Sally Beaumont, a voice actor known for her work on games such as Old Skies and The Séance of Blake Manor, has expressed a strong affinity for narrative single-player titles, highlighting their value as easily accessible "toolbelt" additions to a PC gaming library.
Beaumont's gaming journey began with Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, a title she acknowledges was likely inappropriate for her age at the time. However, it was The Curse of Monkey Island that significantly influenced her career path, inspiring her to pursue voice acting.
Her current gaming activity includes The Séance of Blake Manor, a game in which she lent her voice. Despite her involvement, she admits to a degree of detachment, having forgotten many of her lines. Beaumont finds the game's atmospheric gloom a welcome contrast to the current heatwave. She also noted the impact of the game's time mechanic, which encourages more deliberate gameplay and has been a point of contention for some players. Beaumont, however, views it as a necessary feature that enhances the experience.
Nelly Cootalot, a game she frequently revisits, is described as Alasdair Beckett-King's affectionate homage to The Curse of Monkey Island. Beaumont appreciates how Nelly Cootalot captures the essence of its inspiration while incorporating modern design sensibilities. She particularly enjoys the sense of warmth and the exploration of new locations in adventure games.
Beaumont also reflected on older titles, with Day of the Tentacle potentially being the oldest game still installed on her PC. She values narrative and single-player games for their contained experiences, comparing them to returning to a familiar place. The ability to revisit these games at different life stages offers new perspectives, as she found with Day of the Tentacle, where the protagonist's motivations became more understandable with age. She praised the game's clever design that allows players to experiment and discover consequences without excessive exposition.
Regarding her own work, Beaumont noted that Old Skies required a significant time investment, partly due to the voice acting process over three years. She used the game as a grounding mechanism to re-immerse herself in her role.
Outside of her own projects, Two Point Hospital stands out for its engaging gameplay loop. As a fan of earlier management simulations like Theme Park and Theme Hospital, Beaumont found Two Point Hospital's system of small, achievable goals particularly absorbing, especially during a period of anxiety before surgery. She commended the game's ability to abstract healthcare into an entertaining experience, noting the developers' attention to believable yet comedic sound design.
Despite her extensive gaming library, Beaumont does not maintain a single game that will never be uninstalled. She prefers the closure that comes with finishing a narrative or single-player game, describing a brief period of