Progress report: September ‘23 (a.k.a. Winding Down…)

By now, my thesis is done and submitted (it’s almost like they had to make that a headache too), so all I need to do is come back for my final exam, and then… I can say I’ve graduated from uni! On one hand, it didn’t feel real, but on the other, I wasn’t as moved as I thought I’d be. Just… that was how it should be. No more stress.

Here’s what I completed in the midst of all that:

• 100 hidden cups
  

  0.2 hours playtime

  100 of 100 achievements

  

• A Short Hike
  

  4.0 hours playtime

  12 of 12 achievements

  GAME
  PASS

• Alice in Wonderland - a jigsaw puzzle tale
  

  49.5 hours playtime

  61 of 61 achievements

  

• Paradise Cleaning! - Sexual Massage shop -AKARI-
  

  0.3 hours playtime

  11 of 11 achievements

  

• The Walking Dead: The Final Season
  

  11.3 hours playtime

  48 of 48 achievements

  GAME
  PASS

100 hidden cups - I can see why people dislike this one. What you’re looking for may resemble cups, but the art style makes this one look like a sloppy job.

A Short Hike - As an update from my original post, now that I’ve actually tried out some Animal Crossing, I can say that this is, for sure, giving a similar vibe. That’s what the cute little animals do. They heal hearts.

Alice in Wonderland - a jigsaw puzzle tale - Somebody please tell me I accidentally idled this one for half the time, ‘cause I cannot believe I spent nearly 50 hours on a single jigsaw puzzle game! Then again… I love me some Alice in Wonderland. This game features cute art of some of the beats from the story, as well as relevant quotes. (The artist is credited in each and every piece, too! Thought that was a nice touch.) What kept me playing it for so long were all the available sizes: 60, 135, 240, 375 and the absolutely monstrous 735 pieces. I will say, though, that there is a handy option I wish I had discovered sooner, which lets you toggle between highlighting not only the border pieces, but also a chosen fourth of the rest of the image. That might have cut down my playtime somewhat, but hey, what’s done is done and I’m not complaining. I have almost all other jigsaw games from this dev (just learned they have a Halloween-themed one coming out soon!) and they look just as cute as this one, so I might start another one soon.

Paradise Cleaning!- Sexual Massage shop -AKARI- - This one gave me a weird feeling. I shouldn’t be looking at this… Well, the theme is visiting a massage parlor to destress and getting a surprise sexy service… I’m not a fan of the weird artistic choice of making the main character’s skin look grey. I get that it’s probably to make you focus on the girl, but still, ew.

The Walking Dead: The Final Season - The Final Season came to Game Pass, so I thought “You know what? Might as well play it before my sub runs out!” And I did! In comparison to my initial thoughts: I’m still disappointed about the fact that half of the new cast doesn’t get nearly enough screentime (Omar is literally just “the cook”), but at the same time, Louis might have grown on me even more than he initially did. He is the little sunshine Clem deserves and I am so happy for them. Funny how that changes! Still, I feel like it would be great to have an option to make her aromantic (compare to Life is Strange 2, where you’re not only presented with that option, but also allowed to not engage with either potential love interest). And at the end of the day, I find the ending still reeks of wish fulfillment… (yes, AJ cut Clem’s leg, but how did she make her way back to Ericson’s? I find it hard to believe he could have helped her get up and through the hole in the roof, and if you get James killed, as far as you’re concerned, nobody else knows about the barn…) …unless someone has found a way to explain it? On the technical side of things, I was following a guide this time around, so I had a much easier time getting all the missable achievements, but…! If future Telltale titles go back to the old format, it will be more than fine if they still only feature a scene select, but on the off chance that they keep following this trend, I would really like a way to replay these scenes in isolation. I am spoiled by DONTNOD and I am not ashamed to say it. (lol) Side note: I was also pissed at a few of the missables the first time around, because I was playing with a controller. By now, I’ve gotten myself a mouse, so that helped immensely (had to borrow one to complete the Steam version). Still somewhat apprehensive of the idea of a PS4 replay just because of those missables alone…

What’s that about ketchup? Oh. Oh, you don’t think that’s ketchup…

Continued next week!