There are few practical strategies to escape the unpleasant and monotonous reality of everyday living. Emerging into various, almost dream-like realities provides us with the means to fulfill needs and desires that we do not have in real life. Gamers use the phrase escapism to describe their desire to escape the monotony of everyday life. The attractiveness of video games resides in the player’s ability to be and achieve whatever they want without being evaluated, as is often the case in real life. They keep returning to video games in search of that sense of freedom. But ultimately, gaming is all about having fun. Whether you’re climbing a neon pyramid or winning a race, there is no doubt that gaming is entertaining. Here now follows some of the most entertaining games around today.
Norco
Norco stands apart for several reasons: it’s a gorgeous, honest depiction of southern Louisiana, an original and dystopian science-fiction novel, and a stinging indictment of the oil industry’s blight. Moreover, Norco is an interpretation of Norco, Louisiana – the actual town whose name stands for the New Orleans Refining Company, home to Shell’s production complex.
Norco unfolds slowly as the main heroine, Kay, returns to the home she grew up in following the loss of her mother. It’s a magical realism novel with mysterious aspects. Still, it’s also firmly founded in reality – not an easy genre blend to reconcile. The narrative and basic environmental puzzles, combined with a unique mind-map mechanism that functions as a character list and mental journal, contribute to a fast-paced adventure with room to pause and soak in all of the tragic oddity.
Sea of Thieves
I’m continually gushing about Sea of Thieves because nothing else comes close to the experience. Following a big Pirates of the Caribbean update, Sea of Thieves now has the advanced features that fans have been clamoring for, for years. If you haven’t yet played Sea of Thieves, this is a great time to start. Never before have the waters been friendlier or more exhilarating.
Perfect Tides
It’s unusual for a game to be so particular in its characters and storytelling that it feels like it dug deep into your memory to create its story. But that’s precisely what Meredith Gran’s Perfect Tides is. Perfect Tides is a point-and-click coming-of-age adventure about the impermanence of youth that is short enough to play in a weekend and complex enough to stump you for a few minutes—if not a few hours.
The actual lure is its intricate story about growing up online. There is some pretty incredible story beats here, covering issues like abuse, heartbreak, and loneliness. There are a variety of endings based on the problems you solve, and some of them will have you in tears.
Evil Dead: The Game
In this co-op and PvP shooter, you play as Ash Williams and his friends. You play as a four-person team attempting to live by exploring, looting, collecting essential objects to plug the gap between worlds, and managing your terror. It’s a game inspired by all three Evil Dead films and Ash vs. Evil Dead, the TV show.
Weird West
WolfEye Studio, a production studio comprised of Arkane veterans, has moved one of its hallmark, perpetually cursed realms to the American frontier, which comes as no surprise. Bounty hunters, cultists, and the chittering undead are on your tail as you take control of various vengeful characters.
This is a top-down, tactical shootout with a wide-open playing area. Nothing is presumptuous. See that chimney on the bank’s roof you’re attempting to rob? If you can get up there, you might be able to shinny down the hatch and avoid a deadly firefight. Weird West is the ultimate proof of concept for WolfEye’s belief that gamers should be able to interact with the environments they explore.
Apex Legends Mobile
Apex Mobile is a surprisingly enjoyable battle royale game that brings everything Apex Legends does on PC/console to mobile devices in a superior way to the original. While a few things are still being worked on, such as consistent controller compatibility, I wanted to play more, especially after finishing a battle.