Far Away From Home
A Village and a Forgotten Land
It feels like we are in the come down after weeks of game fests and press conferences. Outside of the decade-long wait for the return of college football, which has been garnering praise as far as I can tell, things have been light on the news front, so let’s jump right into what I’ve been playing this week.
Resident Evil 4 | Leaving Your Village
A couple months ago I started the remake of Resident Evil 4 and gave my very early impressions of my experience. I’ve been taking it slowly, mainly playing at night when the mood is right, and chipping away at it in-between other games. I’m about halfway through the game now and happy to report that it continues to hold up as an excellent example of how to remake a game.
It maintains the balance of levity, action, and horror that the original was so good at. If anything, the moment-to-moment gameplay is more terrifying thanks to the increased production values. I typically play with headphones on, so my partner isn’t forced to hear shots and shrieks, which amplifies the intensity of every situation. I find myself in a constant forward-leaning state in my chair, slowly creeping closer and closer to the monitor as a combat sequence goes on, and letting out actual sighs of relief when I’ve gotten through a particular situation. I can’t recall if this is actually how intense the game was back in 2005, but it’s how I remember it and that’s exactly what I wanted this version of the game to replicate.
I’m now in the early stages of the game’s second area, and I’ve realized that a majority of the moments that I had remembered from my playthroughs back in the day occurred in the first act. Now there are still a couple sequences I’m anticipating in the back half of the story, but the game is going to have to rely less on my nostalgia going forward. All indications are in its favor though as I’ve yet to experience anything that I could nitpick up to this point, and at this rate I doubt it’s going to fumble the bag in the remainder of the game.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land | A Pit Stop
Resident Evil has been great and all, but I also wanted to find a soothing salve to offset the amount of menace in my week - insert Kirby and the Forgotten Land. The game starts with Kirby and his fellow Dream Land citizens, the Waddle Dees, having been sucked into a vortex and transported to an abandoned civilization. The Waddle Dees are quickly captured, and it’s up to Kirby, now with the ability to stretch over and take control of large objects, to save them.
I’m still in the opening hours, but so far this is a fairly straightforward and adorable 3D platformer. The worlds have been vibrant with equally colorful foes throughout, and everything is just so huggable. I’m constantly won over by the charm and silliness of the experience - watching Kirby consume an entire vending machine to then shoot out soda cans at enemies is endlessly smile inducing. Despite the pink puffball being my main in Smash I’m not too familiar with the character or how his games usually work, so this “simple and cute” design might be par for the course.
However, I do know that this is the first 3D platform game in the main line series, and when grading it on that curve it’s a solid entry so far. I say this without any ounce of snark or degradation: this feels like Mario Odyssey-lite! I haven’t come close to a real challenge yet, but that doesn’t feel like the point of the game. I saw that this won “Best Family Game” at the 2022 Game Awards, and that feels right. I don’t have children, but if I were to introduce them to a game or even my non-gaming family members this is the right kind of entry point. It’s a full-bodied experience with multiple objectives per well-constructed stage, unique abilities to test out your preferred playstyle, and a small dose of challenge to find your footing.
I may not be the target audience for Kirby and the Forgotten Land - at least in its opening moments - but I’m still getting plenty of enjoyment out of my casual experience.