My 12 Days of Epic Games series is complete!

In this second season of my 12 Days series we took a look at 12 different games that I have received for free during Epic Games giveaways, trying them out for an hour or two, or a chapter or two, whichever came first. I then decided whether to continue them online as content, continue them offline for myself or to drop them, content that they are no longer part of my backlog.

Now that the challenge is over, I thought it would be nice to do a wrap up post. I recorded the videos in advance so in the time between recording and the series finishing, I managed to secretly play through a few of the games to completion.

Day 1 – Recipe for Disaster (2022)

While I thought that Recipe for Disaster was doing something interesting with its menu creator, it turned out to be a very forgettable experience for me. Despite being one of the longer videos, I did move on from it completely once the video was done. I am always on the look out for the management games that scratch the itch that I have, but unfortunately this wasn’t the one for me.

Ranking – That’s enough for me.
Current Status – Dropped.

Day 2 – Frostpunk (2018)

Oh man.. Frostpunk. Les than one week after I finished recording, I had completed the entire scenario. By then, it felt like a shame not to show how it ended so I managed to find a way to add it in to the video.

This was my favourite game in the entire 12 days and I think that is for good reason. The tension kept me on my toes throughout, every decision made me question whether I had made the correct choice. The desperation was palpable and the stress had me sweating, despite the bitter cold my colony were trying so hard to survive.

An extremely memorable experience and I am really glad I have it on video for memories sake even if it isn’t a full Let’s Play.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Completed the scenario and moved on. May try other scenarios in the future if I ever run out of new games to play and get the itch.

Day 3 – Transistor (2014)

I am a little sad that Transistor didn’t hit for me the way it seems to have for a lot of others. I found the combat difficult to navigate and the story even more so.

I respect a game that doesn’t drown you in exposition. Naturally, when a story is set in its own world like this it will take time to learn about, but I have discovered that I like at least a little more handholding than Transistor offers. Having said all of that, since playing I have enjoyed what I heard about the story while listening to podcasts and will look forward to seeing the full game vicariously as a Let’s Play with this new context.

Ranking – That’s enough for me/watch someone else.
Current Status – Have listened to a podcast, looking for a Let’s Play to watch.

Day 4 – The Spectrum Retreat (2018)

I really liked The Spectrum Retreat as a first person puzzler. I went on to finish the game and I think it was the perfect length, never overstaying it’s welcome while regularly revealing more of the story as you go (it evolved after the video ended and I like where it went). The puzzle difficulty never got too much, adding in fun new mechanics each chapter to keep it fresh.

A pleasant surprise and an easy recommendation.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Completed.

Day 5 – The First Tree (2017)

It is never a good feeling to not gel with a game, especially an indie and especially during recording. But there were a lot of reasons The First Tree fell flat for me. Rather than get into a critique of the game, I will report that I did finish it, and that unfortunately did not fix my issues.

Ranking – Continue playing offline/That’s enough for me.
Current Status – Completed.

Day 6 – Death Coming (2017)

I liked Death Coming for what it was, but after some time away I didn’t find myself desperate to play anymore. I booted it up one more time just to be sure, and as I got back into the swing of it, I enjoyed seeing what the remaining chapters had to offer. More than anything, I feel like the developers must have had a blast pooling together their ideas, and I am glad to have played through this game.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Completed.

Day 7 – 20 Minutes till Dawn (2023)

20 Minutes till Dawn made me feel very similar to Vampire Survivors. I enjoyed trying it out but there is no magnetism for me to get back in there to try to master it. I was going to replace Vampire Survivors with 20 Minutes till Dawn on my PC, but I realized it is fine enough to keep them both installed as they take up next to no space. I think one day the genre will either click with me, or I will drop it completely, but for now, I keep trying.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Still installed.

Day 8 – Loop Hero (2021)

Considering how much I enjoyed this one, it is shocking how little I remember about how it played. I shelved it immediately as I knew that I could sink a lot of hours into it, but in the few weeks that have passed, I can barely remember the gameplay loop.

That doesn’t put me off continuing though, I know that it will all come back to me when the time comes and I look forward to seeing how it escalates.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Still installed.

Day 9 – Breathedge (2021)

Breathedge is a game I enjoyed as I was playing it, but am hesitant to say that I will definitely play the full thing through. Going out on little expeditions and gradually upgrading my equipment is fun, but I do wonder how long that fun will last.

I am so thoroughly confused as to how I am remembering this as a chill game that I could perhaps listen to a podcast to, yet we were in such a precarious situation in the most dangerous setting there is. I will find out whether the podcast idea works out when I pick it back up soon enough.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Still installed.

Day 10 – Beyond Blue (2020)

Beyond Blue is the game that I always wanted. It isn’t a huge game, but the focus on the ocean and what lives within, having an ongoing story while giving you the freedom to take your time, educating you while entertaining you, all create a Noob tailored combo that I would love to see more of. I, predictably, ended up spending a lot of time in photo mode, the results of which will be shared on the blog soon enough.

While I am most interested in the life below, I was grateful that the game took the time to acknowledge the people that work in the field. I had no idea the sacrifices they make, but their passion is clear and it is a good thing we have people like them in the world, striving to not only understand, but do so in an ethical way.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Completed.

Day 11 – Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018)

Kingdom Come: Deliverance was more difficult than I expected, but also so much more engaging. I love a dramatic story like this and I am curious to see the twists and turns that may be presented as the narrative unfolds.

I am still intimidated by the gameplay. Research has told me that you can get quite strong to make the game easier, however that is my biggest worry about continuing online. Either way, I had loads of fun and would love to see how the story continues one day, despite the game not making it to my 2025 backlog list.

Ranking – Continue playing online/Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Not on my immediate backlog but would like to play fully in the future.

Day 12 – Wilmot’s Warehouse (2019)

Wilmot’s Warehouse is even more niche than I expected. I didn’t know 100% what to expect going in, but it is literally exactly as the description says. It is the kind of game that is satisfying when it goes well, and makes my brain itch in all of the wrong ways when it doesn’t.

I have played more since the video and appear to be exactly half way through. I am enjoying it but almost feel as though I have had my fill. I will continue as I have a feeling it is going to become absolute chaos, but I have to admit, the game running slightly long for what it is for me.

Ranking – Continue playing offline.
Current Status – Half way through. I don’t know how I am going to do the rest 😂

Playing new games always feels nice. Even if I don’t like the game, removing it from my backlog list is satisfying in itself. Playing so many in a short space of time doesn’t really reflect a natural way of consuming games, but I think I will always enjoy it.

We had some very different results when compared to Season 1. It has been great to play through some of the ‘continue offline’ games during my holiday, and I am going to strive to finish them all up throughout the year, as well as Tunic which is the only game that remains from the Game Pass season.

Continuing online

• Kingdom Come: Deliverance (very unlikely though)

Continuing offline

• Frostpunk
• The Spectrum Retreat
• The First Tree
• Death Coming
• 20 Minutes till Dawn
• Loop Hero
• Breathedge
• Beyond Blue
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance
• Wilmot’s Warehouse

Thats enough for me

• Recipe for Disaster
• Transistor

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