kfwyre's recent activity
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of May 24 in ~games
kfwyre LinkFanatical's Build Your Own Bethesda Bundle - GOG Edition Another rare GOG bundle (or maybe GOG bundles aren't so rare anymore?)Fanatical's Build Your Own Bethesda Bundle - GOG Edition
Another rare GOG bundle (or maybe GOG bundles aren't so rare anymore?)
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentSuperTuxKart (played via Flathub on Steam Deck) Love Why did I pick this game for that square? Because this game is a free and open source project that has been in development for over two decades...SuperTuxKart (played via Flathub on Steam Deck)
Love
Why did I pick this game for that square?
Because this game is a free and open source project that has been in development for over two decades now. I mean, just check out this history of the project which starts with the original release of TuxKart all the way back in 2000. This game's origins are older than roughly a quarter of our userbase!
Anyway, if a group of dedicated programmers keeping a beloved game alive and improving it over time, year after year, and doing it all for free isn't love, then I don't know what is.
Unlike many of the other choices I've played for this event, this is the opposite of an endangered game. It's free and open source and continues to be maintained. It will live on for a long, long time. That's awesome. This is what a healthy gaming ecosystem looks like.
Getting it up and running on the Steam Deck is dead simple -- go to desktop mode, grab the game from the Discover app, add it as a non-Steam game. Optionally: use SGDBoop in Firefox to give it pretty cover art and a banner. Boot back into game mode, then load it up and play.
Gamewise, SuperTuxKart feels like a Dreamcast-era kart racer (again, non-derogatory). It's got an old-school appearance and feel which will definitely seem dated by modern standards but will scratch that retro itch for anyone looking for it. I've had a lot of fun with it, playing it off and on between other games. An excellent palate cleanser.
It's got a hub world with unlockable levels, each with their own challenges. The characters are cute: each of them representing some important open source entity. I forgot all about Pidgin being a thing until I saw them in the game. You can play as KDE's
geckodragon!What the game lacks in modern flashiness it makes up for in heart. It feels good to play a labor of love.
Also of note: the devs have announced that they are making a new entry in the TuxKart series: SuperTuxKart Evolution! I'm already hyped for it, though if the dev time of this game is anything to go by, I might have to wait a bit for it. XD
Anyway, with that, I have officially completed my
ULTRA-MOTIVATED GOAL-ORIENTED RESULTS-FOCUSED BLACKOUT BINGO
Now I can finally boot up Sid Meier's Pirates! for CGA, which I've been putting off ever since I discovered that the Humble App had actual load-bearing games that are dangerously close to collapsing.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentKeyboard Sports (played via Humble App) WARNING! WARNING! ENDANGERED! ENDANGERED! This game has a Steam page, but if you go to the forums, there's a post from 2017 asking about the Q1 2018 release...Keyboard Sports (played via Humble App)
WARNING! WARNING! ENDANGERED! ENDANGERED!
This game has a Steam page, but if you go to the forums, there's a post from 2017 asking about the Q1 2018 release date, so I think it's safe to say that this one is going to be gone once the Humble App sunsets.
The game is hard to explain in words but is very intuitive to pick up and play. The way it works is that whatever scene your character is in has an overlay of a full keyboard across it. You can then move your character to any area in the scene by pressing the corresponding key, anywhere from
Left CtrltoBackspace, fromRight Ctrlto theTilde!The game initially starts you out by having your character simply move to specific locations relatively free of obstacles or urgency before developing into a full almost WarioWare-style series of minigames. You'll have to Frogger your way across busy streets, go ice skating, pick up something from a grocery store, etc.
The concept is elegant and well-executed. The game is bubbly and charming. The controls are deliberately awkward, but as you play you genuinely do get used to them and skill up, which is essential for the ending sequence of the game which puts you through a gauntlet.
The game itself is quite short (maybe 30-45 minutes depending on how bad you are at the final level (it did not go well for me)). It's hard to tell if it was intended to be that small or if this is only a playable teaser.
Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. Normally I'm not a huge fan of intentionally-awkward-control games, but this one is acessible enough that the awkwardness comes more from the novelty of the control scheme rather than anything baked into the design. I could see some speedrunners getting very good at this and absolutely smashing it, by the way. (Note to any speedrunners: this game currently has no leaderboards and thus an unclaimed World Record -- it could be yours!).
I chose my Wildcard space for this simply because I have something else slotted for my final square:
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Comment on The possibly endangered games of the Humble App in ~games
kfwyre (edited )LinkAlright, as part of being a Highly Motivated Participant of this month's Backlog Burner, I have now played all of these. I sorted them into three categories based on what I believe to be their...Alright, as part of being a Highly Motivated Participant of this month's Backlog Burner, I have now played all of these. I sorted them into three categories based on what I believe to be their broader appeal.
"Worth a Look" are games that I consider standouts and that I think a good number of people could enjoy if they’re into the genre/style of the game. "YMMV" are ones I consider far more niche and/or flawed, but at the very least interesting. And "Pass" are ones that I think people can safely ignore without missing out on anything.
I don't think anything here is a 10/10 must play, but if you like indie games, especially ones that are a little strange, experimental, and rough around the edges, then there's some good stuff on offer.
If anyone has questions on any of these specifically, I’m happy to talk more about any of them.
Worth a Look
- Heeey! Park-Boy
Feels like a Dreamcast/PS2 game. Lots of charm. Great soundtrack. Quite repetitive.
- Jawns
Playable via the web version. Cool little PvP strategy game like chess or checkers. Deserves a mobile release where it would shine.
- Keyboard Sports
A game about using every key on your keyboard to control your character. Very charming. Very original.
- Rogue Mansion
Check out the demo on Steam or wait for the full release (which seems to actually be in the works). An OG Resident Evil roguelike. Quite well-made.
- Roman Sands
Short, surreal VN with first-person navigation, great world design, and top-notch aesthetic and sound.
- Woten
Short, adorable little puzzle platformer based on making the most of a limited moveset. Very thoughtfully made.
- Zodiac XX
Starfox but underwater. Very cool aesthetic. Gave me motion sickness but I still recommend it.
YMMV
- after HOURS
Tough to recommend or critique. A short FMV game about a person who experienced childhood abuse and suffers concomitant borderline personality disorder as an adult. Ends very abruptly.
- Crescent Bay
A demo/teaser for a full game that never got released. Cool investigative mechanics, but the build on offer is essentially just the tutorial.
- Divinoids
A more modern version of Rampage. Cool ideas, didn't love the execution. Might eventually release on Steam (the depot was just updated today!).
- fistful of nothing
Top-down stealth game. Might be good for those that like stealth games (I don't).
- Operator
Hacking sim. I found it tedious, but I can see how some people might like it if they're in the mood for a command-line game.
- Space Routine
Clumsy management game where you control different members of a family, sending them to different concurrent tasks and keeping on top of all of their needs. Not my thing but I see how someone could like it.
- Spoolside
Very cool conceptually: a 2D platformer in which you can rotate the 3D world on all of its different axes and also moving forwards and backwards moves you through time. Unfortunately, I found actually playing it to be considerably less cool.
- THOR.N
First-person incremental game/chore simulator that feels like the introduction to a larger game that never got developed/released.
- Yojimbrawl
This is a PvP party game with no computer-controlled opponents, so it's only playable with friends.
Pass
- A2Be
Point and click adventure. Buggy and unsatisfying.
- Elephant in the Room
Clumsy 3D stealth game. Needs way more polish.
- Lyric Sonata
More of an "experience" than a game where you cruise through different music-inspired worlds. Might be good while high, but I found it unsatisfying sober.
- The Groundz
PvP dodgeball game. Cool art, but buggy to the point of being nearly unplayable.
- Quiet City
There's nothing fundamentally wrong with this one, it's just very short. More of a playable toy than a full game. Feels like something made for a game jam that never got expanded upon.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentPie in the Sky (played via Indie Pass) You are a magpie with a penchant for chaos. If you've played a Tony Hawk game, then you're familiar with the structure of this one. Each level is a small,...Pie in the Sky (played via Indie Pass)
You are a magpie with a penchant for chaos.
If you've played a Tony Hawk game, then you're familiar with the structure of this one. Each level is a small, open world area in which you're given a time limit and a set of missions to complete. Do enough of those, and you unlock new levels, in which you get more missions. It's as satisfying a progression system today as it was for me back when I was a kid.
The missions themselves involve the usual collectibles and points (yes, there's a point and combo system in the game), as well as doing things like, say, pooping on someone's head or knocking things over.
The game looks janky, and it very much is. The graphics feel like an upscaled PSX game, and the controls aren't super fluid, but also, that's all part of the charm. The game leans a touch in the direction of Unintentional Comedy Due To Clumsiness rather than Super Smooth Gamefeel, but it's definitely not a full QWOP-like or anything.
That clumsiness can get a touch frustrating at times, as I do think the game could be improved by a bit more polish (especially in the controls) but I still enjoyed it a lot overall.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentRogue Mansion (played via Humble App) I'm happy to report that this one is not endangered! I originally thought it was, but the Humble App version is only a "Sneak Peek" of the game. Meanwhile,...Rogue Mansion (played via Humble App)
I'm happy to report that this one is not endangered! I originally thought it was, but the Humble App version is only a "Sneak Peek" of the game. Meanwhile, the full game has a Steam page, went into closed beta in March and has a dev on the forums confirming that the game is being actively developed as of four days ago.
The game's pitch is essentially OG Resident Evil + Modern Controls + Eternal Darkness's Sanity Mechanic + Roguelike, which is, quite honestly, a great combo.
Instead of tank controls and fixed camera angles, the game is a third-person shooter that you can control comfortably and freely. You explore a procedurally-generated mansion, gathering scarce resources, fighting or running from threats, and solving puzzles. If you die, your run is over, and you can spend the meta-resources you accumulated to improve your character.
The Eternal Darkness (and maybe Illbleed?) inspiration comes in with a fear meter for your character, with things getting weirder and more threatening the more afraid you are. Thus, fear, in addition to health, becomes another resource you need to thoughtfully manage with the very limited supplies the game gives you.
It's clear that even from the "sneak peek" early build that the devs have a great vision for the full game, as well as the development talent to pull it off. I can see this being an indie sleeper hit once it finally releases.
The Humble build is promising but a touch barebones, but I also assume it’s quite out of date, so if it sounds interesting to you, the best path forwards is probably to check out the Steam demo for it or simply wait for the full release.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentCrescent Bay (played via Humble App) (Yet another endangered game) I have to assume the build of this game is more of a demo or teaser than a full game. It features a lofty (and in my opinion...Crescent Bay (played via Humble App)
(Yet another endangered game)
I have to assume the build of this game is more of a demo or teaser than a full game. It features a lofty (and in my opinion overwritten) intro which leads into what is effectively a tutorial session for the mechanics of the game. Once you complete that (which takes less than half an hour), the game is done, though it's clear that what you've witnessed is really just the inciting incident of what seems to be a much larger arc. Given that this released back in 2017 and I can't find any updated information on it, I have to assume that the grander plans for a larger title never materialized.
Which is a shame, because the core mechanics of the game are solid.
You arrive at your friend's house to find that she's been the victim of a crime. You immediately start investigating the evidence in an attempt to piece together what happened.
The game gives you a dictionary of relevant words. Choose the correct ones applicable to the evidence, and you'll activate a memory that shows one of the events of her evening. So, for example, when you enter, it's clear she had been eating
dinner. Once you select that word, you unlock the memory of her sitting at her dinner table, commenting about how she burnt her food. This then clues you in to selectingburningandfoodtogether, which unlocks another memory, showing her at the stove.Once you have multiple memories unlocked, you can to sequence them, putting them in the order you believe that they happened in. Unlock all the memories and correctly sequence all of them to entirely reconstruct the chain of events and advance.
It's honestly a really cool concept for an investigation game, and I enjoyed the small bit that I played, albeit with some reservations.
For one, quite strangely, the order of the words matters when you select them. So
burning+foodunlocks that second memory, whilefood+burningdoes not. This led me to multiple instances where I had the correct set of words but had to shuffle their order. Not so much of a problem with two word combinations (though still a touch frustrating), but the game allows you to stack up to 3 words together, meaning that there are 6 potential arrangements, and you can't know if you've got them right until you try all of them. This is unnecessarily tedious.Second, the game would benefit from some fuzzy matching on clues. The glossary of words has some overlaps, and it's not always clear which specific ones the game intends you to use. Each memory only has one definitive word combination for unlocking, which feels a little too rigid.
For example, in the house, you can see bloody footprints as well as a bloody trail. It turns out though that
bloodis only used for the trail, but not for the footprints., which has a separate unlock not involving the word "blood."All of these complaints are things that I have to assume would be fixed had the game come to a full release and been playtested. As I said earlier, it's kind of a shame that this is only a small taste, because I genuinely would play a full game with this set of investigative mechanics. Environmental storytelling + clue finding + sequencing = very cool. It feels almost like a rough prototype for Return of the Obra Dinn in that way.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentIn case you need a second, I loved Proteus, though I should qualify that I think that's 100% because I had partaken in a mood-altering substance of choice beforehand. Not that I'm endorsing you do...In case you need a second, I loved Proteus, though I should qualify that I think that's 100% because I had partaken in a mood-altering substance of choice beforehand.
Not that I'm endorsing you do the same, but I think the game might be significantly less engrossing and more boring when played sober.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentSometimes I wish games would give you a percent progress indicator between scenes or on loading screens or whatnot so that you have a sense of where you are in the story. I know it wouldn't work...Apparently I was right at the end, and just needed to go through two more screens to reach the credits.
Sometimes I wish games would give you a percent progress indicator between scenes or on loading screens or whatnot so that you have a sense of where you are in the story. I know it wouldn't work for ALL game types, but it would be great for more linear narrative games.
When I'm in a book or ebook, I always have a sense of how far along I am, but in games I can feel a little lost or disoriented and would love a stronger sense of "place" in the overall arc.
That said, congrats on finishing a title from two years ago! That newfound motivation is clearly paying off.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentBummer on the crashes -- I actually loved this game. I have the Steam version and it worked perfectly on my Deck. Played it through to a full 100% (well, for the base game, not the DLCs) as I...Bummer on the crashes -- I actually loved this game.
I have the Steam version and it worked perfectly on my Deck. Played it through to a full 100% (well, for the base game, not the DLCs) as I loved exploring the open world and doing all of the puzzle vaults. My piping hot take is that I liked the game far more than Breath of the Wild, which it clearly draws inspiration from.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentWhat are these tears doing in my eyes? ....I'm just, so, SO proud.What are these tears doing in my eyes?
....I'm just, so, SO proud.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentQuiet City (played via Humble App) Endangered? Of course it is. I originally was going to shoehorn this into contrast on visual grounds, simply because most of the game is in black and white. It...Quiet City (played via Humble App)
Endangered? Of course it is.
I originally was going to shoehorn this into contrast on visual grounds, simply because most of the game is in black and white. It felt a little cheap, but then again, with so few slots left, it's getting harder and harder to match them to what I want to play.
I'm happy to report that, after playing the game, "contrast" works well for a different reason, making this a perfect fit instead of a weak one.
In the game, you're a pixel person inside of a small, top-down 2D neighborhood. As you visit different parts of the city, you can engage in or activate different activities. In one area: hopscotch. In another: jump rope.
There is slightly more to the game that I won't go into so as not to spoil anything, but it's very simple and reminded me more of an interactive children's book than an actual game (though, fair warning, some of the activities depicted are not kid-friendly). The whole thing is over in less than 10 minutes, though it does come to a satisfying conclusion on its own terms, I feel.
I don't exactly recommend it, but I don't think it's bad either. It definitely feels more like a game jam prototype than a full release though.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentRoman Sands (played via Humble App) Yet another endangered game, which have become my priority for this Backlog Burner over Indie Pass titles, simply because I expect Indie Pass to last at least a...Roman Sands (played via Humble App)
Yet another endangered game, which have become my priority for this Backlog Burner over Indie Pass titles, simply because I expect Indie Pass to last at least a little bit longer than the Humble App.
Despite not being that old, this one apparently had a remake on the way. Steam has a page for it, though it still says "Coming Soon" despite the depot last being updated 25 months ago. Also of note, the "RE:Build" version looks to be changed very substantially from the original version (from the art style to the mechanics).
I can only speak to the original game, which has an art style I strongly prefer over that of RE:Build. The OG game has a sort of washed out vaporware aesthetic with great world design and utterly excellent sound.
The game itself is essentially a visual novel with free-roaming first-person navigation in between conversations and events. You wake up at a resort and things are... off. The few other characters you encounter think you're an employee, but you don't think you are. Time passes irregularly. The sun is getting bigger. People sometimes remember things, and sometimes they don't. You're stuck there and can't get out, looping from day to day.
The whole game is a surreal trip, engaging in things that willfully do not make sense and asking you to go along with them, which you do simply for lack of any alternative. It's deliberately strange, but also somewhat grounded. It's weird and unsettling without ever being scary. It does a good job of slowly expanding its scope as you play, with an early focus on unlocking new areas that you can visit
One thing I really liked about the game is that it has some large, impressive environmental areas, but the game will teleport you between key points within them, saving you the hassle of walking ALL the way across them multiple times. It's a really smart way of letting the player exist in a big area without making navigation of it tedious.
Despite personally loving the aesthetics and most of the execution of the game, I can't say that I loved its narrative. Weird-for-weirdness's-sake games aren't really my thing, though if you're someone who likes that, then I'd say this is definitely something you should look into. It's quite short by VN standards, taking maybe 3-5 hours to get through (the Humble App doesn't track time played, so I don't know exactly how much I put into it). I got to the ending just as I was starting to feel that the game was overstaying its welcome, so it's actually pretty spot on in terms of pacing.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of May 17 in ~games
kfwyre LinkThe base game of Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War is currently free to keep on Steam for their Warhammer event. Meanwhile, the complete game with all the DLC will cost you a cool $103 USD.The base game of Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War is currently free to keep on Steam for their Warhammer event.
Meanwhile, the complete game with all the DLC will cost you a cool $103 USD.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentZodiac XX (played via Humble App) Unlike some of the other "endangered" games I've played, this one feels fully featured. It's got cool stylized graphics, a good soundtrack, a narrative told...Zodiac XX (played via Humble App)
Unlike some of the other "endangered" games I've played, this one feels fully featured. It's got cool stylized graphics, a good soundtrack, a narrative told through VN-style dialogue sessions, and even two different control schemes to accommodate different player styles (one gives you full control of the craft, the other auto-controls the ship's roll for you).
You, a member of the resistance, pilot your underwater craft and engage in dogfights and shoot down enemy targets using a variety of different weapons. From the little I played, it seems very well done, especially if you're into arcadey flight games. We're talking definite hidden gem territory here.
The reason I only played a little is, well, the game triggered my motion sickness pretty badly. Admittedly, part of this might be because I insisted on channeling the spirit of Ecco the Dolphin and spent a lot of time doing jumps and flips at the surface of the water, which is fun but not exactly the main point of the game and also mildly disorienting.
I gave it three solid attempts, but each time I was only able to play for maybe 15 minutes tops before the telltale feeling of headache + nausea started to set in. Now, I should qualify that I am someone who is VERY susceptible to motion sickness in games in the first place, and it's quite common for me to not be able to comfortably play games that don't let you adjust your FOV (as this one doesn't).
So, I'm actually recommending the game, despite the fact that it literally made me sick, because I think that's primarily a me issue and not the fault of the game itself. The game itself actually seems to be very well made and deserves more eyes on it than it's going to get languishing away as a Humble App exclusive.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre (edited )LinkI've got a busy week ahead of me trying to fill nine more slots. I have a few already cooking, but there are still a lot to go! That said, I've got Monday off work and boy am I feeling motivated...I've got a busy week ahead of me trying to fill nine more slots. I have a few already cooking, but there are still a lot to go!
That said, I've got Monday off work and boy am I feeling motivated to play a lot then.
Flow Custom bingo ✅ 25/25 Ascent
✅ Mr RescueHappiness
✅ Heeey! Park-BoyStyle
✅ Assault on ProximaNiche
✅ Blast Rush LSAbsence
✅ VartioResistance
✅ Zodiac XXContrast
✅ Quiet CityCausality
✅ Forgotten 23Increment
✅ Aris ArcanumDefense
✅ Cards and TowersChoice
✅ Crescent BayHumor
✅ Elephant in the Room★ Wildcard
✅ Keyboard SportsVision
✅ Rogue MansionSlow-burn
✅ KaamosLove
✅ SuperTuxKartSimple
✅ Donna: The Canine QuestTradition
✅ Blue MaidenOrder
✅ THOR.NUnlock
✅ Roman SandsPride
✅ co-openUncertainty
✅ Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell RetrospectiveTransformation
✅ Subserial NetworkVerticality
✅ WotenChaos
✅ Pie in the Sky -
Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentNex Machina is a banger! Glad you liked it and that the Steam Library Slot Machine gave you a great pull. It wasn't until I was compiling links for the recap topic that I realized it was made by...Nex Machina is a banger! Glad you liked it and that the Steam Library Slot Machine gave you a great pull.
It wasn't until I was compiling links for the recap topic that I realized it was made by Housemarque -- the people behind Returnal and the recent Saros which looks awesome but is unfortunately a PS5 exclusive (or maybe fortunately? now it can't end up on my backlog!).
The 100 or so minutes I spent on a game I never planned to play were perfect, do I really need anything more out of it?
Love this attitude. Wish I could live in it more and turn off the part of my brain that goes "but you need to complete all the stuff that's there!"
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentIt genuinely warms my heart that you're playing so many games that I gifted you. I couldn't ask for anything more! Bomb Rush Cyberfunk absolutely passes the vibe check, and I say that as a forever...It genuinely warms my heart that you're playing so many games that I gifted you. I couldn't ask for anything more!
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk absolutely passes the vibe check, and I say that as a forever fan of Jet Set Radio and Jet Set Radio Future. It's, notably, different enough mechanically that it is actually its own distinct experience, but man did they nail the style.
Also, I loved Legend of Grimrock 1, but I never actually gave 2 a shot. Or, moreover, I think I booted it up for like 30 minutes, got interrupted, and for some reason never went back to it. I should really add it to my to-play list (which is completely against the point of this event, I know!).
Dead Space Demake (played via direct install via Proton on Steam Deck)
I finished my Bingo card, but that doesn’t mean I need to stop playing games for the month! I still have plenty I could burn through.
This has been sitting on my Steam Deck for a while, and it’s a fantastic little treat. It’s unfortunately not the full game, which would be awesome, but it’s the opening 30 or so minutes of Dead Space rezzed down to look and feel like it’s running on a PSOne.
The familiar mechanics are all there: the plasma cutter that you can switch between horizontal and vertical orientations, lengthy-limbed aliens that you dismember to kill, the diegetic health bar on the back of your suit.
The dev did a great job of simplifying the visuals while keeping the gameplay and locations familiar. I haven’t played Dead Space in probably over 15 years but I still recognized some of the spots you visit in the demo.
The dev also spliced in FMV from the original game, as well as sound effects and voice clips, which give the demake a very premium feel.
In fact, when the game opens with its initial cutscene, I saw the rough, uncanny character models and was like “haha, that’s great! classic demake!” until I very realized that those were actually directly from the original 2008 game which hasn’t aged as well as I thought.
It isn’t until the cutscene ends and the gameplay starts that you’re plunged back into a screen filled with imposter 90s polygonal goodness.
If you don’t have any fondness for Dead Space then this is easily ignorable, but if you are a fan of the game — and especially if you’re a fan of the game who also likes the extra chunky low-res 3D graphics of yester-yesteryear — then this is a fun little slice.
Also, it ran perfectly for me on my Steam Deck. I downloaded it, added the shortcut as a non-Steam game, turned on Proton compatibility, and enjoyed hitting aliens with stasis to make their arms easier to remove.
EDIT: I am apparently quite forgetful. I thought this game was new to me, but after posting this I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d played it before. I searched my comments for “demake” to see if I talked about it here and, sure enough, I apparently played it during the last Backlog Burner and then promptly forgot about it (possibly because I didn’t actually write about it?).
No wonder the locations were familiar! 🤦♂️
EDIT 2: I’m thinking that last time I didn’t actually finish the game, which is why I didn’t count it for the Backlog Burner back then. I’m pretty sure I started it up to make sure it ran and then maybe played a few minutes to make sure the controls were working, but I don’t think I went through the whole thing. So, I guess I can actually call this current playthrough my “first” one of it, which makes me feel both more and less forgetful at the same time.