robilar5500

Alright. December and 2025 are done and dusted. Tried out a decent selection of games, finished some. My favorite for the month is the one I’m still playing, The Temple of Elemental Evil. It’s been a mostly bug-free experience, which is a far cry from the original release which was so bug-ridden that I was never able to finish it. Outside of a single crash, the only issue I’ve had with the game is some weird thing where it won’t register keyboard commands for up to thirty seconds. It can be played mouse only, so it’s not a deal breaker or anything, but a weird bug nonetheless. I’ll finish this run over the next week or so. It is definitely a game with huge replay value including the ability to play as an evil party, with a story that accommodates all alignment choices. It’s pretty true to the original module as well (not the T1 original original release, but the T1-4 full adventure that bridges the gap between T1 and A1-4…IYKYK). Anyhoo….

December Completions

Queen of Moths

0.3 hours, 2 of 7 achievements
Decent little CYOA horror VN. Not the best, but it's aight and hella short, so your commitment is nominal.


Stories from the Outbreak

6.5 hours, 5 of 37 achievements
Stellar node-based 'Escape from a city overrun by the undead' type (J)RPG. Could benefit from a greater variety of encounters, but still a very good game regardless. Tons of replay value as well.


Kong: Survivor Instinct

9.9 hours, 24 of 43 achievements
A mostly good 2.5D Monsterverse adventure featuring King Kong of course. You play as an idiot father trying to save his adult daughter based fully on the assumption that she can't save herself, lol. It's not without issues from a gameplay perspective, but I still had fun with the game.


LIDAR EXPLORATION PROGRAM

3.8 hours, 23 of 30 achievements
This game was COOL! It's a walking sim in a pitch-black set of levels that are illuminated via your Lidar scanner. There are some implied horror elements to this game, but actually, it's just a chill adventure. Neat and enjoyable.


Far Fishing

3.5 hours, 8 of 8 achievements
Almost cozy fishing adventure that will appeal to people who like almost cozy fishing adventures but also will appeal to Flerfers. Unhinged though they may be, lol. There are RPG mechanics at play in this game as well. Fun quick hitting adventure.


Spilled!

1.2 hours, 6 of 11 achievements
Excellent quick adventure featuring a strong environmental message and also featuring charitable contributions by the devs for every copy sold. Arguably a must play. This is a boat game, btw. :)


Dragon Ruins

2.3 hours, no achievements
It's aight. This is an auto-battler, but instead of the Survivors format, it's a dungeon crawler instead. Might be worth a look.


December Retirements

  1. Poly Roam - Although there are some interesting ideas at play with this drive to the horizon type game, it’s also pretty broken.
  2. ANGST: A Tale of Survival - This survival game isn’t broken, and the actual survival gameplay is pretty decent, but the combat is hella bad. I refunded this game.
  3. BLADE.EXE - This is a pretty unique auto-battler. Your character doesn’t move. Because it’s also kinda a clicker, and you will be clicking upgrades and buffs and such. But it’s possible to end a run prematurely by clicking the wrong button(s). Fun, but kind of a one-trick pony and really made for leaderboard champs.
  4. Jump Space - This is actually more like what Destiny 2 was before Bungie sunsetted everything to try and force people to buy the newest expansions, then also lied and claimed they just didn’t have server space or what have you (nevermind that games like ESO and FF14 never sunset stuff). It’s a lot jankier than Destiny 2 however. Still, there is a quality game here even though it couldn’t hold my interest.
  5. Big Dig Energy - Maybe the best digging game. It has one fatal flaw though. If you leave the game and come back, it saves your gear progress, but all your digging is lost. Which is a significant issue.
  6. Fishing Vacation - It’s just bad, lol.
  7. A Simple Garbage Sorting Game - Cool idea. Flawed execution. It has some commonality with Portal, but not as good of course.
  8. Assassin’s Creed Shadows - Actually is not even close to being bad. But, it does get hella repetitive. And even though the dual protagonists are both super cool, the voice acting isn’t, and the writing takes some unusual…ummm…leaps of faith. Decent game, but not nearly as good as Origin - Mirage.

And now the 2025 Completions List

  1. Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness (Steam)
  2. Forest Ranger Services: Episode 1 (Steam)
  3. Under A Star Long Cold (Steam)
  4. Zompiercer [NG+] (Steam)
  5. A Conversation With A Magical Deer (Steam)
  6. Year Unknown (Steam)
  7. Qazaq: Son of the Sun (Steam)
  8. Tree Hugging Simulator (Steam)
  9. King Arthur: Knight’s Tale (Steam)
  10. Utility for the Soul (Steam)
  11. My monstrous roommate. (étude) (Steam)
  12. Nobody Wants to Die (Steam)
  13. Vendir: Plague of Lies (Steam)
  14. Pyramid Curse (Steam)
  15. The Auto Sort Is Broken (Steam)
  16. Project Hailstorm (Steam)
  17. Right and Down (Steam)
  18. Luck be a Landlord (Steam)
  19. Mouthwashing (Steam)
  20. Megalith (itch.io) (https://nikita-kryukov.itch.io/megalith)
  21. A Game About Digging A Hole (Steam)
  22. Daiku no Medium (itch.io) (https://nikita-kryukov.itch.io/daiku-no-medium)
  23. Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (Steam)
  24. Trawl [3x] (itch.io) (https://houseofwire.itch.io/trawl)
  25. The Fabled Woods (Steam)
  26. Robotherapy (Steam)
  27. Night Drive (itch.io) (https://flankstaek.itch.io/night-drive)
  28. Causeway [2x] (itch.io) (https://yarnspinnergames.itch.io/causeway)
  29. Wakamarina Valley, New Zealand (itch.io) (https://lushfoil.itch.io/newzealand)
  30. Anthology Of The Killer (Steam)
  31. PANELKI (Steam)
  32. Mystery Stories: Mountains of Madness (Steam)
  33. Wartales (Steam)
    33a. Wartales - The Tavern Opens! (Steam)
  34. Silent Breach [2x] (Steam)
  35. The End of You (Steam)
    33b. Wartales, Pirates of Belerion (Steam)
  36. Relaxing Kite (Steam)
  37. The Midnight Bus (Steam)
  38. The Ultimate Death Clock (Steam)
  39. Missing Hiker (Steam)
  40. Lantern of Worlds - Layla’s Quest (Steam)
  41. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (Steam)
    41a. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader - Void Shadows (Steam)
  42. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (Steam)
  43. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (Steam)
  44. Cargo (Steam)
  45. Starless Abyss (Steam)
  46. Nothing But the Silent Deep (Steam)
  47. I Got Hired To Guard The Button That Destroys The Earth (Steam)
  48. Zompiercer [NG+ After Update] (Steam)
  49. Zompiercer [NG++] (Steam)
  50. Cyber Knights: Flashpoint (Steam)
  51. Clawfish (Steam)
  52. Condo (Steam)
  53. RATSHAKER (Steam)
  54. This Is Not Your House (Steam)
  55. Sumerian Six (Steam)
  56. Dystopika (Steam)
  57. The Simplest Game in the World (Steam)
  58. All Fridges Are Psychotic (Steam)
  59. Neyasnoe (Steam)
  60. I Am Busy Digging A Hole (Steam)
  61. A Game About Mining Rocks (Steam)
  62. Au Revoir (Steam)
  63. Dust Raiders (Steam)
  64. Asteroid Requiem (Steam)
  65. Terminus: Zombie Survivors [Terminus] (Steam)
  66. Terminus: Zombie Survivors [Fortified House] (Steam)
  67. A Doctor’s Term (Steam)
  68. A Game About Flicking A Switch (Steam)
  69. Old Skies (Steam)
  70. Dustwind: Resistance (Steam)
  71. Amerzone - The Explorer’s Legacy (Steam)
  72. Serious Sam 3: BFE [co-op] (Steam)
  73. Clue/Cluedo (Steam)
  74. Lil Gator Game (Steam)
  75. The Chess (Steam)
  76. Beyond Galaxyland (Steam)
  77. Neon Hearts City (Steam)
    78a. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (Steam)
  78. Cyberpunk 2077 (Steam)
  79. Hero of the Kingdom: The Lost Tales 3 (Steam)
  80. POOLS (Steam)
  81. It Takes A War (Steam)
  82. Avernum 2: Crystal Souls (Steam)
  83. Songs of Rats (Steam)
  84. Queen of Moths (Steam)
  85. Stories from the Outbreak (Steam)
  86. Kong: Survivor Instinct (Steam)
  87. LiDAR Exploration Program (Steam)
  88. Far Fishing (Steam)
  89. Spilled! (Steam)
  90. Dragon Ruins (Steam)

2025 Retirements

  1. Dustland Delivery
  2. Relaxing Simulator
  3. Untravelled Planet
  4. WhereHurt
  5. Bunny Guys!
  6. Cozy Campzone
  7. Isle of Jura
  8. REKA
  9. The Dead Await
  10. Neon Blood
  11. Oikospiel Book 1
  12. Right and Down and Dice
  13. Frostpunk 2
  14. Worshippers of Cthulhu
  15. BioEntity
  16. SpHero
  17. Wartales - The Pits
  18. Wartales - The Skelmar Invasion
  19. Gone Golfing
  20. Galactic Vanguard
  21. Zeno Clash
  22. Kādomon: Hyper Auto Battlers
  23. Goldenheart
  24. Roots of Harmony
  25. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl - Enhanced Edition
  26. Talented
  27. No Sun to Worship
  28. Neva
  29. Metal Slug Tactics
  30. Starless Abyss
  31. Envyus
  32. Animal Well
  33. Endless Miles
  34. A Game About Mining Rocks
  35. Fur and Fables
  36. Deep Space Cache
  37. Psychopathy Assessment
  38. Return
  39. Grim Tides
  40. Cosmic Parkour: Infinite Journey
  41. Supermoves: World of Parkour
  42. Ertugrul of Ulukayin
  43. CONDEMNED TO BE FREE
  44. Forever Skies
  45. CONCRETE
  46. Twelve Minutes
  47. Quantum of Hope
  48. Picklock
  49. Rolly
  50. Qume: Echoes of Sand
  51. Pinball Squire
  52. Cybarian: The Time Travelling Warrior
  53. Jumpbound
  54. Wandering Trails: A Hiking Game
  55. Short Snow
  56. Red Dead Redemption
  57. Arctic Drive
  58. The Last Sanctum
  59. Ruins
  60. Look Outside
  61. Liminal Shift
  62. Shatterland
  63. Spin Hero
  64. Swat Commander
  65. Alan Wake 2
  66. Poly Roam
  67. ANGST: A Tale of Survival
  68. BLADE.EXE
  69. Jump Space
  70. Big Dig Energy
  71. Fishing Vacation
  72. A Simple Garbage Sorting Game

2025 Persistent/Paused Games

ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN - Tons of fun. Could benefit from a stable group though.
Lords of the Fallen - Better than I expected, but also kind of annoying once you get to bosses that can heal themselves and otherwise cheese battles. IDK. I may or may not pick it back up.
The Planet Crafter - Planet Humble (actually paused due to the death of my crafting/building game co-op partner just before the holidays). Not sure if I’ll play it again, honestly.
Serious Sam 4 Co-op. IDK. Everyone’s interest kinda faded on this one, but there’s still a chance we’ll dive back into it.
American Truck Simulator - The game never ends. I play this when I don’t have anything specific I want to play or when I just want to go sight-seeing. It’ll be on this list likely every year.

Plans for January

I’ll wrap up this run of The Temple of Elemental Evil and then probably jump into Clair Obscur. Beyond that I’ve got a chunk of other SG wins I’d like to try to get to as well as gifts and purchases from this Steam Winter Sale. We’ll see how it goes. :)

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