Apologies for another narrow finish.
Games for this month:
(achievements - Redemption)
Numerous Steam reviews characterize American Fugitive as being an errand boy for the whole game, and I'd be inclined to agree. Unlike most of the games that inspired it, where you start out as an errand boy and eventually move on to greater things, you really do feel like you're being led around and doing menial tasks, while the story refuses to take it up a notch. In some cases, you'll be tasked with literal hard labor like industrial forklift and crane jobs.
Combat is largely a letdown as enemy AI is extremely simplistic and yet somehow prone to glitches. It's unfortunate as the gameplay of robbing houses and shops feels decent, and driving is mostly fun except when the physics or object collision behave unexpectedly. Going back to top-down perspective for these games is interesting, but I felt like the more modern games were easily more immersive.
(achievements - Journey's End; spoiler warning for achievements)
Skully looks great and is mostly fun when you are rolling around as a "marble" in a platformer, although some issues with the physics and the camera can make things more exasperating, especially in chase scenes. The way the game handles the puzzles, in which you will have to create and manipulate clay constructs to do your bidding, is rather unexciting and can often feel like a laborious undertaking rather than a test of genius. Considering the English voice acting crew was very good, I wish the developers communicated the mechanics more clearly through verbal instruction in addition to the minimalistic cave paintings to introduce each new ability.
(achievements - Cyber Hooked)
I almost quit on this game, which was a first for Monthly in a Month personally. Overall, I'm glad I stuck it out.
Once you get used to the mechanics, the game can be pretty fun, although it could use more variation in the visuals and especially the music (you get one track for every level in the game). A lot of reviewers were negative about several late levels becoming "killboxes" where almost every surface will kill your character instantly, but I actually didn't mind it (with one glaring exception). In a way, those levels reminded me of Ghostrunner, which is what I wanted the most out of Cyber Hook.
(achievements - Migration)
Not really a huge fan of the non-linear, minimalistic game, but Vane is short and stylish enough to make it work for me. The most arduous part of the game was about halfway through, when your character is tasked with rolling a giant sphere. It was compounded when, at first, losing the sphere as it falls over a cliff does not properly reset the checkpoint as it should have. Other than that, proceedings were mostly smooth, and I do appreciate all the beautiful environments.
(achievements - Savior)
The 3-D textures and effects in Milky Way Prince were pretty sharp, and added a twist to the usual proceedings of an anime visual novel. All told, the game does do a relatable job of portraying three-dimensional, flawed individuals in a relationship with one another. Obviously there are certain themes and metaphors that define the game and could turn off a lot of players. But even then, I feel like most people, especially on the younger side, could digest the core ideas and feel like they can understand what the protagonist is doing and why.
(achievements - The End; spoiler warning for achievements)
Although I understand why the developer used them, I wish there would be a way to cut back on flashes of white light and especially the strong blur effects, as they were tough on my eyes.
I get the premise of the game is about manipulating time and seeing events from multiple perspectives, but the way the game makes you see those events repeatedly can get tedious quickly. Thankfully, toward the end of the game, scenes are slightly more streamlined as you approach the conclusion. While I didn't find the story to be a tearjerker, and it could be predictable at times, the ending pleasantly surprised me.
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| Game | Monthly | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| FRAMED Collection | September 2021 | Got a light? |
| Still There | December 2020 | Still There |
| Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice | July 2019 / June 2020 | The Final Battle |
| Bad North | January 2020 | A New Home |
| 11-11 Memories Retold | November 2019 | Lone Avenger / Part III |
| The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day | October 2020 | Screenshots |
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Copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta of a copy pasta since I'm just that lazy :D.
Hello and welcome to the madness!
The challenge is simple: Play and beat any 6 games, starting today, that have been featured in any given Humble Monthly/Choice bundle in one month.
The prize: DEATHLOOP
Game length does not matter and I'm not looking for 100% achievement runs. So long as you play and beat 6 games, I'm happy. You can go easy mode and play a bunch of 1h games or go crazy and play 6 +30h games. So long as they were in a monthly at a given point, it is all good.
Just post a comment with either screenshots/ achievements showing that you fulfilled the criteria and I'll add on Steam and give you the link. Feel free to share your thoughts on the games you've played, but it is not required.
FAQ:
Why you doing this?
I hate money. That and I realized I've been subbed to the monthly for over six years (yes it has been that long, I checked) and it occurred to me that I've barely touched the games I've gotten from it, let alone played them. Figured the same would be true for a few others, so I figured this is a good way to change that. A sensible person would probably unsub in this situation, but please refer to the beginning as to why that will not happen.
I've played the first X minutes of a game, can I pick it for the event?
No. You cannot have any play time or achievements prior to the start of the event. The only exception is idle time from farming Steam cards.
Can I play a MP only game?
No. It needs to have an "end" in order for me to count it as beaten, so it needs to have a campaign/story mode.
If a game was sold as a non-Steam copy in a bundle (origin/uplay/drm-free/etc), can I pick it as a choice if I own a Steam copy?
No. The reason being that those who own a Steam copy would have an extra option that would not be available to everyone who bought the same bundle. If the game was originally sold as a non-Steam copy, but Humble later provided steam keys to everyone who bought the bundle, then the game would be allowed.
Why six games?
The first few monthlies had 6/7 games in them so I went with that.
How long are you going to do this?
Until my credit card statements gives me nightmares.
This event "ends" on November 2nd when the next HB Choice releases, though the giveaway itself will end the next day. If you manage to finish game number six in between that time, feel free to post, but know that I cannot guarantee that I'll be able to give you the link in time.
Good luck, have fun and stay safe.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to check for ghosts.
List of eligible games: https://barter.vg/bundles/3/3/
https://barter.vg/bundles/3/161/
Credit goes to PapaSmok
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