Happy holidays! Could I grab the copy of Kingdom Two Crowns? The review will come shortly :)

I have always wanted to try out the Steamworld games so I would love to give Steamworld Dig a try. I'm actually off the next three days, so if you give it to me and I will definitely play it and try to report back before Christmas. Cheers!

I'd love to try Inmost, it looks so pretty!

Hi :) I would gladly accept Pikuniku. Please and thank you. Happy Holidays and all the best!

Welp, I've heard so much good stuff about Slay the Spire that I might as well seize the opportunity. I like card games a lot, so this should be something fun to obsess over the holidays.

I will definitely not get around to playing it during the holidays, but I have a long proven record of eventually playing everything and providing feedback here on tildes (you can check my comment history!) If that's OK with you, then the one game in that list I don't yet have is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. I heard good things! Thanks. (If you'd rather keep it for someone else who'll play it sooner, that's also fine, don't worry.)

Superhot.

Back when everyone was using it as b-roll in YT vids it always seemed like a cool game to play.

I’ll try my best not to make it backlog fodder lol.
No FFXIV sub to worry about and not sure what I want to play anyway.

SOMA looks spooky and engaging, definitely interested in playing it

Papers Please looks really interesting! If it's still available I'd love to give it a go!

Hi, I was looking at this game for a few years, but always hesitated to buy because I’ve heard it wastes a lot of time on mundane life things. It took me three attempts to get into rdr2 and finally complete it, and I wish I’ve done this sooner. Just want more games with mature storylines. I wonder if kingdom come is also rewarding if you persist.

To tell you the truth I am not very interested in medieval history, but I would gladly participate in a medieval style feast and get stuffed in the local food and drinks.

I've always been interested in this game, but my gaming budget was dropped off after I had kids. Tons of games on my wishlist, and the idea that I may get to them one day appeals to me. Also, thanks for being generous enough to offer to gift a game!

My fun fact is that the Mongol's once demanded 3,000 hats as part of an annual tribute from a Kingdom in Anatolia. These hats were also so popular after crusaders brought them back that there was an attempt to ban them in Europe, I heard about this on the History of Byzantium podcast, and he mentioned it again that a listener had followed up on this during one of his recent Q&A episodes. This article is fascinating and well worth your time! https://teamtrash.substack.com/p/the-hat-that-purchased-a-kingdom

I'd highly recommend the podcast as well, I knew nothing about the late Roman Empire, beyond that it existed, and I played a campaign as them in Medieval 2 Total War when I was younger. It's given me a new appreciation for that period of history and that region of the world.

So I used to go over to my buddies house to play D&D in his basement. Super original, I know. I don't remember exactly how it came about, but I made a mage and named him "Wishal" with the goal of gaining the spell Wish which also ages you when you use it. During the campaign I got an item that allowed me to cast wish before I was high enough level. I'm pretty sure I wished for enough experience to get to the right level to learn wish and our DM allowed it. Then basically the rest of our campaign was me abusing Wish to do crazy things until I eventually died of old age. Thanks for this prompt, I had completely forgotten about that campaign until now. That was like 26 years ago or so.

FTL please!

I don't know how to share a link to my comment but here is an Against the Storm recommendation that I gave after I read about it on Tildes.
https://tildes.net/~games/18kc/what_games_have_you_been_playing_and_whats_your_opinion_on_them#comment-9u58

I'd love Tower of Guns if available.

Here's a link to my recent discussion on Victoria 3 (great game, highly recommend!). I love that thread. And the game deals thread. And the hidden gems thread. And this giveaway thread. Tildes has ones of the best and most-wholesome gaming communities I've ever been a part of. So thanks for participating and making it awesome!

I really enjoyed that toy that's filled with water, and you play it by pushing a button that pushes water in a direction to make things happen, like fish icons move or balls into a basket, that kind of thing. I don't know the name. There were several of these.

It was neat and fascinating for me, and I would recommend it to a kid nowadays. But probably to someone who is younger.

I've heard nothing but effusive praise for this game, so I figure I should give it a try eventually!

One of my favorite childhood games was Super Mario Galaxy. I still don't think Nintendo has surpassed it since (maybe in pure gameplay - but not in style or heart), so I would definitely still choose to gift it to a kid today.

I'll join this giveaway, I don't have Balatro so I'd like to see what all the fuss is about.

The answer to your question that feels most right is The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past. I'm afraid this might not be a very interesting answer; of course I'd gift it to a kid, as this is still considered by many to be one of the best videogames ever made; it aged really well!

I too am also curious about this game! Thanks for the giveaway :)

Supertux

My father's a mega Linux nerd so I grew up with a shared PC that was essentially a testing instance. We'd probably get at least 7 new distros a year - clean slate, no notice that everything was being wiped. For a long time, Windows was a peripheral thing and consoles were permanently banned.

Each time we had a new distro, we'd be eager to see what games it came bundled with (if any). Supertux was one of the more reliable offerings. It's essentially a Mario-style platformer where you play as Tux penguin, the Linux mascot. As you'd expect, the game gets progressively more difficult.

I was never very good at the game, but I did enjoy it a lot, especially making it to the forest biome after so much persistence. Perhaps the reason I don't play a lot of platformers these days is simply because of the experience of having my progress reset over and over again.... But now I've just discovered that it's free and early access on Steam (with the prospect of a cloud save!) I will have to check it out again this holidays!

Ooh I've heard pretty universal praise for Balatro, so I'm interested.

As far as a game I played when I was a kid that I would still gift today, I would have to say Kingdom Hearts. I think the original has so much charm and creativity that you don't find in games nowadays, certainly not in the most recent KH3. The gameplay has also aged incredibly well imo!

Sorry this is a day later than planned, got busier than expected with Christmas and its immediate aftermath. It also occurred to me that I never specified a limit on games. So, since no one wanted the same game, I sent all the requested keys! @alcappuccino, @BailerAppleby, @Eidolon and @fefellama, congrats on getting the keys and thanks for sharing reindeer games, stories and made-up traditions! Hope you guys like the games!

That said: I'll leave the giveaway open for another few days. No need to give a story or reindeer game this time. First come, first served, one game per person. Unless someone wants Sonic 4, since it'd be weird to just get one episode.

(Also, if anyone's curious, we ended up not playing any reindeer games at our Christmas Eve party. Honestly I had a feeling that would happen, most of the time was spent talking and catching up. Was still fun to hear your ideas though! I'll keep those in mind for future parties.)

Hi :) I would gladly accept Oxenfree. It's been on my radar for such a long time, but never clicked on buy.

And to others, please for the love of god, someone take Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, it is such a great game. If you played Commandos game like I did when I was a kid, you will love this game. Sadly the company Mimimi closed down recently :(

Any ways, happy holidays and all the best!

Ugly Christmas sweaters have become so trendy that they're sold at Walmart. I know because I bought mine from there. For a new holiday tradition, true Yuletide bon vivants need to up their game and go old school by dressing in robes a la the nativity scene. I mean, at this point, why not and, if not for someplace to put your keys and phone, it makes for comfortable attire for tolerating the in-laws.

Requested games: Not Tonight 2 (sign-of-the-times pick), Strikey Sisters (aliteration pick), or Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (if just to satisfy @alcappuccino, so please make this the top pick)

My reindeer game is one we play with family and friends every year but we don't even have a name for it! It's loads of fun and easy !

The rules:

1. Divide the group into pairs or if an odd number make a group of 3 (you can have both pairs and a 3 group at once, it doesn't matter).
2. Distribute slips of paper and pens and have everyone write down the name of a real person on without showing anyone what it is. This could be a historical persona (living or dead), celebrity, artist, a friend, etc.
3. Everyone is assigned one person who they will attach the slip of paper to that person's forehead (use cellotape). If a pair, this is a simple exchange, if a larger group, form a circle and you pass on to the next person in the circle. The result: everyone has a piece of paper on their forehead with a name on it that they don't know, but everyone else in the group who is participating can see it.
4. Allow some time for everyone to observe each other (usually there will be some funny reactions).
5. Assign a turn order (around the circle works). At each person's turn, they get to ask a question that has a 'yes' or 'no' answer. For example: 'Am I a politician?' 'Am I dead or alive?' etc.
6. If the answer is 'yes', that person gets to ask another question. Their turn ends when they get a 'no' or win the game by correctly guessing the person.
7. You can keep going until everyone's guessed correctly or has given up!

Hints:

• Folks should try to ensure the person who gets the slip on their head can guess the person!
• Since people know who they are assigned to give a slip to, they can write someone who they think that particular person would have a good chance of knowing, even if the person is really obscure to the group.

Bonus

Additional game that's more tricky that we call 'the hat game'. You need: paper, pens, egg timer or phone with timer app.

1. Divide your group into 2 teams (works best for groups of 6-8).
2. Give everyone in the group 5 slips of paper.
3. Everyone writes down any phrase on the paper - could be a person, place, thing, saying, inside joke...
4. All pieces of paper go into a hat or box.
5. Roll a dice to determine which team starts.
6. On each turn, the team assigns one person that will draw from the hat who will be responsible for trying to encourage the others in the team to guess what's on the paper. You flip/set timer for 1 minute:

• Round 1 = Person drawing from hat has to describe what's on the paper without using any words on the paper and only their team can guess.
• Round 2 = Person drawing from the hat has to mime what's on the paper (no words but you can use non-verbal sounds) and only their team can guess.
• Round 3 = No timer for this round. The person drawing from the hat is only allowed to say one word (without being any of the words on the paper, but evocative of what's on it) - but this time everyone including the opposing team can guess - so choose the word wisely! Once that one word is guessed that team's turn is up.

6. In Round 1 & 2, Team members try to correctly guess as many as they can within the time. A correct guess means you can draw another slip of paper from the hat. The Team keeps the slips they guessed correctly, if left with a slip that wasn't guessed, it goes back into the hat at the end of the turn. No skips, you're stuck with the slip you draw!
7. Once the team is finished their turn, the other team has a go and you keep switching turns until there are no slips left. Then you count how many each team has, note it down as your score for the round.
8. Once you've played through the 3 rounds you'll have a final score and winning team.

Hints:

• This game favours those who can memorise what's in the slips to guess faster in the second and third rounds.
• You get a lot of 'it's on the tip of my tongue but can't remember' moments that are hilarious!
• Those who are sneaky might make lots of inside jokes and things that would make it harder for the other team to guess/remember.

Game picks:
Torment: Tides of Numenera: I picked up Planescape: Torment recently. For some reason I never played any of the isometric CRPG classics as a kid. After really enjoying Disco Elysium, the Pillars of Eternity series and Tyranny, I'm intending to work my way through the classic RPGs when my time starts to free up a bit more next year (and document my adventures on Tildes!).

Alternative: Wasteland 2: Director's Cut. For the same reasons as above - family resemblence here with creative input from folks who worked on Planescape and Tides of Numenera!

I'd love to try Forests, Fields, and Fortresses if it's available. If not, then maybe the PAGO FOREST tower defense game.

To be honest I had never heard of a reindeer game before your post, so all I can offer is a funny xmas story from when I was a kid: a long time ago when I was maybe 3 or 4 my family went to Chile on vacation around holiday season. While there they took me to see Santa at a mall and helped me write him a letter of what I wanted. So for my entire childhood I thought Santa lived in Chile. It gets funnier though. What I asked for in my letter was for a little foosball table, since I loved soccer. However, in my native tongue (Portuguese), the word for foosball table also happens to be the stereoptypical name for a dog (think Fido or Spot). So after the vacation, my parents asked me if I was sure Santa would bring me a foosball table, or if he might think I meant a dog. I'm willing to bet I was the only kid who was absolutely relieved to NOT receive a puppy on Christmas morning, lol.

Hi Psy,
I'd love Persona 5 Strikers if you still have it. Thanks so much for doing this everyone!