kfwyre's recent activity
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
-
Comment on Some people can't see mental images. The consequences are profound. in ~health.mental
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentI can’t even see the apple (or its color (or the table)). Like, I know what an apple looks like, and I know what colors an apple can be, but in my mind it only appears as a sort of formless,...I can’t even see the apple (or its color (or the table)).
Like, I know what an apple looks like, and I know what colors an apple can be, but in my mind it only appears as a sort of formless, nondescript round object. It exists as a somewhat vacant spatial placeholder that my brain “knows” is supposed to be an apple.
Somewhere else in my brain is a non-visual entry in my memory that exists as
color = redorcolor = greendepending on what I’m asked to summon.If the color of the apple isn’t specified for me? Then I have no idea what the color is. It literally doesn’t have one, and I cannot manifest one except to basically think “hmm, apples are usually red, right?”
Additionally, those memory flags really only work for common things with obvious values.
An author will describe something unique with lots of visual detail, hoping to embed in my memory with entries like
color = greens and blues,texture = weathered,lighting = dim. The moment those pass by in the text, they are GONE from my brain. Turn the page and ask me about a character’s hair color or the way the landscape looks, and I’ve got nothing. -
Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of November 16 in ~games
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentDigiphile has added a much smaller Steam game bundle: Indie ImSim Spotlight Only four games, and the price is much cheaper than their previous one. Looks like an interesting collection of more...Digiphile has added a much smaller Steam game bundle: Indie ImSim Spotlight
Only four games, and the price is much cheaper than their previous one. Looks like an interesting collection of more experimental deep cuts:
Also, I'm not sure why, but the bundle is only available by direct link and isn't showing up if you navigate through the site. Maybe it's not fully launched yet?
-
Comment on "Awareness week" - don't we have enough attention already? in ~lgbt
kfwyre LinkIt can be a big deal for kids and teens. Today I saw one of the non-binary students in my school wearing a cool trans pride outfit, for example. Having a designated time that's "theirs" means a...It can be a big deal for kids and teens. Today I saw one of the non-binary students in my school wearing a cool trans pride outfit, for example.
Having a designated time that's "theirs" means a lot to them and shows them they're allowed to take up space in the world -- an especially meaningful message because it, unfortunately, falls on a much wider backdrop of discrimination and marginalization.
Additionally, for people that are still closeted, it's also a way of conveying the "you are not alone" message in a safe way that they can appreciate privately. Nobody else has to know that they see the week and identify with it, but its existence is affirmation all the same.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentWhoa. What a rundown! Thanks for taking the time to type all that out for us. This is a game I’ve never heard of and have no interest in playing, but I loved reading your thoughts on it. I’m of...Whoa. What a rundown!
Thanks for taking the time to type all that out for us. This is a game I’ve never heard of and have no interest in playing, but I loved reading your thoughts on it.
Also seriously, can we add a "Games that PETA would protest" category for future bingo's?
I’m of two minds on this.
I really like a clever, creative category idea like this one. It’s unusual, and would likely surface an interesting collection of games. Very cool.
On the other hand, I could see how adding it might come across as dismissive of people who are genuinely concerned about animal welfare (in the vein of “Games that would make vegans mad” or something similar). At worst it could look like an endorsement of digital animal cruelty, which feels mean for meanness’s sake.
I’m open to other thoughts on this. Anyone else have strong opinions?
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentThere’s a broad story arc that’s fine. Nothing too noteworthy and kind of expected for the genre. What I liked were some of the little narrative nibbles along the way. There’s one scenario that...There’s a broad story arc that’s fine. Nothing too noteworthy and kind of expected for the genre. What I liked were some of the little narrative nibbles along the way.
There’s one scenario that centers on an fraught moral question that I thought was really interesting. There are little breadcrumbs about people and things sprinkled throughout the files on different servers that give you some neat little grins. There’s a minigame that I thought was fun. I wouldn’t say the game has an excellent story, but I will say that there was enough variety in the game to keep me entertained alongside the rather rote process of getting into new systems.
Also, for the network map, I copied down on IRL paper the key nodes I knew I’d be returning to as well as their approximate location. It was a huge Quality of Life improvement in the endgame.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentChanging [SCORE] [IS] [METACRITIC] to [SCORE] [IS] [STEAM] is 100% the right way to solve that problem and incorporate Baba Is You into your card! Well done.Changing
[SCORE] [IS] [METACRITIC]to
[SCORE] [IS] [STEAM]is 100% the right way to solve that problem and incorporate Baba Is You into your card! Well done.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentI’ve played all the The Room games (including the VR one), and I agree with you wholeheartedly. This one really is the best of the bunch. The series has always had a knack for intricate puzzle...I’ve played all the The Room games (including the VR one), and I agree with you wholeheartedly. This one really is the best of the bunch.
The series has always had a knack for intricate puzzle boxes, so the choice to make an entire dollhouse an intricate puzzle box was really cool. I also thought they pulled it off really well. It’s a stellar game.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentYeah, the fact that it’s like, 90% of the way there already is the frustrating part. But, then again, perhaps that last 10% really does take 90% of the effort. Also, I can’t really blame them. I...Yeah, the fact that it’s like, 90% of the way there already is the frustrating part. But, then again, perhaps that last 10% really does take 90% of the effort. Also, I can’t really blame them. I don’t work for free either!
Multiplayer is fun because you can trade items, so it’s much more likely for a build to take off simply because there are way more opportunities to get what someone in your group is specifically looking for. Of course, the game knows this and scales to it, so it remains challenging even with 4 players.
In each run we do, there’s usually one person who becomes the runaway breakout star, far more powerful than everyone else on account of the random drops and trades aligning for them.
When we played last week, it finally happened to me! I was the belle of the ball, and it felt great.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentArctic Eggs I'm going to be honest, I don't really get this one. Admittedly, the game crushes it on vibes. It's surreal, weird, strange. It's got a crunchy low-res, low-poly aesthetic that takes...I'm going to be honest, I don't really get this one.
Admittedly, the game crushes it on vibes. It's surreal, weird, strange. It's got a crunchy low-res, low-poly aesthetic that takes me back to the PSOne (completely with swimming textures). I honestly do love the art style, as weird as that sounds (it's... deliberately not beautiful). The score is nice and jazzy.
That said, the gameplay involves you repeatedly making eggs for hungry people. You get a pan, you have to maneuver the egg around the pan to heat up one side, then you have to successfully flip the egg and cook it on the other side. All of this is done through mouse movements, including the rather delicate process of successfully flipping the egg and catching it back in the pan.
Great concept, honestly. Cooking Mama meets an absurdist horror-adjacent Antarctic community. I can dig it.
Different people in the game that you make eggs for will have different things that go in their pans. You might have to make multiple eggs at once. Or an egg with a can of sardines (that you have to heat up to get the lid off of). Or an egg with... cigarettes? Again, the game is weird.
Unfortunately for me, while I vibed with the game's aesthetics, I hated the gameplay. I got zero satisfaction from successfully cooking anything, and I spent a non-negligible amount of time fighting the controls in more crowded pans. I think the “fun” of the game is that it’s meant to be a clumsy QWOP-like.
Those definitely aren’t my speed though.
There might be more to the game that I didn't really get to see in my meager half hour of playing it, but I didn't really enjoy any of that half hour, so I moved on from this.
This is a two part tale: one of a technicality, and one of sorrow.
The technicality: I started this game well before the Backlog Burner started. So can I really count it?
Well, up to this month, I had only played it multiplayer. Also, the group that I play multiplayer with is like, VERY good at technical things in games while I am not, so I really wasn't playing with them so much as I was along for the ride, not fully understanding the game's many systems and whatnot. Playing it with them, however, gave me the itch to play it solo. Now that I've done it, I can honestly say it's a pretty different experience in solo versus multiplayer. Hence, me counting it for the event.
The game is a turn-based roguelike that kind of reminds me of an isometric Slay the Spire. Explaining the game's systems is rather involved, so suffice it to say that there are an abundance of different builds in the game that are legitimately viable. There are different classes, different abilities, different upgrade paths for those abilities, different items, different item set bonuses, different passive bonuses, etc.
Also, like Slay the Spire and many other roguelikes, when you get a build to take off, you get that wonderful sensation of frission where it goes SO smoothly and you are SO powerful that it's staggering.
It's been a while since a game has gripped me like this, and it's out of my usual lane. My husband keeps finding me playing "just one more run" and has let me know multiple times how surprised he is that I really clicked with this game since it's not in my wheelhouse.
So, if it's so great, why is the second part a tale of sorrow?
Well, the game was abandoned by the devs. It was made by the people that did Monster Train, and they said that this didn't sell enough for them to continue development. Personally, I feel like the Monster Trains printed money for the devs and they could spare the little bit more it would cost for them to see this through to the finish line, but I'm biased because I genuinely love this game and I also know literally nothing about game development.
The state that they left it in is still very good mind you. I am satisfied with it and love it.
But it's not the fully polished final product it could be. I'm frustrated because I can see perfection on the horizon and know that the game is never going to get there.
In particular, the game has some bugs, some of which are minor, but a few that have been significant enough that it ruined a run or two for me. Also, being a multiplayer-first game that's "technically" playable solo, it's dependent on external servers. Once those shut down, the game is going to be unplayable.
This is particularly sad for me because, with a little bit of longer post-release support, I truly believe this could have been an iconic indie game that's still getting played a decade from now. It has great bones, great ideas, great execution. What it doesn't have is the little bit more it needed to be truly timeless.
I still think the game is absolutely worth playing, and there's a lot of fun to be had. My friends and I have done dozens of multiplayer runs. I've done maybe a half-dozen solo runs. I will likely do dozens more of each type. There is a lot to love about this game, but it saddens me that it's eventually going to be one that gets away with its imperfect self instead of one that lives on forever, polished to a perfected shine.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentI played Hacknet for the May 2024 Backlog Burner and really liked it. I agree that it’s a bit rote, especially at the beginning, but if you’re liking the basic concept then I recommend sticking...I played Hacknet for the May 2024 Backlog Burner and really liked it. I agree that it’s a bit rote, especially at the beginning, but if you’re liking the basic concept then I recommend sticking with it. There are some neat curveballs it throws later in the game, as well as some optional parts that I found interesting to dive into.
-
Comment on Digiphile - Return of the immersive sim in ~games
kfwyre LinkI think we'll have to see how often they launch bundles. If they're spaced out and have consistently good quality games, then I'd say that posts like this are well worth it. However, if they start...Should we post other Digiphile bundles or is this a terrible selection compared to Humble Choice?
I think we'll have to see how often they launch bundles.
If they're spaced out and have consistently good quality games, then I'd say that posts like this are well worth it. However, if they start hitting the rate of, say, Fanatical or Humble Bundle's regular bundles, then I think putting them in Save Point would probably be best.
Also, as someone who knows how long it takes to hand-assemble those tables, kudos to you! Updating the extension might be the best path forward if you're planning to do those each time.
-
Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of November 16 in ~games
kfwyre LinkTwo carry-overs from last week: Immortals Fenyx Rising is currently free on the Ubisoft Store through December 2. Digiphile is a new bundle platform from former Humble Bundle employees that's...Two carry-overs from last week:
Immortals Fenyx Rising is currently free on the Ubisoft Store through December 2.
Digiphile is a new bundle platform from former Humble Bundle employees that's offering their inaugural Return of the Immersive Sim Bundle. In a twist from other bundle stores, you can get credit for bundled games that you already have, and then use those credits to buy games from their exchange.
@Venko has a great rundown of the bundle and its games as a separate post here.
-
Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of November 16 in ~games
kfwyre LinkSlow Game Club is a charity subscription blind-buy for 12 different games, each delivered as a Steam key on the first of the month. The current cost is £40 GPB for the entire year. Once January 1,...Slow Game Club is a charity subscription blind-buy for 12 different games, each delivered as a Steam key on the first of the month. The current cost is £40 GPB for the entire year. Once January 1, 2026 rolls around, it becomes £9 per month.
The charity is Into Games which helps low-income individuals in the UK enter careers in the games industry.
You also get access to a shared Discord server with other subscriber, as well as live Q&As with the devs of each game.
Three of the twelve games for 2026 have been revealed:
This apparently also ran last year, but I missed it. These are the eleven games released so far for 2025, in case anyone wants to get a feel for the types of games they pick:
- Tails Noir
- Genesis Noir
- Paradise Killer
- The Case of the Golden Idol
- Dahlia View
- Killer Frequency
- BUSTAFELLOWS
- Arsene Lupin - Once a Thief
- The Darkside Detective
- Phoenix Springs
- Fallen Aces
Full disclaimer: I haven't used this service/platform yet, so I can't give it a personal recommendation. I did sign up for this coming year though. I love a charity buy, and they seem to highlight high quality, off-the-beaten path games.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentCheating gets my vote. That will let you determine whether this is a singular pain point, or if the remainder of the game follows a similar design pattern. Plus, cheating in boomer shooters is...Cheating gets my vote. That will let you determine whether this is a singular pain point, or if the remainder of the game follows a similar design pattern.
Plus, cheating in boomer shooters is like, genuinely part of the genre. After all, who among us hasn’t played through DOOM with
iddqdon?Also, don’t sell your writeups short! I appreciate your earnest assessments of what you’re playing and how you feel about them.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentI hear you completely. I don't think resonance is the sole source of value by any means; I just think it's often downplayed rather than leaned into. There are a lot of games that I've played for a...I hear you completely. I don't think resonance is the sole source of value by any means; I just think it's often downplayed rather than leaned into.
There are a lot of games that I've played for a long time that are "keep you on the hook" games that use the psychology of gambling to keep you going, even though the playing hasn't necessarily been worthwhile or meaningful. I loved playing these games in the moments in which I was playing them, but I don't love these games in my heart. Probably similar to how you feel about Genshin Impact.
Film critic Claire Dederer has a criticism model that basically boils down to "Did the text deliver on its intent?" and then also "How worthwhile was the intent in the first place?"
I really like this model, because it can help us understand the appeal and resonance of something like Genshin Impact which effectively delivers on its intent, except that its intent involves, in large part (or maybe in total?) predatory monetization. Halls of Torment was like that for me. Great game, but I think it's great in part because the game is one giant protracted "number-go-up" grind designed to get you to do the same effectively mindless thing over and over again for hours and hours and hours. Does it deliver on its intent? Absolutely. Is its intent worthwhile? Hmmmm. That's a much harder question.
This is also part of why I think resonance is so important. Halls of Torment took up lots of time time and made my depressed brain light up, but it was devoid of pretty much any emotional valence besides frustration when my numbers didn't go up enough like I wanted them to.
The games that I love in my heart, the ones that are meaningful to me, the ones that I still think about decades later have all effectively navigated emotional resonance. It's part of their intent. Celeste is, mechanically, an utterly fantastic platformer. If you play the PICO-8 version, you get this part of the game. But if you play the full release, the mechanics are integrated with resonance which takes the game up a level to something truly great. Both the game's intent and delivery are elevated.
Soma is something that does the same, I think. Yes, it does have flaws, but those flaws exist within an integrated system of mechanics, design, art, and writing that use resonance as their connective tissue. I also think that resonance can be sort of a cheat code for covering up flaws. If done well, it can help us overlook something that otherwise would have pinged. If done unsubtly, it can feel cheap and manipulative -- something akin to
numberemotion-go-up.Everyone's experiences, of course, vary, in part because that resonance is landing on beds of completely different associations, contexts, etc. If I read a queer romance story, its resonance is more likely to cause me to overlook its flaws than, say, a straight or ace reader. The old model of criticism made me feel like I wasn't doing my job for reading it like a detached straight reader, and it took me a while to see that the old model was effectively advantaging that viewpoint. Meanwhile, when I pointed out flaws in straight works whose emotional resonance I was effectively immune to (e.g. Lost in Translation, Garden State), I was told that the fault once again lay with me because I didn't understand the text's "objective" beauty or meaning or whatnot.
(Note: I felt this way about Lost in Translation and Garden State when I saw them decades ago, not just afterwards, where they have started to come under more criticism from a modern lens. I think this is a sign that criticism is actually shifting away from the paradigm I'm decrying, so maybe my whole post is me just tilting at windmills from a grudge that I've been holding on to for way too long now?)
I’m not trying to say that queer resonance is better than straight resonance by any means. Instead, I think properly accounting for and considering resonance is a part of good criticism, and that was absent on both sides at the time for different reasons.
Anyway, I realize this is a lot, and the way I've phrased everything sounds really didactic, but I'm intending it to be completely the opposite. I'm not trying to tell you how you should think about Soma or criticism or anything. Instead, I'm trying to convey that I think that your criticism of Soma probably lands differently on me than it does on you, and I'm trying give you my personal framework for why that is.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentNoooo! I felt this viscerally. The same thing happened with my first Steam Deck. Thankfully, it was easy enough to work around that, and it was also easy enough to eventually just get another...And I think I'll stop here because the R button started sticking, and I need that to zoom out to check the rest of the puzzle. Now I get to worry about that button... Yaaaay...
Noooo! I felt this viscerally. The same thing happened with my first Steam Deck.
Thankfully, it was easy enough to work around that, and it was also easy enough to eventually just get another whole Deck when my battery also died, but 3DS hardware is a lot harder to come by. Hopefully you're able to figure out a fix.
Also Pushmo looks super cute by the way.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentI unironically love the idea of someone completing a backlog game over several different Backlog Burners. I say go for it!If I put in 10 hours every Backlog Burner I should finish it in maybe a couple of years?
I unironically love the idea of someone completing a backlog game over several different Backlog Burners. I say go for it!
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentI'd like to accept this award on behalf of distro hoppers everywhere.We are two weeks in, and I'll have everyone know that I haven't deleted my card or had to reinstall Linux even once!
We're all so proud of you Kefir!!
I'd like to accept this award on behalf of distro hoppers everywhere.
-
Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentBummer that Pacific Drive and CULTIC are disappointing you now. It sounds like Episode 2 of CULTIC took your primary critique of the game and really centered their design around that. It's been a...Bummer that Pacific Drive and CULTIC are disappointing you now. It sounds like Episode 2 of CULTIC took your primary critique of the game and really centered their design around that. It's been a bit since I've played it, but I think I stopped my playthrough of AMID EVIL for similar reasons. Despite genuinely loving the game, I fell off of it at some point because my love was starting to get soured.
I'm glad you're liking Darkest Dungeon II though. I have a friend who adores that series and its oppressive atmosphere and difficult decision-making.
No, no, NO! You’re doing the Backlog Burner all wrong! 😆