I’ve blathered on long enough about gaming in general, so I’m going to instead lay out my plan/agenda for gaming in 2026 for funsies. Here is yesterday’s post about how I like the Golden Joystick Awards better than I do The Game Awards even though the show itself was, ah, not the best. I’ll just leave it at that.
I’ve also nattered a bit about how I’m willing to open my mind about different game genres. Not multiplayer because hell is other people, but there are some other genres I’m willing to try. This year, I gave turn-based combat a try. That would be Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive), and I was fine with it in that game, though never did like it. There are several things I did not like about that game, but that’s not the point of this post so I’ll move on (with difficulty).
There’s a game that many people really lik. it’s called Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero), and it’s headed up by the director of the very popular Persona series. They are JRPGs that take hundreds of hours to finish, and I have been intimidated by them ever since I heard of them, and, I’ll be honest, there are things about the games that put me off. However, tthe demo for Metaphor: ReFantazio is on Steam, and it’s supposed to be something like ten hours long. I’ve been contemplating it for a good long time, so I might give it a go.
If there’s any From drop on Steam, I will buy that, of course. Well, I say of course, but I’m not sure how much longer it’ll be of course. The more FromSoft strays from their tried-and-true formula, the less likely I’m going to buy their games. In addition, the older I get, the less likely I’ll be able to keep playing the games that I consider emblematic of FromSoft.
There are rumors that they will announce a new game next year. Speculation is that it’s another Armored Core, but that’s just a wild guess. I will not buy another Armored Core; I barely got out of the tutorial for the current one.
I will want at least one cozy game that has serious themes and tons of resource gathering. That is exactly my jam. Wylde Society, the next game from Studio Drydock (a prequel to Wylde Flowers) does not have a release date, but I’m hoping it’ll come out in 2026–at least in Early Access. The first game took several years to fully release, and it was a very full game.
Stardew Valley (Concerned Ape who is one guy, Eric Barone) is a game that I’ve always felt bad for not liking. I tried it, but I could only do two or three things without getting tired, and it felt very ponderous to get started. It’s one issue I have with several cozy games of that particular genre–it’s not very cozy to begin with. In fact, they can feel very much like survival games in the worst of ways. I hate survival games, by the way, and I have no interest in playing one. No, I am probably not going to change my mind about that.
I have so many games on my Wishlist, but there aren’t any that I’m holding my breath for. There are several cozy games, of course, mostly of the sim variety. One that I tried the demo for and am really curious about is Lost & Found Co. (Bit Egg Inc.). It is a Hidden Object Game, but not in the usual sense. It’s more like Where’s Waldo, except you have to find thirty different Waldos in the scene. I’ve included the demo announcement trailer above, and they actually have added things to the demo (so I’ve played it twice). It’s really hard to focus on any one thing because there’s so much going on, but it’s an interesting twist on a genre I know so well.
In addition, there are hidden scenes within the scenes, collectibles in the form of spirit figures I tihnk?, and there’s decorating your bedroom. It’s a ton of things to do, and I’m reasonably hyped. It’s supposed to come out this year, but I have a hunch it’ll get pushed back to next year.
I’m a bit wary because there is an artlessness to the placement of the items/characters/animals, and the clutter can be overwhelming. My brain tends to shut down when there’s too much visual stimuli, and there are about four or five times the amount of stuff in each scene. I can spend an hour or two on one scene and not find everything.
In a way, there are too many games. I can go to Steam at any time, and there will be a sale. I can find a game or two on sale that I would like to play. I can then put it on my Wishlist and promptly forget about it for years. Or, I can buy it on steep sale, and then promptly forget about it. Or if it’s something I want to play so that’s why I bought it, I can buy it on steep sale and play it immediately.
I was thinking how I played so many more games this year than last year. Many of them were just little games that I immediately forgot because they were that trivial (the casual games, to be perfectly honest with you). I even 100%ed one of them and spent several valuable seconds trying to remember the name of the game–or even what it was about. And I just played it yesterday!
Steam has started doing a great thing which is your Steam year in review. They started in 2022 and it’s a pretty comprehensive look. Funnily, I played 24 games in 2022, 19 in 2023, and 40 in 2024. I would say that’s not a complete picture because I had Game Pass during that time and played several games on that as well. Steam Replay tells you if they’re old games or now, and they break it down month by month. They also tell you where you stand in relation to other players (as far as which games you play and the breakdown of old/new, etc.). I really enjoy taking a look back, and I’m interested in seeing my stats for this year.
I’m quite surprised I played 40 games last week. To be fair, sometimes it’s five minutes and done. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that I’ve played Elden Ring constantly since it was released in February of 2022, and Dark Souls III more than once.
I really can’t believe that it’s nearly December. It’s turkey day this Thursday and then the first of December a week from tomorrow. This year was so fast and mostly a wash for me. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the new year.