Release Date: Jan 30 2020
Developer: Affable Games
Publisher: Affable Games
Music: Dan Sugars & Andrew Curnock
Genre: Party game, Simulator
Platforms: Switch, Windows, Mac

Speaking Simulator is a hilarious experience focused around the simple art of speaking. The game follows an anxious robot who is trying to infiltrate human society by doing his best to fit in by doing everything ‘human’ from going on dates, getting promotions at work and having conversations with co-workers. However this robot has not fully mastered the art of social interactions, which feels surprisingly familiar while playing. The robot stumbles on words, struggles with eye contact and does it’s best to act normal however, things tend to spiral out of control!

Speaking Simulator features an experience that really immerses you in the awkwardness of social interactions. It really shows off many elements from the day to day interactions we have that we tend to gloss over. The game focuses on these situations whilst playing host to a solid experience that challenges the player and never makes you feel stupid for failing. At the start of the game, the player is given control over two elements of the social interactions. These being the tongue which is shown by a live footage box on the side and controlled by one of the joysticks. The other one is the lips, where the player can extend or retract them both horizontally and vertically.

The game guides the player on what to do with green arrows and lights making the experience feel like a lock picking experience or a pattern matching mechanic. This creates a stressful, multi-tasking party where you can’t do anything but laugh at the ridiculousness going on. This is only enhanced as you progress through the game, gaining access to more and more features. For example one of them gives you control over the eyes, forcing you to be aware of the time you’re having eye contact with the NPC in front of you.

One of the key parts in Speaking Simulator is without a doubt the sounds. Speaking Simulator takes this very ‘seriously.’ While you definitely understand what is being said, you are still left laughing at the hilarious sounds that come from the robot’s mouth no matter what. This being partially thanks to the amazing dialogue that has been crafted. The music goes hand in hand with this lighthearted experience. There are nice tracks consistently playing in the background making me reminisce on older comedic titles and their silliness.

Speaking Simulator features solid game play that left me feeling both challenged and aware of all the little things I do in my day to day interactions. While being grateful for that, the Zed Games Crew and myself were laughing hysterically at the pure silliness of it all. The game play is nice and simple but quickly ramps up in difficulty, the best way I can think of describing it would be. Having a drink platter starting with one beer, then, half way through balancing 10 shots, a wine bottle and 20 beers. In general the in game audio and sound effects all feel silly and lighthearted easing me into the fact that I shouldn’t take this game seriously and just enjoy the goofiness.

Reviewed by William Haumann @William_Haumann on March 1st 2020

Developer: Toge Productions
Publisher: Toge Productions
Music: Andrew Jeremy
Platforms: PC (Mac/Microsoft), PS4, Xbox One & Nintendo Switch
Released: 30th January 2020
Genre: Interactive Story, Adventure, Indie, Talking Simulator

Coffee Talk is a beautifully designed 2D pixel game where you play as a barista in a café seemingly only ever open at night called, “Coffee Talk.” As the barista you follow the lives of many individual’s who enter the café. Set in the rainy U.S. city of Seattle 2020 the world is a little different from the way we know it to be, most of the different characters you meet are either elves, orcs, vampires, human or something else entirely. Throughout this wonderfully written narrative you discover the reason for these supernatural elements, they help represent the ethnic differences in our world. This allows the developers to dive deep into heavy issues such as racial stereotypes, biases and other identities. By doing this in a fantasy environment, Toge Productions can showcase many different struggles people face and how they overcome adversity.

Essentially Coffee Talk enables chit chat both deep and light-hearted, which I guess, is exactly what you do when having a coffee with a friend. The most frequent customer of the café is Freya, a young journalist that writes short stories and reports for the local paper called, the Evening Whisperer. As the player you read this paper at the beginning of each new day, starting from the 22nd of September bringing new stories and new recipes to uncover.

This wonderfully chill talking simulator provides a very cruisy style of game play allowing the player to take it easy or explore the many simple and narrative relevant mechanics. As you are introduced to new or returning customers, they place an order where you are required to fill that bill. With a shelf displaying a variety of different ingredients ranging from Green Tea to Ginger you must create the most appropriate beverage for that customer. Coffee Talk is very forgiving if you get the order wrong the customer usually doesn’t mind or asks for you to try again.

As you progress through the game more ingredients and ways of making coffee are introduced to you. Nothing happens particularly fast in this game so there is minimal overwhelm when it comes to learning new things, this game is SUPER chill which is perfect to play on a rainy day indoors. One of the bigger challenges for me personally was Latte Art. I can’t say I was very good at it before Coffee Talk yet it’s such an ingenious feature. It can be tricky to get the hang of in the beginning but isn’t a crucial element of the game’s end goal however, you should still have a go.

Some other features that add to the atmosphere of a ‘chill late night café’ is the smart phone device you carry which holds different apps for you to access. They help you learn more about the customers you meet or assist you with making new types of drinks. There’s the Tomodachill which is basically the Facebook of the Coffee Talk universe, Brewpad which shows you a list of recipes and what drinks you have left to discover, as well as New Stories which is the Evening Whisperer app keeping you up to date with all the latest news. Another little feature that I personally love is the ability to auto-play the text dialog, there are large sections of just dialog and to be able to lie back on the couch and simply click a button to play through the text without having to smash ‘A’ all the time is a really nice touch. If by chance you aren’t using the auto-play feature there’s even a button to review all the dialog that’s gone by, just in case you’ve missed something.

Imagine café music. Now imagine 2bit arcade music. Now put them together. That’s pretty much what Andrew Jeremy has done with this super retro yet chill soundtrack. Every song has this soothing and lazy feel about it. His soundtrack makes reading loads of dialog feel like you are enjoying a good book on a lazy day. A really nifty feature to complement Andrew’s music is on your smart phone device in the game is an app called Shuffld which emulates a music streaming app playing all the different songs from the Coffee Talk Chill & Smile Soundtrack. You can pause, skip or select a specific song from this playlist at any time, making choosing that perfect rainy day café song so much easier.

The sound effects are just as gentle on the ear as the lounging café music. When making a coffee the soft hissing of the Barista Machine and the little clucks and clinks of the cups just add ever so nicely to the atmosphere. Overall the sound is a peaceful daydream.

Coffee Talk is this dreamy, warm, little place where you can listen to interesting stories, learn more about individual struggles and take it easy with a warm latte. Everything from the music to the simple phone apps help make this fantasy feel homey and cosy. The story is fascinating, with so many different characters to remember, it’s the right amount of chill on any rainy day. I highly recommend this game for anyone who likes to take it easy and is very narrative driven. Thanks, Toge Productions for such an intimate laidback indie gem.

Reviewed by Evie Gibbons @EVIEZGAMES 25th of February 2020

Developer: Visceral Games, EA Redwood Studios
Publisher: EA
Music: Austin Wintory
Platforms: Android, IOS
Release Date: 4 December 2019
Genre: Real-time strategy

Command & Conquer Rivals is not a heavy narrative driven game. However, the Command & Conquer series which this game is based on, is very rich in narrative and backstory. The game never specifies when it takes place, but it follows the same conflict as previous games have. The conflict in question is a war between the secretive and worldwide organisation known as the Brotherhood of Nod and the UN funded organisation: “Global Defence Initiative” or GDI.

C&C Rivals is a real time strategy game where players face off in a 1 vs 1 match. The map is fairly small but consists of 1 base per player and between 1 – 4 platforms that each player can take control of. If one player holds most of the platforms a nuke is placed in the middle of the map and will start its launch attack on the opponent. If launched, then it does 50% damage to the player who has been hit. This being the main way of taking out the enemy. There are also toxic mineral fields around the map that players can harvest from to gain minerals which are also generated consistently throughout the game.

Outside of the real time matches the player can build up a pre-set army consisting of cards. These cards represent what type of unit the player will be able to deploy, and they have 6 spots to fill. These cards are gained through playing and finishing quests or a limited amount of trading. Each of these units follow a simple good against or weak against system like rock paper scissor. Meaning that a tank for example is very strong against vehicles but won’t do much damage against anything else. Players can play as either the GDI or the NOD both of which have unique units and abilities to call upon.

The game features the classic kind of music that you would expect from any Command & Conquer game, being very heroic but systematic. This however, like its predecessors fits so very well into the genre. Making you feel like a commander, guiding your army to victory! The sound effects are clear, and each unit feels personal. Troops like the infantry feel very light through their SFX while troops like the mechs feel heavy as they move.

Command & Conquer Rivals is a solid real time strategy game. Allowing for interesting, fast paced and rewarding game play. Through my whole experience I never felt that I was at a disadvantage, but every situation was on me.  If I made a smart play where I managed to out play my opponent, it felt extremely satisfying. Yet the moments where I got absolutely crushed made me feel like I could have done better. I did have a bit of a gripe with the monetization in the game feeling a bit forced to pay in order for me to play seriously in the late game. The price point for this was about $15AUD which for a game who gave me over 20+ hours of enjoyment was definitely worth it!

Reviewed by William Haumann @William_Haumann on February 20th 2020

Developer: Bishop Games
Publisher: Bishop Games
Music: Peak Media & Jupiterion
Platforms: PC & Nintendo Switch
Released: 26 April 2018
Genre: 2D side scrolling platformer

Light Fall is set in the world of Numbra which is a land that is perpetually stuck in night-time. Most of the nomadic inhabitants (called the Kamloops) live in the small villages and towns you come across however they’re all seemingly missing or displaced. You play as a pocket-sized creature made of shadow with big starry eyes and you’ve been blessed with powerful agility and the ability to summon blocks that you can use to help you manoeuvre through Numbra. As you start your journey you meet an Owl who narrates to you the universe that you are in and the fate that has come of the Kamloops including the lore of the land in which you travel. Early on in your adventure you discover different God like figures that represent different elements or cultures of Numbra and you as the little shadow gravitate towards one in pursuit of finding out who you are and your place in the world around you.

From a play style perspective everything moves smoothly and easily, the tutorial you are guided by the sometimes irritating voice of the Owl is super useful and makes the learning experience flow nicely. I reviewed Light Fall on the Nintendo Switch and found that there were no problems in handheld or docked modes. You use the buttons on your Switch to activate blocks that help you jump and land on when trying to over come obstacles. You can only summon the blocks 4 times before they need to recharge. I really liked this touch because it provided an element of strategy when facing new challenges as well as having multiple types of blocks to choose from it became very engaging and fulfilling when I finally reached a checkpoint. The only downside was that I wished for more checkpoints, at times I felt very agitated after achieving a certain distance then after failing for the 100^th time to be put so far back in the stage. It was hard to remember so many different sequences in order to reach the next checkpoint. In saying that Light Fall feels so calming to play and really satisfying to use each mechanic. Applying the boxes in different ways makes for a great way to tackle new challenges, find new ways to complete levels and of course defeat bosses.

The composition of music is enchanting and mysterious, it compliments the Numbra universe beautifully. The music fully brings out the atmosphere of the world and adds to the purple blue neon world that you around surrounded by. The sound effects are subtle, ‘tingy’ and ‘wooshy’ which pay tribute to the mystical tribal rhythm of the music. There is a lot of appreciation to be had for the music as it holds you in right space of suspense and calm allowing you to focus on succeeding with the game play.

Overall Light Fall is a fantastic 2D platformer that offers back to back quality with its stunning colour palette, enthralling mechanics and its gently guiding musical score. Light Fall is well worth the time especially for those players who love a good speed run or enjoy the challenge of a well crafted 2D platformer. There is plenty to be pleased with for those who love a compelling story, the rich world of Numbra has so many tales to tell. Bishop Games have definitely not let me down and I would say it’s a worthy game to add to anyone’s Switch collection.

Developer: Thunder Lotus Games
Publisher: Thunder Lotus Games
Music: Max LL (Maxime Lacoste-Lebuis)
Platforms: PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Released: September 29^th 2015
Genre: Action, Adventure

Narrative

The story follows Thora, a dead Viking woman who died by drowning on the freezing Nordic seas. Odin was disappointed in her inglorious death and she is granted a second chance to redeem herself. She must travel through the realms of the Gods and defeat a series of different Jotun who are giant, powerful, Norse elemental beings of nature and chaos. She must defeat these Jotun in order to impress Odin so she may enter Valhalla. Jotun starts in an incredible forest landscape where you are carefully guided to a mountainous peak where a gorgeous cinematic view of the world beneath Thora unfolds. Through Thora’s journey she must find runes that unleash the Jotun and fight for her right of passage to Valhalla. Through out her journey she battles massive bosses, showcasing extraordinary animations that as exquisitely hand drawn.

There are nine stunning levels to explore where you as the player are guided by beautiful Icelandic voice acted dialog that impart detailed lore of Viking mythology. This coupled with a phenomenal musical composition will have you totally engrossed with her fate. There is much to love and learn about this story which educates you on the historical relevance of Norse mythology and experiences that lead Thora through epic battles for honour and glory. There is a lot of environmental story telling where the camera pans out so you can see from a bird’s eye view the surrounding land and words of lore delivered to you by the protagonist herself.

Gameplay

Jotun is a single player game where you play as Thora. She carries a huge axe that is your primary weapon which you can swing repetitively at large groups of enemies or take a huge swing with a longer build up that deals greater amount of damage with a single blow. I did find that the movement felt a bit staggered and jarring, I couldn’t move smoothly in battle or dodge enemies I always felt there was a slight delay with each mechanic I played out. I found this especially frustrating during boss battles when I was grinding my way through the challenge. Throughout game play you gain extra abilities granted to you by the Gods that you can cycle through and select which ones to use for specific situations, some of these abilities heal you or create diversions allowing you to attack from behind.

At some points I found there to be an absence of enemies to engage with, sometimes being bored while traversing breathtaking landscapes, there was little to interact with while on my journey to each rune. In some cases, there was a lacking guidance about which areas are best to tackle first as there is no set order for each area and some of them can be much harder than others. In some instances, this can be good for the players that enjoy exploring and moving at their own pace however for me personally I do like a bit of hand holding and felt lost a times. In saying that the boss battles are outstanding both requiring patience and strategy to defeat which left victory feeling oh so sweet.

Music

The voice acting does a marvellous job of painting the harsh picture of the Viking world, setting wondrous atmospheric tension that transports you to the hostile and unforgiving universe of the Norse Gods. The music is cinematic and up roaring with intense orchestral builds that make you feel like you’re the centre piece of this legendary adventure. As you reach panicle moments of game play the music syncs perfectly which makes everything feel seamless and natural. All the sound effects are thick, chunky and appropriately wet when slicing giant vines which makes sense given that Thora is axe swinging Viking. This is an added extra for when you’re in a boss battle and the demonic like sounds of a Jotun come raging, then there’s the cranked-up bass for their attacks making every boss encounter feel tremendous.

The Experience

Jotun is a visually stunning game from the frozen waste lands to volcanic underground there is a unique design adding flavour with each endeavour. The music is epic, pairing nicely with the aesthetics of each realm and battle undertaken. I was truly mesmerised by this Viking world where the story transports you to a time when a bloody death was your path to eternal rest. The animations stole my heart and transfixed me, even when I had struggled to defeat a boss repeatedly, I still relished the moments I got to see them emerge from their place of slumber for the hundredth time. I highly recommend Jotun for those players that enjoy rich story and visual design these being my personal highlights. I was not disappointed playing my first Thunder Lotus game and it definitely won’t be my last.

Reviewed by Evie Gibbons @eviezgames on January 22nd 2020

Developer: The Working Parts
Publisher: The Working Parts
Music: The Working Parts
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Android, iOS
Released: 2014
Genre: Horror, Adventure

Narrative

The game starts off with you being . a lonely frog floating on a little piece of driftwood. The water is full of branches and debris almost as if the aftermath of a tsunami or natural disaster. As you do what frogs do, jump in the water and swim around. Using small air bubbles that float up to get oxygen, allowing you to swim around for an indefinite amount of time. Out of nowhere you hear sounds coming from the depths  calling you… 

This is where your story beings, as you dive further and further down; you start to encounter other frogs who are barely breathing but also something more devious. A weird and scary jelly moose(A mix between a jellyfish and a moose). You push on down trying to save your frog friends while also trying to survive the vicious attacks from  the jelly moose. All while trying to figure out,  “why are my frog buddies coming up from below?”

Gameplay

They Breath focuses heavily on its  narrative. The whole point of the game is to push on and try to figure out why things are like they are. It puts you in to a 2D perspective and slowly pans the camera down section after section as you venture. . In each section you are met by a threat, jelly moose, having to save a frog buddy or both at the same time. But it also tells the story of what happened through its background image, hand feeding the story as you go.

The game title: They Breath tells us the gist of the game right away. Oxygen is a big part of this experience. mall little air bubbles pop up from the bottom of your 2D screen throughout the experience. There isn’t an abundance of them, every  bubble you consume is one less for your frog buddies who need it to survive as well. However the jelly moose need them too and will try to get them. The game quickly turns into a melee of trying to survive by avoiding drowning, while also forcing you to make the choice should I try to save my buddies? 

Music

The music score for they breath is fantastic, offering up an eerie vibe as you dive into the darkness. This is not however the part that impressed me the most while playing this experience. What impressed me was the games excellent use of sound effects. Being drawn in by the sounds coming from the depths, being able to tell right away that it is something dark and mysterious that you need to find. Getting flash hints every now and then just makes you want to continue even though the atmosphere grows darker, damper and scarier. 

I was especially taken aback by the sound of the jelly moose drowning as they did not get the oxygen they needed. The effects made me feel bad for them although I knew I had to survive. To me it is one of the things that makes the mechanic of the air bubbles feel the way they do. . Because every time you hear a jelly moose go from drowning too quiet you realize that oxygen is a rare and precious thing.

The Experience

Overall the game brings a terrifying, mysterious but also satisfying experience. The game tells its story and narrative in a short and sweet way (taking only 20 minutes to complete) and never leaves anything untold.  The game play fits the story perfectly and truly makes you feel like the things you are doing makes  sense. Although not out right forcing you to make decisions it definitely asks you to make them. Without spoiling too much, in the end the choices you made directly or indirectly  made play a part in how things turn out. The game’s atmosphere was captivating thanks to both beautiful music score and horrifyingly great SFX. Building a sense of awe and wonder while also keeping the horror around something that most people have experienced at one point or another, the dark depths of water.

Reviewed by William Haumann @William_Haumann on January 15th 2020

Developer: Bungie & 343 Industries
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Music: Martin O’Donnell & Michael Salvatori
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Released:  Original release on September 14, 2010 re-released on December 3, 2019
Genre: FPS (First Person Shooter)
Game Modes: Single Player, Co-op & VS, Casual & Hard
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1064220/Halo_Reach/

Narrative

Set in the year 2552 humanity has gone to war with the alien Covenant. The Covenant are the main antagonist throughout the Halo universe and in some cases have even been an ally to Master Chief however they are your greatest threat again in Halo: Reach. You play as the character called Nobel Six who joins as a member of an elite Spartan squad. As this happens the human planet known as Reach falls after coming under attack from the Covenant.

You start the game with seeing planet Reach destroyed, whilst having flashes to a time before the devastation from the Covenant invasion. You are then introduced to your new Spartan squad called Nobel Team, and you as the main protagonist are called Nobel Six or just ‘Six’ in some cases throughout the game. The main objective throughout Halo: Reach is to rid the planet of the Covenant invasion and restore the human colonies. Sacrifices are made and there are many emotional moments that affect Nobel Team that help inspire you as Nobel Six to vanquish the alien armies from Reach. Without giving away too much you must play in order to know the rest.

Halo: Reach is a direct sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved. Taking influence from the novel Halo: The Fall of Reach where humans under the command of the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) who have been battling the forces of the Covenant for a long time. The planet Reach has fallen and lost almost all of the human inhabited colonies. Reach is a very Earth like human civilisation including it’s natural landscapes, environment and it’s ecosystems are strong enough to support life aside from just flora and fauna.

Gameplay

You play from a first person perceptive throughout the campaign only during certain moments throughout such as; using a stationary machine gun or driving a vehicle will you shift into third perspective. The vehicles such as Ghosts, Wraiths and of course the Warthog are the same as Halo: Combat Evolved. You can play the main campaign solo or cooperatively which is always a nice feature that is throughout the Halo franchise.

Some new things to the Halo universe is spaceship dog fighting. There are moments where you pilot a craft that defends a UNSC mother-ship from Covenant crafts on the attack. This mechanic is new and refreshing it adds that extra layer of diversifying the game’s experience. There are also power ups that are new such as; Jet packs, Sprint, Camouflage, Holograms, Drop Shield, and Armour Lock. All these abilities are optional secondary abilities that you can collect as drops throughout each level and swap out for a different one depending on your play style. There is also the old weapons from Halo: Combat Evolved however they have a fresh feel and as well as some new ones that can be useful in certain terrain or for specific fights.

You can also now customise your Spartan with this cool new feature, something you might notice early on is that other members of the Nobel Team have cool new Spartan looks. You as the player also have that opportunity to make yourself look the way you want, but first you have to unlock each piece of your new look by completely challenges or reaching achievements.

Most of the game play feels very similar to Halo: Combat Evolved which isn’t a negative thing, you play in a team unit with Nobel Team, as opposed to the lone wolf lifestyle that players are used to with Master Chief. There are moments where you do go solo for various reasons such as if you decide to skip ahead of the team or if the narrative leads you in that direction.

The Experience

During combat I always feel like a badass, I’m not the best aim in FPS games, in saying that whenever I play a Halo game I always feel that I kick some serious butt, that same feeling applies to Halo: Reach. The new secondary abilities are a nice mix up from the tradition mechanics of Halo and I really enjoyed trying out different things, such as the jet pack and the drop shield really came in handy when I was up against a large swarm of Covenant.

The dog fighting for me was a really big highlight. I loved the feeling of flying through space and shooting down the enemy, whilst also pulling cool aerial stunts to dodge projectiles. The developers did a wonderful job creating a some what ‘Star Wars’ feel with the space battles and that sensation of zooming through space. That coupled with a great narrative meant that I felt really determined to defend against the Covenant and bring it home for humanity.

Story wise it is very compelling there are some real gut wrenching moments that add such great tension and the delivery was fantastic I was never disappointed by cut scenes they were super action packed, which provoked some really big “OOH RAA!” moments.

I highly recommend playing Halo: Reach especially now with it’s really slick 4K graphics and the ability to revert back to it’s original design is fantastic, it was very nostalgic to be able to play things at different qualities, it truly gave a nice perspective on how far the Halo franchise has come since my teenage years.

Reviewed by Evie Gibbons @eviezgames on January 8th 2020
Images: https://halo.bungie.net   https://halo.fandom.com

Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
Developer: Harebrained Schemes
Website: http://harebrained-schemes.com/shadowrun/hongkong
Australian rating: Unrated

Cyberpunk was a very 1980s thing, and sometimes that comes through in the modern games reviving the genre. Shadowrun began as a tabletop RPG in 1989 and the video games based on it retain some of the era’s qualities, including a fascination with Asian culture as filtered through action movies. Street samurai wield katanas, every city has triads and yakuza, and the world is run by megacorps with names like Shiawase, Wuxing, and Renraku.

So in Shadowrun: Hong Kong of course you work for a triad boss based out of a mahjong parlour and one of your missions is to mess with the feng shui of an office building to harm the owners’ profits. It trades in pretty broad stereotypes, but that’s the nature of Shadowrun’s pulpy adventure fiction background, which mashes up cyberpunk and urban fantasy so that the street samurais are likely to be elves, the triads and yakuza backed up by shamans, and the megacorps run by dragons.

(more…)

Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
Developer: Dylan Fitterer
Website: http://www.audiosurf2.com
Australian rating: Unrated

You know those visualisation things you get with music software like Windows Media Player? The ones that accompany whatever song is playing with geometric patterns, rising and falling and changing colour in time with the music, sort of like what 1990s movies thought cyberspace looked like? Audiosurf takes that idea and makes a video game out of it. Feed it an mp3 (or, new in this sequel, a stream from SoundCloud) and its algorithm analyses the music’s tempo and beat and changes in intensity and then maps them to a rising and falling rollercoaster/racecourse hybrid, which you fly across in a spaceship.

Still with me? Good, because there’s more. While the speed you travel is entirely at the mercy of the BPM you can flit left and right across three lanes on that track to hit certain blocks while dodging others, collecting them in a grid beneath you and earning points. Audiosurf is two games in one – both a score-attack game of reflexes and careful choices about which blocks to grab, and a transformative experience that can turn your favourite music into a physical space and then pull you across it.

(more…)

Platform: Xbox One

Developer: Undead Labs

Website: Undeadlabs.com

Australian classification: R18+

I’d long since run out of food and drink. I was bruised, beaten, and exhausted to the point of near collapse. My ute was packed with a days worth of salvage; medicine, materials, fuel, ammunition, supplies we desperately needed. The community was counting on me, but more than anything I just wanted to get home. I decided to take a shortcut. It didn’t go well.

(more…)