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Out on the town
Sea of Thieves.
Author: CtrlAltNoob
Out on the town
Sea of Thieves.
Rusty’s Retirement – Demo Impressions
Not so rusty after all.
Rusty’s Retirement
Farming and automation feel like a perfect fit for the idle genre, I am surprised I haven’t played this mixture before but I am glad that this one was my first. Growing crops in this game is simultaneously faster and slower than in a regular farming sim. Faster in the sense that you don’t have to wait for in-game days to pass, but slower in the sense that all you have to do is wait, at least early on. As you progress though you can turn your attention to other things such as upgrading your machines for better productivity and decorating your little slice of agricultural heaven.
I had the game running in the background for quite a lot of time during the Steam Next Fest. It is very refreshing to have it sat at the bottom of a second monitor, just checking in every now and again to plant new seeds and checking what I needed to produce in order to unlock the next type of vegetable. The progression doesn’t require a lot of focus but I personally found it nice to take a minute whenever there was a halt in my work and be distracted, ready to focus again once I had planted my seeds.
One thing to note – I wouldn’t really recommend Rusty’s Retirement as a first Idle Game, or at least the version of the demo that I played. This is simply due to the lack of tutorial. I have played a couple of idle games and various automation games but I still wasn’t 100% certain what to do at first glance. Of course, some of the fun for some folk may be figuring that out, but I feel previous familiarity would be very beneficial.
Overall, I honestly think Mister Morris Games are onto something here. I would not at all be surprised to see this concept take off with all sorts of other ideas that I can’t even imagine yet. It is a companion game that doesn’t demand your constant attention all of the time, just being there for you when you have a moment. The way that the larger games industry leans more and more towards live service and monetization every passing year, demanding full attention, daily logins or thousands of hours, Rusty’s Retirement feels humble, elegant and for the player. I wish them all of the success.
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Crypt Custodian – Demo Impressions
One man’s trash is another cat’s treasure.
Crypt Custodian
The Crypt Custodian demo was huge. Every time that I thought ‘there can’t possibly be more’, there was more. More areas, more mechanics, more enemies. So much in fact that I didn’t complete this one. I reached a boss but after multiple attempts and multiple failures, I had to call time. There were optional upgrades that I could have pursued that could have helped me, as well as areas that I had yet to explore, so I am confident that with more time I could have made it through.
Generally, the game felt good to play. There is an overall reminiscence of Dark Souls with the bonfire-esque shrines, but the combat almost reminded me of The Binding of Isaac, not in mechanics but in rhythm. As you progress, you will meet new enemies and master the patterns of beating them, with that continuously being shaken up as you come across new waves and combinations. The health system is the other similarity being simple to understand, being hit takes away 1 health. Get hit 3 more times and you die. I personally didn’t get along with the dodge cooldown, finding myself frustrated at times, but there are difficulty options including both an easy mode and more personalised settings in the assist section of the settings menu.
Crypt Custodian is as much about exploring as it is about fighting, with worthy puzzles scattered around, sometimes halting and sometimes guiding your progress. The simple, colourful aesthetic perfectly complements the dark humour of the game and while I don’t have a hankering to continue with the fighting side of the game (which would be impossible to avoid as there are enemies around every corner), I could see myself making use of the difficulty features to make it though the rest as I feel quite enamoured by the world and the characters within.
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Astronomics – Demo Impressions
We’re bringing the factory to you.
Astronomics
Astronomics isn’t your typical automation game. Where often you would expect to build from a fixed base outwards, mining ores, constructing and optimising your structures, in Astronomics, we bring the factory to the asteroids.
This game is all about collection. The more resources that we collect, the more one time use machines we can build to speed up collection. The more that we then collect, the more we can bring back and sell. The more that we sell, the more we can upgrade our machines to speed up collection, and so on.
The overall goal is to buy a ticket to earth, which is gradually done by taking a percentage of our earning. These are earned through expeditions. As the player, we get to take a look at asteroids that are close to our base spaceship (space base? base ship?) and make our choice which ones to deplete based on how much time they will remain within the radius of our reach.
This game isn’t going to be for everyone, but I particularly wanted to highlight it as it has a satisfying loop. My favourite part of automation games tends to be the beginning, with the task of getting established. Once things progress, they can sometimes become too complex or too stagnant for me, both of which inevitably cause me to lose interest. Since in Astronomics you are always visiting new areas, you get to do the beginning part over and over, with the progression from manual labour, to commanding an entire workforce of robots.
In Astroneer I enjoyed driving around collecting scrap. In Sea of Thieves I enjoy sailing around collecting treasure. This is a game about collecting, but this time with tools, and I will be keeping an eye on the development through Early Access and beyond.
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Duck Detective: The Secret Salami – Demo Impressions
A quacking time.
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami – Demo Impressions
In Duck Detective we scour environments, taking clues both officially and through context. We chat to friends, strangers and presumably suspects. The goal is to fill in the de-duck-tion sheet, placing the correct clue into the correct place in the story. Only then do we solve the immediate mystery and move onto the next, learning about our main chacter as we go. It is simple but fun as there are multiple solutions that will make sense. It is up to the player to fill in the gaps with the background knowledge that you will find via snooping.
While Duck Detective may feel like a light hearted comedy, there is more to it than that. It has a tragic side as it oozes noir, with the voice over dialogue and soft jazz. The game presents its dad puns openly, but between the lines, dark humour and satire are equally present.
I was overjoyed to discover the game is fully voiced. It is like a multiplier on an already atmospheric and charismatic game, not only making it more streamable for creators like me, but allowing the jokes to land in the way that the writers intended.
Finally, the full demo was short and sweet, showing everything it needed to and nothing more. At a time where demos seem to become increasingly more lengthy, it was a refreshing treat to be able to jump in and be sold within 20 minutes.
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Tales of Kenzera: ZAU – Demo Impressions
A smooth, stunning, spiritual adventure.
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
Games like Tales of Kenzera: ZAU are the reason I am so glad that demos exist. Viewing a trailer of a 2.5D metroidvania – while it does convey the aesthetic and themes of a game – doesn’t really tell me whether it is a game for me. Feeling it with my own hands however is another matter.
As someone who doesn’t play games for challenge or mastery, this one could have easily passed me by. But the similarities to Ori and the opportunity to play the demo have instead cemented this game onto my Wishlist.
The similarities to Ori are strong. The entire structure of the game provides a comfortable, familiar feel while the use of setting, backgrounds, lighting and music provide that awe inspiring beauty to make it stand out from the rest. While themes of grief and connection are present in both games, ZAU does bring its own take on the genre.
The combat is the biggest notable difference, and the game does not hold back, giving you plenty of tools from the get go. ZAU has two styles of combat. One draws from the sun, bringing the heat with your fists in close range. The other draws from the moon, sending lunar projections out to damage enemies from afar. Switching between styles is instantaneous and encouraged. Each has its own skill tree that is upgraded through a shared currency, allowing you to make decisions based on your preferences.
The demo also provided a satisfactory look into the platforming side of the game. It feels good in the hands to move at a fast pace, weaving through the obstacles with a series of jumps and dashes. I felt like I had good handle of Zau and whenever I did have a fateful meeting with some spikes, I couldn’t blame a lack of control.
Finally, as for the metroidvania side of the game, I am specifically looking forward to seeing what abilities are going to be found throughout the entire experience. The demo displayed that not only will new abilities grant you access to previously inaccessible areas, but they are also usable in combat, allowing for great immersion and an even greater excitement about what we may find next.
While I may be slightly intimidated by the potential complexity of the combat, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is not only a story that I want to witness, but a world that I would like to explore and ultimately, a game that I would like to play.
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Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure – Demo Impressions
A spark of great potential.
Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure
After a slow start, Oddsparks begins to shine as it reveals the star of the show – Sparks. Sparks are mysterious little forest friends that seemingly exist to serve you. Whether moving ever forward on a predefined route carrying anything in their path as they go, or following you around ready to harvest resources or even fight, these valuable little critters are the heart of the game.
In any automation game, the freedom to be able to relocate your buildings and constructs, make changes to your set up and alter and rebuild paths without penalty is crucial in encouraging creativity. This game allows for that perfectly. As I unlocked new things and discovered new areas I was free to experiment with my set up which, in my opinion, is half of the fun of the game.
The game (at least as far as I got) is set in two areas. The village, and what I will call the wilderness. The village is where the NPCs live, giving you tasks in order to help you learn the game while drip feeding story and flavour. The wilderness is where you will do your building. It is large, full of resources, and potentially more dangerous the further that you go.
The village itself is the weakest point of the game for me. I was never excited to return, only going back because I had to hand in my quests but never looking forward to it. There was a disconnect between me and the dialogue that didn’t allow me to connect with the characters, making it feel less like a home base and more like a chore to return.
I am looking forward to following the development of Oddsparks and very interested to see what changes – if any – are made throughout Early Access. While it wasn’t a home run for me, I did stop playing the demo early as I was sold on the full game. That is a sign of a demo doing its job!
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Indie Showcase – Steam Next Fest February 2024
Here you can find all of my coverage of the games taking part in the Steam Next Fest February 2024.
Will be continuously updated throughout the festival.
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10 Half Finished Games (that I should probably finish)
Sometimes I wonder why I have trouble starting a new game. Why my backlog – this absolute privilege, full of amazing games that I desperatly want to play – sometimes feels so overwhelming that in the end I don’t play anything. So I started investigating.
One way that I tend to sort out my brain overflow is getting everything out into lists. GG App is my website of choice for this, and it has categories of Wishlist, Backlog, Playing, Beaten, Completed, Shelved and Abandoned. For this thought experiment, rather than looking at the Backlog section, I decided to take a look at my Shelved games.
I like to finish games. Whether finish means complete to 100%, or play enough that I know I am not coming back varies, but both count. For this reason, no matter how indecisive I am, I don’t think it is the choice of my backlog that is the debilitating part. I have plenty of methods of dealing with that. The part that gets to me is knowing that I have other games sitting there unfinished, waiting for me to get back to them. And now that I have looked into my Shelved category, I can see where that weight is coming from.
Here are 10 games that I found in there that I would really, really like to finish.
Games are in the approximate order of when I started them.
Red Dead Redemption 2 [PS4]
I started Red Dead Redemption 2 so long ago that I can’t even remember when it was. What I do remember is that I was loving it. I was in no rush with the story, preferring to be immersed in the world. Going back to camp to see the crew, attempting to get materials for upgrades, riding into town for a haircut and taking photos with the little in-game camera were all favourite activities.
I believe I was in Chapter 3, and this is what makes picking the game back up so difficult. I barely remember what happened, but it isn’t only that I had made it half way through the game so much as I did a tonne side content along the way, I have no desire to start from scratch. Luckily, the game does have an in-game journal, so I do believe that after a session of getting reacquainted I would be good to go.
The roadblock for getting back to this game is going to be a pattern with many below. Once I do go through the re-familiarisation period, I would like to continue the game to completion, without stopping and going through this whole phase again, but without rushing which would compromise the experience.
Dragon Age: Origins [PS3]
I got this second hand on the PS3 for a quid or two. The only experience that I had with this kind of lore filled fantasy world was the Lord of the Rings movies, Skyrim, and Elder Scrolls Online. I had heard this game was good so I thought I would broaden my horizons.
I got really into it. I loved my characters opening sequence and was reading every single codex in a way that I never had before. I was slightly dissapointed that it wasn’t open world in the way that I hoped but at the same time, it is a good job or it would have taken me even longer to do anything.
I love the way the characters interact, the freedom to do things in whatever order I would like and just being in this new world. I didn’t however get on with the combat. I don’t know how I made it as far as I did without knowing what I was doing. It is just too confusing for me. The first thing I am going to do when I get back to it is lower the difficulty the lowest it can go and I think that will help me finish the game with a lot less friction.
This game has the same road block as RDR2, a road block that I have passed one or two times already to get back into the game. Unfortunatly I ran into a second roadblock, and that is playing on a PS3 in this day and age. It is painful.
Shadow of the Colossus [PS4/PS5]
In my defence, I am not doing a regular playthrough of Shadow of the Colossus. The gameplay is just a necessity, with my main quest being photo shoots of every single colossus.
I have completed this for 10 out of 16 Colossi and certainly want to do the rest. I think I spend around 2-4 hours per colossi learning their moves and trying different things to get the pictures that I am after. Some are easier than others, with the main difficulty being that the camera is attached to the player character or your horse, meaning you have to get creative if you want to fit these giant beasts in the frame.
I have 2 road blocks for this one. The first is that I worry about getting no good pictures. To which I say “shut up and get on with it you fool, you will have zero pictures if you never do it”. The second is the sorting of the pictures afterwards. It was always a multistep process of uploads and downloads and juggling storage space that took forever. I got a USB SD card adaptor for Christmas so theoretically, this should be a problem no longer. I had best have a photography session to test it!
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [Switch Lite]
Of all of the games so far, Breath of the Wild is the one that I got the least into. I seem to think I played for about 6 hours. The thing is, the game was not hooking me. I don’t know whether it was the gameplay, the controls, my headspace or what, so I would like to give it another try before I can say that I am done with it.
This is probably the one on the list that I am the least enthusiastic about, while at the same time a higher priority as I would like to sell the cartridge when I am finished.
The Cat Lady [PC]
The first shorter game on the list! The reason that Cat Lady is here is a real shame. I got 2-3 hours in and my game crashed, taking my progress with it.
I enjoyed what I played and at this point I would need to restart the game anyway to remember what happened, but I am finding the roadblock with this one is that I am frightened the same thing will happen again.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown [PC]
XCOM games are longggg. Me and a friend somehow managed to turn this one into a sort of co-op experience and it was so much fun. Our squad are based on video game characters and as far as I remember, they were kicking alien butt.
Yet another game that I imagine was about half way through, that I will find hard to pick up as I have forgotten everything about how to play. For the future, I think of all the games to fall off of, strategy games are the worst as you need the knowledge to be able to make your best plays.
Elden Ring [PS5]
Elden Ring is the first souls-like that I have really gotten into. I have been an enjoyer of the series for a while, but that was from a distance. I am not a person that has an interest in mastering a game and it always seemed like a series that required that. Elden Ring however is way more interesting to me due to the open world.
Exploration has been an absolute joy and if you get stuck on something, that is absolutely fine, just mark it on your map and go somewhere else. There is something to find around every corner and it was my game of the year without a doubt, despite not finishing it.
To be fair, I have made it way further than I ever expected. Last time I played I made it to the Mountain Tops, but before I continue there I have loads of catacombs and caves to go back and explore, enemies to rematch and items to collect.
My roadblock here is that I have reached a point where levels cost way more than the amount of souls I feel comfortable carrying around. This makes me too scared to do anything in case I lose them. Can’t lose them if I don’t play the game!
Skyrim [PS5]
One might ask, why the heck did you start Skyrim – of all games – when you are in the middle of playing RDR2, DA:O, SotC, BotW, Cat Lady, Xcom and Elden Ring. And my answer to that – I don’t know man.. I had an itch.
Like many others, I have played the intro to Skyrim many times. One time I actually got pretty far, residing myself in a city that I haven’t yet reached in this playthrough. The trouble is that it is yet again a PS3 situation. Since that old playthrough, I have had so much more experience with games and much better hardware, that seeing Skyrim enter Ps Plus felt like the perfect opportunity to do my definitive playthrough. Particularly as I have never touched the DLC before and this is the complete edition.
The game is surprisingly stunning. I was taking my time and having so much fun. Stopping to take photos, doing whatever I felt like with the intention of going back to the things that I skipped. My only regret was triggering dragons to start spawning. They are way too frequent for my liking and not very fun to fight.
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative [PC]
I started AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative late last year with the aim of finishing it before the New Year. I forgot how busy the month of December is so of course, that didn’t happen. Instead, I decided to wait until I could finish it in one go, as the story is getting way too complicated to stop and start.
Yet again I believe I am half way through, and all that I am waiting for at this point is to feel clear headed enough to be able to follow what is going on. All of my gaming time has been spent playing mindless games, gearing up for my return to this. Of all of the games on the list this will certainly be the next one that I finish.
The Talos Principle [PS5]
I had one very long session on Talos Principle with the idea that AI would be my PC game and this would be my couch console game. Unfortunatly, as with AI, I just haven’t had the brain capacity for it. December was busy and January has been taxing, and first person puzzle games always manage to trip me up.
I will certainly get back to it, I just think that my first session quenched my curiosity, and now I know what mood I need to be in to play.
To sum up, I appear to have issues with long games. Also, half way points of games.
When I was younger with less responsibility, less games and more time, I would spend so much time in the same game, not moving on until I completed it. Over the years as I have more available to me, I still have that old mindset but my actions no longer follow through.
One of the big factors is subscription services. I am always going to prioritise games on them as the time they are available is limited. Perhaps one day I will get over that mindset, but in the meantime these poor games sit there, abandoned, waiting for the day that I finally find the time to boot them back up.
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10 Games I Must Play From 2023
I haven’t played many 2023 games yet, but I hope to change that in the future. The year is going to go down in history as a certified banger and it is going to take literally years to catch up with the crazy amount of great releases. What a feeling!
I have narrowed down a top 10 list of the games that I would like to play, and I have got to say, this was not an easy task.
This list is in release order, from the beginning of the year to the end!
Dredge
On one hand, I am glad to have waited as the game has recieved updates and I do prefer to play the complete version of a game. On the other, I am pleased that so many people jumped on board and allowed the game to be the success that it has become.
Last year I tried my hand at a few crafting games. I always like the idea of the gameplay loop – gather, upgrade to allow you to gather more and better stuff, to allow you to upgrade, to allow you to gather more and better stuff – but it is so rare that it is as satisfying as I hoped. Presuming that even is the loop of this game, I wonder if this will be the one. Plus, I just love the ocean.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened
I had fun with the investigation, the exploration and I am expecting a very different Sherlock experience to any that I have had so far. I am grateful that I did not play the original as I am certain I am in for an absolute ride full of unfathomable weirdness.
DAVE THE DIVER
I’m something of a diver myself. And this game seemed to come out of the blue. Suddenly, everyone was playing a game called Dave the Diver and I was like wait.. what.. how did I miss this? Not only that, but it is a restaurant manager, another genre that I love to dabble in.
I haven’t seen any gameplay or looked into the gameplay loop as I would like to experience it for myself, but based on the steam description it is giving me Moonlighter vibes. Gather by day, profit by night (or which ever way around it goes). I have downloaded the demo on my Switch so providing it is still available, I am excited to get a taste of what the gameplay is and how the vibes feel.
Baldur’s Gate 3
The fear of missing out was very intense at the release of Baldur’s Gate 3. It is one of those games that took over the lives of seemingly everyone around me, and had so much genuine praise.
The last time I saw this much hype was Elden Ring, which I actually bought on launch – a thing I rarely do – because it felt like a moment of gaming history that I didn’t want to miss. The only reason that I didn’t do the same for BG3 is because it is such a huge game, and I knew I didn’t have the time to get the most out of it.
I am very fortunate to have been gifted the game so as soon as I feel I can give it the attention it deserves, I will dive straight in and I cannot wait for that moment! I don’t believe I have played anything like it before and it is sure to be a heck of an experience.
Under The Waves
I was sold when I saw that Under the Waves was taking place in the North Sea. As I mentioned above, I used to scuba dive so when a game includes diving it always piques my interest. This one even more so as the North Sea is my home sea and the one I am most familiar with.
The other factor really drawing me in is that it doesn’t appear to be horror. With narrative and exploration being the driving force I feel a lot more confident in trying the game out.
The overall theme of the game is grief and while that can be hit and miss, I am always open to trying games that deal with these subjects as I have been helped immeasurably by them in the past. Having said that, I do feel like they are best played under certain circumstances, so this one will definitely be a personal game as opposed to a stream game.
Chants of Sennaar
I have already written about Chants of Sennaar, as it was my favourite demo that I tried on the PS5. It left a huge impression and I am still just as eager to play the full game as I was when I first tried it.
The beautiful minimalism engaged me in a way I could not have expected, engendering a trust in the player to discover what is needed, while at the same time feeling extremely user friendly. This is something that I appreciate more and more as I play more games and I believe to be an art in itself.
The type of puzzle that the game presents alone is something that I really enjoy. But paired with the art style, colour pallete and atmosphere, it turned into a sensory experience that put me into my favourite kind of zen. One part of my brain is chugging away at the dopamine from the progression and the other is completely and utterly relaxed. No overwhelm, no underwhelm, just the absolute balance of whelm in the best possible way.
Starfield
While Starfield reviews have been middling, I would still like to make my own opinion on this one. As much as I have seen some damning reveiws, I have also seen people get exactly what they hoped for and have a lot of fun with it.
I can’t help but wonder how much of the criticism has stemmed from the impossibly high expectations Bethesda themselves set for the game. I am not denying that the game could be lacking in some departments, but things always feel worse when you are expecting a complete game changer. That is why I am so interested in going in with low expectations and seeing how I find it.
I am not in the biggest rush however, as I suspect DLC will be coming and based on my experience with Skyrim, I’d rather play the complete version of the game.
COCOON
I shrugged off the buzz surrounding Cocoon because I thought it was going to be too ‘smart’ for me. I remember seeing the reveal trailer and thinking ‘puzzle game, cool, I have no idea what is going on’.
I was surprised when reviews started releasing and solidifying that the game seems to be way more approachable than I expected, and all of the positive critique appealed to me. From then on, I went into avoidance mode and decided I would like to try it out myself. Hopefully I will find some time to have a Game Pass Shabananza and this is very high up on the priority list.
Slay the Princess
I played the demo for an Indie Showcase a while ago and to this day it remains my favourite. I already wrote about why in the post linked below, but TL;DR It’s fantastic.
The only issue with playing this game is that I really would like to Let’s Play it. The problem is that I have no time to record, and I have already promised a Let’s Play of another game before I could get around to this one. So it is very high on the list of games that I want to cover, as soon as life allows.
My Time at Sandrock
Veterans of my channel will know that I loved My Time at Portia. It wasn’t without its problems but it provided so much joy both on and off stream, as well as some mindless play when I needed it. This made Sandrock a must play for me.
A long time ago I did play the Sandrock demo on stream. The main thing I remember is that I noticed improvements that made the game immediatly smoother to play. Fast forward to the games release and word of mouth confirms, it is like My Time at Portia but better. That is everything that I hoped for and I love knowing this exists ready for a time that I need a comfort game.
Isn’t it wild that this list isn’t even exhaustive? Here are some more that didn’t make the top 10 but I still would love to play.
- Abscission
- The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
- The Game of Fourtune
- The Isle Tide Hotel
- Jusant
- Killer Frequency
- Moonstone Island
- Murderous Muses
- Oxenfree 2
- The Pale Beyond
- This Bed We Made
- Underground Blossom
Thanks 2023!
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CtrlAltNoob 