The Exciting Journey of Our Recent Adventures

21st February

Hello and welcome back to our regular segment where we discuss a little about some of the video games we have been enjoying this week. This week, Tom O steps away from the Dead Space Remake due to it making his baby gate unsettling, which is an unusual predicament to face; Tom Phillips reconnects with Garrus but in a genuinely different realm; and Jim completes a full circle by revisiting Pillars of Eternity after playing Avowed, and and enjoys the unintentional allusions already present back then.

What have you been playing?

Catch up with previous editions of this column in our What We’ve Been Playing archive.

Avowed, Xbox Series X

It’s not often I engage in a game with my eyes shut – it doesn’t help me perform any better – but I’ve found myself reclining and listening to Avowed at certain points this week. More specifically, to my aqua-colored fish-man companion, Kai.

Kai is voiced by Brendan Keener, who Mass Effect fans will recognize as everyone’s favorite ally, Garrus. Playing Avowed with him as my sidekick genuinely feels like embarking on a new adventure with my home buddy once again. Except that he resembles a fish-man, hence my eyes being closed.

The resemblances aside, they are striking. Kai hails from a much militarized race unlike that of the main character, is introduced early in the game, and seems to desire nothing more than to be your new friend. He might even shoot things and make them explode. Hello, Garrus?

There’s a lot more to appreciate about Avowed, too. It’s stunning, with Unreal Engine 5-generated landscapes and beautifully detailed lush forest clearings. I also adore the game’s introduction to its setting, especially for someone who has never played Pillars of Eternity. While not unique, the way you can look up terminology with helpful lore notes during dialogues is a game-changer, as the game doesn’t condescend by dumbing down its narrative.

Would I be enjoying Avowed as much if I didn’t have Garrus alongside? Probably not. But once again, BioWare’s iconic partner is easing my first steps into a new world as I delve deeper into Eora.

-Tom P

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, PS5

Spoilers in that heading, but I’ve moved on from Dead Space. I believe it’s a solid remaster, but the tension… oh my, the tension! As I’ve mentioned before, even the sounds of doors closing in the game gave me chills, so when I nearly tumbled down my own stairs due to a baby gate unexpectedly slamming shut behind me, I knew it was time to stop. I quit. You win, necromorphs! You nearly made me fear for my life through a mechanism meant to enhance my home’s safety. Sounds like a horror film, that.

Anyway, I’m currently on The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, which was considered one of the monthly PS Plus games a few weeks ago. I’m not sure how I had never played the original game, so I began it thinking memories of playing it would rush back, but no, I genuinely had never played it. What an entertaining little game it is, and a refreshing change from the constant fright of Dead Space. It’s nice to not have to worry about… oh, I’m lying on the pavement, a lady staring down at my lifeless form. Oh well, I’ll move on to something simple and relaxing next. Maybe Pony Island.

-Tom O

Pillars of Eternity, PC

After having a thoroughly enjoyable time with Avowed, for reasons that both Bertie and I have extensively discussed in our latest, um, coverage, I felt a strong urge to return to the beginning of the Pillars of Eternity narrative.

The charm of the realm of Eora is that it’s simply an exhilarating place to explore. Often daunting, filled with intrigue and concealed secrets.