Tag: Let's Try

12 Days of Epic Games 2024 Round Up

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)

Recipe for Disaster is a management sim that captures the fast-paced, drama-filled environment of a professional kitchen and dining room. Build your dream restaurant, create recipes, design menus and manage your staff, all while contending with demanding customers and disastrous situations!

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)

Frostpunk is the first society survival game. As the ruler of the last city on Earth, it is your duty to manage both its citizens and infrastructure. What decisions will you make to ensure your society’s survival? What will you do when pushed to breaking point? Who will you become in the process?

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)

Discover the world of Transistor, a sci-fi-themed action RPG from the creators of Bastion.

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)

Check-in to The Spectrum Retreat for a stay you won’t forget. Manipulate your way to the truth in this captivating narrative-driven puzzler.

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)

A beautiful, 3rd-person exploration game centered around two parallel stories: a fox trying to find her missing family, and a son reconnecting with his estranged father in Alaska. Uncover artifacts from the son’s life as he becomes intertwined in the fox’s journey towards The First Tree.

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)

‘Death Coming’ is a non-linear puzzle game where you must harvest human souls ‘Final Destination’ style. However, pesky mortals are not your only problem, as the Agents of Light will do everything they can to stop you.

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 is a survival roguelite where endless hordes of creatures lurk from the dark. Craft an array of overpowering builds and eradicate waves of Lovecraftian nightmares. Will you be able to survive the night?

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)

The Lich has thrown the world into a timeless loop and plunged its inhabitants into never ending chaos. Wield an expanding deck of mystical cards to place enemies, buildings, and terrain along each unique expedition loop for the brave hero.

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)

Survive in outer space! Together with your immortal chicken, discover the truth behind your sudden spaceship crash. Craft tools, pilot vehicles, and even control space stations to survive and explore the wreckage.

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 a single-player narrative adventure that takes you deep into our planet’s beating blue heart. Explore the awesome wonder and unbounded mystery that exists within the world’s ocean.

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)

Story-driven open-world RPG that immerses you in an epic adventure in the Holy Roman Empire. Avenge your parents’ death as you battle invading forces, go on game-changing quests, and make influential choices. Explore castles, forests, villages and other realistic settings in medieval Bohemia!

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 a puzzle game about keeping a warehouse running in tip-top shape. Just remember where you put everything, because when the service hatch opens, you’ll need to find the things people want quickly, in order to earn the coveted Performance Stars.

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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12 Days of Game Pass – One year on

This time last year I was living my best life. Driven mad by my backlog and the continually rising number of games on my Game Pass ‘play later’ list, I gave myself a beautiful gift. That gift was permission. Permission to dive into said list. 12 games, 12 videos, 12 impressions – maybe I should have called it the Duodecuplary games. It turned out to be an absolute treat.

One year later I am still looking back fondly on this time. While it was so much more work than I anticipated (why would I even consider that this would only be 12 hours of gameplay?!), I loved every second. I didn’t only do it for enjoyment though, it served a purpose. I wanted to try out a bunch of games before they left the service, experience what they were about, decide if I wanted to play them to completion and by extension, see whether I wanted to make content with them. 

I would have loved to have done it again this year but circumstances mean that my content has slowed down. Even if I somehow managed to carve out the time to do the 12 Days of Games, it would feel bad knowing that I didn’t manage to Let’s Play most of the games that I wanted to from the previous batch. So instead I am doing a recap!

Finished

Citizen Sleeper (2022)

You are a sleeper, a digitised human consciousness in an artificial body, owned by a corporation that wants you back. Thrust amongst the unfamiliar and colourful inhabitants of the Eye, you need to build friendships, earn your keep, and navigate the factions of this strange metropolis, if you hope to survive to see the next cycle.

Citizen Sleeper was the first game from the bunch that I decided to complete as a Let’s Play, and little did I know, the only game. It was quite an undertaking as it is primarily a text based game with zero voice acting, but it turned out to be the perfect choice. The final DLC got released at exactly the time that I reached it and we got to experience the full story, and honestly, the DLC is very worth playing. I was pretty happy with where I ended up in the main game and felt strongly content in my decisions. The DLC was great at how it managed to progress that in a very natural way and a reminder that the end of one story can be the beginning of another.

Super glad that we played this one, I love that there is a sequel on the way and I really enjoyed getting back to recording.

Game Pass Status – Still available.

Original Ranking – Continue playing online.
Where are we at now? – Let’s Play completed.

Exo One (2021)

A strange signal… an alien craft… Exo One is an interplanetary, gravity-defying journey through space and time.

Exo One was such a strange one. After reflection with the context of having tried out so many games, I was pretty sure that I was just going to let this one go. I got the idea, I didn’t thrive with the controls and thought I had had my fill. But for whatever reason, I couldn’t.

I think that reason could possibly be that I played 1 and 1/2 hours of a game that ‘How Long to Beat’ tells me is a two hours long. I was so close, I needed to see it through! Of course, HLtB hours are shorter than Noob hours so it did take longer than anticipated. However, I think I am pleased with seeing it through.

I can’t say that I understood what actually happened in the game, but I can say that my favourite thing was seeing the variety of absolutely stunning environments. While it didn’t blow me away with its gameplay, I am glad that I reached the end because no doubt I would still be kicking myself to this day for putting it down unfinished.

Game Pass Status – Left the service.

Original Ranking – Continue playing offline/That’s enough for me.
Where are we at now? – Finished offline.

Spore (2008)

Be the architect of your own universe with Spore, an exciting single-player adventure available for download to your PC. Will you be a bloodthirsty carnivore destined to crush your competitors, or a gentle herbivore seeking out stronger allies to enforce your quiet way of life?

Confession – I didn’t technically finish Spore. BUT I played enough to be satisfied so I am keeping it in my ‘Finished’ category.

The game is made up of 5 eras correlating to stages of evolution, but what I didn’t know is that the final stage can be as long as the rest of the game combined. I didn’t love the gameplay throughout but I did desperatly want to see how my species turned out, and the levels changed regularly enough that everytime I was beginning to feel fed up, it was almost time for the next one.

I made it to the space phase and once I saw what it was about I was happy to call it a day. The evolution of my specific creature while also discovering different creatures around me were my favourite parts of the game. If I could have that in a game with a different gameplay structure I think I could get really on board, the only problem is that I can’t identify what I would rather the gameplay be!

Game Pass Status – Still available.

Original Ranking – Continue playing offline/That’s enough for me.
Where are we at now? – Finished offline to an extent.

Opus: Echo of Starsong (2021)

Asteroids emitting a sound known as “Starsongs” have become the center of conflict for the immense power they hold. Determined to claim asteroids of his own, a young man ventures out with a girl who can imitate starsongs, lending her voice to unravel an ancient myth deep in the heart of space.

I ended up continuing this one offline due to the voice acting being in Japanese. I wanted to hear it but I didn’t want to talk over it which obviously doesn’t make for a good Let’s Play!

I am SO glad I went back to it though, once I got into the flow of the story and the exploration I had a really good time. It was beautiful, emotional and I enjoyed it more than I expected.

It has parallels with Citizen Sleeper in a way, being Visual Novel adjacent, set in a fictional space world with time/resource management aspects. Having said that though, they are both entirely different experiences, both of which I think are worth the playthrough!

Game Pass Status – Still available.

Original Ranking – Continue playing online/Continue playing offline.
Where are we at now?– Finished offline.

Dropped

Valheim (Early Access 2021)

Valheim is a brutal exploration and survival game for 1-10 players set in a procedurally-generated world inspired by Norse mythology. Craft powerful weapons, construct longhouses, and slay mighty foes to prove yourself to Odin!

I am so hit or miss with survival games, with miss being the much more likely outcome. I thought that I might have been drawn back to the game because so many of my friends have thoroughly enjoyed their time with it, but the more time that passed, the more happy I was admitting that it just isn’t for me.

I still see the appeal of being part of a community server, but solo, I have so many other games to play that even just trying out Valheim was enough. On the other hand, I don’t feel like I got to see much of what the game is actually about – what with the savage deaths and mechanical confusion. This does feel like a shame, but like I said, moving on feels good too.

Game Pass Status – Still available.

Original Ranking – Continue playing offline/That’s enough for me.
Where are we at now? – Didn’t play more.

Signalis (2022)

Awaken from slumber and explore a surreal retrotech world as Elster, a technician Replika searching for her lost partner and her lost dreams. Discover terrifying secrets, challenging puzzles, and nightmarish creatures in a tense and melancholic experience of cosmic dread and classic psychological survival horror.

I mean… I really did try and I think I managed much better than I anticipated. The thing that kept me going was knowing that once I put it down, I was not going to pick it back up again. This is absolutely not a criticism to the game, I am just not built for survival horror.

I am not built for any horror really but survival may be the most stressful kind. Not only is there the worry of dying at any moment, but something even more stressful? Deciding when to use your resources. I’m a gatherer, I like to collect stuff and I like to keep stuff. Making the decisions about what to carry, what to use and what to pick up is the nightmare of the indecisive. So this was a nightmare within a nightmare.

I did go on to watch a full playthrough of the game and I enjoyed it a lot more that way! I can’t say I understood it well, but I enjoyed the journey, even if it was vicarious.

Game Pass Status – Left the service.

Original Ranking – That’s enough for me.
Where are we at now? – Didn’t play more but did watch a full playthrough.

Kentucky Route Zero (2013)

KENTUCKY ROUTE ZERO: TV EDITION is a magical realist adventure game in five acts, featuring a haunting electronic score, and a suite of hymns and bluegrass standards recorded by The Bedquilt Ramblers. Rendered in a striking visual style that draws as much from theater, film, and experimental electronic art as it does from the history of videogames, this is a story of unpayable debts, abandoned futures, and the human drive to find community.

I believe I picked Kentucky Route Zero back up as it was put on the ‘leaving soon’ list, so that provided some urgency. This is the first impression that changed the most after playing more of the game. I am sad to say it but I’m very glad that I didn’t try to continue this one as a Let’s Play.

I managed to complete Act III (of V) but I could not get any further. By the time I got there I had accepted that I just fundamentally do not ‘get‘ the game. Surrealism doesn’t really do an awful lot for me or my imagination. Not understanding what was going on and not being too fussed about figuring it out already sealed the deal, but potentially the most damning thing was, I just found myself quite bored.

Alas, I am glad that I got the chance to play as much as I did before it left the service. Finding out whether I enjoy these games was a huge reason that I begun the series so whether I liked the game or not, I still enjoy the data that comes from trying.

Game Pass Status – Left the service.

Original Ranking – Continue playing online/Continue playing offline.
Where are we at now? – Continued playing offline before dropping it.

No Man’s Sky (2016)

In No Man’s Sky, every star is the light of a distant sun, each orbited by planets filled with life, and you can go to any of them you choose. Fly smoothly from deep space to planetary surfaces, with no loading screens, and no limits. In this infinite procedurally generated universe, you’ll discover places and creatures that no other players have seen before – and perhaps never will again.

If I am being totally – and maybe brutally – honest, this is the game that I remember the least out of the 12 that I played.

A year has passed and I remember being on a planet, in a house near a cave. I think I was building it. And that is all I have got. Perhaps it is the curse of the survival game striking again and I need to accept that I don’t enjoy the mechanics. But I don’t think that is the whole problem here. It could be another game that requires more time to really dive in and see what it is about, but with the amount of games that exist now, I am happy enough to leave this one behind in a similar way to Valheim.

Game Pass Status – Still available.

Original Ranking – That’s enough for me.
Where are we at now? – Dropped it.

Pending

Undertale (2015)

Welcome to UNDERTALE. In this RPG, you control a human who falls underground into the world of monsters. Now you must find your way out…or stay trapped forever.

Ahh Undertale. I feel like I have had a little bit of a mess with this game. I spent a while considering that if I was going to continue my Let’s Play, how should I approach it? Should I continue with the strategies I was using? Should I let go of my arbitrary rules and just do what feels right in the moment? Should I start again?

All of these questions were then answered by the game leaving the service. It is now on Ps Plus which I do have access to, but of course my save file does not, so starting over would be the only option.

Secondly – and a deciding factor that I should continue offline – is that I had something spoiled. I have no idea how big of a spoiler it really is, but it is enough that I am dissapointed that I know about it and it will impact the enjoyment of being blind on the game.

All of these factors combined helped me to decide that I am just going start again in my own time from my couch. It is still a game that I want to see through to the end and add to my catalogue of knowledge and references. But the Let’s Play unfortunately isn’t meant to be.

Game Pass Status – Left the service.

Original Ranking – Continue playing online.
Where are we at now? – Want to continue playing offline.

As Dusk Falls (2022)

As Dusk Falls is an original interactive drama from INTERIOR/NIGHT that explores the entangled lives of two families across thirty years. Starting in 1998 with a robbery-gone-wrong in small town Arizona, the choices you make have a powerful impact on the characters’ lives in this uncompromising story of betrayal, sacrifice and resilience.

In hindsight, it probably would have made sense for me to Let’s Play this game first. It is the shortest of the bunch and games like these don’t really allow for any meandering. BUT if I had done that then Citizen Sleeper wouldn’t have been so perfectly timed, and if my memory serves me, my Game Pass ran out right as I finished CS so I didn’t have time to play these other games.

This game is still on my list, I would have to go back through the video as a reminder for the choices that I made, but the tension was so high, I can only imagine how the rest of the game will go!

Game Pass Status – Still available.

Original Ranking – Continue playing online.
Where are we at now? – Want to continue playing online.

Deaths Door (2022)

Reaping souls of the dead and punching a clock might get monotonous but it’s honest work for a Crow. The job gets lively when your assigned soul is stolen and you must track down a desperate thief to a realm untouched by death – where creatures grow far past their expiry and overflow with greed and power.

As mentioned above, I no longer have Game Pass, and while that isn’t the reason that I haven’t done anymore Let’s Plays, it is obviously a hurdle for these specific games that I had chosen. Thankfully, in the last year Death’s Door became a Ps Plus game! That means that I can now play it at any time that I want.

While there is a chance that I just play this one offline instead, I am not going to do that yet unless I get a really really big urge as I still think it could be a fun YouTube series. The only downside to me now having it on Ps Plus is that it lowers it down the priority list, as it is no longer time limited. When I get Game Pass back ‘As Dusk Falls’ and ‘Tunic’ are the focus. But the bright side is I can start this one back up any time I like (that is, after I have played Pyre, Batman, Scarlet Hollow and any other games that I have promised 😅).

Game Pass Status – Still available.

Original Ranking – Continue playing online.
Where are we at now? – Want to continue playing online.

Tunic (2022)

Explore a land filled with lost legends, ancient powers, and ferocious monsters in TUNIC, an isometric action game about a small fox on a big adventure. Stranded in a ruined land, and armed with only your own curiosity, you will confront colossal beasts, collect strange and powerful items, and unravel long-lost secrets.

The last but the opposite of the least is Tunic! If I could suddenly have the time and facilities to Let’s Play a game right now, it would be this one. I LOVED exploring around the world, seeing what we would find and how it connected together. It was really fun and I feel like I clicked with it very well.

This is a game that recieved such heavy praise, but I got the impression it was for doing something different. I didn’t get far enough to know what that is and I really would like to discover it for myself, so while I currently still don’t have time to record and have already promised Pyre as my next series, I still have a huge itch to play this game and will do so as soon as the stars align.

Game Pass Status – Still available.

Original Ranking – Continue playing online.
Where are we at now? – Want to continue playing online.

If anyone out there is stuck in a rut with your backlog or struggling with analysis paralysis on what to play next, this was an extremely refreshing experience that I would recommend to others to try for themselves. While I haven’t followed through with the recordings that I would still love to do, I did manage to knock 8 games off my backlog and had a tonne of fun doing it. You don’t have to make it into work or a project, just pick a number of games that you want to try and play the first hour. Don’t think too hard, just press play and before you know you might be playing your new favourite game.

Finished – 4
Dropped – 4
Still Pending – 4

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10 PlayStation 5 Demos – August 2023

While you need PS Plus Premium to access certain game trials, that doesn’t mean every demo on the console is gated by a paywall. In fact, as I was doing some exploring in the PS Store I found an entire section dedicated to demos. In this age of Steam Next Fests providing lots of opportunities to try games before you buy or that you otherwise may not have, I think it’s great to have consoles involved in that too. While they don’t have their own festivals yet, there is still an interesting catalogue available.

I don’t know about everyone else, but gaming at my PC is an entirely different vibe to gaming on my PS5. Feet up on the couch, blanket at the ready, candle on and controller in hand, it is the coziest of times. I find console to be perfect for night time wind down game sessions, so I have decided to use these sessions to make my way through 10 of the available demos.

This is a ranked list, so keep scrolling to see my favourites!

10. Fall of Porcupine

Developer: Critical Rabbit

Release Date: 15 June 2023

Fall of Porcupine is a unique story adventure. The collision of work and daily life – an exciting reflection of an unhealthy healthcare-system. Experience the exciting story of Finley and his friends in a lovingly illustrated world and uncover the darkest secrets of Porcupine and its residents.

Upon booting up Fall of Porcupine I very quickly was reminded of Night in the Woods. Not only because of the anthropomorphic animals, small town energy and autumnal vibes, but the layered, colorful, simple yet bold aesthetic is very pleasing to my eye. The gameplay feels similar in that sense too. This is a narrative first game and walking around talking to other characters is a big chunk of what you are doing, followed by minigames as you carry out your duties and other tasks.

While I enjoyed the ending of the demo, the rest didn’t really grab me in any big way. Partly that is my fault, as I realized a little way in that the themes of failing health care systems may be a little too real and sad for me to really want to spend time exploring at this current time. But other that that I also felt that the game was just a little slow for me. One of the mini games didn’t seem to be working for me and I wasn’t super engaged in the activities I was presented with. I did really enjoy the character designs, but the aesthetics weren’t quite enough to make up for the other parts that didn’t quite hit for me.

Demo Length – 1+ hour
Would I play more? – No

9. BROK the InvestiGator

Developer: COWCAT

Release Date: 26 August 2022

The very first PUNCH & CLICK! Brok is an innovative adventure mixed with beat ’em up and RPG elements. In a grim world where animals have replaced mankind, what kind of detective will you be?

As mentioned in the description above, Brok the InvestiGator is a point and click adventure and a 2D side scrolling beat ’em up in one. I am on the record for being a lover of the former, particularly the detective kind. But I am really not a fan of the latter at all. I thought I would try it out because I like to judge every game individually and every game could be the one that helps a genre click. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case, and predictably, I really liked half of what this game was while really disliking the other half.  

The adventure side of the game had everything you would expect, with fun additions like interrogations that I particularly enjoyed. Another great detail is that there are often multiple approaches to a problem, allowing you to dive in fists first, or sometimes even avoid combat all together. Something else to be celebrated are the adaptability options, allowing the game to be as inclusive as possible, whether that is for people like me who would alter the difficulty for entertainment purpose, or more importantly adaptations for visually impaired folk so they get to enjoy the game too. Despite this, unfortunately the game didn’t click with me. I suspect the potential for combat at any time combined with the classic cartoon aesthetic were a little far outside of my preferences. Having said that I would urge anyone else that is curious to give it a go.

Demo Length – 2 hours 30 minutes
Would I play more? – No

8. NEO: The World Ends with You

Developer: Square Enix & h.a.n.d.

Release Date: 19 October 2022

“Only the possibility of you can change our fate”
Rindo comes to the grim realization that his life is on the line when he is forced to compete in the so-called “Reapers’ Game.”

This one feels very heavily inspired by Persona 5 (maybe others but I have only played 5 myself), at least in a visual sense. It takes place in some of the same locations but that isn’t the only reason. It clearly strives to have its own strong, bold, recognizable style in the way that Persona does. In some ways this works out, I particularly like the comic-esque UI that NEO adopts when a conversation is taking place. Conversely, sometimes it feels slightly over stylized for my tastes, and while the music will be perfect for some people, for me it left me wishing for something a little more catchy or memorable.

NEO: The World Ends with You is an action JRPG set in the streets and districts of Shibuya. On a seemingly regular day, something changes and our protagonists are drawn into a game. The overall game itself consists of animated cutscenes, dialogue, moving around areas solving quests and combat. Attacks stem from pins which you collect and level up as you go.

The idea of my game characters being in a game themselves is always a fun one to me, but one of the reasons it didn’t work for me was because I could not connect with their response. They were not asking any of the questions that I wanted to ask and after playing for 2 hours, the game still did not tell me what the first line of the description above is about. There is a chance that my issues stem from the writing and the pacing, but there is also a chance that what this game adds up to be is just not for me. It is a shame because the game systems evident in the menu (collectibles, levelling up pins etc) looked enticing. Sadly it just seems to be one of those game where I like the idea of a lot of it, I just don’t enjoy the gameplay that goes along with it.

Demo Length – 2 hours
Would I play more? – No

7. Toodee and Topdee

Developer: dietzribi

Release Date: 4 August 2021

A cosmic turbulence caused the 2D Platformer and the Top-Down Puzzler dimensions to merge! Switch between Toodee and Topdee and their unique perspectives to overcome hard-as-nails challenges, solve mind-melting puzzles and defeat huge bosses.

It doesn’t take long for Toodee and Topdee to show what makes it special. The seamless transitions from 2D to top down on command never ceased to make me stop and think ‘coooool’. This is a puzzle platformer which is a genre that can be so hit or miss for me that I almost didn’t give this one a go. I am really glad I did though because even though it isn’t entirely for me, I love to see the wild things that are being created by people much cleverer than myself.

What I didn’t expect was to be taken in so much by the opening. The story set up was fun and strong and it made me immediatly more interested to stay along for the ride. You are controlling two characters but never at the same time, so while this game can be played in co-op, it is also perfectly playable solo. In fact, I am very curious to how this game would feel to play with another. Since so many of the puzzles feel timing based, I could see it making or breaking relationships.

Demo Length – 37 minutes
Would I play more? – Probably not. Maybe if it was on PS Plus and I had company.

6. Final Fantasy XVI

Developer: Square Enix Creative Business Unit III

Release Date: 22 June 2023

The 16th standalone entry in the legendary Final Fantasy series marks a darker turn for the RPG franchise, with a complex tale of revenge, power struggles and unavoidable tragedy.

Final Fantasy XVI reimagines the series’ iconic summons as Eikons. These deadly creatures are housed within Dominants, men and women who inherit their immense power at birth – whether they like it or not.

I put off playing this one for a while because I knew I was long, but once I got started time completely flew by. I should say, the only Final Fantasy I have played is a chunk of FF14 and the first hour or 2 of FF7 Remake, so the only expectations that I had were from the praise I saw in the media, and any marketing material I saw. And as is often the case, my expectations were quite different from what the game actually is.

Final Fantasy XVI feels big, epic and dramatic – particularly the opening – but I did feel like I sometimes struggled to follow what was going on on the screen. Particularly when creatures of any scale were involved and/or lots of particles and effects. Whether that is deliberate or not is one consideration, but for me it breaks my immersion a little, as it goes from ‘woah, that’s neat’, to ‘I literally have no idea who is winning this fight’ and I just have to wait till the action is finished to catch up on what happened. That isn’t my only issue with the style.

There are plenty of quieter, character focused moments with lots of relatively short cutscenes strung together, telling the story of what is going on. The style of the game means that these scenes transition via fade to black, and I can’t say I have ever been bothered by that before – I even use it myself sometimes – but the regularity it was happening, despite how nit picky it feels, really started to bug me. I can’t say what could be done differently, but every single time it happened I felt a little more irritated as I lost my immersion once again.

All of the complaints above are VERY subjective. None of them mean that I didn’t enjoy the game overall. I am so down for the medieval fantasy war setting. Every time anything felt familiar enough, a fantasy element or creature entered the scene and gave me a fleeting delight. Fleeting because of course the plot is very dark and serious. Political drama and intrigue, backstabbing, grief and bad circumstances feel like they are all going to be themes going forward and they are themes I enjoy a lot.

It’s just, from one of the latest AAA titles to release, I did expect maximum immersion so got a shock when it wasn’t quite as ‘smooth’ as I expected. But other than that, I loved phoenixes as a theme, the music is great, there is some cheesyness to balance out the dark and I am still interested to see where it goes. Sometimes stylistic differences are something that I grow to love over time so a demo potentially isn’t going to give me the best impression of a game like this.

Demo Length – 2 hours 30 mins
Would I play more? – I think I would

5. Sea of Stars

Developer: Sabotage Studio

Release Date: 29 August 2023

Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG inspired by the classics. It tells the story of two Children of the Solstice who will combine the powers of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only force capable of fending off the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer.

The only JRPG’s I have really played are Pokemon and Persona 5 but I am very interested in broadening my horizons. On one hand, that means I don’t have a huge base for comparison but on the other, I get to come in with fresh eyes and have an experience I can’t compare with anything else.

I did enjoy what I played. I particularly liked the character designs when shown in their portrait form. The dungeon was interesting with different types of areas but the boss did feel like it took forever. It was quite an adjustment for me to get used to how to play, particularly having timing based reactions in turn based combat. Many times I completely screwed up my plan with bad timing and had to rethink what I was doing. But navigating the point spending systems as well as the ability types was fun and I would be interested to continue.

Demo Length – 1 hour 30 mins
Would I play more? – Yes

4. Viewfinder

Developer: Sad Owl Studios

Release Date: 18 July 2023

Challenge perception, redefine reality, and reshape the world around you with an instant camera. Viewfinder is a new single player game offering gamers hours of interesting and fun experiences while uncovering the mysteries left behind.

I could be inclined to compare Viewfinder to Superliminal, Maquette or even The Unfinished Swan, but the only reason for that would the use of innovation and creativity. In reality, this game doesn’t really compare to any other.

How does this game work? I do not know. I think you have to try it yourself to really feel how bizarre it is to get to alter the environment right before your eyes. It is mind bending and trippy and I can only imagine how surreal the full game gets. It is also artful and the demo does a great job of showing you the possibilities of what is still to come.

Based on this incredibly quick demo, my only complaint is that the narrative felt slightly disjointed to me. I was dropped into the game and there was some dialogue but I couldn’t even tell who it was aimed at. I would imagine that this is a product of the demo and the main game has a clearer set up as opposed to the abrupt start. But if that is the only complaint I have then I would say that is a pretty successful start! Also, I have to shout out the menu UI. It looks great.

Demo Length – 25 mins
Would I play more? – Yes

3. Mythic Ocean

Developer: Paralune LLC

Release Date: 9 Jan 2020

Teach the gods to create a better universe – or mess it all up in Mythic Ocean, a narrative exploration game where your choices shape the fate of the cosmos.

Mythic Ocean already had a head start for my affection by being set underwater, but upon going in with no expectations, I got so much more than I bargained for. I was immediately struck by not only the beauty of the graphics, but how enjoyable the dialogue felt. I have played a few games in which I feel there is too much dialogue at the opening, going for flavor over substance and losing me fairly quickly. This game did the opposite where the opening conversation was not only pleasant to have but intriguing.

In my hour playing I was starting to get concerned that I was playing the entire game. But even though it is relatively short, there is a replayability to it due to the nature of the gameplay. To start, you are exploring different biomes, interacting with the beings that live there. As you find who you are looking for, you enter conversations, giving them advice and potentially influencing their actions. More characters are added in the full game giving more different outcomes for your decisions.

The vibes were great, the audio was great and I loved the characters. One in particular was my favourite (no spoilers) and it was a joy getting to know them. I only wish that everything I did was in the full game instead as I would like to see where it would have lead!

Demo Length – 1 hour
Would I play more? – Yes

2. Process of Elimination

Developer: Nippon Ichi Software

Release Date: 11 April 2023

A hapless student named Wato Hojo finds himself among a group of talented detectives and must take part in their investigation to stop a prolific serial killer that hides among their ranks. Can they solve the case before they’re all eliminated?

This is the first of the demos that I played and I enjoyed it so much, I didn’t think anything would top it. On a day that I wasn’t feeling well, I was looking for something that would entertain me while requiring minimal input and this was it. Process of Elimination is a visual novel. It is mysterious and while some horrible things are happening, the cast of characters keep it energetic and fun. We find our self in the weirdest of situations and going along on the ride is very appealing.

Obviously, visual novels contain a lot of text sections, but quite a way in the game also reveals that there is more to it. The demo only contained the tutorial version, but there are gameplay sections all about investigation. I almost want to call them turn based strategy, in which you set up your team in the grid based environment. Using abilities and leadership, you guide the team in an attempt to solve the mystery you are faced. I don’t feel like I played enough of this to know how much I like it, but it is certainly an intriguing concept that I would like to jump back into.

I had never heard of this game before stumbling upon it in the demo section of the PS Store, and with some research I found it isn’t the easiest game to obtain. It is only available on PS4 (PS5 by extension) and the Switch. I don’t know the reasons that it is only on these specific platforms but it is a shame because I certainly had a tonne of fun during this opening section. If you do have a console and it sounds interesting I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

Demo Length – Long (I didn’t time this one but I was sad when it was over).
Would I play more? – Yes, I intend to eventually

1. Chants of Sennaar

Developer: Rundisc

Release Date: 5 September 2023

Legend says that one day, a traveler will reunite the Peoples of the Tower who are unable to communicate with each other. Observe, listen, and decipher ancient languages in a fascinating universe inspired by the myth of Babel.

Chants of Sennaar is what I like to call a logic based puzzle, with added freedom to explore. It is a game of translation in which we figure out what people are saying based on the interactions we have and the environment around us. The further you progress, you simultaneously feel more and less understanding. More as you begin to recognize common words, less as you don’t yet know the new context around them. But finding new unidentified words is an exciting moment, setting the brain into motion about what they could mean.

In a game about deciphering language, the lack of external dialogue is an expert choice. The minimalism serves it beautifully, allowing the player to give their full attention to the current moment and recalling anything they have already learned that could be relevant. This tone is served aesthetically too, with an art style reminiscent of Sable and a palette akin to Journey, it is easy on the eye and soothing on the brain.

I absolutely loved this demo. Considering it is on the shorter end of the length scale compared to some of the others I played, it left a long lasting impression and the desire to decipher this entire language.

Demo Length – 45 mins
Would I play more? – Yes, right now please!

There we have it, 10 demos currently available on the PS5. While I don’t necessarily recommend them all, I appreciate every single one of them for giving me the opportunity to try them out without having to make any commitments.

I had a blast doing this and would love to do more in the future, although they will probably be shorter, 5 or 6 seems like a good number!

If you enjoyed this, below you can find more similar content including other game lists, first impressions, favourites and recommendations.

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Indie Showcase #51-#100 – Top 10

My Indie Showcase series has reached its 100th video! That is a milestone worth celebrating and what better way than to shout out the stand out games from the latest 50 videos.

Making this list was difficult to say the least. We have played some absolute gems over the last year and I couldn’t be more excited about the future of gaming. But that made narrowing them down all the more tough. I got there in the end, but as a compromise, the list is not in a ranked order.

I have to shout out The Rewinder, Medieval Dynasty, Wylde Flowers and Beyond R: Rule Ripper. On another day any one of these games could have been on this list.

If you would like to see the top games from my first 50 Indie Showcase videos you can do so here. Here’s to another 100!

What is Indie Showcase?
Every Saturday I try out a different indie game on my YouTube channel. It started out as short, free-to-play games on Steam and games from bundles, but soon extended to demos, games I recieved codes for and games on subscription services.

Slay the Princess [Demo]

Developer: Black Tabby Games

Release Date: 2023

You’re here to slay the princess. Don’t believe her lies.

I am beginning with Slay the Princess because not only did I love the game, but I also think it is my best Indie Showcase to date. The uncertainty, the mystery, the voice acting, the art, the mind games and everything else all came together to create a game that could have been made especially for me. While I could have explored the demo a little more to find more branches, I didn’t need to as I am 100% sold on the game and would like to experience the rest in full release.

Slay the Princess is a visual novel that feels like it is all about the dialogue tree. Navigating choices in order to unravel the mystery is as intriguing as it is entertaining, because as much as you are playing the game yourself, it is hard to shake the feeling that the game is playing you right back.

Wishlist it here to stay up to date.

Roadwarden [Demo]

Developer: Moral Anxiety Studio

Release Date: 12th September 2022

Roadwarden is an illustrated text-based RPG that uses isometric pixel art and combines mechanics borrowed from RPGs, Visual Novels, adventure games and interactive fiction.

Here’s a secret. Every time I sit down to record a game that I know is going to be text heavy I get nervous. Every single time. Thankfully with Roadwarden my worries were completely eased by the immersion that I experienced. That sounds counterintuitive – a text based adventure being so immersive, but well written world building does that to me in a huge way and this is full of it.

Roadwarden is a text based rpg with a distinctive colour palette. The pixel art gives just enough to show you the locations you are visiting then the words populate it with history and life. This game somehow made me desperately want to hit the road to experience adventures of my own, not at all deterred by the stories of said road.

Buy it now here.

Scarlet Hollow [Demo]

Developer: Black Tabby Games

Release Date: 11th June 2021

Return to the crumbling coal town your family built generations ago for the funeral of your aunt. You won’t be able to save everyone. You might not even be able to save yourself

Created by the same developer as Slay the Princess, I did not expect that they could have made another game that I liked more than this one – which is a huge compliment to both of their games since I really like this one. I played Scarlet Hollow (episode 1) first and it immediatly took a place in my heart, enough that I purchased the game to do a full Let’s Play some day.

Scarlet Hollow is an eerie visual novel with some very interesting trait choices right off the bat, including one that I think completely made the game for me. The art style is distinctive and memorable, it doesn’t hold back and I just want to see more of it!

Check it out here.

Buddy Simulator 1984 [Demo]

Developer: Not a Sailor Studios

Release Date: 18th February 2021

Thanks to next generation AI technology, BUDDY SIMULATOR 1984 simulates the experience of hanging out with a best buddy! Your buddy learns from you, constantly adapting to your interests and personality. But most importantly, your buddy can play games with you!

Another Game that I purchased was Buddy Simulator 1984. I wasn’t in the biggest rush to get it as I have so many other games to play, but it cropped up in a great indie bundle and I couldn’t pass it up. The experience of the demo was so well done and ended perfectly, I wonder how the rest of the game compares.

In Buddy Simulator we create our own AI buddy by inputting commands into a machine. The games that we play with our Buddy are fun, as well as the between moments, watching our friend grow and evolve. I don’t want to say more than that, but it was certainly a demo that I did not forget in a hurry.

Available to buy here.

Coral Island [Early Access/Game Pass]

Developer: Stairway Games

Release Date: 11th October 2022

Coral Island is a vibrant and laid-back reimagining of farm sim games. Be who you want and experience enchanting island living at your own pace—live off the land, nurture animals, build relationships with a diverse cast of townsfolk, and make the world around you a more vital and harmonious place.

In my time doing Indie Showcase I have tried out a LOT of cozy games. They can be very hit or miss for me, and the more I try, the more I learn what I value in these types of games. Coral Island feels like exactly what I am looking for.

With a very aesthetically pleasing town to explore, Coral Island has the potential to be the low stakes with lots to do ‘podcast game’ that I love to play. Farming, upgrading and making friends are as far as I got but I know there is more as the devs are very active and open about what is to come. Coral Island is just a place that I want to be.

Buy in Early Access here.

Backpack Hero [Demo]

Developer: Jaspel

Release Date: 15th August 2022

The inventory management roguelike! Collect rare items, organize your bag, and vanquish your foes!

The most recent addition to the list – as it is game 98 of 100 – is Backpack Hero. Based on the premise this one could have gone either way for me, but I enjoyed it so much, I may have bought it outright if I had enough time to get addicted to a game right now.

Backpack Hero is a turn based roguelike that has a focus on strategic inventory tetris. Every item that you pick up takes up precious space in your bag. The limited space forces you to try to get over any ‘too good to use’ syndrome that you may have, as well as make difficult choices as empty spaces can be just as valuable as a treasure. Throughout the game you are making your way through dungeons, fighting groups of enemies while collecting their treasure, if you can carry it.

Check out the steam page here.

Vampire Survivors [Game Pass]

Developer: Poncle

Release Date: 20th October 2022

Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you.

Vampire Survivors was almost bumped off this list as I added in Backpack Hero, thinking that one roguelike was enough. But how could I do that when I purchased the game on Steam as I wanted to continue playing so much. The real reason is because I don’t feel like I got quite as obsessed as others when the game was really taking off. But just because I didn’t, it doesn’t mean that this game doesnt deserve a place in the top 10.

In Vampire Survivors, all you have to do is move your character to dodge enemies, collect things, and make choices to see how long you can survive against the masses. It is super easy to pick up and play, I got more than my moneys worth and I am not done yet! It served me well as a great ‘1 or 2 runs before bed’ kind of game.

Buy it here and look out for DLC.

Abscission [Demo]

Developer: Beyond Booleans

Release Date: Q4 2023

Abscission is a Lovecraftian, story-driven horror point-and-click investigation game. It involves searching crime scenes for evidence, combining clues and questioning suspects. Puzzles can have multiple solutions as you guide the protagonist – Detective Will Stanhope – through the story.

I am unsure how I heard about Abscission but I am so glad I did. Murder mysteries and detective games are among my favourite genres and I am always very happy to find them. Particularly when the cases are compelling like this one.

During my time with the demo I encountered some pretty ghastly scenes, both of the crime and the eldritch kind. The point and click set up had me combing crime scenes, questioning witnesses/suspects and problem solving as I tried to put together a strange series of events.

When I played the Abscission demo it was only available on Itch but since then they have also put up a Steam page!

Casebook 1899 – The Leipzig Murders [Demo]

Developer: Homo Narrans Studio

Release Date: Coming Soon

Feel like a real 19th-century detective in this retro pixel-art detective adventure. As well as featuring classic point & click gameplay you will have to draw your own conclusions and use a deduction board to find the real culprit under several suspects in four murder cases.

Like I said before, I am partial to a detective game. While both Abscission and Casebook 1899 are point and click adventure games, they feel very different both tonally and in play.

Casebook 1899 – The Leipzig Murders is a series of cases that you gather clues in order to solve correctly (or not). I can’t help but compare this to the Sherlock Holmes games – particularly ‘Crimes and Punishment’ and ‘The Devils Daughter’. Imagine those games but rather than 3D action adventure they leant more towards 2D puzzling. That is what this is and if that excites you, it should!

Wishlist it here.

You Will (Not) Remain [Free-to-play]

Developer: Bedtime Phobias

Release Date: 7th January 2022

You must stay in your apartment as the city around you falls to an Eldritch horror.

Finally – going back to Indie Showcase roots – I had to include a short, free-to-play narrative game. But not out of obligation – You Will (Not) Remain earned the spot all by itself. Two things struck me with this game. The first was the ability to tell a complete story in a short amount of time. That was one of the my big interests as I begun this series – to see what people could make within a small game, whether that is run time or complexity. The second was the simple yet striking art.

You Will (Not) Remain is a short but sweet (?!) narrative game. Taking place in an apartment, we spend time with our main character as they contemplate life in their apartment as the world crumbles – or has already crumbled – around them.

Play for yourself here.

Thank you for reading and thank you for any support, be that financial, engagement with my content or moral support via kind words. It is all very much appreciated and helps me continue my work.

Also, thank you if you have ever engaged with any of the games that I have showcased. Other than the enjoyment that I get out of trying such a variety of games and being inspired by peoples work, the ultimate goal is to be able to help indie games, working as a signal booster to help games find their audience.

If you are looking for even more interesting indie games, I have you covered. Here are links to all of my previous Indie Showcase work.

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Indie Showcase – Steam Next Fest June 2023

The Steam Next Fest of June 2023 was a big one. One week, MANY demos! I didn’t actually plan on covering the festival this time as life has become pretty busy, but who was I kidding? It should be clear by now that I can’t resist the allure of the demos, especially when so many others have taken to enjoying these festivals as much as I do.

I didn’t make any video content this time so instead, I have documented my top 6 demos below!

Wishlisting a game on steam helps the creators by aiding in discoverability as well as keeping you informed, so if you see something that you like then don’t be shy about hitting the Wishlist button.

6. Wizard with a Gun

Developer: Galvanic Games

Release Date: 2023

Wizard with a Gun wasn’t even on my original download list but it got recommended by a friend. I didn’t manage to play it in time but thankfully the demo was extended so I still got to try it out, and I am glad for that!

Wizard with a Gun is a stylish, action driven roguelike in which we go back in time in an attempt to prevent the end of the world. Again, and again. The game had me immediatly with its opening animated cutscene, setting the scene with a sad song showcasing the downfall of previous heroes. The wild western, dark fantasy and dystopian feelings merge perfectly in a muted yet somehow still colourful style.

The game play is fun, collecting as much as possible in the short time limit so that you can advance your home base, without getting too greedy and loosing it all. Scanning everything you come across so that you can learn more about them, but not until you get back to the safety of the tower. There is no time to be wasted out in the world, it is a mad dash to find what you need before the chaos takes over.

+ So very stylish.
+ Fast paced with breathers.
+ Fun to discover new things.
+ Looks like there will be plenty of customisation to build up to.
+/- The time limit on runs does keep it interesting, but I usually like reading things as I find them so it takes some adjustment to not waste time.

Check it out for yourself here.

5. Flutter Away

Developer: Runaway Play

Release Date: 3rd August 2023

Another game that I almost missed, partly because I ran out of time but partly because I was pretty sure that I was going to want to play this one fully. And I was right.

Flutter away is zen to its core. While the demo was short, it felt like a wonderfully refreshing palette cleanser after playing so many other games before it. Exploring a forest with camera in hand, we are journaling the creatures we find and the moments we experience.

If you are like me and use rainforest sounds as a relaxing background noise, you are going to feel right at home with this game. Calm immediatly washed over me, followed by delight at not only discovering critters, but the way in which they are documented. The journal is so lovely, I wish I had half of the creativity when it comes to the illustrations.

+ Very relaxing.
+ Love the creatures, especially getting up close looks using the perch.
+ The environment is stunning.
+ The atmosphere is well done with both the audio and the on screen life.
+ The journal.
+/- Very short, this was of course only the demo, but the steam description does also describe the game as short so that is something to be aware of.

Here is the Steam page.

4. Broken Roads

Developer: Drop Bear Bytes

Release Date: 2023

This is the first demo that I tried this festival. I didn’t finish it, not because I didn’t enjoy it but because I was sold and didn’t want to see anymore without having the rest of the game waiting for me.

Broken Roads is an Australian made and Australian set narrative driven RPG. What struck me immediatly was how much I enjoyed the writing. Whether or not I would like these people in real life is another question, but I very quickly got to enjoy the characters as their dialogue gave good indication of their personalities. Sometimes, in games characters feel very obviously like NPCs and fictional side characters, but these characters felt lived in, even within a couple of lines.

The other thing I love is that Australia feels like a great setting for post apocolyptic drama. The sheer size and hostility of some of the terrain pose troubles at the best of times so that feels like it will add an extra twist on a common genre. It is a country that isn’t massively explored in video games currently but I feel that it will have a lot to offer and I am ready for it.

Finally, from what I played, the drama felt really well done. I have no way of knowing how much it branches in the long run, but I immediatly felt the consequence of a questionable decision and I look forward to seeing what else is in store.

+ Dialogue felt real.
+ Characters felt lived in.
+ The setting.
+/- The game feels like it will have depth (putting this as a neutral point because I can’t say for certain yet, but what I played was very satisfying).

If this interests you, you can find out more here on Steam.

3. Moonstone Island

Developer: Studio Supersoft

Release Date: Q3 2023

Imagine if the turn-based combat in Pokemon was a deckbuilding style. Now imagine that game crossed over with Stardew Valley. I can’t think of a more appropriate description for this game than that.

Moonstone Island could be the next big thing as far as cozy games go. Within the time I spent in this game, I felt freedom. There was gentle guidance as to what to do, but I had the thrill of having a world to explore, people to meet and making the decision of what I wanted to do. All of that with the bonus of being followed around by an adorable little friend.

I am not a huge fan of deck builders. More often than not I will bounce off them pretty hard, so when I first discovered that was the combat side of this game, I was slightly disappointed. However, the more I played I found I was getting on well with it. It wasn’t super punishing (as far as I saw) and you could bring items that you had prepared in the overworld into the dungeon with you, tying both sides of the game together flawlessly.

I play a lot of demos of these types of games, whether it is for Indie Showcase (see The Garden Path, Spirittea, Roots of Pacha, Little Witch in the Woods, Wylde Flowers and Research Story for examples) or just for myself as it is a genre that I like. They can be very hit and miss for me. This one is a hit.

+ Creature follows you around.
+ Both parts of the game tie together well.
+ A sense of freedom.
+ The idea of filling a barn.
+/- The combat involved deckbuilding (it could be a good intro to that genre)

Check out the Steam page for more information.

2. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood

Developer: Deconstructeam

Release Date: 2023

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is perhaps the game that surprised me the most. I had only seen some of the visuals in the past but did not know what the game actually was. Turns out it is a game I am super into.

In this game, we are a witch in exile. What else could a witch in exile do other than make a deal with a demon god in order to get some relief in these hard times? As part of this deal, we get to make our own deck of tarot cards. So, a portion of this game is talking to folk, a portion is giving readings, and a portion is making the cards themselves.

In order to make cards, we spend points that we earn from readings on choosing which elements to include in said card. After that, we are given free rein. As long as some specific parts appear on the card, you are free to adjust it as you please. This was very enjoyable, creating little scenes out of the pieces I had managed to scrape together. Planning ahead to make the perfect card could certainly be a possibility, but there is a creative challenge in putting together what you have, making unexpected combinations into their own little stories. Not to mention how gorgeous the art itself is.

The demo didn’t dive into the card reading portion of the game but now that I have the beginnings of a deck, I desperatly want to use it!

+ Beautiful pixel art.
+ Being able to use that art in fun ways.
+ Intrigued at what the rest of the game entails.
+ Lots of choices.
+ Abramar.
+/- The dialogue had high highs and low lows. Quite a way into the demo, the scene changed and I felt like I was playing a different game (that I unfortunately didn’t like very much). But for the demo, for me, the highs outshined the lows.

Wishlist it on Steam here.

1. House Flipper 2

Developer: Frozen District

Release Date: 2023

If you are surprised that House Flipper 2 is at the top of my list, I am right there with you. But that is because I didn’t even know it was being made! House Flipper is one of those games that got me through some difficult times. It is the perfect game to be playing whilst also watching TV or listening to podcasts. It occupies the job of keeping your hands and part of your mind busy while also allowing for some creativity.

The fantastic things about House Flipper 2? It seems to have learned a tonne from its predecessor. It runs so smoothly and it flows so well. There were parts of the previous game that were tedious, so they have decided to just get rid! Not only that, but because everything can be done so quickly, it feels like a dopamine farm. Funnily enough, it gives me Powerwash Sim feelings (which is a compliment by the way), but even better because there is more variety to it. You are constantly completing tasks, seeing the houses before you improve at a very satisfying pace.

I didn’t even realise I wanted it, but now I need it and it could be one of the very few games I buy this year. It is not going to be for everyone but for the people that are interested, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

+ Learned from and improved upon the original House Flipper.
+ ‘Just one more thing’ flow.
+ The perfect accompaniment to TV, YouTube or Podcasts.
+ A little more involved than games like Powerwash Sim.

You can take a look for yourself on Steam here.

That is it for another Steam Next Fest. Of course, I didn’t get to try all of the demos I would have liked but these were my favourites from the bunch that I did. If you would like to check out any of my previous coverage please take a look at the links below!

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Indie Showcase – Steam Next Fest February 2023

It is Steam Next Fest time! That’s right, it is once again time to celebrate the indie games being created day in day out, all around the world! I love to take this opportunity to play as many demos as possible, trying out as many as I can in my never ending quest to see what passionate developers are creating.

If you are looking for coverage of all genres I’m afraid you won’t find it here. Racing games, rhythm games, deck builders, challenging games, shooters and horror (with a couple of exceptions) are absolutely not my genres. Personally, I am not terribly interested in combat or anything too fast paced. I very occasionally dabble in management games, survival games and simulators but they aren’t my biggest focus. The types of games I am looking for include interesting narratives and ways to tell said narratives. I like exploring interesting spaces and moving in interesting ways. Level design, world building, art direction, story and atmosphere all matter a great deal to me. Whether that is a cozy time gathering materials to craft objects, or a thrilling time investigating a grisly murder. An epic adventure across lands unheard, or an intimate story one can only experience by playing for themself. I game for feelings and I game for escapism. I game for different perspectives and I game for art. Finally, as we all do, I game for fun.

Now that you have an idea of my tastes, shall we begin the search for my Noob Picks of the Steam Next Fest February 2023!? Let’s go!

Wishlisting a game on steam helps the creators by aiding in discoverability as well as keeping you informed, so if you see something that you like then don’t be shy about hitting the Wishlist button.

And that is a wrap on the Steam Next Fest February 2023! You can find my 10 favourite demos below and if you are interested in seeing more, I have created some YouTube Shorts.

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened

Developer: Frogwares

Release Date: Q1 2023

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened was added to my wishlist the second that it was announced. Last year I streamed both Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishment and Sherlock Holmes: The Devils Daughter, and while they weren’t perfect games, we had a lot of fun with them. I have yet to play Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, but when I saw a demo for The Awakened I was tentatively excited. This game is a reimagining of the 2008 game of the same name. I have no experience of that version so I can only talk in the context of the previous titles that I know.
The game plays similarly to Crimes and Punishment and The Devils Daughter, but also feels noticeably different. Firstly, this takes place in a Lovecraftian world, so naturally it is going to have a different atmosphere. But beyond that, based on the demo, I am thrilled by the changes they have made. There are too many to list but it feels tighter. The mechanics simultaneously feel easier, make more sense and yet feel more tricky. The demo did drop us in the middle of the game so I can’t speak for the story, except for how much I loved what I played. It had the drama that I have grown to expect from both the cinematics and the character alike.

+ Made in Ukraine.
+ I really like what I have seen from this version of the character.
+ The environments look great.
+ The Lovecraft influence lends very well to the timeframe and setting of Sherlock Holmes.
+ Fun detective gameplay.
+ Drama.
+ The end of the demo. If you know, you know.
+ An optional environment scan to highlight clues you may have missed.
+ New added mechanics like pinning clues to your HUD, which in turn effects the clues you may find.
+/- The new systems have a chance of making the game more difficult.
– Facial animations and hair textures aren’t quite as good as everything else is visually.

Highly recommend this one, here is the Steam page.

Lakeburg Legacies

Developer: Ishtar Games

Release Date: Q2 2023

Lakeburg Legacies is the city building management game that I had no idea that I wanted, but now that I have tried it, boy do I know it. The unique mechanic in this game is that you are recruiting individuals with specific skills, interests and desires to live in your village. You then play matchmaker, finding an individual that is compatible to be their partner while also hopefully having the skills you need to fill in your job market. As time passes and you build more resources, the city grows, as do the number of residents and their families. You are free to choose where they work where the more skilled they are, the more they produce.

If you enjoy management games and/or city builders but often find yourself overwhelmed, this could be the game that you are looking for. I didn’t find it too difficult but I did find it very satisfying. Not to mention the attention to detail is great. The sheer number of ways that a character can look means all of my villagers are individual, and their outfit changes depending on the job that they have. This individuality makes the happiness meter feel like more than just a number like it often feels in other games of its kind, and instead something that feels a lot easier and more interesting for me to engage with.

+ Really fun management loop.
+ Attention to detail.
+ Nice to look at and easy on the eye.
+ Huge variety in portraits.
+ Lots of choices to make without too much micromanaging.
+/- Not too difficult (again, whether this is a good thing or not depends on what you are looking for).

If this interests you, you can find out more here on Steam.

Mika and the Witch’s Mountain

Developer: Chibig, Nukefist

Release Date: 2023

My initial impression of Mika and the Witch’s Mountain was if Death Stranding and A Short Hike had a child. I don’t think I was that far off, but I would perhaps replace Death Stranding with Lake. In the Demo, we play as Mika, who must climb to the peak of a mountain to prove she can be the witch that she desires to be. As misfortune has it, all she has to her name is a broken broom. Thankfully, there is a job opening at a local delivery service in which her ability to fly makes her the perfect candidate. We proceed to deliver packages in the village, swooping and diving, on a mission to buy a suitable broom for the journey. Combining fun, unique movement mechanics with a delivery game feels like the next step for a sub-genre that appears to be growing, particularly in the indie scene.

+ The cutscenes are adorably animated.
+ The world is full of critters, bringing it to life.
+ Movement is fun.
+ A sense of freedom.
+/- Seems to have a progression loop of – do jobs to get better equiptment, which allows you to do more difficult jobs, to get more equiptment.

Check out the Steam page for more information.

Mineko’s Night Market

Developer: Meowza Games

Release Date: Coming Soon

When you think of crafting in video games, I think it is quite natural to think of gathering resources to create weapons, tools, better resources, armour, alchemy and sometimes furniture. It’s not very often that you would think of hand crafts, like paper crafts and flower crafts. That’s where Mineko’s Night Market comes in. Set on a Japanese Island, it didn’t take long to get a sense of a cute and hilarious culture that I would like to spend more time in. The demo was very short with no sense of how the ‘Night Market’ side of the game will actually play out, but it charmed me so much based on exploring and chatting to the townsfolk that I am already sold on the game. All I want to do is help this village become again what it once was. In addition, the 2D/3D design blend together to craft something as beautiful as you would hope that a game about crafting would deliver.

+ The art style means that every frame looks like it could be a still painting in a very distinctive style.
+ The character design is fun, they all have character.
+ Made me laugh more than once.
+ The location feels culturally wonderful.
+ Feels seamless and well made.
+ Cats.
– My only complaint is that I didn’t realise that I could run till the end of the demo, if there was a prompt I missed it and one area is quite big, making the walk speed feel very slow.

Wishlist it on Steam here.

Boxes: Lost Fragments

Developer: Big Loop Studios

Release Date: Coming Soon

In Boxes: Lost Fragments, we are solving puzzles to open intricate boxes, locked by mechanisms that are even more complex than the puzzles themselves. Although I admittedly haven’t played The Room – aesthetically, it feels very similar. I feel fans of one could certainly find enjoyment in the other. Each box that you open is contained within its own level, but the process of opening it is a journey in itself. The fun and elaborate designs make opening a lock exciting as you don’t know what wild mechanical process it is about to set in motion. The gameplay is smooth, it looks great and while what is happening on the screen can look complicated, the beauty of the demo was in its simplicity.

+ The way the boxes change as a result of your actions is satisfying.
+ Lovely graphics.
+ Smooth as heck.
+/- I found the puzzles quite easy (I have no idea whether to expect them to get more difficult or not and whether that is a good thing or not depends on the individual).

You can take a look for yourself on Steam here.

The End of the Sun

Developer: The End of the Sun Team

Release Date: Q4 2023

In The End of the Sun we travel to the past, guided by fire to aid in peoples fates. This is a walking simulator in which we identify what is going wrong and figure out ways to fix it, following the journey of a couple throughout their life. The game is gorgeous, and the Slavic mythology and design really bring the atmosphere to life. I want more, to learn more about both the lifestyle of these folks and the folklore surrounding them.

+ Gorgeous scenery.
+ A fun, unique idea for a walking sim.
+ The atmosphere.
+ The way that you can feel the culture and time period in the environment.
+ The mythology.
+ The game directs the player without explicitly telling you what to do.
+ Guardian Angel Simulator?

Check it out here.

The Star Named EOS

Developer: Silver Lining Studio

Release Date: Coming Soon

From the creators of Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery is this relaxing point and click puzzle game. Or at least, the demo was relaxing. During my 30 minutes with the game I solved an escape room style puzzle in a beautiful art style along side some very chilled out music. Throughout this time, we get to know a little about our character and his relationship with his mother. The section played gave off the energy of love, creativity, and mindfulness. I assumed that this is how the rest of the game will be too, until the end. As I reached the abrupt finish, I am left wondering whether this is after all going to be a chill, peaceful experience, or is it going to break my heart instead?

+ Art style is nice to look at.
+ Fun puzzles.
+ I like the positive messaging so far.
+ Chill vibes.
+ Taking photos can reveal more story and flavour.
+/- Unsure whether it is going to stay chill.
+/- The demo wasn’t about the finding a good angle or correct lighting side of photography.
+/- Can be played entirely with the mouse. All movement is click and drag.
– There is some vaguely hint-y text as you explore, but I personally would have preferred a dedicated hint system.

For more information check out the Steam page here.

Planet of Lana

Developer: Wishfully

Release Date: Q2 2023

Planet of Lana is a side-scrolling, puzzle adventure game that takes you on a journey through a sci-fi narrative. Many games of this type are going to be compared to Inside as it is a classic and a staple of the genre. I am pleased to say that this game really feels like its own fresh take while still having a somewhat familiar style. The colours are vibrant, giving the world life in a surprisingly soft way. While we are only told the story through the world and haven’t yet seen much of it, I am sold on the idea that this is a world worth protecting. As appealing as the environments are, there are dangers both big and small, bringing a nerve-wracking contrast to the peace and beauty. Finally, a key detail that separates this game from others like it is that we have a friend. Not only do we control Lana, she then controls an adorable little chinchilla-monkey critter. Having two controllable characters in puzzles creates moving parts that you can’t really create in a single character scenario. The game may take your breath away with the vistas, or cause you to hold it in intense stealth moments. Either way, it is sure to be quite a ride.

+ Stunning backdrop.
+ The little friend adds to the narrative and the gameplay.
+ The contrast of the enemies is effective.
+ The eco-system makes the world feel alien but alive.
+ Something new for Inside fans.
+/- I get the impression that there is going to be quite a bit of stealth.
+/- Some of the enemies in the demo were based on fast moving spiders, it will probably work well for most people but this is just a personal bummer as I don’t hate spiders and am starting to fatigue of how they are treat in media (and as an extension in society) as a whole.

Try it out for yourself here.

A Tower Full of Cats

Developer: Devcats

Release Date: 2023

A Tower Full of Cats – a continuation of A Building Full of Cats and A Castle Full of Cats – is a hidden object game where you have to find, wait for it, cats! Depending on your personality type, you may meditatively scour the environment, precisely clicking everytime you find a little fury delight. Alternatively, you may furiously click everything you see (or don’t see) in a slightly different kind of meditation. Either way, this game provides a little humour and observation training in an easy to use, well presented package. I would love a game like this on mobile to play on the go using touchscreen. The best part? The game is developed entirely by 5 rescue cats.

+ Cats being cats.
+ The doodles are very charming.
+ Search your way through different themes.
+ The music is great and themed to each location.
+ The way colour is used.
+ Therapeutic.
+ Adopt don’t shop.
+/- There is not a whole lot to it, it’s like an interactive Where’s Wally.
– I imagine I will get frustrated if I have used my hint and have a single cat left to find.

Wishlist here on Steam.

Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire

Developer: Digitality Games

Release Date: 27th February 2023

While Voltaire isn’t a game that I will personally continue, I have to give it a shout-out. It is quirky and whimsical while being cute – but not in an overbearing way. It would be easy to think this game was like Cult of the Lamb based on the fact this has base building aspects in the rogue-lite genre, not to mention the art style. But when you start playing you realise that it isn’t really like that at all. Rather than dungeon crawling – slaying any enemies in your path through procedurally generated areas – the enemies will come to you. Expect tower defence as you are protecting your home and land. Hunger is your biggest currency and you have to divide your attention between growing plants to satiate that, and deciding which plots to give up to protect the plants, ensuring that you still have a yield by the time the sun rises. There is a learning curve that is a bit beyond me, but if you enjoy tower defence then you should certainly check it out. The awesome opening cutscene set up the charm that follows and I really hope that this game finds it’s audience.

+ Great animated opening cutscene.
+ Charming concept and execution.
+ Lots of decisions to be made.
+ Randomised perks were exciting.
+/- Tower defence/base building rogue-lite.
+/- Complexity.

More info here on Steam.

This is the second festival that I have covered under the Indie Showcase name, the first being October 2022 where I created a magazine. If you would like to check out any of my previous coverage please take a look at the links below!

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12 Days of Game Pass 2022 Round Up

Last month I sat down to start my first Let’s Play since Exit/Corners. I was so excited to get back to recording. Just me, the game, the freedom of recording whenever felt good, and the flexibility of being able to take a moment and edit it out. What I didn’t anticipate was the colossal struggle of deciding what I wanted to play. Often, it is not until you begin a game that you know whether you should have recorded or streamed it, which resulted in me staring at my screen in complete decision paralysis.

Then, all of a sudden – there was a lightbulb. Christmas was coming and there were still a few weeks to prepare if I wanted to do a special series. I was too late for an advent calender scenario (in hindsight after 21 hours of recording, thank goodness), but the 12 Days of Christmas doesn’t start till Christmas day. Score!

I immediatly knew that this would be a perfect opportunity for me to finally try out some different games that I have had my eye on. I decided on Game Pass because games can leave at any time and I rarely have a subscription, so if I wanted to get through some of my ‘Play Later’ list I would need to hustle. I painstakingly managed to whittle the list of 70+ games down to 12, and looking at the result – I was extremely excited about it.

Day 1 – Valheim (Early Access 2021)

Valheim is a brutal exploration and survival game for 1-10 players set in a procedurally-generated world inspired by Norse mythology. Craft powerful weapons, construct longhouses, and slay mighty foes to prove yourself to Odin!

Back when this game released – when everyone’s life temporarily became consumed with exploring the mysterious lands, building the fanciest buildings and voyages to collect lost equiptment – I didn’t have access to join in myself. This is probably for the better because I can be known to lose myself to games from time to time. While I think that I barely scratched the surface in my look at the game, I was very pleased to finally have the opportunity to do so.

I definitely wanted to play more when I was done, but I have found that the more games that I have played since then, the less tempted I was to go back. At this point, I have played the beginning of many survival games. Sadly though, it is very rare that I get hooked and while I still could go back to it, it has moved down the priority list far enough that I could be ok leaving it there.

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

Day 2 – Undertale (2015)

Welcome to UNDERTALE. In this RPG, you control a human who falls underground into the world of monsters. Now you must find your way out…or stay trapped forever.

Undertale was one of those legendary games for me where I feel like I have heard whispers here and there, but in reality knew virtually nothing about it. As a result, the main desire to play it came from a curiosity and ability to add it to my game reference archives rather than excitement to play the actual game itself. That probably heavily adds to the surprise of how much I loved playing this game. Of the titbits that I had heard, not one thing had lead me to believe that this game was going to be half as funny as it is. That alone would be enough for me to continue, but the intrigue to see where it is going is also strong enough that I didn’t want to put it down.

Now that I have completed this series, Undertale is at the bottom of the Let’s Play priority list purely because I feel like it isn’t going to be easy to pick back up. I also have no idea if I have screwed myself with the choices I have made so I am conflicted as to whether I need to do a little research before diving back in. Don’t worry though, I certainly have to see it through at some point.

Ranking – Continue playing online.

Day 3 – As Dusk Falls (2022)

As Dusk Falls is an original interactive drama from INTERIOR/NIGHT that explores the entangled lives of two families across thirty years. Starting in 1998 with a robbery-gone-wrong in small town Arizona, the choices you make have a powerful impact on the characters’ lives in this uncompromising story of betrayal, sacrifice and resilience.

I am so surprised I didn’t jump on this earlier. It feels like an alternative to a Telltale or a Quantic Dream game, which are some of my absolute favourites. Add in that one of the primary genres – at least in the first chapter – is thriller. How did I not play this sooner?! As opposed to a horror narrative like a Supermassive game (Until Dawn, Man of Medan), I can play this and experience making stressful decisions without the need for reassurance and distractions from the atmosphere. That makes this the perfect game for a Let’s Play as it is exactly the type of content that I love to record. I am always curious to what my gut instincts are in these difficult situations and what happens as a result. It is going to be a lot of fun returning to this and the chapters make for good episode dividers which is always handy for me.

Ranking – Continue playing online.

Day 4 – Deaths Door (2022)

Reaping souls of the dead and punching a clock might get monotonous but it’s honest work for a Crow. The job gets lively when your assigned soul is stolen and you must track down a desperate thief to a realm untouched by death – where creatures grow far past their expiry and overflow with greed and power.

I really enjoyed this game. I loved the concept, I loved exploring the weird world and I loved my little character. I certainly want to continue it, the only hesitation I have is the difficulty. I managed well enough with the combat so far, but I am concerned that I will get stuck and drop off, which I don’t like to do with a series that I am sharing if I can help it. If I do continue online it will be a Let’s Play because that means I can edit any repetitive failures into death montages. I am going to play the other games first then reassess, but if you would like to see it then please let me know. Same goes for all the other games in question as if there is external interest then I will make special effort to continue it online.

Ranking – Continue playing online/Continue playing offline.

Day 5 – Citizen Sleeper (2022)

You are a sleeper, a digitised human consciousness in an artificial body, owned by a corporation that wants you back. Thrust amongst the unfamiliar and colourful inhabitants of the Eye, you need to build friendships, earn your keep, and navigate the factions of this strange metropolis, if you hope to survive to see the next cycle.

Ahhh, Citizen Sleeper. I was nervous about trying this one as I knew it was going to be a lot of reading. To top it off, I got sick and lost my voice right as this was my next game to play. So, as much as I heard good things, I was entering this one with an ever so slight dread in my mind. It didn’t take long, however, before I was enraptured in the world. You know it is a good game when you want to keep going and going despite the reading out loud. The further I got and the more mechanics I learned, I was more and more won over by the game, leading it to be my favourite in the entire bunch. At the time of this post it is likely that the Let’s Play has already begun as I am planning on continuing this game first! Don’t sleep on it (hur hur hur).

Ranking – Continue playing online.

Day 6 – Signalis (2022)

Awaken from slumber and explore a surreal retrotech world as Elster, a technician Replika searching for her lost partner and her lost dreams. Discover terrifying secrets, challenging puzzles, and nightmarish creatures in a tense and melancholic experience of cosmic dread and classic psychological survival horror.

I tried really hard with this one. This game is well loved by a lot of people and I wanted to see why. It is just unfortunate that in survival horror, both survival and horror stress me out massively. This was the first excessively long video as I knew that once I put the game down it was likely I wouldn’t be able to pick it back up, so I wanted to see as much as I could. All things considered, I think I did pretty well! It is awesome to have the classically influenced genre in an entirely new style. It feels modern and old school at the same time.

The great thing is, as much as I suffer with survival horror, I LOVE watching other people suffer through it. So even though I won’t be continuing the game, I will certainly enjoy watching someone else’s playthrough and enjoy it vicariously.

Ranking – That’s enough for me.

Day 7 – Exo One (2021)

A strange signal… an alien craft… Exo One is an interplanetary, gravity-defying journey through space and time.

This is another game that I was nervous to record. I had it recommended and wanted to give it a try as it felt like the type of game that could leave the service before I get around to playing it. From what I understood about the game, I was worried that there was going to be a lot of downtime with nothing to talk about. There certainly was a lot of downtime, but each uniquely beautiful environment seemed to offer enough intrigue to fill the gaps, in a game that also seems well suited to some flow state meditative time.

At the time of recording I decided that it was enough. I reached a point that felt appropriate to stop and called it there. However, for a reason that I cant quite put my finger on, this game stayed in my mind. It could be that we made good progress or it could be a fear of missing out, but not finishing it isn’t sitting right with me. So I think I will actually update my ranking from ‘That’s enough for me’ to ‘Continue Offline’.

Ranking – Continue offline/That’s enough for me.

Day 8 – Spore (2008)

Be the architect of your own universe with Spore, an exciting single-player adventure available for download to your PC. Will you be a bloodthirsty carnivore destined to crush your competitors, or a gentle herbivore seeking out stronger allies to enforce your quiet way of life?

This game is adorable. Seeing where we started and where we ended up is so entertaining and fascinating to me. From weird little critter to slightly bigger weird critter, I am still curious to see how far the game goes. The fun part about it is that everyone’s game is going to be slightly different. I am definitely more interested in the evolution and creation than the rest of the gameplay, but it kept a pace so that you were never far away from your next adaptation. The rest of the gameplay was made more interesting by the other weird critters that you can meet. I am unsure why the game isn’t calling me back, but at the same time I don’t think I can uninstall it until I’ve at least played a little more.

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

Day 9 – Kentucky Route Zero (2013)

KENTUCKY ROUTE ZERO: TV EDITION is a magical realist adventure game in five acts, featuring a haunting electronic score, and a suite of hymns and bluegrass standards recorded by The Bedquilt Ramblers. Rendered in a striking visual style that draws as much from theater, film, and experimental electronic art as it does from the history of videogames, this is a story of unpayable debts, abandoned futures, and the human drive to find community.

It is funny how there are so many individual things that I like about this one, but as a whole it didn’t really capture my attention or imagination. I enjoyed the freedom of being able to talk to people then explore the map, seeking out the places they talked about. It felt fantastic that I found a place that was just mentioned off hand when my objective was to go elsewhere. The issue was that I didn’t really feel any pay off from it. Things were weird but I don’t know why they were weird, and even whether to expect any explanations or just more weird.

The thing I liked the most was the art style. It is distinctively simple and effective, and I loved the use of shapes. I am still interested in continuing the game, I am just unsure whether I should record it as there is no way of knowing whether it is going to fall flat for me or not. It will be interesting to see how it developed over the years, but I can see that by playing it myself. Do let me know if you would like to see more.

Ranking – Continue playing online/Continue playing offline.

Day 10 – No Man’s Sky (2016)

In No Man’s Sky, every star is the light of a distant sun, each orbited by planets filled with life, and you can go to any of them you choose. Fly smoothly from deep space to planetary surfaces, with no loading screens, and no limits. In this infinite procedurally generated universe, you’ll discover places and creatures that no other players have seen before – and perhaps never will again.

For whatever reason, I did not expect this game to be such a survival game. I knew it was about exploration but it has all the fundamentals that I have seen in survival games before. The great thing about this though is that you can customise to your heart’s content.

I did enjoy my time with it but I am beginning to think that survival games in general aren’t for me. The introductions and tutorials tend to either be very long and by the time I get freedom I have had enough, or very short with no direction and I lose patience trying to figure it out. That, combined with either a lack of a beginning direction or a lack of an end goal and I should probably conclude that I am not the target audience for the genre. Having said all of that, I am glad to see that this game turned everything around from release and has turned into a vast game with lots to discover, should you choose to.

Ranking – That’s enough for me.

Day 11 – Opus: Echo of Starsong (2021)

Asteroids emitting a sound known as “Starsongs” have become the center of conflict for the immense power they hold. Determined to claim asteroids of his own, a young man ventures out with a girl who can imitate starsongs, lending her voice to unravel an ancient myth deep in the heart of space.

I am not sure whether it comes through on the video – I think I hid it well enough – but I honestly shouldn’t have recorded on this day. I did it because I was on a schedule but I was so exhausted, I probably should have rescheduled. Having said that, if there was any game that I could have played while feeling that way it was this one. The story moved along at a good pace to stay engaged. The world was fictional enough to capture the imagination yet familiar enough with its politics. It was easy to play, nice to look at and is told from a perspective that I feel is more common in movies than games, which happens to work very well in my opinion. The characters are imperfect which makes choices fun, and I definitely would like to see more of the story. It is just a huge shame that the voice acting isn’t in English. Please let me know if you would like to see more of this one.

Ranking – Continue playing online/Continue playing offline.

Day 12 – Tunic (2022)

Explore a land filled with lost legends, ancient powers, and ferocious monsters in TUNIC, an isometric action game about a small fox on a big adventure. Stranded in a ruined land, and armed with only your own curiosity, you will confront colossal beasts, collect strange and powerful items, and unravel long-lost secrets.

Tunic swooped in at the end there to claim the title of my second favourite game in this series. It is very similar to Death’s Door in genre, gameplay and perspective, but with an entirely different vibe. Both of these games have similarities to the Souls series and as a fan from a distance, it is wonderful to get to have the things I like about that series in a game that is more my style. The exploration and level design is wonderful, and the lack of direct information elevates the achievement of figuring something out, as well as the mystery of the land. It is colourful, satisfying, and the accessibility features give me the confidence to definitely pursue this one as a Let’s Play. I cannot wait to get back in there and find a god damn shield!

Ranking – Continue playing online.

The best part about doing this series is not only that I got to experience so many games, but it has also given me a great insight in to the types of games that I would like to play on the channel. Since then, I have created a bigger list of games that I would like to record, so I have plenty of options when my Game Pass runs out. This has been an experiment, a challenge and a joy all at once, and I am so glad that I managed to get it finished in the planned timescale without sacrificing any quantity or quality (I did sacrifice my Christmas Eve so rip to that, but it was worth it). I hope you guys had at least some of the fun that I had. Thankfully, this was just the beginning. I now have the pleasure of actually playing these games!

Definitely continuing as Let’s Plays

  • Undertale
  • As Dusk Falls
  • Citizen Sleeper
  • Tunic

Potentially continuing as Let’s Plays

  • Death’s Door
  • Kentucky Route Zero
  • Opus: Echo of Starsong

Along side this post I am going to run some Twitter Polls to see if I can gauge interest in the games I am unsure about so please look out for those!

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