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Welcome to yet another LudoNarraCon ’21. A delightful narrative virtual festival that is outlined on Steam. We have been attending each year and have fallen in love with many games from the festival (including Neo Cab, which we have acquired on Steam and the Nintendo Switch.) In this year’s festival, there is so much to discuss, yet so little time due to the fact that it runs from April 23rd to the 26th. There will be broadcasts, live streams, gameplay, free demos, and so much more for you all. So for LudoNarraCon ’21, we want to talk about some games you should put on your wish list because they are so much fun. These might be subjective in point of taste since they represent our personal favorites, but regardless, here are five games to keep on your radar.
1. “Song of Farca: Prologue” (Wooden Monkeys; Alawar Premium)
TBR: June 2021
“Song of Farca” at LudoNarraCon ‘ 21 is a wonderful game that came to our attention on the first day of LNC. As we tend to enjoy playing many games alongside the streams or whenever the convention is taking place — “Song of Farca” turned out to be an unexpected find. It uses a split-screen layout where the top half is the office/room, and the bottom half is the map or world view. It is super interactive, has great background music, and amazing dialogue and characters. This allows for a lot of fun because the top half is actually consistent with the gameplay. You can see the character move, go to the refrigerator, and the station set gives a more homely perspective. I thought that was a very cool idea. The puzzles were also pretty cool. I know some people enjoy easier puzzles, but I always appreciate it when they manage to be somewhat challenging. I do not generally look at the instructions (maybe I am that person); I like to go in blindsided and see if it is easy to figure out autonomously. This was a relatively intuitive game.
It was easy to figure out which elements performed what functions since there are only a few of them. When the bottom half is displayed on the phone, one of the other elements I enjoyed was how they displayed each character in a separate window to the left and right. The dialogue is then shown in the middle of both of them. This is pretty cool, but it is even more impressive when you can choose the questions or at least press forward to the dialog. You may not be able to choose what action the protagonist takes, but you can still press the dialogue through to get to the end. It still creates a sense of immersion in what is taking place and what transpires.
About “Song of Farca: Prologue” At LudoNarraCon ’21
Hack into crime scenes, look for evidence, analyze data, interrogate criminals, track suspects and deal with the consequences of your decisions. This is a dark and brutal detective story with a Black Mirror-esque atmosphere of digital dominance and the narrative structure of a US crime procedural.
(( “Song of Farca: Prologue.” Wooden Monkeys. Alawar Premium. 2021. )).
2. “Lake” (Whitethorn Digital; Gamious)
TBR: Summer 2021
Despite not playing the game as much as we would have liked, as the game occasionally had black screens on us (we are uncertain whether it was the WI-FI or not on our end but either way to be expected as these are demos we play), what we did play was excellent. We also had the chance to watch the broadcast, so we had a clear viewpoint of what would come. This game was delightful for me; it wasn’t complicated, and it was a lot of fun to play it. I enjoy simple, mundane video games where you perform simple tasks. You are able to converse with others and absorb stories — which is fulfilling, especially during semi-pandemic times. I really enjoy how simple it is. The gameplay is also really well done. The motion of the character was fluid and immersive. I wasn’t expecting to have full control over the main character as she worked at the post office, but you walked to their door or mailbox and then walked back to the car, resulting in a truly immersive experience.
I thought that was really cool and fun to have that sort of element, though it can be challenging to keep your hands on the mouse while using arrows or other keyboard tools to move and walk around and pick up packages. It is ‘E,’ which is for entering or leaving and various other letters to deliver packages, pick them up, etc. You have to move the camera quite often in order to walk, so it isn’t easy to multitask both sometimes. There is most likely a setting in Steam to change keyboard controls; however, that is what was used as the default setting on ours.
About “Lake” At LudoNarraCon ’21
It’s 1986 — Meredith Weiss takes a break from her career in the big city to deliver mail in her hometown. How will she experience two weeks in beautiful Providence Oaks, with its iconic lake and quirky community? And what will she do next? It’s up to you.
(( “Lake.” Whitethorn Digital. Gamious. 2021. )).
3. “Wayward Strand” (Ghost Pattern)
TBR: mid-2022
I remember seeing “Wayward Strand” somewhere, I do not recall where, but it looks so familiar. Maybe it’s because it’s so warm and comforting. This is reminiscent of a timeless children’s story, which is why I find it soothing and enjoyable. Casey Beaumaris, a teenage protagonist, visits an airborne hospital, in which she gets to know some of the patients and observes their lives. The art style is very reminiscent of childhood, and there is a great deal of freedom in regards to how you play the game. Additionally, you can choose the choices/responses, which is very nice. Especially since the protagonist is a journalist, it is relevant in many ways to her character.
A variety of camera angles are available in the gameplay, where Casey can view individual characters when she looks into a room. The dialogue proceeds without requiring you to advance unless you answer a question or perform another action. This is essentially an inquisitive game, so it is fun being part of the life of a curious teenager. I am not the most extensive gamer, but I liked “Wayward Strand.” I can’t wait to see more of what is in store for the game!
About “Wayward Strand” At LudoNarraCon ’21
“Wayward Strand” is a heartfelt interactive story, told in a unique and curious way. Play as Casey Beaumaris — intrepid teenage journalist — as she visits an airborne hospital for the first time. Uncover the airship’s mysteries, and explore the lives of its inhabitants.
(( “Wayward Strand.” Ghost Pattern. LudoNarraCon 2021. ))
All of these titles will be playing at LudoNarraCon ’21. They are pushing the boundaries of narrative games. We can’t wait to see what more they have in store!