Summer Edition
Things to Keep You Occupied Over the Summer
This summer is already looking to be a hot one … so why not spend it indoors? Here’s a few things to keep you occupied.The House in Fata Morgana
Not to be dramatic, but this game changed my life. Set in a supposedly cursed castle and spanning hundreds of years, The House in Fata Morgana begins as an anthology of sorts. Upon the unnamed protagonist’s arrival in the run-down castle, they are greeted by a woman who introduces herself only as “The Maid,” who regales them with tales of the castle’s past in an attempt to jog their memory. These tales are grim, gory, and always revolve around the same white-haired girl, who endures tragedy lifetime after lifetime with no memory of her previous lives.To say too much about the plot of this game would spoil some of the magic of playing through it for the first time, but between the gorgeous character sprites, the eclectic soundtrack, and the gripping writing, there is a reason The House in Fata Morgana‘s 2021 rerelease for the Nintendo Switch received a 96 on Metacritic. Available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Steam.
Fata Morgana deals with heavy themes, so content warning for blood, graphic descriptions of violence, suicide, marginalized characters facing violence and discrimination, and a general trend of characters committing and/or enduring unspeakable acts. While these themes are handled earnestly and respectfully, the story’s focus lies in making the reader empathize with characters in terrible situations, so if you’re concerned about any of its content, a more detailed list can be found from its English publisher here. Infinity Train
Okay, so this one’s a bit shorter. Spanning four seasons of ten episodes that sit at ten minutes each, Infinity Train is a pretty quick watch … which is all the more reason you should give it a try. When teenage Tulip runs away from her Oshkosh home hoping to make it to game-design camp, she happens to board, well, the wrong train. This train is massive, ever-changing, and filled with all manner of pocket dimensions containing terrors ranging from shadowy Lovecraftian beasts to maliciously programmed machinery. Along the way Tulip will meet Atticus, the king of a corgi nation; One-One, a friendly-yet-depressed robot; the Cat, a mysterious feline who conducts all manner of shady business across the train; and more of the train’s strange, sometimes-charming, sometimes-terrifying denizens. Each season of Infinity Train revolves around a different cast of characters (some of them minor characters from previous seasons), so even when one adventure ends, another begins. This series sports some of the most solid character writing in television, animated or not, so even if you’re not. Available to rent on YouTube and other streaming sites.
—Kana Coonce, Horror Editor