Videogames
As you probably guessed, I play a lot of videogames, and I wanted to share with you some of my finds! I do not own a console and play my games on PC, all the ones below worked for me on Linux. I'll include trigger warnings, compatibility, who made and where to play the games :D
corru.observer
Made by Corru.Works, this is a browser-based game where you investigate an alien bio-computer to find out what made then leave Earth after their first contacts with humans. With its amazingly creative graphics, the game is surrounded by an atmosphere of mystery and weirdness.
What I absolutely love about this game is the incredibly surreal scenes, the insane worldbuilding and how well written the characters are. Usually, in pieces of media involving aliens, either they are horribles creatures who only come to threathen us, or either humans hate them from the start and everyone decides to hunt them. But Corru.Works wrote and coded a world where both humans and extraterrestrials want to learn about each other and could live in peace, sharing technologies and cultures. The tragic turn that events take in the game is even more heartbreaking from this perspective, and I won't spoil anything if you want to play by yourself, but the way the characters and their relations are portrayed is... Wonderfully real, maybe even human. Add to that the soundtrack, wich reflects with perfection the bizarre environnments we stumble upon during our playthrough.
This game is completely free, on the site "https://corru.observer"! From my experience, it is compatible with Google Chrome, and should work on Firefox just fine. Trigger warnings : descriptions of violence, death, flashing lights and bright visuals). Age: 13+
Rain World
Made by Videocult, this is a platformer game where you play as what is called a "slugcat". Don't be fooled by the cuteness of the character, because in this game you will have to avoid numerous predators who really like eating slugcats. Oh, the rain? Don't worry, you'll find out about it.
Rain world is, in my opinion, the best 2d platformer game I've ever played. It has beautiful graphics and landscapes, a majestic soundtrack, a sophisticated AI system and a really original worldbuilding. As the slugcat, you not only discover and try your best to survive in an RNG-based ecosystem wich makes every playthrough slightly different, but also stumble upon the path of dying gods that hesitantly let you piece together their story. What I also love about Rain World is the fact that you're not really the protagonist of the main story, you're simply a part of the ecosystem and a witness of the slow downfall of a world. I also really liked the nuremous systems and concepts that make the gameplay interesting, like the cycles, karma, karma gates and the many objects you may find during your journey like explosive spears.
You can get the base game on Steam (by the way my review only applies to the main game, I haven't included Downpour or the Watcher), the price may vary but usually is around 40$ CAD. It is compatible with Windows. For me it worked well under Linux Mint out of the box, but depending on your Linux distro you might need to make a few adjustments. For the Steam deck it might need a few adjustments also. Trigger warnings: animal death (no blood/gore), megalophobia in the end of the Survivor's campaign. Recommended age: around 13, younger kids can play the game also but they might not enjoy the difficulty level.
ENA Dream BBQ: chapter 1
Experience an episode of the ENA youtube series by Joel G. as a game!! The madness starts as soon as you click play! You are thrown into confusing, bizarre and strangely artistic environnements, with casts of colorful and impossible characters. In this game, you follow a character refferred to as "ENA" in her search for the Boss. Did you understand anything the characters were talking about? Because I didn't. this is absctract art without the "billionaires paying millions for a banana taped to the wall" part.
Playing ENA: Dream BBQ was one of the most fun experiences I had in a singleplayer game. I especially loved the interactions between ENA and the other characters. The character designs are so diverse, with inspirations from different medias and a mix of 2d and 3d! And the conversations are so nonsensical it's funny. Of course, I've tried interpreting the stuff they say, but if you know the ENA series, you know how hard of a task it is. The different environnements are so cool in my opinion, some of them are really pretty to look at like the very start area of the game, infinite monochrome streets with a bright red sky and lanterns. Some of those can also be very weird, like the ocean of blood gazed at by a giant eye in the sky, and claustrophobic tunnels ressembling guts of the insides of a living building, and... a purgatory-like village with huts... running away as you try to open their doors, and orange and blue ghosts things murmuring you the correct way... and... I... Why did I even take this damn job...
You can get this game on Steam, it is completely free. For me it worked on Windows and Linux Mint. It is compatible with the Steam Deck. Trigger warning: claustrophobia, unsetlling imagery, blood, light body horror, a few swear words. Recommended age: 13+
Hollow Knight
Made by Team Cherry, Hollow Knight is a metroidvania, a 2d platformer game where you fight ennemies, level up your character and find new powers. Enter the kingdom of Hallownest, carcass of its past glory, where all its inhabitants have been infected by some kind of mind-controlling disease. You are the Knight. Fight, explore and find friends, to slowly uncover the mystery of your origin and how you could free the kingdom of its horrible curse. Also, I forgot to mention that, but almost everyone in this game are bugs!
Don't get me started on Hollow Knight!! This is one of the most beautiful platformers ever made, in my opinion. All graphics are originally drawn by hand, which makes the game feel so natural and alive. The atmosphere is breath-taking, the lights, the particles, the beautiful orchestral music all made me feel so immersed in the kingdom of Hallownest. The worldbuilding is so unique, every bug has a story to share, every region contains traces of their pasts... I love this game so much. The controls and fight mechanics also feel very natural, the progression, while still following some sort of line, gives space to the player to explore and find clues about the next thing to do to progress. Sometimes the fights can get really hard, so if you have a skill issue like me and don't like having to redo a boss thirty times, try playing something else!
This game works well under Windows and Linux Mint. It is compatible with the Steam Deck.Trigger warnings: cartoony orange blood and light violence. Recommended age: 7+ kids can play this game, but I feel like 13 year olds and older might enjoy the game more.
Series
Watching series/anime is not really my thing usually, but I did try a few and found two that I liked better than the others! I'll also put trigger warnings and age recommendations. Keep in mind that all the episodes of The Amazing Digital Circus has come out, and that I only watched about 13 episodes of The Apothecary Diaries, so my reviews and warnings are only valid for what I watched.
The Amazing Digital Circus
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The Apothecary Diaries
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Books
Reading is life!!! I especially love fantasy novels, read all the Harry Potter books before watching the movies and was a big fan of Warrior Cats before I discovered Watership Down. Lol. I mostly read in french, I just wanted to say that here in case it affects anything for some reason.
Watership Down
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Emily of New Moon
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Diary of an 8-bit villager
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