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)

• Desperados III
  

  86.2 hours playtime

  36 of 36 achievements

• A Short Hike
  

  6.4 hours playtime

  12 of 12 achievements

• SuchArt!
  

  8.5 hours playtime

  27 of 37 achievements

• 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)

• Book of Hours
  

  16.5 hours playtime

  2 of 78 achievements

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.

• Asbury Pines
  

  2.2 hours playtime

  No Achievements

• Shadow Gambit
  

  2 hours playtime

  No Achievements

• 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)

Progress Report #6: October 2023

Monthly tally - Backlog: 24, Yekhus: 1 (ish)

Honestly, an absolute disaster of a month, backlog-wise. I had relatively little time for gaming, and spent most of it on replaying Desperados III to completion, which is still in progress but very very close to done. Once that's done, I'll be able to focus on some other game(s).

Another "failure" of the month was my attempt to participate in this this site's Spooktober event. I was craving a more social way to participate here. At least I picked a couple of theme-appropriate games, but just didn't even start them. Mainly bad timing, because I was in the middle of a couple of games already. I've come to realize that, to make any progress on my backlog, I need to focus on only 2-3 games until I'm done with them. Spreading my attention and scarce time among many games is a bad idea. At most, when I want to play something fresh for a bit, I fish into my list of demos to play, which only takes a few hours to complete. Hence why I gave up on the idea of starting a more significant horror game for only a few hours play time, without any hopes of making any real progress before going back to my current games in progress.

Completed or Beaten (1)

I saved a whole afternoon to finally play through the third and last part of the Sea of Thieves / Monkey Island crossover, considering that trilogy beaten, and letting me put SoT on the shelf for a while.

• Sea of Thieves
  

  4.5 hours playtime

  17 of 17 achievements (The Lair of LeChuck)

Also Played (2)

Book of Hours is all that I hoped it would be. Has an engaging game loop and sense of progress. But it's one for the long haul, which I save for those evenings when I want to really relax and wind down before bedtime.

Almost done with completing Desperados III achievements. A couple more mission replays with highest difficulty and stacking challenging badges, and then a handful of Baron challenges, and that will be it. A week, or two at most. And about time, because as much as I love the game, and enjoyed pushing its gameplay in these difficult replays, it's starting to feel a bit rote and mastered by now.

• Book of Hours
  

  16.5 hours playtime

  2 of 78 achievements

• Desperados III
  

  75.8 hours playtime

  32 of 36 achievements

Beaten Demos (3)

Demos are a short, self-contained way for me to freshen up and switch my gaming gears without compromising my long-haul main-game focus. And a way to find new candidates to fatten my backlog. The Quasimorph demo really hooked me, especially the first two missions. I loved the game's concept, and hope that devs finish the game well and take it to its full potential.

• Quasimorph
  

  4 hours playtime

  1/2 Achievements

• Le Château
  

  0.5 hours playtime

  No Achievements

• Brickmasters
  

  0.3 hours playtime

  No Achievements

Added to collection (Steam) (9)

All the sales this month! I've become fairly good a not buying too many games, but I had to pick up these 3 that I'd like to be playing soon.

• Spiritfarer
• Intergalactic Fishing
• Inscryption
• Moonring (free)
• How Fish is Made (free)
• Through the Woods (trade)
• SuchArt! (Steamgifts giveaway)
• Cryptark (freebie)
• Forgive Me Father (trade)

Added to collection (GOG) (4)

• Heroine's Quest: The Herald of Ragnarok (free)
• The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters - Deluxe Edition (pass)
• Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp (pass)
• Doom 3 (pass)

Added to collection (Epic) (5)

• Godlike Burger (freebie)
• Ghostwire: Tokyo (pass)
• Blazing Sails (freebie)
• Eternal Threads (freebie)
• The Evil Within (freebie)

Added to collection (Other) (6)

• Decrypting Fear (free)
• Grunnd (pass)
• Mumps (freebie)
• ConflictCraft 2 (freebie)
• Golden Light (pass)
• Super Adventure Hand (pass)

Progress Report #5: September 2023

Monthly tally - Backlog: 29, Yekhus: 2

Gods help me. So many free games!

Completed or Beaten (2)

After playing Pony Island (short, but quite the trip!) a few months ago, I decided to play the whole trilogy of Daniel Mullins' games. So early last month was when I got through The Hex's conclusion. Also, quite the condensed trip, but more of a slow burn, this one. One more to go, and to look forward to...

I have been idling Your Chronicle on my phone, and after a couple of months reached the first ending. Consider it beaten, although will keep it going on the side to try to get all the other endings.

• The Hex
  

  6.6 hours playtime

  6 of 28 achievements

• Your Chronicle
  

  ? hours playtime

  No achievements

Also Played (3)

Overall, quite a bit of replaying/revisiting games this month. So, starting Book of Hours was very refreshing.

After beating Desperados III, I loved it so much that couldn't let it go. So I'm joyfully replaying it all, chasing achievements and badges. I'm already fairly close to 100%-ing it, so I'll be aiming to complete it before the end of next month.

Early this month, I went through part 2 of the Sea of Thieves x Monkey Island crossover. Was better than the first one, and visiting Mêlée Island in first person felt amazing. A very immersive way to revisit such a familiar place. A bit of a dream come true, really. Some SoT quirks didn't make it as player-friendly as it should be, but oh well... looking forward to the 3rd and last chapter, next month!

• Book of Hours
  

  10.5 hours playtime

  2 of 78 achievements

• Desperados III
  

  46 hours playtime

  30 of 36 achievements

• Sea of Thieves
  

  many hours playtime

  17 of 17 achievements (The Quest for Guybrush)

Added to collection (Steam) (12)

• MechDefender (IG giveaway)
• Multiwinia (IG giveaway)
• Helium Rain (freebie)
• Astral Shipwright (freebie)
• In Between (IG giveaway)
• Crumble (freebie)
• We Were Here Expeditions: The Friendship (freebie)
• Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry (bundle)
• Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice (bundle)
• Warbots (freebie)
• Tachyonest (freebie)
• Medieval Kingdom Wars (IG giveaway)

Added to collection (GOG) (5)

• King's Bounty: The Legend (freebie)
• Requiem: Avenging Angel (freebie)
• Ozymandias: Bronze Age Empire Sim (freebie)
• The Night of the Rabbit (freebie)
• Trüberbrook (freebie)

Added to collection (Epic) (6)

• Spelldrifter (freebie)
• Football Manager 2023 (pass giveaway)
• The Forest Quartet (freebie)
• Out of Line (freebie)
• Model Builder (freebie)
• Soulstice (freebie)

Added to collection (Other) (6)

• Smithy (freebie)
• Absolute Tactics: Daughters of Mercy (freebie)
• Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate (pass giveaway)
• Dexter Stardust: Adventures in Outer Space (pass giveaway)
• Doug and Lily (freebie)
• Eron (freebie)

Progress Report #4: August 2023

Monthly tally - Backlog: 27, Yekhus: 1

Getting lots of new games into my collection, mostly (as you can see) from weekly freebies and such. Really only deliberately purchased two, and one of them only because of a ridiculous -85% sale. And Book of Hours, because of a launch offer, and because I want to play it right away as soon as I am done with The Hex.

But I feel satisfied anyway, because I beat an awesome boss of a game, in Desperados III. Loved it so much that I'm still replaying it to try to complete all it's badges, achievements, etc. I'm happy to slow down my backlog assassination when I run into an awesome game like this, that deserves extra time and dedication.

Completed or Beaten (1)

• Desperados III
  

  46 hours playtime

  25 of 36 achievements

Also Played (2)

I'm a big Monkey Island fan, so I had to spend a couple of hours on the first episode of the Monkey Island SoT crossover. Will be doing this every month while new episodes get released. I already have the second one lined up, for any day now.

• Sea of Thieves
  

  many hours playtime

  16 of 16 achievements (The Legend of Monkey Island)

• The Hex
  

  5 hours playtime

  6 of 28 achievements

Beaten Demos (7)

Spent a few days trying out several demos I had my eye on. A couple of those games have made it into my cursed wishlist, the hatchery of future backlog demons...

• Detroit: Become Human
  

  0.7 hours playtime

  No achievements

• Alone in the Dark Prologue
  

  0.3 hours playtime

  No achievements

• Chicken Police - Paint it RED!
  

  1 hour playtime

  No achievements

• The Council - Episode 1
  

  4.4 hours playtime

  20 of 42 achievements

• Unusual Findings
  

  0.5 hours playtime

  No achievements

• Nadir: Prologue
  

  2.7 hours playtime

  2 of 4 achievements

• The Tartarus Key
  

  2.7 hours playtime

  No achievements

Added to collection (Steam) (12)

• Roadwarden (SteamGifts)
• Unity of Command (freebie)
• A Short Hike (bundle)
• Assemble With Care (bundle)
• Disfigure (freebie)
• Book of Hours
• Meow Express (freebie)
• I'm Not a Monster: First Contact (IG Giveaway)
• Into the Pit (bundle)
• Lighthouse Keeper (bundle)
• Painkiller: Recurring Evil (IG Giveaway)
• The Shrouded Isle

Added to collection (GOG) (2)

• Quake 4 (pass giveaway)
• Hero of the Kingdom II (freebie)

Added to collection (Epic) (5)

• Bloons TD 6 (freebie)
• Farming Simulator 19 (pass giveaway)
• Black Book (freebie)
• Dodo Peak (freebie)
• Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (freebie)

Added to collection (Other) (8)

• Run! Gandpa! Run! (freebie)
• Soul Valley (freebie)
• Blade Assault (pass giveaway)
• Super Blue Boy Planet (freebie)
• Star Wars: the force Unleashed II (pass giveaway)
• Foretales (pass giveaway)
• Gravity Den (freebie)
• Red Risk (freebie)

Progress Report #3: July 2023

Backlog Growth: +22

My collection has grown considerably this month! A perfect storm made of a lucky streak in Steam Giveaways, on top of a couple of inevitable sales and bundles. That on top of the usual weekly free backlog feeders.

Completed or Beaten (2)

I not only beat the Outer Wilds DLC, but the great experience also motivated me to have a go at all its achievements, and get past the frustration of the hardest achievements of the core game, until I completed them both.

DREDGE was a blast. Really got me in the rhythm and flow of its open world. Was just the kind of game I was looking for at this point in my life, especially to relax in the evenings, and to ease and lull my tired restless mind.

• Outer Wilds - Echoes of the Eye (DLC)
  

  15 hours playtime

  31 of 31 achievements

• Dredge
  

  23.7 hours playtime

  40 of 40 achievements

Also Played (1)

• Desperados III
  

  14 hours playtime

  3 of 36 achievements

Added to collection (Steam) (12)

• The Dungeon Beneath
• Desperados III
• Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek
• Heaven's Vault
• Myst: Masterpiece Edition
• realMyst: Masterpiece Edition
• Riven
• Myst III: Exile
• Myst IV: Revelation
• Myst V
• Uru: Complete Chronicles
• Litil Divil

Added to collection (GOG) (2)

• Relic Hunters Zero: Remix
• Betrayer

Added to collection (Epic) (3)

• Train Valley 2
• Murder by Numbers
• The Elder Scrolls Online

Added to collection (Other) (6)

• Shovel Knight Showdown
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• NAIRI: Tower of Shirin
• Samoliotik
• Mountain Taxi Driver
• The Oil Blue

Progress Report #2: June 2023

A rather discouraging month, with no games beaten or completed, and a flood of new games added to my collection. Was aiming to at least finish the Outer Wilds DLC, but time to play it has been scarce. I’m pretty confident to finish it in July though. Wish me luck!

In Progress

• Outer Wilds - Echoes of the Eye (DLC)
  

  9.6 hours playtime

  15 of 31 achievements

• Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
  

  0.5 hours playtime

  1 of 14 achievements

• Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
  

  55.4 hours playtime

  16 of 504 achievements

Tried and Discarded

• Greed and Grind
  

  0.5 hours playtime

  No achievements

Beaten Demos (2)

• Catch & Cook: Fishing Adventure (Demo)
  

  2.5 hours playtime

  No achievements

• I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival (Demo)
  

  2 hours playtime

  No achievements

• Nova Lands (Demo)
  

  2.5 hours playtime

  No achievements

Added to collection (Steam) (6)

• Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
• Mata Hari
• Greed and Grind
• Beat Hazard
• Hero of the Kingdom: The Lost Tales 2
• Dredge

Added to collection (GOG) (2)

• Eschalon: Book II
• Hell Division

Added to collection (Epic) (1)

• The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk

Added to collection (Other) (8)

• My Land!
• Sunblaze
• Shinobi Shift
• Alchemy Garden
• Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy
• The Super Spy
• Avoid It!
• Revita

Progress Report #1: May 2023

Hello all! I just joined this friendly community a couple of days ago, and I’m eager to start exploring and participating in the collective backlog-slaying effort. So here’s a first report of my recent progress.

Beaten (5)

• Regions of Ruin
  

  29.7 hours playtime

  20 of 20 achievements

• DuckTales: Remastered
  

  6.3 hours playtime

  14 of 20 achievements

• Pony Island
  

  4.5 hours playtime

  12 of 20 achievements

• The Invisible Hand
  

  4.5 hours playtime

  12 of 31 achievements

• Kid Dracula
  

  3.2 hours playtime

  1 of 14 achievements

Started (2)

• Castlevania III Dracula's Curse
  

  0.5 hours playtime

  1 of 14 achievements

• Outer Wilds - Echoes of the Eye (DLC)
  

  2.5 hours playtime

  15 of 31 achievements

Beaten Demos (6)

• Halls of Torment: Prelude
  

  13.1 hours playtime

  No achievements

• Inscryption (Demo)
  

  1.5 hours playtime

  No achievements

• Alina of the Arena (Demo)
  

  1.5 hours playtime

  No achievements

• The Last Campfire (Demo)
  

  1.5 hours playtime

  No achievements

• Luck be a Landlord (Demo)
  

  0.5 hours playtime

  No achievements

Added to collection (Steam) (9)

• Fester Mudd: Curse of the Gold - Episode 1
• The Invisible Hand
• Dungeon of the ENDLESS
• Halls of Torment
• Field of Glory II
• Tell Me Why
• Nihilumbra
• Reventure
• Hotshot Racing

Added to collection (GOG) (4)

• Fiendish Freddy's Big Top o' Fun
• Bloody Hell
• Ultima Underworld
• Ultima Underworld 2

Added to collection (Epic) (5)

• Fallout: New Vegas - Ultimate Edition
• Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War.
• Midnight Ghost Hunt
• Against All Odds
• Kao the Kangaroo

Added to collection (Other) (5)

• Tandem: A Tale of Shadows
• The Almost Gone
• Lake
• Agatha Knife
• Deep Despair 2

Crafting this report has helped me realise that I have beaten more games (and in general, done more gaming) last month than I was aware of. As usual, it is easy to focus too much on the endless “to do” list, and forget to take a good look at everything that one has actually “done”.

Visibly, I am lining up several retro 2D NES games. Mainly because they are nice to relax and play through steamlink on the couch/TV. I like to get away from the computer, where I work all day, as much as possible, so I always have a couch-prone steamlink game at hand. Also, they are relatively short to beat, which helps with the backlog-slaying.

Also, as my list of collection additions shows, the insane amount of free game giveaways nowadays is a bane for backlog-conscious gamers like us.