What we played: Shifting perceptions, persevering, and making the familiar become new

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August 2, 2024

Hello! Welcome back to our regular column where we write a little about some of the games we've been playing in the past few days. This week, we're working on achieving better times in a game, which we hope will come; changing our perception of a game after talking to the people who made it; and finding the familiar in a game that also manages to feel completely new.

What did you play?

You can find old editions of this column in our What We've Been Playing archive.

Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, PS5

It's the 14th Final Fantasy! How many more Final Fantasy can there be? Watch on YouTube

Let me be clear: I just finished saving the world, having traveled across the universe to prevent the monstrous effects of depression, while resolving age-old conflicts and facing death and despair and so much more. I am the damn Warrior of Light, and now I am on vacation helping a cat lady on a Pokémon mission to become the best Dawnservant ever? A job that involves checking notes, trading items to tame an alpaca, and leading a harvest festival. Sure. OK.

Final Fantasy 14's new expansion Dawntrail doesn't make a great first impression (aside from the graphical update). Now I understand why many players were critical at launch. The plot is shallow, the characterization is cartoonish, and there's a distinct lack of drama in its weak conflict. But you know what? I don't mind.

I know there's better to come. This is partly due to the encouraging reviews and details shared at Fan Fest events leading up to the release, but also because I've been conditioned to believe that the game would eventually improve. A Realm Reborn was slow; I was always told “it'll get better once you get to [blank]”, and so it was. Dawntrail seems to be doing the same thing. I have every confidence that the second half will pick up the pace and offer deeper character development and a more meaningful reason to embark on this adventure, as well as making the most of my monthly Square Enix fee (the subscription). So I’m moving on.

At least I'm already having a blast as Pictomancer. There's a lot of fighting in the jungle, but I just sit there painting pictures and wiping the floor with the enemies there. It's a joy.

-And

Baldur's Gate 3, PC

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My playthrough of Dark Urge is almost over, and inspired by that, I recently spoke with the creators of the game. I’m working on that piece now, so don’t worry, you didn’t miss it; the reason I mention it is because in talking to those people, I’ve gained a whole new appreciation for the game.

The people I spoke to were Larian's writing director, Adam Smith, who used to write Rock Paper Shotgun, I'll let you know, and Beaudelaire Welch, who no longer works at Larian but oversaw the game's storylines and romances. Welch also wrote Dark Urge himself.

I felt a little awkward talking to them, oddly enough, because of how I played Dark Urge. I was a complete idiot during my Let's Get Evil adventure. I tried to do the most reprehensible thing I could every time it was offered. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun doing it, but I felt awkward telling them because I now realize how shallow I was. They showed a level of depth and thoughtfulness that I ruthlessly exploited.

For example, they highlighted the unexpected popularity of Dark Urge’s “resist” playthrough, where you resist the urge to do bad things. When played that way, they said, it’s not an “evil” playthrough at all — it’s something a lot of people mistakenly label as such. In fact, they said, it’s one of the most heroic playthroughs possible. I didn’t know that! And it fascinates me.

I hope you enjoy the piece when you finally see it – it’s not long now.

Now I'm going to act bad again.

-Bertie

Hinterberg Dungeons, Xbox Series

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There is a lot of Zelda in Dungeons of Hinterberg, but also in many other games. And in the alchemy of its composition, I believe, lies much of its magic.

Hinterberg’s daily grind of battling monsters and then building relationships is reminiscent of Persona or Marvel’s underrated Midnight Suns, with a smartly unfolding story that suggests the game’s plot is more complex than you might initially believe.

Its daytime dungeon, meanwhile, owes its variety to sampling games as diverse as Jet Set Radio and Mario Galaxy. It has 25 caves that aren’t caves at all, but in some cases entire regions to explore.

Yet despite its influences, Dungeons of Hinterberg manages to feel like its own thing: an Austrian indie adventure set in Austria, based on the appearance of monsters in the Alps and the thriving tourist trade created to capitalize on them. It’s at once like a lot of things I’ve played before, but also completely new. It’s also now on Game Pass, if you want to check it out.

-Tom

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