Netflix Gaming Efforts Deserve More Love

I’ve been meaning to play Hades for years, but between the endless barrage of new titles and just generally being time-poor, I haven’t had much chance. With the game coming to Netflix next year, though, that’s likely to change — and that’s part of why I really appreciate Netflix’s gaming service.

Amid the reveals at Geeked Week (Gyeongseong Creature! Rebel Moon! Arcane Season 2!), Netflix took the time to reiterate its dedication to its growing gaming collection. Hades absolutely headlines the new announcements, but Braid: Anniversary Edition and Katana Zero aren’t exactly critical slouches. And they’re good for me personally because they’re all also on my backlog. (I know! Don’t @ me!) And, truth be told, Netflix is probably the place I’m going to end up playing them — and sooner rather than later.

It was interesting to realize that last week. After all, I could already have played Hades via Steam or Epic or Game Pass (while it was on there) at any point in the past two years. I didn’t, though, and the reason why is one that I hope readers can sympathize with: I’m terrifyingly time-poor. The demands on my time have shifted over the years, ranging from full-time, in-person work to various writing projects to caring for a baby. Truth be told, it often feels like I can barely summon enough time to play enough games to do this job semi-effectively, much less burn through a backlog that stretches all the way back to Dragon Age: Origins.

The problem isn’t only time – it’s focused time. Going into the study, firing up the PC, and launching a game is hardly onerous, but I like to be able to be immersed if I’m doing so. Sure, most games nowadays feature autosaves that enable you to bounce out after five, ten, or twenty minutes if you must. However, I’m not a fan of playing most games (much less my current rotation of Alan Wake 2, Thirsty Suitors, and The Invincible) in twenty-minute bites. At least, not on PC. If I was able to put them down and easily pick them up without having to leave my PC running for who knows how long, the situation might be different… 

And if you’re screeching about alternatives at this point:

1. The Steam Deck is still not officially available in Australia, and I’m not going through the rigmarole of trying to get one shipped here.
2. Playing them on Switch would mean both buying those games again (Hello! Cost-of-living crisis!) and dealing with the joycons, which… does anyone find them suitably ergonomic? I’ll use them when I have to, but I really prefer not to.

Ergo, mobile gaming has come to appeal to me quite a lot over the past few years. As a device, mobile phones are more accessible than consoles and PC and more amenable to quick, interruptible sessions. And because I already pay for a Netflix subscription, why not take advantage of the full suite of features?

First, the bad: the library is still pretty rough. There are a few undisputed gems, like Immortality, Spiritfarer, and Dead Cells, currently on the service, but I’m yet to be convinced to play any of the games produced by Netflix (aside from Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, but that was all Night School Studio). That’s obviously my personal biases talking because I’m sure someone, somewhere, absolutely loves the Too Hot to Handle interactive stories. No judgment, I swear. The line-up is improving, though.

Here’s the thing: I’ve dallied with Xbox Cloud Gaming through Game Pass for mobile, and, honestly, Netflix just handles it better. A large part of that is having the games downloadable. My home internet connection couldn’t provide a smooth experience for Pentiment or The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series. Anything even semi-reliant on reflexes is a complete wash. The other part is that Netflix ensures its games are mobile native. Every game I’ve played through the service so far has had intuitive touch controls, quite unlike the godawful virtual controller overlay that comes with Game Pass.

If you’d asked me two years ago when Netflix launched the offering, I probably would have dismissed it as overreach, another example of a corporate machine trying desperately to find new ways to extract money from the population. It certainly still is that — and it’s not working too well if the reports that only 1% of Netflix users have trialed the service are to be believed. However, it’s given me the means to play Terra Nil, Into The Breach, and Storyteller, and I’m currently diving into Oxenfree. On balance, I consider that a net positive, so I think it’s worth celebrating the service – at least a little bit.