♠ Update 29 March ♠
Progress on my book-game challenge:
- Playne: The Meditation Game
5.6 hours playtime
12 of 40 achievements
Winding down now on this month’s selection, but I’ll post my wrap-up once I’ve completed the full 30 day streak for the game. I will again say that the dev for the game is very active - he recently added me on Steam, probably because of all the screenshots I keep taking.
This was definitely a very chill month as far as this personal challenge goes, and worth it for the new real life skills I’ve picked up in the process.
As an FYI: previous months’ book-game wrap-ups are linked on my profile page if you’re interested.
BLAEO Monthly Theme pick:
- Tomb Raider
31.4 hours playtime
35 of 50 achievements
This is done and dusted, at least as far as all singleplayer content. I am still missing the multiplayer achievements; maybe there’ll be a few folks interested in getting those sometime.
I know I said I was going to pass on buying the next game in the trilogy, but honestly, the moment I got the very last achievement in Tomb Raider I felt a bit sad! I wasn’t ready for the game to be done! Seeing as I rarely feel that way and I don’t usually have an overabundance of freetime for longer games (Steam playtime for the last two weeks is ~21 hours currently) - I just took this as a sign that maybe I should go ahead and binge a bit.
So I did it. And I’ve played a wee bit:
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
2.3 hours playtime
5 of 143 achievements
This one is more complicated than the first, with crafting and outfits with stats and new environmental mechanics (also harder on my old laptop) but still getting good Lara vibes from it so it’s a go.
VN:
-
Analogue: A Hate Story
6.6 hours playtime
14 of 14 achievements
First up on my “learn to appreciate VNs” agenda based on tsupertsundere’s list of boss ass VNs, I finally got around to finishing Analogue. I took a week long break between sessions, paused at the reactor meltdown scene. This was a bad choice. See, this game has so many (mentioned, not visualized) characters and family lineages in the story and I found it fairly hard to keep it all straight, besides the AIs. This is my own flaw, not a mark against the game.
I think the game addresses some deeper topics that leave you pondering over it, and the plot is a neat idea with seeing how humanity manages to regress socially instead of progressing which is something we assume happens in sci-fi. I actually enjoyed going back and forth using the faux computer terminal. However I can’t say that I felt strongly about any particular character and I didn’t feel completely immersed while playing - more like a distant observer if you will. Again, this is probably specific to me personally but I’m just getting started in this genre so maybe that will change.
Once finished, I chose another short game off the list to download.
- Subsurface Circular
0 hours playtime
0 of 13 achievements
Otherwise played this week:
- When the Darkness comes
3.4 hours playtime
32 of 32 achievements
Holy hell, guys. This game. You ever play Doki Doki? With that fourth wall breaking creepiness meant to mess with your head?
Yeah. Well this game doesn’t even bother to try to lull you into a comfort zone. You know the minute you load in and start that the guy is out to royally wallop your mind. You got to play through it a few times to reach the full effect, and there will be easter eggs hidden in your files. Do not play this if you’re emotionally fragile. It was made by one guy and has some framerate issues at parts, but it’s free.
Played a couple hours with my buddy, who has now finished the vanilla storyline. She wants to keep playing when we have time, and so I’ll still be poking around the solar system for the foreseeable future.
April Fool’s is coming - trust no one!
I’m enjoying Rise of the Tomb Raider, too - so much so I’ll see if I can pick up the first (and the third). I don’t really care for the open world parts of it, or the hunting or crafting, but actually RAIDING some mf’n TOMBS? so much fun!
I’m glad you liked Analogue, and it makes sense you feel more removed, because in the game, you ARE removed from what’s happening. If you play other VNs that are more immediate, that may change!
And, even if it doesn’t, the fact that you just wholeheartedly gave it a shot is all fans would ask for c: Thank you again for the shoutout and linkage, and I’m glad to have been of service
Well, will happily join in on some MP cheeves down the line. Have fun raidin your tombs! :)
I love the tombs and puzzles, but man do I love me some stealth play too. Feels good to bush gank a fool lol.
Appreciate the inspiration for stepping outside my comfort zone. I actually wish more people had a list like that going for other genres with large fanbases, like strategy. Strategy is another one I want to appreciate but just never really got into - one of my best gaming friends is huge on them and I’ve tried to play co-op with him but it still never took. Like VNs, I feel like I’m just missing something, there’s something not clicking. I want to see if I can find that obscure something.
Now that I’m getting more into the combat, I’m surprising myself how much I like it, too! I’m having a very good time with Rise of the Tomb Raider c:
Hey, seriously, kudos to you. Even I don’t tend to do that shit! There are genres I definitely like, and then there are a couple I’ll dip into now and again (like the easier end of metroidvanias) but I’m pretty set in my ways as of now. That hunt for the elusive something—good luck and godspeed!
Hey, I am a bit late commenting on this post, but you ever need some help getting some of those MP Tomb Raider achievements let me know and I would be happy to help :)
That would be pretty cool! I suspect that I’ll be yanked into co-op Borderlands Remastered starting tomorrow, but maybe later on when that euphoria wears down a bit. :)
Oh right, forgot that is even going to be a thing :D Have fun! :)
Great update :) Seems like you had an enjoyable gaming week. Will you let us know some of the great new real life skills you picked up during your monthly challenge in the next post? Looking forward to it!
It was actually this very community that made me curious about VNs. I haven’t played a lot up until now (maybe 3-4), but it is definitely interesting to check out new genres – though I’m still undecided what to think of them. While I definitely see their value (or potential therefore), I’m not sure if they are really my cup of tea. On the other hand, Subsurface Circular has a very unique look to it…One of the dangers of this site: You always discover new, interesting looking games ;)
This was a decent week! I needed it too, been a stressful couple weeks here.
Absolutely will talk about the the relaxation techniques I tried this month, but of course it will be individualized to my own experience. :)
VNs are a large segment in global gaming, but I think the west tends to look at them as a weird negligible niche thing. There’s a lot of “weeb” thrown around anytime someone even mentions them, which doesn’t happen when point n click adventure games are brought up. I admit to being cautious about them too.