Indie developers have long since perfected the go-to formula for ethereal, coming-of-age narratives. Young, innocent, probably big-headed protagonist? Check. Contrastingly and very deliberately dreary landscape? Check. Highly stylised visuals? Check - and bonus poignancy points for monochrome. Maybe throw in an estranged partner for added effect. Limbo is an over-achiever in this regard, but also easy to lose track of in the wake of Bastion, The Binding of Isaac, Evoland and many, many more (you could even argue ICO). In any case, PlayDead's chromatically challenged tale is an endearing one, a tale of insurmountable challenge, isolation, and maturity. Those three lose their luster after the first attempt. The challenges have been surmounted, the character has matured, and at least one other person entered the otherwise empty room. Next big-headed protagonist, please.
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
