Nothing really matters in Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles [official site]. Shipwrecked on an island that has been infested with some sort of sinister cloudy muck, known as the Murk, you might think it’s imperative that you clear up the unpleasantness so that people can return to the homes they once inhabited. Everywhere you look there are ruined homes but the islanders don’t fuss about them; they’ve got villages and farms and guilds, and they seem perfectly happy.

In fact, everyone in Yonder seems happy and the more I play, the more radical that design choice seems.

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What’s that unsettling white noise coming from the other room? Oh no, it’s the 10th episode of the RPS podcast, the Electronic Wireless Show. This week, the gang are talking about horror in games (but not necessarily “horror games”). Adam and Brendan are terrified by the depths of Subnautica, which doesn’t frighten Pip in the slightest.

But we also like playing non-scary things. Brendan has been competing in the purgatorial fantasy sport of Pyre, and Adam has been catching fish and watching tranquil sunsets in Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles. Meanwhile, Pip has been dating dads in the gay suburban utopia of Dream Daddy. There’s also reader questions, in which we return to the subject of horror, and experience the shrill scream of a truly terrifying beast… (more…)

A pair of wee new Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles [official site] trailers give pleasant looks at the colourful land we’ll get to save by… not killing anything. Nope, while Yonder might have a mild look of Zelda to it, it’s a nonviolent adventure where we’ll save an island from creeping corruption, sure, but also do a lot of crafting, farming, and fishing. The game’s still a bit mysterious but it looks and sounds delightful. My main lesson from these videos is: you can befriend a red panda. … [visit site to read more]