, and that “genre”, if you want to call it that, is one of my favorites. There's just something incredibly compelling for me in the combination of fear/horror and the already hazy and somewhat indistinct imagery that just encourages your imagination to go wild. It's a visual style that just seems tailor-made for scary games. I know I'm not alone in this appreciation, and I imagine that this form of gaming expression will continue for a long time because those who really connect with this sort of presentation can be pretty fanatical.

So let's talk about the presentation and circumstances surrounding this tale. The setting is a small island where you've been sent to act as caretaker for a lighthouse which seems to have trouble in securing an ongoing steward for this crucial role. So the location is quite small/intimate. There's the lighthouse at the top of the bluff, along with a small beachfront and dock below, a little circular “island” at the base of the hill, a storage shed, and your home and outhouse as you make your way up the incline towards the lighthouse itself. So, you'll be exploring a relatively small area over the course of several days in your role as the story unfolds. You're tasked with keeping the lighthouse clean and maintained, taking care of the grounds, and keeping the torch burning and rotating in its vital role as a beacon of safety for nearby ships passing. In terms of executing your duties (the practical interaction of the game), you explore your surroundings and interact with various objects. Everything you can utilize is outlined/highlighted as you approach. So, it's mostly a matter of searching and figuring out what you can use and how to use it. The game never explicitly tells you, so you are left to your own devices and a bit of trial and error. It's not overly complex, to be clear. You might have to roam around a bit in order to sort out the next objective, but it's never too hard to move things along.

Visually and aurally, there is an excellent mood and atmosphere established here. Firstly, there is a real sense of isolation on this small island. It's easy to see how a person could feel “trapped” and insanity may creep in within such a context. It's just you and your routines along with the sloshing of the sea, the squawking of the gulls, and the moaning winds for company, leaving you to whatever dark corners of your mind that may have been obscured by the noise of the normal hustle and bustle of the inhabited world. And adding to the sense of place, there is an excellent use of lighting as the weather and conditions change from chapter to chapter, giving different moods to different periods. There was one chapter in particular that had an outstanding representation of a thunderstorm with maybe the best rain I've ever seen in any game. The skies had truly opened up, and the sheets of water were very convincing and really obscured your vision and made you almost feel yourself getting drenched. The sense of place was very dynamic and really accentuated the overall experience, making it feel like a believable, if surreal, locale. And the sound was similarly well done. In addition to the convincing environmental, weather, and nature-related noises, there were some haunting, deep, and echoing tones that fit nicely with a narrative that I'll get to shortly. And the world itself and its manifestation were inconsistent and added to the feeling of being uncertain and unsafe. The “rules” of what you could (or should) do in one scenario didn't necessarily apply to another, and any sense of solid ground to stand on was continually eroding beneath you in a practical sense as things progressed, narrative aside, leaving you straining for coherence.

In terms of the narrative, things unfold in a slow-burn descent-into-madness sort of fashion. Things are pretty normal early on, but before long, everything is clearly not quite right. One detail right from the outset that I found eerie and unsettling was a light under the short pier from which you debark at the start. It is just a ball of light that oscillates back and forth in the water under the dock. Yes, it's strange but also doesn't seem particularly threatening. But it's the sort of thing that makes you question what is happening, your sanity, or both. And this sort of strangeness only accelerates as the narrative unfolds. I don't want to spoil things, even though this is the type of story in which you're never explicitly told what's going on. And that's what I prefer, especially for horror. I found myself ruminating over possible meanings and details after I had completed things, which, for me, is always a sign that a game made an impact. I will say that there are many questions prompted by the unfolding events. Was what was happening real or a result of isolation and alcohol as a means of coping? There are numerous references to religion and mysticism as well. In fact, the achievement list consists of 23 things, 22 of which are the cards of the Major Arcana of the Tarot, and the 23rd is called "The Major Arcana". If you have any familiarity with the Tarot or the i Ching or are fascinated by the fact that a seemingly “random” dispersal of cards or other implements can be spookily referential, personal, and meaningful, then there is that sort of bizarre and unsettling flavor in the quantum mechanics “observer effect” sort of way. Some of the impressions made upon me here were of a tale that is both ancient and inevitable, a connection that is repeated endlessly and is agonizing, torturous, and, in an odd sort of way, perhaps a twisted love story or necessary bond of interdependent polarities in which suffering is the only outcome. Also, there was the incredibly devastating sensation that you become aware of this ceaseless cycle at the close of things, just before the “reset”, like a record set to return the arm back to the beginning of things at each conclusion of the series of melodies, knowing for a brief, crushing moment that you'll eventually end up right back there again. There was also this sense of otherworldly forces binding you against your will in a set of circumstances that you could never possibly understand, yet are compelled to experience. Things had this truly haunting flavor, and I found myself transfixed by the possibilities and suggestions within this hazy narrative. These were some of my own impressions and interpretations. Again, there is no mundane, matter-of-fact clarity on offer, and your enjoyment of things narratively will depend on your appreciation of interpretive storytelling. There are also multiple endings. I am still debating whether or not I want to see the rest or simply let the journey I had rest as my frame of reference for this experience, given how much I enjoyed it.

There are also a couple of negatives. There are a few chase sequences that were awkward due to you beginning at a 3rd person focal point very far from the camera, and the orientation of your movement wasn't intuitive, as I found myself running towards the threat rather than away numerous times due to this abrupt and unintuitive shift. The rest of the game is in first person, which also made things feel out of place a bit. You'll eventually get a prompt to opt out of these scenarios if you fail a few times. It's not that it's hard; it's just awkward in execution. I never chose to skip these sequences since they're all doable after you reorient yourself to the somewhat jarring change accompanying these moments. There was also a sequence in which you are inhabiting another being in the late stages of the game, and moving around the environments in this state was both disorienting and a little frustrating. But these complaints are, in the overall context of the experience, pretty minor. I really enjoyed No One Lives Under the Lighthouse. I found it to be both wonderfully atmospheric and rich with potential interpretation. It perfectly suited the Halloween season and was just a satisfying experience overall. Highly recommended for the low-poly horror or simply general horror fan. 4/5.