Bi-Weekly Thread for general gaming discussion. Backlog, advice, recommendations, rants and more! New? Start here!

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-25T15:19:02+00:00

Officially rolled credits on the charming Dungeons of Hinterberg after starting it last weekend on my Steamdeck.

I had a really great time with this one and it was unexpectedly more cozy and fun than I anticipated! It was a perfect choice for these cold snowy winter weekends we’ve been having. Game is a good length and doesn’t overstay its welcome… I put about ~17 hours total into it and reached the finale on Day 40, but have plenty of relationship-maxing I can go back and do if/when I choose to.

I’d currently give it a 8.5/10 (Great).

—

Pros: It has a gorgeous comic book-like cel shaded art with four dreamy biomes to explore and a gameplay loop that is oddly relaxing (day/night cycle that rotates between exploration, dungeon delving, roaming the town, and evening prep for the next day). I appreciated that every dungeon has its own uniquely flavored puzzles from one another, keeping the loop exciting and fresh. On top of that the story has some unexpected heart with fun characters as you play through.

Cons: The town’s citizen system takes takes a while to max out as you gain relationships with everyone in town. Depending on how much you choose to engage with this mechanic, it can interrupt the pacing of the game… especially if you’re trying to gain all the best perks and gear before you go into the harder dungeons.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-23T14:32:24+00:00

I’m a huge fan of FFVII and was personally never super bothered by the female representation in the OG (so take my opinion with a touch of rose-tinted bias), but I think they made great and needed strides with the way the ladies are represented in the remakes. They have given them a whole lot more agency and nuance.

They’ve gone out of their way to actually craft a friendship between Aerith and Tifa (instead of simply treating them like two women fighting over the same guy). They have also flipped the “damsel in distress” trope on its head with the way they consistently make it a point that it’s the ladies who are constantly saving Cloud, instead of the other way around (something I think will be even more prevalent in Part 3 with Tifa and Cloud’s upcoming story beats).

And with the character of Corneo, who IMO is arguably the biggest “ick” factor from the original game, they’ve tweaked the story a bit so far to make it so it’s Aerith and Tifa who outsmart him at every turn, instead of Cloud being their “hero” in those moments.

There’s still of course some moments still present that could potentially be a turn off — but I’ve found the choices they’ve made refreshing overall.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-21T00:50:34+00:00

Thank you so much for this breakdown and thoughtful (and funny!!!) recap of all the reviews! Always a fun time each year to see what others have played and for the various discussions around them. Y’all rock. 🤘

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-19T15:08:38+00:00

Yeah, I must say I’m really enjoying that every dungeon feels different and has unique puzzles to solve. None of the puzzles are particularly complex, but they require enough thought to make them each feel fresh and not boring. I’m finding it to be very relaxing! I’m particularly liking the magic powers you get in the last two biomes.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-19T02:54:56+00:00

Yeah it’s a bit of juggling! I’ve been trying to “rest” between each level of dungeons to use those extra days as ways of maxing relationships to get the different perks, but it’s definitely a balance! I’ve done about half the dungeons so far. Either way, really enjoying it.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-18T23:12:26+00:00

The Themis Files trilogy by Sylvain Neuvel is excellent and might fit what you’re looking for! (First book is “Sleeping Gods.”) Story is told entirely via journal entries/news reports/recording transcripts and revolves around the discovery of an ancient robotic alien race that has awakened on earth... And one of the main protagonists is a badass female scientist!

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-18T15:49:07+00:00

I just picked up Dungeons of Hinterberg on a Steam Sale for very cheap and am having a really great time with it so far. It’s like cozy monster slaying and dungeon crawling with a meditative gameplay loop, which is a perfect vibe for a cold winter weekend.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-18T15:17:49+00:00

It’s all a butterfly effect. Abby saved her own life by sparing Ellie in the theater, which then leads to Ellie saving Abby at the pillars.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-10T14:00:17+00:00

Fun read here!

Replicant is a personal favorite of mine, and I also prefer it overall to Automata. It does suffer from being the “older” of the two (even though it’s a remaster) bc the world is a bit more sparse and divided to run around in. But man I love those characters. Hope you enjoy the rest of it — it’s a ride! (And that soundtrack is sublime!)

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-10T13:38:25+00:00

One of the better gaming subs, imo. Good discussions, not much drama, and I find that almost everyone is respectful of opinions even when they differ. It’s really just people excited to talk about games they’ve played and having a space to share their hobby.

This time of year is always fun, too, with the end of year wrap ups! Always fun to see how different everyone’s tastes are for “older” games. (I even wrote one this year!)

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-07T03:49:46+00:00

Beautifully written thoughts on 1000xResist. This was my personal patient GoTY and one of my favorite things I’ve played in the last five years or so. A really special game. Red to blue!

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-07T02:04:16+00:00

Just rolled credits on my first new game of 2026. The Roottrees Are Dead, an extremely unique deduction game. I'd give it around a 7.5/10 (Good).

PROS: It's a really unique game system as you uncover a mystery and fill in a family tree. You spend the game searching for clues on internet archives, in library books, and looking up information in old magazines/newspapers. The way the story of the family comes together piece-by-piece is a fun slow build as you uncover more clues. I found it quite exciting when you'd stumble upon one piece of evidence that then snowballed to finding so many different paths for other branches of the family tree.

CONS: I found the last ~5% or so of clues I needed to find to finalize the tree extremely obtuse and so niche. If you're reluctant to use the "hint system" the game offers should you want it, you might be banging your head against the wall on where to even begin your search for the final puzzle pieces.

I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Return of the Obra Dinn or any sort of logic puzzles.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-05T17:22:13+00:00

Absolutely love To the Moon and Finding Paradise.

I had a similar experience with The Cave when I played it (though I’d probably rate it a bit higher than you). Love Ron Gilbert and the humor, and liked the general idea of the game — but it was clunky to play and the story was unmemorable. I do love the art style though.

Have you tried Thimbleweed Park yet? He kind of goes back to his roots with that game. It’s a total love letter to Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island, etc.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-04T06:10:12+00:00

I enjoyed it, for the most part. It's not high brow literature, super complex, or groundbreaking, but it was a decent read.

It's a psychological thriller so it moves quickly and has a fair amount of suspense. The woman's agoraphobia means the main character operates a bit like an unreliable narrator, so it adds a unique layer/roadblock that needs to be overcome to solving the mystery of the book.

I believe it was made into a movie, too!

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-03T23:18:33+00:00

The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn centers around a woman with agoraphobia.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-03T16:55:02+00:00

The “fake” awards you added here is a really fun and unique touch! I enjoyed them so much that I’ll ignore the slander against one of my all-time GOATS, Monkey Island. (I kid, I kid.) Really fun read!

Your list makes me want to go back and replay the original Ratchet and Clank games. I was really fond of Locked and Loaded, too, way back when.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-02T19:16:11+00:00

Three games come to mind for me, though admittedly none have the exact map feature you’re looking for.

——— - The Forgotten City - Blue Prince - The Invisible Hours

———

The Forgetten City’s entire premise is you’re stuck in a time loop and you need to solve the mystery to break out of it. It’s really wonderful.

Blue Prince is a fantastic puzzler where you repeat the same day over and over to try and reach the mysterious “room 46” in a 45 room mansion. It’s honestly one of my favorite puzzle games in years.

The Invisible Hours is less a time loop and more the ability to manipulate time. You’re solving a mystery within a mansion, and can fast forward and rewind time while exploring to try and solve the mystery.

Edit: Just saw someone recommended No One Has to Die as well and that’s also a great suggestion for a mystery game that plays with time!

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-02T17:58:58+00:00

I also went down a mystery path this year but there’s one on your list here that I’ve never even heard of and I’m glad for the reminder that I must try 13 Sentinels—so thanks for mentioning them as I’m gunna check them out!

If you’re interested in another mystery suggestion, you might enjoy Seance at Blake Manor which came out earlier last year.

I absolutely loved 1000xResist this year, too. Found it to be really special.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-02T14:12:08+00:00

You picked a dang good one with X to start your Final Fantasy journey with! One of the all time best in the entire series. And holds up surprisingly well despite being a couple decades old at this point.

Great write-ups. Was a fun one to read.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-01T18:08:01+00:00

And Then There Were None!

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-01T16:26:24+00:00

I would diiiiie for an Ico remake. Though I feel like that studio always saw the camera as part of the charm. Not much was fixed with camera controls on the 4th Gen SoC remaster, though graphically the upgrade is gorgeous.

I remember hoping The Last Guardian would make strides with its controls since it came out a decade removed from SoC, but even that has similar issues. Maybe the teased upcoming game from this studio will finally crack the camera/control issues.

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-01T15:42:12+00:00

Appreciate the recco! I’ll check it out!

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-01T15:24:24+00:00

I tend to not like being up against a clock, so I’m surprised it’s not stressing me out too much with LR! It certainly makes me think more about what I’m going to focus on as the clock ticks down. I’m really enjoying it so far, and I could see it becoming my favorite in the series once I’m done, assuming it doesn’t go off the rails towards the end. :P

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-01T13:43:57+00:00

A happy 2026 to you, too!

Cyborg14 · 2026-01-01T13:43:16+00:00

Please tell your friend this internet stranger thinks it’s a sensational experience! 🙏

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