Prime Gaming 6 January 2025

Well, first bunch of Prime Games of the year. It was a rather hectic
holiday season, and there hasn't been that much time since the last
announcement, so the selection today is limited. But we'll take what
we can get, right?


* Eastern Exorcist (via Epic)
     A side-scrolling platformer/hack-n-slash with an Asian
     bent; think "Trek to Yomi" except not as stylish. It might
     be the better game though ("Yomi" was a delight to look at
     but its gameplay was a bit weak). Not that "Exorcist" isn't
     pretty, but it does look a bit generic. It's gameplay
     isn't really all that novel either, but it seems solid enough.


* The Bridge (via Epic)
     A puzzle game that takes a lot of cues from Escherian art.
     Very interesting in the artwork, but the gameplay is less
     satisfying. It's a weird mix of logic and action/physics
     manipulation that doesn't always work well together. But
     at least it doesn't overstay its welcome, being a fairly
     short game.


* The Town of Light (via GOG)
     A first-person adventure with limited challenge; e.g., a
     walking sim. Focused mostly on creating atmosphere (it's
     set in an abandoned asylum), it's got very nice production
     values. It's mechanics are less satisfying; its pacing is
     awfully slow. But that's probably intentional, in order
     to set the mood. I think the developers had a vision and
     I think this game probably realizes that vision. But just
     because it's exactly the game the developers wanted to
     make means it's something a lot of people will enjoy.



An odd mix of games; I'm not sure I _like_ all of them, but they all
are intriguing enough I at least want to _look_ at them. Anyway, any
selection that has not a sign of deck-building or hidden-object
gameplay in 'em is a win for me!

We'll see what Amazon has to offer in coming weeks. Meanwhile, I'm
fine with what I get today.