Activities
Yesterday
Twin Mind: Ghost Hunter Collector's Edition
#271
#48 of 2023
September 25, 2023
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Road 96
12 hours playtime
12 of 12 achievements
Report #383: Road 96
Life of Daerphen Challenge Year 2021
Was very happy to see this game in the Humble Bundle Choice. Had this on my wishlist.
Its a mix between a story driven telltale like adventure and rogue like. Basically there is one overarching story and you will play several kids that travel to the border to escape. With each main character you have some scenes to get to know the story better and better. You even get some skills to make some situation later easier than they would have. Also makes NG+ very very easy.
Took me 1.5 playthroughs as I missed 2 story achievements and the collectibles.
First post! Still kind of getting the feel for everything, so I’m starting with an overall August wrap-up. I’d say hopefully I’ll start updating on a weekly basis, but I just picked up Baldur’s Gate 3 and am sinking all available time into that. So maybe I’ll start weekly updates at the end of October?
AUGUST 2023
Played on SteamI reviewed this for SteamGifts Magazine! Keep an eye out for it in an upcoming issue! https://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/sjQKU/central-hub-unofficial-steamgifts-magazine
Like mainlining espresso -- heart-rate shoots through the roof trying to balance everything, but you don't realize that it makes you feel bad until you're coming down off the high. Luckily, you can turn aspects off to slow the pace down if you want (immediately turn off dust storms after you get the achievement, for instance).
Very fun little gem; a virtual tabletop experience that I would actually love to have in physical form. Deceptively simple with a lot of hidden depth and strategy, though nothing that you wouldn't be able to figure out after one or two runs.
Cute, but short and not really the puzzle game that it purports to be. More of an extremely low-stakes VN. Inoffensive, but nothing of real note beyond that.
Number puzzle make brain go brrrr
Cute, but not super challenging. Might go back to finish up one day, but officially on the back-burner.
Had this on the docket for a long time, but only started playing it as holdover until I could pick up BG 3. It'll be a minute before I go back to this now that I do have BG 3, but I will eventually return since I was enjoying my time.
Ninglors Log 323
September Progress:
6
PPU monthly:
done
September Additions:
6
Completed Games:
Alpha Hole Prison
34 hours, 84 of 84 achievements
Hitman: Contracts
0 hours, no achievements
Luna's Wandering Stars
1 hours, 10 of 55 achievements
I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival
11 hours, 20 of 20 achievements
Cats and the Other Lives
11 hours, 29 of 29 achievements
Won/Gifted Games:
Eternal Thread
Bought Games:
Cats and the Other Lives
Guilded Hearts – Kickstarted \o/
We were here Expeditions: The FriendShip
Currently playing:
So much from me :)
Have a lovely week!
Queen Ninglor
Sep 24 2023
Mystical Riddles: Snowy Peak Hotel Collector's Edition
#270
#47 of 2023
September 24, 2023
Third week of September
I need another vacation.
Current balance of acquired - completed games: 104 - 82 = -22 (haven’t actually gotten 4 new games, but I apparently did the math wrong somewhere along the way).
Completed SG wins
Achievements: 2 of 2 (100%)
Review: It is a very short walking sim where you play as a fox and its pretty bad. The good: lovely graphics, lovely music. The bad: the scenery just repeats over and over, each section of the game has worse visual effects, there is pretty bad pop-in of the grass, there is no save, random invisible walls, height from where you look around is way too low and it is motion sickness inducing, Linux version doesn't work but Proton does.
For Screenshot Sunday #21 I’ll share one of my favorite shots this year. It came from Resident Evil 4 Remake which I bought on day 1. Money well spent, even if the new edgy Leon look and vibe weren’t to my liking. The game doesn’t really do much new to revamp the Remake gameplay formula, but stealth is now possible. And this shot best captures that. I really enjoyed being a sneaky slav and stabbing unaware ganados. Blood was in the air that night.
Sep 23 2023
August 2023 Update
Next update (works only on profile page)
STAR WARS Battlefront II (Q4 2017) ⭐️⭐⭐⭐☆
FPS
Multiplayer
12h | 0 of 43 (0%)
- Good map design
- Good weapon balance and feel
The bad 👎
- Initial monetization model was awful
- Can take a bit to find players, as it's an old multiplayer game
Conclusion:
It was fine to grab it for free on Epic to try, but I would not buy it myself. But I'm also not a competitive multiplayer player. There is a room to upgrade abilities of the characters we like, and learn how to use them effectively. Characters are leveled up per class (e.g. both imperium and republic assault unit will update at the same time) and NPCs like Yoda or Luke are upgraded individually. Which makes it easy to boost general characters, and then focus on a few NPCs we want to play. It is a bit grindy but gives "something to do" except for replaying levels infinitely and boost ranks. Weapons are good, level design is interesting.
Details
☐ Bare-bone ☑ Average ☐ Good |
Single player acts as a tutorial. The story shows how the imperial elite squad sees how corrupt and wrong the imperium is, and decides to help the republic. It's as generic and predictable as it goes. There is a DLC, but it's really short and as predictable and generic as the main story. |
☑ Basics (walk, jump etc.) ☐ Magic / powers ☐ Advanced combat |
Playing levels up the hero and skill points, that can be used to unlock or upgrade abilities. We can have 2 or 3 equipped at the same time. They are either passives (slower stamina drain, more health etc.) or active (change how default abilities work). |
☐ Clunky and stiff ☑ Adequate ☐ Fluid and enjoyable |
Basic controls. There is no parkour or platforming. Just run around and try to kill enemies. |
☑ Basic ☐ Detailed ☐ Over complicated |
There is no real inventory, we set up everything before the match per class. Game menu allows to only follow our score, and pick non-basic class to play if we have enough points gathered. |
☐ Boring and generic ☐ Average ☑ Good ☐ Great |
The combat is good, but it heavily depends on our squad. Obviously, as for the multiplayer game. Sometimes games are more equal and more fun, and sometimes there is some pro player with high level Jedi on the other side, that will mow through our team in no time. But in general, classes feel balanced, and none are grossly OP and abused. |
☑ None ☐ Skins ☐ "Time-savers" ☐ Direct purchase ☐ Custom currency (gems etc.) |
☐ None ☐ Story progression ☐ Few collectibles / easy to get ☑ Grindy collectibles / hard to get ☐ Require multiple playthroughs |
☑ No saves ☐ No saves, progress carries over ☐ One checkpoint, too rare ☐ One checkpoint, frequent ☐ Manual saves |
☐ Can run on potato ☑ Medium requirements ☐ High requirements ☐ Too low for what is visible on screen ☐ Optimization disaster |
☐ May look good 10 years ago, but not now ☐ Blurry textures / geometry problems ☐ Average ☑ Good ☐ Beautiful |
☐ Nothing to remember ☐ Good voice acting ☑ Good weapons & effects ☐ Good OST ☐ Music flows well with the action |
☐ Resolution, volume only ☐ Basic graphic settings ☑ Advanced graphic settings ☑ Adjustable HUD ☑ Accessibility options |
☐ No map ☐ Basic ☐ Detailed ☑ Minimap ☐ Fast travel |
Mtx were removed from game after initial fiasco, but peremium currency stayed. And does nothing. |
- Bugfree?
- Works well for couch co-op. Loot is picked up individually
The bad 👎
- Combat is stiff and uninteresting
- NPC dialogue box can have bright background, and text is also bright.. which doesn't increase readability
- Puzzles are more like annoying roadblock than challenge
- Dungeons are really repetitive and have one or two floors
- There are no choices, all replies always end in the same result
Conclusion:
I went to the game Store page to check tags, and saw the promo vid. First 3 (co-op, exploration, character customization) are true. The rest of this movie is bogus. Or more like just mentioning such thing is in the game, but digging up chest with random junk is not revolutionary. Good to beat with a kid, but I would not have high expectations for like adult co-op.
Details
☑ Bare-bone ☐ Average ☐ Good |
Someone stole the sun and our ship crashed on the island. And it's on us to save the world and find the source of light and happiness. Plot is basically "go to this person and ask them for help. Do something for them, so they can build a house or a boat, so you can progress". |
☐ Boring ☑ Average ☐ Good |
Go to location pick up some junk to complete fetch quest, kill enemies on the way. There are some random encounters on the overmap that can be ignored by leaving the encounter map. We collect quite a lot of crafting materials, that are (like usual) just a fodder. The only useful upgrade is backpack capacity. We find better weapons and armor by beating the next levels, not by crafting. |
☐ Basics (walk, jump etc.) ☑ Magic / powers ☐ Advanced combat |
There is only one attack type (smash the button type). It's also possible to use shield, but not parry or dodge. And shield is quite useless in general, stamina runs fast, and then we're back to button smash. There are few abilities (lightning, meteor, freeze, energy shield, power strike) on a timer. Most of them are really average, but freeze is a must. Especially early in the game. Enemies don't have smart strategies to attack us, they just hit really hard. So being able to freeze anyone and then beat them senseless is the only viable strategy. While things like lightning or meteor don't deal a lot of damage, but work well to clear a path from trees and stones. Can equip up to 3 abilities at a time. They are unlocked with levels and need to be upgraded with gems found as drops. |
☐ Clunky and stiff ☑ Adequate ☐ Fluid and enjoyable |
As generic as it can get. Control with stick or WSAD, pick attack with buttons and quick inventory slots (health items) with cross. |
☑ Basic ☐ Detailed ☐ Over complicated |
I kept mixing up buttons to start the mini map and to enter the inventory. Menus are made for game pads. Inventory is clear and easy to use, and weapons or armor have only one stat, so it was not hard to make it clear which piece is best on comparison. Rest of items are just junk that is not really worth attention, we need it only for rare upgrades. So it kind of just stay there. Journal look overcomplicated with how little plot is in this game. |
☑ Boring and generic ☐ Average ☐ Good ☐ Great |
Like I said in the abilities part. Combat is brainless and smashing. The only thing that enemies can do is chase us when we get in their detection range. They have one attack and always behave the same way. Even bosses are just overgrown base enemies. Later on it's actually better to equip run ability (yes running is ability on the timer) and run past all enemies, as it's waste of time to kill them. |
☑ None ☐ Skins ☐ "Time-savers" ☐ Direct purchase ☐ Custom currency (gems etc.) |
☐ None ☐ Story progression ☐ Few collectibles / easy to get ☑ Grindy collectibles / hard to get ☐ Require multiple playthroughs |
☐ No saves ☐ No saves, progress carries over ☐ One checkpoint, too rare ☑ One checkpoint, frequent ☐ Manual saves |
☑ Can run on potato ☐ Medium requirements ☐ High requirements ☐ Too low for what is visible on screen ☐ Optimization disaster |
☐ May look good 10 years ago, but not now ☑ Blurry textures / geometry problems ☐ Average ☐ Good ☐ Beautiful |
☑ Nothing to remember ☐ Good voice acting ☐ Good weapons & effects ☐ Good OST ☐ Music flows well with the action |
☑ Resolution, volume only ☐ Basic graphic settings ☐ Advanced graphic settings ☐ Adjustable HUD ☐ Accessibility options |
☐ No map ☑ Basic ☐ Detailed ☐ Minimap ☐ Fast travel |
- Enemy sounds are awfull. One enemy sounds like devs went to record pigeon coo. - Textures are blurry |
Side note
Friend sent me a teary message that rabbit died with a link to a facebook fanpage. I get a bit confused, as she did not have the facebook page for her rabbit, so I did not know if it’s yet another scam. Turned out she was sad as some “famous” rabbit from the internet died. “The only rabbit that could play basketball” she said. I went to yt to look for it, and saw video of IMO rather poor Ameraca God Talent performance of guy trying to make the rabbit do stuff, and rabbit just didn’t. If you compare it to what people training dogs or cats can achieve…
And then (following yt rabbit hole) I went to videos that show dog agility competition, and that is a good content. Speed, grace, trust to the person who trains them. Not a rabbit that can’t understand what to do next. Rats are more intelligent, and can be as much cuddly as rabbits are.
Summer 2023
A great conclusion to the series on DS. The story is entertaining but a little convoluted at times. The new characters are very funny and the puzzles maintain the high quality the series is known for.
If you're into 2D pixel art RPGs, this one is a must-play. The story and combat are really complex and engaging, the art is spot-on and there are many secrets to find. Yet, it's a tad overwhelming and I was glad when the credits finally rolled.
A beautiful game set near my home region, Dordogne will appeal to warm-hearted folks. If you're a little nostalgic of your childhood and miss the people who were around at that time, you'll easily connect with this game.
HOGs are usually far-fetched and ridiculous. This one surprisingly isn't so much! I quite enjoyed the simple story and the hidden object scenes and for once, it doesn't inflict stupid puzzles on the player.
Maybe I'm not the right audience for this game but I found its appeal very limited. The puzzles aren't particularly original and the wordless story, while nice enough, is just too simplistic.
Sep 22 2023
Just remembered that I am WAY behind with my monthly games got/won/completed, so without further ado…..
Games added in April:
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Capybara Spa
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House Builder
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Cute Cats
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Heileen 3: New Horizons
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Murder Mystery Machine
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Arcade Spirits
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Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel
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Yuletide Legends: Who Framed Santa Claus
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Viscera Cleanup Detail
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Poly Jigsaw: Cats
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The Painscreek Killings
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Lost Legends: The Weeping Woman Collector's Edition
4.4 hours playtime
no achievements
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Harmony's Odyssey
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Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
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Wylde Flowers
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Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
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Clouzy!
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Puzzle Art: Cats
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Tree Trunk Brook
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I Will Be There
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Deadly 30
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Fort Meow
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Police Stories: The Academy
4.6 hours playtime
no achievements
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Carto
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Martha Is Dead
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Life is Strange 2
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Abandon Ship
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Haven Park
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Cats Organized Neatly
Games added: 29 (1 more than last time)
Games won: 2 (4 fewer than the month before)
Games completed: 3 (Almost 4, I will be there IS completed, I have no idea why the last 2 achievements dont show up, also completed older games)
Well, let me just say that I discovered barter, so a lot of my games are traded from there, a couple of group buys and few bought as birthday gifts for myself :D
As always, are there some games you can recommend?