“For all the massive growth the gaming industry has seen over the past few decades (with thousands upon thousands of titles released into the wilds), it’s surprising to see that so many games still cling to such Neanderthal objectives. Run. Jump. Shoot. Kill. Annihilate. Thinking far outside of the box, the folks at indie studio thatgamecompany set out to break away from the status quo of violence, and instead focus on crafting gaming experiences revolving around emotion and expression. In doing so, they’ve found success while also blurring the boundaries between games and art.”
Check out the full column here at GameSpy.
“Whether you’re well-versed in cyberpunk lore or not, it’s a little unnerving when a total stranger you’ve just walked up to bluntly insists you jack-in to his eyeball. It’s even weirder when you oblige by opening up your trusty computerized briefcase that’s curiously named “Catherine” and proceed to jab a plug into the guy’s cornea. Then again, those who’ve grown accustomed to Suda51’s recent work (Killer 7 and No More Heroes) might not find such an unusual request so alarming. Delving further and further into the updated DS remake of one of his earlier, Japan-only PS2 releases, Flower, Sun, and Rain, reveals the designer’s knack for crafting progressively complex layers of strangeness to propel the adventure onward runs amazingly deep.”
Nathan Meunier - Freelance Writer / Author / Indie Game Developer 