Monthly in a Month #29: The Fantasy Edition

haven't tried in a while but I will try again :)

Black book
Destroy all humans
Genesis Noir

Wasn't planning to join this month but ended up spending 35 hours 5-starring Jurassic World: Evolution's campaign (mostly out of spite) so figured I might as well see if I can finish 5 more games.

Starting a bit late this month so let's see if I can make it

I was really disappointed by Hotshot Racing. It looks and handles awesome but the AI is the worst I have seen in a racing game. Shame.

Pretty bad picks this month. All the games I played were disappointments until The Sexy Brutale. What a masterpiece! I must admit I got so lost in the game and just admiring set pieces and listening to the music, chilling, that I spent a few more hours than I could have but hey when you don't want to leave, it's a good sign for a game, right?

Speaking of not wanting to leave... Life is Strange. I reaaaaally avoided that game for a long time because it looked like it was going to be triggering my anxiety issues. Now what made me think that? lol
It sure did get dark and what happens when you take an anxious player and gives them the possibility to play through every damn choice 5 times and rewind and do it all again? Well they do it. Anyway, 26 hours later and I finally finished the game. Both endings. Multiple times.
I must say I did enjoy it anyway, even though yes it was triggering and dark but I'm very ambivalent about the endings.

Last time I tried to join, I ran out of time and didnt finish. This time, I am hoping things go better. Trying to find games that I can finish in one to two sittings.

1. Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek
2. Popup Dungeon / Sweetwater
3. West of Dead / The banisher
4. 8Doors
5. X-Morph: Defense / This planet is yours now
6. The Shrouded Isle

Not my best series.
A little disappointed by Hello Neigbour compared to the first one, I found more messy, less good in the gameplay

1 Necromunda: Hired Gun - achievements

Decent gunplay, but otherwise it was a bit meh. Like most wh40k games it's just another rushed jank made on low(ish) budget. Lots of bugs, UI is awful and some systems (e.g. faction reputation) were put into the game without any reason which reminds me of cyberpunk. 5/10

2 Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - achievements

As I wrote probably a few times before in your challenge I love metroidvanias. They feel fresh to me, partially because I'm PC only player (if you don't count my early Amiga days) and there weren't many such games on PC when I was younger. I have to say initially I wasn't sold on Bloodstained graphic style and I still prefer pure 2d, but thankfully it looks much better in game than on screens. As for the game itself it was fun, tons of spells and weapons to use, decent boss fights, lovely exploration and predictably awful story. What's not to like :D

3 Police Stories - achievements

Police spin on Hotline Miami gameplay. It was okay I guess, but it's not SWAT 3.

4 Yakuza Kiwami - achievements

I absolutely loved Yakuza 0, but sadly Kiwami was a big let down. I know it is a remake of a dated original game, but it felt so similar to Yakuza 0 (not only because of reused assets) and yet it was worse in every way. I had some fun, sure, but I really hope Kiwami 2 is much better.

5 Gamedec - achievements

Cyberpunk adventure game without identity crisis. Tons of choices to be made, but they are mostly illusions. I don't mind, because the story was quite engaging and there wasn't any fluff wasting my time like in Cyberpunk 2077.

6 Call of the sea - achievements

Walking sim with great, logical puzzles with story putting interesting adventurous vibe on lovecraftian horror. Fantastic job by voice actress who portrayed the main character. I had a blast with this game :)

About time I started working on my HB backlog too. Hope I can make it before the deadline.

One more week! These contests and the humble reveal are the highlight of my month (Sad, I know, shit's rough) and even when I choose to skip the bundle or not/can't participate in your event I always ALWAYS look forward to it and seeing what people are playing for the contest. Also your screenshots on steam are great, it's so cathartic to see your "Another game done!" posts, feels good that a backlog somewhere is shrinking even if it's not mine ;)

If you don't already have an idea for the next game to give away, might I suggest Backpack Hero? It comes out on August 15th and looks like the most refreshing roguelike "deck"builder in a long time. I have played many roguelike deckbuilders since StS, and even Monster Train was fun but it felt a bit empty, but Backpack Hero looks like it has that soul and charm combined with the simple yet complex mechanics needed to stand out in this crowded genre blend.
Also Tinykin looks great but probably isn't as appealing to everyone, since I am incredibly biased towards Pikmin style games.

This was a good month, really nice games, new discover for me: Man of Medan was Great!

Amnesia: Rebirth October 2021 Humble Choice (#23) - Screenshots - Achievements

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan March 2022 Humble Choice (#28) - Screenshots - Achievements

Mother Russia Bleeds January 2017 Humble Monthly #15 - Screenshots - Achievements

FRAMED Collection September 2021 Humble Choice (#22) - Screenshots - Achievements

Destroy All Humans! April 2022 Humble Choice (#29) - Screenshots - Achievements

Vane May 2021 Humble Choice (#18) - Screenshots - Achievements

1. METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES
2. Tacoma
3. Layers of Fear
4. 198x
5. Effie
6. Moon Hunters

Bit of a messy month; apologies for the slightly-less-late-but-still-late finish.

My games played for this month's challenge:

Hotshot Racing (from March 2021)

Achievements
Screenshot of beaten Grand Prix

I had initially planned to complete the grand prix (what's the plural for grand prix?) on expert difficulty since only that difficulty had achievements, but then I remembered I'm awful at this genre of game, so I had to settle for normal and take a screenshot.

The low-poly look really makes the cars and courses on Hotshot Racing pop, although some other models like the racing humans don't fare as well. As for the gameplay, it's a solid enough recreation of old-school arcade mainstays, but I think I'd rather stick with those classics like Daytona USA for the silly music and other nostalgic elements.

Pumpkin Jack (from June 2022)

Achievements - "The Baddest Bad Guy"

Pumpkin Jack is a pretty solid 3-D platformer, all told, and a heck of an accomplishment for what is mostly a single developer. Still, that development shows some warts, like some rather dull memory-matching and shape-matching mini-games that were a bit too frequent. Still, there were moments like the chase and vehicle sequences felt like they could stand up to the iconic mascot platformers of old.

Trüberbrook (from April 2020)

Achievements - "Hans Tannhauser's Final Repose"

Trüberbrook's art style is gorgeous and if I were in charge of Unity I'd definitely use it as an example of how well the engine can work. Gameplay and puzzle progress definitely suffer from some odd cases of "adventure game logic," but at least there is a highlight function to help narrow down what you should look for. Still, the game is probably best enjoyed with a guide when getting stuck.

The story feels a bit incomplete; some characters have likable moments, but nothing quite feels as fleshed out as it should be. There are hints of a more interesting universe behind the fold, but what is present doesn't quite explain it clearly.

Retrowave (from January 2022)

Achievements
Screenshots

I'm uncertain what constitutes beating Retrowave, although I did buy all the cars and get all score achievements.

To be honest, I was expecting a bit more from this, although the developer used some more stock-ish assets admirably to create an enjoyable enough score chaser. Some find that style of score chasing with vaporwave music relaxing, but it's not really my bag under normal circumstances.

Kero Blaster (from July 2017)

Achievements - "Hard Day's Work"

Kero Blaster is a run-and-gun platformer that makes pixel art look surprisingly endearing and charming. While some of the bosses were tough, the platforming, along with the limited control options, could be tougher. Still a pretty fun experience overall, one that almost reminds me of Cuphead above all else.

If Found... (from May 2022)

Achievements - "Starting on a new page."

While obviously most of us can't 100% relate to what the protagonist in If Found... is or went through, there are certainly experiences in day-to-day life that feel poignant in this one - like names. Someone in this game is uncomfortable with every name and nickname he has, and that felt relatable as all heck to me. This almost felt like a throwback to the initial boom of indie games and trying to tell a visual/kinetic novel through a different lens, which had its warts but was short enough to still feel pleasant.

Mild ending spoiler: I was actually surprised at how happy the ending was.