Bi-Weekly Roundup - Mar. 5, '24
Happy March! Two months into the year, I have already played over 50 games. That is too many games. Luckily, many were demos, Games as a Service, or short.
This week, I am so excited to highlight some wonderful Indie games that will definitely be highlights of the year and, in some cases, in years to come. I have gotten an incredible amount of joy out of the simplicity of the design found in the games here, but simplicity in design does not mean these games do not offer an ocean of depth. Check these out.
In this Article:
Balatro
At first glance, this game appears simple. Play a poker hand and get a high score. Within a couple of minutes, you learn that this is no simple game. You begin to warp the entire makeup of your 52-card deck. You can make all of your cards clubs gain new 9s so you can play a 5-of-a-kind and all sorts of other wacky combinations.
This game's design is so simple and clean, yet the execution is flawless. The way the cards are shuffled and dealt to you and the satisfying sounds of scoring big all combine with satisfying puzzles as you figure out how best to navigate your deck and play the best hand. I have been having a blast playing Balatro and look forward to playing so much more.
Last Epoch
Complexity is sometimes a dirty word in gaming. If a game is too complex, it often scares away what could otherwise be a loyal fan to play something else. Last Epoch strikes a perfect balance.
This Diablo-like ARPG is enjoyable to play, and the knowledge of how to succeed at the game is not hidden. The foundation and main gimmick here is that the spells you get in this game all have skill trees that augment the skills further and in interesting ways. The way your character's skills combine is logical, and you can begin to form the foundation of a fun build by just taking a bit of time to read where you're going. The ability to be best always feels within reach, even if it takes more time and theory-crafting than you may initially feel. Still, by the time you do this, the exciting gameplay, interesting spell interactions, and a neverending waterfall of loot have hooked you.
Last Epoch, I expect, will be another lasting entry into this genre enshrined in the same way Diablo and Path of Exile have been.
Pacific Drive
This is not a unique thought, but this game reminds me of my old Ford Explorer that I had in high school. That relationship and sense of freedom you form with your first car resonates heavily within this game as you struggle through a strange and unnerving environment in the Pacific Northwest.
There is a deep sense of discovery while playing this game while you grow a deeper connection between yourself and your car. The game pulls you forward deeper into the zone you've been sucked into with an enticing story with a mystery of where you are and how to escape. I have loved experiencing this game and think it will definitely come out of this year as one of the highlights.
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
I love Deep Rock Galactic; it's good fun with friends, and being a dwarf who loves digging and killing bugs has always been a dream of mine. Luckily, the format has been changed in this Vampire-Survivor-like game, trading the first-person multiplayer aspect for a top-down dungeon crawl and rogue-lite gameplay loop.
This game is a great way to burn 20-30 minutes in small segments. They've done a good job of iterating on the Survivor genre. The thing I like most in this game is the way they give you constant objectives to work for which is something I think the survivor genre in general fails to do.
Windowkill
Sometimes a game comes along that makes you wonder "how in the world did they do that." Today, Windowkill is that game. It's a little twin-stick shooter with a crazy twist. This game opens multiple windows on your screen and you have to shoot the edges of the window your character is in to move around your desktop. When a boss monster spawns, it often spawns in its own window, so you have to fight through many enemies to reach somewhere on your monitor.
I have no real idea how this person figured out how to make this game, but it's a ton of fun to play and witness, and it's only a few bucks! I think it's worth the price of admission just to witness this odd feat of game programming.
Want to plays
Unfortunately, I am but one man, which means I cannot consume every game effectively. In this newer part of the Bi-weekly round-up, I'm going to toss out some games I wish I had more time, money, or both to play! Maybe one will catch your eye and inspire you to play it in my stead. No real descriptions here, just things I have interest in!
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Thanks so much for reading this Bi-Weekly Roundup. I hope you'll return for the next one. I plan to keep you updated on my thoughts about the games I've played and link to some incredible games as we go. Looking forward to sharing more!