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Bahnsen Knights
The third – and, thus far, best – of the unimprovably named ‘Pixel Pulps’ series sees Argentinian duo Nico Saraintaris (writing, design) and Fernando Martinez Ruppel (art, music) sharpen their formula. But, crucially, not too much. These are games made deliberately quickly – not dashed out, but rather made to be modest in scope and not subject to endless refinement. At their cores, you can detect the raw energy of the creative spark that birthed them – the corollary being that rough edges go with the territory. But between its lurid art, flavourful text and crunchy sounds, Bahnsen Knights simultaneously captures both the sensation of devouring a pacy page-turner late at night and the alluring, illicit quality of an early ZX Spectrum game you were perhaps too young to play – the kind whose images were still visible when you closed your eyes.