video games | The Hanslick Girls

October 28, 2019

The Coming Void: Infinite Fall’s “Night In The Woods”

Author’s Note: this review of Night In The Woods discusses allegations of assault made against one of its creators. These allegations broke after my first two playthroughs of the game were concluded, and the emotional impact of the game already established. I considered whether to cut the review entirely, not wanting to promote the work of this developer. After careful deliberation, and in light of the accused being immediately fired from Infinite Fall, I have decided to move forward in reviewing Night In The Woods, in support of the other team members of Infinite Fall, whose work on this excellent game should not be allowed to be brought down by another person’s actions.

Dania lay on the couch in her apartment.

I need to delete Twitter, she thought to herself. She knew she wouldn’t.

July 8, 2019

Bespectacled Fighter: Sarah Graley’s “Glitch”

“I suppose I shouldn’t have left the book out without expecting that one of you would pick it up,” Eleanor said.

“I mean, obviously,” Dania agreed. She held the book out, showing off the bright design on the cover. “You think I’m going to stay away from the book with the badass lady with the fire hair on the front?”

Eleanor sat down, with a chuckle. “I guess not.”

September 24, 2018

Breadth Of The Wild: Roberta Williams’ “King’s Quest” (1983)

“So press enter.”

The screen flashed to reveal a lush green meadow, with a castle peeking out from one side. In the moat below, a pair of alligators gnashed their teeth. And in the middle of the screen, standing static, was a character: blue pants, red shirt, and bright yellow skin.

“So that’s you,” Eleanor said.

“I gathered.”

November 6, 2017

Drawn To Fightin’: Studio MDHR’s “Cuphead”

Meet the Hanslick Girls: Gwen, Eleanor and Dania. Created by writer Zach Barr, they are a trio of friends who are always out experiencing the best of entertainment. Be it plays, films, concerts, exhibits, or games, they’ve learned that the arts are best when experienced together. They may not have the same opinions, but their conversations tend to make for an entertaining read. Recently, the discussion centers on “Cuphead,” a video game by the Moldenhauer Brothers that evokes the spirit of the Fleischer Brothers . Let’s listen in on their conversation…

Gwen worked silently in her room, making notes in a script as she parsed through the pages. Lying on her bed in the silent day, she was struck by what appeared to be a muffled cry of grief from outside the window. She stopped, sat up, and waited for the noise to repeat itself. But nothing came.

“Hello?” Gwen put the script down, and peered out her window towards the street. Nothing seemed amiss – in fact, no one who could have emitted the cry was in sight. Gwen was just sitting back down on the bed when – perfect timing, she thought – the cry happened again. Longer, more indistinguishable words this time.

Tag / video games