“I Just Think They're Neat.” Like What You are Playing

[Bongo]

I don't usually go in for horror, but "Mouthwashing" is extremely good. Finished it in one sitting. Super creepy and atmospheric. Free of jump scares, and only a few segments where I fell off its wavelength.

Probably the second-best short stylish indie adventure game I played this year. "Thank Goodness You're Here!" is in first place, but there's still time left in the month for "1000xResist," which I haven't started yet, to claim the title.

 

[Issun]

1000x Resist is quite a bit longer. 10-12 hours as opposed to the couple of hours ythe other two take.

 

[ShakeWell]

I Am Your Beast kicks ass.

 

[Aurelia]

I am not sure if it counts if I’m not playing it? But I’ve been watching my boyfriend go through Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and it’s incredible. Honestly just tons of fun from a combat, story and exploration perspective. Really recommended if you like immersive sims or games by MachineGames (the new wolfenstein devs they made this!). Think this is likely to be a sleeper hit and future cult classic, which I didn’t expect going into it.

I also really like how exploration and puzzles are implemented into the open areas, the game has incredible level design. It took a while for it to open up for me to reach that opinion but I’ve had so much fun solving puzzles with my boyfriend on the sofa together lol. It’s a very fun game to play with another person watching and interacting.

And while I still think Deus Ex level design is incredible, I think that this game has a decent argument to be made in how it feels even better? Not sure if it’s a fair comparison considering it’s 2000 vs 2024 lol

 

[Adrenaline]

Yeah the Great Circle rules. I've played it for 17 hours and have very few complaints.

 

[Violentvixen]

Wrapping up with Cattails:Wildwood story. Which is apparently only $2 on Switch but $20 on Steam. I very highly recommend it. I'll probably keep poking at it but I've done all the story stuff and gotten to the bottom of the mines. There's one rare bug that only shows up in winter that I haven't found so hopefully I stumble across it eventually.

It should not surprise anyone that I married the Science Cat.

Also my den has a disco floor and I sleep on a pile of gold, what else could I want?

 

[Sarcasmorator]

Nora's a fan of that one.

 

[Mogri]

This looks totally up my girls' alley. For $2, I'll see if they take to it.

 

[Kirin]

So, basically Stardew Valley but you’re a cat? I can dig it.

 

[Adrenaline]

I read some Balatro tips and immediately got my first win on the next run. Feels cool to blow past barriers that stopped you before.

 

[Violentvixen]

This looks totally up my girls' alley. For $2, I'll see if they take to it.

I hope they like it!

So, basically Stardew Valley but you’re a cat? I can dig it.

Very minimal planting/gardening to be clear, but yeah.

 

[Nodal]

Yeah the Great Circle rules. I've played it for 17 hours and have very few complaints.

My only complaints so far are handwriting related.

 

[Mogri]

I hope they like it!

I had to come back and thank you for the rec. My 13yo, who doesn't typically play Switch, has never liked a game this much. She just got cat-married and is already planning who she'll romance on the next go round. $2 well spent. My only complaint is how much the kids are fighting over turns on the TV.

 

[Violentvixen]

I had to come back and thank you for the rec. My 13yo, who doesn't typically play Switch, has never liked a game this much. She just got cat-married and is already planning who she'll romance on the next go round. $2 well spent. My only complaint is how much the kids are fighting over turns on the TV.

That is awesome! I gotta know, who did she marry this time and plans to marry next?

 

[Mogri]

Elli this time (mostly, I think, because that's the easiest), Talon next.

 

[Mogri]

It's gotten out of hand, and we now own four copies of Cattails: Wildwood Story plus one copy of Cattails (it was an accident). All of my kids are cats now.

On a lark, I started my own file, made a camo-colored cat, and specced heavily into the terrible "Throw Pinecone" skill.

 

[Violentvixen]

It's gotten out of hand, and we now own four copies of Cattails: Wildwood Story plus one copy of Cattails (it was an accident). All of my kids are cats now.

On a lark, I started my own file, made a camo-colored cat, and specced heavily into the terrible "Throw Pinecone" skill.

This is wonderful (also good spouse choices)

 

[Mr Bean]

6 months in and I'm still enjoying Zenless Zone Zero. It's got all the usual dopamine traps inherent to gatcha games, but it respects my time enough that banging out dailies takes all of 5-10 minutes. The character animation is where it's at though. They throw every animation trick in the book at the cinematics - squash and stretch, snap frames, coyote time, rubber band limbs, flash impact frames, etc. Dan Floyd did a thing where he thought they went too far and were throwing in motion without purpose, but I like how dang Looney Tunes everything looks.

 

[Aurelia]

Going through Pokemon Legends Arceus after originally dropping it at launch a few hours in and it’s really fun. It wasn’t clicking with me before as I had a lot of IRL stuff going on but this this is exactly the game I needed to play right now.

 

[Baudshaw]

Going through Pokemon Legends Arceus after originally dropping it at launch a few hours in and it’s really fun. It wasn’t clicking with me before as I had a lot of IRL stuff going on but this this is exactly the game I needed to play right now.

I honestly think it's my favorite Pokemon game. It honestly does so much stuff well, besides the iffy graphics. But the gameplay and exploration part is fun

 

[Paul le Fou]

Tactical Breach Wizards is fun, though for some reason I can only play it in brief sessions at a time. But the writing is witty and funny and tactically solving the puzzle-like battles can be very satisfying, even if I wish I could level up faster (I want more of those fun/strong perks!)

 

[Aurelia]

I honestly think it's my favorite Pokemon game. It honestly does so much stuff well, besides the iffy graphics. But the gameplay and exploration part is fun

Yeah interacting with the pokemon and the environment is so much fun. It’s just a fantastic game to play when I kinda wanna shut my brain off but have fun. It rules. Stealthing to catch pokemon in the grass crouching rules too lol

 

[Baudshaw]

PLA is a bit weird with its completionist stuff, though. There’s the regular Pokédex which is very easy to get, since there’s no trade exclusives. Besides a few event Pokemon, it’s very fun and a great progression. However, there’s an optional “max-out” progression that’s ridiculously grueling.

 

[Adrenaline]

I played the first couple hours of Dragon Age II. I got into it more than I expected. I lost my save from the first game a while ago so I used the default backstory which seemed to fit my memory. It seems like every big RPG now is an open world action game, so it was just kind of refreshing to play one that doesn't fit that description.

 

[Paul le Fou]

Astro Bot is just...nice. It's graphically gorgeous, it controls smoothly, it's simple, it's not hard but it manages to keep a few secrets, it's got a fun theme... it's just nice to play.

 

[FelixSH]

Honestly, Astro Bot looks like a Nintendo game to me. Not because of quality, or stuff like that (which obviously is in there - haven't played it, but seen videos). But just by how it looks, how much personality and charm it has. It's a cute, cartoony game, which just isn't a thing anymore with the Playstation.

 

[jpfriction]

Ratchet and Clank is pretty cartoony

 

[FelixSH]

Does that series still exist? Are they getting new games?

Dunno, still seems cooler (dunno, something like that) than the adorable Astro Bots. That thing is just way too adorable, and I think Sony could do with more of that. Just such a breath of fresh air.

 

[Sarcasmorator]

Rift Apart came out in 2021. No reason to think the series is done imo, it just takes a few years between. It was five years between the reboot R&C and that.

 

[Issun]

I've heard rumors of Insomniac possibly dropping the series in favor of Spidermans and whatever else, but nothing certain.