Curious Arcade

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Exploring Strange and Obscure Corners of the Gaming World...

  1. 18. JAN.

    A Deep Dive into del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025) | Mirrors, Monsters, and Madness

    Exploring the strange world of Frankenstein (2025) through a historical and literary lens. Watch: https://youtu.be/FcLfmJFl4Ds Read: https://curiousarcade.medium.com/a-deep-dive-into-del-toros-frankenstein-2025-mirrors-monsters-and-madness-ab48e2b4266a What’s up with the giant Medusa head? Why does Mia Goth play both Victor’s mother and his love interest? And what’s with all the red? These are just some of the questions pondered in this half-hour episode on Frankenstein (2025). In addition, we explore how the director reshapes Mary Shelley’s tale with reference to both the 1818 and 1831 texts. For fans of the macabre, we also trace how real-life galvanic experiments inspired the visuals of Victor’s public demonstration. Other topics include the strange patterns on Elizabeth’s dresses, the director’s obsession with circles, the striking Christ-like imagery, and all those ornate mirrors—with another famous monster from Gothic fiction making a last-minute guest appearance. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Intro 0:48 The Far North 1:48 Superhuman Abilities 3:36 Life Eternal 4:52 Circles 5:36 Victor’s Mother 7:38 William 8:30 Victor’s Father 10:10 Guardian Angel 12:08 Anatomical Theatre 12:45 Galvanism 16:38 Promethean Men 18:47 Evelyn Tables 20:05 John Hunter 20:56 Elizabeth 22:43 Bodies 23:43 Medusa 24:28 Lightning 25:54 Jesus 27:03 Cycle of Abuse 28:28 Mirrors & Reflections 31:31 Outro #Frankenstein #GuillermoDelToro #FilmAnalysis

    32 Min.

  2. 09.11.2025

    Late night at the IMAX with del Toro’s Frankenstein – Quick Review

    A quick review of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein after a late-night screening at the BFI IMAX. From thunderous sound design to raw emotion, this films feels alive in every sense. Here’s what it was like to witness del Toro’s vision on the biggest screen possible. #Frankenstein #DelToro #IMAX #Review

    5 Min.

  3. 04.04.2025

    Split Fiction Review: A Game of Two Halves

    Exploring the two halves of Hazelight’s fantasy/sci-fi extravaganza. Watch: https://youtu.be/uzci8DLCZqU Read: https://medium.com/@curiousarcade/split-fiction-review-a-game-of-two-halves-7c666179ddae ‘Whenever I hear Josef Fares introduce one of his games I’m reminded of a wacky substitute teacher, the kind who throws out the textbooks, replaces them with bongos, and five minutes later the classroom looks like a scene from King Kong. In interviews he is always banging his drum about ‘passion’. He’s passionate about what he does, and he hopes that players will feel that same passion in his games. ‘Passion’ is one of those words that children love to use and teachers hate to see used. But Fares doesn’t care about the rules, and he is not afraid of using a well-worn cliché. Like its director, Split Fiction is wild and energetic, fond of using familiar phrases as much as it is of shaking things up. At its heart is a simple child-like desire to excite, delight, and surprise.’ Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:49 Story 1:54 Levels 2:44 Co-op 3:23 Gameplay 5:48 Writing 8:52 Conclusion 9:40 Weird Moments #SplitFiction #gaming #review

    11 Min.

  4. 07.03.2025

    Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

    Exploring the good, the bad, and the ugly in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Watch: https://youtu.be/_Zz-wiSBzcE Read: https://medium.com/@curiousarcade/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-review-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-8ce25c8efb88 'The Great Circle is an action-adventure game with the emphasis on adventure. It's immersive, and exciting, but not always that exciting. You'll be doing more shooting with your camera than with your gun, and you'll be plumbing just as many pipes as you will be tombs and temples. A great amount of care and attention and snakes has gone into making it feel like a classic Indy adventure. And while it largely succeeds in this mission there are some noticeable flaws in the machinery. These range from strange glitches to curious behaviours to a stalled side quest. And yet The Great Circle still forms an undeniably impressive whole. This is an immersive, sometimes exciting, adventure game, presented in a lush cinematic package. Look past the occasional shoddiness and there is an awful lot to like here.' CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:48 The Good 20:10 The Bad 30:56 The Ugly 32:23 Conclusion #indianajonesandthegreatcircle #review #adventuregames

    34 Min.

  5. 15.03.2024

    The Disneyland-Inspired Design of Psychonauts 2: Dark Rides, Hidden Spirals & Magic Bottles

    Exploring the influence of Walt Disney on the theme-park-like world of Psychonauts 2. This one begins with a throwaway line from Lili that casually reveals the design philosophy of Psychonauts as a whole. To truly get it, we need to go back to the days that Tim Schafer, the writer of Psychonauts, worked for Ron Gilbert on the Monkey Island games. When creating the first Psychonauts game, Schafer clearly had Disney, and Monkey Island, in mind.  What follows is a rundown of the key design principles behind Disneyland and Psychonauts 2. Hubs, secrets, false fronts, textures, magical transitions, and wienies are the hot topics. If that last one confuses you, just know it has something to do with Walt Disney’s dog. Or if you’d rather not hear such tales, you can skip to the last chapter ‘Recap’ for a two-minute crash-course summary. Besides Disney, this video also touches on the level design of pioneering shooter Doom, the concept of the Potemkin village, and the swish spy headquarters of sixties spy series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. While the ideas of Disney have helped shape the world, these pop-culture influences have lent it much colour. CHAPTERS  0:00 “a theme park after hours” 1:11 Hubs 2:32 Secrets Within Secrets 4:21 Wienies 5:40 False Fronts 6:21 Murals 7:20 Textures 8:52 Seamless Transitions 11:36 Recap #Psychonauts2 #Disneyland #Design

    12 Min.
  6. An A to Z Lore Guide to Lies of P - Oz, Paracelsus, Pinocchio & more

    23.02.2024

    An A to Z Lore Guide to Lies of P - Oz, Paracelsus, Pinocchio & more

    Exploring the strange and arcane lore of Lies of P, starting with the word ‘apple’.   With alchemy at its heart, this video covers a multitude of topics, including the devil, Paracelsus, the wonderful world of Oz, Gnosticism, the Bible, Greek myths, greed, ancient meteorite worship, Blade Runner, and Pinocchio (of course).  Beginning with the word ‘apple’, this video rollercoasters across a range of alchemical-related topics. Watch the video from start to finish or skip to the desired chapter if you prefer a quick snack. Below, I’ll list a few points of interest. The Pinocchio chapter lists (almost) all Pinocchio-related references in the game. The Monad chapter lists the allusions to real-life alchemical figures, and includes a brief summary of Gnosticism. The Oz chapter discusses the colourful landscapes, magical items, and grisly monsters we can come to expect in the sequels to Lies of P. The Paracelsus chapter examines the similarities between the game’s Paracelsus and the historical and mythical Paracelsus. The God chapter dissects the god who was torn apart, in relation to the Greek notion of sparagmos, the alchemical process of solve et coagula, and ancient gods such as Dionysus and Osiris. The Ergo chapter touches on a very likely inspiration for the name. The Devil chapter looks at the myth of Faust, made reference to in the game through the painting of Pinocchio, and villains such as Victor and Simon Manus. Enjoy the ride. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:21 Apple 1:48 Blue 3:09 Covenant 4:26 Cure 5:39 Curse 6:46 Devil 11:47 Ergo 14:06 Father 15:27 God 20:21 Human 22:03 Immortality 25:29 Jesus 28:08 Knight 29:18 Legendary 30:17 Light 31:38 Metals 33:19 Monad 35:26 Night 36:26 Oz 41:28 Paracelsus 42:56 Pinocchio 44:57 Quest 45:54 Reincarnation 46:27 Simon 48:34 Sophia 50:32 Trinity 51:56 Uroboros 53:50 World 55:36 XYZ #LiesofP #Pinocchio #lore

    57 Min.

  7. 26.10.2023

    My Honest Thoughts on Lies of P

    My honest thoughts on Lies of P, in relation to goats, mountains, and Italian aperitifs. After completing Lies of P, at long last, I started to question whether I actually enjoyed doing so. A complete novice to the Soulslike genre, I muddled through the boss fights, mostly with the help of explosive throwables and bait in the form of a battle Specter. Still I thought I was enjoying the game. Until the final chapter. This is a meaty experience. Upon reaching chapter 6 of 11, I was surprised to see I had been playing for over 20 hours. It’s difficult to complain that this game isn’t long enough. But whether it is too long is another matter. For newcomers, I gathered that this is a game best played in short bursts. A desire to blitz through it will only lead to heartbreak, and possible brain-break. It’s something you take your time with, like a tall glass of wine. Try to take too much in one go and you may feel like a bridge has fallen on your head. Which is appropriate because this game has you falling through plenty of them. In fact, if you come across any surface made of wood, it’s well worth analysing with a suspicious eye. Or, if you’re too lazy for that, just goad one of your puppet friends into stepping on it first. Central to this discussion is the question: Is this game fun? Putting aside the frustrations, there is much to enjoy, whether it’s the moreish puppet-farming feedback loop, the motive, and emotive, sound design, or the brilliantly animated character designs. The music is pretty nice too, as are those mysterious belle-époque vistas. Lies of P offers pleasures aplenty. But after scraping through three bosses in a row, you aren’t really thinking that. You are just trying to get your brain back in gear and your heart rate down to a steady ticking. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Intro 0:53 Level Design 2:41 Gameplay 5:06 Difficulty 8:26 Enemy Design 9:37 Story 12:15 Conclusion #LiesofP #honest #review

    14 Min.

  8. 29.09.2023

    The Vale: Shadow of the Crown Review – An Audio-Based Action Adventure Game

    Exploring the world of immersive audio gaming with The Vale: Shadow of the Crown. The Vale places you in the shoes of blind princess Alex. Your father is dead. Your brother has been crowned the new king. Meanwhile, you are being whisked away to a small keep in the Borderlands, on the outskirts of the kingdom. That is until your caravan is attacked by an invading army. From there you find yourself alone. But not for long. This is a heroine’s journey, set in a medieval fantasy realm brimming with colourful places and characters. Except the colours are left largely to your imagination. Similarly to the blind swordsman Zatoichi, you must heighten your sense of hearing in order to successfully navigate the realm. This one is full of vicious animals, monsters, and tribal warriors. Being able to pinpoint the position of your enemy is vital for combat. The creaking of armour, the snarling of a wolf, the grunting of a soldier. The sound of feet shuffling around you in a quarter-circle. You must listen before you act, whether it be with words, a shield, or a sword. What makes The Vale special is not so much the individual elements as the manner in which they are presented. A routine rat-hunting mission gains a new dimension in the world of audio-based gaming. Skulking across a squelchy cellar floor, you must listen out for the sound of squeaking and gnawing to locate each individual rat, before striking out in their direction with a shovel. Traditional role-playing missions gain a new level of intimacy, as you are forced to slow down, and make note of your surroundings, before making a move. At the same time, the immersive audio places you right in the centre of the action. The Vale is built for the visually impaired in mind, but it can be enjoyed by sighted players too. Perhaps the best way to think of it is as an interactive radio play. The voice-acting, sound effects, and music are of the same quality you would expect from a top-tier radio drama. But the binaural audio adds an immersive quality, more so because the audio reacts in real-time to the player’s movements. Which is all to say that playing The Vale for the first time is like experiencing a brand new type of videogame, made up of elements that are at once strange and familiar. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Intro 0:49 Development 1:30 Story 2:29 Gameplay 5:49 World 7:13 Likes 8:05 Dislikes 9:03 Conclusion #TheVale #Audio #Gaming

    10 Min.
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Exploring Strange and Obscure Corners of the Gaming World...

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    Curious Arcade
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    2021 - 2026
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