One More Go

Did you know that Netflix has a game catalogue? Well it does, and you’d be forgiven for expecting it be full of schlocky tie ins for their TV shows, and while there is some of that, the catalogue as a whole is pretty robust. At a time when Netflix is making some anti-consumer changes (password crackdown, price increases), I thought I would draw attention to it so that you can eek some extra value out of your subscription before you’re finally pushed to cancel.

I’ve put together a list of some of the essential games that are included in the service. Fortunately most are available elsewhere, so you can consider them as general recommendations, but if you do have a Netflix account, they’re all available to download from within the app.

Into The Breach

Into the Breach (ITB) is a turn based strategy game from the team at Subset Games who developed the excellent Star Trek ’em up – Faster Than Light (FTL). Instead of a space crew, ITB has you commanding a squadron of time travelling mechs as you battle the insect-like Vex. Each stage consists of five rounds where you maneuver your squad to prevent the Vex from wreaking havoc. At the beginning of each round your told exactly how the Vex will move, and so it’s your job to react, pushing and attacking enemies, soaking up damage, and generally disrupting the Vex’s movements in order to survive another round. It makes each stage feel like a puzzle to be solved, or when it seems impossible, mitigate as much damage as you can. If you make one too many blunders and the power grid collapses (a health track that runs between stages), you get to chose one pilot from your squad to send back in time, retaining their experience and upgrades for your next attempt to defeat the Vex. ITB is a game that’s big and dense, but with each mission being split into discrete rounds, it fits perfectly on mobile, allowing you to play a few rounds whenever you have time to give it some attention.

Immortality

The latest game from Sam Barlow and his studio Half Mermaid was nominated for six BAFTA’s (winning one – Best Narrative) when it released in 2022. Immortality has the player diving through a video archive, watching and scrubbing through clips to discover the truth behind the disappearance of Marissa Marcel, an up and coming star who mysteriously disappeared. The video archive is filled with unedited cuts of the three unreleased movies that Marisa starred in, as well as plenty of behind the scenes and promotional footage. There’s a lot to sort through, and just like Her Story and Telling Lies, Sam Barlow’s previous games, Immortality doesn’t offer up any easy answers. You’ll be left to draw your own conclusions once you think you’ve seen enough. Immortality is a game that’s filled with stellar performances and homage to Hollywood history. It is a game that will stick with you long after you’re done with it, and if you’re interested to see how how it was made, NoClip have you covered with an excellent documentary to dive into once you’ve uncovered Immortality’s mysteries for yourself.

Terra Nil

Terra Nil is a reverse city building sim. Instead of landing settlers in a new location, stripping the land of resources and constructing pollution spewing industry, in Terra Nil the player is tasked with revitalising the land and returning its natural flora and fauna. Each stage of Terra Nil is split into three parts. First, the players scrub toxins from the earth, redirect rivers, and prepare the land. Next, players are tasked with preparing the environment, setting humidity and temperature, and finding the right balance of dense forest and wetlands so that animals can be re-introduced. The last task is for players to eradicate any evidence that they were ever there by creating an airship and recycling all of their constructions, leaving the world back in its natural state. Each stage has a different biome, grassy plains, tropical islands, etc. adding a variety of challenges, conditions, and constructions that can be used to meet them. Terra Nil is a game that feels both familiar and novel, and while you don’t have the enormous buildings or highways that are typically seen as marks of achievement in these games, watching the world come back to life is every bit as satisfying.

As well as that shortlist there’s a heap of other games that are just as enticing. Laya’s Horizon, a game that has possibly the most satisfying gliding controls I’ve played, Valiant Hearts 2, a follow up to the Ubisoft WW1 adventure game, and Poinpy the fruit collecting platformer from the developers of Downwell. While I wouldn’t encourage people to sign up if you’ve got no interest in Netflix’s other offerings, if you are still part way through Better Caul Saul or The Devil’s Plan, you owe it to yourself to take a look through Netflix’s game catalogue.