For the week of August 12 – 18
Check out what I played last week
August 12 – Phantom Spark
I got a copy of Phantom Spark before its release, so I began playing it with the plans of releasing a more in-depth blog. After enjoying Redout II and F-Zero 99, I wanted more. I’ll save the more in-depth analysis for the blog. Yet, I’m enjoying the game thus far.
The key gameplay loop here isn’t racing against foes. Instead, the focus is on getting better times on the courses (which they call pathways). Every pathway begins with you setting an initial time. My first attempt was always good enough to post a decent time. After that, you race against the “owner” of that path. Now, you need to improve your original time and beat them.
Each pathway has three tiers and getting to the top one feels impossible. Early on, I’ve only hit the second tier (which I would consider a Silver time). I don’t know how the heck to hit those top-tier times.
As I stated in the opening paragraph, I’m having fun. This is a great game for the Steamdeck. It also has a Switch version, so this is ideal for quick play sessions. The load times are decent but restarting an attempt is practically instant.
August 13 – Thank Goodness You’re Here!
Growing up, I was a huge fan of British comedies. I watched anything involving Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean, Blackadder, etc…). If PBS or any public broadcasting network aired something from the UK in the 80s and 90s, I would give it a shot. So, when I heard about Thank Goodness You’re Here! I had to give it a go. While this brand of humor might not be for everyone, it’s an interesting gaming experience.
There isn’t much of a game here. This is more of an interactive British cartoon geared toward adults. You play a character who is meeting the Mayor of a fictitious town. While waiting you step outside for a bit and enter some crazy scenarios. Going into any details about the hijinks that ensue would spoil the experience.
Unlike most games, there are no clear objectives. You can’t progress from one section without completing at least one task in a given area. There are only a few locations, so you will see the same place more than once. But each time you do, there is something different going on. It’s those subtle changes that open up new exchanges.
Let it be clear, Thank Goodness You’re Here! won’t appeal to everyone. It’s a specific kind of humor that might only be funny for some. At first, I thought I wouldn’t find the humor comical. But the more I played, the more fun I had. It shouldn’t take you more than three hours to complete the game. I managed to finish it in one night. I probably won’t play it again, but I won’t forget what I saw.
August 14 – Clickolding
So much of playing video games is repeating a similar action. What if you played a game where you had to press a counter 10,000 times? Well, that’s exactly what you need to do in Clickholding. This is a surreal experience, where the focus is being told to press a clicker until it reaches past 9,999.
This game won’t take most people more than an hour to complete. Because of that, I don’t want to go into too much detail about what happens. Of course, there is more to the game than clicking. But talking about any specific moment would spoil the experience.
In 2024, I’ve had the chance to try quite a few of these “out of the ordinary” gaming experiences. Each one has you doing something unordinary. I’ve enjoyed playing games like Clickolding, Platform 8, and Buckshot Roulette. There have been others this year, and I suspect there will be more for me to try.
August 15 – Death’s Gambit: Afterlife
I decided to try Death’s Gambit: Afterlife as it was one of this week’s free games from the Epic Game Store. It bears repeating, I had no idea what this game was before trying it out. Yes, this is yet another side-scrolling exploration-adventure game. While I didn’t get too much story from the early parts of the game, I am having fun.
The intro section does a good job of getting you set up in the world. The combat is challenging but rewarding. You have enemies that are powerful and timing your attacks is important. I also like that the start of the main game feels open-ended. There are quite a few areas to check out early on. The lack of a specific goal allows you to explore and discover things at your own pace.
This was nice to try. I also liked that dying plays into the narrative. After dying a few times, it led to a cutscene showing our character’s youth. I suspect there are more of these as you progress or die. I wish more games incorporated that kind of storytelling mechanic.
August 16 – The Pinball Wizard
When I subscribed to Apple Arcade a few years ago, I can’t remember if The Pinball Wizard was on the service. I had no idea about it but I wish I had. Now that it’s off that service and available as a free-to-play game, I got to try it and I am impressed.
This is an RPG game where you are also playing pinball. You hit the wizard to move them around the playing field. As they move around, they can hit enemies and other items. Items on the playing field can help you collect coins to unlock extra content. You can also restore your health or “mana”, which is used for special moves/attacks.
The first six or seven stages are easy. I’ve started to get to the more challenging ones, which throw in stronger enemies and obstacles. What’s nice is that dying doesn’t force you to restart the entire game. You can begin from the last stage you played, now with an improved character.
I also like the daily content that’s available. I’ve played a few of the daily dungeons. These are much harder but offer better rewards. I can see myself coming back and playing this when I need a distraction for a few minutes. Lastly, I can’t tell if there are any restrictions with this being free-to-play. No ads, no limits. This feels like a game that is free to play. Sure, you can pick this up for cheap on Steam, but I recommend the mobile/iPad version.
August 17 – Dreamscaper
I got Dreamscaper for free through a promo site. After reading the game’s brief description, I wanted to see more. It takes an interesting approach to roguelike action games. It’s not for everyone but I can see an audience that would have loved this when it came out in 2021.
Dreamscaper is broken up into two parts. The real world and the dream world. The main progression happens in the dream world. Meanwhile, all upgrades and unlocks take place in the real world. You enter the dreamscape every time the main character goes to sleep. The early parts of the story don’t reveal too much, so you need to keep playing to learn more.
Like most roguelikes, this isn’t an easy game. In my hour or so with the game, it took me a few attempts before I got past the game’s first boss. The stage was short, but that boss battle was challenging. Like other games in this genre, you need to plan your attacks and be ready for the enemy’s counters.
While I don’t see myself playing through this to completion, I like what I experienced so far. This was developed by Afterburner Studios. As their first and only game, it’s a solid experience. I’d love to see what they’re working on next. Whenever they’re ready to announce it, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on it.
August 18 – Sonic Frontiers
I love the Sega Dreamcast. I bought a Japanese Dreamcast when I was in Japan last May. But, I never played either Sonic Adventure released on the console. I don’t think I’ve ever played a 3D Sonic game. Those have been poorly reviewed and I never felt the need to try them. I usually stick with 2D games like Sonic Colors and Sonic Mania. I also enjoy the off-genre stuff like The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic Frontiers is my first attempt at a 3D Sonic game and so far, I’m disappointed.
My biggest gripe is the camera. It’s wonky and unhelpful at times. During one annoying, unskippable quest, the camera wasn’t making it any better. While the instructions were vague, the camera made the task even harder. It took me 5-10 tries before I finally managed to get the necessary score to complete the quest.
After my hour or so of the game, I can see why reviews for Sonic Frontiers were all over the place. The concept of an open-world adventure for Sonic is cool. The few, “missions” that replicate the traditional Sonic experience were fun. Exploring Chaos Island is cool. But that camera annoys me too much.
I’m also not liking the game’s pacing. For the first hour or so, I still haven’t encountered my first real boss fight. While I like the exploration, the missions/tasks that the character Amy has me doing are annoying. I want to see if there is more after Kronos Island, but I’m not sure I have the patience.
