Pretty, Little, Pixels (May 2024)
my independent games coverage. the video games I'm playing. maybe even your next favorite game?
Hey, welcome to PRETTY, LITTLE, PIXELS - my “as often as my work as a full-time, freelance writer schedule allows” games coverage,
My independent games coverage newsletter,
for the stuff that doesn’t make it into my bylines.
El Paso, Elsewhere/Strange Scaffold
Independent words on the games I’m playing, and my quick and mostly concise thoughts, so you can know what games to add to your list, for a rainy day, or maybe even your next video game — in around one thousand words or less, so it’s easy to digest.
Quick plug too (a girl’s gotta eat): if you’re looking for someone with experience in mock reviews, copy editing/writing, PR work, or anything in between, contact me at juno.stump@gmail.com.
A link to my portfolio, with my published words, if you’d like to read more from me.
You can tip me a few bucks on Venmo (@junostump) if you want to support me too.
GAMES COVERAGE
Rental/Lonely House (2024)
(*= code received from PR/Publisher)
I am playing a lot of things for work and leisure right now but these are the games I am prepared to talk about right now. Maybe one of these titles will be the next game that helps you lose track of time.
The best games always do.
GAMES I LOVE
Balatro
I had never played a hand of Poker until Balatro released and it’s currently on target to be one of my favorite games of 2024.
Balatro is a lot like Poker.
You can also play up to five cards in a trick, get excited when you play a Straight Flush, and win in “Regular, Boring Poker” too, but only Balatro has a seemingly endless amount of Jokers, with unique effects that can change everything about the cards — and the rules — on the table.
Balatro/LocalThunk (2024)
Balatro can get difficult, but the difficulty curve is forgiving, starting with easier rounds, variables, and required point totals to contend with, before escalating at a satisfying increase.
I will be talking about Balatro all year, including in the next issue of Pretty, Little, Pixels. I’ve pitched a few of my bylines but most of my editors see Balatro as a niche, indie title, so it’s unlikely that you’ll see words on Balatro from me at any of my bylines, but we’ll see, maybe!
Balatro absolutely has me gripped in its haunted, magic, computer claws, and I hope it never lets go.
Balatro is available on Steam for $14.99.
Rental
Rental is so ominous and spooky. I love it so much.
The art style is very reminiscent of Animal Crossing, the first title in the series, released for the Nintendo GameCube in the early 2000’s. This fuzzy and initially comforting art style is intentionally subverted with horror, and it all works really well.
Rental/Lonely House (2024)
I haven’t finished playing Rental yet, but I really like it. I don’t know what finishing this game looks like, if it has different endings, and I have so many other questions that I’m excited to answer for myself, as I keep playing. I want more weird stuff like this. I love this. I’m very excited to keep playing Rental and will have more words on it in a future issue of Pretty, Little, Pixels.
Rental is available for FREE on Steam, but you can purchase a Supporter Zine for $2.99 to “learn more about the mysterious world” in a 17-page fanzine.
Potions: A Curious Tale*
I spoke with Renee Gittins, the creator and developer of Potions: A Curious Tale, for Polygon, to learn about her journey in learning solo game development and how she developed Potions.
I don’t always get to play every game I want to play, since I have to prioritize games I play for work first, so it was really nice having an excuse to play Potions too. I really like this game and think you should give it a look.
Potions: A Curious Tale/Stumbling Cat
Potions: A Curious Tale is available on Steam for $19.99. There are future plans for console ports of the game as well.
El Paso, Elsewhere*
El Paso, Elsewhere (link to trailer) is my favorite video game from 2023. It was the most unique, different, and exciting game I have played in years.
El Paso, Elsewhere features graphics that feel like the perfect amalgamation between PS2-era graphics and our memories of what that era of 3D games looked like, (think Shovel Knight, except with Max Payne) in combination with the shooting, style, and grace of The Matrix films.
The soundtrack is an original hip-hop soundtrack and clicks perfectly into the moment-to-moment rhythm of gameplay, adjusting the energy and action with the player’s current actions.
El Paso is filled with high stakes, as players chase after a woman you once loved, through a story that tackles intense and deep topics, including what it means to move on from a relationship — without any pieces of yourself.
It’s honestly so fucking perfect — you have to play it.
I cannot wait for the movie adaptation either.
El Paso, Elsewhere is available on Steam for $19.99. The game is also available for Xbox Series X|S for the same price.
GAMES THAT AREN’T FOR ME, BUT MIGHT BE FOR YOU
Helldivers II
Helldivers II (link to trailer) is a great game that I really want to like, but there are just too many things diving in the way of my personal enjoyment. Like the other players.
Helldivers II is a multiplayer PVE (Player versus Everyone) title, where players in squads work together to destroy enemies while keeping the galaxy safe and secure. It’s a satirical take on imperialism, much like Starship Troopers, but gamified so you can laugh at colonialism while also participating in it with your friends.
Helldivers is mostly successful in how it handles the satirical tone; my issues are with the gameplay, or rather, how it plays out with the other players.
Missions require teamwork and take time, so it’s really frustrating when squad mates sabotage a mission, intentionally, right at the end, after you just spent twenty minutes biting your lip and blasting enemies together. I’ve had this happen several times. So many times!
Some good community moderation could fix these problems but for now, only time will tell. In the meantime, approach this game with a group of friends with similar schedules.
If you and a few friends can line up your schedules, Helldivers II could definitely be the next game that you and your friend group are looking for, but currently the community is the biggest threat to the game’s long-term survival. Which I guess is kind of poetic for a game about imperialism??
Helldivers II is available on Steam for $39.99. The game is also available on PlayStation 5 for $19.99.