First of all, I wanted to show my appreciation to the folks who made a contribution via Buy me a Coffee recently: the hosting and domain renewal was fully funded thanks to you! Thank you so much for supporting my writing!!
Another summer month went by and personally it was a great one. We finished painting our attic, I played around with some new artistic hobbies and I just feel so productive, creative and socially fulfilled ✨.
I didn’t spend so much time playing video games this month but I had fun with the majority of the ones I picked up. Besides the ones I’ll talk about below, I also completed Promise Mascot Agency, which I highlighted in the last log! It felt good finishing it.
My July gaming log
Rhythm Paradise Groove, playing. Also know as Rhythm Heaven Groove outside Europe, I purchased its physical edition right after completing the demo. My interest was piqued after watching June’s Nintendo Direct and I loved the goofy graphics and that you can play it solo or co-op. It feels perfect to play when my brain has had too much for the day and I just want to wind down.
Fortune Fragments, finished. A visual novel meets puzzle game that I really enjoyed, I reviewed Fortune Fragments for the blog on last week’s post.
Fortune Fragments review: a Coffee Talk-like game that surprised me
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, playing. I’ve been slowly chipping away at this classic Shu Takumi game after it got picked for Good Game Lobby‘s gaming club last month. The game mechanics are unlike anything I’ve seen and the writing is top notch. The fact that it is split into chapters makes it perfect for short gaming sessions.
Minishoot’ Adventures, finished. The first time I saw Minishoot, I didn’t really feel interested in it. Games with ships as well as bullet hell are typically not my thing. I’ll credit Dave and Roger for selling it to me during Tales from the Backlog‘s podcast episode on it. I’m a simple girl, I hear “zelda-like with accessibility options” and I wanna play it. I had a blast (get it?) exploring that world and I keep recommending it to basically all my gamer friends.
In Stars And Time, on hold. I got In Stars And Time on the Switch 2 because I felt drawn to its concept of time loops combined with an emotional storyline. But in practice, the repetitiveness of the combat started getting to me pretty fast. Do you know when you just want to know what happens next but don’t really care for the gameplay? If the game was shorter, I would probably push through, but at only 4 hours in for a 20 plus hours game, it might be wiser to drop it.
Sticky Business, dropped. It’s funny that I played this game for a few hours last year, liked it a lot, didn’t finish it, then picked it up again this month to play with friends and changed my mind on it. The controls felt very clunky on the Switch and the friction got to me. The customer stories felt very out of place. It’s still a fun game when it comes to the sticker making part, but I definitely felt a big improvement in Spellgarden Games’ latest release, Thrifty Business.
Thrifty Business review: not just a management game, it gets the magic of thrifting
Demos I played (and recommend)
Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Kirby’s Return to Dream Land. As a proud first-time owner of a Nintendo console, I’ve started exploring a few demos. Kirby is a franchise that really interests me because of the extremely cute character designs and Kirby’s abilities. I personally preferred Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s demo, among those two. I started keeping track of the prices but €80 for the Switch 2 edition is salty (even considering that there’s a DLC).
I’ve joined the playtest for Wetter and The Regreening, though I still need to “hit the wall” on both games so I’ll hold on to talk about them in future logs.
Wishlists
Capy Castaway. Capy Castaway is a cozy exploration adventure where a capybara pup and a clever crow solve puzzles, help lost animals, and explore a mysterious island after a devastating flood. Play solo or with a friend in this relaxing narrative adventure about curiosity, friendship, and finding your way home.
Releasing in just a few days, I only realized it recently that Capy Castaway wasn’t in my wishlist.
Release date: August 6, 2026.
Dimhaven – The Lost Source. Are you ready for an adventure? Challenges, exploration and puzzles in a narrative driven experience, pick up your camera and test your wits in this first-person mystery by the team behind Quern!
A recommendation from a friend, this adventure/puzzle game looks SO good! I just wish it wasn’t first person, because of my motion sickness struggles. I will give the demo a try, because who knows, maybe it’s possible to tweak the settings a bit.
Release date: It was released back in June.
Other than gaming
📚 This month I finally picked up a book after almost one year not reading. I finished reading Sunrise on the Reaping, which is one of the two Hunger Games prequels.
🍿 I also watched a few good movies. Starting with The Drama, which I’ve been waiting to come out on streaming for months, and The Invite, which was a wild ride. It was great watching The Invite on the big screen on my day off and a near-empty theater room. I definitely recommend both movies! (though, better check first if they’re your kinda thing)
📺 After hearing only good things about it from Strawberry and Oya, I started watching Spy x Family. I’m taking it slow and trying not to binge it, I’m only on episode 3. The premise is funny and I’m enjoying it so far!
☕️ Last but not least – I met my (online) friend Jo in person! That night went by so fast because we wanted to chat so much, I had the best time and I hope we get to hang out again! <3
Looking forward to in August
I’m joining Chillscape, a VGM podcast from my pal Aaron, in the end of the month for the cozy farming episode. I definitely recommend checking out the podcast if you’re a fan of game soundtracks!
There are a lot of games releasing this month, but to be honest I’m more excited about continuing my art journey and working some more on my house, so I’m not sure if I’ll be spending that much time playing. But you never know.
The blog will turn 1 year in just a few weeks, on the 25th! I’m very much looking forward to celebrating 🙂
Thank you for reading,
-Luna
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