And they’re all cowards

When we talk about art imitating life – how it evolves in response to the societal anxieties of the time – it’s rare we do so in reference to games. That’s partly because a single mention of a certain p-word from a critic or journalist seems to send industry spokespeople into paroxysms of denial. In most cases, that reluctance is born of commercial concerns: the cost of making games isn’t coming down, and so developers and publishers hedge their bets in the hope that they won’t put anyone off. Even if that includes appealing to that oh-so-vocal minority that rails against any game that attempts to address real-world concerns.

Then again, there are ways and means of sneaking ideas past people’s preconceptions. There’s a strong allegorical bent to several of this month’s Hype crop. None more so than Animal Farm (p40): a bold (some might say foolhardy) attempt to adapt the fable for modern audiences in the form of a narrative/strategy sim hybrid. Creative director Imre Jele insists there’s a market for such a game; having brought his experience growing up in communist Hungary to bear, it’s fair to give Jele the benefit of the doubt. Either way, it’s certainly not pretending it’s apolitical.

Likewise, Militsioner, (p48) from Russia’s aptly named Tallboys. The studio looks to The Last Guardian for inspiration, though the titular character, a colossal symbol of the Stalinist era, isn’t nearly as adorable as Trico. Here is a Big Brother that you’re acutely aware is always watching you (it’s a good month for Orwell fans, clearly). Elsewhere, Little Nightmares 2 (p32) shifts the series’ metaphorical focus from the dangers of consumption to escapism. Still, if you’re determined to use videogames purely as an escape, then there’s always Teardown (p44), a game about smashing up voxel buildings and looting them. Surely no real-world parallels could possibly be drawn from that…