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You may have your costume covered, and your pumpkins carved. You may have both trick or treated and eaten all your candy. After all, there's one day left 'til Halloween and in a lot of places, they just don't respect that you should be on the street asking for candy ON THE DAY! All that aside, you probably have a little bit of party monster in you still, and here from the banks of Lake Michigan in beautiful and not actually a warzone Chicago comes a Halloween playlist put together with care by several of our staff members. It's rowdy, it's loud, and it's awesome. Just like our hometown. Stream you some great Halloween music, and really rock out with it. Our treat.

Screenshot: Escape Simulator 2 I have to admit that I’m hooked on Escape Simulator. So, obviously, I jumped at the chance to play a sequel. And if you’re asking, “Did Escape Simulator really need a sequel?” The answer is: the developers certainly thought so. In fact, their Steam store page lays out their reasons, among them “a fresh start” and an inspiration to “explore darker escape room themes and experiment with new gameplay and puzzle ideas.”  That sounds great to me. While Escape Simulator 2 definitely looks prettier, and has a more “realistic” and darker atmospheric tone, it’s not full of gore or scary things. Not the base game, anyway. That’s for the community to add in later. Screenshot: Escape Simulator 2 Escape Simulator 2 is a puzzle game you can play solo, or with up to eight people total–though I’d say the multiplayer sweet spot is around 2-3 people. It features a variety of ways to interact with its environment, and therefore solve a variety of puzzles. And really, there doesn’t seem to be a limit to the type of puzzle you can find in Escape Simulator 2 . Puzzles vary from logic puzzles, to finding keys to unlock a lock–though it’s rarely as easy as just finding a key. The varied ways you can interact with objects and puzzles is what makes Escape Simulator and now its sequel stand out. You can inspect objects for clues, and in some cases objects themselves can be small puzzle boxes that require manipulation or a special key to open. There is a tactile element to the way objects are handled in Escape Simulator 2 that immerses you in these escape rooms in an impressive way.. The puzzle design in Escape Simulator 2 is great, for the most part. The puzzles are divided between three major themes, with four puzzle rooms for each theme. Puzzles seem a little harder than the first Escape Simulator , but my group was up for the challenge. The developers have obviously taken a lot of inspiration from the community with the fresh and fun ideas they’ve added into the Escape Simulator 2 ’s puzzles. There are some fun surprises and some real head scratchers here.  Screenshot: Escape Simulator 2 Some of the puzzles were a bit weird. Anything released by developer Pine either in the base game of the original Escape Simulator or in its DLCs were top-notch, well thought-out puzzles. But some of the puzzles in Escape Simulator 2 feel like they could have baked a bit longer, with confusing solutions or even some puzzles that seemed outright buggy. This is extra bad in a puzzle game, because our group started to wonder if the puzzle was broken or if we were missing something. 99 percent of the time it was an oversight by us, but the fear of running up against a puzzle that was outright broken was real. And that brings me to some of the biggest issues I had, and that was in multiplayer. Desyncs were frequent, with us having to restart some levels just to unfreeze certain players at times. I’m hoping for a day one (or close to it) patch to address these issues and squash any bugs that might hinder players’ enjoyment. Screenshot: Escape Simulator 2 Newly added for Escape Simulator 2 are harder “dark” versions of certain puzzles from the game’s puzzle rooms. I was hoping these dark versions would include more difficult puzzle rooms, but alas, it’s much more limited in scope than I initially thought. It’s cool. I guess, to have this as an inclusion. But I wasn’t as excited once I found out these weren’t harder versions of existing rooms.  And finally, that leads me to the thing I’m most excited for and I haven’t had a chance to test: community content. Escape Simulator had a robust community of room creators making some fantastic content. Escape Simulator 2 , in the right hands, is a puzzle game engine. And I personally can’t wait to see what the community comes up with armed with Escape Simulator 2 ’s built-in room maker.  Screenshot: Escape Simulator 2 Escape Simulator 2 is a great escape room game–it’s probably the best out there–and it’s the standard to which all other escape room games should be held. Its predecessor’s community content was top notch, and if those same creators come over to Escape Simulator 2’s more robust level editor I can only imagine the crazy stuff I can expect to be seeing when they start putting out content.  Escape Simulator 2 is out today on Steam.

Screenshot: Concierge It’s spooky season, and I’m always looking for scary new games to play. Concierge , however, turned out to be a little less scary than I thought going in. It’s certainly spooky, surreal–definitely atmospheric–but it’s not an outright horror game. Concierge is more of a cerebral point and click adventure that rewards its players with minigames if they’re able to wade through its cryptic set of puzzles.  First, I want to talk about what I really think works with Concierge. I absolutely love the entire presentation, from its music to its hand painted art style.The art has certain details that are left just vague enough that my brain is never at ease. The visual style is easily the best thing about Concierge , and it blends imagery in a way only new media can. I also really appreciate the apparent love that went into the creation of Concierge . It's art in a pure form that isn’t concerned with commercialization, and it's better for it.  The puzzles in Concierge are challenging and varied, but sometimes half the battle is finding them. That means lots of wandering around the old hotel in which Concierge takes place trying to figure out what the next thing to do. And that’s where my complaints begin.. Screenshot: Concierge I would love to say that I played through Concierge from start to finish and there was never a dull moment. Unfortunately, this was not so. While I can appreciate the art that Concierge is, and the love that went into its development, it gives me no joy to report that it was boring as hell. And I’m not someone who requires action. I grew up playing point and click adventure games. I just couldn’t get into Concierge the way it deserves.  Concierge is set in a decrepit old hotel where the only other person around is an enigmatic caretaker. It had the potential to be poignant, or scary, or—anything, really. But it instead ends up being cryptic (which is good), strange (also good) but it leaned a little too hard into those two things making Concierge a chore to play. This makes for long stretches of nothing between small moments of forward progress–even for those who are moving forward at a good clip.  Screenshot: Concierge Concierge is a hard game to talk about in regards to pacing. Everything feels so esoteric, and what clues are given are so cryptic that I feel like I stumbled upon puzzles, and sometimes their solutions, merely by chance. This adds to Concierge’s  dream-like atmosphere, but it doesn't make for a very fun or engaging game. But “fun!” isn’t always the point when you play games, and what Concierge lacks in thrills it makes up for in melancholic strangeness.  Nothing in Concierge is clearly defined. That can actually be one of its draws. The idea that there are no tutorials, and that Concierge drops you in blind is mentioned on its Steam store page as a sort of retro homage. But those older games came with (sometimes) giant instruction manuals so there was rarely a question of objective. Concierge is all about unfolding its mysteries without the luxury of hand holding or pesky tutorials. Screenshot: Concierge I’m not one who usually uses in-game hint systems, but Concierge ’s tip line found prodigious use by me, and I still couldn’t get into it. Despite my admonitions, Concierge might be worth checking out if it ticks your boxes. It’s definitely a unique game, and for the gamer that’s seen everything, Concierge might just have something new for you.

We're a little over a month away from the Black Friday edition of the vinyl community's most divisive day of the year: Record Store Day . Introduced only two years after the first Record Store Day (which is usually in April), the Black Friday variant is much smaller and attempts to cash in on the shopping season with quiet honestly a very niche lineup of releases. So before you head out next month to pick up some releases, here are my thoughts on the good, the bad, and the completely unneeded. Detron 3030 - Deltron 3030 This a bit of a weird one. There are many variants out in the wild already and I don't necessarily think it needs another pressing in a new color. But since it is the 25th anniversary, I guess that is a good enough reason... right? One disc is pressed on clear with yellow and black splatter which seems very apropos for the record but the other disc is clear with mint green and blue jay splatter which is....yeah. There will be a commemorative OBI so those of us who appreciate that extra bit of paper that is often on Japanese pressings. And if you were hoping for maybe some outtakes or additional tracks on this copy, I'm sorry to say it's just the same record as previous editions. This one is basically for those who don't already have this incredible hip hop collaboration between Dan The Automator and Del The Funky Homosapien. Ween - Shinola, Vol. 1 Ween has been on a tear re-releasing some of their admittedly hard to find records. Shinola Vol 1 will be the next and I'm incredibly excited. It's a it's a compilation of remastered demos, besides, an alternate versions of tracks from the '90s to 2003. Despite seeing a repress in 2017 (holy crap that was 8 years ago), the cheapest copy currently available on Discogs is in the mid hundreds and it's double that on eBay. Records like this is why Record Store Day releases exist: to get rare and hard to find vinyl to the masses. Given how rabid their fan base is, I expect this one to sell out pretty quickly even with 6000 pressed. Especially since it's pressed on a very gross Brown vinyl, which just seems completely up Ween's alley (pun intended). Doug Katsaros - The Tick OST I have a soft spot for oddity records and the Tick OST from the fantastic people over at Terror Vision certainly fits the bill. The label is known for tackling lesser known or just outright strange soundtracks, predominantly in the horror genre, so this is almost a double oddity. However, I suggest you take a listen to it. It's a really fun jazzy time. Love - The Complete Elektra Albums Love is a fantastic psychedelic band from the '70s and this is a boxset that is certainly deserved. Anyone who hasn't discovered amazing rockers through a Wes Anderson soundtrack like I did many many years ago has a chance to get Love's entire Electra releases in one fell swoop. For me. It's a bit of a toss-up since I already have three of the five records and boxsets tend to carry a hefty price tag. Alan Silvestri - The Back To The Future Trilogy I think this one is for for the Back to the Future diehards and completionists. From the outside, this is a bit of a random release for the 40th anniversary of the the first film. Pressed on Doc Brown Vinyl (whats with all the brown vinyl?) the single disc release from Varese Sarabande contains tracks from all three BTTF movies and a variant cover utilizing unused art from the late and undeniable great Drew Struzman. But as an aforementioned diehard of the time traveling franchise, it's on my to buy list. Thievery Corporation - Radio Retaliation This year has been chock full of Thievery Corporation ready issues with their fantastic The Cosmic Game getting a proper RSD release back in April. Now the even more sought after Radio Retaliation is getting a nice green pressing to compliment the cover and an additional track! This will be a great addition to any electronic music fan's collection. Sleigh Bells - Treats 1500 copies is an insanely low run or this fantastic Sleigh Bells release. The band recently made their comeback and this debut still holds up with its manic production melding Derek Edward Miller's distorted guitar with Alexis Krauss' glimmering voice that rallies on the tracks like a cheerleader chant at times. "Rill Rill" alone is worth the cost of admission to this fantastic album. This is the first non-picture disc reissue since its initial release, which is criminal, and the blue/white vinyl color certainly fits Treats ' cover. The release also comes with a 16 page booklet which if it's anything like the initial pressing's booklet, is a wonderful synthesis of the album's ethos. Now some rapid fire thoughts! The Rolling Stones Their Satanic Majesties Request - Zoetropes are cool but may not sound the best Danny Elfman Big Top Pee-Wee (The Original Soundtrack Album) - Wish this wasn't on picture disc (see above) Billie Eilish Live - Billie Eilish releases are always big and tend to sell out quickly Various Artists Jazz Dispensary: Green Bullets - This compilations are always a fun trip! Wicked Crosley Turntable - But why?

Growing up I was a huge fan of trivia board games that featured huge stacks of question cards like Mindtrap or my favorite: Trivial Pursuit . But it’s been a while since I sat down and played a trivia game. I’m not sure why that is, honestly. Maybe I was too drawn away by the allure of murder mysteries in a box or board games that had complicated character stats and many-sided dice rolls. League of the Lexicon taught me how much fun trivia can be all over again. To be fair: I’m biased. Words are fun. Not only have I been a writer my whole life, I have a lot of fun butchering the English language with my wife. I’m not above terrible puns or doubling an entendre or two. So here’s me thinking that League of the Lexicon will be a breeze, and I’ll crush my foes, see them driven before me and all that. But League of the Lexicon is fun not only because it has a fun mixture of categories with clever questions, but also because it's challenging even for those who have spent a lifetime playing with the English language.  League of the Lexicon via Facebook Let’s get right to the most important thing: the questions. What separates good trivia games from bad trivia games are the questions. Questions have to be fair–or unfair in a fun, clever way. They have to be difficult–but not too obscure or nitpicky. And they have to be fun while also giving explanations that might teach the player something they might not have known. Questions in League of the Lexicon run the gamut from etymology and spelling to pure trivia and grammar, and even when you've answered, are full of interesting tidbits that just enhance the experience. League of the Lexicon does all of these things. But unlike games like Mind Trap , where I’ll eschew the entire game aspect just to read off trivia to my unsuspecting friends and family (sorry!) League of the Lexicon has compelling gameplay, and reminds me of the collecting aspect of Trivial Pursuit  while removing the need for a board, and thus eliminating one of the aspects of that game I found tedious. League of the Lexicon can be played between 2-6 players, or between teams of players. But if Jackbox Games taught me anything, it’s that any game can be turned into a large scale party game if you’re clever enough. However, I digress. The object of the game is for one player (or team) to collect 5 Artefacts and then answer one additional question to win the game. The rules are pretty much that simple. The artefacts’ symbols must match the symbols on your character card. Doubles don’t count, though they can be exchanged for a chance at a new artefact OR you can put together three unmatched artefacts to create one artefact that can match any symbol.   The simplicity of League of the Lexicon makes it super easy to pick up even for board game novices, making it an ideal party game. There are even two difficulties: “Ticklish” and “Tricksy.” While you might think that an easier difficulty level would make League of the Lexicon too easy, you’d be wrong. These are definitely not so easy as to make the game unplayable. And you could even play against someone playing with the easier deck without feeling like they were at a huge advantage.  League of the Lexicon via Facebook. The rules also have a few official variations, though I’m sure clever players can come up with their own house rules. Even though I’m usually a person with a co-op oriented mind, I found myself actually having more fun with the player-versus-player version. Winning feels great, but there’s just enough of an element of chance involved that it doesn’t sting to lose. However, you can up the ante with a variation of the rules that allows you to take other players’ artefacts–so if you have a gaming group that’s a little bit more player-versus-player oriented, you might find this great. The artefact cards themselves are fun. Despite really only being as important as the artefact symbol, they're filled with beautiful illustrations of cheeky artifacts like Charlotte Bronte’s pet dodo (deceased) and Charles Dickens’ brain in a jar.  https://www.leagueofthelexicon.com/ League of the Lexicon deserves the hype that preceded it. It’s easily my favorite trivia game this decade. If you play it obsessively like we do, you’ll be happy to know that there are three expansion sets that released this week along with the base game, extending your word trivia possibilities substantially.

Cake. Wikimedia Commons Welcome to Blind Spot, where we take time to dig into something big in the cultural zeitgeist we might have missed. A retrospective that’s also a first time perspective. What’s old to you, is new to someone else and in the spirit of that I present to you my Cake Retrospective. My history with Cake came during my high school days, when I was deep into my music discovery era, and at the time, my then-girlfriend and I would split the music. She would pick one band and I’d pick a similar band, and we’d listen to them separately and then discuss. In this instance, she chose Cake and I chose Beck. I still love the entire Beck catalog but I never took the time to dig into what made Cake such a mainstream success until now. Here are my thoughts and favorites  as I’ve gone through the entire Cake discography. Motorcade of Generosity (1993) Comanche- is such a good drunken sing along song that I can imagine an entire bar slurring along to every lyric.  Pentagram- is a fascinating dip into blue grass that kind of tells me what I need to know about Cake. They really can do it all.  You Part the Waters- devolves into some weird places, starting with a piano intro then flipping to some Primus styled guitar and of course the horns, then an orchestral interlude? This one's a journey.  Rock N Roll Lifestyle- finally feels like the band has something to say. I was kind of hoping for something a little more meaningful and I finally got it.  Album Overview: I can see that this was the band really trying to hone their sound while exploring ALL the spaces in between. From bluegrass, to orchestra, they are still in their growth phase here, but the potential is definitely there. This whetted my appetite for more and acted as a great introduction.  Fashion Nugget (1996) Frank Sinatra pairs a slow crooning, smooth style plus a bass and keyboard solo with noir-y horns. This is the first song to really make me a fan. The way each instrument is organized and layered has me hooked.  The Distance is such a hip hop not hip hop song that  might be the best Cake song period  Friend Is A Four Letter Word is hauntingly sad. Melancholic and introspective.  I Will Survive It was awesome to see a cover on an album, let alone an interesting twist on a classic. There was a brief phase when bands would include covers, but that time has long gone, but I Will Survive is such a unique take on the classic Donna Summer song that it stands on its own and separates itself from the original.  Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps sounds like a drunken saloon limerick. I’m starting to see a trend here in what to expect from Cake.  Album Overview: Yeah, at this point the band is officially standing on its feet now declaring exactly who they are. They are shifting from fantastic covers, haunting introspection, genre bending pop and songs sung at closing time at your local dive bar. They are a very specific vibe but kind of a lot of different, very specific vibes all at once and I am loving all of them.  Prolonging the Magic (1998) Is there a more wholesome song than Satan is My Motor ? A feel good little ditty that just puts me in a good mood Never There is obviously a peak single with that funky bass line, vocals with attitude and slow build horns. There’s a reason they are one of the best bands of the 90’s.   Walk On By is a fantastic twangy dip into a southern country style. It amazes me how Cake flows between genres so fluidly.  Sheep Go to Heaven melds right from Walk On By almost like a part 2 of a 3 part saga and I love it.  When You Sleep feels like a twangy mellow epic, and if you told me they were the three acts of a single story, I’d believe it. Rising and falling as the story unfolds.  Cool Blue Reason plays as a melancholy walk through a dusty desolate town with a bit of a hip hop vibe.  Album Overview: A largely melancholy low energy album that is all about the vibes. It's reflective, it’s isolating but also rarely negative. Just sitting on a bus reflecting on your life as a whole. This album gave me a lot of room to think and I love it for that. It may not have the energetic bangers of the previous album but I felt a warm calming feeling the more I spent time with it.  Comfort Eagle (2001) Shadow Stabbing and Short Skirt/Long Jacket are the radio hits I’ve been most aware of, and for good reason. These songs both just hit the right spots in my ear holes. Commissioning A Symphony in C seems like a deeper story I’d love to learn more about. It drops breadcrumbs of details to the point that it seems super specific but I was unable to get the full picture and I love it.  Comfort Eagle is a perfect anti-establishment rebellious song. This made me want to protest anything, and in the current political climate, we need it more than ever.  Love You Madly is one I’ve absorbed through cultural osmosis but mostly for that infectious guitar rift and those love stricken lyrics. This song lives rent free in my head.  Album Overview: Ah, the Cake I’m familiar with now. Cake continues to impress me with how they are able to create vivid musical landscapes that tell a deep and compelling story, even if it’s unclear what the full story is. It’s nothing if not incredibly compelling.  Pressure Chief (2004) The bass line and guitar riffs of Wheels are how you start an album! A slow build to more Cake greatness. What more can you ask for?  Carbon Monoxide : do I sense a little DVO mixed with Green Day? A bouncy tune that encourages a chanting crowd then shifts to a high amount of synth keys.  She’ll Hang the Baskets is more of that crooning country twang. At this point I’d welcome a full Cake Country album, they do it so well.  End Of The Movie : what a little sad personal song about not wanting to say goodbye, . This fits right in with any emotional death or breakup scene in a movie or TV show. Then it ends abruptly, kind of like life. I don’t know, but this one got me.  Tougher Than It Is is a perfect encapsulation of overthinking or overcomplicating life that really speaks to me on a personal level. I think it’s a pretty universal statement that we could all take to heart.   Album Overview: This album proved the emotional range that Cake can achieve when given the opportunity. I loved the ups and downs, twists and turns of what proves to be, some ongoing fantastic storytelling.  Showroom of Compassion (2010) Federal Funding is another anti-corpo song that would be welcome at any protest or march. I love it.  Long Time is an obvious dedication to the fans that missed them within their 6 year gap between albums. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to wait that long for more Cake greatness, but it still stands out as a return to form for the band.  Teenage Pregnancy is an instrumental spiral into the despair and uncertainty of what can come with an unwanted pregnancy. It’s an instrumental journey with plenty of twists and turns, and every instrument is used with clear purpose. I felt this deep in my bones, despite never experiencing this myself.  Bound Away is the token country bar anthem that we’ve come to expect from Cake and the album is better for it.  Italian Guy comes straight out of a Wes Anderson film. It 's so wild how Cake can pin down a single style and hit it so perfectly.  Album Overview: The weakest of the Cake offerings in my opinion, yet still impresses from beginning to end. Moving from protest songs, spiraling disparity, country to pop elegance.  Other Notes No one works a tambourine, vibraslap, cowbell or egg shaker like this band. It really amazed me how much of a visual tapestry and layered orchestration Cake presents in each individual album. They weave back and forth effortlessly and span all genres at breakneck speeds. I found myself continuing to come back to Cake after writing this article, if only to reflect on the songs that punched me in the gut with regrets, emotional spiraling and introspection. Cake became my thoughtful band, but also my drinking band, my anthem band, my rebellion protest band, my quick little jaunty tune band. That’s the thing about Cake. I’ve discovered they are sort of all encompassing. They hit all points, and can be for anyone in any mood. I’m kind of surprised by how universal they are. They aren’t my favorite band, but I’ve discovered how comprehensive their sound can be. Cake is a band for everyone and it’s really cool to be able to achieve that in such a divisive world.

Screenshot: Absolum In my mind, DotEmu is associated with retro beat ‘em ups because of their success with games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge  and Streets of Rage 4 . Of course, they’ve dabbled in other genres with Windjammers 2, Pharaoh: A New Era, and Metal Slug Tactics being some stand-out examples. But all of these are games that are both retro-inspired and are already part of existing IPs. That’s what makes Absolum the real standout in Dotemu’s offerings. I know everyone is hyped for Marvel Cosmic Invasion , but I think there should have been more buzz around Absolum  – I absolutely loved the hours I put into it. Absolum isn’t the first roguelike beat ‘em up that I’ve heard of, but it’s probably one of the most polished I've played. This isn’t a genre/sub-genre mash-up that comes around very often, and never has a developer with such pedigree handled the idea. Fortunately, Dotemu knocks the concept out of the park. Screenshot: Absolum Absolum plays like a standard beat ‘em up: fight enemies, destroy environmental items, and sometimes pick-up weapons (there are only throwable weapons in Absolum) or other items like health. There are two initial characters to choose from, with a roster of four characters to work towards. Each character has a different feel and moveset. Galandra mixes quick strikes with a slow, heavy sword attack. Karl (which is hopefully a Deep Rock Galactic reference) is a dwarf that uses a blunderbuss and his fists to dispatch foes.  Screenshot: Absolum As you progress through Absolum on your journey to dispatch Azra, the game’s advertised big bad, you will meet lots of different enemy types and interesting ways to dispatch them. You can collect rituals and trinkets on your journey, both of which have the ability to drastically change how effective your character can be. And that's the biggest difference in Absolum versus your average beat ‘em up:   its roguelike structure that gives you the ability to upgrade your character with abilities that have the potential for some absolutely devastating synergy. And that’s why I like to play roguelikes. As with most roguelikes, you have some agency over where you can go on the world map. Except in Absolum, you determine which fork to take. Sometimes these forks are hidden or blocked off by some puzzle. It’s not possible to see all of Absolum in one playthrough, but that also means you’ll be playing the same areas repeatedly.  Screenshot: Absolum Thankfully, Dotemu anticipated returning to areas over and over again and made going back and exploring already tread ground a little more interesting than just seeing the same stuff over and over. Sometimes new events will pop up, or characters you met on your travels will catch up and pop in for some help or guidance. There are also a handful of sidequests and other secrets to uncover that will require multiple runs to complete. Obviously, there is also a true end boss and other hidden bosses to discover and brutalize.  There is a lot of heart put into Absolum , and that’s evident in both the game’s tight gameplay and its lore. Each of the four characters you can unlock are unique and have distinct personalities. The worldbuilding is superb, though it's very derivative of similar works that came before it. Absolum ’s strength is in DotEmu’s fantastic execution, however, and not its originality.  Screenshot: Absolum If I did have any substantive complaint about Absolum is that it feels much too short, and too easy. I was able to see most of the game within the first 4-5 hours of playtime, and I'm not exceptional at beat ‘em ups nor roguelikes. In fact, I had such an easy go of it that once I finally got a character powerful enough to meet the end boss, I steamrolled him without breaking a sweat. It was often the case that I would find myself either vastly overpowered or not at all prepared for a fight, with few encounters that were in-between. Absolum is one of my games of the year. I have a feeling it's slipping under the radar a bit, but I hope it’s successful enough that Dotemu keeps working on these new IPs, because their first truly novel offering in a long time is an absolute gem.  Absolum is out now.

Federal Judges have issued rulings temporarily blocking the Trump administration from mobilizing the National Guard in Illinois and the use of certain types of weapons and tactics during protests. Protesters gathered in Grant Park in Chicago for a rally and march against the deployment of National Guard troops in the area and continued ICE raids. Photo by Aaron Cynic. On Thursday, a judge granted a temporary restraining order  prohibiting the Trump administration from “ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois" until at least October 23rd. Speaking from the bench in her ruling, U.S. District Judge April Perry said that the Department of Homeland Security’s perception of events in and around Chicago that those protesting ICE raids are engaged in a “rebellion” are “simply unreliable,” according to The Chicago Tribune . Judge Perry said that deploying the National Guard on the streets of Chicago would only make an already volatile situation worse. She said that troops are “not trained in de-escalation or other extremely important law enforcement functions that would help to quell these problems,” and mobilizing them would “only add fuel to the fire that the defendants themselves have started.” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker celebrated the decision, writing on Bluesky  that the Trump administration is “not above the law.” “Donald Trump is not a king — and his administration is not above the law. Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois. And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago.” Some 500 National Guard troops began deploying in the Chicagoland area on Wednesday. Some were seen outside the ICE detention facility in suburban Broadview. The ruling comes one day after thousands of Chicagoans took to the streets in the Loop to protest both the deployment of the Guard and continued ICE raids in the area, which have terrorized communities since the beginning of “Operation Midway Blitz” last month. ICE has disappeared more than 1,000 people in the Chicagoland area since the operation began. Chanting "Chicago isn’t licking boots, no Trump, no ICE, no troops,” and "up up with liberation, down down with deportations,” they marched along Michigan Avenue to Trump Tower after a rally beginning in Grant Park. A person dressed as the Statue of Liberty at a rally in Chicago before a march against the deployment of National Guard troops and continuing ICE raids in the area. Photo by Aaron Cynic. “What we are seeing is an administration that is sending troops in to scare us into silence,” Alderwoman Jessie Fuentes told the crowd. “To punish dissent. And we will not allow that here in the city of Chicago.” Fuentes was violently handcuffed and detained by ICE agents at a local hospital in her ward while advocating for a person ICE had brought there after detaining them. For weeks, residents protesting the administration’s continued kidnappings throughout the area along with journalists and others have been met by heavily armed agents who’ve deployed tear gas, pepper balls, flash bang grenades, and other munitions and tactics indiscriminately and without warning. Photos by Aaron Cynic Federal agents have attacked peaceful protesters and journalists alike outside the facility in Broadview on a regular basis and tear gassed a large swath of the Brighton Park neighborhood after shooting a motorist which they accused of allegedly ramming a vehicle, though evidence suggests otherwise. Agents also tossed tear gas out of a vehicle onto a street near a school in Logan Square, and have violently confronted residents for legally filming their activities, something elected officials in Illinois have encouraged. Federal agents attack protesters outside the ICE dention facility in Broadview, Illinois. Photo by Chris Riha. Also on Thursday U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis issued a temporary restraining order preventing federal officers from using these tactics and weapons against peaceful demonstrators, members of the clergy, and journalists reporting in the area. "Individuals are allowed to protest,” Judge Ellis said while issuing the order. “They are allowed to speak. That is guaranteed by the First Amendment of our constitution, and it is a bedrock right that upholds our democracy.” Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include multiple media outlets like the Chicago Headline Club, Block Club Chicago, and Raven Geary and Steve Held of Unraveled Press, along with the Chicago Newspaper Guild Local 34071, the National Association of Broadcast Employees & Technicians Local 54041, and several clergy members who have been targeted by agents for weeks, according to a press release from Loevy and Lovey, the law firm representing them. Steve Art from the firm celebrated the ruling, saying: "For weeks, federal forces sent to Chicago have terrorized residents. They have used incredible violence against civilians, against demonstrators, against religious and political leaders, and against the press. They hope to scare us into silence and submission. But the community here in Chicago will not be bullied. Today, because of the work of hundreds of brave community members, a federal judge has entered an injunction prohibiting the illegal conduct of federal agents in the Chicago area. We applaud the Court’s ruling, which will protect constitutional rights and many members of our community." “I saw snipers on the roof of the detention center, pointed down at us simply trying to pray from our beliefs, in what we believed was a country of freedom,” said Father Brendan Curran, a Dominican priest who has led prayer vigils outside the Broadview facility for nearly 20 years. "Today's ruling would not have been possible without the bravery of the Plaintiffs and many others who stood up in the face of egregious state violence and misconduct," said Daniel Massoglia, Director of the Civil Rights Clinic at First Defense Legal Aid. "It sends a powerful message in favor of press freedom, religious freedom, and the freedom to dissent against government abuses."

Photo: Chris Riha ( @superbia454 ) The ongoing feud between the sitting president, the Chicagoland area and State of Illinois continues to escalate. Operation Midway Blitz has been underway for a month and has involved US Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as well as several other federal agencies. In this past month, we've seen agents deploying tear gas in several Chicago neighborhoods , violently handcuffing a city alderman , arresting journalists , as well as having heavily armed agents rappelling from Blackhawks into a South Shore neighborhood to conduct a raid on an apartment building where numerous US citizens, including at least four children , were detained. Photo: Chris Riha ( @superbia454 ) Trump has now also announced that he will deploy the Illinois National Guard against its commander in chief's wishes, also deploying members of the Texas National Guard, to 'protect' agents from the city he also frequently refers to as a "war zone." IL Governor Pritzker has been an outspoken opponent of Trump and these actions, and has worked with Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson to block the moves with a federal lawsuit. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on his way into Manny's Deli on election day in 2023. Photo : Aaron Cynic Mayor Brandon Johnson has also recently signed an executive order to establish "ICE Free Zones" which prohibit use of city property for federal immigration operations, according to an official press release on chicago.gov . “We will not tolerate ICE agents violating our residents’ constitutional rights nor will we allow the federal government to disregard our local authority. ICE agents are detaining elected officials, tear-gassing protestors, children, and Chicago police officers, and abusing Chicago residents. We will not stand for that in our city,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “With this Executive Order, Chicago stands firm in protecting the Constitutional rights of our residents and immigrant communities and upholding our democracy.”    The city's resistance to this illegal invasion appears to only be inciting the wrath of Donald Trump, who again took to social media to rant about imprisoning both Pritzker and Johnson : "Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] Officers!" "Governor Pritzker also!" Photo: Aaron Cynic This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested,” Mayor Johnson posted on social media. “I’m not going anywhere.” Pritzker also responded in his own series of social posts on "X" stating "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?" In an interview with MSNBC after speaking at a rally at Federal Plaza in Chicago for workers affected by the government shutdown, Pritzker called Trump "unhinged." "This guy is unhinged. He's insecure," said Pritkzer. "He's a wannabe dictator. And there's one thing I really want to say to Donald Trump. If you come for my people, you come through me. So come and get me." BREAKING: The Chicago Teacher's Union has Denounced Trump's Targeting of Chicago's Mayor in an official statement that follows: CTU Denounces President Trump’s Targeting of Chicago’s Mayor: Chicago Will Continue its Proud Tradition of Protecting City Residents and their Liberty in the Face of Troops Call for Johnson’s Arrest is Latest Sign Trump is Waging War on Successful Black Political Power, Using Government for Personal Agenda, Unfit for Office Chicago, IL. In response to Donald Trump calling for the arrest of Brandon Johnson, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates cited the city’s 1850 council resolution calling on local police to not aid and abet fugitive slave patrols, and denounced Trump’s targeting, claiming it is making everyone less safe. “A hundred and seventy five years after Chicago passed resolutions refusing to aid and abet fugitive slave patrols, we have a mayor who is taking every step to once again protect Chicagoans from lawless capture and we have a sitting President who is attacking him for it. Sen. Stephen Douglas denounced Chicago for refusing to support the agents deployed to take away Chicagoans’ liberties and Trump is doing the same today. Our democratically-elected mayor is making our city safer by keeping a bright line between local government and the lawless invasion of our city being carried out at the order of the President. He should be celebrated and protected for it. More to come on the situation unfolding in Chicago as it happens

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said that President Donald Trump plans to federalize 300 or more National Guard troops to send to Chicago, along with other cities like Portland, Oregon. Federal Agents with the Bureau of Prisons and other law enforcement officers push protesters outside of the ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois. Photo by Chris Riha . “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement on Saturday . “In the coming hours, the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance — not a serious effort to protect public safety. For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control.” A memo obtained and published by CBS News  on Sunday confirmed this. “Up to 300 members of the Illinois National Guard will be called into Federal service effective immediately for a period of 60 days. The Chief of the National Guard Bureau will immediately coordinate the details of the mobilization with you, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Commander, U.S. Northem Command. The mobilized Service members will be under the command and control of the Commander, U.S. Northern Command." The statement says troops would be deployed "to protect Federal property, at locations where violent demonstrations against these functions are occurring or are likely to occur based on current threat assessments and planned operations." Sunday night, Pritzker reiterated the statement and added more context, saying that the Texas National Guard would be deployed to Illinois, Oregon, and other locations and called it an "invasion." “This evening, President Trump is ordering 400 members of the Texas National Guard for deployments to Illinois, Oregon, and other locations within the United States. No officials from the federal government called me directly to discuss or coordinate. “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion. It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops." The announcement(s) come as the Department of Homeland Security continues to escalate its attacks on the people of Chicago, its suburbs, and the collar counties surrounding Cook County. In just the last week, in addition to regularly kidnapping people off the street in the Chicagoland area, ICE conducted several large-scale raids, including one in the South Shore neighborhood that featured Blackhawk helicopters with heavily armed agents rappelling from them, doors broken down, homes broken into, property stolen, and people, including children, zip-tied and disappeared into vans in the middle of the night. Beginning on Friday and through the weekend, ICE agents also deployed tear gas in several Chicago neighborhoods, including near a hospital in Humboldt Park, a school and grocery store in Logan Square, and through a swath of the Brighton Park neighborhood after community members began a spontaneous protest in response to agents shooting a motorist. Additionally, agents violently handcuffed Chicago Alderwoman Jessie Fuentes at a hospital, who was advocating for a person in the custody of federal agents. DHS released a statement  alleging that the agents in Brighton Park were “rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars” while “patrolling in the greater Broadview area,” which is some 15 miles northwest of the neighborhood. According to an 8 page criminal complaint published by the Sun-Times , the motorist allegedly "drove aggressively and erratically towards” agents' vehicles, disobeyed stop signs, red lights and drove “the wrong way down one-way streets in order to pursue the CBP Vehicles.” Evidence of the allegations has still yet to be confirmed, and video circulating on social media appears to contradict the DHS narrative. In the wake of the shooting, DHS agents deployed a host of chemical munitions on people at the scene, including members of the Chicago Police Department. The motorist and one other person have been charged with felony assault. Law enforcement from federal, state, and local agencies have also ramped up attacks and arrests on people protesting outside of the ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. For weeks and months, community members, activists, and elected officials have been protesting outside the facility, where many of the people kidnapped by ICE in the greater Chicagoland area are held and “processed.” Those who’ve been inside the facility, including Steve Held, a journalist with the outlet Unraveled , who have been documenting the situation for weeks, described deplorable conditions detainees face. “Reportedly some ICE detainees are held for days, even up to a week,” Held wrote in a thread on Bluesky , after being released from being arrested while covering protest outside the facility. “Our room stank of sweat & pepper ball powder after just a few hours. Their room appeared dirty, filled with men dressed for labor, trying to get comfortable to sleep in chairs or on the cold floor in the cinder block room.” Governor Pritzker has directed pleny of fiery rhetoric towards Trump and has repeatedly told residents of Chicagoland to protest and film what ICE does when they kidnap people off the street. At the same time, the Illinois Department of Transportation set up large concrete barricades outside of the facility in Broadview to designate a "free speech zone." Various federal agencies still attacked demonstrators anyway, with the help of the Illinois State Police and other local agencies. Photo by Chris Riha Photo by Chris Riha While National Guard troops were not yet seen on the streets of Chicago or the surrounding area on Sunday, the war of words between President Trump and Governor Pritzker continued. Speaking to Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union,  Governor Pritzker called the raid in South Shore “shameful,” and said that the state’s Department of Children and Family Services is investigation what happened to the children who were zip-tied and elderly people who were held in a truck for more than three hours. “What kind of a country are we living in? And this raid at this building is emblematic of what ICE and CBP and the president of the United States, Kristi Noem and Greg Bovino, are trying to do,” said Pritzker. “They want mayhem on the ground. They want to create the war zone, so that they can send in even more troops.”   Monday morning, the State of Illinois filed a lawsuit attempting to block the deployment. “The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor,” the complaint reads, according to The Hill.

There are no bad Paul Thomas Anderson movies. And while lately there has been a bit of ebb and flow after There Will Be Blood and between unparalleled masterpieces like 2012’s The Master and 2017's Phantom Thread and lighter but excellent fare in 2014's Inherent Vice and 2021's Licorice Pizza , you can't deny PTA’S artistry and style. That seems to be the guiding force of One Battle After Another , which ranks high on the upper echelon of his work. Despite being worked on for two decades, One Battle After Another feels uncomfortably timely or unfortunately prescient. The film centers around members of a revolutionary group called The French 75, specifically Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) and Ghetto Bob/Rocketman (Leonardo DiCaprio) who run around California releasing illegal immigrants from detention camps, blowing things up, robbing banks to fund their missions, and various other acts to battle fascism, which is embodied in the personage of Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn). Their stories interlock and come to a head when their decisions tear a rift through The French 75, propelling Ghetto Bob and his new born daughter Charlene into hiding. This section of the film immediately hearkens back to 70's style filmmaking. From the heavy grain on the film stock to the tight close ups to the pacing, it all meshes together into an almost grindhouse film that is elevated to arthouse. Feels weird to say that, especially with the recent backlash on elevated horror, but it works so damn well here. The closest thing I would liken it to is a pop version of postmodernism. The rest of the film jumps forward 15 years where we meet with the new cast of characters. Beyond the aforementioned leads you have people like Sergio St. Cloud, hilariously portrayed by Benicio del Toro, balancing life as a martial arts sensei and expert at helping migrants in the US, a secret cabal of racists with a name I won't spoil who let loose a preppy fixer to alleviate some unwanted pressure, and a group of former revolutionary who, once again, I refuse to spoil their names or newfound callings. Before all this conspiratorial mess comes crashing down, we do get a brief moment to "relax" and meet Ghetto Pat/Rocketman, now Bob Ferguson, and his teenaged daughter Charlene, portrayed by an incredible Chase Infiniti, now Willa in their new lives. Now to the action. Those final 2/3rds are a series of elongated cat and mouse games between several characters that is as thrilling as anything put to film in the last several decades. Every scene has this kinetic energy that refuses to dissipate as Bob haphazardly evades Lockjaw and his forces while Willa learns of her families origins as she is separated from her father. This all culminates in a breathtaking final set piece that is masterfully handled. Another thing One Battle After Another does incredibly well is being inspired by Thomas Pynchon's Vineland rather than directly adapting it. If you've read the book, you can definitely see characters, motivations, and even absurd plot lines lifted directly from the surprisingly digestible tome. But ultimately the story is much more streamlined and despite its complexities, is very easy to follow as it focuses so heavily on Bob and Willa’s fleeing from the overwhelming breadth of Lockjaw’s blind retribution. That is not to say that the intensity of the revolutionary acts or the militaristic forces outweighs the other big thing that makes the film great: the comedy. One Battle After Another is a satire and a very, very funny one as it successfully has its cake and eats it too. It's wild and goofy with moments of anachronism and absurdism (the maybe takes place now more or less) standing shoulder to shoulder with plenty of serious elements to ground the whole thing, making the juxtaposition of the two contrast heavily and taking the inherent hilarity in crazy names to a new level. If you're not cackling at a group of fascist racists calling themselves...I still won't spoil it..., then you're taking the movie way too seriously (or don't know that the real life Proud Boys take their name from a song cut from the Aladdin movie that was later included in the musical version.) Acting wise everyone here is doing top tier work. Leonardo DiCaprio has allowed himself to take on roles of aging out of their element characters (see Once Upon A Time in Hollywood ) and is excelling at it. Sean Penn is bored online unrecognizable as his face is in a constant grimace, his hair cut in such a way that you can't help but think fascist, and his overall being feeling imposing as he struts around like Vince McMahon or nefarious Popeye. Chase Infinity, whose real name seems plucked for the mind of Pynchon himself and could frankly be an apt name for her character, is maybe giving the best performance in the movie. She truly embodies the scared teenager being swept up in this conspiratorial plot. The supporting actors like Benicio del Toro and Teyana Taylor steal their scenes while more subdued choices from Regina Hall lend some much appreciated gravity to the film. While One Battle After Another may not be as dense as it's source material, it still manages a complex array of themes that I'm sure every viewer will take something from this film. Whether it's the political criticisms, the father/daughter dynamics, the consequences of peoples past defining them or being the thing they need to let go; there are just so many themes running around that it's impossible to focus on just one. PTA hasn't made a bad movie yet, and One Battle After Another is another notch in the masterpiece column.

Listen closely, youngs. We want to tell you about a time when people would take their entire computers to other people’s houses, connect them all up at one person’s house, fire up the microwave, pour the Doritos, and game together. It was called a LAN party, and it was one of those weird things where you suddenly decide maybe it WOULD be awesome if you could hang out with all your gamer friends IRLsies. And it was. You could eat a bunch of snacks, play a bunch of couch co-op, explore new games, and team up for co-op action where you could actually communicate with other people easily and in the same room. Ok, sure. We only did that once, but lots of people did it way more often. And I get it. I game to escape too. I like to cozy up with my console or hunker down in my office with a great game and forget the rest of the world exists. But there’s something wonderful about getting around other people who love games the same way you do. We’re extremely lucky to be where we are as a publication, because Chicago has long been home to iconic game companies, from pinball giants like Williams and Stern to arcade giants like Midway - even Bandai Namco and Atari had HQ here back in the day.  That’s not remotely all though, as the indie game scene in Chicago continues to shine, and gain national recognition.  We can lay claim on everything from Mortal Kombat to Killer Queen Black, Bugsnax, Cosmo’s Quickstop, Cold Calling, and a myriad more. What else we can lay claim to is an amazing culture around indie games that’s accepting, cool, and supportive. Chicago’s indie game scene is familial, fun, and intimate. You don’t just get to play a lot of cool games - you get to talk to their creators, and cheer them on later when you see their games in a Nintendo Direct, a PlayStation showcase, or Steam Next Fest. CIGS 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor We’ve been surfing the scene since the very first BitBash. We were there for the Logan Playtest parties, VGA Gallery openings, collabs at MSI and the Art Institute, and the opening of Chi Gamespace. Sadly, a lot of that magic seemed to have vanished in the post-pandemic world, and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t miss it. Until we made it through the doors at the Chicago Indie Game Showcase presented by Indie City Games. In their own words, Indie City Games is : “a Chicago-based non-profit working to provide local independent game developers and artists with space to create, share, meet, collaborate, and showcase their work. Our mission is to foster an intentional, mutually supportive community around multimedia, interactive art.” And what it felt like to us when we walked in was the return of an old friend. Just like some of the first Bitbash events we attended, it was FULL of people ready to jump in to the amazing, quirky, silly and social world of indie games. There were familiar faces with developers Young Horses of Bugsnax sponsoring along with Big Sir, creators of Cosmo’s Quickstop, which we first saw in its earliest iterations at a Logan Playtest party in years past. Cold Calling was on site, and plenty more people who’ve been here all along.  There were all kinds of new and interesting games, too, from brand new developers and those who’ve been around the block some time. There were great DJs, ‘zines, games with alt controls, arts and crafts, drinks, and killer after parties, and we ate up every minute of it.  The full list of games (which you should absolutely check out) is pictured in this graphic for the event, but here’s a few picks from our staff stroll through.  Contract Rush DX What happens when you mix the shoot ‘em up genre games like Metal Slug with early internet flash cartoons? I would say, you end up with something like Contract Rush . A shooter that plays in that perfect nostalgia old school shooter realm but with so much charm and wit to the overall story that makes the levels vastly different in game play. There’s a lot to explore with multiple unlockable characters and each level having a unique mechanic, so strap in for some Contract Rush DX! - Alex Beatdown City Survivors Beatdown City is an ongoing series of beat ‘em ups that are throwbacks to the old school NES games. Now, they're flipping that all on its head by moving into the Vampire Survivors space with Beatdown City Survivors . Much like Vampire Survivors, you are moving around a level, auto attacking as hordes of enemies attack. What makes this cool is all the Beatdown City flavor with characters, movesets and unlockables that really lend itself cleverly to what we already know about Beatdown City. This is definitely one to keep on your radar.  - Alex Wordlock I love me a good dungeon crawler, but we are also big fans of typing games. Smash both of those worlds together and we have Wordlock , a dungeon crawling typing game. You play as a wizard, roaming a dungeon and typing to cast spells. Each spell is set to a specific key, and you've just gotta hit the key to equip the spell, then hit the space bar to start the casting process. A word will appear above your head, and typing it correctly will unleash the spell on an enemy. This is the same for opening chests and doors, so there’s a lot of fun typing action to be had. One neat detail is that when you start to type, the game enters a slow-mo bullet time mode. This is already on my watch list and it should be on yours too if you are into typing games.  - Alex Escape from Slumberland We blindtested this game without knowing it was in fact, a Big Sir game. See, in our time in Chicago, we’ve found a lot of great people, and Big Sir are certainly that. Their first game, Cosmo’s QuickStop, has long been a game we’ve personally been in love with and in our opinion, something more people should know about. But, this time around, Big Sir has something spooky, artistic, and immersive going. Escape from Slumberland evokes that cozy but creepy sort of Alice meets Tim Burton and Beetlejuice sort of spooky vibe. We got a chance to play around in solo mode, but the game will be a four player co-op adventure you can play online. It’s got a great atmosphere, with that great balance of silly, acerbic and scary that means you can play it with your older kids or in a group of friends on a Friday night with some brewskis and it’ll be fun either way. You find toys, grind them up (say goodbye to Pookie!) and then collect moonbeams to be released from your dream dungeon. In co-op mode, dead players who are spectating can even buff their teammates. Simply put, it looks like it’s going to be a blast.  We can’t wait to get our hands on this when the release date is announced. - Marielle Hyper Typer 2000 “I love a good typing game” I said enthusiastically, enjoying a moment of pure chaotic confidence before my downfall. See, one of my journalist superpowers is a very quick typing speed (with good accuracy!) so I thought “I’m about to CRUSH this.”  How sweet and innocent I was then. See, HyperTyper 2000 isn’t one of those “simply type fast and you’ll be fine” games. No, no no. It involves being able to prioritize threats, only type with the left hand, and use combat tactics like parrying and secondary weapons. As you beat waves, you get cooler upgrades, but the enemies become harder.  The different upgrades are well-balanced, the controls are simple but tricky, with variants like numbers if you want to try your hand at that instead, the soundtrack slaps, and the balance between bullet hell and typing game is absolutely addictive. A regular bullet hell gives me anxiety and I panic and fold, but Hyper Typer 2000 makes me want to come back and get that high score every time. I played the demo far more than I had to to do this review, and it’s just because it’s that fun.  - Marielle Take That Mainstage! -  The Take That Mainstage! demo was the most involved one we sat down to play at CIGS. This is another genre mashup, and while we love those in theory, in practice it’s not always something that works. So when we say it’s a mashup of a management, conversation battle and rhythm game that actually somehow combines the genres in a meaningful way, it’s a compliment.  It reminds us a little bit of Boyfriend Dungeon, a game we thoroughly enjoyed for the depths of its world and the chaos of its battles. In Take that Mainstage, you’ll have to craft songs, manage relationships, find places to play, and then actually get up on stage and play the monstrosity of a song you put together earlier, hoping it’s not too hard to actually get through now that it’s in Guitar Hero form. ((Spoiler alert: we chose poorly, opting to see what a chord called K would lead to, and in the end, were practically booed off stage)) While we did think that there’s a bit of information overload going on as you start the game, it actually means there’s a lot of depth to the gameplay once you’ve mastered the rounds, so to speak. Talking to people garners information, of course, but also inspiration, and after a while starts to flavor your runthrough, and when wading through a bunch of walls of text in conversation battles can be fun for some, it’s still a nice respite to get a little more active with rhythm game segues.  We’ll be wishlisting this just to get a little more time with it when it releases in Q2 of 2026. At the end of the day, it’s easy to put a bunch of games in a room and call it a festival. Hire a DJ, now it’s a party. It’s harder to nail a vibe, but CIGS did it effortlessly. Coming into the Indie Games Showcase felt like coming into the living room on a Saturday morning ready for your favorite cartoons - knowing for sure that things were going to be awesome - but all your friends are there too, and some of them made the things you’re playing. It’s discovery, art, and plain fun all at once, and it’s our favorite flavor of gaming event. Lucky for us, there’s more to come from Indie City , with Chicaghoul kicking off at Night City tomorrow. This three week game jam with an emphasis on horror and Halloween runs September 28th through October 18th, with a pop-up showcase at Night City on October 25th , but you can start playing the games via Itch.io  now. If you’re in Chicago, and you love games, you need to have Indie City on your radar, because these are events you won’t want to miss, and a community you ought to get to know.