Samantha Lienhard
This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.
Writing For
MonsterVine
KeenGamerLatest Reviews
Unfortunately, the resolution doesn’t quite hold up to the rest. I won’t spoil what happens, but after a few hours of a good, intriguing story, the ultimate explanation includes a final twist that just feels unpleasant. Some players will probably enjoy the ending for what it is, and a few...
Overall, while Those Who Remain has a few frustrating aspects and relies a bit too much on conveniently teleporting the protagonist to the next place he needs to be, it’s a solid horror game. The story was dark, the monsters were scary, and I enjoyed my time in Dormont from...
This is a key theme in Wintermoor Tactics Club. It soon becomes clear that something dark is stirring at Wintermoor Academy, but even as the stakes rise and the Tactics Club begins investigating a sinister mystery at the core of the tournament, the true focus is always about friendship and...
The Shattering
If you’ve played this sort of game before, you’ll probably predict a few revelations early on, but some of the specific details took me by surprise. Still, it follows some predictable beats across the 3-4 hours of gameplay. Overall, I felt more impressed by its storytelling style than the story...
It’s also important to keep in mind that Half Past Fate is very much a slice-of-life story. It’s a romantic comedy that has several humorous moments and entertaining dialogue, but it is first and foremost a story about these people’s lives. There’s no huge crisis or major conflict–just six people...
Since picross is the bulk of the gameplay, your picross talents will play a major factor in how long the game takes. The story is split across four relatively short cases, but you’ll be solving picross puzzles every step of the way. I love mystery games, so I had high...
Even when I didn’t understand the storytelling, however, I still appreciated it. LUNA The Shadow Dust is a beautiful game. The music is excellent and the cutscenes are gorgeous, and I felt the bond between the two characters primarily because of how well the cinematics conveyed their emotions. Many of...
Moons of Madness
I went into Moons of Madness hoping for a Lovecraftian story, and it delivered. It has that Lovecraft-inspired tone through and through, so if cosmic horror is your thing, you should be pleased with the way Moons of Madness develops. A few parts of the story feel a little disconnected...
Deliver Us the Moon
Exploring an abandoned station while piecing together events from the past to learn what happened to the people there is hardly an original concept, but Deliver Us The Moon does an excellent job with it. Aside from a couple of tedious gameplay sections near the end, I enjoyed all 7...
Blair Witch
Really, though you’ll spend most of your time walking through the forest. Storytelling and psychological horror are the central features of Blair Witch because while this might be a story about the Black Hills Forest, it’s really a story about Ellis. Sometimes he suffers flashbacks, and his past trauma gradually...
Layers of Fear 2
I enjoyed the snippets of dialogue from the past and I loved my growing unease as the pieces started to come together, but the ending just left me underwhelmed. Layers of Fear 2 might have fixed the biggest criticism I had of the original, but it ended up less compelling...
Observation
However, if you expect everything to be wrapped up in a tight conclusion like the developer’s previous game, Stories Untold, you’d be wrong. The mystery and anticipation leads to an ambiguous ending that left me with more questions than answers. It was an interesting ending to be sure, but I’d...
