Finding Paradise (2017)
Released in December 2017, Finding Paradise follows the memories of a dying patient with the aim of fulfilling their final wish. It acts as a connective link between two earlier adventure games by the same creator, To the Moon and A Bird Story. Designer Kan Gao has found his own way of telling stories. His games combine a simple but mechanically distinctive adventure framework with cinematic storytelling. They are small in scale and modest in appearance, yet a sensitive heart beats within them. They are like revealed secrets, or stories that usually remain hidden beneath the noise and bustle of the world. You have to stop and listen.
Always Sometimes Monsters (2014)
I made two indie discoveries in this summer’s GOG.com sale. They had never ended up on my radar before — perhaps because of their modest visibility, perhaps because of my own selective gaze. Both have nevertheless gathered a dedicated fanbase over the years, and I have to say that Always Sometimes Monsters from 2014 won me over as well. Beneath its naïvely cute exterior lies surprisingly serious thematic depth.