For the week of July 1 to 7
Check out what I played last week
It’s officially the second half of the year and I’m still trying a different game every day. This week features two high-profile free-to-play releases. One I particularly enjoyed but the other disappointed me.
July 1 – Alundra
A few weeks ago on the Jeff Gerstmann Show Podcast, he answered a question about the game Alundra. This is a game I had never heard of that for the original PlayStation, released back in 1997. I started reading up on it, and it sounded kind of interesting. An action RPG that involves going into people’s dreams. This is very much a 90s RPG, but I still need more time to see if I want to keep playing it.
This is one of those games that keeps open-world but it doesn’t start as such. You wake up in a village after surviving a shipwreck. While there, you come across an ailing old man. The person tasked with healing him figures that you can go into the old man’s dreams and help prevent his death.
I’m probably butchering the plot. After finding some key items, you’re able to enter the old man’s mind and help rescue him from the evil that’s harming him. I played until shortly after saving him, so I don’t know what lies next for young Alundra. There is enough intrigue here to keep me playing. The only thing stopping me is not having the time to put in the effort.
July 2 – Logiart Grimoire
My enjoyment of Picross games is well-documented. Logiart Grimoire is the latest picross-game from the studio Jupiter. This one incorporates a fusion system to create new puzzles. For example, you might solve a puzzle that is a stick. Another is a hook, with the last being a string.
To unlock a future puzzle, you may need to combine certain items. You’ll get a clue and those clues will mention the three objects mentioned above. You fuse them and if it’s successful, it opens up a new puzzle that requires solving. The three items make a fishing rod, so the puzzle you’re solving is that.
It’s pretty straightforward and incredibly addictive. There appear to be at least 280 puzzles. I’ve already gone through and completed over 30 of them. The puzzles will get harder, but for a Picross game, I’m having fun and that’s most important.
July 3 – The Chant
The Chant is a game you’ll find for dirt cheap on Steam. It came out a few years ago with zero fanfare and I doubt even the most hardcore of horror fans knew of its existence. This is a B-movie transformed into a B-game. There is some potential here, but it’s an otherwise forgettable experience thus far.
The Chant revolves around a commune that also houses a group of cultists. In the game’s cold intro, you see them trying to offer a sacrifice to a god-like creature. Invited by a friend who is a part of the group, your character arrives there looking for help. She’s dealing with some personal trauma and their friend claims being here will help her. But, not long after arriving some crazy stuff happens. Now your character needs to figure out what’s going on.
As mentioned, this plot is straight out of an 80s horror movie. The acting feels like a B-movie and everything else about this game feels that way. There is combat, but it’s not that interesting. The graphics are fine but are far from impressive. The story feels very linear with very few opportunities to explore. They want you to stick to the game’s main story.
For a studio’s first game, The Chant might be a good stepping stone to something bigger and better. Unfortunately, the first hour or so of the game doesn’t keep me interested in the story or its characters. This might be a short game (5-7 hours), but I don’t plan on giving it any more of my time.
July 4 – The First Descendant
The online “looter-shooter” is not a genre I spend too much time with. I played the first Destiny but never put any time into Destiny 2. I saw a lot of hype behind, The First Descendant and wanted to give it a shot. Thankfully, I’m having a lot of fun and this is one of the bigger surprises of 2024.
Don’t get me wrong, there are problems. The story is forgettable and the early missions feel the same. But, the combat is fast and fierce. On top of that, the missions do a good job of keeping you engaged and pushing you forward. You’ll go from one section to the next, fighting waves of enemies. Once that’s done, you’ll go to another area and the combat continues.
Co-Op is the focus here. When I was fighting on my own, the hordes of enemies would get the better of me. But, when working with a group, we were able to clear areas without too much difficulty. I’m enjoying the weapons, and experimenting with them in different scenarios is fun.
The monetization focuses on character customization, exclusive weapons, and character boosts. I don’t see the reason to use character boosts as I was already at level 14 and increased my mastery to level 4. I’ll play more to see if the story gets any better and if we get some different mission types.
July 5 – The Falconeer
This week’s free game on the Epic Game Store is The Falconeer. On the name alone, I should have suspected this was an aviation game. In all honesty, I thought this was another exploration game (either 2D or 3D). I’ve been longing for a game like Crimson Skies, this sort of scratches that itch, but not quite.
You’re flying a massive falcon in a world that is primarily water. The story itself isn’t that interesting. It didn’t engage me enough to care for what was happening. Flying is straightforward with no real advantages (at least not early on). Weapons are also pretty limited, but easy to grasp.
The visuals are nice, but there isn’t a lot to them. The first few missions don’t have you do too much. I begin flying. They task you with reaching a destination where there might be one or two enemies. Defeat them then move to another location.
The first three or four missions play the same. It’s nice to explore but the world feels pretty bare. If there was more to do, I’d be more inclined to keep playing. It was nice to ride a falcon, but my time in this world is done.
July 6 – Jeopardy World Tour
Saturday was a busy day for me. I had a few appointments, so there wasn’t time to dive into something deep and meaningful. So, I saw Jeopardy World Tour on iPad and decided to give it a go. For a trivia game, it’s fun. But its monetization tactics are a massive turnoff.
This is a slight twist on the long-running game show. You still have the same format but with few answers. You are given three topics with three questions each. From those nine possible answers, you can pick five to answer. Your scoring is based on how well you answer those questions. You can go the easy route and play it safe. Or, you can go for the higher values and hope for the best.
You’re playing against two other players. It’s hard to tell if these are real-time opponents or AI using real-world player profiles. To play in matches, you need to spend money. But, unless you risk it big, you don’t make a profit. I reached the Sydney stage, which costs 10K to play, but in matches I was winning, I only earned 8.1K. I can use real-world cash to increase my wagers, which helps me earn more, but I don’t think it’s worth it.
I have no plans to continue playing. Jeopardy World Tour has been around since 2017, so it must be doing something right. For me, I don’t see the value of playing it long-term.
July 7 – Zenless Zone Zero
In the past, I’ve attempted to get into the games developed by MiHoYo. Genshin Impact and Honaki: Star Rail are games I’ve spent some time with. I just haven’t put in the hundreds of hours many other people have. With their newest game, Zenless Zone Zero, launching this week, I again tried to see if it could win me over.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel like I’m the target audience for ZZZ. The game’s story isn’t engaging and the characters you interact with at the start aren’t appealing. The world is okay, but it feels too cartoony for my expectations. The only saving grace is the easy-to-grasp combat, which might also be too easy in the early stages.
Once I got to the point where my character could wander around the game’s world, my interest dropped. This was the same for both Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. I understand being restrictive in the beginning, but I want more.
I’m not sure why I can’t get into MiHoYo’s games. These are ARPGs that I would otherwise enjoy. But, for whatever reason, I’m bored. As it stands, Zenless Zone Zero is a disappointment and I don’t have any plans to play more of it.
