Christmas is a time of giving. Particularly, it seems, if you're an online game store. Consequently, my collection of free games has swelled enormously.
Rather than leave them unplayed to gather dust as I usually do, I've decided to set aside some dedicated time to give them a try. Strap in for some hasty judgements and half formed opinions.
Lego Builder's Journey (Epic Games giveaway)
Play time: 41 minutes
Released: December 2019
Lego Builder's Journey downloads first and I'm keen to play as it looks like a thoughtful antidote to the endless brick smashing of TT's Lego games. But half an hour in and I'm still struggling with fiddly controls and the sense that Lego bricks shouldn't always stack in any configuration without falling down.
Am I being too picky? Eventually the levels jump in difficulty without warning and I'm too frustrated to bother continuing.
Worms Revolution Gold Edition (GoG giveaway)
Play time: 52 minutes
Released: October 2012
Worms Revolution starts with a forced tutorial on how to play something more like a platform game than the traditional Worms gameplay I expected. I persevere and after many menu options find the core game at last, but the modernised graphics and impossible-by-default computer AI are offputting.
Somewhere beneath all the new modes and options and Matt Berry struggling to make his lines funny is a good game, but I worry that the charm and originality has long since gone. Or maybe I'm just being old and unnecessarily nostalgic. Disappointed, I move on.
Sable (Epic Games giveaway)
Play time: 57 minutes
Released: September 2021
I've been looking forward to Sable but it starts badly by defaulting to 640x480 and then forcing me to switch to every possible resolution in sequence to get to the one I want instead of being able to choose it directly. Impossibly, it gets worse - starting a new game involves choosing a save slot unreadably highlighted as white text on a cream background.
But then Sable starts and it's amazing. I'm in a fascinating and detailed open world, rendered in a bold visual style and populated with warm and interesting characters. I can run and climb and within a short time have a hoverbike and the ability to glide from heights. The whole thing flows beautifully.
I'm reluctantly forced to return to the real world for the formality of sleep. As I leave, the menu again proves unhelpful - exiting Sable goes to the main menu, but not before bizarrely re-showing the unskippable developer and publisher logos, as if the game has only just started. It feels like the menu wasn't given the most development attention, but at least the rest of the game seems good.
Metro: Last Light Redux (GoG giveaway)
Play time: 1 hour
Released: May 2013
Metro's grimy post-apocalyptic world comes as a sharp contrast to the previous games. The animated intro sequence followed by opening walkthrough lasts nearly half an hour, during which I'm pushed along a set path, but the setting and characters are compelling enough to continue.
At the end of an hour the game is still leading me by the nose but I'm so engrossed I don't mind. It feels like I'm playing the video game equivalent of a book - which, since Metro is based on one, feels apt. I'd happily play more as long as the story continues to engage, but apparently this is the third game? Should I play the others first? Or read the book? Fortunately, I have no spare time for any of that, so I move on.
(Metro was free at Christmas from the Epic store, but it reminded me that GoG gave it away a long time ago and I'd forgotten all about it.)
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Epic Games giveaway)
Play time: 1 hour 18 mins
Released: May 2014
Noise first. Then shouting, and explosions, and gunfire. Then more shouting, more explosions, a lot more gunfire, then a whole lot of crashing, smashing, and more gunfire and explosions. Playing Wolfenstein is so intense that after an hour I'm sweaty and disorientated.
Despite being a straight shooter, I'm required to press a button to pick up items. I find this constantly distracting, to the point where I unconsciously start prioritising ammo collection over shooting. I get killed several times before realising this.
It's an odd blend of stealth and all out violence, and I excel at neither. There's a plot, objectives and characters (one of whom, Fergus, is excellent). I'd like to keep playing but I'm so mentally exhausted that I have to turn off my computer to sit and stare at a blank wall for a while.
Time to stop
I've not quite made it through all the free games I received over Christmas, but that's not a bad start. I definitely want to play more of Sable, and will probably give Metro: Last Light another go as well.
Other things to note? As a newcomer to the Epic Games store, I'm struck by how obviously immature the client is compared to Steam and GoG Galaxy. There's definitely some features and stability improvements that could be added (like stopping it from flashing in the Windows taskbar for no reason every ten minutes).
I'm also again struck by the weirdness of receiving games like this for free. Teams of developers, artists and writers have spent thousands of hours producing these complex and detailed products, and yet they're given away for people like me to casually dismiss on the basis of less than an hour of play - or not even try at all. Presumably there's some benefit - people like me write about it, sequels gain more interest - but the economics of it still eludes me. The world's a strange place.