14 votes

May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion

Week 4 has begun!

This is the last full week of the Backlog Burner. There are only ten days left in May!

Post your current bingo cards.
Continue updating us on your games!

If you did not participate in previous weeks but want to start this week, that's fine!
Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

Quick links:


Week 3 Recap

8 participants moved 16 games out of their backlogs!
There were 0 bingo wins (but we are SO close!).

  • 2 participants played free choice
  • 4 participants played standard bingo cards
  • 2 participants played bingo golf

One participant played a game they had been putting off for 14 years!

Thus far, a total of 49 games have been played for the May 2024 Backlog Burner.

Week 3 Game List:

Week 2 Recap

Week 2 Recap

10 participants moved 18 games out of their backlogs!
There were 0 bingo wins.

  • 1 participant played free choice
  • 7 participants played standard bingo cards
  • 2 participants played bingo golf

Thus far, a total of 33 games have been played for the May 2024 Backlog Burner.

Week 2 Game List:

Week 1 Recap

Week 1 Recap

10 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 15 games out of their backlogs!
There were 0 bingo wins.

Game list:

45 comments

  1. [5]
    aphoenix
    Link
    Bingo! Card fully blacked out. The Card is done Mode: Golf Winning Bingo! Finished 24/24 ✔ Bendy and the Dark Revival ✔ Bendy and the Dark Revival ✔ Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons ✔ Bendy and the...

    Bingo! Card fully blacked out.

    The Card is done
    Mode: Golf Winning Bingo! Finished 24/24
    Has both combat and puzzles
    ✔ Bendy and the Dark Revival
    From a genre you find challenging
    ✔ Bendy and the Dark Revival
    Uses a unique control scheme
    ✔ Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
    Recommended by someone IRL
    ✔ Bendy and the Dark Revival
    Great reviews, but not your usual type
    ✔ Bendy and the Dark Revival
    Released before you were born
    ✔ Breakout
    Popular game you never got around to playing
    ✔ Bendy and the Dark Revival
    From a genre you don’t normally play
    ✔ Bendy and the Dark Revival
    Known for its impact on gaming
    ✔ Breakout
    Has a number in the title
    ✔ Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
    Has a lives system
    ✔ Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
    You got it at full price
    ✔ Breakout
    Has robots
    ✔ Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
    Has a branching storyline
    ✔ Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
    Set in space
    ✔ Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
    Has a campaign longer than 13 hours
    ✔ Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
    Has survival mechanics
    ✔ Bendy and the Dark Revival
    Has less than 4 achievements
    ✔ Breakout
    Is one of the oldest games you own
    ✔ Breakout
    An updated version (remake, re-release) of an older game
    ✔ Okami HD
    “When the hell did I buy this?”
    ✔ Bendy and the Dark Revival
    Has been banned, censored, or challenged
    ✔ Okami HD
    From a studio you haven't heard of before
    ✔ Bendy and the Dark Revival
    From a different culture or country
    ✔ Breakout

    Good Stuff

    Breakout was probably the rockstar of all the games, from a gameplay perspective. What a classic, what a bunch of fun to get working on an old Atari 2600 and old TV. Game is still great, and I'm giving a lot of thought to getting the new Atari that will play old games and having it around the house.

    Bendy and the Dark Revival had a great art style, good gameplay, and was quite creepy. I'll probably keep playing this, and recommend it to anyone who has played and enjoyed the other Bendy games (@Weldawadyathink) or likes this sort of game. I'm also going to keep an eye out for the other Bendy games.

    Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons has a unique control scheme where the left control stick is one character and the right is another. I say "unique" but I immediately thought of another game called Morkredd which felt similar, so I instead interpreted it as "the control scheme is an intrinsic part of the game experience" which is certainly true for Brothers. It's pretty good so far - a cute little puzzle game where two brothers are trying to heal their father.

    Stuff that was OK

    Warhammer 40,000 Mechanicus had robots, space, and numbers, and it is a tactical game with a good, fairly long storyline. I played the tutorial a couple of times, and just didn't get into it. I'm not really sure why - some of it might have been that I found a few things immediately cheesy about the story. For example, one of the characters is named "Redditus" which was just goofy, or that any time numbers were shown they were famous constants. Writing that out seems like a very silly complaint, but it just took me out of what I was doing. I think this could be quite a decent game, and maybe I'll get back to it at some point in the future, but I just wasn't feeling it right now.

    Okami HD - I needed a remaster. I'd never played Okami, and I didn't get that far into it before turning it off. There's nothing wrong with this game, but it didn't immediately catch me and make me want to play it more. The HD remake is absolutely stunningly beautiful though. The woodcut / watercolor style is amazing. Note: Okami was banned in Saudi Arabia.

    So I played five games to fill out the card. I'll probably play a few more over the rest of May, and report back next week.

    5 votes
    1. [2]
      Wes
      Link Parent
      Wow, I think that's the first golf win we've seen! Great job! Especially well done on choosing your games to cover as many categories as possible, especially with some rather tricky ones. I was a...

      Wow, I think that's the first golf win we've seen! Great job! Especially well done on choosing your games to cover as many categories as possible, especially with some rather tricky ones.

      I was a little worried about the "balancing" of the game modes, but I'm glad to see that golf was not only doable, but the first completed bingo for this event.

      3 votes
      1. aphoenix
        Link Parent
        I greatly enjoyed the card this time and I think the improvements you have made to the generator are fantastic, so thank you for doing what you have done. It's super simple and usable, does...

        I greatly enjoyed the card this time and I think the improvements you have made to the generator are fantastic, so thank you for doing what you have done. It's super simple and usable, does exactly what it needs to without doing things it doesn't. It's not frequent that I have that experience.

        It was interesting trying to finagle things into the card, and I feel like I did get a bit lucky. I actually spent more time thinking about games than I did playing some of the games I selected (Warhammer and Okami).

        3 votes
    2. [2]
      kfwyre
      Link Parent
      Congratulations on the win, aphoenix! It’s the first one, and an impressive one at that. I love the strategy that goes into golfing! I played a standard card this time, but I’m going to try my...

      Congratulations on the win, aphoenix!

      It’s the first one, and an impressive one at that. I love the strategy that goes into golfing! I played a standard card this time, but I’m going to try my hand at golf for the November event.

      Definitely curious to hear your thoughts once you finish with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, by the way. Are you playing the original or the remake?

      3 votes
      1. aphoenix
        Link Parent
        I didn't realize there was a remake! Hmm, I need to work out if this could have changed things for me card. :D It also has a number in it! I wonder if it was banned anywhere. I have been playing...

        I didn't realize there was a remake! Hmm, I need to work out if this could have changed things for me card. :D It also has a number in it! I wonder if it was banned anywhere.

        I have been playing the original, and thus far I have been enjoying it for the most part. The other game that had a similar control scheme was one that I only dabbled in because I ended up not liking trying to control multiple things at once, but thus far I have been finding it, for the most part, quite decent. It seems a bit strange to me that there's a remake - this one still looks pretty acceptable, and doesn't feel too clunky or anything. I might have to figure out what the differences are between the OG and the remake.

        Thus far I think it is a very charming game, and I am pretty happy with it.

        2 votes
  2. [2]
    Carrow
    Link
    It's been a big backlog week since I got a bit stuck on my technical project. Aside from continuing with BattleBit Remastered, I've tried quite a few other titles. Chill Corner is an idle game...

    It's been a big backlog week since I got a bit stuck on my technical project. Aside from continuing with BattleBit Remastered, I've tried quite a few other titles.

    Chill Corner is an idle game that's more productivity buddy than game. You can design some rooms, pick an avatar, pet dogs/cats, set activity timers, listen to lofi, and send/receive anonymous uplifting messages. It's free with dlc for additional furniture, avatars, albums, and a custom music extension.

    GNOG is a puzzle game where you're trying to play with a toy to unlock it more or less. It's visually stimulating with a nice enough soundtrack. My draw to it was the soundtrack artist, Marskye. My favorite game OST has to be Boyfriend Dungeon, which was done collaboratively between Marskye and Madeleine McQueen. GNOG's beats don't bop as hard as Boyfriend Dungeon and I wasn't terribly engaged with the gameplay, don't think I'll finish it.

    DAEMON X MACHINA is a mech shooter game. The plot and characters are currently lackluster, but one doesn't usually play a mech game for that. It's got flashy aesthetics with an anime feel and opts for the fast type of mechs over tanky types. I haven't gotten far enough for different builds to actually feel different, though with similar time in Mech Warriors I would've had greater variety in mechs I could play with. It isn't scratching the mech itch or satisfy as a HOTAS experience. Not sure if I'll keep with this one either.

    Ghost of Tsushima just came out for PC so I've been checking it out. It's not what I was expecting. Based on how talked up it was, I was expecting a more curated experience with soul, but it's another open world collect a thon with a thousand side quests, bow/stealth/melee combat, fort clearing, etc. It hasn't done anything unique yet. All this is to say, I am having fun with it and will likely finish, but it's more a 7/10 in my book so far.

    Dominion is perhaps the quintessential deck builder. I've been wanting to get into a physical match, but my partner played some with friends and also found the app that has the base game with AI and online play free so I've been learning from that. My partner and I have been joking that it's a Tanto Cuore knockoff since that's what we played first (it's basically the same game, but with anime maids). I'm interested in checking out expansions, I'm finding the strategies and victory paths in the base game a bit limiting compared to Tanto Cuore.

    4 votes
    1. Wes
      Link Parent
      Dominion was the first "deck builder" I've played, which was in person and with physical cards. It was a fun memory, so I'll always have a soft spot for the game, even if I'm not very good at it....

      Dominion was the first "deck builder" I've played, which was in person and with physical cards. It was a fun memory, so I'll always have a soft spot for the game, even if I'm not very good at it.

      The aggravating thing is that the digital license expires every 5 years or so. At that point the developer of the game/app can no longer sell it, and the license is then transferred to another company that builds a new app. As a result players need to learn a completely new interface each time, and usually some features are changed or lost. Worse, they often change how expansion pack ownership works, so it's very easy to lose access to content you've bought.

      Though they do at least offer the base game for free on most platforms, and that's still a lot of fun even without the expansions. And though it keeps getting copyright struck on Tabletop Simulator, there's often a new version uploaded that can be played there with friends.

      3 votes
  3. CannibalisticApple
    Link
    Posting a couple days late, but here we go! Since last week, I've been playing a lot of Coromon, but also played a couple other games. Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 7/25 ✔ Chillquarium ✔ The...

    Posting a couple days late, but here we go! Since last week, I've been playing a lot of Coromon, but also played a couple other games.

    Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 7/25
    Set underwater
    ✔ Chillquarium
    You started it but never completed it
    ✔ The Testimony of Trixie Glimmer Smith
    Has a weather system
    ✔ One Lonely Outpost
    Focuses on relationships Has a robot antagonist
    Is mostly text-based Recommended by someone on Tildes
    ✔ Coromon
    Has a lives system From a studio you haven't heard of before Great reviews, but not your usual type
    Has a branching storyline From a different country than you ★ Wildcard Came out more than 7 years ago From a genre you don’t normally play
    ✔ (the) Gnorp Analogue
    Has time manipulation Focuses on exploration
    ✔ Lila's Sky Ark
    “When the hell did I buy this?” Features a mystery An updated version (remake, re-release) of an older game
    Uses a unique control scheme Considered a cult classic
    ✔ Hotel Dusk: Room 215
    Light and dark play a role From a different culture or country You got it for free

    Last week I mentioned my plans to play One Lonely Outpost, and I did. It's a game about farming in space. I originally planned to mark it down as the "focuses on exploration", but decided against it because exploration isn't a major focus of the game. It's pretty slow going so far (just started the "vernal" season after originally being in "pre-season"), and still in early access so it's a bit rough around the edges. Overall not too bad though! It's neat to see the world gradually change after unlocking terraforming, slowly going from totally barren to having grass.

    (the) Gnorp Analogue and Chillquarium are both idler games which I got in a bundle together. Chillquarium has you own a fish tank where you can buy fish, and then wait for the fish to spawn over a period of hours to days. And fish passively earn money you can spend to buy other fish.
    (the) Gnorp Analogue is about managing creatures called Gnorps to mine a single boulder for shards. I think you need it open for time to pass though? At the very least, time didn't seem to pass when I put my Steam Deck to sleep with it open. One neat thing is that you have to reset progress to unlock talent points.

    Last is Lila's Sky Ark, which I only just started and got on a whim. It's an action-adventure game that features exploring the world, puzzles, boss battles, etc., with a psychedelic spin. I can't give much thoughts on it yet since again, I only just started it. I like the bits I've seen so far though! (Side-note, I originally had it marked under "From a Different Country" since the developers are German, but then realized from the reviews when looking for how to describe it that it also qualifies for exploration. I have some other games that will fit that category.)

    4 votes
  4. [11]
    Weldawadyathink
    Link
    Mode: Golf Bingo! Finished 22/24 ✔ Vampire Survivors ✔ Vampire Survivors ✔ Paratopic ✔ Vampire Survivors ✔ Slime-san Has a moral choice system ✔ Vampire Survivors ✔ Wizard of Legend ✔ Quake ✔...
    Mode: Golf Bingo! Finished 22/24
    Has a lives system
    ✔ Vampire Survivors
    Has a silent protagonist
    ✔ Vampire Survivors
    Great reviews, but not your usual type
    ✔ Paratopic
    Has a time limit
    ✔ Vampire Survivors
    Has gravity manipulation
    ✔ Slime-san
    Has a moral choice system Has permadeath
    ✔ Vampire Survivors
    Has/uses cards
    ✔ Wizard of Legend
    Released before you were born
    ✔ Quake
    Set in a fantasy world
    ✔ Vampire Survivors
    Uses procedural generation
    ✔ Crypt of the Necrodancer
    Randomness determines your fate
    ✔ Vampire Survivors
    You can save/pet/care for animals
    ✔ Okami HD
    A solo-dev project
    ✔ Vampire Survivors
    Has a review score above 88
    ✔ Quake
    Has less than 16 achievements
    ✔ Aperture Desk Job
    You can complete it in only a few hours
    ✔ Paratopic
    Known for its ending
    ✔ Paratopic
    Released in the year you joined Tildes
    ✔ (2018) Paratopic
    Has environmental storytelling
    ✔ Paratopic
    Has a cozy vibe
    ✔ Slime-san
    Has the letter ‘Q’ in the title
    ✔ Quake
    Focuses on exploration
    ✔ Quake
    Someone else has played it for their Backlog Burner

    I have to admit that last week, I was feeling pretty hopeless on this golf card. Specifically the "Someone else played for backlog burner". I had no idea how I was going to fill that one. There were so few games that y'all played that I have on my backlog that it made it pretty difficult. But I got one figured out now, and it should hopefully complete my card in one fell swoop.

    Added this week:

    • Okami HD
    • Crypt of the Necrodancer
    • Wizard of Legend

    These games are checking off much fewer squares than my previous games, but I didn't see a way around that. I know of a handful of games that would fill a bunch of these categories handily, but I either already played them or didn't learn about them until after this event started. Some of the categories here are pretty loose associations as it is, but I felt it was close enough to count.

    3 votes
    1. [3]
      Weldawadyathink
      Link Parent
      Okami HD Oh boy. This game is beautiful, and I think the beauty and gameplay might have been enough to get me to complete it, EXCEPT THAT IT MIGHT BE THE MOST ANNOYING GAME I HAVE EVER HAD THE...

      Okami HD

      Oh boy. This game is beautiful, and I think the beauty and gameplay might have been enough to get me to complete it, EXCEPT THAT IT MIGHT BE THE MOST ANNOYING GAME I HAVE EVER HAD THE "PLEASURE" OF PLAYING. My first session was 1 hour and 15 minutes. It was mostly cut-scene, but there were some really interesting takes on gaming in there, and I was actually looking forward to it. I expected an exposition dump at the beginning, because many story driven games have that. I assumed it would get better after I got to the "meat" of the game. My second session was 30 minutes. Not because I didn't want to play more, but because there was about 3 minutes of actual gameplay in those 30 minutes. And that little gameplay was a boring 2 stage fetch quest to do something that I had the ability to do before the quest (at least according to the game lore; I actually saw that resolution coming and attempted to complete the objective without the quest but it was scripted).

      Did I mention that the text speed is incredibly slow, and about 2/3 of the dialog interactions are unskippable? So after that FUN interaction, I decided to try and find out if this game was almost done being annoying. That's when I found this reddit thread: Okami is a lovely game that does all it can to stop you from playing it. I read a bit through that thread and decided to put the game down forever and never look back. It is a beautiful game, but the experience it provides is not what I want out of a game. Sorry Okami, you might be a really cool game, but I want noting more to do with you.

      7 votes
      1. [2]
        Wes
        Link Parent
        If you're still struggling on "Someone else has played it for their Backlog Burner", I did play Okami for last year's event. There's no hard and fast rules, so it's up to you if you want to allow...

        If you're still struggling on "Someone else has played it for their Backlog Burner", I did play Okami for last year's event. There's no hard and fast rules, so it's up to you if you want to allow that or not!

        I found the beginning a little too slow as well. It's a game that I think I might enjoy just as much by watching a Let's Play as actually playing myself.

        3 votes
        1. Weldawadyathink
          Link Parent
          Thanks for the info! I have another game lined up for that category, so I think I am good. Also I just read your review. I have to say I agree, especially about the oddly sexist writing. The bug...

          Thanks for the info! I have another game lined up for that category, so I think I am good.

          Also I just read your review. I have to say I agree, especially about the oddly sexist writing. The bug coming out of her clothes really put me off. If the issues around pacing and cutscenes hadn't taken center stage, that probably would have been my main takeaways from the game. Like you mentioned, I might try and find a good let's play to watch through.

          2 votes
    2. Weldawadyathink
      Link Parent
      Crypt of the necrodancer This is a really well done game. I am clearly not very good at rhythm games, so I didn't end up playing this very much. I liked how well done it is. I never felt like I...

      Crypt of the necrodancer

      This is a really well done game. I am clearly not very good at rhythm games, so I didn't end up playing this very much. I liked how well done it is. I never felt like I was being punished by the game. Every mistake felt like my fault in some way. Ill be keeping it installed and be playing it in the future.

      3 votes
    3. Weldawadyathink
      Link Parent
      Wizard of Legend I don't really have a lot to say on this game. I needed something that used cards, and the enemies technically (sometimes) spawn from cards. It's a stretch, but I couldn't find...

      Wizard of Legend

      I don't really have a lot to say on this game. I needed something that used cards, and the enemies technically (sometimes) spawn from cards. It's a stretch, but I couldn't find anything else suitable in this role. I was hoping this would be a rougelike recreation of Magica, one of my all time favorite games, but it isn't. If you like roguelikes, I think you will love this game. I don't really need another roguelike game in my life right now, so I put it down pretty quick.

      3 votes
    4. [5]
      Wafik
      Link Parent
      Thanks for making me feel old! Hope you enjoyed it!

      Released before you were born
      ✔ Quake

      Thanks for making me feel old! Hope you enjoyed it!

      2 votes
      1. [4]
        Weldawadyathink
        Link Parent
        Yeah I thought that might get that reaction from a few people. If it helps, it only just made the cut. And yeah, I had a fantastic time with Quake!

        Yeah I thought that might get that reaction from a few people. If it helps, it only just made the cut. And yeah, I had a fantastic time with Quake!

        3 votes
        1. [3]
          Wafik
          Link Parent
          You played me! Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Obviously it's a tight game, but the graphics turn off most people who weren't born yet. I was still young enough that my friend told me the nail gun...

          You played me! Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Obviously it's a tight game, but the graphics turn off most people who weren't born yet. I was still young enough that my friend told me the nail gun ammo boxes were a marketing partnership with Nine Inch Nails the band and I believed them.

          2 votes
          1. [2]
            kfwyre
            Link Parent
            Waaaaait a minute — they’re not? I thought that was definitely intentional. They did the soundtrack for the game, right?

            Waaaaait a minute — they’re not? I thought that was definitely intentional. They did the soundtrack for the game, right?

            2 votes
            1. Wafik
              Link Parent
              They did the sound track and I guess technically it was put in as a joke. Allegedly Trent convinced them to keep it in. I'm not sure how much of that is true vs internet rumour at this point....

              They did the sound track and I guess technically it was put in as a joke. Allegedly Trent convinced them to keep it in. I'm not sure how much of that is true vs internet rumour at this point. Either way, not technically a marketing campaign. At the time my grade 6 mind assumed this would be the beginning of marketing deals between cool bands and cool games...

              2 votes
  5. [11]
    Wes
    (edited )
    Link
    I skipped last week because I have been fang-deep into V-Rising since v1.0 released, but I'm starting to come up for air now. I plan to get a bunch of entries in this last week, if possible, and...

    I skipped last week because I have been fang-deep into V-Rising since v1.0 released, but I'm starting to come up for air now. I plan to get a bunch of entries in this last week, if possible, and already have a few to report on.

    I'm close to a bingo in one column, though I'll likely continue to meander a bit until right before game day. But I'll definitely make sure to get at least one bingo in somewhere.

    Bingo Card (12/25)
    Mode: Standard Winning Bingo! Finished 12/25
    Has driving
    ✔ Open Roads
    Has a lives system Is open-source Has/uses cards
    ✔ Vault of the Void
    Has time manipulation
    Music/rhythm-focused
    ✔ Metal: Hellsinger
    Set in a historical world Your friend loves it Uses a unique control scheme Has a time limit
    ✔ Cook-Out
    You can complete it in only a few hours
    ✔ The Corridor
    Has more than 50 achievements ★ Wildcard You have to tinker to get it running
    ✔ Dark Souls 3: Archthrones Mod
    Is considered “abandonware”
    You heard about it in our weekly gaming topics
    ✔ Blasphemous
    Has a skill tree
    ✔ Mirror's Edge: Catalyst
    Known for its art style Popular game you never got around to playing You own it on physical media
    Uses procedural generation
    ✔ ScourgeBringer
    Nominated for a Steam award
    ✔ To the Moon
    A solo-dev project
    ✔ A Short Hike
    You can create your own character
    ✔ Trailmakers
    Has gravity manipulation
    3 votes
    1. Wes
      Link Parent
      ScourgeBringer is an interesting one. It's a roguelike with a mix of modern and retro mechanics. The gameplay is precise, and I suspect it has a high skill ceiling, yet it's also heavy on...

      ScourgeBringer is an interesting one. It's a roguelike with a mix of modern and retro mechanics. The gameplay is precise, and I suspect it has a high skill ceiling, yet it's also heavy on button-mashing. The game is frenetic through and through.

      Essentially you are exploring a grid of rooms to clear out any baddies that spawn. And they do spawn quite a lot. Typically you need to clear each room twice before the doors will open, and then you move to the next room and repeat the process. Getting around is a bit slow at the start (or maybe I'm just slow).

      The levels are procedural, so I've slotted this into the Procedural Generation category. Unfortunately, the gameplay has not really hooked me. I prefer more methodical action roguelikes such as Dead Cells or Rogue Legacy. It's entirely possible that I'm just playing it wrong, but the button clicks per minute just seem way too high on this one for me.

      The game is also available on Android if you're partial to that form factor. I wanted to try it on desktop first, but I don't think it's the kind of game I could handle on mobile, so I'll give it a miss there.

      One thing I do like is that the upgrades seem pretty meaningful, which makes it feel nice when you unlock something for your next run. Those big hits in meta-progression are always one of my favourite parts about these games.

      Still, the general gameplay is a bit too button-mashy for me, so I'm going to put it down here. I'm sure it does appeal to others though.

      3 votes
    2. Wes
      Link Parent
      I played Trailmakers for about three hours last night. It's similar to a game I played during last year's event, Main Assembly, but with a greater focus on unlocking parts and navigating an open...

      I played Trailmakers for about three hours last night. It's similar to a game I played during last year's event, Main Assembly, but with a greater focus on unlocking parts and navigating an open world (versus closed-off missions).

      I'm going to cheekily put this in the "You can create your own character" category, because building vehicles (that you control) is the main point of the game.

      I quite liked what I played. It starts off a little slow because you don't have any parts yet, but once you start collecting a few power cores and the tractor beam, you're able to get around a lot more rapidly and begin scaling up.

      At this point I've created specialized land and sea vehicles, but haven't collected enough to start building airplanes yet. It's really interesting to come up with unique solutions to collect difficult parts - such as building a long arm on one side of your vehicle to prod the part off a pillar, and then adding weight to your other side to balance things out.

      I think this is a longer-term game that I'll dip into when feeling creative rather than one to power through in an evening, so I'll have more to say in the future. So far I'm really enjoying it though!

      3 votes
    3. [2]
      Wes
      Link Parent
      Next I played Cook-Out, which is a VR title. Cook-out is a game all about time management, thus I've put it in the "Has a time limit" category. The gameplay is fairly simple: customers will...

      Next I played Cook-Out, which is a VR title. Cook-out is a game all about time management, thus I've put it in the "Has a time limit" category. The gameplay is fairly simple: customers will continually submit sandwich orders, and your job is to fill them by matching the ingredients in the right amounts and order to satisfy the customer.

      Supposedly this is like the game Overcooked, though I've not played that so I can't compare. It does remind me though of Ore no Ryomi, or its spiritual successor Cook, Serve, Delicious!.

      Because it's a VR game, controls play a big part of it. Instead of just clicking on a pepper shaker, you are physically shaking it over the plate. You need to squeeze down the mustard with your controller grips, and toss items around in a physical space.

      The game seems to be designed for multiplayer, but in singleplayer mode they introduce a robot companion that takes on the role of a second player. Instead of having access to all ingredients yourself, the robot has their own set of ingredients that you need for your orders, and they need access to your ingredients for orders they've started. You need to watch to make sure you don't get tunnel vision on your own orders while leaving customers waiting and turning unhappy.

      Cook-Out is probably best-served in multiplayer, but I thought their solution with the robot was fairly clever and still gives you a good idea of what to expect with friends.

      The game does feature some RPG mechanics which I felt didn't quite fit with the rest of it. You can apply a potion before a round to make certain tasks easier, and collect coins for upgrades. I didn't think the game really needed this kind of meta-progression outside of the levels, but I suppose it does add replayability for those who want to unlock everything.

      The developer, Resolution Games, makes a lot of the better VR games. If I have one complaint though, it's that they always force you to accept their terms of service and privacy policy at the beginning of the game, right after you've slapped on your headset, with no way to review their contents. The links are unclickable, which means you need to manually type in the URLs just to understand what kind of tracking they use. It's very frustrating if you're one of the few people that reads these things. But that's my one complaint.

      Overall I enjoyed the game, and plan to go back and play a few more rounds. My play time is still low, but something about VR games makes 30 minutes feel like an hour, so I'm willing to submit this one a little earlier than I otherwise might.

      3 votes
      1. kfwyre
        Link Parent
        Glad to see some VR rep in the Backlog Burner! I actually wanted to play a few VR games for my card but my setup is out of commission due to some housework that we’ve got going on (and...

        Glad to see some VR rep in the Backlog Burner!

        I actually wanted to play a few VR games for my card but my setup is out of commission due to some housework that we’ve got going on (and unfortunately is likely to stay that way for a bit).

        1 vote
    4. [2]
      kfwyre
      Link Parent
      Now that I’ve had hands on experience with it for a few weeks, I want to let you know that your bingo card site is an absolute joy to use. It makes it so easy to update my card! No fussing around...

      Now that I’ve had hands on experience with it for a few weeks, I want to let you know that your bingo card site is an absolute joy to use. It makes it so easy to update my card! No fussing around with manually editing markdown tables and getting lost in a forest of |s. It has saved me so much time and frustration compared to the last event where we had to update our squares by hand.

      Also, the visual design you did is great for parsing the card. Changing the color of completed squares makes it much easier to read and evaluate than our on-site tables, so when I’m deciding which square to go for next, I always go right to your card to evaluate my potential moves.

      It looks great; it functions great; it is great. Thank you again for the time and effort you put into making this for everyone.

      2 votes
      1. Wes
        Link Parent
        Aww, I really appreciate the kind words! I'm glad I was able to add some value to a Tildes event like this. Thank you so much for helping me test the app and for providing feedback and ideas along...

        Aww, I really appreciate the kind words! I'm glad I was able to add some value to a Tildes event like this. Thank you so much for helping me test the app and for providing feedback and ideas along the way.

        2 votes
    5. Wes
      Link Parent
      To the Moon! It's a game I've been hearing great things about for years, and though I always intended to play it, I never got around to it until this week. I understand the hype now. I don't want...

      To the Moon! It's a game I've been hearing great things about for years, and though I always intended to play it, I never got around to it until this week.

      I understand the hype now. I don't want to oversell it because it is a more subtle game, but Freebird Games wrote a beautiful script for this title. The story was emotional without being saccharine. It had depth, yet didn't overstay its welcome. I found it very enjoyable.

      There's more I'd love to touch on regarding specific story threads, and in particular some things that went unsaid (but that I think I can connect with). However I will restrain myself from giving too much away. I will just say that the writing felt mature and considerate; believable and lived-in.

      Accompanying the script was a very nice piano-based soundtrack. It used strong motifs that made the OST feel consistent, but there were variations throughout each track that suited each section of the story well. In particular, the lyrical track based on the primary theme was quite powerful for me. I'm sure I've heard some of these tracks before, maybe referenced in game design videos or just my own online listening, but it really feels like a gestalt part of the game and its story. Neither aspect would be complete if standing alone.

      I've chosen this game for the "Steam Awards nomination" category, which feels quite apt. It was nominated in both 2016 and 2017 for story-related awards.

      The only thing preventing an entirely positive review is that the game engine used was rather clunky to play on. There weren't any game settings, and the whole game played letterboxed. The mouse controls were a little unreliable, and I only learned in the final act that keyboard controls had been available the whole time.

      Don't let that turn you off the game though. Bad controls can kill a lot of games, but are less impactful in pure adventure games like this one. Its strengths far outshine its weaknesses, and To the Moon is still very much worth your time.

      There are two more "minisodes" included with the game that I haven't played yet, as well as two full sequels, each with excellent reviews. Suffice it to say, they have been added to my backlog to fill the gap that To The Moon left. A strong consideration for the next backlog burner in November.

      2 votes
    6. Wes
      Link Parent
      My next title is Mirror's Edge: Catalyst. I'd planned to put this in the "Uses a unique control scheme" category, but in hindsight the controls themselves are pretty standard and it's the physics...

      My next title is Mirror's Edge: Catalyst. I'd planned to put this in the "Uses a unique control scheme" category, but in hindsight the controls themselves are pretty standard and it's the physics that are unique. So instead I've put this under "Has a skill tree". Yes, apparently Catalyst does feature a skill tree.

      So I loved the first Mirror's Edge, and have played through it numerous times. It's like Portal where it's a short, punchy game that offered groundbreaking gameplay when it released. It's easy to play through either game in a couple nostalgia-filled sessions.

      Sequels though always grow the scope, and Catalyst is no exception. It's actually an open-world world title, and is only punchy insofar that they've increased the amount of combat from the first game. Thankfully the combat is at least somewhat integrated into the momentum mechanics, unlike the first game's inclusion of guns, but combat is still the weakest part of the series and I was disappointed to see it make a return.

      Being open-world, it does feature all the usual tropes like random collectables, scattered quests, and a map GPS. There was a time that I loved open worlds but I really don't feel like I have the energy for them these days. Perhaps I waited too long before trying Catalyst.

      The city does feel well-designed. There's fewer "set pieces" than the first game because it's not a tight, linear path. Instead there's many viable paths to reach your destination. I found right away that turning down the "Runner Vision" feature made a big difference. Rather than following the GPS line showing you exactly where to go, you can enable the colored highlights like in the first game that still offer some hints while letting you choose your own path.

      So am I going to finish this one? Probably not. I'm happy to explore the new city for a while though, and I will play through a few more missions. The HowLongToBeat time does suggest it's only 8.5 hours for the main story, so maybe I will power through it, but I'll definitely not be collecting the 5,000 golden bananas scattered around the city.

      When first launching, I had some trouble with Denuvo. Apparently EA's game servers are down, and it refused to progress past the first cutscene unless you're playing in offline mode. With no skip button I ended up having to watch that cutscene five times before finding a solution. Pretty annoying. I really do hope publishers start taking game preservation more seriously, because more and more we're going to see our games breaking from issues like this.

      Complaints aside, it does feel great to be back in Mirror's Edge. The visuals, the movement, and the soundtrack are just as good as I remember. There's nothing like nailing a line through the rooftops to remind yourself that you're still alive.

      2 votes
    7. Wes
      Link Parent
      Coming in with a fresh bingo, I'm submitting Blasphemous for the "You heard about it in our weekly gaming topics" category. I thought this would be a really easy category. I was wrong. Trawling...

      Coming in with a fresh bingo, I'm submitting Blasphemous for the "You heard about it in our weekly gaming topics" category.

      I thought this would be a really easy category. I was wrong. Trawling through the last dozen threads, I couldn't find any games that I already owned, hadn't played, but were on my backlog. That was until I stumbled across this little reference to Blasphemous in April.

      First though, a possible confession: This is not the first time I've heard about this game. And more than that, I actually Kickstarted it back in 2017. Technically the category doesn't ask that you first heard about it on Tildes though. I've already called my lawyer and am prepared to defend this technicality to the ends of the Earth.

      But really, I was actually thrilled to find this mention because Blasphemous has been sitting on my backlog for years, and I'm ready to stop feeling dumb about helping fund a game that I haven't even played yet. Apparently my name is even in the credits.

      So the last time I looked at Blasphemous, it was a simple engine test with blank assets. Now it's a well-reviewed series with a sequel, and with the devs branching out into other spaces (like their VR title All On Board... which I also Kickstarted).

      So to the review. I liked it! I'm a huge fan of soulslikes, and seeing all the different takes on that formula always interests me. Blasphemous includes some of the common elements such as estus-style healing, enemies respawning when resting, and a combined currency for upgrades and purchases. Some of the differences come from the death penalty, where you keep your currency but build up (aptly-named) "guilt", and the decision to split up certain interactions like upgrades across the world in a more Metroidvania-style design.

      The combat feels pretty good so far, though I'm still unlocking abilities. The charge and plunge attacks add a lot of damage to your repertoire. Parries seem very rewarding which I'm always a fan of. I've felled a couple bosses so far but still have a lot of map left to explore.

      The pixel art is great, if a little disturbing at times. The story meanwhile is heavy on lore and text dumps. I couldn't really tell you what's going on, except I know I need to kill the big bads.

      So far I'm enjoying the game, and I think there's a good chance I'll finish it. I ought to play more metroidvanias, because I tend to enjoy them whenever I do.

      I'll probably begin to slow down on my submissions from here on out, but I wouldn't discount the possibility of another bingo.

      2 votes
    8. Wes
      Link Parent
      For my maybe-final entry, I'm submitting A Short Hike. I'm putting this in the "solo-dev project" category. Although the credits list help for translators and play testers, I think the important...

      For my maybe-final entry, I'm submitting A Short Hike. I'm putting this in the "solo-dev project" category. Although the credits list help for translators and play testers, I think the important thing is the design and development was by a single author.

      This was an awfully cute game. You can tell right away from the colour palette that it has a cheery, optimistic vibe. It mixes expressive pixel art with a 3D world to create an inviting place to explore.

      The HowLongToBeat for this game lists only an hour and a half, but I spent two and a half hours before finally "beating" it. I spent a long while exploring the main island and surrounding regions, collecting upgrades, helping townsfolk, and hunting for secrets. Actually by the time I started the "hike", I had so much gear that I completely trivialized the whole thing. Oops.

      The game features a lot of secrets to find, which always draws me in. I will forever be checking behind waterfalls or examining strange outcropping, so it's nice when a game rewards you for that kind of thing.

      Outside of hunting for secrets, there's lots to do. Foot racing, motorboating, digging up coins, growing flowers, or regular old treasure hunting. And I am a sucker for any game with a fishing minigame.

      The actual orientation of world confused me at first. It took a while to realize that the map was a 360 degree panorama, and moving left-right actually looped around the world. I found this a little hard to reason about when trying to line up certain flight paths, or just remember where things were relative to each other.

      In some ways the game reminded me of Grow Home. They offer a similar "indie" charm (despite Grow Home being created by Ubisoft Reflections), and are focused on collecting upgrades to better ascend. This one definitely focused more on the characters and story though.

      The dialogue was interesting. There's a certain style that I'm not sure how to describe. It's as if all of the characters are holding conversations using text messaging rather than speaking face-to-face, if that makes sense. I got a similar sense from Donut County when that released.

      A Short Hike is a pleasant game. I'm still missing a couple things so I might even dip back in for more. It was given away free on Epic Game Store previously, as well as included in some of the itch.io mega bundles if you've picked those up. Well worth a play if you've got an hour or two.

      1 vote
  6. J-Chiptunator
    (edited )
    Link
    J-Chiptunator's Backlog Bingo Card (3/25) Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 3/25 Has less than 13 achievements ✔ Bastion Great reviews, but not your usual type You got from a bundle ✔ Baten Kaitos:...
    J-Chiptunator's Backlog Bingo Card (3/25)
    Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 3/25
    Has less than 13 achievements Recommended by someone on Tildes
    ✔ Bastion
    Great reviews, but not your usual type You got from a bundle Randomness determines your fate
    ✔ Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
    Is one of the oldest games you own Has a moody vibe Not found on any distribution service Is beatable without killing any enemies Has aliens
    Known for its impact on gaming From a genre you find challenging ★ Wildcard Features a mystery Light and dark play a role
    You can complete it in only a few hours Has a weather system Has a fishing minigame Has driving Uses a unique control scheme
    Is mostly text-based
    ✔ Radical Dreamers - Le Trésor Interdit -
    Focuses on exploration Considered a cult classic From a different culture or country Has time manipulation

    I'm back for Week 4, this time with Monolith Soft's Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. It's an unconventional JRPG where game mechanics heavily rely on cards, which is referred to as Magnus.

    At the beginning of a battle, each party member will receive a handful of non-consumable battle Magnus at random from their customizable deck instead of a command list. After targeting a foe/friend and confirming with a card, the combo system will engage and allows choosing one or more card under a time limit. At the end of a combo, how much damage a character give or take will be applied.
    Be mindful of the elemental variables at play, as it's possible to wind up nullifying its benefit by picking opposing elements during an attack phase or not opting for a dominant element during a defense phase.
    Some Magnus will alter itself depending on how long it's sitting on the inventory, like a monster one taken from doing the photo move that will eventually be developed into full colors. They fetch much better prices than just 1G from practically every other Magnus.

    I've chosen this game for two reasons. One, it fits with the Randomness determines your fate criteria, where an unlucky string of wrong Magnus could wipe your party members out. And two, this was recommended by one of my friends for looking for an engaging JRPG that's nowhere near as overwhelming as Xenoblade Chronicles 1, for someone whose experience on JRPG outside of Mario is limited and tend to overthink about variables.
    It worked out in the end, since I've managed to figure out the mechanics and its appeal fairly quickly through a few tutorials and little trial and error. 2 hours into the game and I'm looking forward to more of this.

    Although I got the Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster on my Nintendo Switch, I opted for the GameCube original to effortlessly avoid potentially some game-breaking technical issues and experience the corny English voiceover that better fit with the game's not-so-serious vibe and made me laugh at times.

    3 votes
  7. kfwyre
    Link
    Pinging all previous Backlog Burner participants/conversationalists: here’s the new topic for the week. Notification List @aphoenix @brews_hairy_cats @CannibalisticApple @Carrow @Durinthal...

    Pinging all previous Backlog Burner participants/conversationalists: here’s the new topic for the week.

    Notification List @aphoenix @brews_hairy_cats @CannibalisticApple @Carrow @Durinthal @Eidolon @J-Chiptunator @Mendanbar @Notcoffeetable @semsevfor @Shevanel @Weldawadyathink @Wes

    If you would like to be removed from the list, let me know.

    Also, if anyone would like to be added to the notification list, let me know as well!

    2 votes
  8. [8]
    kfwyre
    (edited )
    Link
    Mode: Standard Winning Bingo! Finished 14/25 ✔ DIG - Deep in Galaxies A romhack or total conversion mod Has romanceable characters ✔ The Deadly Tower of Monsters ✔ Sonic Forces ✔ In Other Waters...
    Mode: Standard Winning Bingo! Finished 14/25
    Has permadeath
    ✔ DIG - Deep in Galaxies
    A romhack or total conversion mod Has romanceable characters “When the hell did I buy this?”
    ✔ The Deadly Tower of Monsters
    Considered a disappointment
    ✔ Sonic Forces
    Focuses on exploration
    ✔ In Other Waters
    Has no achievements Focuses on relationships Nominated for a GDC Award You regret buying it
    You can complete it in one sitting
    ✔ Some Distant Memory
    Came out more than 2 years ago
    ✔ The Enchanted Cave 2
    ★ Wildcard
    ✔ Chop Goblins
    Released in the year you joined Tildes
    ✔ Super Lucky’s Tale
    From a different culture or country
    Has a lives system
    ✔ Andro Dunos II
    Has been banned, censored, or challenged You started it but never completed it Released before you were born
    ✔ Frogger
    From a genre you don’t normally play
    Has campaign DLC
    ✔ Hacknet
    Has driving An updated version (remake, re-release) of an older game
    ✔ Jak and Daxter (OpenGOAL)
    Has a weather system
    ✔ V-Rally 4
    Great reviews, but not your usual type
    ✔ BAD END THEATER

    I didn't end up finishing a bingo last week like I wanted to, but I'm not bummed about it. I'm currently playing the game for my first five-in-a-row (Has campaign DLC), and I have two other games I'll log soon that'll give me another two four-in-a-rows. Instead of slowly getting bingos over the course of the month like I thought I would do, it looks like I'm going to pile up a few right at the very end.

    Is a full blackout possible? Very unlikely, but technically still possible if I target some shorter games (or if I simply bounce off of what I choose).

    2 votes
    1. kfwyre
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      V-Rally 4 - Has a weather system This is a rally racing game that definitely falls more on the arcade side of the spectrum than sim (which is preferable to me). Like many (most?) racing games,...

      V-Rally 4 - Has a weather system

      This is a rally racing game that definitely falls more on the arcade side of the spectrum than sim (which is preferable to me).

      Like many (most?) racing games, there’s a whole career mode where you start with lower end cars and race them to win prize money which lets you upgrade them and get better cars, which then lets you complete in harder, higher-stakes events. It’s very by-the-book.

      I played the game for about two hours and stopped, not because it did anything wrong, but because it didn’t really excite me.

      The main thing that stuck out was that the difficulty was very uneven. I had a few races where I did a thoroughly decent job and I was still smoked. I also had a few where I had serious, massive errors, and I ended in first with time to spare. Either the game is just that uneven, or it was trying to adjust behind-the-scenes so the ones I drove poorly and still won were the game trying to stack things in my favor without telling me.

      The other thing that stuck out in a bad way is that the servers for the game are down. The game is still playable, which is nice, but a lot of embedded stuff like leaderboards are unavailable. If these were out of the way it wouldn’t be too noticeable, but I would get pop ups at the end of races notifying me that I was “offline.” There’s a message about it right on the title screen. The fact that the game is still playable is definitely better than it being gone for good (e.g. The Crew) but the game didn’t feel “complete” either due to the many pages and menus with conspicuous absences due to the lack of an active server.

      Not a bad game overall, but not one that I’m going to keep playing or return to.

      4 votes
    2. kfwyre
      Link Parent
      Sonic Forces - Considered a disappointment Is this game considered a disappointment? Eurogamer: “Forces is a depressing return to form.” PC Gamer: “Sonic Forces […] sends the blue hedgehog...

      Sonic Forces - Considered a disappointment

      Is this game considered a disappointment?

      • Eurogamer:Forces is a depressing return to form.”

      • PC Gamer:Sonic Forces […] sends the blue hedgehog spinning back to those darkest of days when Sonic was, in fact, not good.”

      • IGN:Sonic Forces [is] hard to be too disappointed with.” [emphasis mine]

      I'd say that counts.

      How did I feel about it? Well, for it to be a disappointment for me personally then I would have had to have high hopes about it. I didn't though. I'm actually quite critical of Sonic games in general from a design perspective. This is going to sound harsh, but I feel like nearly every Sonic game is doomed to failure because it tries to do meet two different and fundamentally opposed goals.

      See, Sonic's character identity is all about speed, yet the game series he stars in is also known for intricate levels with multiple pathings and plenty of obstacles. The "Go Fast" and "Complex, Precise Platforming" elements of his games have always been in conflict with one another. As soon as you get Sonic going fast, there's something that breaks the momentum (and, consequently, your fun). Also, because he's meant to go fast, his movement doesn't have the precision you would want (and largely relies on homing attacks as a stopgap). Slower platforming and navigation in Sonic games feels floaty and clumsy.

      I definitely understand that, if you take the time to learn the game and the levels, then you can genuinely go fast and stay going fast, but for casual players, Sonic games are often exercises in frustration.

      Forces follows this pattern. I tried it out a bit, and it exhibited the same tension that has killed nearly every other Sonic game out there for me. It doesn't deliver as a speed game; it doesn't deliver as a 3D platformer; and it doesn't deliver as a 2D platformer. I want it to pick a lane.

      In my headcanon, the best Sonic game I've ever played is actually Action Henk because it was the first game for me to genuinely realize Sonic's implicit promise of "Go Fast Through Curvy, Loopy Levels." It kept that as its main focus; didn't compromise it; and made it fun.

      4 votes
    3. kfwyre
      Link Parent
      The Enchanted Cave 2 - Came out more than 2 years ago The original Enchanted Cave is a cult classic Flash game that never got a Steam release. I hadn’t played nor even heard of it before, so this...

      The Enchanted Cave 2 - Came out more than 2 years ago

      The original Enchanted Cave is a cult classic Flash game that never got a Steam release. I hadn’t played nor even heard of it before, so this game was my introduction to the series.

      The game is a tile-based dungeon crawler roguelite. The titular cave is “enchanted” because its layout changes each time you go in. When you leave, you only keep enchanted items — everything else disappears from your inventory. Your level, stat boosts, and skills though are all persistent. So, the game is about going into the cave to grind and find better enchanted gear, exiting before you die, and then going back in stronger, which lets you get deeper into the cave.

      In general I like this game. It’s well-made and has neat ideas. Enemies drop different materials that can be used to enchant items with different passive effects (you can make your sword heal you on hit, for example). You can also craft potions from the items and drink them to get passives as well. There’s a big sphere-grid style skill-tree that you can put points into.

      In order to escape the cave, you have to have a specific item that lets you out, but there are also townsfolk stuck in the cave who you can save by giving them your item. Doing this adds some nice risk/reward tension to the game. Saving the townspeople means they end up in town and sometimes will give you great gear that you can use, but this also means you risk death if you can’t find another exit item quickly.

      My pain point for the game is that it is very grindy. Sometimes I’m in the mood for that, and sometimes I’m not, and in this game I was for a bit — until I wasn’t. I put in 5 hours and got to level 50 of the cave (halfway). I then asked myself “Are you interested in continuing because you’re having fun? Or are you interested in continuing because you like seeing numbers go up?”

      My honest answer was the numbers. The levels of the cave all feel the same, and combat is all stat-based auto-attacking, so level 17 doesn’t feel materially different at all from, say, level 43. The sprites for the enemies change and the numbers get bigger, but that’s about it.

      Despite that criticism, I will endorse this game as a great casual game. If you want something light, with a low cognitive load and demands on the player, that scratches an RPG itch, then this is absolutely your game. It’s also the kind of game that’s perfect for playing while listening to podcasts/audiobooks.

      2 votes
    4. [3]
      kfwyre
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Hacknet - Has campaign DLC This has campaign DLC called Labyrinths, but I haven’t played it yet. I’ve only just beat the main game, but since the category is has campaign DLC, not finish the...

      Hacknet - Has campaign DLC

      This has campaign DLC called Labyrinths, but I haven’t played it yet. I’ve only just beat the main game, but since the category is has campaign DLC, not finish the campaign DLC, then I feel comfortable in adding it to my card.

      Also, this marks my first official bingo! I’m a winner, baby!

      Overall, I liked this game a lot. It has a lot of neat ideas that were mostly well-executed. Plus, as one of the least techy people on Tildes, playing this hacker facsimile full of terminal commands helped me feel like I fit in around here! Not that I normally feel unwelcome or anything: y’all are chill and cozy and kind and I’m happy to be here.

      I like how the game had a decently clear progression that wasn’t entirely spelled out for you. I like how you had to investigate and dive into files. I ended up taking lots of IRL notes of things to remember: different IP addresses, usernames and passwords, potential leads, etc.

      I have two main complaints about the game.

      One is that the main hacking pattern wears a little thin by the end, especially with the wait time on the programs you use. I was expecting to be able to upgrade them or upgrade my processor or something over the course of the game to cause them to go faster, but that doesn’t happen. There was one tool in particular that was really neat to use but I dreaded using it as intended because of its wait time.

      The other complaint is that the network map of all the different servers you visit is a complete mess, and that never gets resolved. I kept trying to find a way to remove or hide nodes, but I don’t think there is one. If they were color-coded or filterable or better organized, it wouldn’t be much of a problem, but it made late-game stuff annoying simply because identifying where you needed to go was so difficult because the randomly scattered dots were identical and numerous.

      That said, there was a lot more good than bad. Spoilers for some stuff I really liked:

      Spoilers
      • The "reverse hack" was unexpected and exciting. It was a great "pop quiz" on using the skills you've learned so far.

      • Learning from the reverse hack that different x-server.sys files you've seen weren't just window dressing but were, well, literal window dressing was a really neat touch. Being able to change your theme in game by copying and swapping out files then rebooting the computer was very cool.

      • I liked the little breadcrumbs they dropped about different people. At one point you hack a company that has an arrogant and obnoxious CEO. You can read different emails and whatnot and get some insight into this not great guy. Later, in a completely different mission, you can find his name is in an academic database and see that he graduated with something like a 2.3 GPA. I liked the game's little touches like that.

      • Hacking the save files to "win" the clicker game was a big brain moment for me. I originally started playing it straight, then wondered how long it was going to take and that maybe I was supposed to run it in the background while I did other things. But then I realized the "right" way and felt so very cool.

      • The pacemaker sidequest was... intense. It was a good way of highlighting an ethical issue with hacking as well as the "distance" from personhood that something like hacking can create when everything is just commands entered into a screen. I like that it was narratively ambiguous. Did I help someone in need pass on, or did I commit murder at someone else's request? I genuinely don't know. The feeling that mission created in me is hard to explain but was genuinely significant.

      • I got stuck for way too long on a password that used a lowercase L instead of a 1. This is not a complaint -- I think it was a great, cheeky touch. Finally figuring it out helped me laugh at myself in the way that good puzzles often do.

      The non-spoilery version of what's in that block is that the game does a whole lot of novel or unexpected things that add meaningful color and flavor to the game. It's played almost entirely with terminal commands, but this is not a game about the terminal itself -- far from it.

      I do intend to play the DLC campaign, but I'm not starting it yet. It's on hold until the Backlog Burner is done. I've got a few other squares I'm working on -- there are more bingos I want to win!

      2 votes
      1. kfwyre
        Link Parent
        I forgot to ping @Shevanel in the above comment, and I'm not sure if notifications work in edits (if anyone does know the answer, please share!). The parent comment has my thoughts on Hacknet...

        I forgot to ping @Shevanel in the above comment, and I'm not sure if notifications work in edits (if anyone does know the answer, please share!).

        The parent comment has my thoughts on Hacknet which you asked about last week.

        1 vote
      2. Wes
        Link Parent
        Congrats on your first bingo! Hacknet has been on my backlog too. I played Uplink many years ago and have been wanting to find something that scratches the same itch, but I just hadn't gotten...

        Congrats on your first bingo! Hacknet has been on my backlog too. I played Uplink many years ago and have been wanting to find something that scratches the same itch, but I just hadn't gotten around to playing it yet.

        I'm also glad to know the game is accessible and fun, even for non-techies. You never really know with some of these terminal-focused games.

        1 vote
    5. kfwyre
      Link Parent
      BAD END THEATER - Great reviews, but not your usual type The game has an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam -- 97% positive for ~6,300 reviews. When I sorted the unplayed games in my library...

      BAD END THEATER - Great reviews, but not your usual type

      The game has an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam -- 97% positive for ~6,300 reviews. When I sorted the unplayed games in my library by their Steam review score, this was close to the top. It's not my usual type of game because it's a visual novel, which is a genre I've only dabbled in and don't actively seek out.

      The game has a central narrative that encompasses four different characters. You can play as each character and make choices as them. As you do this, you uncover personality traits for the characters that you can toggle on and off to affect how those characters behave in the story when you are not playing as them (effectively, you are pre-selecting the choices they make). So, for example, if I discover the Maiden's character trait of polite, I can toggle that on, play as the Hero, and the story will advance from the Hero's perspective, but down a path that's what would happen if I were playing as the Maiden and following the polite path. With four characters and multiple traits for each, the number of different possible combinations are quite impressive.

      The whole point of the game is to explore the various bad endings of the narrative, of which there are many. Each character has their own story map, and as you work your way through different branches, you uncover exactly what combination of character traits and choices you need to arrive at the different endings. Even though you're only technically playing one character at a time, you're really playing all of them by selecting traits for everyone at the beginning of the story. The game intends for you to replay it over and over and over again.

      I can see why the game has the review score it does, and I think it's a good reminder that Steam's review percentages are indicators of agreement more than they are of quality. 97% of people who played this agreed that it deserved a thumbs up. If I had to choose my thumb orientation for this game, I'd also choose a thumbs up -- it's well-made and has an interesting concept. If I had to give the game a quality score though, I'd say it's maybe a 7/10 (add on a point or two if you like visual novels).

      Even with text skip, exploring the different branches was tedious for me. Also, I didn't find the central story that interesting. It's very short (by design) so a lot of it feels insubstantial. Plus, running through all of the different permutations of it over and over again muddles everything, so it can be hard to remember what exactly is happening in your particular branch with your particular configuration.

      I do like the game conceptually, and I think the pixel art work in the game is fantastic. I also acknowledge that I'm well outside the target audience for this game. Not only do I not regularly read/play visual novels, but I also think the game is targeting people much younger than me. Overall it wasn't my cup of tea, but it wasn't a bad cup by any means.

      1 vote
  9. [5]
    Durinthal
    (edited )
    Link
    At this point I'm dodging getting a bingo while filling out other squares. I'll get at least one before I'm done, I promise. Wanted to get a blackout but don't think I'll have enough time for it....

    At this point I'm dodging getting a bingo while filling out other squares. I'll get at least one before I'm done, I promise. Wanted to get a blackout but don't think I'll have enough time for it.

    Durinthal's bingo card (12/25 but still no bingo)
    Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 12/25
    Has survival mechanics
    ✔ Frostpunk
    Considered a classic Music/rhythm-focused
    ✔ Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
    You can complete it in one sitting
    ✔ A Year of Springs
    From a series you have played
    ✔ Final Fantasy III
    Uses a unique control scheme Has a campaign longer than 8 hours
    ✔ Super Robot Wars 30
    Has gravity manipulation Light and dark play a role Is mostly text-based
    ✔ a new life.
    Uses procedural generation
    ✔ Death Must Die
    Popular game you never got around to playing ★ Wildcard You wanted it when you were younger Known for its difficulty
    ✔ Cuphead
    Set in a dungeon You chose it based on title alone
    ✔ 2064: Read Only Memories
    Has a review score below 64 Recommended by someone IRL It’s already installed
    ✔ Storyteller
    Has a lives system You can create your own character You don't think you'll enjoy it
    ✔ LoveChoice
    Has both combat and puzzles
    ✔ Blossom Tales 2
    Has environmental storytelling
    2 votes
    1. [2]
      Durinthal
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Cuphead jumped onto my wishlist as soon as I saw its initial trailer nearly a decade ago. I have a great fondness of cartoons from the early 20th century (and it was clear its creators did as...

      Cuphead jumped onto my wishlist as soon as I saw its initial trailer nearly a decade ago. I have a great fondness of cartoons from the early 20th century (and it was clear its creators did as well) and I wanted to support anything that used that kind of aesthetic on principle alone, so I've owned it on Switch and Steam for years without touching it before now. Fortunately it's also a good game, though not an easy one by any means; the choice to focus on a classic run and gun experience ended up giving it the "difficult" tag on Steam and an easy pick for the related square on my card since I don't have anything in the Dark Souls franchise or the like in my library yet.

      For me it scratches the same kind of itch as playing uncleared Mario Maker levels: it's a lot of fun when I want to grind at a 2D side scrolling game for a few hours, learning patterns and getting good so to speak, but I need to be in the mood for it so it's just going to be something I pluck away at from time to time.


      Super Robot Wars 30 — "Has a campaign longer than 8 hours?" I had 35 hours in my save when I last touched it about a year ago. I've put another 15 hours into it in the past week and I'm still not close to completing the main story.

      The franchise is essentially Kingdom Hearts for mecha anime and it plays out as a turn-based tactical strategy game, with more than a dozen different anime series involved with this game alone. This particular entry from 2021 celebrates the 30th anniversary of the franchise but it's the first to be released in the west; I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to earlier but ran into licensing issues with all the different series that they include (Macross in particular which isn't present in this one), though I imagine it's just as likely they didn't think there would be as much of an audience for it.

      The latter's true regardless, this is the kind of game where it's total fanservice if you've seen the anime included and almost impenetrable if you haven't. I've only watched about half of the entries and for some of the ones I haven't I just bounce off their plots because I'm not all that interested in them, but for the ones I have it's a lot of fun to see crossover conversations between characters. For example, McGillis (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans) wants to take lessons from Lelouch (Code Geass) and Char (Mobile Suit Gundam) for reasons that make sense if you've seen all three but you can only somewhat infer if you haven't. It's fun to watch Ernie (Knight's & Magic and yes that's the correct punctuation in the title and it bothers me) team up with the girls from Magic Knight Rayearth as a group of people who went from Japan to fantasy worlds with magic.

      For every protagonist in this game it also feels like they have their antagonists around, so there isn't one main plot but rather more than half a dozen with different villain team-ups happening as well. Somehow the writing fits all of this into one world where things don't necessarily make sense compared to the canon of their original series but you just roll with it.

      Plot aside, I think there's a decent amount of tactical depth to the game but I'm also playing it relatively easy rather than taking it as a challenge on higher difficulty levels. Pilots and mecha both have their own stats and abilities and can be switched around if you so desire, but so far I've mostly been sticking with the original pairings and rolling across maps that way.

      Is it a good game if you aren't intimately familiar with a dozen different mecha series? Eh... probably not. Am I going to continue having fun sending Chirico in his 4m tall Scopedog to take down super robots more than ten times larger? Absolutely.

      3 votes
      1. Wes
        Link Parent
        Cuphead would 100% be on my backlog if I owned it. I don't know if I can keep up with the bullet hell, but the aesthetics are so beautifully drawn and consistent that I appreciate the game for its...

        Cuphead would 100% be on my backlog if I owned it. I don't know if I can keep up with the bullet hell, but the aesthetics are so beautifully drawn and consistent that I appreciate the game for its visuals alone.

        I don't even know what to say to Super Robot Wars except that it is beyond wacky and I love that you love it. Thanks for sharing your write-up, and great job in really committing to these titles!

        3 votes
    2. Durinthal
      Link Parent
      A few years ago I played Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King, a 2D action-adventure game heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past which is one of my all-time favorites. I quite...

      A few years ago I played Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King, a 2D action-adventure game heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past which is one of my all-time favorites. I quite enjoyed it and last year discovered that the sequel, Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince, had come out so I picked that up too but didn't immediately play it. This is a perfect candidate for a game that "has both combat and puzzles" so I played through it over the past few days.

      While the sequel doesn't have much of a direct story tie-in to the first game, they're both framed as stories being told to a couple of kids by their grandfather with him providing narration and the kids occasionally interjecting. They also offer choices that don't affect the overall story but are there for flavor, like what enemy you might encounter in a fight or which musical instrument you pick up. If you die in combat that might be cited as grandpa getting distracted for a moment before resuming the story or him trying to trick the kids before telling them what really happened. It's all cute and a great setup for a kid-friendly adventure story.

      It's also generous with quality of life improvements compared to A Link to the Past, like the grandpa reminding you what your next objective is when you load a save and the fast travel system being available early on. There's minimal backtracking in dungeons with a lot of shortcuts available once you've advanced through rooms and the dungeon layouts are straightforward enough that it's usually fairly obvious where you need to go next. Health refills are plentiful outside of boss battles if you're low and even dying just resets the room so being bad at combat doesn't have much of a downside until you get stuck on a boss for a few tries.

      The first time I came across a new type of puzzle it might have taken me a few minutes to figure out what the objective was and how to properly interact with it, but once that's down there was nothing terribly difficult and the introductory puzzle of its kind was always pretty simple which is good to ease you in. They're mostly standard types of things that I've seen in 2D Pokémon and Zelda like block pushing and a couple of variations on walking a path in a specific pattern.

      I was able to breeze through the story in ~6.5 hours and I'm quite happy with that, I wanted something like A Link to the Past with a little novelty to it and that's exactly what I got. There are a lot of optional bits that I skipped out on so I think a completionist time would be closer to double that, though some of them seemed rather tedious like a lot of back-and-forth for mail delivery.

      3 votes
    3. Durinthal
      Link Parent
      Storyteller is a puzzle game that was "already installed" on my Steam Deck so a quick check for that square. It has a dynamic comic style where you build out a scene over multiple panels with a...

      Storyteller is a puzzle game that was "already installed" on my Steam Deck so a quick check for that square. It has a dynamic comic style where you build out a scene over multiple panels with a setting and characters in each to solve each puzzle, e.g. one objective could be "the murderer is haunted by their victim" which would require giving one character a gun in the first panel, making them shoot someone in the second, then having the other character return as a ghost in the third. It's a fun mechanic and a few of the scenarios made me chuckle (one is titled "Godot" with a very straightforward goal).

      I got to the main credits at 66% complete in just over two hours so it's quite short, and while I enjoyed what I did I don't have much of an urge to go for 100% right now.

      2 votes