Still Alive

So, I checked and apparently my last post dates back for more then 9 months. Did I use the time to do a lot of gaming? Yea, I think so. Completing lots of games? …. not really. My Steam review of the year says that I completed (or played ??) 12 games last year and I think it will be less this year. Before I give some words to that, I will start with the games I actually completed. Not gonna lose to many words about them because i have forgotten things already ^^’:

• Half-Life 2
  

  33 hours playtime

  69 of 69 achievements

• Coromon
  

  49 hours playtime

  80 of 80 achievements

• Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga
  

  47 hours playtime

  19 of 19 achievements

Half-Life 2: There was an anniversary last year where you could get the game for free. Despite some hesitation, I decided to grab it anyway. Overall, the game is enjoyable and interesting with a good story. The graphic is not the most modern anymore. But overall, I think the game aged pretty well. Different scenarios, lots of enemies and for the most part enjoyable achievements. The game should be well known by most gamers, so I’ll skip on more details.

Coromon: The last Pokémon game I played was Black & White I think. So, I went in with some mild expectations. And I got surprised positvely. The monster design is good and the story is different from the usual Pokémon stuff. It gets a bit strange with the Aliens but well, whatever. You have custom difficulties and a lot of good achievements (and a few awful ones). I was most surprised by all the QoL stuff in comparison to Pokémon. Item management was easier. You could teleport from everywhere on the map. You could reset bonus points, switch the design of your monster ball, items have been removed automatically and moves could be relearned at a whim. Lots of different locations as well.
Most achievements are unmissable with the exception of one or two which “force” you to play on Insane Mode. However, even on that on the game is still easy because you can overlevel to no end. Only the end dungeon and final boss made me struggle not losing a Coromon forever. If you have that Pokémon itch, I think the game is a good choice.

Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga: Was expecting more Fire Emblem. The game has a lot of similarities. But instead of singular units, each unit is composed of up to different sub-units. Which allows for a lot of customization but was for ultimatively more annoying than fun. However, i liked my Swordmaster squad. Mobile death. The game gives you some additional power-ups in addition to unit movement which give something fresh. But overall it wasn’t that interesting. Started to play with Permadeath but opted out in the middle because while i could protect the squads more or less, I still lost singular sub-units and just didnt want to bother to much with the game. There is apparently a DLC which allows you to power up even more. Because even when I did not play on the highest difficulty and without perma-death, the game already allows some power-gaming. My greatest criticism is the story however. It begins with a standard empire-rebels storyline which it keeps throughout the game but gets strange pretty fast with the introduction of the Nephilim. I personally think the whole the Nephilim are our saviour but be aware for them becoming tyrants is completed lost in Limbo. The protagonist always thanks the one guy rebelling against him but still puts him into prison. Your best friend is a major antagonist inbetween but changes back again. Your other friend is the long lost heir to the throne in another country without nearly no indication early on. The story has some major issues. However, I am willing to think it is either translation issues or me not paying enough attention.

So, what is next. More playing. Have to check if I get more into different games. Right now, I am still playing Vermintide although i getting more and more fed up with balance. I decided to start playing Puzzle Pirates again …. which was a bad move. I have fun but it eats up time. Another major time eater is Wizordum which i first played in Early Access and now full release. Decided to make a massive guide there which takes additional time. But I do this because I really like Wizordum. Can recommand it when you are looking for a casual boomer shooter.
There are also other games I played but couldn’t complete yet. For Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes i need to get back into it and need the help of my girlfriend which can’t manage more than 2-4 attempts a week ^^’ For Lena’s Inception I play it mostly with my co-op buddy i visit twice a year. And that one has achievements so hard, i will never complete it. There are also other games i played last year like Alpha Centauri which I would like to play more.
My next steps are probably Ashina, a SG win, which is quite short. And then completing Persona 4 which I am at the halfway point. But the Persona games need massive time investment and this is the first of two playthroughs. It also has not the same charm anymore as 15 years ago. Parallel to this, I will gives some looks to Fallen Aces which looks very impressing. First level is so well designed. If the rest of the game can hold up …. But it is Early Access, so it is not on my priority list.
And then ….. maybe look for some quick puzzle games from my HB backlog (assuming the keys are working) and maybe finally getting back to my Survival Horror games ^^’ Hm, still want to do some Crystal Caves maps too ^^’
I think i could get more gaming done if i waste less time in the internet with actual non-stuff. I am mildly impressed by myself on how focussed i work on the Wizordum guide. Oh yea, also going to China for three weeks which is basically a no-gaming time at all. Enough pointless rambling.