Fans of the site know I love a game that can absolutely break me down — whatever that says about me. And this year’s PAX West was surprisingly full of to-die-for titles. No matter how often I met my maker in these games, however, I couldn’t wait to respawn for more punishment with victory floating at my fingertips.
OMUT
If, like me, you hadn’t heard about this game before the show, this is your warning to keep an eye on it. I sincerely suspect the game will make top 10 lists across the industry whenever it releases — if anyone is able to finish it. OMUT (previously Alder Choke) is capital “C” challenging, but it’s alluring and repulsive vibes kept me ensnared. It’s inky in both looks and narrative, with fuzzy, bloomy tableaus whirling by as I walk its narrowly lit landscapes. I can’t look away.
I don’t expect to understand more about my surroundings even after the full release. However, I can tell you one thing for certain: its gameplay is sharp and crystal clear. Some time into my trip through this hellish wonderland, I obtain a gun from a sinister figure claiming to be nobility. With this implement, I confront several bosses. One I have to keep from dropping to the floor to avoid instant death. The next, a corpulent juggernaut, requires me to dash out of danger. After all this excitement, I stop off at a local merchant to purchase an adorable mushroom hat because why not?
Croak
It’s not lost on me that, besides being the noise a frog makes, croak is also a euphemism for dying. Don’t be intimidated, though. Of all the games that made this top three list, Croak was easily the most friendly. The precision platformer offers a tangle of murderous levels, but each is conquerable with a mixture of planning and skill.
Of course, the title’s first attraction is its utterly gorgeous, hand-drawn aesthetic. The look reflects its personality, being a cheeky game centered around a once-arrogant prince transformed into amphibious form. As a frog, my traversal tools are limited to hoopping and grappling cliff faces with my tongue. I can briefly stick to surfaces with my fly-catching appendage. And whether I quickly rebound or shoot across the map like a pinball depends on how long I press the corresponding button. The boss at the end of my experience, a beaver on a bicycle, is ruthless and pushes me to my limits.
Love Eternal
Publisher Ysbryd is low key on fire with its distinct and staggering portfolio. So, when the team reached out to invite me to play Love Eternal’s first-ever demo, I couldn’t resist. After walking away from the world-shifting platformer, I’m convinced 2025 will bring the group all the accolades it deserves.
Brilliantly, Love Eternal begins mandanely. Teenager Maya is called from her room down to a family dinner. Though, not even this domestic scene is wholly without tension as the fourteen-year-old verbally struggles with her parents. Developer Toby Alden, when I asked about this section of the narrative explained a core theme centers on exploring difficult feelings of childhood. “I never understood nostalgia for childhood,” says Alden, pointing out the inherent lack of autonomy. The game’s built-in tension breaks open when I blink and find my home a bombed-out shell.
Leaving no time to wrap my head around the scene, I’m pushed through a series of passageways which I can only get through by flipping my world upside-down. Learning to recalibrate my movement and options while gravity breaks all its own laws is made even more difficult with deadly spikes, lasers, bottomless pits, and jarring breaks back into once-familiar reality.
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