Additionally, the simplistic and very charming 3D art style manages to feel totally appropriate and the minimal music is used to emphasise more poignant moments and invoke emotion.Ī Morticians Tale will take about an hour to play and is, overall, a fantastic example of interactive fiction that encourages players to take a closer look at an uncomfortable yet inevitable aspect of life in a clever and entertaining way without ever feeling tactless.
The writing is excellent and provides a real sense of who the different characters are and their motivations as well as telling a touching overarching story. The game handles its delicate subject matter in a respectful and thought-provoking way, providing an informative, honest, and sometimes humorous look at the current state of and the future of the western death industry. Tasks include preparing the bodies of the deceased (via embalming or cremation), attending their funerals and listening to their loved ones’ stories, as well as interacting with her coworkers, clients, and bosses. A Mortician’s TaleĪ Mortician’s Tale is a story-driven death positive experience in which the player takes on the role of a recent funeral direction graduate Charlie as she learns the ropes of the business and industry. Its cute but distinctive art style matches the gameplay perfectly, but whilst the music is pleasant the sound effects are very minimal.Ĭatlateral Damage is a silly and strangely relaxing game better suited to short play sessions, but its variety of rooms in procedurally generated houses, objectives, collectables and unlockable items mean that it can be revisited a multitude of times and still provide something new. There are also a number of objective milestones that add a sense of progression and also unlock additional felines. The game features a plethora of objects to be destroyed, these are amongst a selection of collectables (including over 230 photos of real-life cats) that grant power-ups and unlock other playable cats. Players take on the role of a destructive house cat, rampaging through every room in the house, swiping objects to the floor with its paws in either objective or litterbox mode. Catlateral DamageĬatlateral Damage is a first-person mischievous cat simulator. Weapons are in no short supply and Nuclear Throne boasts over 120 different armaments ranging from the machine-guns and shotguns to more obscure offensives such as a screwdriver or ion cannon.Ī typical game session should last around 30 minutes but the rogue-like nature of the game, along with its multiplayer option and plethora of map, character and weapon combinations mean it offers a ton of replayability making it a highlight of the GDC relief fund bundle. The variety of dangerous environments are juxtaposed by the cute, retro-style pixel art and matching UI.Įach of the 12 unique playable characters can mutate further and in a variety of different ways (such as generating new limbs on the fly) all courtesy of the plentiful radioactive waste. The game is essentially about mutants fighting for the throne in a post-apocalyptic world made up of 7 main areas spanning deserts, frozen cities and more. Nuclear Throne is an ‘action roguelike-like’ with both singleplayer and local multiplayer modes.