What game did you play?

Lyne
https://store.steampowered.com/app/266010/LYNE/

 What did you think about it?

It's a simple "connecting the dots" kind of puzzle game. I like how they changed things up a little bit by adding extra things. It's quite cheap so I got it yesterday from the Autumn Sale and already have an hour in it. It's not something you would play non-stop, but it looks like it'll be good for me to play while waiting for Zoom sessions to start, or just to clear up my mind a bit by focusing on the puzzles. I really dont like it when games have letter-achievements, but Lyne at least tries to make it fit the game.
What I mean by this is: there are "sets" of puzzles in game, and instead of being numbered, they're each assigned a letter. So there are sets from A to Z. I mean... I still don't really like letter achievements but at least it's not simple "letter-spam".

 Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?

I will. I like it and it's relaxing enough.

What game did you play?

Chariot
https://store.steampowered.com/app/319450/Chariot/

What did you think about it?

A great and funny game but it can be hard at times and you definitely need to use a controller to play it as I wanted to give it a try with keyboard controls but it makes the game even harder. Nice and colorful game showing you new game mechanics with new levels. Looks like easy to play hard to master.

Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?

Playing it right now and want to beat it but I think I won't be able to 100% it as it would require me to invite someone with his own pad to my home to co-op :P

EDIT: In the end it is not a good game because of learning curve and how much you have to depend on luck in later levels and how the physics work in this game.

 What game did you play?

Assemble with Care
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1202900/Assemble_with_Care/

 What did you think about it?

So I didn't actually play it myself but watched a friend play the first several levels. But that's the thing. There is very limited game play anyways. The "fixing" part looks interesting enough, but somehow they managed to make a really boring game. I'm sure the story is nice, since games like these depend heavily on the story since the actual game-play is almost non-existent. I really like the art and the colors. Voice over is also pretty good, and over-all the game has a very neat look. However I think it's a bit expensive for what it offers.
This game was on my wish list for a while, but after watching the first couple of "levels", I decided to remove it. Watching it once is enough to consider it done - there's really not much to experience for yourself.

 Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?

If it was on my library, I would go ahead and finish it, since it looks like a relatively short game anyways. But since I don't own it, nah. I don't think I will finish watching. It's ... boring.
Edit: A slight change. The friend you bought it wants me to play it, so it seems like I will be playing it.

Now, I normally wouldn't consider watching a game "tasting" it. But in this case, there's not much of game so I think watching it is enough to have a general understanding. Since two different people's experience of the game can't be different.

 What game did you play?

Rain World

 What did you think about it?

This is a very confusing game. I'm almost 3 hours in and still very unsure of what I'm supposed to be doing, where I'm supposed to be going, etc. It has little to no direction in it, so it's really up to the player to figure out all these things with the information they have. I'm playing in "the Survivor" mode so maybe that's why, but so far I've only managed to die multiple times. (So much that I've stopped counting after 5.)

The atmosphere and controls are really nice. It takes a while to get used to controlling the character but once you figure it out, I think it's fun. Apparently this is a really difficult game, so I probably have bitten a bit more than I can actually chew. I might eventually come back here to do an update, since even though I've played the game for more than 2 hours, I still have no clue about the game.

The map is pretty nice, with multiple layers and all. I'm also liking the whole concept of "slugcat goes on an adventure".

 Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?

However, yes. It's confusing and difficult, but I really want to figure it out and make some progress in it!

 What game did you play?

Little Misfortune

 What did you think about it?

This is unexpectedly dark. I didn't check the game much before starting it, and I was fooled by its cute illustrations and over-all aesthetic. This game is definitely not for kids. In the first 15 minutes of the game, Misfortune tells us that her mom had her because abortion is illegal and that her parents had to marry because of the pregnancy. As the game continues, it doesn't get lighter either. I'm kind of disappointed because I was hoping for a lighthearted game. Other than this ... the game is well-made. The voice over is really good (even if Misfortune's voice can get a bit tiring after some time).

 Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?

I will finish it eventually. It seems like a short game anyways.

What game did you play?
Deus Ex GOTY Edition

What did you think about it?
Wow, i only played through the small tutorial and i’m very impressed already. The default controls are quite awkward and the game setup was a bit problematic on W10 but after getting in i enjoyed the physics and different ways to solve problems on show very much. I’m actually quite dissapointed in myself for not playing it earlier haha.

Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?
Definetly in the near future.

What game did you play?
Escape Goat 2

What did you think about it?
A really nice puzzle platformer. It is not too hard, but can't be taken lightly sometimes. It is good when you want some time to chill (really unusual in me xD), and the cute graphics plus the music really help for that.

Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?
Yeah, I will surely try to finish it soon.

 What game did you play?

Queen's Quest 5: Symphony of Death

 What did you think about it?

This is the second Artifex Mundi game I've played. It feels like a game from early 2000s and not 2019. The animation is very bad and the plot is also mediocre. I played the game on Casual difficulty, so maybe that's why, but the puzzles in general weren't that difficult. I haven't played the previous Queen's Quest games, so I can't compare it to the others. It was okay - but I wouldn't recommend it to people. But then again maybe all HOGs are like this? It's hard to say since I don't have much HOG experience.

 Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?

I finished it. :P

What game did you play?
Bot Vice

What did you think about it?
It is a simple game, with simple and cool mechanics. I tried it on hard difficulty, and it was too hard for what I expected to be a fun old school shooting game xD. I could barely pass 2 levels, so I will play it again on normal next time I try it.

Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?
Yeah, when I overcome this feeling of defeat.

Have been meaning to contribute to this for ages. :) At last!

'What game did you play?'

Tiny Bunny

'What did you think about it?'

First off the art is nice, I especially like the animations! The story so far isn't anything that's surprised or completely blown away me, but it is intriguing enough to find out more. Feels like a ghost story you'd tell around the campfire or listen to tucked in bed. You get a sense that something very sinister is going on that we don't know about—unsure what's real or not.

'Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?'

Yes, I wanna see where the story goes and am hoping I get spooked. The fact that it has overwhelmingly positive reviews only makes me more excited to see what I think. There was also a teeny section of beautiful music, would love to hear more atmospheric audio like that!

 What game did you play?

Path of Giants

 What did you think about it?

Small, cute puzzle game where you move three different characters to solve puzzles. I really like the art style - reminds me of RiME and AER: Memories of Old. Puzzles aren't that hard and it's easy to get all achievements. It's a really nice game - worth giving a shot if you got it from Humble Bundle this month.

 Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?

Yes.

... I accidentally deleted my original comment so I had to rewrite it but I don't remember what I said previously.

 What game did you play?

Astrologaster

 What did you think about it?

At first I was very suspicious of this game - it didn't look like much on Steam store page, and was quite cheap so I didn't expect something good. I now have a couple of months of XBOX Game Pass for PC, so I downloaded it to give it a try. It's ... interesting.

The game takes place in late 1500s in a Shakespearean England - as an English literature major, this intrigued me a lot. The game play isn't much and can get repetitive. It's better to think of it as a visual novel, where you can choose some things. I really like the art, even if it's a bit unusual in style, at least for me. I also really, really like the music. You are a doctor that looks to starts for answers to questions - hence the game's name - and every time you get a client, the client is introduced with a small song. And it's like ... choir. The songs are so well made that I'm extremely impressed by them.

This game probably won't be as fun for someone who is not knowledgeable or at least interested in literature but I'm enjoying it a lot. It mentions several things I had to learn for my classes, and it's entertaining to see all that ... useless knowledge come up in some fun format.

 Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?

I will.

 What game did you play?

Carto

 What did you think about it?

Another game I'm trying with Xbox Game Pass for PC. I like puzzle games and I love cute games, so I was expecting to love Carto. (Sadly, that didn't happen.) You collect pieces of the map and order them in various ways, and that changes the land you walk on. You solve puzzles and progress in the story.

It's fine but some of the puzzles (out of ones I did, obviously) felt a bit dull. Not the best puzzle game out there, also not the worst. The game is very easy to forget, and it doesn't make me want to go back to it immediately to play more. It should be relaxing and chill, instead it feels dull and ... eeeh. The story wasn't able to capture my attention, either. It's not bad but I'm just not excited to play it.

 Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?

I don't know. Since it's not on my Steam library, I might just drop it.

 What game did you play?

Phogs!

 What did you think about it?

It's a cute and silly puzzle game. I only did 2-3 levels yet so it's hard to say anything in relation to their difficulty, but there are several "Worlds" with levels, and from what I understand, you don't have to do the worlds in any particular order. (My guess is that the puzzles won't get difficult as we progress.) The controls are fun, and the game makes you feel like you're actually a dog - the button to interact is also the button to bark, so when trying to see if you can interact with something, you bark at it. I'm playing it with a friend and it's all silly fun.

It feels more like a kids game but I'm still enjoying it. Definitely more fun if you play it with someone else. Singleplayer might be a bit boring since the puzzles I've seen so far are kind of easy. Might be a good game to play with a younger cousin/sibling/child. I really appreciate that it has singleplayer, local co-op, and online co-op. It's hard to find nice, calm, non-massively multiplayer online co-op games lately.

 Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?

Yes. I'm playing it with a friend and will finish the game with them.

 What game did you play?

Felix the Reaper

 What did you think about it?

I'm very disappointed in this game. From the aesthetic, I thought it will be something short and fun to play like Path of Giants, but it's not. I'm not sure what's the problem, to be honest. I did the first set of levels, and the second ... isn't going good. I can't really bring myself to replay the levels for the "skull ratings" or do the "hardcore" versions at all, and I feel like it'll take me a very long time until I actually finish this game. Or, I will finish it using a walkthrough.

I don't like the game at all which is weird, because it looks like something I would really love. But even the idea of opening it up to try a level is ... not fun. I won it from a Reddit GA, so I kind of want to finish it for the sake of it,but I would abandon it into nothingness if I'd bought it with my own money.

 Do you plan on continuing it past 10 minutes (either now or in the future)?

I don't want to. But it's highly likely that I will force myself.

UPDATE

I'm officially retiring this thread, as I don't spend nearly as much time on Steamgifts as I used to. Thank you to all who contributed! If anyone else is willing to take charge and start up a new version of this thread, feel free!