Somewhere in a Clay Nowhere

I played this game while it was being developed and have beaten it a few times now, It's about exploring an alien world and you can expect the gameplay experience to stay very dedicated to that idea. You won't have a map, you won't be able to read any signs, you won't know who the person you're talking to is or what they're saying, you won't know what the item you just picked up is, you won't know why you died when you ate it, etc. There is a lot of thought put into the design of this game and what it does or doesn't tell you. I have played through a few times now and can highly recommend this game after not running into any bugs whatsoever (glitches, expect insect bugs). My advice is just know that this game doesn't directly tell you very much information, so make sure to pay attention when it does!

The Dark Souls of Claylikes™ Sincerely, though - the game captures a similar air of mysterious, lived-in ruins. You are a visitor, in a world with rules and ecology that you're constantly learning about and adapting to. The game isn't horror, though - you're in a hostile land, but it's not looking to scare you (thus far, anyway). Don't trust the snails, though. The translation mechanic is straightforward but fun, especially as you try to narrow down just which words are actually important and which you can infer. (Got to save that Insight 👁‍🗨👁‍🗨). Overall, the explore->find->chat->understand loop works very well. Combat is indirect, mostly through exploiting a creature's movement and momentum, but the frequently-high stakes of dying mean that it's a tense affair. I was reminded of trying to slip past zombies in a Resident Evil hallway. I haven't finished it, and got pretty lost last time, but I know I can follow my compass in a place I don't know the name of yet and probably find some progress! The game is punishing and unforgiving in ways, but also goes out of its way to let you know that in This World, it's safe to fail. Get some rest. Try again tomorrow. So that's just what I'm gonna do! Overall - the game isn't for everyone, but if the trailer looks intriguing, the game has (so far, ~2 hours playtime) delivered on it!

I'm scared of the slugs. 10/10