52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

[kashell]

28. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - Nightmare

I'm getting good at this. The only thing notable during this playthrough was that the trophy for playing more than 20 hours unlocked. Having Suikoden to play made going through Ys more enjoyable. Up next: Hard Mode.

[dhaabi]

15. Heads Off || Mobile || 03.08.25



Earlier last year, I went through the Google Play Store to see what kind of free games may interest me, and I made note of them. After going through that list again and removing ones which require a purchase to access to the full content, I settled on Heads Off. Before playing, I only really knew that the game was eccentric which seemed like a good enough reason to try it.

As the game title suggests, players control a decapitated head that rolls endlessly across a 2D plane. Where it's going or why it's moving at all, I'm not exactly sure, although the added inclusion of annual milestones in the form of text alongside the visual presentation of cliffs, pitfalls, and flat planes suggest that this rolling journey symbolizes the head's life. At the right side of the screen, randomly generated text blurbs scroll up and off the screen which coincides with the player's progress through stages. Once players succumb to the pit below, a prompt appears saying that's the age of the head's death which also represents the player's score.

In order to bypass obstacles and also to maintain momentum, players must tap and hold the screen which controls and head's screaming. With that said, screaming serves two purposes: the first being to either speed up or slow down (which also allowed the head to backtrack, moving toward the left) and second being to gain vertical distance off the ground. There is a need to time screaming as you will project yourself in the opposite direction the head faces which moves along with a slow but constant auto-rotation. For instance, the player will project themselves upward when the head is facing downward. Because of the auto-rotation which persists while in mid-air, players can control themselves with more fluidity.

Apart from seeing how long the head avatar lives, there are also some sort of spirits to collect which serves as the in-game currency. While at the main menu, players are able to freely choose which head they'd like to play as. At first, there is only one to choose, but players will quickly be able to unlock more with the aforementioned currency. At another menu, a tree stands tall with cocoons resting on its limbs, and players are able to select specific ones to send drifting spirits toward them to mature and eventually be born. Once born, new heads drop down to the ground as if they're a fallen seed and then roll along off the screen, awaiting to be select at the main menu.

Based on my time playing, this seems to be all that Heads Off offers. There are about forty heads to unlock, but, as far as I can tell, they all function the same. They do differ by design and by their screaming voices, and there is some minor gameplay variation based on the shape of each individual head which does influence how they roll. The entire premise is clearly an odd concept, and the initial screaming did startle me some at first despite already knowing that was part of the game's design. From images I've seen online, the furthest players can reach is age 100 which is far past what I've been able to achieve with age 39. Overall, gameplay doesn't evolve although stages do get progressively difficult the older heads reach. At the same time, stage design remains static, as it seems that stages are randomly generated in real-time.

Heads Off heavily adopts arcade-like gameplay, meaning there doesn't really seem to be a traditional end unless players wish to reach age 100 with all head types. So, I've played enough of it to be considered complete. In the end, I unlocked about half of the heads. I'll also mention that, as a free mobile game, it doesn't feel obtrusive. There are some ads on the main menu and also optional ads to watch to gain more spirits, but it's all easy to ignore. Additionally, there are no restrictions for how long players choose to play, which I know is a game design many mobile games utilize.

[kashell]

29. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - Hard

No comments needed, haha. Just another run through to unlock stuff for the platinum.

[bikingjahuty]

29. Hang-On (Arcade)

When it comes to 80s Sega arcade games, the original Hang-On seems to overshadowed by another Sega racing game, Outrun. I get why Outrun is remembered so much more and more fondly, however that game was an evolution of Hang-On which walked so Outrun could...umm run.


Despite how revolutionary Hang-On was for arcade racing games, it's still a very basic game. More or less, you're simply taking hairpin turn after hairpin turn, all while trying to avoid going off track, hitting obstacles just off the shoulder of the road, and also not to hit other motorcycles you're racing against. In truth, however, you aren't really racing against the other motorcycles as you are just trying to avoid hitting them. They are by far the most prevalent obstacle in the game and a continual source of annoyance as they'll slow you down one way or another, and be what causes you to run out of time, requiring another quarter or two be placed in machine. This is the main source of Hang-On's difficulty, which while being core to its gameplay, is also what annoyed me the most while trying to get through this one.


Hang-On's greatest strength is its visuals, which are pretty primitive by today's standards, but back in the mid 80s, they were pretty amazing. Seeing objects and landmarks on the horizon get closer and closer to you really gives you a sense of distance and progression through each section of the race. The motorcycles and obstacles are also vividly rendered which is just another aspect that add's to Hang-On's visual appeal. The audio is nothing special, but also pretty good for its time. There are only a few songs within the game, but they're all good for the most part.


Hang-On is certainly a classic and also one of those watershed games that really helped define racing games in 1980's arcades. While it has been overshadowed by various other racing games that came out shortly after, including its own sequel, it's still worth playing if you can find a working machine or even if you emulate it. (3/11/25) [32/50]

[telly]

Game 4 - 2064: Read Only Memories (Switch) - 10 Hours

This is still my favorite adventure game. I absolutely love the games visuals, characters, soundtrack, voice acting and story. Something about it just really clicks with me. I really don't have much to say beyond my initial review a few years ago. I'm excited to start exploring the sequel which just came out!

Original Review

[kashell]

30. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - Easy

Finally, the game has been platinum'd. Well, "finally" might not be the right word because it took just over 20 hours. Finishing the game so quickly after some files has me likening it to something like Mega Man X; games I know like the back of my hand. After finishing Easy Mode, I went through all of the Time Attack modes. Finishing those unlocked the remaining gallery items. Getting all of those was the final thing needed for the platinum trophy. Even if you aren't a trophy hunter or aren't playing on PlayStation, I do recommend this game. It's a brisk yet thorough adventure and showcases my favorite style of Ys.