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Tech/Games

‘Dying Light’: Review

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By: Amir Salaad

WARNING: This review talks about some major story parts and characters from the game and contains spoilers.

‘Dying Light’ is one of the best horror/zombie survival games I have ever played. The game was made by Techland and first released in January of 2015. Even though the game is over a decade old it still feels fun and exciting compared to other games that have been released recently.

The main way to get around the game movement wise is parkour although, you can unlock a grapple hook later on in the story. Dying Light mixes parkour, fighting, survival, and horror together in a really nice way. It keeps you interested, basically glued to the game the entire time you’re playing. Well, at least for me.

The setting of Dying Light takes place in a city called Harran after a zombie outbreak happens. You, the main character, play as a man named Kyle Crane. He works for the GRE as an agent and gets sent into the city to track down a colonel gone rogue named Suleiman who stole a file very important to the GRE. But the life he sees in front of him changes him and he starts to go against the GRE because they planned to weaponize the Harran virus and bomb the city once their intentions were revealed to the world.

The main campaign of this game is emotional, serious, and captivating at times. There are many characters Crane meets in the game, but my favorite character is Jade Aldemir. Jade is smart, brave, and very strong. She helps Crane with many things in the story and always tries to look out for him. That’s why it hurt when she sacrificed herself and gave the antizin to Crane instead of using it on herself near the end of the game.

One of the best things about the game is the movement system. You can run across the roofs of buildings, climb them, jump over walls, and swing around the city if you have the grappler hook. The parkour makes the game feel somewhat real as if you’re actually doing the parkour yourself. Even moving around when you’re not doing missions is fun and thrilling. I think this key part of the game makes it stick out from other games in the same genre.

The combat in this game is also top notch. At the start, your choice of weapons are not good: like pipes and planks. But later in the game, you can collect different things and craft new and better weapons like swords, electric bats, and strong hammers. Fighting zombies can go from almost impossible to really easy depending on your choice of weapons. Some are fast and strong while others are slow and weak. So, you might have to pick the right weapon for each type of zombie.

The scariest part of the game to me is during nighttime. During the day zombies are still dangerous but you’re able to make your way fairly easily enough. But at night, stronger zombies called Volatiles come out. They are faster, stronger, and can kill you in seconds compared to a normal zombie during the day. The game during the day compared to during the night is different. You run through the dark streets that are somewhat lit facing way stronger variants of zombies that chase you down. I like this aspect of the game because it gets your heart racing and induces fear.

The graphics are also really nice in this game even though it’s over a decade old. The detail in the city, how abandoned it feels, Techland really brought it to life. The sound effects are also amazing. Like the zombie growls, the music of the game, and background sounds of the city. All these combined together makes the feeling more intense.

Overall, ‘Dying Light’ is an amazing horror/zombie survival game with thrilling parkour, exciting combat, and a strong and emotionally heavy story that will keep you glued to your seat. Techland did a great job mixing all the action and horror together. Even after all the time the games been out, it is still worth playing to this day.

I would easily give ‘Dying Light’ a 9.1/10. It’s available on PC, Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo.

Tech/Games

‘Dandy’s World’: Twisted Delilah theory

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By: Maple Graham

With the acceleration of content since the Twisted AI update, many are speculating what could be added next into ‘Dandy’s World’. The Toon of the Week events will admittedly take up a lot of the developer’s time, but those will be staggered to make up for other updates. The summer event is also speculated to happen this year, but it hasn’t been confirmed. What’s left is a decent chunk of time developers can use for other things, and fans have been wondering what could possibly be in store.

A fan theory—one that I have come to believe—has been circulating around: an upcoming Lethal variant of Delilah, a fictional co-founder of Gardenview and Dandy’s World. While not confirmed nor denied, there is still a myriad of possible evidence linking this theory to the game which I will be going over from the most to least trivial. If true, this would make her the first enemy in the game to not be a Toon, and the third Lethal.

Firstly, within her portrait, Delilah has ichor stains all over her clothes, and her skin is also mostly covered. She could be possibly hiding parts of herself corrupted by ichor, and therefore masking her symptoms. It is entirely possible that she gained powers from the ichor, making her the most powerful staff member within Gardenview. However, this could just be a byproduct of working extensively with the substance.

Secondly, there are many things around Gardenview that hint at another character lurking within the shadows of the game. There is various graffiti stating “find me” within various areas, and paired with footsteps that resemble a human’s: signifying some sort of hidden character is present; one that isn’t seen through the Toons. One of which is even located within a hidden office of Delilah’s, which can be inferred from past camera footage taken within that room.

The most glaring evidence (and the most obscured) is a hidden room within Shelly’s floor. During a blackout, when the lights go out, a single red light stays on in an adjoining room. It is elevated, almost like a lookout room. There’s no figure visible, but that light in that inaccessible room hints at another presence within the facility that is not yet known, Delilah or otherwise.

A piece of evidence I was going to leave out, but ultimately decided to keep: ‘Dandy’s World’s’ naming convention. Both Lethals in the game, those being Dyle and Dandy himself, both start with the letter “D.” Though this may seem like an excessive stretch at first, they are the only Toons that have this trait. This could be mirrored onto Delilah, however Devan, Dandy’s toon handler, seems to nullify this argument. Additionally, Delilah’s last name, Keen, is oddly parallel to the attention span mechanic within the game, but this could just be another coincidence.

Tech/Games

New York Times Games

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By: Charlotte Aver

Wordle has been around since COVID when Josh Wardle created it as a gift to his partner. He was inspired by the Spelling Bee and Crossword by the New York Times. The game grew in popularity throughout the pandemic leading Josh Wardle to sell the game to the New York Times where it could join its inspiration to be played everyday. Wordle is a five letter word guessing game where you have six chances to get the word right, and as you play the game gives you hints as to whether or not you are close. I would rate this game a solid 9/10 because I play it most days and it is a fun way to wake up my brain.

Connections is probably my favorite New York Times game. It was developed for about a year before being released to the public in June of 2023, as time went on it rapidly gained popularity, and in 2025 it had 3 million daily players. It is where you have 16 words and 4 groups of 4 that you have to find. It varies in difficulty level but typically is not too hard if you think through it thoroughly. I would rate this game 10/10.

Spelling Bee is a game where you are given 7 letters to arrange into words all using the center letter. This game takes a long time and a lot of critical thinking to complete. I often start this game and continue going back to it throughout the day. I would rate this game a 7/10.

Sudoku is a previously existing game and needs no introduction, it is just digitized. I personally don’t like sudoku and this game doesn’t show the same creativity as the others so I will give this game a 5/10.

Strands is a very fun game that can be incredibly difficult and is probably only possible to work in the digital form. Strands is a game where you have a bunch of letters laid out in a grid and a theme. You need to find all of the words but the twist is that the words are not in straight lines and they wind around the grid making it harder than a plain word search. I would give this one a 7/10.

Pips is the newest addition to the New York Times’ games and is very fun. Pips is a game where there are dominos and certain spots for the dominos to go, but they have numbers on them to indicate where each domino goes. It takes a bit to understand but once you do it’s incredibly fun. I would rate this game a 8/10.

There are a few more games but you have to subscribe to have access to them so I will not be rating them.

Entertainment

‘Wordle’

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By: Maya Song

Wordle was invented in 2013 by Josh Wardle. ‘Wordle’ was originally named ‘Mr. Bugs’ Wordy Nugz’. The game was inspired by the game ‘Mastermind’s’ color matching mechanics.

Another reason the game was made was because Josh Wardle’s partner was a word game enthusiast. ‘Wordle’ was bought from Josh Wardle, the software engineer, in January of 2022 for a price “in the low seven figures”, the New York Times said.

In the game ‘Wordle’ you have six tries to guess a five letter word. Throughout the game you will be able to see what letters are correct and incorrect notated by a colored background of the letter. When you put a letter in the right spot the letter’s background turns green. If the letter’s background is yellow it means that the letter is in the word but in an incorrect spot. The grey background means that the letter is not in the word at all.

Science Foundation Ireland says that the best word to start with in ‘Wordle’ is “Tales.” It is said that using this word has a 95% success rate and the game ends with an average of 3.66 rounds. A recommended two word strategy is using the word “Cones” and following it with the word “Trial.” This combination leads to 96% of the target words in ‘Wordle’.

When’ Wordle’s’ public release occurred in October 2021 the daily users went from 90 to approximately 300,000 within two months.

‘Wordle’ will eventually run out of 5 letter words as there are slightly more than 2,300 5 letter words. Tracy from the New York Times says that when this time occurs ‘Wordle’ could recycle words, or start using plural, and past tense words.

Once ‘Wordle’ became popular many other games similar to ‘Wordle’ were made. Games like ‘Absurdle,’ where after each guess the word changes while the hints still work for the new answer. Other games like ‘Sweardle’ for swear words and ‘Weddle’ based off of NFL players.

Tech/Games

JOYSTiCK Reviews Ep. 15 ‘Portal’ – Holes in Logic, Logic in Holes

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By: Daniel Kendle

(This article was written a week prior to the events transpiring in the ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ article. Spoilers are also included).

Hey guys, welcome back to JOYSTiCK Reviews, and by golly-gosh, I sure do love being currently alive and free! It’s such a benign feeling; it’s as if I have… rights. Hope nothing changes within the next few days to possibly reverse my current elation.

Of course, the subsequent step to continue this high is to find a way to break apart reality so that way I don’t have to let my mortal form hold my soul hostage from true joy. Now, normally someone like me, Mr. Whatshisname, should go about this through, say (chuckles), the irreparable-breakdown of known physics or whatever, but unfortunately for still-human me, that’s not possible. So, I suppose I’ll have to compromise through virtual simulation. What am I talking about? Why, it’s the video game ‘Portal.’

‘Portal’ is a game released by Valve in 2007, commonly-cited as among the greatest video games made during the 2000’s. The premise consists of the player character being a testing subject for a fictional Portal Gun, allowing the use of teleportation through orange and blue portals (doy). Through this new tool, the object of the game is to complete 19 levels, each with their own puzzles and hazards to overcome.

In the game, portals work as follows: the player gets up to 2 at a time, an orange and a blue portal. They connect to each other, being shot out of the gun to a nearby wall. Then, the player can walk, jump, or fall through. Momentum is carried through if entered through vertical ascension or descension, allowing for further mobility.

In addition to the Portal Gun, you can also pick up and place certain objects, jump, and press buttons. These combined features open up a plethora of concepts that’ll often make you scratch your head at first, then eventually learn and adapt to. ‘Portal’ is one of those rare games who’s mechanics differ from what the human mind is adjusted to in real life; we don’t have teleportation, and the technology present in the game is entirely fictional as of now. This means that any new player will have to take time figuring out the game’s mechanics, which is quite beautiful.

‘Portal’s’ puzzles are great, and it’s clear the developers at Valve had plenty of ideas while making the game. 19 levels doesn’t sound like a lot (and it isn’t, more on this later), but each has intricacies that require full concentration and dedication to figure out the Portal system as a whole. Heck, mastering moving and portal momentum allows skipping some parts of levels entirely, a great way to reward those who put in the work.

I do think that the penultimate level, among another few, are pretty tedious to complete, but it’s always satisfying to reach the elevator at the end of each. The final level, however, is easily ‘Portal’s’ best. To explain, let’s dive into ‘Portal’s’ story; spoilers ahoy!

The game’s plot is simple: you’re a test subject named Chell who awakens deep inside Aperture Science Laboratory. You’ve been tasked to complete 19 puzzles in order to test out their new Portal Gun, with the promise of cake at the end.

As you complete levels, the omnipotent voice over the loudspeaker becomes more and more deranged, if still playful. You also experience various strange moments throughout your misadventures – a couple of stages feature broken, disheveled holes in the walls leading to behind-the-scenes lab equipment. Bloody writing from past test subjects also appears, stating, “THE CAKE IS A LIE.”

Finally, after finishing level 19 the voice attempts to kill off the player in a room of lava, but you escape and explore the rest of the lab’s interiors. Abandoned, you’re taunted by the voice until escaping, reaching a large room where GLaDOS lives: a self-aware AI who’s been the one over the loudspeaker since the beginning. Angered by your escape, you fight, dismantling her “personality spheres” by throwing them in a fiery vat and killing her.

The game ends with the player outside after an explosion, being dragged away by an unknown robot. Credits roll after the reveal that yes, there was cake indeed, and an ending song sung by GLaDOS plays: “Still Alive”.

‘Portal’s’ story is great, if a tad simple. Simple’s not a bad thing, however – plot beats are memorable and interesting, and the game has a sharp sense of humor; very dry and occasionally dark. GLaDOS has quickly become among my favorite fictional characters, let alone video game antagonists. I highly recommend listening to “Still Alive” on Spotify or whatever, because it’s a very experimental and interesting theme for the story’s villain. There aren’t many spoilers in it, except for the fact that the game’s antagonist survives (shocker, I know).

‘Portal’s’ story and gamplay are awesome, but if there’s 1 big drawback, it’s its length. At around 3 hours, the experience is very short, even with additional external content after the credits end. I’m glad there’s a sequel, but the first game’s short time leaves it difficult to enjoy replaying; with its few levels, knowing what to do for each is easy to remember.

Despite this, ‘Portal’ is a fantastic experience, and I completely get the hype for it. For being 18 years old, the package runs well and holds up, even graphically. Hiccups in some puzzles and its runtime lead me to a fitting score of 8/10, which I think is fair.

But that’s that: I’ve been rambling for a while, so I think a nice walk is in order for me! Recently I saw a gingerbread house out in the woods; a visit may be in order for me soon. Until next time my friends, thank you for reading.

Tech/Games

HOW ‘HALF LIFE 2’ FIRST LEVEL MASTERS ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING

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By: Hoaseng Thao

Environmental storytelling is the use of a game’s setting to convey a story to the viewer, and is often used to give the viewer context to the game’s story. Many games can do environmental storytelling very well, but there is one game that in my opinion, does it the best in one level. That game is ‘Half Life 2’.

‘Half Life 2’ was developed by Valve, or Valve Corporation, you may know them for their online gaming platform, “Steam”, or their other games such as, ‘Counter Strike’, ‘Team Fortress 2’, ‘Portal’, ‘Dota’, etc, but ‘Half Life 2’ will always be the game I will always associate them with, but why is that? I like to attribute it to the game’s unique gameplay and storytelling. I will be going into its storytelling, but more specifically, how its first level is the game’s best example of environmental storytelling.

WAKE UP MR. FREEMAN

You, Gordon Freeman, are woken up by the mysterious entity only known as the G-Man. He appears to bring you back from a long slumber following the events of the first ‘Half Life’ game.

The G-Man calls out to you to “Rise and shine”, he begins to compliment your work during the events of the first game, and how such a task led to your resting period, but now is the time that you are needed again.

In between the G-Man’s speech, we see the testing chambers that started the Black Mesa incident in the first game, but we are also given a glimpse into an area that does not resemble any place on earth. The place behaves like a machine, with futuristic pods being transported to an unknown location as the G-Man calls out to you for one last moment.

The G-Man says to you, “The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world”, an eerie line that both references the events of the first game, but also foreshadows what lies ahead of you. So wake up Mr. Freeman, wake up and smell the ashes.

SMELL THE ASHES

You are teleported inside a train, a passenger looks over and sees you saying that he didn’t recall you getting on, but he shrugs it off as if it wasn’t the most out of place thing in the world. Interacting with the other passenger, he says how he can never get used to being relocated, but what does this mean?

If we look at the two passengers, we see them wearing identical clothing, a blue jumpsuit with what appears to be an identification tag on them. The world that we knew back in the first game seems like a utopia compared to what happens in the present, and as the train halts at its stop, a passenger remarks, “Well, end of the line”.

CITY 17

You are brought into a train station, old and grimey. You’re immediately flashed by a robot drone as it scurries away. Walking down you can see an aged man being broadcasted on a large holographic screen, welcoming you with a smile to City 17, calling it the finest remaining urban center while thanking our “benefactors”, whoever they may be. And as the screen cuts out, his smile goes away in an instant.

Exploring the place, you’re greeted by a truly dystopian sight, it appears earth has turned into an authoritarian police state, as an officer harasses a man who simply wants to get his luggage. But the most surprising thing is witnessing an enemy from the first game, the Vortigaunts, be shackled for force labor as it sweeps the trash littered station.

Proceeding through the station, you witness propaganda pieces of the aged man from before, making it seem like he’s the leader of Earth or as it seems. Multiple NPC’s can be interacted with, a lady waits for her husband, recalling how he was detained and was promised he’d be on the next train, or the train after that.

Another warns you to not drink the water, saying it makes you forget as he doesn’t recall coming to the station. One man talks to himself, mumbling how the trains are always full but no one goes in or out, while another tries to bring up the courage to continue walking.

A pair talks about the aged man, his name being Dr. Breen, they talk of him in disdain, however they refer to not talking loudly of it or being arrested for it. As you walk past, and reach a checkpoint, you’re immediately detained by the gas mask wearing police officers, one calling out to you to follow them.

Proceeding with his orders, you witness another man sitting down in a confined room behind a locked door, saying he didn’t do anything wrong. You’re ordered to enter a room, in it is a chair covered in blood, a torture room you will be in. The cop guiding you is asked by another cop if he needs assistance handling you, but he declines and the other cop leaves the room to the two of you.

In a cheery tone, the cop says how he’s going to need some privacy for what’s about to happen. The cop turns off the cameras, and as you wait to be tortured, you’re greeted by a plot twist.

ABOUT THAT BEER I OWED YA

The cop reveals himself as Barney, an old colleague of yours from Black Mesa, who immediately apologizes for his scary demeanor from before in order to act in front of the cameras.

Barney fills you in on what’s been happening, saying how he’s been undercover with Civil Protection. In the meantime, you’re greeted through a screen by a fellow scientist, Dr. Kleiner, who is surprised to see you alive after the events of Black Mesa.

The two are thinking of a way to get you out of there and to Kleiner’s lab before realizing that another character, Alyx, could be of use, but in the meantime it’s up to you to get there. But soon enough, a knock on the door causes Barney to rush you out of the room, and guides you to jump out of a window leading outside.

Once landed, you’re met by a small corridor and a door that presumably leads to freedom.

FINAL THOUGHTS

That was the end of the first level, or rather the first map of the first level, but in this single map, you are given enough information to digest as a player of the world you’re in. You’re brought back from sleep only to be brought into an entirely different world where it is clearly ruled by an authoritarian leader that uses unethical methods to make its society “better” for the people. But in the midst of this is a secret group that seeks to rebel against this system, and they need you, the player, to help them in their cause.

This, and the little tidbits of detail such as the propaganda posters, Dr. Breen’s slip up of his smile, and the dialogue between NPC’s is what makes this level the best example of environmental storytelling in gaming.

There are more things like this further in the game, and I highly recommend playing ‘Half Life 2’ to not only experience the story it has, but also play what I believe is one of the most important games of all time.

You can play ‘Half Life 2’ and its previous entry on Steam, at https://store.steampowered.com/app/220/HalfLife_2/

Tech/Games

The upcoming ‘Re:animal’ game

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By: Julia Yang

Warning: This game will contain extreme gore, discomfort, breaking bones, bodies moving in unnatural ways, disturbing noises, and a variety of horror elements. This is a horror game being created for mature audiences.

Some may know about the ‘Little Nightmares’ franchise, but what if I told you that the same company was planning to make an even more terrifying, gory, unsettling, horrifying game?

This game I’m talking about is called ‘Re:animal’. Not much is known about this game as it just began its pre-alpha phase in August, but everyone who knows about it is absolutely psyched. ‘Re:animal’ takes the scary factors of ‘Little Nightmares’ and enhances them ten fold. ‘Little Nightmares’ was targeted to teens, so gore and terrifying stuff like that wasn’t really allowed, but ‘Re:animal’ is targeted to more mature audiences who are able to take that kind of horror.

In ‘Re:animal’ you play as a little girl— or a little boy! This game is co-op! You can be scared out of your mind with a friend, how thoughtful of them.

The story we know so far about the game is that you reside in an orphanage with all of your friends, but the orphanage— and overall world it seems like, is populated by monstrous animals. Animals like pigs with their guts hanging out, sheep with unnaturally long necks and legs like a spider, even possibly humanoids with animals for heads! Your goal seems to be to escape this dreadful area with all of your friends and make it out alive.

As I said before, this game isn’t holding back, unlike ‘Little Nightmares’. If you’re looking for a gory and disturbing game to look forward to, then ‘Re:animal’ is the game you’re looking for!

This game has not gotten any more news besides what I have said in this article, including the release date. Like I said, this game is still in its pre-alpha phase, so it will be a long while before it’s released to the public officially!

Soon, you’ll find it on the PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S.

Announcement Trailer:

https://youtu.be/mUymvhAXOnM?si=BmJI_LInL4rkwOPn

10 minutes of Pre-alpha gameplay:

https://youtu.be/ou9THu2g3I4?si=jYJFABAppG2cJjKp

Tech/Games

‘A Hat in Time’ review

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By: Persephone Pond

‘A Hat in Time’ is a 3D platformer game released in 2017 and developed by an indie studio called Gears for Breakfast, and published by Humble Bumble. In this game, the player plays as a young girl called Hat Kid, who loses her fuel for her spaceship and needs to collect all the pieces to get home.

There are 4 different areas of the planet that these fuel pieces land on. Each area consists of 4-7 different levels plus a boss fight; each level gaining a lost piece of fuel until the player eventually collects all 40 missing pieces and are able to get back home.

The first area is a large town built around a volcano called Mafia Town. The enemies in this area are caricatures of stereotypical Italian mafia members, and while fighting through each level, the player gains more information about their backstory and how Mafia Town came to be.

The second area is a movie studio, where the player meets 2 rival directors fighting for an annual movie award. The first director, The Conductor, is a Scottish murder mystery director with a tendency to direct all his movies on trains. The second director is a disco themed penguin who strives for fame and only fame. Both characters recruit the player to act in their movies, so the levels in this area are more story driven.

The third area is the Subcon Forest, where the player is introduced to an evil spirit who is known by the name The Snatcher. When he steals the player’s soul, he offers contracts to do his dirty work around the forest for the soul to be returned. The forest is spooky and there are a few horror-esque levels in this area.

The final area is the Alpine Skyline. This is a beautiful landscape inhabited by giant goat creatures, who are cared for by smaller, humanoid goat creatures. The player must retrieve pieces of fuel from different areas that all require different skills, and through these levels the player is introduced to the dark lore of the land.

All of the levels in this game are creative and very well thought out, and the level of detail in each individual character’s story is wonderfully fleshed out. The author of this article fully recommends the game and on a scale of 10 stars, easily rates it a 10.

‘A Hat in Time’ is available on consoles such as Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Microsoft Windows. In addition to the vanilla game, there are 2 DLCs available on all the same platforms. These DLCs add 14 total more fuel pieces to collect, and add a higher difficulty to the game if desired, and add 2 new areas to the planet with wonderful stories and characters.

Tech/Games

PERSONAL RANKING OF ‘UNTURNED’ OFFICIAL MAPS

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By: Hoaseng Thao

‘Unturned’ is a free to play survival zombie game made by Smartly Dressed Games, and is personally one I hold very dear to me. I’ve owned the game for at least six years now, and it’s only recently that I’ve tried to play it again after so many years, but one of the things I do remember about the game are its official maps.

Why am I saying “official” maps and not just maps? Well, that’s because ‘Unturned’ hosts what’s known as “curated” maps or maps made by the ‘Unturned’ community, and while I would want to write about how great those maps are, I want to mainly talk about the maps I grew up playing in.

There are five official maps in ‘Unturned’ and I will be ranking them based on three categories:

ENVIRONMENT – How the maps look as well as any lore present in the map.

GAMEPLAY – Are there elements that add to survival or challenges that force the player to change how they play?

UNIQUENESS – What makes this map stand out from the rest?

I will score each category out of five points so the score will look something like this: X/15

And for clarification, these are my personal rankings of these maps, they don’t represent everyone’s opinions on these wonderfully made maps other than my own.

PEI

Also known as Prince Edwards Island, PEI is the first official map of ‘Unturned’ and is located in the great nation that is Canada.

ENVIRONMENT

PEI’s environment is not one to write a whole lot about, it mainly consists of one main island surrounded by a couple other smaller islands. It has a large civilian presence with a small military garrison.

The towns located on the island are also very bland looking, and they’re very simple in design with little to no details on them that makes it feel like a once populated town.

Lorewise the island doesn’t have too much lore to it, there’s a military document calling for the destruction of the bridge connecting to the island, there’s a diary entry from a girl who begins to question her own memories, and there’s a journal referencing the infamous Roswell alien incident.

Overall I’ll give it a 3/5, mostly because the map layout is not too interesting and the towns present on the island are very small in size.

GAMEPLAY

PEI is mostly a PVE (Player vs Enemy) oriented map, and since it’s the first map in ‘Unturned’, there isn’t really much to do but to scavenge for supplies and weapons. Loot is okay, your best chance of actually arming yourself is by looting the military base or police stations scattered across the map.

I give it a 2.5/5, there’s nothing in the map that adds to the gameplay in an impactful way other than the fact you’re limited to civilian grade firearms.

UNIQUENESS

One thing that is unique about PEI is that it’s the only official map set on an island, but other than that there’s nothing much to say about it except for the fact that it’s the first map to be released.

I’ll give it a 3/5 for that at least.

FINAL SCORE: 8.5/15

WASHINGTON

Welcome to the US state of Washington. This map is known for its high-rises, military presence, and tourist attractions.

ENVIRONMENT

Washington takes place near the city of Seattle, and throughout the map we can see the final efforts to contain the infection with destroyed military convoys scattered throughout the map, as well as the destruction of underground tunnels to prevent the spread of the infection.

One thing I really like about Washington is that it has a lot of lore to it. We learn that the zombie infection may have started there by an organization known as Scorpion-7.

I give it a 4/5, I really dig the idea of piecing together what happened in Washington based off of scattered notes and environmental storytelling, and I really like how tall the buildings are in Seattle; it gives off the idea that you’re in a once populated area.

GAMEPLAY

Military loot is pretty easy to find due to the large presence of the military, so finding yourself with a firearm is your number one priority since this map is kinda PVP (Player vs Player) oriented. Other than that, there aren’t any other factors that make the player think about their choices other than to eat and drink often.

I’ll give it a 3/5, since I see Washington as a more PVP oriented map, finding a gun quickly really helps out but that’s about it.

UNIQUENESS

Washington is the first map to have an actual city instead of smaller towns as well as making Seattle the main landmark for navigating the map.

I give this category a 3/5, it’s the first map to include an actual city in it that not only is good in loot but is also a key element for navigation.

FINAL SCORE: 10/15

YUKON

Located in the Canadian territory of Yukon, it is covered in snow, snow, and even more snow with little human presence.

ENVIRONMENT

Yukon’s environment is harsh since there’s little presence of civilization other than a couple mounted police outposts, a city, and an airport but other than that, most of the map is covered in snow and trees with the occasional secret Scorpion-7 projects. When it comes to night time, you can even see the northern lights shine above you which is a very beautiful sight to see.

I give it a 4/5, Yukon is environmentally beautiful, and watching the northern lights above really nails it in.

GAMEPLAY

One very unique thing about Yukon is that since it’s a snowy map, you have to always be warm no matter what because this map introduces the temperature system. This system forces players to consider bunkering down and heating up from the harsh winter environment that is Yukon.

I give it a 4.5/5, for what it tries to do with temperature mechanics, it does very well.

UNIQUENESS

Yukon is by far the most unique map in ‘Unturned’, it forces the player to utilize the plentiful trees to build bases and create warm spots to survive the cold and it’s also the first winter oriented map that utilizes it as a gameplay mechanic.

I give it a 5/5, it is by far the most unique map in ‘Unturned’ and nothing beats it.

FINAL SCORE: 13.5/15

RUSSIA

Welcome to Russia, or at least the western part of it. There is a large military presence as well as signs of hope in a dire world.

ENVIRONMENT

It is absolutely stunning and beautiful. Russia is the first map to have a large deadzone which can kill any player who dares enter it without a gas mask. It’s also more detailed compared to the other maps, with entire railways that flow throughout to help navigate this large map.

Just like in Washington, there is a large military presence that helps emphasize that there was an attempt to stop the infection from spreading with notes from both the military and the civilian population documenting everything falling apart.

I give it a 5/5

GAMEPLAY

One major thing that Russia adds to the gameplay, are NPC quests. In the South lies an aircraft carrier belonging to the “Coalition” faction, a faction that was created in the wake of the outbreak, and by completing quests from its members, you can earn items, experience, and ranks within it.

To the North lies the “deadzone” an area covered in radiation but is home to really good military loot, but the only way to get there is to get a gas mask and stock up on filters if you want to stay there for a while.

I give it a 5/5, it’s the first map to introduce quest mechanics that greatly benefits the player if they want to get supplies without going on a scavenger hunt.

UNIQUENESS

It is by far the most ambitious map in the game, it not only introduces NPCs and quests but it’s also the first large map that doesn’t feel empty. Plus, it’s set in Europe.

I give it a 5/5, Russia for me has always been my go to map as a kid not only because of the quests but because it’s also the largest map that feels great to scavenge through.

FINAL SCORE: 15/15

GERMANY

Welcome to Deutschland, where you’ll find too many mountains, flooded areas, a failed rocket program, and of course the German supermarkets.

ENVIRONMENT

Now I have a weird connection with this map, because the one I grew up playing is not the same one that is in the current game. The one I grew up with was brown and unlively, but this new Germany is greener.

Other than that tidbit, Germany is a mountainous map but it is also one of the most lore heavy maps in the game. You’ll find remnants of the Coalition as well as the entire destruction of the city of Cologne following a failed rocket launch as the government tries to make the best they can before it collapses. It’s very heartbreaking to see the remnants of an entire nation when you travel across the map.

Germany gets a 4.5/5 for this one, having been released after Russia, this map doesn’t really live up to it as much but it does have better environmental storytelling.

GAMEPLAY

To be brutally honest, Germany is just Russia but without quests and NPCs. It contains unique deadzone locations and even a secret boss but other than that it’s not really different in any other way.

I give it a 4/5, not bad but could’ve been better.

UNIQUENESS

Germany is the first map to be centered around mountainous terrain, and since it’s Germany, there is a large element of Oktoberfest being held throughout the map since Germany canonically was one of the first nations to be a safe haven against the infection before it all fell apart.

I give it 4/5, although the Oktoberfest did make the map feel more unique, there wasn’t really anything else unique about it when compared to Russia which both maps are the exact same size.

FINAL SCORE: 12.5/15

FINAL RESULTS

  1. RUSSIA 15 POINTS
  2. YUKON 13.5 POINTS
  3. GERMANY 12.5 POINTS
  4. WASHINGTON 10 POINTS
  5. PEI 8.5 POINTS

If you want to play ‘Unturned’ I highly recommend downloading it on their Steam store page, https://store.steampowered.com/app/304930/Unturned/

Tech/Games

‘Lethal Company’: Probably the best co-op game to date

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By: Julia Yang

Warning: this game includes spiders, jumpscares, creepy sounds, and many other horror elements.

Fun fact: ‘Lethal Company’ is one of the most positively rated games on Steam. It’s currently in the top 24 of most positively rated, and was the top rated new release game of 2023.

‘Lethal Company’ is a game where you and your chosen buddies are hired by a pretty hazardous company— some might even say lethal— where you’re tasked to land on a variety of moons in outer space to collect scrap for money to meet the assigned quota. Upon entering the main building containing said scraps, little did they tell you that the moons are infested with monsters, creatures, and creepy crawlers that will almost never hesitate to kill you on sight. You’ll encounter a variety of beings like large spiders, a nutcracker with a shotgun, a totally innocent butler, and even deadly blue goo!

Fail to collect the money needed to meet the given quota, and you’ll be blasted off into space. Do whatever it takes to get the scraps you need. Or don’t. I’m not here to tell you how to play the game.

This game truly is the best horror game to play with your friends and family — if you’re not too scared of course. Despite how the game graphics look, ‘Lethal Company’ delivers some of the most terrifying scares of all time.

This game includes voice proximity, meaning if two players are close then you’ll hear each other, but the further away, the quieter you are. Proximity chat makes any game immediately 10x funnier and scarier with the right moments. You’ll be collecting scraps for the quota and then you’ll hear your friend screaming for their lives in the background, it’s hilarious.

What makes ‘Lethal Company’ so good I believe is the overall multiplayer horror factor and the hilarious moments that come out of it. You see, ‘Lethal Company’ is so terrifying that your friends can’t help but laugh at your demise. I will say, this game may not be the best of games to help bond, but man does it get your adrenaline going.

Yet again, another factor that makes this game so awesome really doesn’t come from the game itself, but its fans. Mods. The mods made for ‘Lethal Company’ are so fun, one of my personal favorites is the “Skinwalker” mod.

This mod basically takes voice snippets of you and every other active player and makes it so the monsters can use you or other players’ voices to lure players to their doom. You don’t understand true fear until you hear a dead player’s voice call out to you.

There are an unbelievable amount of mods to make ‘Lethal Company’ even better than it already is which immediately bumps up the rating once again.

The title may look to be biased, but I haven’t actually played the game myself and many across the globe can agree with it. Honestly, if you want to find out what the hype about this game is because I can’t explain what makes it so good that well, then be my guest; the game is $9.99, only found on Steam.

One last fact: This game is completely made up, developed, coded, modeled, and sound designed by one person.