As far as indie game developers go, there is no greater one hit wonder than Campo Santo, the Bellevue-based studio responsible for Firewatch. Set in a remote corner of Wyoming’s Shoshone National Forest, Firewatch follows the story of Henry, a summer watchman who finds himself caught in the middle of a decades old mystery concerning a disappeared guide and his son. The mystery leads him to explore the darkest corners of the forest, a walkie talkie serving as his only means of human interaction.
Despite its small production team, Firewatch is an incredibly well-rounded game. The story is interesting, well-paced, and offers the player meaningful choices. The art style and pastel colour palette combine to create a deeply immersive atmosphere, with award-winning voice acting and sound design to match. Campo Santo have gone dormant since being bought out by Valve Corporation in 2018. The studio’s next planned release, In the Valley of Gods, has been perhaps unfairly sidelined in favour of bigger Valve projects, though the delays will only build the anticipation.
Arthur Ferridge
One aspect of video games often overlooked, is the presence of mobile gaming. It is not often I will be sat in my living room and opt to whip out my phone with the aim being to decompress through mobile gaming, however Alto’s Adventure is the exception. Released in 2015, this endless runner snowboarding game has provided much satisfaction during my times of boredom. Although the side-scrolling nature of the game is a simple concept, players can perform tricks and combos, grind on village rooftops and bunting, wingsuit through the skies, all whilst simultaneously gliding through a snow filled mountainous wonderland. The feature that sets apart Alto’s Adventure is the art design, although the shapes used are simple, the colour palette provides and eye catching yet calming gameplay experience.
James Kellett
I first picked up this pixel platformer during 2020’s COVID lockdown, and was completely blown away by the end of my first playthrough. You take control of Madeline, a young woman coping with anxiety and depression who sets out to climb a mountain in an attempt to overcome her problems. Her journey is broken up into seven chapters, each with their own unique environment and gimmicks that put your precise-platforming skills to the test. The game’s controls are incredibly simple – giving you only a jump, dash and climb – but its levels manage to squeeze every bit of potential out of it, pushing you to your absolute limit with increasingly hard puzzles to solve and chasms to clear. Lena Raine’s sweeping soundtrack acts as the ice-cream scoop on top of this sweet strawberry pie, masterfully mixing pianos and synthesisers to match the mood of every second of your journey.
Adam Lovegrove
