Up Close is a new, occasional and informal series here on Eurogamer, looking at the smaller points in games in greater amounts of depth. Covering anything from a single mechanic to a reoccurring theme, in praise or criticism, the aim is simply to look a little closer at the things that deserve our attention. Increasingly, games are looking to the environment to tell their stories. It's easy enough to see why. On one side the natural world is moving closer and closer to the centre of our thought,...

While the Game Developers Conference is not happening this week, postponed by Covid-19 health concerns, its two big awards shows went ahead on livestream. The vile waterfowl of Untitled Goose Game ran off with the coveted Game Of The Year Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards (more on that later), and the chill A Short Hike scooped the Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival Awards. A Short Hike and fellow winner Mutazione are both free for keepsies on another few hours too. If y...

It’s freebie o’clock on the Epic Games Store once again. This week’s a proper bonanza, too. Between A Short Hike, Anodyne 2: Return to Dust and Mutazione, there’s no shortage of familiar and fantastical indie worlds to poke around in. All three are free to add to your library for good ’til March 19th, when they’ll be slapped back to full price to make way for The Stanley Parable and Watch Dogs. (more…)

Folks still like freebies ’round these parts, right? Hope so, because there’s a pretty kickin’ lineup of games to snatch on the Epic Games Store over the next week. Offworld Trading Company and Gonner are both free right now. That’s one capitalism strategy simulator and one procedurally generated platformer for your library. Both are free until March 12th, at which point Epic roll out three more free games: A Short Hike, Mutazione, and Anodyne 2: Return To Dust. (more&he...

Hey there! A Short Hike is nominated for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the IGF awards! If you want, you can toss in a vote for it in the Audience Awards here: Although as always, there are so many great games here, any of them are worth your vote! Thanks for all the wonderful feedback and reviews so far, it's really meant so much to me. I'm so happy my little game has reached so many people. T...