The Modern Sisyphus

Just trying to finish my backlog (I won't) This is just me talking about what I'm playing, what I've played, and what I want to play next. Feel free to send me any recommendations or questions!

[toomanygames]

First finished game of the new year was a replay of Hollow Knight.

I forgot how much I love this game, the atmosphere is immaculate, such a wonderfully crafted world, just being in it is such a good time. Some of the harder platforming challenges were a bit maddening but it was definitely worth it to me. The first time I played I just got the default ending while this time I actually beat the Radiance and did a lot more of the expansions stuff so while it was a replay I still got to experience a bit of the game for the first time. Loved (almost) every second of it.

I rarely replay any games but I really enjoyed this. I think it was a good laid back start to my year of gaming, I think I'm going to put less pressure on myself to finish things and just play to have fun.

And also try to buy less games lol

[devilcat3d]

daily affirmations: i want to play more video games. i will play more video games. even tho it's hard for me I want and will play more video games. cute girls want to watch me play video games and that makes it all worth it

[toomanygames]

Just finished Omori

What the hell man

[toomanygames]

I did finish Dragon Age 2

It was similar enough to the first one, good writing and interesting characters, with wonky gameplay. The characters in this one were far less charming than the first in my opinion but I did like how much things changed for all the characters over the course of the game. The game felt pretty constrained sometimes, like there were barely any locations, but I think it worked with the story.

Speaking of, while I liked that there wasn't really a good/evil conflict so much as like dispute of personal beliefs. I found it a little frustrating at times as well. Like everyone was forcibly making things Hawke's problem. I'll probably check out Inquisition at some point since I already own it, but there are many more things ahead of it on the list.

[toomanygames]

Finished MulletMadjack

This was a fun and fast paced game with a sick retro vibe. My biggest complaint is that it is too short. I love the over the top and satirical nature of it, it was very self aware in a way that was endearing instead of annoying as self aware things can easily be in my opinion. Had a lot of fun with it, but I think I've done all there is to do with it for the most part.

Started a bit of a boomer shooter kick for me I think. I own several and they're all not very long so that seems like a good way to keep knocking a few off the backlog. I have been playing some other stuff here and there but I'll definitely be sure to finish some more.

[toomanygames]

Finished Have a Nice Death.

When I bought this I thought it was a metroidvania, but it is actually a rougelike. Apart from the initial surprise, I was able to get into, I think this year has really opened up the genre to me as something I can play and enjoy. It's a 2D platformer so it plays uniquely, and has a cast of quirky characters although most didn't leave much of an impact. I still enjoyed playing it and figuring out how to beat proceed on my runs and which weapons and spells worked best and all that good stuff that I apparently am into now. I was very happy to have managed to get the true ending, and may play a couple runs here and there but it's not something I feel motivated to keep playing after beating it like I did with Hades.

[toomanygames]

Finished Mouthwashing in one sitting.

I had heard a lot of good things about it

And was very interested to play it but I think I came out of it kind of let down. I don't mind when a game is basically just walking and lightly interacting with things, I think that can be an incredibly effective way to tell a story, but this was just so.... okay I guess. I thought it would be scarier in a more typical horror games sense so that might be part of it too. I don't think it was a bad game by any means, I just didn't particularly enjoy or get much out of it I suppose.

I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on it, and if they had a much different reaction to it than me.

[toomanygames]

Just finished the main story of Hades.

My biggest complaint is how luck based things seemed/felt. I know that's pretty common for rougelikes but I can find it pretty frustrating at times. My second complaint is that I had to beat it TEN times to see the ending. From a narrative standpoint it made sense, and the twist after the first escape was very engaging. But also like, c'mon.

Other than that I really enjoyed it, the gameplay loop was quite addictive and the variety of talents and abilities made me feel like there was always something to try out on my next run. I'll probably still play the occasional run here and there, get some side quests done and all that but happy to have played it and be able to add it to my list of completed games.

The second one is still in early access which is something I generally try to avoid, and I have plenty of other things to focus on right now, but as soon as it gets a full release I'll be checking it out.

[toomanygames]

Finally finished Signalis.

Took way longer than it should have cause I stopped playing and completely forgot what I was doing and had to restart. When I finally beat it I realized I was about 30 minutes away from beating it the first time.

This was extremely hyped up to me, which I don't really like as that can often set my expectations pretty high. But at least in terms of story I think it delivered. The whole aesthetic and vibe of the game is amazing, I love the retro feel shot completely through everything, from the world to the actual gameplay elements. The story was very confusing, so I will be watching quite a few video essays on the game just to see what other people thought. But still I liked it, it was a somber and emotional trudge in the best possible way.

When it came to the actual gameplay and especially some of the puzzles I was let down. Many felt just like busy work, or just frustrating. I also understand inventory management has a huge role in survival horror but sometimes I do find it quite annoying.

That being said, I'm very glad I finally got to play and finish it and it's definitely the type of game that leaves you thinking about it long after. I am definitely excited for the post completion discussions and deep dives for this game.

[toomanygames]

Finished Returnal

As a whole I really liked it. It was a challenge but the story and the way it's intermingled with the gameplay was such a cool and new way of doing it I've never seen anything quite like it. The shifting alien planet worked really well for a roguelike game, and I'm always always always interested in a time loop story.

Some of the areas felt more difficult or unfair than others and sometimes it was hard to feel like I was making any progress. Those were two really big negatives and I definitely had to like push through a bit more than usual. The final challenge however I felt like I could tell how far I had come and how I understand and was excelling at the gameplay which is the feeling I always look for in difficult games. I only really felt like this towards the end and not as much like a steady improvement as I played.

Looking back my time with it was still mostly positive and I would recommend it. To both people who like piecing a game's story together, or the kind of people who are more interested in gameplay than story as you aren't forced, only encouraged to interact with it.

[toomanygames]

Finished Devil May Cry 5

Loved this one, the gameplay is so slick and stylish, and everything in it is so over the top I love it. Visually it is very impressive too. I had some trouble with a couple bosses but overall the gameplay was fun and made me feel like I was doing it right.

Except for the secret missions, I think I successfully completed one and gave up on every other one I found.

Still a lot of cool fun, I love those characters and that world and it's easily my favorite game from the franchise as someone who's completed all of them. Dante is one of my favorite characters of all time tbh, hope there's more someday but until then I might replay on higher difficulties or try to get better rankings if I just want some stylish fun.

[toomanygames]

Finished Planet of Lana

It's this cute 2d platform with like a painted kind of look. It's very reminiscent of Limbo and Inside but much more colorful, and there's a story that makes more sense and got me emotionally invested. Having a little animal friend who can help you solve puzzles but you have to protect also added to that a lot. The soundtrack was beautiful, and I'd totally recommend it if you want to play a short but excellent little game.

[toomanygames]

Finished AI The Somnium Files.

I've been working on this one for a while, it ended up being way longer than I expected but it was good. A very weird and quirky kind of anime visual novel detective game. The story was insane the whole way through. I know there are 2 more games in the series so might have to check those out at some point too.

[toomanygames]

Finished Sifu.

This game kicks ass. It was so unique and challenging but not unfair which made it a super enjoyable experience for me. I would get absolutely demolished by a boss fight and have to redo the whole level several times to be able to even move on to the next one. But every time I could feel and see myself improving and getting better which is one of my favorite feelings to experience from a videogame. If you like martial arts action or just a good challenge I would highly recommend it.

[toomanygames]

Finished Sorry We're Closed.

I bought this since it was pride month and wanted to support such an openly queer focused and marketed game and cause it also looked interesting. It has that old survival horror aesthetic and charm but with a lot more focus on the world and characters. It's a shorter game but I really got into, the amount of impactful choices you can make surprised me. It has a similar energy to Signalis (a game I have regrettably not finished yet) if you're into that kind of thing. I will say only like half of it is really that survival horror aspect, the rest is a lot more social/walking sim kind of energy.

[toomanygames]

Finished Jusant

It's this cute little game about climbing an absolutely massive tower/mountain. It was surprisingly relaxing to me, there were some stressful or frustrating moments I had but overall I thought it was a mostly peaceful experience.

There are collectibles and notes you can find that really make the world feel real and lived I was surprised how much of an emotional impact the game had on me when I was done. It's only a few hours long and I enjoyed my time with it.

[toomanygames]

Finished Death's Gambit: Afterlife.

I had actually never heard of this game before and didn't really have any expectations going in but it really surprised me. It's a 2D pixel art metroidvaina with some gnarly combat and it is surprisingly difficult. There is a mechanic where you have a stat that increases every time you die which can negatively affect your ending. I thought it was inspired but also extremely frustrating at times. My first playthrough I got a neutral ending, I died so many times and that made me almost just put the game down entirely.

But I decided to try a new game plus and did so much better, dying far less and put in the work to get the true ending. The story was pretty gripping to me and I'd be interested to see if a sequel will get made. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a challenge or are a big fan of dark fantasy. The story is pretty dark, but there are some fun and lighthearted moments scattered throughout which I think works for serious games.