[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]ormentum: Dark Sorrow (review / strategy guide) is unique as a casual-level adventure game because of its beautiful, dark, and surreal imagery. It explores the idea of redemption, but not just that, how we perceive morality at all. The elements of horror in Tormentum…
Amanda French
51 Articles
Amanda French first cut her gaming teeth by playing such classics as Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Super Mario World at the ripe age of four. From there spawned a lifelong love of video games, particularly narrative heavy adventures and open world games. A creative writing graduate of Full Sail University, Amanda writes fiction novels in her spare time. You can find her work at the Independent Author Network under the pseudonym, Illise Montoya. Amanda’s all-time favorite games include Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout 2, and Tekken 5. She lives on the California coast with her husband and young baby son.
Amanda French
29 Min Read
INTRODUCTION Tormentum: Dark Sorrow is a powerful, haunting, and surreal world that manages to create a sense of unease in the player without a whole lot of posturing. If you’d like my full thoughts on the game, see my review, but here I will endeavor…
Amanda French
2 Min Read
[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]he harsh and desolate realm of space can feel cold, lethal, and mysterious. Do you think you have what it takes to survive the dangers of space-exploration? Reassembly asks player to prove it by giving them rich and in-depth control over their fleet. Customize…
Amanda French
2 Min Read
[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]he holiday season is over: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Valentine’s Day. You can even argue that Halloween is a part of the bunch. What do they all have in common? Creating a frame of time when many crowdfunding campaigns fail! But what if…
Amanda French
2 Min Read
[dropcap size=big]I[/dropcap]t’s time to put on the metal records kids, because today we’re talking about Tormentum: Dark Sorrow, a dark horror adventure game that looks like the illegitimate child of Metallica and H.R. Giger. The project was funded between June 2nd and August 1st 2014,…
Amanda French
6 Min Read
[dropcap size=big]C[/dropcap]ontradiction was a live-action, fully interactive adventure mystery game that was funded for £4,010 on Kickstarter back on January 17th. The game uses 100% live-action video and boasts a “unique design to give you the freedom to move around at will, investigate locations, collect…
Amanda French
1 Min Read
I got in touch with Felipe Modesto, Fira Soft’s creative director, who was kind enough to give me an update on the status of his team’s winter themed survival horror adventure, Kriophobia. When the games’ Kickstarter campaign failed to meet its $50k CAD funding goal in…
Amanda French
1 Min Read
This Is The Police is a strategy adventure game featuring Jon St. John, the iconic voice of Duke Nukem. On February 22, the campaign became a success, reaching is $25k goal with a few days left till its end. Since then, two new backer tiers…
Amanda French
1 Min Read
Edge of Eternity, the JRPG indie title being developed by Midgar Studio, has reached yet another funding goal. This latest milestone unlocks nekaroo breeding for the final release. In the game, “nekaroos” are giant feline creatures that run on their hind legs, and they are…
Amanda French
1 Min Read
Edge of Eternity is an indie tribute to J-RPG classics such as Final Fantasy, Suikoden, and Dragon Quest. It boasts a unique universe blending fantasy with science-fiction, intense ATB battles, and a branching storyline. A playable demo is now available for download on the game’s…
Amanda French
2 Min Read
[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]arRab: Veteran is a complete indie game made by one young man by the name of Chadrick Evans. His Kickstarter funding goal is low, a mere $200. He wants to get WarRab on Steam, advertise it, and pay for his yearly domain fee. That’s it….
Amanda French
2 Min Read
[dropcap size=big]E[/dropcap]dge of Eternity has had no trouble at all in reaching its 44k goal, and with a month to spare no less. But back in 2013, Midgar Studio had trouble funding the JRPG, and was forced to cancel the project with just $26k pledged of…
Amanda French
2 Min Read
[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap]fter a long developmental journey, Insanity’s Blade was released on Steam December 5th, 2014. At the time of this article, it is on version 1.05, which features the ability to customize controls, as well as the added option of “Nightmare Mode.” I shudder to think what…
Amanda French
2 Min Read
[dropcap size=big]F[/dropcap]ortis Rex: Rise of the King is a non-linear open-world RPG developed by Ancient Realms Studios that has been funded over several Kickstarter campaigns and is currently on sale at Desura. The game is on its second alpha release, so it’s still an early…
Amanda French
2 Min Read
[dropcap size=big]M[/dropcap]any wonder what constitutes a video game. The discussion is complicated, wrestling with such issues as planned and emergent narrative, reward and punishment, complexity and simplicity, etc. Here on Cliqist, however, I’d like to focus on experimental games and their place in the crowdfunding…
Amanda French
2 Min Read
Elegy for a Dead World Reviewed by Amanda French Elegy for a Dead World is… strange, to say the least. Developed in collaboration by Dejobaan Games (AaAaAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity, The Wonderful End of the World) and Popcannibal (Girls Like Robots), the basic…