Amitte

While I was gone… (3/3)

December 2018:

Christmas Adventure: Candy Storm - As we all probably know, the end of December is the only right time to play games that look like this. There’s not much to say about this one - it’s a HOG/point-and-click hybrid about helping out three elderly women who are sisters…? I initially watched Game Grumps trying this one out and when the time came, I got it for myself as well. An easy 100% indeed.

Fap Queen - It… works as intended, I suppose? One could always cheat.

Flix and Chill 2: Millennials - A sequel to Flix and Chill, this one has improved art style, new couples and another YouTuber cameo. As enjoyable as it could be, it got dulled down in the end due to the replaying.

The Walking Dead - Yes! I got this one as my first successful SteamTrade, and it’s easily a favorite now. I played most of it back in October, but seeing how each episode took 2-3 hours to play through, I decided to dial it back… cue my surprise at how fast the last episode ends. Having finally played a Telltale game, I’m really sad that the studio had to close down. Then again, it seems that really was coming.

January 2019:

21+ - It feels like the creator of this one is in the past decade, if not century. Then again, they are Russian, so that might be the case. The jokes are bland and not funny at all; if I’ve heard them before, I did so a dozen times, probably. I honestly have no idea as to why someone, anyone would feel compelled to stuff them into a “kinetic novel”.

A Bird Story - I seriously need to stop hoarding games. I bought this one back in 2016 and it has probably been sitting on my desktop ever since I got it. Just like its Steam Store page says, it’s a story about a boy and a bird, conveyed without words. It’s a valid way of storytelling, but I have to say, I didn’t understand parts of it, which makes me sad in retrospect. That being said, the hour I spent with A Bird Story was definitely worth it.

A Normal Lost Phone - Another creation that fits into the newly established found phone genre - this one, unlike SIMULACRA, doesn’t allow you to communicate with anyone. Everything is there, hidden behind pretty art, for you to uncover the whole story. A big chunk of my playtime had been recorded before January, but I totally couldn’t concentrate on reading back then. When I initially watched gameplay videos of this one, the story moved me to tears; I’m sad it didn’t end up that way when I finished it myself. Guess I just knocked it out then. Next up, its spiritual successor! Whenever I get to it, of course.

Heart’s Medicine - Time to Heal - This one was a real treat. Back when I was little, I had become a big fan of PlayFirst, who, at the time, were making probably the most popular games of the time management genre. It pains me to this day that they decided to turn to mobile gaming when there’s still a market for their games here. Discovering Blue Giraffe/GameHouse and their games, I couldn’t contain my excitement and got myself Heart’s Medicine during a sale. My playtime, clocking in at almost 15 hours, shouldn’t be surprising. Definitely looking out for other games from those studios!

What is love? - This VN was so bad Steam deleted it. The photos used as backgrounds look decent, but the sprites are clearly stolen, and badly so. The writing tried to sound intelligent and looked weird when describing the characters’ actions. It was so inconsistent that pretty much every character has been misnamed at least once during the course of the game. Speaking of which, it really makes no sense. You can only kind of initiate a relationship with one of the characters, because I guess that’s what the developer really wanted, and even then, it still feels extremely rushed. Or you can just hook up with the receptionist and become lesbian hunters. Or maybe you’d rather be peeped at by a random stranger at the sauna. The world is your oyster… but do you really want that here? I realized I don’t, actually.

February 2019:

Garden of Oblivion - This one is a throwback to a few years back, when I first played it on Android. Made by one of my favorite OELVN creators, Träumendes Mädchen, Garden of Oblivion has you playing as Reven, a girl who wakes up in a strange dream world and has no recollection of who she is or what is happening around her. The task is to help her learn more and possibly escape. But how? Play to find out! I really like this one. It’s short, not complicated and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Sad to see that the developers don’t seem to be doing much nowadays.

Hot Champions: Dream Team - See yesterday’s post; it’s all the same kinds of games by (almost) all the same developers, really.

Lily’s Day Off - Another VN throwback. You play as an anonymous character with no recollection of their memories, as they stumble upon Lilypad Lily, an idol who happens to be in the exact same predicament as them - she can’t remember anything. Going from that, you have multiple choices which stuff the player character and Lily into a handful of different roles. I enjoyed this one for what it is - a short comedy VN based on the cuteness of Lilypad Lily, a character created by Kyuppin.

Mumps - I’ve played about half of this one by myself, but then I got stuck. And by the time I had it finished, I was getting help from… my boyfriend! This might seem like boasting, but I’m just genuinely happy he showed up in my life :) Last year ago at that time I had no hope for something like that happening. I’m excited for what might be in store for us. As for the game, there’s not much to say about it, really. It’s pretty much a game that any beginner developer could have made - you play as a pig that has to collect all the acorns in a level and get to the exit. One of the gripes people seem to have with it is that it’s named after a disease? No idea about what the developer thought, but I also don’t see why people get that mad over it.

Pixel Puzzles 2: Space - Finally! I thought I’d never make it, and yet here I am! There’s way too much time I have to spend on 100% those puzzle games (Pixel Puzzles 2: Birds took even longer than this one, criminy). The developers seem to think it’s fun to make additional “gameplay” by inserting things that make you get yourself rid of hints… no, that’s not cool. Nor is the astronaut that will bounce and float around your screen unless you kill him… mwahaha. That being said, this allows me to focus on all the other puzzle games I have in my library.

Press X to Not Die - The secret to survival is… Press X to not die! This game is pretty okay for a first from the developers and at the start, I really liked it, but… after replaying it a dozen or so times, I got really tired of it. I’m glad it’s done in my book now. Probably wouldn’t be a 100% without some help. Speaking of which, is that sequel ever coming out?

Robin - A small adventure game which puts you in the shoes of Robin, an individual suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Designed to shed light on the disability and hopefully make people learn about it and understand it, I, personally, appreciate what it has done. I’m not affected by CFS, but I do sympathize with people whose lifes look similar to Robin’s. Moral of the story: art can teach.

Waifu Bay Girls - See Hot Champions: Dream Team above.

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