Well, well, well. So we meet again. As per usual, I’ve dragged out my awards posts because I can. As I explained in the previous post. my gaming was off this year for one big reason–I spent two weeks in September in the hospital and then months after recovering. Now, in mid-December, I’m mostly better. Yet, I still don’t have that much interest in trying new games because, well, I’ve had other things on my mind. I mentioned in the last post various games I tried and fell off of. There’s one game I started recently that I’m roughly halfway through. I have high hopes that I’ll finish it.
It’s Wytchwood by Alientrap. I love the colorful art style and I adore the protagonist called Witch. She’s hench (hefty), tough, sarcastic, and takes no shit from anyone. She also has a kettle on her head for some reason. The basic premise is that you have to get four big souls for a goat (don’t ask and hey, that’s pretty much the premise of Dark Souls except for the goat part) and you mostly do that by gathering ingredients and crafting things. It’s perfect for playing in an hour or two spurts while relaxing on the couch. I think I’m roughly halfway done (I have two of the four souls) and I look forward to finishing it.
Before the hospital, I was into three different kinds of games: soulslikes, roguelike-lites, and cozy games. I was playing Cozy Grove by Spry Fox (cozy game, of course. It’s right there in the name), Dorfromantik by Toukana Interactive, which loosely fits into the cozy games category as well, and (sigh) Nioh 2 by Team Ninja, which can be crammed into the soulslike category if you use a shoehorn, elbow grease, and squint real hard. I had just watched the trailer for Elden Ring (FromSoft) before going into the hospital and was stoked about that. The release date has been pushed back a month, but I’m fine with that. I would rather they release it fully playable at a later date than release it on time and it’s riddled with bugs. I had just beaten the first boss in Nioh 2 and was messaging with Ian about the second main mission the day before I collapsed. Apparently, I had done the sub-mission and didn’t remember it. That is neither here nor there, though.
After I left the hospital, my thinking about video games changed drastically–along with many other things. Before the hospital (BH), I had this grand plan for Elden Ring. It’s their first open world game and one you can play completely with other people. I was going to have two characters–one with whom I would play the game solo as I played all FromSoft games. Soloing all the bosses and exploring the environments. With my second character, I was going to play with other people (mostly Ian) to see what that was all about.
This is my monkey fren who is also a guardian spirit….Look, it’s complicated!
Yes, I have used this title before, but I changed His to Her and added a 2, so it’s completely different, right????? Besides, if I’m plagiarizing, I’m plagiarizing myself, so whatever. And the reason it’s her instead of him is because there’s character creation/customization in the sequel! That was the first hour and a half in the game, which was actually short for me. I was delighted to be able to make my character older and as thick as possible, which wasn’t that thick, but I did make her cut. I put her hair up in a ponytail that is as long as possible. The hair is straight and thin like mine, and I put white/blue streaks in it. I actually didn’t spend that much time on her face because all I really care about is that they look Asian–which is not a problem here. Oh, and making her not look like she’s ten years old. I put scars on her face and tatted her up–and I was so fucking happy with her. My trademark dark red lipstick as well (what I used to wear in real life. Diva by MAC). William who? Samurai Geralt was boring as fuck and while you can play as him, why the fuck would you want to do that when you can be like the picture above?????
One incredible–oh, I should say I’ve been playing the game Nioh 2 by Team Ninja. Before I dive into it, I have to mention that September 1st was the roll over to autumn in Cozy Grove by Spry Fox and I love the warm autumn color palate. I noticed it immediately as I spawned onto my island with all the browns and reds. More importantly, I got a badge for playing in three seasons and even more importantly, new stuff! New flowers, trees, bushes, insects, and fishies. I spent a good few hours just wandering around and finishing off certain badges for the first time in weeks. I had my character dressed in fleece and a cozy cap, and it was just really lovely.
The second game I’m playing is Spiritfarer by Thunder Lotus Games. It was one of my GOTY last year (along with Hades by Supergiant Games, of course) and they added their second update. It’s the Beverly update with Beverly being your old neighbor and an owl. The last update was the Lily update with Lily being your sister. That was interesting because it added backstory that was alluded to in the game, but never explicitly stated. It was small and not much to do other than go from place to place and do the bad platforming to talk to her. The worst part about this game is the gameplay itself. This update is meatier and actually has things to do, but…I feel curmudgeonly for saying this, but the thrill isn’t quite there. I think it would have been better integrated into the game instead of zipping through it at the end. I have all the materials needed to do what she wants, but I did have to craft some of it. It’s been so long since I’ve done that. I have to say that it’s still a nice update and I’m impressed with the quality as always, but it’s hard to recapture the magic from this far out. I will say that I was stoked that they added save slots, which the community had been begging for ever since the game came out. So I could play it again if I want. I’m happy that they’re still adding new content, though. It’s really great of them.
The third game I’m playing outside of Nioh 2 is Dorfromantik by Toukana Interactive. It’s deceptively addictive and I’ve dabbled in creative mode. I prefer classic, though, because I like having boundaries, otherwise I’ll be playing forever. I will say that since I started playing Nioh 2, I only play one or two runs of Dorfromantik rather than the hours I played in the past.
That’s it. That’s the whole post. No, not really, of course, but ever since a date was announced for the release of the game AND a new trailer (how you spoil us, FromSoft), it’s been at the forefront of my gaming brain. January 21, 2022. Some people in the industry are skeptical it’ll come out then (because for big releases, release dates are often, uh, wishful thinking, shall we say). I, on the other hand, think it’s probably an accurate estimation because they took so long to announce it. FromSoft is very meticulous about things like this and aren’t in the habit of pushing back release dates. So, in five months, I will be able to play Elden Ring. I’m trying not to get too hyped because I don’t want to be disappointed, BUT I’M FUCKING HYPED.
In the meantime, I need games to fill the time. I’m playing a chill game in Early Access called Dorfromantik by Toukana Interactive. It’s a hexagon placement game so I wasn’t really into it until I watched Johnny Chiodini play it on a charity stream. Let me see if I can do justice to it. It’s a city builder. You start with one blank tile (made of the ground). You have a stack of tiles, I think 50 of them, and you have to use them in order. They will have something on them–houses, trees, waterways, for example. One of them will have a number (the number is white and is encase in an icon of color. The colors match with the different features. Light brown is housing (inside a little house), yellow is corn/wheat fields, green is trees, etc.), so, say +5 on a wheat field. That means you have to link five other yellow parts of hexagons with that tile. Obviously, it gets complicated when you have conflicting resources on a tile and you have to figure out the best way to place them. When you complete one of the quests (the plus however many number), you get extra tiles. Five, I think. I never pay attention to the tiles except for the one on top. They just added a creative mode, which I have yet to explore.
That’s it. That’s the whole game. Placing tiles until you run out. You get points per tile (the more connections you make, the more points) and you try to beat your highest score. At least that’s my M.O. There’s nothing else to it, but it’s surprisingly addictive. Before I go to bed, I think I’ll play one run. Two hours later….
Anyway, Gamescom is happening. Yesterday was opening night, which meant Geoff Keighley got to gush a lot and end with his best buddy, Kojima. Or rather, Kojima’s game. It started with a bang! The new Saints Row reboot which looks dope. One of the characters has a black cat full face riding helmet, which I’m here for. Ian got to interview the developers and they said they wanted to rein in the juvenile humor. I appreciate that because what was funny ten years ago is not necessarily funny now. You hear me, Randy Pitchford? Borderlands needed an update to its sensibility and did not get one in the latest iteration. The baddies as YouTube streamers seemed quaint as well. I really hope Saints Row does not go in that direction. I also hope they have kept and updated their excellent character creation. My avi for that game is still my favorite because it looked like an aspirational me as long as I kept my sunglasses on.
