You're at home, we're at home, and believe it or not, Tarkan is also at home. We're probably living through one of those rare moments when these three are in the same situation at the same time throughout our lives. Apart from all of us being at home, rest assured, many of us are thinking "bro, you need to turn this quarantine into an advantage, add new things to yourself." We said "many of us" because we're not so sure about Tarkan. What more could the man do?
Now let's be honest, it's a bit difficult to find the motivation, energy, and even the area we want to develop ourselves every day. You felt a sense of relief when you saw someone expressing what you feel, didn't you? Don't worry, you're not alone. Our guess is that all of us, except Tarkan, are going through similar processes and feeling similar pressures. However, while sitting at home, we realized that this pressure we put on ourselves affects us negatively. And this is precisely when we least need exhaustion and uneasiness. We all need to relax, calm down, and even escape from this world for a while. That's why, since your plans to explore the world have been postponed, we've brought you games that will allow you to discover yourself and movies that will let you experience others' stories.
Games That Will Bring Other Universes to Your Feet
Control (Playstation, Xbox, PC)
As a team that grew up watching X-Files, we all have an interest in mysterious, psychic, and even sometimes eerie events. Control practically handed us the game controller and said, "Here it all is," captivating us in front of the screen.
The game revolves around the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), a secret US government agency that we hope is fictional. The Bureau's mission is to find, preserve, and research objects that appear to be everyday items but are filled with energy from another dimension, triggering paranormal events.
The story begins when Jesse Faden, searching for her brother who disappeared when she was a child, follows clues she's gathered throughout her life to find the Bureau's headquarters, "The Oldest House," an infinitely vast building as old as the creation of time, unseen by people despite being in the heart of New York. The moment Jesse steps into the building, she encounters "The Hiss," which distorts reality and has taken control of the Federal Bureau, and events begin to unfold.
Control, with its unique storytelling, intriguing characters, professionally written dialogues, and gameplay mechanics that go beyond merely pulling a trigger, can make you realize that reality might not be so real after all.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Xbox, PC, Nintendo)
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a wonderful experience that shows platform games, like punk, are not dead but have only changed form, and that people of all ages can find something in it.
As a sequel to the first game released in 2015, Ori and the Will of the Wisps offers a visual feast with its lighting, environment and character designs, and dazzling animations, while also providing entertaining moments with its updated mechanics.
In this heartwarming story of friendship, sacrifice, and hidden fears in a fairytale world, we play as Ori, who loses his friend Ku in a storm while flying over the forest. Offering the chance to meet forest inhabitants, explore every possible place from the tops of trees to the depths of caves, and much more, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an entertaining game that can provide enjoyable moments with your loved ones.
Shadow Warrior 2 (Playstation, Xbox, PC)
Sometimes, simply going to another universe isn't enough to escape the moment. One might desire to beat up creatures from other universes, or cut through robots with a katana – that's normal. It's hard to believe, but Shadow Warrior 2 is an FPS game that excels in speed and allows you to do exactly both of these things.
Since the story is a bit more complex than we can explain here, we'll leave that to you, but let us tell you now, the developers had a lot of fun writing the dialogues.
The Long Dark (Playstation, Xbox, PC, Nintendo)
We're at home, and we miss nature. How wonderful it would be to go to a forest, see trees, and feel the coolness of the wind right now. Is there no way to do this while sitting at home? There is, with The Long Dark. But the situation is a bit different.
The Long Dark is an open-world survival game that tackles our connection with nature from a different perspective. In this game, where we take on the role of a pilot whose plane crashes into the cold and wild Canadian forests after a global disaster, the main goal is to survive as long as possible. The things that need to be done to survive are simple: find food in snow-covered mountains in the freezing cold, far from civilization, try to stay warm by building a fire in a forest where even the smallest piece of wood is valuable, search for a place where you won't freeze to death while sleeping before collapsing from exhaustion, and all while being vigilant against wildlife at all times. Doesn't sound too hard, does it?
Although its difficulty may be daunting at first, The Long Dark is an experience that everyone who plays it can find pieces of themselves in, and it shows how merciless nature can be, an experience that must be lived.
Soma (Playstation, Xbox, PC)
Sometimes, fear can make us realize things about ourselves that we weren't aware of before. Soma, released in 2015, will touch your deep-seated fears with the quality of its story and its success in telling it, rest assured.
Set in the underwater research facility Pathos-2 in 2104, the game focuses on psychological horror, unlike traditional horror games. In addition to its tense and exciting story, Soma also delves into philosophical topics such as consciousness, personality, and the mind-body connection, making it the game you're looking for if you want a different horror experience. After this experience, you'll think twice before diving, take it from us.
Films That Will Share the Lives of Others
We Need to Talk About Kevin
We decided to start where we left off with games, with psychological horror. Adapted from Lionel Shriver's book of the same name, We Need to Talk About Kevin is a favorite among thriller fans for the unsettling tension it maintains throughout the film, never letting up.
In the film, we watch one of a mother's worst nightmares unfold. The life of Eva, one of the film's main characters, turns into a nightmare the day she gives birth to her first child, Kevin. Even as a baby, Kevin shows no love or interest in his mother; in fact, he cries incessantly when left alone with her. As he grows, Kevin learns to manipulate his father, Franklin, and does everything he can to make his mother's life worse. Our skin crawls just thinking about it, so that's all from us. We don't recommend watching it with a child nearby; it's better to be cautious. :)
Klaus
Now this is a movie you can watch with kids. Written and directed by budding director Sergio Pablos, Klaus is an animation that makes you both laugh and feel emotional while watching.
The film, which begins with the pampered and lazy Jesper being sent by his postmaster father to the unhappy village in the far north of the country, rewrites the legend of Santa Claus. Klaus is such a successful film that it will make you say, "Which animation are we watching tomorrow?" instead of "How old am I, am I going to watch a kids' movie?" while you spend an enjoyable time with your loved ones.
Seven
What is Seven if not a masterpiece, reviving the American crime drama genre and reminding Hollywood of its most popular days in the 50s and 60s? The film, which made a significant impact in the years it was released, gradually lost its influence within the constantly evolving crime cinema genre over time, but as a team, we've never quite gotten over this film. In addition to its legendary cast with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, the atmosphere it creates takes us a long time to shake off, no matter how many times we watch it.
The film, which begins with the discovery of a connection between some murders committed in the city by the seasoned detective William Somerset, played by Morgan Freeman, who is on the verge of retirement, and detective David Mills, played by Brad Pitt, who perfectly embodies the role of the hot-headed young detective, never lets the excitement falter for a moment. This 2-hour film will be one of the best crime films you've ever watched, we're sure of it.
Everything Is Illuminated
Everything Is Illuminated is an interesting film that brings together drama and ska punk lovers. The film, which begins with Elijah Wood's character Jonathan setting out to find a woman who saved his grandfather from the Holocaust, is a visual feast with its cinematography. The film's music is performed by Gogol Bordello, whom we know well from the 2006 Rock'n Coke festival, and other ska punk bands. Moreover, the band's lead singer, Eugene Hütz, is also one of the main actors in the film.
The Before Trilogy
We said 5 movies, but we couldn't not write about this trilogy. One of the most interesting aspects of this series is that the film unfolds in real time. Yes, that's right. These 3 films were shot in 1995, 2004, and 2013, almost a decade apart. Seeing the characters in the film grow up and then age and mature along with the real-life actors is a quite intriguing idea.
This series, which can be described as a minimalist romance film trilogy, finds its place among Bonherre's favorite films with its way of portraying modern love and conveying the subtleties within it through dialogue. We recommend watching this film, which looks at love from a new angle, with someone special.
If you can't get enough after the movie, we're also giving you a dose of Love 101. Use it whenever you want, hungry or full. :)
These are our recommendations to take us, you, and if he's reading these lines, Tarkan, to other realms during these days we're at home. Until we meet again, not in lockdowns, but on beaches and in forests!