kfwyre's recent activity
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Comment on CGA-2026-07 🕹️🔥⚔️ INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals in ~games
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Comment on The 2026 Steam Summer Sale is live (runs June 25 - July 9) in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentBad news about Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library for anyone interested in it: the game currently does not have an FOV slider. I tried playing it for half an hour and, despite really liking the...Bad news about Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library for anyone interested in it: the game currently does not have an FOV slider.
I tried playing it for half an hour and, despite really liking the concept, had to stop on account of motion sickness.
Here's hoping they update the game with one soon.
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Comment on CGA-2026-06 🦇🧛♀️🔥 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentGreat question! My top 3 (technically 4), in no particular order: The Ori and the series is such a wonderful treat. Both games are beautiful, and the "bash" movement which lets you get jumps off...I'd love to hear what everyone's favourite games in the genre are.
Great question!
My top 3 (technically 4), in no particular order:
The Ori and the series is such a wonderful treat. Both games are beautiful, and the "bash" movement which lets you get jumps off of enemies/lanterns is so satisfying to execute. Their worlds are interesting, and they don't overstay their welcome. I've played through each game multiple times.
Yoku's Island Express is an utter delight. It's novel (an open world pinball game!), and endearingly charming. Few games I've played have matched the joy that I felt while making my way through this world.
Supraland is atypical for the genre (melding it with first-person puzzler), but it is absolutely exceptional in terms of execution. @Lapbunny mentioned recontextualization, and Supraland is like, THE prime example of that. There is so much in the game that later gains new meaning as you continue to explore and unlock new abilities.
If I had to expand my top 3 (4) by another slot to 4 (5), I'd pick Dust: An Elysian Tail.
I have no idea how it holds up today, but back when this came out it was the first modern metroidvania I'd played and really clued me in to the genre as a whole. I had technically played some metroidvanias in the past but never really put a name to the genre as a whole, nor had I really unpacked its hallmarks. This was the game that helped me understand just what makes the genre as a whole tick and why I find it so satisfying.
Part of me wants to return to it and relive it, and another part of me wants to keep that perfect first playthrough intact as a memory.
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Comment on Steam Summer Sale 2026: Hidden gems in ~games
kfwyre (edited )LinkMeta Announcement: I'll be making two big changes to our Hidden Gems topics moving forward. Future Gems threads will be explicitly platform-agnostic. Want to talk about great underappreciated...Meta Announcement:
I'll be making two big changes to our Hidden Gems topics moving forward.
- Future Gems threads will be explicitly platform-agnostic.
Want to talk about great underappreciated games on GOG? On the PS5? On Switch 2? On itch.io? On the Playdate? Well, these will all be not just allowed but encouraged! There will be no explicit platform focus for the topics moving forward.
I will still post the topics concurrent with the two main Steam sales for consistency and because a lot of people do get value out of them for that purpose, but they'll no longer be branded as "Steam Sale" gems topics and I will explicitly solicit recommendations for any and all platforms.
(This will also help make it clear that particular games do not have to be on sale to post.)
- We've reconfigured our categories for Steam-specific gems.
With thanks to @TyrianMollusk, we've changed up the (always optional) tiers for games on Steam. Here's the new set which is cleaner, has better titles, and scales more with current review data.
Category Maximum Review Count Best-Kept Secret 100 Buried Treasure 300 Diamond in the Rough 800 Under the Radar 2000 Unsung Hero 2000+ I'll also make more clear in the topic text that people are NOT limited to any number of reviews in order to post. A hidden gem is a vibes-based determination, not a data-based one, so if you think something's a hidden gem, then feel free to post it -- no justification needed!
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Comment on Steam Summer Sale 2026: Hidden gems in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentThere's no official information on it going away, so me assuming it's not long for this world is entirely supposition. They shut down Humble Games a while ago, and they've stopped adding new games...There's no official information on it going away, so me assuming it's not long for this world is entirely supposition. They shut down Humble Games a while ago, and they've stopped adding new games to it entirely,
Hopefully it at least persists in stasis for a while rather than being killed off.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June 2026 in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentUpdate: We're at 12 games left! As those who requested in free-for-all mode learned, I lied about everyone getting a bonus game. Instead of one, they get TWO! That offer still stands until all the...Update: We're at 12 games left!
As those who requested in free-for-all mode learned, I lied about everyone getting a bonus game. Instead of one, they get TWO! That offer still stands until all the games are gone.
Can we get it down to 0?
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June 2026 in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentYou'll be glad to know that Yoku's Island Express has been claimed! As have the rest of your recommendations (though some went as random bonus games). I like to think that nobody was taking it...You'll be glad to know that Yoku's Island Express has been claimed! As have the rest of your recommendations (though some went as random bonus games). I like to think that nobody was taking it because everybody already has it and knows how amazing it is.
The only one that remains on the list now is the second copy of Golf Club Nostalgia.
Also, you'll be glad to know that THREE separate people all requested
Inertial Drift*Big Booty Car Sliding Game. -
Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June 2026 in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentI would like to put myself in the raffle for ULTRAKILL entirely because of… …this tweet. One of my retirement-age coworkers just got her first tattoo. I complimented her on it and she started...-
I would like to put myself in the raffle for ULTRAKILL entirely because of…
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One of my retirement-age coworkers just got her first tattoo. I complimented her on it and she started BEAMING, telling me all about how excited she was and how she had never had one before but she figured it was a great time to start at her age. The tattoo itself was really elegantly done and suited her perfectly, and I was struck by her vibrancy and willingness to make a “big” change for herself at her age. It was a nice reminder that youthfulness can be a mindset and an openness to new experiences, rather than something that’s purely age-delimited.
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Comment on Steam Summer Sale 2026: Hidden gems in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentAbsolutely! The review counts are simply rough guidelines, and they don’t need to be on sale (although free is the best kind of sale!). In fact, I’ve been mulling over changing the recurring...Can I plug one that's not on sale (because it's free) and has more than 1000 reviews, but still seems like it deserves to be better known?
Absolutely! The review counts are simply rough guidelines, and they don’t need to be on sale (although free is the best kind of sale!).
In fact, I’ve been mulling over changing the recurring hidden gem topics from being based on Steam and the Steam sale to just gaming hidden gems in general. I’m sure there are people out there wanting to give/get recommendations for the Switch, or itch.io, or the PS5, etc.
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Comment on Reddit will require you to be logged in to use old.reddit.com in ~tech
kfwyre LinkAnyone know if this is going to kill redlib? Because reddit hard blocks VPNs, redlib is the only way I go there anymore.Anyone know if this is going to kill redlib?
Because reddit hard blocks VPNs, redlib is the only way I go there anymore.
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Comment on CGA-2026-06 🦇🧛♀️🔥 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow in ~games
kfwyre (edited )LinkAria impressed me. I didn't replay it for CGA, but I played it for the first time last year, so my playthrough is still recent enough to talk about (though some of the finer details have been lost...Aria impressed me.
I didn't replay it for CGA, but I played it for the first time last year, so my playthrough is still recent enough to talk about (though some of the finer details have been lost to time).
It's hard to think of it as a Game Boy Advance game, because it feels so substantial. It stands tall alongside Symphony of the Night, that defining PlayStation classic, despite being made for a portable pocket console with a native resolution of 240x160 and cartidges that held a whopping 32 megabytes.
It looks great. It's got a big world. It's got big ideas. There's so MUCH there, crammed into such a tiny little package.
During my playthrough, I tried to avoid looking up information as I played. It's easy these days to just pull up a wiki, min-max optimally, and find the best items and secrets, and call it a day. It's efficient, and I'm not above doing this for some games.
But for this one I wanted to put myself back in the old-school mindset where we didn't have on-demand access to that information unless we bought a strategy guide. Instead, we had to stumble on secrets ourselves, get (and sometimes stay) lost, play suboptimally, etc.
Of course, this meant that I did get frustrated during my playthrough. I did get lost. Navigating rooms over and over again got a tad annoying.
But it also helped me understand that this is genuinely intended as a part of the game's design. The experience and soul system are meant to be built-in rewards for having to traverse the same rooms and fight the same enemies repeatedly. The game knows you're going to have to backtrack and revisit and whatnot, so it tries to make that less frustrating.
If you were to play this game fully optimally, I assume you'd be significantly underleveled for most of the boss fights. Heck, for some of them I had to grind
a bita lot beforehand because I kept getting absolutely smoked, though this probably says more about my general lack of skill at videogames than it does the game itself.I loved all of the different abilities the game gives you via the souls, though admittedly swapping between them got clunky at times. If they ever remake the game, I'd love more QoL with regards to activating/using them. Going into the menu repeatedly to swap out what's equipped kills the game flow a bit.
But again, I can't really complain about that because this game was made over 20 years ago with all of those aformentioned limitations. I think it's aged very gracefully and is still worth playing today.
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Comment on CGA-2026-06 🦇🧛♀️🔥 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow in ~games
kfwyre LinkCGA Announcement: We have officially ejected the cartridge for Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. This topic is for people to share their parting thoughts and experiences. Spoilers are NOT required to...CGA Announcement: We have officially ejected the cartridge for Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow.
This topic is for people to share their parting thoughts and experiences. Spoilers are NOT required to be hidden for this topic, so if you're reading this before you've finished, be careful about reading any comments here.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: June 2026 in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentGIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT: This giveaway has now entered FREE FOR ALL MODE. That means that anyone can request any amount of keys, including people who have already received games from me. I'm pinging...GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT: This giveaway has now entered FREE FOR ALL MODE.
That means that anyone can request any amount of keys, including people who have already received games from me.
I'm pinging everyone who has already gotten games to give you a heads up. Go ahead and ask for more!
Also, please do NOT feel bad about requesting games, especially a lot of them! Not only do I LOVE giving these away, but a lot of these will simply expire otherwise.
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u/ToricAlso, for fun and to help send out more keys, I will generate a random number for each giveaway and that person will receive whatever key is on that line of my spreadsheet. So you'll get a bonus random game with your requested games!
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Comment on Steam Summer Sale 2026: Hidden gems in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentMy sidequest during the Backlog Burner was to play all of the Humble App exclusive games (that is, only the ones I couldn't find available for release elsewhere). I did a quick rundown here of my...My sidequest during the Backlog Burner was to play all of the Humble App exclusive games (that is, only the ones I couldn't find available for release elsewhere).
I did a quick rundown here of my thoughts on all of them in case you're curious about what I found worth playing.
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Comment on Steam Summer Sale 2026: Hidden gems in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentThe top comments being so critical and ungrateful were a nice reminder of why I don't spend a lot of time on reddit anymore. And I agree: Paradise Killer, of all games, definitely deserves a...The top comments being so critical and ungrateful were a nice reminder of why I don't spend a lot of time on reddit anymore.
And I agree: Paradise Killer, of all games, definitely deserves a description with some actual flavor to it!
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Comment on Mullvad CEO gives ≈€452,000 to the Örebro Party in ~society
kfwyre Link ParentNo worries. I knew their marketing was iffy going in, and I rolled my eyes at the dickbutt thinking it was a one-off. But when I was presented with a fully animated banner of a coin sliding in and...No worries.
I knew their marketing was iffy going in, and I rolled my eyes at the dickbutt thinking it was a one-off.
But when I was presented with a fully animated banner of a coin sliding in and out of cheeks, I knew they'd lost me.
Then, when I read further and learned that it's not just a satire page but an actual cryptocurrency, it further entrenched my decision.
I'll be trying IVPN out next month.
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Comment on Mullvad CEO gives ≈€452,000 to the Örebro Party in ~society
kfwyre Link ParentSo, I signed up for a month to try them out. As part of the login process, I had a captcha where I had to move a dickbutt into the correct spot. Then, in the news section on the app, there's a...So, I signed up for a month to try them out.
As part of the login process, I had a captcha where I had to move a dickbutt into the correct spot. Then, in the news section on the app, there's a post about their satirical FuttBux (NSFW) cryptocurrency.
I was originally drawn to them because they didn't have a device limit and you can lock in a good deal when they go on sale. I can also understand how, given that they do not do affiliate marketing, they need to find other avenues for internet attention.
But this sort of juvenile "humor" is extremely offputting for me. I'll be stopping my subscription after my month is done.
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Comment on Mullvad CEO gives ≈€452,000 to the Örebro Party in ~society
kfwyre Link ParentIn a sea of shady VPN companies out there, Mullvad really felt like they were one of the only ones that were aboveboard. I started with them directly, and then Mozilla decided to white-label them....In a sea of shady VPN companies out there, Mullvad really felt like they were one of the only ones that were aboveboard.
I started with them directly, and then Mozilla decided to white-label them. That cemented my choice even further, as I saw it as an incredibly strong vote of confidence. I have to assume that Mozilla did their due diligence and chose to pair with a trustworthy company.
I feel what you're feeling, in that I had a lot of goodwill built up regarding their product, and this news is causing some pretty serious whiplash for me.
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Comment on Steam Summer Sale 2026: Hidden gems in ~games
kfwyre Link200ish Less Known Games You Might Want To Play On The Steam Deck (a fine subjective assortment) posted by losersmanual to r/steamdeck I'm pretty sure the summaries are AI-generated, but the list...200ish Less Known Games You Might Want To Play On The Steam Deck (a fine subjective assortment) posted by losersmanual to r/steamdeck
I'm pretty sure the summaries are AI-generated, but the list itself is good. (Also I'm pretty sure OP only added the summaries after the fact because people kept complaining in the comments.)
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Comment on Steam Summer Sale 2026: Hidden gems in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentAlright, here's a draft of the new categories. I used your numbering system and changed the names around a bit. I'm completely open to edits as well, so if anyone feels we need to change anything,...Alright, here's a draft of the new categories. I used your numbering system and changed the names around a bit. I'm completely open to edits as well, so if anyone feels we need to change anything, let me know.
Category Maximum Review Count Best-Kept Secret 100 Buried Treasure 300 Diamonds in the Rough 800 Under the Radar 2000 Unsung Heroes 2000+
CGA Announcement: We have officially inserted the cartridge for Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals. Use this topic to get set up for the month, help other people get set up for the month, and start playing!
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