While I slowly settled down in the new house during the last 3 weeks, I finally saw myself with more time to play games. And just like when I’m hungry and I decide to go grocery shopping, I ended up picking up too many things.
Plus, on the week of our move, my partner (Dodo) surprised me by getting us a Switch 2. I had mentioned to him that there were rumors of a price hike , but since we were planning to get it to play Pokopia at some point anyway, he decided to pull the trigger sooner than later.
Next week I’ll talk about my first impressions using the console, but for now, here are my short reviews of 6 games (plus 1 demo) that I played recently.
Hermit and Pig
Battle a sinister corporation in this story-rich RPG! Survive fast-paced, turn-based battles and conversations where cringe damage can be deadly. Fight the evils of capitalism with your trusty pig sidekick and join the revolution, old man!
Hermit and Pig is a game that surpassed my expectations – I wasn’t sure if it would be my cup of tea, so to say. While I do like turn-based combat, RPGs are very hit or miss for me. I’m so glad I picked it up, however, because this game is simply one of a kind.
The writing is so good that it’s impossible not to like Hermit right away. The idea that blue mushroom trips unlock different abilities is just hilarious to me, plus the fact that you get damage by “cringe” interactions with strangers (social anxiety is hard, after all). And the art from Mason Dickerson from Heavy Lunch Studios LLC, who also illustrates children’s books, is simply stunning. I still have some hours to go before finishing, but I’m in no rush.
Thank you Sey from Good Game Lobby for gifting me this key!
Dredge
DREDGE is a single-player fishing adventure with a sinister undercurrent. Sell your catch, upgrade your boat, and dredge the depths for long-buried secrets. Explore a mysterious archipelago and discover why some things are best left forgotten.
Speaking of Good Game Lobby, this month’s pick for its gaming club is Dredge – a game that I had fallen out of before for no specific reason, so I was happy to have a reason to start over.
I’m not a fan of horror anything, but Dredge has always piqued my interest. First, because I like fishing in games. And second, it just looks so damn weird (yep, that’s always a major selling point for me).
I’ve been enjoying my time with it, including the jumpscares here and there. I like how it keeps me on the edge of my seat and how things often don’t go to plan. Plus, the gameplay loop of collecting cash to get upgrades always keeps me hooked.
Do you want to play with us? You can join the Good Game Lobby Discord here!
Death Howl
Master the grid, defy death. Enter a grim Spirit Realm in this open-world deck builder. Craft lethal decks from 160+ cards, claim powerful Totems, and defeat foes in tactical grid combat. Fight as the desperate hunter Ro to bring her son back from beyond the veil.
I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I fell in love with Death Howl’s pixel art when I saw screenshots of the game and decided to give it a go when I learned it’s a deck builder. From today’s list, it’s the game I’ve played the least – just over an hour – but I keep thinking about it. I can’t wait to immerse myself more in it.
Lost and Found Co.
Lost and Found Co. is a hidden object adventure in a cozy and immersive world. Join a cast of lively characters on their epic journey across countless magical locations. Find lost items, solve puzzles, and help a tiny dragon regain her power!
Hidden object games are the perfect pick when you feel like playing something but don’t want to think too much, with the downside that after you’ve played one, they become pretty samey.
Lost and Found Co. takes a different approach by having a story and making the puzzles less linear. Here you open a business where you help others find lost items, which leads to optional side quests with different themes and clients. It’s all very lighthearted and goofy, feeling a lot like a cozy slice-of-life/fantasy anime.
Pokopia
Play as a Ditto and Build a New Life with Pokémon—from the Ground Up! With help from your Pokémon friends, rebuild a desolate world into a charming utopia, one step at a time.
I keep repeating myself about this, but since Pokopia was announced, I just felt it was made for my partner and me. We’re both massive Dragon Quest Builders 2 fans, and even though we didn’t play Viva Piñata, we loved Horticular, an indie game inspired by it where you also create habitats to attract creatures.
Since Dodo got the Switch 2, I pre-ordered Pokopia (and I’ve been flexing my Ditto tumbler mug ever since). We’ve both been having a great time playing it, even though we have very different approaches. I tend to focus on exploration and creating habitats because I love seeing all the new Pokémon, while Dodo had an almost-burnout when he unlocked new areas too fast and is now focused on terraforming and getting things looking just right for him.
Even though I’m super curious to learn more about the story, I’m in no rush to roll credits as I’m a bit worried about losing interest after that happens. So I’ll keep taking it easy.
Mario Kart World
The whole world is your racetrack in the Mario Kart World game, a massive evolution of the series. With races supporting up to 24 drivers, the competition has never been tighter!
I didn’t grow up with a Nintendo console nor had one until the Switch 2, so I don’t have any nostalgia for Mario Kart. However, since the Switch 2 was announced by Nintendo, I thought that Mario Kart World looked amazing! Luckily my partner was equally hyped, so we got the console with the game bundle.
It has been so fun to play together. We mostly play the Knockout Tour online or the Grand Prix. Dodo is amazing at it, I’m awful but learning. My only complaint is that I wish we could play Free Roam together, but apparently you can only do that with a workaround.
Bonus: Flock Around
I’m adding this game as a bonus pick since it is a demo.
Flock Around is a multiplayer bird watching game. Explore a nature sanctuary with friends, snap pictures of birds, and fill out the guide book!
Flock Around is a simple game in its core: you take pictures of birds that randomly appear in the environment, while playing online with friends. When you develop the photos, you get some coins to use for upgrades such as a camera with better zoom capability. The better the photo, the more coins you earn.
And every now and then, one of your friends (or maybe you) gets pooped on by a bird. That never stops being funny.
The voice proximity chat the bird calls were the small details that really took the whole thing to the next level. I’m keeping an eye for the release date since there isn’t one for now.
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Thank you for reading,
-Luna
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