Kiiroichi is trying (and failing) to get ahead of their backlog kiiroichi’s profile
Genuinely anxious about the possibility of not finishing my backlog by the time I die. Trying to fix that. Good bio with links and stuff on my Steam profile
Personal Challenge: July 2024
Making monthly summary posts is difficult. I wanted to keep them clean and pretty, but it’s always harder than that. So I haven’t done any for a while.
However, this month my roommate and boyfriend both left on vacation leaving me completely alone to my devices. Not only that, but my boyfriend dared me to finish a few games while he’s not around to distract me. And I thought: Hey, BLAEO is perfect for this kind of stuff!. So let’s make a post to check my progress on the challenge!
The challenge
My boyfriend challenged me to play this one with the following arguments:
- It's short
- "You will enjoy it more if you're alone", whatever that means
I got the Muv-Luv bundle on HB because I was intrigued by this apparently very big VN franchise that I had never heard about before. Everyone said it was so good, I had to see for myself! But my boyfriend knows me and my backlog too well, so he dared me to play the first game in the series. It's a little long, but… Challenge accepted!
Later Alligator was more of a suggestion than a challenge. Still undecided on whether I'll get to it or not.
Others (self-inflicted)
These are games I want to play/finish soon, but not included in the challenge itself.
Hollow Knight
13.8 hours, 5 of 63 achievements
Started Hollow Knight to have something to play on my deck in bed before I sleep. The vibes have been great for sleeping.
9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek
3.4 hours, 19 of 19 achievements
I got a lot of these hidden object games recently. I love how cheesy they are, and they aren't very long and have an easy 100%, which scratches my brain in the good way.
Edit: Completed!
9 Clues 2: The Ward
5.3 hours, 39 of 39 achievements
Edit: Completed!
Sticky Business
7.1 hours, 22 of 36 achievements
The game of my dreams! I've been microdosing this one, lol. But I even got the DLC and I've been having a great time!
Aaand that’s it for now. I’ll be updating this post as I make progress. Might make a celebratory giveaway or something, if I succeed. We’ll see. Wish me luck!
December 2023 game summary
December has been the month in which I have detoxxed from my bg3 marathon last month, and have played a bunch of new and old stuff.
Also, posting this a few days early because I’m about to get on a bus to my hometown, where I’ll stay without access to my PC until the first week of January c:
I really liked Cloudpunk. It's a very story driven game about being a delivery driver in a crazy cyberpunk city that moves all too fast. You meet lots of interesting characters, look at the pretty neon urban scenery (a weakness of mine), and make decisions that can change many, many lives for the better or the worse. The story is great, if you don't wonder why everyone in this game seems to put so much weight on the decision making skills of a girl they just met, and I really liked vibing to the music as I drove past buildings and neon lights.
The scenery, the voice acting and the characters were very enjoyable, but to be honest the driving part did spoil everything a little for me. I am not very fond of driving games, and the controls in this game aren't super precise, which doesn't help when the roads go through the buildings in mid-air instead of being on the ground. Most of the achievements I have left, I could get without fail on a second playthrough or some after-story exploration, save for two that depend on doing the driving part very well. Which I'm not sure I can do. So that sucks.
Still, I would like to come back to this game at some point and get the rest of those pesky achivements, and turn the green "beaten" bar into a blue "completed" one, because I genuinely enjoyed moving around Nivalis and discovering everyone's stories.
A ten minute gem that, even though I followed its development for months and had basically seen the whole thing multiple times before, still made me laugh a lot.
I got this a while back for achievement showcase lettering and easy 100% purposes. It was… Fine? I mean it's 1€ with no discount, but you're not buying or playing this for the gameplay. At least I can thank it for adding some padding to my completed list this month.
Ah, and it was actually just 20 mins to complete. The remaining two hours were idle card farming, LMAO.
There's a funny thing that happens to me with this game. It's pretty short yet very fun, and I should've been able to knock it off in a few days. However, whenever I play I get a terrible nose itch after a while (my theory is that it's caused by the vibrations of the possibly bass-boosted songs), which makes it hard for me to focus and also puts me off playing because it's not very pleasant. I'm at the last level, but it's taking me a bit and I also have a bunch of challenges to finish. Regardless, I hope this game will be in the "finished" or at least the "beaten" pile next month :')
I know what you're thinking. "Adri, you've made no progress here". And you are right. But in my defense, I have a terrible case of "I like this so much I don't want it to end" syndrome. In any case, you can find my SGM review here
Sailing Era
6.3 hours, 2 of 39 achievements
Pixel Puzzles Illustrations & Anime
12.2 hours, 29 of 453 achievements
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk
55.2 hours, 28 of 57 achievements
Luck be a Landlord
9.6 hours, 42 of 186 achievements
November 2023 game summary
Also known as the month where I played so much Baldur’s Gate 3 that I didn’t have time to do anything else at all. I even tried to participate in the monthly theme, and failed spectacularly. I didn’t even start any of the games I listed…
I will be reviewing the game in-depth for this December's SGM issue (that is set to be released on the 25th :D), but here's a shorter, less serious version. Yes even if I haven't beaten it yet, bc I'm excited to talk about it and I have played enough I think.
I didn't think I would like BG3 much. This kind of mechincs never appealed to me, nor did any high fantasy setting; and while I have played DnD before, I always found it exhausting and I was very bad at it. So I thought I would find BG3 confusing, tedious, and despise how long it is.
Boy, was I wrong.
BG3 has easily become one of my favorite things this year. One of my favourite games. My happy place, at times. It has made me rediscover DnD, helped me understand it better, has earned itself a spot in my top 4 games with highest playtime (top 2, technically, since two of those are idle games and those don't count). I have put just under 200h into it IN ONE MONTH. And I haven't even finished it yet! I calculate I still have about 15-20h left, if I choose to keep exploring everything behore heading for the end. And of course, I've already planned my future playthroughs.
this is the plot of the entire game
BG3 is truly the ultimate game (for me). Dozens of hours of pure, carefully threaded story content, full from beginning to end with choices that matter. So many tangled stories, so many characters (companion and NPC alike) that have their own evolving story, each with multiple outcomes. So many amazingly written characters, dialogue options, companion interactions, all voiced by awesome va's. Such pretty models and lighting that made any conversation segment look like a cutscene. So many bugs.
The story of BG3 puts us in the shoes of a character unlucky enough to get abducted by aliens and infected with a parasite that apparently in just a few days will effectively turn us into one of said aliens. And we don't want that, they're weird and purple and have tentacles. While desperately trying to find a way to get the little guy outside of our skull before that happens, we will find ourselves in a rather intrincate series of events, and find the truth about the parasite, our companions, ourselves, and the upcoming end of the world. Playing as The Dark Urge adds an extra layer to the whole story, and you can also play as any companion, and live their story as if it was yours.
Despite not being my usual cup of tea, the TRPG mechanics didn't bother me, and specially because I have played DnD before, they were rather easy to understand. The character creation screen did disappoint me a little with the lack of choices, but I already have a mod saved to help fix that in future playthroughs, and I managed to make myself a character I really like, so all is well. It's definitely not enough to ruin the experience for me, especially since I found a mod that helped me with the part that bothered me the most (flat chest in a femme model, it's a long story).
I can't say much more without making this commentary box about as long as War and Peace, and we already have my long review coming out in December for that.
TL;DR: Game of the year, and I say this as a hardcore Zelda fan.
Puzzle game has jigsaw puzzles and about 7.498 DLCs with more jigsaw puzzles. I am not sure I should have gotten myself into this.
DJMAX RESPECT V
2.9 hours, 10 of 215 achievements
Unpacking
3.7 hours, 25 of 25 achievements
Unpacking is a short, cozy game about… Well, unpacking. There's no dialogue, but there's a story, told to you through the objects of dozens of moving boxes. You'll see the protagonist grow up without ever seeing her, see what hobbies she holds onto and the way they evolve, how she finds love (and heartbreak). It was interesting to think about how much the objects you own can say about you, the kind of person you are. Because, yes, as I unpacked the items I could form a more or less clear picture of who the main character was, and even relate to her at times.
It's a cool concept, but I didn't like the gameplay all that much. It's supposed to be a cozy, relaxing game, but I already hate cleaning and tidying up in real life, and this game was somehow not less stressful. There's something satisfying about putting everything in its place, sure, but when you don't have enough space for everything, or the game insists the kitchen cloth cannot go on the counter, it's less satisfying and more infuriating. It was fine, don't get me wrong, but I thanked the short length. The time did pass quickly for me, and the achievements are easy for any hunters out there. It was a game I had wishlisted, and I'm glad I just got it from Humble Choice, because it's definitely not worth the 20€ it costs, imo.
Unfortunately, that's it for this month's completions :')
October 2023 game summary
All I can say about October is “free time? never heard of her”. I didn’t even have time to put together a prettier summary post!
It has been a bumpy month with a lot of things to do and general life ups and downs. I have at least been working on managing my time better, so let’s see if it paid off.
A 10 minute classic that I'm not even sure I didn't play at some point before. My idea was to play Samorost 1 and then pick the other two in the Amanita Design anniversary sale, but I completely forgot to do so before it ended. Oh well. Less backlog to take care of.
A short, simple puzzle adventure that while not fully polished and without a very fleshed out story, still has its own charm. As a person who is naturally bad at puzzle games, this one walked the fine line between having me thinking for a few minutes and not frustrating me so I end up just finding a guide. I did use the guides to get all the secrets and get the 100%, though. Overall enjoyable enough.
And look at that! Finally playing SG won games, lol. Hope to keep at it.
Another of Amanita Design's… weird things. Happy game is less a game and more an audiovisual experience. It's pretty short (few hours), and there isn't a real puzzle element to the various scenes, you just click around until the next thing happens. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable experience, creepy and brilliantly animated, if a little tropey. The whole "smiley face" thing isn't exactly an innovation in horror, but I don't think that was the intention anyway.
The game is a little unpolished stability wise, which makes me think this was more of a little side experiment than an actual big project from Amanita. But some of the imagery genuinely made it hard for me to play with the lights off, and certain settings/compositions were nothing short of amazing.
I was only able to make some progress thanks to the monthly theme, in which I listed Tandem and Happy Game along with OMORI and Lust for Darkness. As you can see, I only managed to do the first two. But Tandem was a SG win, so I got that at least.
Baldur's Gate 3
32.6 hours, 5 of 53 achievements
Last month, I was tasked with playing and reviewing BG3 for SGM. I only started it this month, thinking I had more than enough time. It can't be that long, right? ,,boy :') This game has eaten all of my free time, which was none at all to begin with. And I'm not past act 1 yet.
September 2023 game summary
I’ve been trying to chill when it comes to game acquisition since my backlog is waay out of control, and I have to focus on cleaning some of it up. While I haven’t done much in terms completion, I think I’ve spent a good deal trying to get ahead on longer games.
Monthly theme
Persona 5 Royal
59.8 hours, 21 of 53 achievements
while True: learn()
2.9 hours, 9 of 31 achievements
This month I tried participating in the monthly theme with Persona 5 Royal and while True: learn(), but I severely underestimated how slowly I game, particularly with games as big as p5; and that I would have less time than anticipated, so I sadly couldn’t complete the challenge. It was still fun, though! And I did make a lot of progress in the game! As for while True: learn()… I just didn’t enjoy it much. Maybe I’m just dumb, but for half of the puzzles I couldn’t understand why X solution worked but Y solution didn’t.
Miscellaneous game progress
On September 1st I got the urge to play the Dark Souls remaster, so I got a copy and played some of it before I had to give al my focus to p5 in my pathetic attempt to finish it in less than a month. I also made general progress on various games I play on and off.
I also started playing OMORI, to avoid spoilers when I make the design for it that will be featured in the next issue of Unofficial SteamGifts Magazine, and which I’m hoping won’t take me too long.
DARK SOULS™: REMASTERED
15.3 hours, 5 of 41 achievements
OMORI
4.6 hours, 4 of 84 achievements
Papa's Freezeria Deluxe
5.3 hours, 17 of 90 achievements
Book of Hours
24.1 hours, 7 of 78 achievements
Vampire Survivors
39.9 hours, 148 of 190 achievements
Acquired games
Ahh, the pile of shame. I tried holding back on getting new games, but this list ended up being longer than I was expecting. I redeemed some old keys from old bundle purchases, got this month’s Humble Choice, and got a Fanatical bundle too. Luckily, most of them are short. Baldur’s Gate 3 was from the SGM group, which means I’ll be playing it through October and reviewing it, and probably get to design the pages for it as well :D
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Baldur's Gate 3
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Assemble with Care
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Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
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Witchy Life Story
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Tower 57
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The Forgotten City
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Aces and Adventures
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Foretales
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Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?
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Saint Maker
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Night Cascades
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If My Heart Had Wings
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Kaichu - A Kaiju Dating Sim
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A Little Lily Princess
Aaand that about concludes the September summary! I made some progress, but I wish I could have actually completed some games. I hope to be back next month with better news and a (somewhat) smaller backlog, but with BG3 on my high priority list, I’m not sure if that will be possible…
March 2023 game summary
March has probably beaten records for the month in which I’ve acquired most games, which… I’m not sure it’s a good thing. Just seeing this list has made me vow to slow way down in my acquisition of bundles that get my attention. Luckily, many fo them were pretty short, and I was able to play and complete them right away, so that’s a plus.
Acquired games
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LOLLIPOP!
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The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark
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Misao: Definitive Edition
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Punch Club
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1bitHeart
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System Shock 2
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LiEat
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Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
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Aspire: Ina's Tale
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Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York
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Monument Valley
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Monument Valley 2
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Baba Is You
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What Lies in the Multiverse
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Dorfromantik
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DARQ
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Creaks
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A Kiss For The Petals - Remembering How We Met
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The Last Campfire
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The Letter
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There Is No Light
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Perfect Gold
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Love Esquire
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Jack Move
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To the Moon
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Impostor Factory
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Gal*Gun 2
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A Bird Story
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Finding Paradise
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Game Dev Studio
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Chenso Club
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Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest
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Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+
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Saku Saku: Love Blooms with the Cherry Blossoms
as you can see,, I’ve got work to do :’)
Started games
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Baba Is You
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Monument Valley
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Monument Valley 2
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Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
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Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York
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Genital Jousting
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Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+
at the very least, I was careful enough not to start anything I couldn’t finish…
Completed games (aka the good news :D)
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Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
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Monument Valley
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Monument Valley 2
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Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York
it isn’t a lot, but… it’s better than nothing :’)
And this concludes my game summary of March. I don’t think I’ll have a lot of time to slash my backlog this month as I’ll be trying to do art instead, but here’s to hoping the list will be shorter instead of longer next month,,
797 | games (+4 not categorized yet) |
72% | never played |
12% | unfinished |
6% | beaten |
8% | completed |
2% | won't play |