Alwa’s Awakening
The Messenger
Ori and the Blind Forest
Pseudoregalia
I like the feeling of getting stronger and coming back to previously inaccessible places. Pretty much only play games on Steam.
I’m surprised I haven’t seen anyone mention Hollow Knight yet. I won’t claim it on my list since I haven’t finished it yet, but it seems to be popular.
Do you know how to do the lightning reversal?
I think so in theory. I acquired it, but haven’t found anyone using lightning yet. LB to parry/absorb, RB to unleash it?
Have not made it past Genichiro phase 1 yet so I went elsewhere looking for powerups. I beat Juzou first try, but the long arm centipede man took hours, a lot like every other boss and mini boss lol.
Started my first playthrough of Sekiro and it’s really hard. I’m slowly embracing the playstyle, but I have so many habits to break from the other Souls games. I like it, but I don’t think I’ll be up for NG+ if I ever finish the NG run.
Also started playing Sable and I really like it so far. It kind of feels like an open world Zelda type of game without combat. It’s quite relaxing, and the art style is absolutely beautiful.
Pseudoregalia. I wish there were more boss fights because I thought they were well done, but still a great experience overall.
Elden Ring, just a new run because it’s been a while.
I nap almost every day.
Dark Souls 2, again. I’m helping a new player and the really bad co-op mechanics might be enough to push me to try out some mods like seamless co-op and the lighting engine which looks gorgeous.
Dome Keeper. I didn’t realize it was made in Godot which is neat and encouraging to see. I really like the gameplay loop and graphics and look forward to unlocking more things to shake it up.
New Super Lucky’s Tale. The burrow mechanic was pretty fun. While the game wasn’t very challenging it was still a good playthrough and visually strong. The best part was the bonus world at the end where you really get to let the abilities rip, especially in combat. I wish there were more enemies around in the rest of the game because the way you can chain together attacks and create a “flow” was fun and seriously under-utilized.
3D platformers, my beloved.
Thanks for sharing and giving some things to look forward to.
Kill Knight
Demon’s Souls
The Last Campfire
Livin’ in a lonely world
There is definitely a nostalgia factor, and I was into playing the TCG with the actual cards too, so that helps. It’s been a long time so I’m not sure if it would still hold up.
From the main games I have played Red/Blue/Yellow, Gold/Silver, and Emerald. I think they are all pretty close in terms of favourite, but I’ll say Blue because it was my first and had a huge impact. I remember battling other people using a link cable at school.
I think those games all have the same problem. The battle system is too slow by today’s standards. Random encounters can get annoying (thanks, ZUBAT!). It’s not just exclusive to Pokemon. Other series of the time haven’t aged as well for the same reasons. Back then it didn’t matter though.
Pokemon Stadium deserves an honourable mention. Seeing the Pokemon animated in 3D was amazing at the time. The mini-games and the gameboy pack that connected to the N64 controller were great too.
Pokemon Snap - meh. It was the type of game you play at the demo booth while waiting for your parents to finish shopping.
Pokemon Trading Card Game - the gameboy game and the physical card game were both peak. I feel like the gameboy game was slept on by many, but I loved it.
Alwa’s Awakening
It was challenging, but fun. Looking forward to playing Alwa’s Legacy soon which apparently made some improvements.
Tunic
Just finished my first playthrough and I’m in love. Play Tunic.
Also check out the Blossom Tales games. I have not played yet, but I got Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King because of how Zelda-like it looks.
I’ve heard about that and through multiplayer have been able to experience it. Honestly I prefer the base game without either DLC. Even the Void DLC is too chaotic for my taste.
TUNIC.
My goodness this game feels like it was made for me. I feel the magic of Zelda (LttP, maybe Link’s Awakening) and Dark Souls, and I would say the game wears those influences on its sleeve.
The game drops you into the world with no explanation. Signs are in a foreign language. You can collect pieces of the instruction manual which includes map pieces. The manual is littered with the occasional word in English, just enough to guess at what you can / need to do. There’s basically no hand-holding at all. Combat is similar in that it can be difficult if you find yourself in an area you aren’t ready for yet (like I did).
There are lots of hidden pathways, ladders and chests to find. They do a good job of showing you treasure chests and shortcuts that are just out of reach, and you have to really observe and think about how to navigate to get there. To me the world design has big Dark Souls 1 energy in that way - already I’ve had that same “omg it’s Firelink Shrine?!” experience as I explore and open up paths.
The 100 hour mark is a tough one to hit - even some of the best games I’ve played aren’t that long or replayable, and the ones that are usually cost more than $10. Still, here are some to check out if you want. I’ll list the price on Steam in Canadian dollars and my current total play time.
What about other stores?
They’re $75+ elsewhere. And I refuse to buy from sketchy “marketplace” sellers on sites like Best Buy where I see reviews saying they’re used but advertised as new, missing components, etc.
Yeah, I shouldn’t have been surprised. This is normal psychopathic behaviour for a corporation.
Tails of Iron. I’m having a blast with it. The voice actor that did Geralt’s voice as the narrator is a lot of fun. Combat feels good. Only complaints are the side quests (optional) can be a little repetitive, but worth it if you want new gear. And the jumping/ledge-grabbing mechanic feels a bit imprecise. Overall a fun game so far.