Elijah Beahm

Most of the universe’s problems can be solved in a few hours or less. At least, that is, if you’re the star of a video game. The potential to leave everyone smiling while you stand triumphant atop vanquished foes always feels within reach. Unless you’re playing Vampyr. If you’re not vigilant and making constant careful observations, even idle conversation can lead to catastrophic failure in DONTNOD’s latest game.

Far Cry is a diverse series that has varied wildly across its sequels. Far Cry 4 broke this trend by not only being in the same universe as Far Cry 3, but by reusing a majority of the same gameplay ideas.
It’s gone from a semi-linear B-movie action flick to tribal tale of survival, to neon-drenched 80’s cyberpunk and beyond, and none of it directly building off of the game that came before. However, despite the fact that there’s always some new ambitious gameplay idea or storytelling hook, no...

The stories behind Star Wars games are often as exceptional as the sci-fi/fantasy epics themselves. We’ve heard many a tale, yet there’s one game that hasn’t had half as much said about it. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – not the one you know from you Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but an altogether different, remarkable version brought to life with features 7th gen gamers never saw. Today, we’re shining a light on the work of none other than Krome Studios, who took a game that broke ...

This is a reprint of the featured essay from Exploits #5, Unwinnable's magazine dedicated to the culture we love.

Back in the 90’s, Lucas Arts released the groundbreaking 3D action game Star Wars: Dark Forces. It defied expectations in many ways, but one of its longest enduring elements is its iconic enemies: the Dark Troopers, a group of ruthlessly eff...

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus should’ve been the ultimate successor to its surprise hit predecessor, Wolfenstein: The New Order; it’s certainly sold well enough. However, when it comes to nailing the same razor’s edge balance of bleak humor, surrealist pulp sci-fi, and pitch dark terror of a world taken over by Nazis, Wolfenstein II fumbles at its most pivotal moment.

Discussing the compelling religious themes of Mass Effect through the companions Samara, Mordin, and Thane; navigating the highs and lows of each interpretation.

Religion in games is something you rarely see. It’s even stranger to imagine it utilized as a key aspect of any AAA project. You see some indie titles like Moon Hunters, but for something like Rise of the Tomb Raider, a bold Microsoft exclusive sequel to the well received 2013 reboot, to embed religion in itself is remarkable. Praiseworthy. To its credit, Rise gets far more right than most developers have; however, amid dozens of great details, it flubs one of its core aspects – its...

Asobo Studio’s A Plague Tale: Innocence is morbid modern fairytale in the making. Set during the Black Plague, it centers on sister and brother Amicia and Hugo as they evade the Inquisition, the plague, and other treacherous trials. Taking as much inspiration from Thief: The Dark Project as it does Hansel and Gretel, Asobo’s work may be one of the quietest sleeper hits announced at this year’s E3.

Interviewer Elijah Beahm reached out to the development team to hear more about this beak medieval stealth game.

I sit down with the lead writer and developer of Knee Deep, Wes Platt, to discuss how the game came to be, what story beats didn't make the cut, and all sorts of behind the scenes goodness.

Religion is something a lot of games avoid or touch lightly on. Others stomp on it with malice. Yet, Dead Space touches the core of religious life better than anyone could have hoped for.

Knee Deep impresses with its creative storytelling and southern charm.

Upcoming stealth-action title ECHO promises an ambitious director AI that learns from your playstyle and mimics it. I sit down with Ultra Ultra studio head Martin Emborg to discuss his team's upcoming project.

Guns of Boom is a multiplayer shooter in the vein of Valve’s Team Fortress 2. It’s not interested in highbrow, super serious action. If anything, it aspires to the blender utterly mad chaos of a reflex shooter with a dash of creative game design. The result isn’t perfect, but for a mobile multiplayer shooter, it’s not bad. It’s never groundbreaking, but it manages to be fun and engaging.

I sit down with lead developer John Rhee about his upcoming tactical role-playing game Liege, and discuss Liege's distinctive art style, tone, and combat systems.