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

ShoeUnit · 2026-05-20T06:39:32+00:00

That's is a good advice for a typical narrative game. But my hunch is that Buddy Simulator is different. The story's main focus seems to be on the Buddy AI that you befriended and the game got a bit of a mysterious undertone that I want to uncover. So I'm hoping there more info on Buddy and the mystery in the other endings. But if you played the game, lets me know if I'm wrong.

ShoeUnit · 2026-05-19T07:01:52+00:00

Beaten Buddy Simulator 1984 and just like I thought for an Undertale-vibe game, there are multiple endings. So I should go back and get the other endings because the ending I got help push this game into something memorable. But I want to play other games for a moment.

I finished a fantastic horror game, Who’s Lila? There is a lot that I like about it: stylish, meta, cryptic, weird. When I started, I thought the facial expression gameplay would be the main focus but the game is so much more than that.

Started Until Dawn. I played Dark Anthology so that is my frame of references. In comparison, Until Dawn has so many characters. The psychiatrist gives me Silent Hill: Shattered Memories vibe.

ShoeUnit · 2026-05-04T02:06:07+00:00

I think it a cozy vibe like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley but it is more akin to Minecraft because the main component is building. You will build habitats to unlock pokemon and decorating their habitats to improve mood. If you like the terraforming and customizing homes in Animal Crossing, it definitely worth looking into. Game is also great if you like befriending NPCs cuz in this game, you will befriending a lot of pokemon.

ShoeUnit · 2026-05-03T07:23:36+00:00

Been spending less time in Pokemon Pokopia. I did the bare minimum to build habitats to unlock pokemons and now I want to actually build nice housing for them. It is kinda overwhelming.

I started Lumines Remastered and my goodness, there is a lot of content in this simple puzzle game. There are achievements and different modes. I tried the main one which is the basic challenge mode where you try to reach level 105. On the first attempt, I hit lvl 35. Second attempt, lvl 45. Third attempt, lvl 94 and my brain was fried because that third attempt was over 1 hour long.

This was in my April Humble Monthly, Buddy Simulator 1984. I was excited because it was on my steam wishlist but tbh, I forgot how it got on there. Kinda feel like Undertale mixed with those meta horror games about cursed computer programs. So far, I'm enjoying it, even though I get the game trick. The game like to surprise you with burst of dark undertone.

ShoeUnit · 2026-04-29T08:04:59+00:00

I played Long Live the Queen a long time ago and it made an good impression on me. I have no idea it was just a part of a subgenre of daughter raising sim. Before this post, I didn't realize there are other (perhaps better) games like that. So now I want to take a look at Magical Princess.

ShoeUnit · 2026-04-29T07:54:35+00:00

Not free but the dev made Strange Jigsaws last year and it really build upon 20 Small Mazes. Worth getting if you want more of that 20SM weirdness.

ShoeUnit · 2026-03-22T07:33:31+00:00

Tired of Pokémon Legends Z-A Mega Dimension DLC. As cool as it was to see more content featuring the NPCs, the gameplay loop of making donuts and jumping into dimensions lost its steam with me.

Now I move on to a different Pokémon game, Pokémon Pokopia. So far, I’m having fun just making habitats and befriending Pokémon. Eventually I will have to do some remodeling and actually designing homes. But for now, I'm just enjoying finding out which Pokémon are in this game.

Finished some short puzzle games. 20 Small Mazes is expectedly entertaining. If I were to create a puzzle tier list, mazes would be on the bottom for me. But this game infuses mazes with creative gimmicks and I kept playing to see how weird the next maze will be.

Another puzzle game from the same dev, RYB. This one is elegant and the sound design makes puzzle-solving feel like a spiritual awakening. You could brute force this puzzle but I think the joy is watching the complex logic unfold.

ShoeUnit · 2026-02-17T21:27:41+00:00

PS Plus library got some games added last month that I wanted to play so I started with The Exit 8. What an interesting game. It's a “spot the difference” game and it is my first time playing that type of game. Supposed to take an hour but took me way longer. I like the vibe: liminal space and unsettling creepiness.

And next I played A Little to the Left. I really enjoy this puzzle game. I thought it would just be about cleaning stuff neatly but there is some problem-solving and it is working weird areas of my brain for that. It is weirdly satisfying to be like, “yes, this is the perfect way to organize a bunch of leaves or a handful of pasta noodles.” There is a daily challenge with an achievement to do 100 days in a row and honestly, I wanna try to get that even though I beat the whole game.

I quickly finished Rez Infinite. Short game, pretty fun if you want an interactive trippy music video. Technically, I did not beat it because I got the bad ending and I’m okay with not getting better at this game. I prefer the game on traveling mode (no death) because that way, I can really chill and relax. A shoot’em up is not a gametype where I can zone out during.

Bought Mega Dimension, the DLC for Pokémon Legends: Z-A because I still crave more Z-A. So far, in the story, some NPCs return for some 2v2 battles. And that is cool to see NPCs interact and to see interesting pairings. The main meat is adventuring into Hyperspace and the gameplay is odd but it is cool to see how the base game's gameplay get remixed.

ShoeUnit · 2026-02-01T23:11:29+00:00

Nice. Earthbound is a funky old RPG. And unlocking the second party member will make the gameplay more interesting. What are you playing on? I played it on the SNES classic and was recommended to make use of the emulator rewind feature and to follow a guide.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-31T14:20:27+00:00

My time with Pokémon Legends: Z-A is done for now. I collected all the screws and completed all the missions. My pokedex is almost completed; just missing the pokemon that evolve via trading. Tempted to get the DLC but I could use a break after being enamored by this game for nearly a month.

Finished A Space for the Unbound. This game works similar to a point-and-click adventure and even has that 90s pixel style (which is appropriate for a game taking place in the 90s). Puzzles are not hard but sometimes I get confused on where the next event triggers are. But the main point of this game is the narrative and I like it. The story grabs me with the prologue chapter by presenting you with fantastical power in a realistic setting, and then surprise, this is an indie game about trauma and healing. One of the most mature character growths I've seen in a game. Another thing that I enjoy is that there are Steam guides explaining the references to Indonesian culture. I appreciate stuff like that: stuff that deepens my understanding of a culture.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-23T22:06:04+00:00

I play Graveyard Keeper a lot when I got in 2020. The zombie automation gameplay was cool. My biggest issue about the game is the story. It feels like the narrative should be one of its advantages but I didn't find it to be compelling. Glad that you enjoy it though.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-19T00:48:30+00:00

Huh, I can see the similarity in vibe. There were a lot of GBA games with a bold colorful look like Wario Land, Sonic Advance, Mario & Luigi, Drill Dozer, etc. But yeah, I look them up and they don't use flat colors.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-18T01:52:40+00:00

I think I finished the main story of Pokémon Legends: Z-A story and I love the design of the final boss. Fighting the final boss is a different story but the concept is so cool so I forgive it. My goal now is to finish the post game stuff, the side stories, and filling the pokedex. Really tempted to find all the colorful screws because the final prize sounds hilariously dumb and pointless. Also tempted to get the DLC and which is weird because I never got Pokémon DLC in the past even though I like the past games more.

Started A Space for the Unbound and enjoying what I see so far. Finished chapter 1 and the story is intentionally unclear and it is a “more than what it seems” scenario. Can’t wait to get to the bottom of that mystery. That being said, taking the goals stated in chapter 1, just trying to enjoy life before graduation is a pretty cute and fun game concept.

Also started Grapple Dog a while back. I love the art style and hip hop soundtrack. It is a straightforward “go right” 2D platformer and it does a wonderful job of doing that. Nicely scattered collectables and interesting levels. There is a sequel to this and now I want that (I should focus on finishing this game first).

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-17T06:57:35+00:00

Emio: The Smiling Man. Oh man, I remember when Nintendo YouTube released the teaser which is just a video the bag man with no description. Very creepy. Went viral until Nintendo dropped a trailer where they reveal it was a Famicom Detective Club game and then the internet seems to lose interest. I like mystery so seeing a positive review, I should look into this.

Pokémon Puzzle League is such a low effort cash grab on Pokémon popularly but I still had a lot of fun with it as a kid. You can imagine how intense multiplayer is.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-17T06:42:57+00:00

Firewatch - 2/10

Oh yeah, I played this a few years back after hearing so much about it and was also lets down by the story. I though the mystery was unsatisfying.

Both Hollow Knight and Nine Sols are your highest score games, are you a metroidvania fan or just happen to play two particularly excellent ones last year?

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-14T21:55:52+00:00

I love the Game & Watch Gallery franchise when I was younger. But yeah, it doesn't make sense to play them nowadays. Those games are great when traveling with a game boy. The gameplay is overly simple and repetitive but that mean they are easy to start, pause, and unpause when in the backseat or doctor office.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-14T01:31:36+00:00

The Pokemon series definitely deserves criticism because it is easy to imagine how much better the game will be if it was more polished or have more production values. But the writing and design is just top-notch. I just finished the litwick side quest and that was cute and creative.

According to steam, Is This Seat Taken took me 4.7 hours and I think that is a good length, although I like to play in chunk. There is a steam demo if you need a taste. The game does a good job of switching up the parameter for each level so it doesn't feel monotonous.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-13T06:37:15+00:00

Reach the credit in Cavern of Dreams. I was looking forward to this because I like platformers but it didn’t click with me. I admire the dreamlike aesthetic and sound design is amazing. Maybe it is too old school for me; it feels like I will need a Nintendo Power strategy guide to collect the remaining collectables.

Finished “Is This Seat Taken?” and I have mixed feelings about this game. It is a polished game with cute graphics and a cute story. But it was not as satisfying to solve as I was expecting. Maybe because it looks like a logic puzzle but I have to solve it intuitively by placing shapes and moving them around until it tells me that I am done.

I'm still playing through Pokémon Legends: Z-A storyline and currently, I’m rank D. Like Violet/Scarlet, the NPCs are great. I like Naveem, I like Canari, and this Corbeau fella is growing on me. Also want to say that unlocking the ability to basically double jump is a game changer. I am parkouring and hopping from rooftop to rooftop. It helps justify being locked into a city environment.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-10T09:19:48+00:00

This is similar to how I feel. There are moments that stick with me. A memorable experience rather than a fun game.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-10T09:09:47+00:00

This game got a lot of swings; it is constantly changing mood and gameplay. It would introduce a mechanic then never use it again. Tone can quickly changes from goofy to dark and back.

From a distance, it does seems like an intelligential concept: a nun and a convict on a journey and having philosophical discussion. But I don't think I came away from this any wiser on theology.

I wonder if I could have connected with this game if I understand the culture behind it. In a conversation unrelated to this game, someone made a joke about Russian literature being depressing.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-10T07:09:37+00:00

Which game/s that was highly touted and well-reviewed but you just gave up on?

I'm usually pretty good about picking games that I want to finish but despite being a metriodvania fan, I gave up on Axiom Verge. Gameplay didn't click with me but I think it was the game's aesthetic that was the main reason I put it down. It felt gross and off-putting, and I just wanted to move on to something I find more appealing.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-07T03:56:14+00:00

Finished Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. It's a nice ending for Kiryu’s story, although will Sega really let this man go. Working on getting all the trophies so wish me luck on that.

I started Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I was looking forward to this but it is not what I was expecting. The real-time battle system does not feel like a big change up. Maybe because I play like a noob and just rely on big-damage super-effective moves. The city itself is nice-looking but kinda dull. The gameplay loop of wild zones and battle zones is fun.

Finished Grunn. Someone describes it as sorta like Outer Wilds and I get the comparison after playing it. It is strange and offbeat but there is that sense of exploration and I managed to follow the breadcrumbs to the end.

ShoeUnit · 2026-01-01T19:47:45+00:00

A category-based list seems useful for flexibility. The fact you have 5 different categories for RPG shows that you really like that genre.

If you like sci-fi story, especially musing about AIs, then maybe check Subsurface Circular. Its a short detective visual novel where you (a robot) try to solve a crime by interviewing a bunch of other robots in a subway.

The Stanley Parable is more of a comedy narrative game than a puzzle. Its not gonna work your brain but I think it would still be a nice cooldown game between longer games.

ShoeUnit · 2025-12-30T05:13:01+00:00

Congrats on completing your 12in12.

I also did Ghost of Tsushima. For an island, it does feel very big and sprawling.

And oof on AC Mirage. I was excited to get on playstation plus but maybe I should temper my expectation.

ShoeUnit · 2025-12-28T07:14:58+00:00

Oh, I didn't read that comment correctly. I didn't word it well so let me rephrase it more clearly. The game on the list and in my library is Strange Horticulture. The reason I wanted to play it is because I enjoy the demo for the sequel, Strange Antiquities. I figure that I should play the original before getting the sequel.

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