Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction

Screenshot: Prime VideoAmazon’s new Fallout show is the latest in the companies’ big, splashy adaptation plans—and it really wants you to know it’s taking the retro aesthetic and charm of the classic video game series to heart, beneath its pulsing, murkily irradiated post-apocalypse.Making the Freddy Fazbear Pizza Band Come to Life for Five Nights at Freddy’sToday Amazon released a new trailer for Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s take on the beloved Interplay/Bethesda RPG games. The show, following in the footsteps of those…

Walking through the show floor at PAX East was an overwhelming experience, but it also allowed me to be swept into an entirely new obsession. By chance, I decided to sit down at The Iterative Collective’s bright yellow booth, and it’s there where I would be introduced to Homeseek. This real-time strategy game channels postapocalyptic tropes to create a tense fight for survival where any seemingly innocent decision can make or break the longevity of my newfound society of survivors. I’m a longtime fan of the Fallout…

Just when I think there are no new ways to make a tactics game, something like Miasma Chronicles completely blows that notion apart. Developed by The Bearded Ladies, the upcoming tactical RPG is something of a continuation of the studio’s previous project, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. It’s another post-apocalyptic adventure that has players freely exploring large worlds and stopping to battle monsters in traditional turn-based tactical battles. Don’t expect the exact same experience, though; the old dog has…

For reasons unbeknownst to me, we’re currently living in a second golden age for 2D beat ’em up games. That trend began in 2020 when Dotemu released the fantastic Streets of Rage 4 and has only continued with hits like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. Players currently seem to be resonating with those modern-retro releases, but nostalgic genre revivals can be a double-edged sword. Even the genre’s greatest hits are filled with frustrating gameplay quirks that tend to carry over into faithful…