The Ensign 12+

This is one of the best games I’ve played in a very long time. Like many, I came to this via A Dark Room, which I also enjoyed greatly, but if anything I thought The Ensign was even better. Graphically it’s as simple as its predecessor, stripped back to a very pure RPG mechanism. As the other reviews suggest, it really is punishing at the beginning, and you will die countless times. But over time you start to see each death as progress rather than repeated failure. As the developer explains in his commentary at the end, the difficulty remains the same throughout the game, so every advance you make means you’ve actually improved. There are times (dying after a chance encounter in a seemingly abandoned house, falling prey to a sniper in the long grass) when I thought about giving up. Indeed, the trolling messages after each death seem to actively discourage you from continuing, hinting the whole thing is a cruel and pointless trick. But it also keeps you coming back for more pain; the world the developer creates is so fully realised, and the mysteries of this unforgiving landscape so enticing, that once it has you it’s virtually impossible to put down. After eight hours of play I finally made it to the end, and don’t remember getting so great a sense of achievement from any other game. Simple, sophisticated, rich, subtle, punishing and rewarding - The Ensign is a masterpiece.

Having played "A Dark Room" I was itching to play this prequel. Massively different but strangely similar. I couldn't stop playing no matter how often I died. With every death you learn how to progress that little bit more through to the end. I've never felt such hopelessness in a game as I have in this when I've noticed my water level is too low to reach the nearest replenish point after thinking I've got a good foundation of food and weapons. Remember games like Ghouls & Ghosts? No save, play from start to finish. You die you start from the beginning albeit with subtle perks each time.

Test your resolve

After a dark room, this was definitely needed. Enjoying it however, the voice-over accessibility features have been dumbed down a little from the last episode and I'm struggling a little to play this. Still works though.
I recommend this to anybody who enjoys a challenge.