Mike Klubnika’s assorted bundle of dystopian future horror will only cost you about a hour of your day, but the stories that are told are thought-provoking and lasting…well, most of them.  Below is a ranking system from 5 to 1, worst to best, of every piece of content within this Free-To-Play anthology.

Kyle: There had to be a bad one of the bunch.  While this one has a couple air-out-of-my-nose jokes, there is literally nothing here.  I know it only runs 5 minutes, but this excuse excuses itself with the other titles.  There’s just not enough here to be particularly jazzed about what you played.

Demetri: I’m pretty sure this actually comes in under 5 minutes, which further confirms that this was more meant as a playable joke than anything else. That’s fine, far from bad, but not as good as the rest of this anthology by any stretch unless you’re easily frightened by low-poly spiders.

K: The bleakest form of Battleship I’ve ever played.

D: The stakes are just a smidge higher than your typical play session. You play the game, it goes how it goes. Whatever is going on behind the scenes is far more interesting than what transpires in the game itself, but unfortunately we only get enough to intrigue. 

K: The only title in this collection with checkpoints gives this piece a little more leg to show off.  The cosmic horror spread across the taupe-slathered work room is enough to get the blood flowing and eyebrows perked when the newest thing comes down the tube.  Just don’t go Full Nitrous.  You never go Full Nitrous.

D: I mean you can, just be prepared to go full tentacle. This is an enjoyable ride with a few turns to be taken at your discretion. None of the endings punch quite as hard as the two entries, but the more involved gameplay and ability to make some notable choices along the way 

K: The first game of the bunch was nearly the best.  Realizing I was woefully unequipped for this puzzle due to a lack of Shop Class in my High School, a little nudge in the right direction helped me play the most tense version of Power Drill Simulator of my life.  Solid ending on this one too makes it an instant recommendation.

D: You’re welcome for that nudge! Kyle and I have played enough Payday to know our way around a janky drill and this entry carries all the suspense of a good heist. By the end of this you’ll feel like you have a far better grasp of engineering than you actually do.

K: My up and down favorite of the bunch.  A little bit Spy Thriller, a little bit Dry Comedy, a little bit Inception.  This felt the most towards needing not only a full game but its own Black Mirror episode.  Such a solid premise that made me hurt the most when the game ended.  God I want more of this one.


D: In an anthology with no bad games this one is the clear winner. Tartarus Engine is far more story focused than the others and that’s to its benefit, but it does everything the rest of the collection at least as well if not better. Tension, vistas, writing, the works. It also contains by far the most horrific core piece of tech in a collection of industrial horror concepts, which almost begs to be expanded on for its own sake. More please.