Progress Report #7: November 2023
Monthly tally - Backlog: 25, Yekhus: 4
Backlog is still kicking my ass, by just growing at insane speeds. Free games all the time, oh poor me, boohoo. But at least this month I've gotten a decent mix of completed and beaten games on my side. Which even if just a drop in the sea, feels very nice.
Completed or Beaten (4)
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Desperados III
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A Short Hike
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SuchArt!
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How Fish is Made
37 minutes
No achievements
Desperados III is done and buried. 100% achievements. Very satisfying, and fun to the end. Finished it with a fistfull of oddball Baron Challanges which really felt refreshing, with some new takes on what was already a very rich game.
A Short Hike was indeed, as the name implies, fairly short. But also full to the brim with joy and light-hearted fun. And I couldn't really let it go until I completed all of it, which tripled it's main-story feature-length playtime. I don't think I've ever played such a cozy and relaxing game that still managed to keep me so engaged throughout. I remember now that I discovered this one when looking for games to play after I finished Dredge, and wanted similar feels. Very appropriate, this is a very compressed and minimalistic Dredge-like of sorts... while rstill completely at the opposite side of the mood spectrum.
As for SuchArt!, that was a completely unplanned one. Worth mentioning because I tried it out and played through all of it as part of the PAGYWOSG monthly theme. Shoutout to Zelrune, who had just recently told me about PAGYWOSG. Was a nice way to get out of my groove, shake up my backlog and try something fresh and unexpected.
Ongoing (1)
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Book of Hours
16.5 hours playtime
Beaten Demos (3)
As usual lately, been squeezing in some demo plays here and there, to play something different without committing to starting a whole new game. Was disappointed to see that most of the demos I installed during Next Fest (to play later when I had the time) are not playable anymore. But still have a decent list of 'em to go through.
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Asbury Pines
2.2 hours playtime
No Achievements
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Shadow Gambit
2 hours playtime
No Achievements
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Hedon Bloodrite
1 hour playtime
No Achievements
Added to collection (Steam) (8)
- Mini Metro (sale)
- Gone Home (sale)
- Disturbed (free)
- Nomad Survival (freebie)
- Project Asteroids (free)
- Bad Rats (giveaway)
- Spiritus (giveaway
- The Ramp (freebie)
Added to collection (GOG) (3)
- Doom II (sale)
- Final Doom (sale)
- Styx: Shards of Darkness (freebie)
Added to collection (Epic) (8)
- Invincible Presents: Atom Eve (pass)
- Earthlock (freebie)
- Surviving the Aftermath (freebie)
- Deliver Us Mars (freebie)
- Jitsu Squad (freebie)
- Mighty Fight Federation (freebie)
- Orten was the Case (pass)
- Caverns of Mars: Recharged (pass)
Added to collection (Other) (6)
- Evan's Remains (pass)
- STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic (pass)
- Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery (pass)
- Possessed (freebie)
- Leroia: Fantasy Wars (freebie)
- Assassin's Creed Syndicate (freebie)
!!!!!! I’m glad you like PAGYWOSG! It’s pretty interesting, and the extra SG game incentive is rewarding as is trying out new things. Hope you see you check out the discord sometime!!!!
Looks like you had a good November, how was “How Fish is made”? It looks creepy.
LOL! Just now, saw that I won a game from the PAGYWOSG ga’s. Thanks man! But confess: you’re in cahoots with my backlog. PAGYWOSG motivates me to complete a game or two, but then adds a new one to my backlog… could be counterproductive in the long run. xD
“How Fish is made” was a bit “meh”. I played it because it had really good reviews. But expecting more, I was disappointed. As an interactive piece of art/story, it’s very abstract though, so probably strikes differently depending on each person and their mood. It does create a pretty bleak and creepy atmosphere, fairly well, but the gameplay on the first part was pretty much nonexistent. It’s literally just a walking (flopping) simulator with the occasional cryptic dialogue. The second half had a bit more interesting gameplay, but nothing to write home about. Thankfully, it was so short, that there was no big loss. Worth trying, I think, if one fancies some dark and creepy abstract experience that can sparks some reflection. Otherwise, if that doesn’t sound enticing, there’s better things to tackle in anyone’s backlog, I’m sure.