January 2026 Progress Report

3-4 hours to complete, Sophia the Traveler is a hidden object clicker game where you tag along with Sophie and her dog Max as they explore the City of Water, Venice. This game has ten chapters and over 150 animals, objects, and people to find with illustrated and fully colored and mostly animated maps to explore. Including various easter eggs and references to hunt down, Sophia the traveler also features eight iconic buildings including the Basilica of San Marco! There is a Hint system in place that is not tied to any achievements, where you get one magnifying glass every six minutes that locates one object you have not yet discovered, guaranteeing you won’t get stuck on the largest map looking for the last item on your list.

Overall, a fairly solid game. While I admittedly muted the entire game and it’s sound effects on the first level, it’s a fairly respectable hidden object game with it’s detailed and illustrated maps, short opening comics and cute presentation. In particular, the easter eggs were always pleasant to find and there were quite a few references to movies and videogames and the usual cute illustrations you can find tucked away in a hand drawn digital game – such as a small child doing their Very Best to walk a Very Large dog, street performances, and someone growing sunflowers on their balcony while a fisherman somehow catches a mermaid in the canals. If you’re seeking a short hidden object game to finish in a quiet afternoon, Sophia the Traveler is a solid choice.

1-2 hours to complete, Planetarian: Snow Globe is a slice of life kinetic novel following a Planetarium supervisor named Satomi Kurahashi and companion robot/employee, Yumemi Hoshino. While it is a newly released prequel to Planetarian, another KN which came out in 2004 and then was remade and re-released on Steam in 2017, I insist it must be a sequel to cause the maximum amount of emotional damage and should not be played first, or as a stand alone introduction to the series.

I’m not sure why this addition was finally posted on Steam almost eight years after the original story, but as someone who really likes the worldbuilding and characters of Planetarian, I was pretty excited to peek into a window of Yumemi’s life 27 years before the world ended and fell into ruin. If you played this sequel before the first game, you may find this a little boring – but as someone who now has a bit more backstory into the simple but happy life Yumemi spoke of so fondly, I find my heart aching a little. Recommended; but only if you played and liked the first game, Planetarian!

2-3+ hours to complete, Kabuto Park is a hand-drawn casual bug collecting RPG where Hana and her friend Midori spend their summer break catching various beetles, dragonflies, mantises, and other bugs to compete in the big Summer Beetle Battle Championship with the other local kids. There are four locations you can find bugs in, each having their own rarity and “shiny” variants and there is a Terrarium where you can put your favorite bugs in if you felt like having a bunch.

Overall, wholesome game that’s easy to beat and fun to complete in a single playthrough. The art style of the game is cute and the actual battling is fairly simple, with each bug having three cards that the player can use to gain the upper hand. Every time you battle, you end the day, so there are no worries for invisible timers and other complications, and there is a small store where Hana can purchase upgrades, like yellow boots, a bigger net, a bug encyclopedia to unlock new bug catching locations and increase your catching and rarity chances. If you’re seeking something cute to play that you don’t want to invest too much time in, I think you may enjoy playing in Kabuto Park!

5-7+ hours to complete, Smushi Come Home is a super chill mushroom themed exploration game with light platforming, puzzles, character customization, and questlines. Play as Smushi, an unwilling adventurer who finds themselves far from home in a unknown forest trying to get back to their little island and younger mushroom siblings. Seek help from the local residents for assistance and collect various shiny rocks to trade or exchange for various mushroom outfits.

Overall, solid game though something that stood out to me in particular was the Mycology journal, where you learned about real life mushrooms, aka, the educational aspect of this game that was snuck in. When you found a mushroom in game, it revealed the entry of that mushroom in your book and you could read about it and even become various mushrooms which was just the cherry on top. This game is chill, easy, no combat, go at your pace exploration and you can backtrack and keep playing even after you beat the game. Nothing is missable, just go – have fun, learn about mushrooms and go on an adventure.