Another month passed. You are unsure what to play next? Then head to the comments and ask for 5 games you should play next.
Currently we have a double theme month, so rules for picking will be the same as last time.
- One of the games have to be a game with a companion.
- You are allowed to ask a specific person to pick for you, but that person can only be asked to pick for someone specific once. For example: Mandril askes me to pick for him. I do that, but later Nelly also wants me to pick for her. I cannot pick for Nelly anymore, someone else needs to do that.
- You are only allowed to pick for up to 2 members in total. So if you already picked for 2 and you are asked to pick for someone specific you have to pass and another member should pick the games. Exception: Nobody picked games for 24 hours.
The main goal of this is of course to motivate you to reduce your backlog and help you pick some games to do just that. And you can help others do the same!
If you've used the Steam group forums at all, you may have also seen a suggestion about profile badges, including participation badges for themes. We thought for this additional and hopefully regular) event, we will give out two permanent badges that basically level up the more you participate, one for finishing challenges (up to 2 per month) and one for issuing challenges/picking for others. Since badges are still quite a ways off, we'll keep an internal spreadsheet for now, so if we ever implement that, your "progress" won't be lost ;)
This round will last until March 15th.
Post your application for this month’s challenge as a reply here. Please before doing so, read the corresponding section below. Also, if you decide to pick games for others, read the corresponding section before you do so. If you encounter any problem with the games that were picked for you (either technical or if you think they don’t follow the guidelines) and can’t solve it with your picker, please leave a message as a reply of the first comment.
Applicants’ guidelines
- Please make sure your games are sorted by completion before applying.
- If you so desire and you have at least 5 unplayed SG wins, the 5 games can be picked out of your SG wins (instead of only 2/5). Just note it in your application comment.
- Note in your post if you're ok playing multiplayer only games.
- Same for Early Access (I know some people want to wait for release).
- When you finish one (or more) of the games picked for you, please post an update by replying to your picker's comment.
- If the game has achievements, you can link to either the Steam or Astats page corresponding to your progress.
- If the game doesn't have achievements, please post a screenshot showing your completion.
- Finally, if you have completed all the games that were assigned to you but want another go at it, feel free to post another application.
Pickers’ guidelines
- You can pick for/challenge up to 2 fellow assassins, please refrain to pick more so everybody who wants get a chance at it.
- You can pick for anybody who has applied and hasn't been given a list yet, unless they specified otherwise (see next point). It is recommended to signal with a "reserved" comment that you're currently picking for that person. This way it'll avoid the situation where you spend time picking games just to come back to somebody's comment 2 minutes prior.
- Please use the following criteria when picking a list for somebody.
- Length-wise: at least 2 short games (under 10h to beat) and 2 medium (under 15-20h). You can use HLTB to check the time, or more conveniently the Enhanced Steam browser extension (it shows the HLTB time directly on the game's steam page). That rule can be overridden by the bottom (i.e. pick 5 short games) but not the other way around, as not everybody has the same time to dedicate to gaming.
- Pick two SG wins unless the person specified SG wins only, in which case pick only in the applicant's SG wins list.
- Quality-wise: at least 3 of the 5 games should have a positive (or above) rating. You can use this site to quickly sort games in a user's library by ratings (thanks to JaffaCaffa for the suggestion).
- Please, respect the applicant's choice regarding multiplayer-only and Early access games, as well as other requests (exclusion of certain genre etc.).
- Please use the code below to post your comment, it's already formatted, you just have to copy/paste & complete the data.
For Pickers. Just copy paste and complete the data :)
* [GAME#1](http://store.steampowered.com/app/GAME#1-ID/) - HLTB Time: GAME#1-HLTBTIME
* [GAME#2](http://store.steampowered.com/app/GAME#2-ID/) - HLTB Time: GAME#2-HLTBTIME
* [GAME#3](http://store.steampowered.com/app/GAME#3-ID/) - HLTB Time: GAME#3-HLTBTIME
* [GAME#4](http://store.steampowered.com/app/GAME#4-ID/) - HLTB Time: GAME#4-HLTBTIME
* [GAME#5](http://store.steampowered.com/app/GAME#5-ID/) - HLTB Time: GAME#5-HLTBTIME
FAQ
Do I have to participate in this event?
No, this is an event to help you reduce your backlog. If you already have a plan and don't want anyone to pick games for you, you're free to ignore it.
What happens if I don’t participate in the event?
Absolutely nothing.
What happens if I play all the games picked for me this month?
Still nothing. (You might get a shiny profile badge at some later date. And you can come back for another batch.)
What if I don’t have time to play 5 games?
Don’t worry, one is enough, we’re just asking the pickers to select 5 to give the player a little choice.
One of the game picked for me won’t run on my computer for X or Y reason, what do I do?
If this happens, please notify the picker by replying his comment and ask them to pick a replacement. If the original picker don’t give you an answer within 24h, don’t panic, just leave a comment and we’ll pick one for you. Meanwhile, you could try one of the other picked games if you haven't played them all yet.
I played all 5 games that were picked for me and I want more!
If you have completed all 5 games and reported your completion to the original comment, you can make a new request for another list.
When picking for other people, can I only pick “never played” games?
Not necessarily, you can also pick games that seem to have been abandoned but haven’t been categorized as “won’t play”. No beaten or completed games, or games being currently played obviously.
Why are there so many rules for picking the games? I can’t be bothered!
We’re trying to make this enjoyable for everyone so if you decide to pick games for others, please read and follow the rules. I’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for the pickers too, but if it’s bothering you too much, remember you don’t need to pick games for others to join the challenge.
I’m new here, can I join the challenge?
Yes of course (and welcome to BLAEO). Please just be sure to have your games sorted by progress before signing up for the challenge, to make it easier for your picker.
Heyo! I’d like to enter … my internet here is pretty crappy so I can’t do most multiplayer only games. (Also I request that Crystal pick my games if possible! ;D)
Everything is possible! Bad Rats, Bad Rats 2, Bad Rats 3! Now let me check your list :)
- Swordbreaker - HLTB Time: 4 Hours from SG
- Ori and the Blind Forest - HLTB Time: 8 Hours from SG
- Resident Evil 4 - HLTB Time: 16 Hours
- Quantum Break - HLTB Time: 10 Hours
- Don’t Starve - HLTB Time: 35 Hours there is adventure mode which serves as a plot and which you actually can finish :P
https://www.backlog-assassins.net/lists/9lg9omb
I’m done with Swordbreaker … didn’t 100% it like I said I would … but I got all 3 endings once and I think I’ve handled about as much of it as I can stand. xD
Done with Ori and the Blind Forest, my little review of it will be in my first March update!
Welp i did badly ln last months batch and have to finish some monthly themed games this month but here I am.
If at all possible id like all small games so i have a chance to try and finish everything- also please consider my gifts the same as wins on phone and too lazy to link list but its games nice people have given me
I tried to mix it up a bit, and took into account the playtime that you already had on some of the unfinished ones. I haven’t played any of these, myself, so I don’t have many comments, but here you go! :)
The Inner World - HLTB Time: 6 - 8.5 hours (SG win) - Partially played… the challenge continues ;)- They Bleed Pixels - HLTB Time: 9 - 14 hours (SG win) - Partially played
- Secrets of Rætikon - HLTB Time: 2.5 - 5 hours
- HIVESWAP: Act 1 - HLTB Time: 2 - 4.5 hours (SG win)
- Valley - HLTB Time: 4 - 11.5 hours - This looks stunning to me
- A Story About My Uncle - HLTB Time: 3 - 8 hours
Thank you!
umm I’ll defenitly try to work on the inner world at some point in the future but can you switch it out for now?
its kinda silly but I have a list of all my past challenges and I like the fact that in the grid its a list of 5 representing that month and stuff…
sorry >_< I hope its not a big deal
No worries, I edited the list. :)
I’d love to participate! This would be my first time taking part in one of these challenges.
I’m not okay with multiplayer, but early access is good to go. And, if it’s not a detriment to my picker’s choices, I’d prefer games with achievements.
Lemme know if you’d like me to change any of the picks. Have fun. :)
- Ittle Dew - HLTB Time: 3-7 Hours (SG Win) - A cute, fun little puzzle adventure game.
- World of Goo - HLTB Time: 6-13 Hours (SG Win)
- Papers, Please - HLTB Time: 4-16 Hours - I love this P&C game, found myself really engrossed in the gameplay and loved the progression!
- Rogue Legacy - HLTB Time: 17-35 Hours - This game consumed me when I played it. Really addictive gameplay and feels rewarding as you suck early on and begin to traverse the castle.
- Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition - HLTB Time: 13-37 Hours
I almost put Cities: Skylines on the list but I see you tend to 100% games and that completion is 45-81 hours so…still you’re in for a real treat when you get around to playing it. :D You have so many great games in your backlog was hard to pick just 5.
Thanks a ton! I’m really satisfied with your picks, I’ll report back upon completion. And you’re right about all the great games on my backlog, makes it hard to choose, so I’m grateful you could pick for me haha
Update 1: I’ve just finished Ittle Dew 100% just now, and wow!
I was pleasantly surprised by this title! I did go in with a positive attitude, as I plan to with the other Challenge Me titles, and even while I was expecting a good experience, I still left with more than expected.
Ittle Dew presents itself in a very non-serious matter, and I really appreciate its approach to that. The enemy-types yield their own personalities, and the comedy of the game is front and center, but the quality of the gameplay doesn’t really suffer from that. On the more technical side, though, the audio isn’t anything special, the soundtrack in particular finds itself very mediocre, not overwhelming but not quite underwhelming. I’m a big fan of music in games, and this was a bit disappointing The control scheme could have been a lot better, too. I played using my keyboard, and even 12 hours in, I found myself pressing the wrong buttons sometimes, not usually an issue I have, but hey haha. Puzzles are a big part of Ittle Dew and most of them are implemented and learned nicely, I appreciated a nice rest with some puzzles (even if combat was intertwined) after some long hours in a certain stressful competition game *cough* Aaero *cough*.
The achievements were sweet and simple, and I liked the added incentive to 100% the game with its version of collectibles, trading cards of the in-game denizens. There were a lot of neat surprises, and secrets you can dig your way into, like a semi-secret mega-buff fish-platypus-thing at the end of a series of difficult puzzles…
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Ittle Dew
12 hours playtime
15 of 15 achievements
Overall, I had a really good time and I’m glad I played it, looking forward to playing the rest of your picks, thanks, Jaffa. But for now, that’ll do.
Update 2: Papers, Please completed!
I have to agree with you on your comments about the progression and engrossing nature of this game! I did feel a little burnt out towards the end, but perhaps I shouldn’t have beaten the entire game in one sitting.
Papers, Please is very satisfying to learn and play, and the elements that are added upon progression align themselves perfectly and smoothly. With the little sprinkles of moral dilemma, corruption and patriotism, this game and its story have proved very enjoyable. I had a great time and I’m glad I played it, undeniably… approved.
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Papers, Please
9 hours playtime
13 of 13 achievements
Hey, I just saw your updates. Congrats on beating both with 100%! Very happy you’ve enjoyed both. :D
I was the same with Ittle Dew, I was expecting to like it but was surprised at the depth of it! The silly demeanor almost made it seem more like a “kid’s game” so was expecting it to be simpler. Happy that you were pleasantly surprised as well. :)
And wow beating Papers, Please is one sitting! It is so addicting though, eh? I just looked and I beat in two haha. While I can see someone getting burnt out from it, it probably does help to play it in a short span so that you get in the flow of it and remember where things are. Because good grief can that be a lot for your brain to memorise. Glory to Arstotzka. o7
Update 3: World of Goo
I’m sorry to say that I really didn’t enjoy this one. I was definitely in need of some puzzles for their much more nonchalant nature, after spending over 40 hours in Aaero (giving myself RSI lol), but I can’t say I found enjoyment in these.
World of Goo is not a very good game, in my eyes. I’ve taken note that this has been hailed as an “indie classic”, but it just doesn’t hold up today. Perhaps when it was released in 2008/2009 it was seen in a much more positive light. But the gimmicks are stale, the puzzles are generally bland and unintuitive, and the requirements for the 100% do not do this game any favors. Maybe I could have enjoyed it more if I was playing it completely casually, but the OCD flags are still a part of the game, and a larger one, at that. In the end, WoG was not a game for me, I’m glad it’s off the backlog.
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World of Goo
12 hours playtime
8 of 8 achievements
(And thanks for the comments, Jaffa! Papers, Please was indeed really addicting, and I was pleased to have found out the Papers, Please short film was releasing only a few days after I had completed it! And that was very good in itself :) Cheers, and until next time. Rogue Legacy is next)
Aw sorry you didn’t enjoy World of Goo. :( I’d not played that one, but I loved Little Inferno by the same devs. I’ve heard good things about this one so was hoping you’d like it, shame you didn’t but at least that’s one SG win down. Bummer.
Ooh I’d not heard of the short film, thanks so much for the heads up! I can’t wait to watch it. :D I hope you like Rogue Legacy! I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but fingers crossed you enjoy it. :) Good luck!
Update 4: Rogue Legacy
What a great game! I had an amazing time with this one, and impressed myself with my completion time. I struggled with grasping the scale, mechanics, and general approach to the game towards the beginning, but after ~4-5 hours, I really got the hang of it, and progression went really quickly. Rogue Legacy is pretty complex, or at least customizable in terms of playstyle and approach. The traits were a neat, quirky aspect that made playing a new heir really fun, if a bit frustrating when you got nothing to help you out :P Speaking of which, the way RL handled “respawns” was so cool! I loved the implementation of generations as new characters, so your “children” would go to face the castle after you. Anyways, I had a lovely time playing this, and I’m happy to have played it! Especially after the disappointment I found in World of Goo. Thanks for the great suggestion!
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Rogue Legacy
24 hours playtime
28 of 28 achievements
Holy moly I can’t believe you beat the game so “easily”! Pls give me your skills. :D Super impressive!
I actually just beat it, remembered that I’d gotten the final boss (in the normal gamemode) back in 2013 but died with him having literally 1hp and I quit the game haha. And I’d seen a friend beat it at the same time, so saw the final scene anyways figured I’d come back to it later, just didn’t realise how long it’d been! Half of my deaths were from that final boss, really struggled. :P Just noticed that there’s ng+ after beating it now which is neat! Kudos on 100%ing you’re destroying this challenge. Really glad you enjoyed it. :D
Update 5: Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition
I didn’t quite have the time to get all the achievements before the deadline due to a surprise trip to California, and taking ~70 hours to get the new achievements in CounterAttack, but I did beat it! This will be my second time 100%ing this game and I’ve loved it even more the second time around. The Definitive Edition’s upgrade to textures makes driving around in rainy Hong Kong feel so much better. I love this game’s charisma and charm, and I’m glad I revisited it! I’ll be finishing off the last few main game errands I have left and the DLC in the coming days, but for now… challenge complete? Thanks for the trip Jaffa, I’m grateful for the extra push I needed to finish some more games on my backlog, I had a great time! Cheers <3
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Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition
24 hours playtime
no achievements
I would like to join again, since I’ve been having so much fun (and making progress!) playing others’ picks. Of my SG wins, please do not pick Chaos on Deponia (going to play that along with someone else), ABC Murders (going to read the book first), or Pillars of Eternity & Silence (currently playing). Treat my unplayed games the same as never played. Thanks! I’m looking forward to seeing what gets picked.
tbh don’t really know what to say about your SG wins cause other than everything you’ve mentioned they seem kinda trashu…and like reviews say they don’t work and asfk im finding this hard but I’m commited and >_<
but okay
- Odysseus Kosmos and his Robot Quest SG win HLTBT not available.
- Asphyxia Cute VN hltb time is rubbish and depends on your reading speed along with whether you are doing multiple/all endings or just one.
- Terraria Okay umm…this is one of my favorite games and I don’t know how much time you would need to put into it. (again hltb time is rubbish but I also have 800 hours so idek…I guess this is the long one?)
- The Inner World This was part of my last challenge me and I started it and sadly failed HLTB time is 6-7 hrs
- Evoland 2 You said to treat your unfinished the same so here…Someone gave this to me months and months ago ad I had fun playing through it.
Yeah, I’ve usually just said not to pick from my SG wins but figured I had enough unplayed now to leave it up to the challenger. They’re mostly HOGs that could be finished like a couple hours at times I’m too tired to do anything, so I’m not worried about finishing them on my own. Plus it’s more fun/a surprise if you don’t pick those, since there aren’t many.
I’ve been wanting to play Asphyxia, so I’m glad you picked that. And let’s hope for the sake of my backlog that I don’t spend 800 hours on Terraria :o. Thanks for the challenge!
It definitely does not take 800 hours to play the game-its just you can build stuff and I spent loads of time making castles and stuff and ignoring the main questline.
think I’m weird tho so your backlog should be fine
I didn’t do so well this month (in any of my gaming goals). I fully completed Asphyxia and Evoland 2. I started The Inner World and might be able to finish it tonight if it still “counts.” I also played Terraria for about 10 hours and built like 5 houses. Then I wasn’t sure what to do so I started digging. I had a much better experience this time compared to the first time I tried to play it, when all I did was try and fail to map a decent controller layout. It seems they added controller support since then. I didn’t expect to beat this, but it’s something I’ll work on for a couple hours here and there.
Still, even though I didn’t complete even 4/5, Evoland was a pretty long one to finish. I’ll make a post about that within the next few days, but I thought it was a cool concept and fun in general, but there were a couple game genres you had to play in that I don’t really like and/or suck at. Asphyxia was the best discovery for me.
I did get some better SG wins I haven’t played since you picked, so hopefully it will be easier for the next person. Thanks for the challenge!
thats 100x times better than I did
and we have pretty much the same outlook on evoland and asphyxia.
(terraria took me awhile to “get into” if I remember correctly but part of the fun was just randomly exploring. I did end up looking up what I had to do to progress in the game at some point but before then I was just building stuff
I’d like to join this month, too please! :) Anything would be finde ♪
Hope these are good picks? Have fun! :)
- LiEat - HLTB Time: 4 Hours - (SG Win) My friend adored this game, has me intrigued.
- Tomb Raider - HLTB Time: 11-20 Hours - (SG Win) I see you already started it, if that’s a problem? Have been meaning to get back to it myself.
- Layers of Fear - HLTB Time: 3-10 Hours - Fun horror game, enjoyed more than I expected!
- Epistory - Typing Chronicles - HLTB Time: 5-10 Hours - Beautiful typing game.
- Aragami - HLTB Time: 6-17 Hours - Had this on my WL for ages, but heard a couple mixed reviews from friends among the positive. Still looks like fun, would be interested in hearing your thoughts!
Awesome list, thanks! I started Tomb Raider only some weeks ago and somehow lost my motivation to play anything at all. This will help a lot!
I was debating whether or not to take part this month or focus on past picks that I didn’t get around to… but count me in! (Maybe I’ll get to do a bit of both.) :)
Anything goes, but I’ll pout and/or throw a tantrum if your pick is a sequel to a game that I haven’t played, yet. :P
- DARK SOULS II Scholar of the First Sin!!! HLTB time says ~40 hours but its full of shit I took way longer on my first run… (this is the long game as well as being a SG win)
- Unepic HLTB time ~18 hrs This is a game I started…and forgot about >.> ish I really really need to go back and finish it some time.
- The Magic Circle HLTB time ~4 hours - SG win. I actually liked this. Its not award worthy but as a meta game its fun.
- Gunpoint HLTB time says 3 hrs…I finished it in less than 2 using my trackpad instead of a mouse so idk.
- Teslegrad I remember enjoying this ages ago. HLTB time is 5 hours
Hey, thanks for picking for me! This is an interesting mix, and I’m sure I’ll have some fun with these. :)
Ironically, I was just talking with a friend yesterday about how I need to start playing DS2. I know what you mean about the HLTB estimate, though, since I think I spent about 150 hours doing a single playthrough with the first game in the series. :3
I would like to take part this month! This time, please only pick games I have marked as “unfinished”. I’ve started playing so many games but only finished a few of them, so I want to take care of those loose ends before playing new additions to my library.
- Transistor - HLTB Time: 6h - 16h
A really fine game. Played and 100%ed it myself. Getting everything done is not very easy, but there are no grindy achievements, you just need to get used to all the mechanics. But I would advice to play it first without any guide and then replay for the remaining achievements. - Spec Ops: The Line - HLTB Time: 6h - 15h
Awesome shooter. Definitively play it, if it suits your gaming taste. Story is excellent, but don’t read any spoilers in guides before you haven’t finished it at least once yourself. The achievement on hardest difficult is very hard. But it is totally doable on a second playthrough, when you know all the levels. - South Park™: The Stick of Truth™ - HLTB Time: 5h - 7h
Very funny game. Takes a bit more effort to get all achievements because you can easily miss requirements and have to replay the game. - Saints Row: The Third - HLTB Time: 14h - 43h
Takes a lot of time to actually 100% it. And you have to play main story in coop to get all achievements. But it is a lot of fun. - LIMBO - HLTB Time: 3h - 7h
One of my favourite sidescroller/platformer. In parts very scary and some scenes are very difficult. Especially if you want to get all achievements. Then you will need to play it with as few deaths as possible (iirc fewer or equal to 4). Do this in a separate playthrough as you cannot afford to fail because of collectibles :P
Btw: The colour for your “Mobile port available” list is very…. painful. You really must hate my eyesight :P
Oof, now that you mention it, yellow was a bad choice, so I’ve changed it. Also, thanks for the picks, those are nice! I’ll get to them right away.
LIMBO 100%’d! The “No Point in Dying” achievement took me several attempts to get it (with one very good attempt stopped by a glitch…). And when I got that achievement, I managed to complete a death-less run. I thought I couldn’t pull that off! A great game I’d say, and some puzzles were quite tricky (I had to look into a walkthrough a few times, just to get a hint). With that out of the way, I’ll now focus on South Park: The Stick of Truth.
Reply here, if there are any problems