Zoe Fortier | Page 10 | Phenixx Gaming

What’s With Isolation in Video Games?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Lifeless Planet. When I mention isolation here, to be clear: I’m not talking about single-player versus multiplayer games. That’s an article in and of itself. I’m talking about alienation. Void. Nothing. Long stretches of land, hallways,…

Ary and the Secret of Seasons (PC) Preview

Looking at eXiin’s forthcoming new release, Ary and the Secret of Seasons, feels like stumbling into a three-way marriage between Disney, Studio Ghibli, and the Legend of Zelda franchise. I mean that as a definite positive. My early look at the demo…

Women and Queerness in Horror: The Handmaiden

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Handmaiden, discussions of adult themes, and mentions of abuse, child sexual abuse, suicide, sexual assault and harassment. Having recovered my brain from last week’s need for a mental and emotional break, I have now jumped…

Skully (PC) Review

As some of you may recall, I wrote a preview of Skully, by Finish Line Games, about a month ago. Having been provided with a review code for the full game‘s release, I’ve been giving it a second, more comprehensive look. The first…

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro (PC) Review

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dark Nights with Poe and Munro, mentions of racism, and mentions of biphobia. Recently, my article addressing the well-earned controversy around FMV Future’s announced, then rapidly walked back, Gamer Girl FMV, brought me into the orbit…

An Interesting Journey of Mr. Paf (PC) Review

When An Interesting Journey of Mr. Paf, by Ernestine Games came across my radar, I admit: I sat up straight. Not just because of the cute trailer, or the possibility of puzzle-solving gameplay with no time crunch or enemies to defend myself against.…

Women and Queerness in Horror: Tragedy Girls

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Tragedy Girls. When I sat down to write for this series, this week, I found myself needing a break. Not from writing though; as I’m sure you’ve all gathered by now, I am generally incapable of…

Underhero (PC) Review

Underhero by Paper Castle Games is a 2D side-scrolling game with RPG and platforming elements. You play as a nameless, masked minion to the kind of cartoony overlord boss most video games ask you to defeat. Underhero plays with and bucks familiar ideas…

Women and Queerness in Horror: The Perfection

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Perfection, mentions of sex and violence, mentions of self-harm, and mentions of child sexual abuse and rape. Last week, I talked about the meandering, lesbian-fear-inflected Single White Female. I went into all the ways it…

How Lovecraftian is Apostle (2018), anyway?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Apostle, images of violence and blood, and mentions of racism. Many a horror fan and purveyor of all things cosmic and monster-kind, has reached the point in their fandom life of disavowing H.P. Lovecraft. Not all…