kfwyre's recent activity
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
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What’s something that didn’t work for you?
Something that generally works for most people, but you were an exception. Something you were expecting to help, but it didn’t. Something that promised a lot but failed to deliver. Something that...
Something that generally works for most people, but you were an exception.
Something you were expecting to help, but it didn’t.
Something that promised a lot but failed to deliver.
Something that fell through.
Something you couldn’t get used to.
Could be an item, a piece of advice, a plan, a path, a relationship, etc.
Whatever it was, it didn’t work and that was significant.
What was it? Why do you think it didn’t work? How do you feel about it?
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Comment on Dusk: an unofficial cross-platform release of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess in ~games
kfwyre LinkRelease TrailerYou must provide a dump of your own copy of the original game to run Dusk.
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Dusk: an unofficial cross-platform release of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentFirst off: hilarious. But in a surprising actual answer to your question: kind of? That song has a cool 212 million plays.What's with that terrible name, too? Did this game have a Top 40 hit that I didn't know about?
First off: hilarious.
But in a surprising actual answer to your question: kind of?
That song has a cool 212 million plays.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentI think Bendy is a Five Nights at Freddy’s protégé. It’s a kid-friendly horror game that hit it big and became a phenomenon, building itself out into a full franchise. Bendy has multiple games, a...I think Bendy is a Five Nights at Freddy’s protégé.
It’s a kid-friendly horror game that hit it big and became a phenomenon, building itself out into a full franchise. Bendy has multiple games, a series of books, and a film adaptation in the works — the same path that FNaF walked. I don’t think it got quite as big as FNaF or will likely have the same staying power, but it’s still pretty noteworthy in its reach.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentLet’s plays are back! I’m so excited. The 30+ slides on increasingly specific first aid scenarios was unintentionally hilarious. Also, you’re getting a bit spicy with your commentary! I had a...Let’s plays are back! I’m so excited.
The 30+ slides on increasingly specific first aid scenarios was unintentionally hilarious. Also, you’re getting a bit spicy with your commentary!
I had a friend a while back who was an emergency dispatcher, and she had genuine nerves of steel. She was thoroughly unflappable and astoundingly competent — so, basically, the exact kind of person you want on the other side of an emergency call.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentTHOR.N (played via Humble App) I mentioned this in my Heeey! Park-Boy comment, but this is, surprisingly, another Humble App exclusive. I couldn't find it on itch.io, Steam, or anywhere else...THOR.N (played via Humble App)
I mentioned this in my Heeey! Park-Boy comment, but this is, surprisingly, another Humble App exclusive. I couldn't find it on itch.io, Steam, or anywhere else online.
This is a short first-person incremental game that feels more like a tech demo than a full-fledged release.
The vibes of the game are pretty good: you're clearly in a dystopian future with an AI that
surveilswatches over you. You are tasked with fulfilling orders, which get you points, which you can use to spend to make the jobs that you do go faster and easier and unlock other jobs. It's the standard chore/incremental game loop, although the chores in this one are just pushing buttons on different machines, so it's closer to a pure incremental game.As you do this, the AI chimes in to help guide you and give you feedback, alternating between effusively affectionate and menacingly dictatorial. There are also some environmental clues that help establish the tone of the setting. I've never worked there myself, but I suspect the game is a bit like working at Amazon.
Anyway, once you level up enough to gain enough points, you get to advance and the game ends. I won't spoil the ending, other than to say that I think it was a bit abrupt and would have liked to see more. The game's site suggests that the devs planned to do this:
Both audiences and critics have expressed overwhelming positive reviews and plans are now underway to expand this experience into a more full-form game.
I'm doubtful we'll ever see more. Maybe this was another casualty of the Humble Games closure? If so, it's a shame, because thus far I'm 2 for 2 wanting more out of their games. Both of these had the potential to be great but don't fully live up to that in their current states, which they're likely to be indefinitely (or at least until the Humble App shuts down).
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentHeeey! Park-Boy (played via Humble App) In a somewhat surprising turn of events, this game appears to be a Humble App exclusive(!!!). It has an itch page linked above, but you cannot buy it from...Heeey! Park-Boy (played via Humble App)
In a somewhat surprising turn of events, this game appears to be a Humble App exclusive(!!!).
It has an itch page linked above, but you cannot buy it from there. Furthermore, it has a Steam page that says it's Coming Soon™.
If you look at the comments on the itch page, someone asks about the Steam release, and the dev says this:
Hey Zach! I am currently getting the Steam Build ready for release! Should be released sometime soon!
And that was... four years ago. I'm wondering if this was a casualty of the abrupt dissolution of Humble Games. Could be a situation where the dev doesn't have the rights to distribute the game and no way to get them back.
Which is a shame, because this game is legitimately charming.
You are Yuu-Boy, a spacefaring being whose spaceship runs on happiness. Unfortunately, you have crash-landed on Earth, and you need to generate happiness in order to get your ship up and running again. How do you do this? Well, you've landed in a decrepit park that could use some freshening up. The better the park is, the happier the people are, and the sooner you'll be able to return to your spacefaring ways.
There's an indie dev group called Arcane Kids that have the slogan: Make the games you wish to see on the Dreamcast. While this game isn't from them, it fits in perfectly. This feels like a Dreamcast game through and through (non-derogatory).
The spaceship interior reminds me of Space Channel 5. The character design is reminiscent of Super Magnetic Neo. It does pull in some PS2 and Gamecube influences too: namely Katamari Damacy and Chibi-Robo respectively.
The gameplay loop works like this:
- Water a seed to get a flower to grow.
- Play the flower music so it dances.
- Once it dances enough, it gains color and spreads seeds nearby.
- Repeat.
It seems simple enough, and it is, but it's got an elegant built-in escalation. As you grow more flowers, inevitably the seeds they scatter will end up near one another. You can then water this area, getting all of the seeds at once instead of just one. This causes multiple flowers to grow, which then all dance when you play your music, which then scatter a lot more seeds collectively. It's essentially exponential growth, allowing you to rapidly beautify your park.
As you continue doing this, you'll uncover other aspects of the game: you can sell flowers, clean up trash, and take down graffiti to make money. Money lets you buy upgrades which make your chores easier.
The game has an immediate cute magnetism to it. It's hard not to love it straight from the beginning. When you play music to make the flowers dance, it adds a countermelody to the background music that will absolutely put a smile on your face. The game is bright, optimistic, and cheery -- a genuine source of happiness.
If I have one complaint, it's that the game gets quite samey. It has two music tracks, and you'll hear them repeatedly. You'll grow flowers over and over again trying to get to the different unlock threshholds. If you're in for this easygoing, zen-like gaming, then this will be a splendid pick for you. On the other hand, if you need a bit more variety, then you'll likely get bored an hour or two into the game.
It's kind of a shame that this game is stuck on the Humble App, because I think it could achieve like, minor cult classic status if it were more widely accessible.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentThat's a bummer. Graphically the game looks quite nice, but all of the gamefeel stuff you brought up end up making or breaking it. It sounds like, in this case, they broke it. I walked away from...That's a bummer. Graphically the game looks quite nice, but all of the gamefeel stuff you brought up end up making or breaking it. It sounds like, in this case, they broke it.
I walked away from my first game in this Backlog Burner for similar reasons. I wanted to like it, but the combat was just too clunky to enjoy. Don't feel bad if you have to stop playing it -- the Backlog Burner is all about trying games out, not necessarily completing them.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentThe windows also work separately for the purposes of alt-tabbing and are independently moveable and resizable, so it really does feel like you've got separate apps going on your PC. They were even...The windows also work separately for the purposes of alt-tabbing and are independently moveable and resizable, so it really does feel like you've got separate apps going on your PC. They were even titled correctly when switching windows.
I had no idea the soundtrack was up on Bandcamp. I know exactly what I'm getting next Bandcamp Friday. It's a great "throw on in the background while working" album.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentFantastic writeup. I think games in particular are particularly good for generating this kind of introspection, simply because the question of "what draws me to these mechanics/presentation?" is...Fantastic writeup. I think games in particular are particularly good for generating this kind of introspection, simply because the question of "what draws me to these mechanics/presentation?" is such a salient one in a medium that's built around interaction. I had a similar internal reckoning with my response to incremental/idle games and how I was "playing" them out of a compulsion rather than a sense of satisfaction.
I personally prefer my shooty games to be more cartoony or sci-fi. Anything with too much gore I find off-putting, not necessarily because I'm worried about it normalizing something for me, but simply because I don't like the feeling of watching it. It wasn't until reading your comment that I thought back about what the last truly violent video game I played was, and... I genuinely don't know? Kind of makes me want to pick up a modern Wolfenstein game and see how I feel about it.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentCards and Towers (played via Indie Pass) I love the concept of a tower defense roguelike deckbuilder. Unfortunately, this game needs more time to cook. It feels like a prototype at the moment....Cards and Towers (played via Indie Pass)
I love the concept of a tower defense roguelike deckbuilder.
Unfortunately, this game needs more time to cook. It feels like a prototype at the moment. Like, the bones of a good game are there with the different upgrades and whatnot, but it's very plain and by-the-numbers. It needs some pizzazz or finesse or character to bring it up a level from simple concept to satisfying execution.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentSubserial Network (played via the Humble App) I shifted from focusing on Indie Pass to the Humble App, in part because I wanted a new pasture to graze in and also because the Humble App seems like...Subserial Network (played via the Humble App)
I shifted from focusing on Indie Pass to the Humble App, in part because I wanted a new pasture to graze in and also because the Humble App seems like it's on life support and might not be there indefinitely, so I might as well play what I can now.
Subserial Network is a love-letter to the early internet. When you run the game, it opens three separate windows: a Netscape-style web-browser, an email client, and a Winamp-style music player. You're free to move these windows around your desktop and resize them at will. The game itself consists of following links to different web pages, searching keywords, and reading and responding to emails.
Your desktop is visible behind these windows, so they do feel like they're running on your computer rather than within a game world itself. Notably, the game doesn't have a notes feature, so I ended up opening Windows’ notepad as a fourth window for the collection. I think the game intends this, wanting the “game” to instead feel like you’re just using your computer (and the effect works quite well!).
The verisimilitude of the game is spot on. The whole thing hearkens back to the time where dial-up speeds made pages load in slowly; where related sites sorted themselves into webrings; when every site had questionable font choices and noisy backgrounds and "Under Construction" banners were common. It absolutely nails this aesthetic.
Narratively, you are working for CETUS, an organization that is focused on enforcing the law among synthetics in the cyberpunky future the game is set in. Some synthetics have chosen to "serialize" themselves, installing a data port that lets them connect to unapproved data sources. This is illegal, and you're tasked with infiltrating the subserial network and turning them in.
I'll give mild spoilers for the very beginning of the game, because I think that helps set it up well. When you first load in, you see a draft of your resignation letter from CETUS, the organization you work for, in your inbox. You can choose to delete or send it. I chose to send it.
The game immediately ended.
Okay, reboot and try again. Delete the resignation letter this time. The game now let me keep playing.
What does this mean for my character? Well, I can't flat out resign, but it's clear that I wasn't happy with CETUS if I had that resignation drafted in the first place. That gave me the framework to go into the rest of the game because, of course, you'll be given opportunities to continue to follow CETUS's directives or stray from them, depending on how you interpret your character's motivations and your responses to what you uncover.
To say more would get into spoiler territory, but suffice it to say: I really enjoyed the narrative. It's not so much a full story as it is a lot of snippets that you get to piece together into a larger picture. You'll visit forums, fanfic sites, blogs, etc. Each one gives you a snapshot of the world and the synthetics "living" in it. It'll all feel very familiar if you were, like I was, extremely online in the late 90s/early 00s.
Plus, the game throws some genuine curve-balls that I wasn't expecting. There's more to the game than it looks like at first glance.
The narrative asks big questions and deals with big feelings related to transformation. It doesn’t complete an arc, but instead gives you different things to chew on and mull over. The in-game characters often have conflicting perspectives, and there isn't necessarily one that's supposed to be the "right" one.
Unfortunately, the game might be a touch buggy.
Towards the end, the music player stopped playing, even after restarting the game multiple times (which is a shame, because the music was quite good). Also, I seem to be softlocked? There is a definite end-state that you can reach (as I found out from watching the endings on YouTube), but I'm not able to get there because I think that I missed my opportunity to do so and can't return to it. I'm not sure if this is intended or not, but it's also not a huge deal, as the endings are abrupt. Even without officially getting an ending, I saw pretty much everything the game had to offer (because I also looked up a keyword list to make sure I hadn't missed anything!).
Overall, I think this is a quality hidden gem and worth looking into if you like reading-heavy games, have nostalgia for the internet of the 90s, and have access to the Humble App because you can play it there for free. On itch.io, it costs $8 USD, and I honestly think it's worth that. It was very thoughtfully made.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre (edited )LinkWeek 2 is here, and my motivation hasn't flagged in the slightest! I'm still on the BLACKOUT OR BUST train! Flow Custom bingo 9/25 Ascent ✅ Heeey! Park-Boy ✅ Assault on Proxima Niche ✅ Vartio...Week 2 is here, and my motivation hasn't flagged in the slightest! I'm still on the BLACKOUT OR BUST train!
Flow Custom bingo 9/25 Ascent Happiness
✅ Heeey! Park-BoyStyle
✅ Assault on ProximaNiche Absence
✅ VartioResistance Contrast Causality Increment
✅ Aris ArcanumDefense
✅ Cards and TowersChoice Humor ★ Wildcard Vision Slow-burn Love Simple
✅ Donna: The Canine QuestTradition
✅ Blue MaidenOrder
✅ THOR.NUnlock Pride Uncertainty Transformation
✅ Subserial NetworkVerticality Chaos -
Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentMe: Hey, I sent you a link to a Pokemon romhack. Someone on Tildes played it, and I thought you might be interested. Husband: Cool, I’ll take a look! ::one minute later:: Husband: So, can you put...Me: Hey, I sent you a link to a Pokemon romhack. Someone on Tildes played it, and I thought you might be interested.
Husband: Cool, I’ll take a look!
::one minute later::
Husband: So, can you put this on my Steam Deck?
(He spent all of last night playing it, by the way, excitedly telling me about the Pokemon that were added from the SpaceWorld Expo (I think?) and the extra evolutions and whatnot)
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Comment on Humble Choice - May 2026 in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentHere’s a bit of info from another site on how gifting it works:Here’s a bit of info from another site on how gifting it works:
Note about Diablo IV:
There are no keys for it. You can either directly activate it on the linked account or create a gift link.
Creating a gift link can be done only if you have a Battle.net account linked (otherwise you'll be prompted to do so).
Keep in mind that claiming the game when you press "SELECT" from the membership page will instantly redeem the game on the linked Battle.net account, which obviously will not allow you to create a gift link any more. -
Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
kfwyre (edited )Link ParentThe game said NO to letting you wander freely. You have to admire its commitment to its principles! At work, some of the people I hang out with took it upon ourselves to create a...The game said NO to letting you wander freely. You have to admire its commitment to its principles!
At work, some of the people I hang out with took it upon ourselves to create a mostly-joking-but-with-a-kernel-of-seriousness “support group” (which means we really just eat lunch together) called “Just Say No.”
We’re all kind people-pleasers who are willing to help, but this means we end up in situations where we’re sacrificing ourselves for things we really shouldn’t be, or people just learn that they can take advantage of our kindness.
I think I’ve talked on Tildes before about how having a patient disposition means I often get tasked with working with the worst people, under the assumption that I’m the best fit for whatever it is that makes them awful, because I’ll put up with it or work around it where others wouldn’t. It’s a tough line to walk because I think (nearly) everyone deserves grace and kindness, but also like, it gets really old having to deal with the most difficult people all the time.
My coworkers are similar, so the “Just Say No” group is our way of trying to help each other put up healthy boundaries and push back a bit on our somewhat pathological need to be of assistance to others. It sounds like this game could be a fun therapeutic exercise for us! (I’m the only gamer in it though…)
Also, totally unrelated, but I looked up screenshots and the game looks like an upscaled Dreamcast game, and I mean nothing but praise by that (I’m a forever fan of the greatest underdog console of all time so anything that harkens back to it warms my heart).
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Comment on Tildes Book Club discussion - April 2026 - The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See in ~books
kfwyre LinkFor anyone who liked this book and is potentially interested in reading more from the author, two of her ebooks are on sale for $3 USD right now: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women The Island of Sea WomenFor anyone who liked this book and is potentially interested in reading more from the author, two of her ebooks are on sale for $3 USD right now:
- Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
- The Island of Sea Women
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - Have you started Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov? in ~books
kfwyre LinkI’m halfway through my current read (There Is No Antimemetics Division) which is great but also short, so I’ll be done with that soon. After that? Pnin!I’m halfway through my current read (There Is No Antimemetics Division) which is great but also short, so I’ll be done with that soon.
After that? Pnin!
I don’t feel like you’re arguing at all. Quite the contrary, I’m loving the energy of your writeups! You’re embodying the Team Motivated spirit through and through.
I think the only reason I have a pulse on the wider FNaF/Bendy situation is that, being a teacher, I’ll occasionally see students with related merch (folders, t-shirts, etc.). My thought is that if it’s big enough that kids are wearing it, then it’s at least reached minor-cultural-phenomenon status.
Not that this is an endorsement of these series or anything, and I think your criticisms are entirely valid. I’m just trying to speak to the (what I think is) rather surprising reception and resonance these games have.