The Darkest Dungeon.

I've been hooked on the game the past few weeks. It's a turn based rogue-lite Lovecraftian dungeon explorer. It has great gameplay mechanics and presentation. The Narrator is Wayne June, voice actor for the H.P Lovecraft books!

What I find fascinating about the game is that the heroes that explore the dungeons are portrayed as real flawed human beings. The game has stress mechanics where by the heroes become stressed out as they explore the dungeons and combat terrifying monsters. There are consequences for the heroes, if someone gets too stressed they can become afflicted, they might become paranoid or hopeless or various other afflictions. They might refuse orders or yell at the party and increase other people's stress levels. Heroes can develop positive and negative quirks that make them act out in unpredictable ways. When you're back in town you can send them to the tavern or abbey to destress, but they might disappear for a few weeks or lose treasure gambling.

It's a refreshing take on the hero image we so often see in video games and movies. Heroes are just people, and people suffer from the hardships of life and cause them to behave in unpredictable ways. I'm so happy these game developers have made this game with such an emphasis on the humanity of heroes. Firefighters, EMTs and soldiers are praised as heroes in our society, but so often we overlook the humanity, the suffering and the life long afflictions their work can cause them. This game respects that reality and I'm thankful it exists.