52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

[kamikazekeeg]

25 - Indigo Park: Chapter 1 (PC 2024) - BEAT - I'm not normally into the mascot horror genre, it's a lot of slop, but I like the idea behind it when it feels like they put some real work into the concept and it's not some cheap cash-in deal like that Garten of Ban Ban.  This one drew me in as I saw some tiktok's of it and it stood out for having some real good art to it and voice work and gotta say that aspect is great.  It's both good and kinda not great visually, the quality of the game in the open courtyard shows some odd visual stuff to me, but all of the drawn art is really good.  All distinct characters, voice work, and having Rambly be this AI character on a screen that can interact works well as a guide character and there's some genuine humor going on in parts.

It fails abit from a gameplay perspective, you don't do a lot, this first part, being only an hour long at most and no gameplay hook, it's just a walking sim game, there's no mechanics like the hand pack in Poppy's Playtime or a gameplay loop like FNAF, even Garten of BanBan has that drone thing, as bad as it looks.  It feels less like a "part" and more of a tech demo, proof of concept sorta thing, which is fine.  It's free, so I can't complain at all, but hopefully future parts having something to actually do in it.

[kashell]

75. Samurai Shodown III - Amakusa

There's just something about this entry in the series. All games have their ups and downs, but III seems to have more downs. And yet I never grow tired of it. It's one of those games that instantly warps me back to childhood. I went through the game as Amakusa. His epicene beauty and mannerisms were ahead of their time (I said what I said) and he had a really unique set of moves. I still prefer other characters, but playing as "bosses" has a unique appeal.

[kashell]

76. Samurai Shodown III - Rimururu

While playing as Amakusa was fun for being able to play as a boss, going through the game that debuted Nakaruru's sister hit differently. I remember the first time I saw her in the arcades. I was well into my "I love shojo anime era" and then, my favorite fighting series introduces this girl with a magical ice gem. It's serendipity. Rimu-chan isn't my favorite anymore but she's still a special character on the roster and in the franchise as a whole. She's an adorable girl that stands tiny/tall among big, burly dudes.

[telly]

Game 18 - World of Horror (Switch) - 5 Hours

This is a game that you can "beat" relatively quickly but will keep you coming back to replay it afterwards. I was able to complete the first three scenarios on the start up screen at least once, and then I messed around a bit more trying to see what else I could uncover.

What really made me want to play this roguelike text-based adventure game was the striking visual design - an intentional retro and disturbing 1-bit artstyle with heavy inspiration from Junji Ito and Lovecraft. It immediately draws you in with an incredibly engaging atmosphere, great music and writing, and really interesting and horrifying themes and story elements, not to mention some truly disturbing monsters. A lot of the game's fear is based on your imagination however since so much of the game is presented in text, which allows you to fill in the gaps more and creates a more engaging experience. The game's roguelike foundations mean that every playthrough is different with different stories to explore and new events and characters to meet and engage with. It makes you want to keep playing to see new endings, monsters, or other content, and the incredibly atmosphere and spectacle is what makes the game stick with you after you turn it off. Overall, it was very entertaining, and I could definitely see myself picking this up again later to try another run.

There were some things that I found a little annoying. Some of the menu options don't allow you to go back once you've made a selection which was perplexing. Also, unlike other roguelikes that I've played, any given run lives and dies on pure RNG, with skill checks and hitting attacks making your experience feel great or miserable. Even if you min/max to play to your strengths it still feels like the game can body you with just bad luck which can get frustrating after a while.

[kashell]

77. Atelier Marie Remake

In some ways, it felt surreal to playing this despite it being a full-on remake. I remember sitting in a free period in high school, looking at RPGs on a site that never made it across the pond. Atelier Marie was one of them. It had adorable sprites, great artwork, and item creation. Item creation?! What kind of RPG in the 90s lets you make items?! It's crazy to think how far the series has come since then. Crazier that Marie got a remake. But, despite the game being easy and on the short side, it just reiterated that I might have outgrown the Atelier series. It was repetitive and kind. Just kind of "there". I had a feeling that might have been the case since I didn't care for the game with the twins (Lydie and Someone) or Lulua. Oh well. Marie graduated at the top of her class and all is right in the world.

[kashell]

78. Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

This was a blast of a replay; perfect for October. My OCD didn't get kick in as bad as I thought. I'm still missing some weapons and some Innocent Devil evolutions. But. I got 100% map completion, managed to steal from Death (quite a feat) and finished the game without much difficulty thanks to all of the other material farming I did. The game still plays brilliantly other than a shaky camera and one of the most annoying stealing methods I've ever seen. The silly camp and fun with the story still hits. Crispin Freeman as Hector is just *chef's kiss*. In the recent Netflix animation, Hector's story is a lot different. I like his journey in the game much more. He's a great dude.

[kashell]

79. The Quarry

A group playthrough where I took the lead and others that played it for the first time watched. My choices resulted in most of the campers surviving, and all of the family members getting slaughtered. Compared to Until Dawn, I think I like Until Dawn a bit more for its more brisk pace and story. But, this game was still very fun and interesting. A little loquacious at times (specifically that old broad between chapters) but I had a lot of fun playing through this and making choices that were unique to those that were watching me play.

[telly]

Game 19 - Untitled Goose Game (Switch) - 4 Hours

What a charming well-designed game. I wish there was more of it, but what is there is simple and excellent. It's a game that mixes comedic physics-based puzzles with a sprinkle of stealth and ultimately leads to a wholly entertaining and humorous experience. Certainly the game's objectives lead to some very funny moments but there's a lot of organic fun to be had as well as you interact with all the items and humans around you. There's also an incredible level of polish and attention to detail in the sound design, visuals and music, way more than what you would expect from a simple "meme" game. Great experience!