Everhood

This Undertale-style adventure deposits you in a familiarly wacky underworld, where a thieving gnome rubs shoulders with an ATM and a boogying Dracula. Everhood shines, as a dreamlike adventure that blends genres in a fascinating way. While you’re traipsing around each screen, this looks like a typical JRPG.

There are battles, but these take the form of intense minigames against a series of outlandish foes, including that sentient ATM machine, and whatever the hell the final boss is supposed to be. Its minimalism is refreshing with the game stripping away the demeaning busywork we’ve learned to live with in RPGs. What remains is a procession of duels, interspersed with exploration and enjoyably off-kilter, if a little empty, conversation. And what duels. Similar to Guitar Hero, notes rain down from the top of the screen here, coming from the enemy playing – or dancing to – the toe-tapping electro music accompanying each battle. And the setting is intriguing enough that I’m given an incentive to push through its more challenging moments. Rhythm meets roleplaying in musical adventure. FREE BIT.LY/EVERHOOD | PC