Activities
Today
July 2026
Most of the games I beat in July were the PoP games, except for Palworld, which I got back to 100% after the 1.0 Update. I enjoyed all of them a lot.
Heavy Rain was unintentionally hilarous at times. Occlude was a fun puzzle solitaire, though I had to look up some of the solutions. Journey was, well… quite the journey! Badum Tsss! Tunic was my personal favorite of the bunch, even though it had spiders T_T. Two Point Campus was fun, but got a bit too grindy at the end for the 100%.
Palworld Update was amazing as well. I didn’t start a new save for now since I’m too attached to my main base and I didnt want to grind for all of my Schematics again. So I got through the new content quite quickly and spent the rest catching new slaves pals und building the new stuff.
Still have to get into The Outer Worlds, but I hope I get that done in August.
July 2026
Got a fair number of games from gifts and personal purchases during the Steam Summer sale. However, I decided to clean out a fair number of the shorter games I have in my collection this month. It has been a busy month with me traveling to two different states, one to visit my gf and another to a nutrition conference to present my research, but I think I’ll be able to spend more time in August working on completions (before classes start up again).
Bite Night is a short comedic horror game about working a gas station night shift while a monster who is bad at being scary bothers you. The aesthetic works, the ending was enjoyable for me, and I can see why it has overwhelmingly positive reviews. But the humor mostly didn't click for me, and spending the bulk of the runtime doing mindless tasks just to set up a one-note joke wasn't exactly a fun time. Worth a look on sale, but don't go in expecting much. Not recommended, for the most part.
Brume is a cool little atmospheric action-adventure from Sokpop Collective that gets a lot of mileage out of its aesthetic and exploration, but it trips over some pretty frustrating design choices and bugs that hold it back from being an easy recommendation. The combat works well enough, and the vibe is pretty solid, but janky hitboxes, game-breaking bugs, a punishing checkpoint system, and an achievement list that forces multiple uninspired playthroughs add up to an experience that is rougher around the edges than it needs to be. Recommended, but don't expect this to be a polished hidden gem.
The concept works, and the atmosphere is unsettling… but after 10 to 15 minutes, the novelty wears off, and the actual experience of clicking and waiting becomes pretty boring. I found myself scrolling on my phone to pass the time, which is probably not the intended relationship with a game about being watched. Not a bad game, just not worth the time it asks for. Not recommended, but still could be worth a try.
DINNERDINNNER is one of the worst-running games I've played from Lu so far, and that's saying something considering there isn't a single demanding thing happening on screen. I was chugging along at around 10 FPS on a machine that handles AAA titles without breaking a sweat, and that happened consistently, not just in one bad area. The story is a bit confusing, like most of Lu's work, but the ending mostly makes up for it, even if I wouldn't really call this a horror adventure game the way it markets itself. Mixed feelings all around, but the performance issues alone make this a hard one to recommend.
[b]Slight spoilers![/b]
HOLEHOLE is an unfinished game, but not in a bad way. It's a story about an unfinished life, one ended early, told through the eyes of someone left behind, and the game's rough, meaningless, repetitive loop of a gameplay experience actually complements that message rather than working against it. Lu isn't exactly known for riveting gameplay, and normally that's a knock against a game, but here it works in the story's favor. Just know going in that the gameplay itself is kind of a slog, but the payoff is worth it, and you don't need to talk to every single character to get there.
MELLOWOLLEM is your typical Lu game. The controls aren't the best, and the story is abstract, but at least it's paired with nice character portraits along the way. Thankfully, the story here is easier to follow than some of Lu's other titles, and it isn't a bad one either, even if I wouldn't call it the best story ever written. It's not something you need to be chomping at the bit to play, but it's a relaxing, non-frustrating little experience that's worth a look, especially given the price.
Cute Chaos Demon Nyanbaba is your standard hidden object game, just with a cute catgirl slapped on top of it. There isn't a ton of content here, and the entire thing can be knocked out in around an hour. I can't say I was wowed by it, but I didn't dislike it either. The artwork is nice and the puzzles are easy, making it a good pick if you just want something quick to destress with and turn your brain off for a bit. Recommended, but just know you aren't really going to get too much out of this game.
Mosaic of the Pharaohs is a relaxing puzzle game that offers a satisfying mix of challenge and progression. It's a picross/minesweeper hybrid, and it doesn't pretend to be anything more than that. Completing each mosaic is rewarding, the ancient Egyptian theme gives it a unique atmosphere, and the beautiful pixel art makes every finished piece worth the time spent on it. Recommended if you want a relaxing puzzle game to sink hours into.
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Broken Age
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Gloamvault
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Balatro
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Far Cry 5
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The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
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Voyagers of Nera
0 hours playtime
no achievements
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Palworld
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Solar Ash
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Isopod
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ARMORED CORE™ VI FIRES OF RUBICON™
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Conbunn Cardboard
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Lucid Blocks
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The Rangers In The South
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Sankaku Renai: Love Triangle Trouble
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Galaxy Burger
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Red Dead Redemption 2
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Digseum
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Hell Clock
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Atomcraft
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Farlands
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DragonSword : Awakening
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Pawsome Resort
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Lootbound
0 hours playtime
no achievements
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Deep Space Exploitation
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Lucky Shot
0 hours playtime
no achievements
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Ascend to ZERO
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Roulette Dungeon
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Starsand Island
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MECCHA CHAMELEON
0 hours playtime
no achievements
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Typomagical
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Pupple Pop
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Carnival Massacre
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Rock of Ages
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[Redacted] The Safehouse
0 hours playtime
no achievements
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Roll The Bones
0 hours playtime
no achievements
July 2026 Progress Report
Solid month, not upset but I got distracted with Palworld 1.0 update, it’s amazing.
Anyway, August, huh. Wild 2026 is almost over. I’m planning on Chants of Sennar again, it’s a fine game but it doesn’t really do anything to keep your attention so it’s kinda hard to focus on. NEVA, for sure.. hopefully, .hack or the og 2009 Oblivion, battle chef looks fun, and I kinda wanna poke at The Invincible. Sounds like a busy month, but if you’ve even briefly skimmed my previous posts to see my future plans, I don’t really use them as anything other than a vague reference.
Total games added to backlog: 7 (Petit Island, The Invincible, Planet Zoo, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Battle Chef, Gone Home, Inua)
Total completed: 5
35-50+ hours to complete, Amber Isle is a shopkeeping management and Island restoration sim in which your character arrives on the island in search of earning their “Sarname,” a name only earned from doing a great accomplishment or inherited from your family. After finding and taking over an abandoned store, craft and carve items by collecting local materials to draw other potential residents to the Isle, and with your new friends Adi, Maple, and Old Mayor Clawsworth, restore the Isle back to it’s former glory!
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I love this game to bits but wow, does it have it’s bugs! None are gamebreaking or even able to softlock you, but the camera angles can get a bit annoying, and your store can be a mess at times, especially after a shop upgrade and I’d honestly consider the economy to be in shambles. (Granted, that one might be lore-accurate given there are only three Paleofolk, four including you, on the island at start.) but I really like the gameplay loop of collecting materials, crafting a fun and rather large variety of items, selling them, haggling, and then picking a section of an Island to restore. The initial thing that sold me was the character customization options as well as the large availability of what species you even wanted to play as, and Amber Island is just, a really charming game! Just… one that needs a bit more work.
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7-9+ hours to complete, Petit Island is a casual exploration adventure game about a cat named Lily visiting the Island her Grandpaw grew up at, in an attempt to restore his old journal and help him recover his missing memories. Find and take photos with Grandpaws old friends, talk about the adventures they went on together, fish, collect bugs, then return home with a completed journal to help your Grandpaw remember the things he’s forgotten in his old age.
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Overall, Petit Island is a really cute game with a good storyline. The island is small but there are lots of neat things to find, a variety of fish and bugs to catch, scenic locations to explore and secrets to find. There were a couple minor irritants, such as being unable to wear a hat and hold an item at the same time, as well as a finicky gliding system I never was able to figure out, but it didn’t impact the overall experience that much. I particularly liked the Volcano Island as there are some fun secrets on it, but I’ll leave those for you to find.
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Inua
2-3 hours to complete, Inua is a fun narrative game that follows three protagonists across three different periods of time, while you engage in a bit of time manipulation to share realizations and ideas between them to change the course of history. The story is centered around the real life disappearance of The Terror and The Erebus on the famously doomed Arctic exploration around 1846. While the wrecks were officially rediscovered in 2016 and 2014, the Inuit had known their locations through oral history since they interacted with survivors, and have shared it with British and Canadian search teams but were ignored essentially delaying their discovery for about 170 years. It’s a bit of interesting real life history to read up on, but I really loved how the developers made a video game out of it.
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Overall, I really enjoyed Inua not just because of the fun spin on a cautionary tale, but because I appreciated how the developers were authentic with the music and the art, using Inuit artists as well as voice actors and even an author to share this story. The only downside perhaps is that I wish the end of the story was expanded on a bit more, as I felt there was room to make a more satisfying ending, I suppose. Also, I strongly suggest playing Inua in a single sitting if you can, as it’s much easier to follow along and enjoy the game.
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Salvation:Immortale
2-5 hours to complete, Salvation:Immortale is a VN with one ending and I believe is a part 1 of 2, where you follow along a case with Detective Mei Qu who lives in the lovely city of Florence and occasionally takes on cases that interest her; the latest one being issued from the famous Medici Family regarding a cold case that happened fifteen years ago that has since resurfaced and warrants a more through investigation…
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Overall, it’s a fine VN that is definitely a love letter to Sherlock and I was surprised to find it’s fully voice acted! There are some bugs, particularly with loading save files so be sure to make a few, and also with using your mouse wheel to backtrack which tended to not only freeze the game, but corrupt that save file for me. The story itself was fairly ok, but I had more enjoyment with the twists than anything, with only a few odd translations. The ending was kinda abrupt which makes me believe that there will be a part 2 in the future but I don’t see any news on that at the time of this review.
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Gone Home
2-5 hours to complete, Gone Home is a walking simulator where you play as Kaitlin Greenbriar, who after spending a year away for College, finds herself exploring the new house her family moved into in an attempt to figure out where her family is after being unable to contact them. Explore every room and piece together what happened, find out why everyone is missing and what happened while you were away.
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Overall, Gone Home is a fairly solid walking sim with no monsters or anything chasing you, just a creepy atmosphere that keeps you curious and on your toes from the start of the game to the end. There are plenty of secrets tucked away rewarding you for being nosy and encouraging you to poke around, and when the main game is beaten I’d definitely recommend playing the developer commentary mode right after! It offers some really cool insight to the games development along with fun details and secrets you may have missed during your first playthrough. I didn’t find any bugs but I did find that I liked the game more than I thought I would, and hope the devs makes more games like this in the future, the incredibly subtle music along with the heavy rain and distant rolls of thunder nailed the atmosphere!
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July 2026 Main recap
Since i play 30+ games each month, here a main recap :
Top 5 Playtime Games beaten
Agents of Mayhem
13 hours this month – 18 hours in total – Ok tier shooter game, game completed.
Wreckfest
12 hours this month – 34 hours in total – Nice racing game, get at 3€ with recent steam sales, game completed.
This Ain’t Even Poker, Ya Joker
9 hours this month – 9 hours in total – A nice idle game, game completed + all achievements.
Grave Keeper
8 hours this month – 9 hours in total – A mediocre hack’n’slash game with a prestige system, played 8 hours and the game randomly deleted my save, enough for me.
Pixross
7 hours this month – 7 hours in total – Nice little puzzle game, game completed + all achievements.
Top 3 Playtime Game unfinished
Undecember
33 hours this month – 33 hours in total – A nice little free hack’n’slash, at character level 77 / 83% of the game completed.
Disney Speedstorm
8 hours this month – 111 hours in total – Nice free mario kart like, playing on current season 21.
Sonic Rumble Party
8 hours this month – 107 hours in total – Nice little battle royale, at score multiplicater x34, 15% of current event done.
Top Playtime Game Abandonned :
Samurai Bringer
1 hour this month – 1 hour in total – Nice little roguelike game, but not for me, skipped game;
Some others backlog game i will try to beat : Young Souls / Mulaka / Persona 5 Strikers / Sonic Frontiers / OCTOPATH TRAVELER II
Yesterday
July 2026 Progress Report
Technically, this “month’s” progress is actually two month’s worth of gaming. I did my last update at the beginning of June. But technically I posted in back-to-back months so I am feeling proud of myself anyway!
Steam Games
I bought this during the steam sale after playing the demo for around 7 hours. This is a remake but I was completely unfamiliar with the original game so I came into this with no expectations.
I really enjoyed my time with this one (as you can probably tell from my playtime) which is a bit odd because I also have a list of complaints a mile long. The characters annoyed me (very typically JRPG tropey), the plot was extremely predictable, and the cutscenes were way too long. Despite all that, the whole experience was incredibly addictive. I wishlisted the second installment long before I had finished playing this first one.
I still need to gather my thoughts into something more coherent before posting a steam review, but this is definitely a recommend.
I picked this game up for free via a Playtracker gift token after seeing it in the recent Humble Bundle. It is a story-driven, dice-based RPG which is my bread-and-butter of gaming. I haven't played the first entry yet which I have heard some people say is the better narrative, but it is on my wishlist to get to later because I really enjoyed my time with the sequel.
The game did a really good job of introducing new players to the universe in an easily understood and non-intrusive way. Based on some steam reviews, it seems like some of the NPCs were actually companions in the previous entry, which may impact my experience of that game but wasn't noticeable to someone playing them out-of-order. RNG could get a bit annoying at times, but otherwise the gameplay was easy, even playing on the hardest difficulty as I was.
Recommend for all RPG lovers but maybe not to anyone who gets easily annoyed by RNG.
An excellent sequel to an already very fun game. The gameplay is basically identical to what was in Strange Horticulture so anyone who played that and enjoyed it will enjoy this one too. Both games have what I would describe as "puzzle-light" gameplay. Nothing particularly mentally taxing, but just challenging enough to keep you engaged with the story. It is a short but sweet experience; it took me about 5 hours to 100% it, with one full playthrough and some strategic reloading to explore the different possible endings.
Recommended for a chill, low-stress game with an occult theme.
Copied from my steam review:
A strong return to form for the RE franchise, although it changes a few elements that existed in previous titles in an unexpected but effective way. Notably, CAPCOM switched the viewpoint from third to first person and the protagonist is completely unprepared for this situation rather than being a cop or some form of special forces. For fans of the classic series (or even the remakes of those classic games), the switch to first person might be a bit jarring. However, it actually works very well for enhancing the horror atmosphere especially given how unprepared our protagonist Ethan is.
It isn't my favorite of the modern titles--that probably either goes to Requiem or the remake of 2-- but it excellently executes what it sets out to do. The DLC was a bit more hit-or-miss but overall were nice additions to the game. They are also quite varied, so players should be able to find at least one that they enjoy. There are stealth/puzzles ones very like the main game, survival modes where you face off against hordes of enemies, and even a horror-themed blackjack simulator.
If you are new to the series, 7 is a decent starting point. If you are a returning fan, you'll likely be pleased with this return-to-form after the disappointing 5 and 6. Goes on sale frequently with all the DLC so it is an easy recommend to buy.
Slightly modified from my Steam review:
I really enjoyed this game. It is pretty short but well-paced. The bulk of the gameplay involves you creating your own tarot cards and then using them to read other characters' fates. There is a surprising amount of depth in the card creation mechanics. The game initially gives you an overview of the four elements that you can use to craft cards--air, water, earth, and fire--but there are hidden mechanics that you can learn more about if you take the time to study your academic texts.
There is a major switch-up to the gameplay toward the end, however. While most of the game revolves around the fortune-telling mechanic, the game eventually turns into a political sim. You're selecting policy proposals, bolstering your own campaign, and trying to sabotage other candidates. While you can continue to make cards during this period, you cannot actually use them until the final portion of the game. Personally, I enjoyed this switch-up as it kept the gameplay interesting. However, I understand that it might annoy other players who engaged with the game primarily for the unique card-building mechanic.
Story: The story was fine. It never wowed me but it was engaging enough to keep me invested in the game. The characters were varied and decently well-written. There were definitely some awkwardly worded lines that could kill immersion a bit but it wasn't egregious. There isn't any spoken dialogue but each character is written distinctly enough that they all feel as if they have their own voice.
Replayability: I'd say this is moderately replayable. You will definitely learn a lot about how your deck works as you play and therefore might want to start a new run with your new knowledge. However, you do gain the ability to remove and remake cards partway through so you don't actually have to restart to put your new knowledge to use. There are also some "character creation" changes that alter the gameplay slightly. At the beginning of the game you will bargain for certain things. For example, you will be asked if you most desire love, power, or knowledge. Some way into the game, this will reward you with a different skill based upon your choice. These could be powerful but won't dramatically change your experience.
Overall, I'd recommend playing the free demo and if you had fun then go ahead and buy the full game (your progress will carry over). I got it on sale but I think the full price is fair if you don't want to wait.
GOG Games
I've had several games from this series sitting in my backlog for years. I finally got around to playing this one as a Playtracker challenge and I loved it. Despite being a big fan of stealth games, I had never played a Deux Ex game previously. I can see why it is such a classic series and I'm actually looking forward to someday playing my Steam copy of it for the achievements (for some reason, I have a copy on both platforms). I'm not sure if I would rate it at the same level of the Thief series or the Dishonored series, but it still scratches that immersive sim itch.
Recommend.
Silence 
0.0 hours, 46 of 46 achievements
GOG was giving this away for free, so I decided to give it a try. A nice, short, narrative experience. The puzzles were mostly straightforward and the graphics were lovely. I felt that the ending was underwhelming but considering you can complete it in a single evening and it was free, I'm satisfied with my time with it.
Mafia Definitive Edition
0.0 hours, 46 of 46 achievements
I picked up the entire series (except the most recent one) via Prime gaming giveaways. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't decided to play it on the hardest difficulty, as some of railroaded parts of the game had basically no margin for error (in particular, there was an annoying car chase scene where they enemies could basically one-shot you that I had to replay many times). Other than that, however, it was fun. The narrative and characters are definitely stronger aspects than the gameplay but (other than the aforementioned driving) the whole experience was pretty fun.
New SG Wins
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Until Then
July 2026
Ended up playing some shorter games this month, mainly because I am on a bit of a gaming rut at the moment and don’t know what to play, so I’m mixing in other hobbies, playing some simpler games and enjoying summer out of the house.
The first hour and France are fantastic. The rest of the story? Not so much. Some decisions don't make sense with Arno, but do with Élise. The game itself was beautiful and the gameplay was pretty cool as well.
More puzzles. This time there are multiple types of puzzles, some were more interesting to play than others since some others were not intuitive at all.
Pretty cute kitty game, you just explore a city somewhere in Japan playing with things, collecting things, sometimes robbing food and stuff.
Going into this with no expectations or knowledge about the story was definitely the correct choice. And that's all that I will say about it. You own it? Play it.
Batman: The Enemy Within - The Telltale Series
After the first game, this one was a bit of a let-down, to be honest. I couldn't care less about some of the characters, some plots felt forced just because so, and some scenes were a drag on the earlier episodes.
Nothing much to note about this one, some simple puzzles, others not so much.
This one was free, thanks fernandopa for the rec! This type of games is always great to pick up and play for a few minutes, or get sucked in and when you look at the clock, one hour has passed.
It's a fine game. Some levels were a bit difficult but overral not too hard. The facts were fun.
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LEGO® 2K Drive
3 hours playtime
8 of 38 achievements
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2024: Mosaic Retrospective
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Resident Evil Village
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Sea of Stars: Sunset Edition
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TUNIC
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When The Past Was Around
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Escape From Mystwood Mansion
Monthly Statistics:
| July | Finished | Abandoned | Added | Balance | Most Satisfying Reduction | Most Exciting Addition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | 7 | 1 | 6 | -2 | A Space for the Unbound | Sea of Stars: Sunset Edition |
| Ubisoft Connect | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | Assassin's Creed Unity | - |
August 2026
A pretty good month of getting stuff done is behind me. Hopefully august will be just as good! And maybe some more games can be added through giveaways. Really enjoying all the group stuff conntected to steamgifts so far! Oh, I even refunded a game i bought during sommer sale. An idle game, after I wrapped my mind around the fact, that they need SO MUCH TIME to get through 100%. And yet gameplay is really little. I want to spend my time with more fun games now. So for now, no more idle games.
New to library
As part of a group event, I got a key for 'Neo Cab' and got 'Drop Duchy' and 'Steam World Dig' gifted. Besides that, I only got 'Windswept' myself, even tho I was really close on buying 'Moonlight Peaks'. Because I'm a sucker for anything vampire related.
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Drop Duchy
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100%Neo Cab
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Windswept
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SteamWorld Dig
Completed & 100%
I got alot of the games done, that I wanted to get 100% on! One of them beeing 'Chillquarium', which was so grindy and teadious, it got me to dislike idle games. And 'Disney Dreamlight Valley', which has an achievement that forces you to log in almost daily for a year. I finally managed to get that done!
Among some others I also finished 'Neo Cab' with 100% for a group event I participated in!
inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories
8.1 hours, 23 of 38 achievements
Road to 100%
I don't really know yet, which games to pick for August here because my focus this month is more on actually finishing games in general. But i do want to Play SteamWorld Dig, and it looks like a game that has 100% potentional for me. So I will just drop that here.
SteamWorld Dig
0 hours, 0 of 24 achievements
To be Played
As mentioned above, I would like to finish some games this month. So I picked some wins/gifts, as well as some games I just really wanna play.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
6.8 hours, no achievements
Death Must Die
10.2 hours, 21 of 59 achievements
Drop Duchy
0.2 hours, 0 of 181 achievements
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
0.8 hours, 4 of 49 achievements
The Lonesome Guild
1.0 hours, 5 of 34 achievements
SteamWorld Dig
0 hours, 0 of 24 achievements
No longer 100%
What can i say besides 'An add-on/update ruined my 100%.' And I just noticed another game that has lost it's 100%-badge.
Diablo® IV
488.8 hours, 41 of 45 achievements
Progress Report #38: July 2026
Monthly tally - Backlog: 2, Yekhus: 2
Total play time: 67h
Completed or Beaten (2)
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Path of Exile 2
58h playtime
Not on steam
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A Juggler's Tale
2.5 hours playtime
Also Played (2)
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Evoland Legendary Edition
3.9h playtime
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Hotshot Racing
49 minutes playtime
Added to collection (Steam) (2)
- SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell (SG giveaway)
- A Juggler's Tale (SG giveaway)
#425
#35 of 2026
July 31, 2026
Happy freedom month my fellow Americans.
was definitely a bit more different than I expected, I was expecting something a bit closer to the older 2D Zelda games that this ended up being.
really not a fan of game that offers assist options that immediately locks the safe out of achievements completely if you use some of them… I just wanted to enable checkpoints before bosses and a couple other relatively minor things that I consider terrible game design brought over from dark souls(that even FromSoft moved away from)…. I am fine if it disables related relevant challenge achievements… but when story things start getting disabled…
How to Raise a Wolf Girl
11.1 hours, no achievements
cute wolf girl = my weakness
very similar to the later The Room games, The Room is definitely better.
I fortunately got to this at just the right time as the enhanced version was just released
after a few years I get to finally uninstall.
and using some shift codes that give diamond keys… will make the campaign very easy, they are definitely intended for end game… as the weapons and shields I was using were easily 2-10x stronger than anything I was finding.
the random dialogue wasn't doing it for me… probably just playing it some years to late where its all dated… and I wish they would stop having dialogue be local to NPCs for story…. I move an inch from them and I can't hear them… I'm always looting or something while they talk… so i missed a chunk of things by not sitting still to listen…. at least the gameplay was great, I went with a gunner… basically never used anything other than assault rifles I got from the diamond keys or a shotgun for big juicy crits.
great game… ruined my backlog progress
if only real world time could be paused so freely.
took 3.5 weeks before game could be 100%'d… some things were bugged, devs actively fixing things at least