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Phantom Abyss (PC) by jp (Apr 6th, 2025 at 19:14:27) |
I'd heard of the game's hook (or gimmick if you will) as, everyday it's a different 1st person platforming game/run, and if you die - that's it. Play a different run later.
I'm guessing stuff changed along the way, though the concept is still here - it's a reasonably challenging rogue-like 1st person platforming game. I've had fun, you have a whip to help you climb and each level has different modifiers (the whip has an ability) and you can pick up boons in your run (if you have enough coins to afford them) and hopefully make it to the end. BUT, you see a bunch of ghosts for everyone else who played this level - if someone died, you can collect their spirit or something for a small heal! During each run you collect keys you can use to buy permanent upgrades, and so you go up the progression ladder of many roguelites...
Someone described this as first person temple run, which is close enough? I mean, the levels themselves are a lot more interesting than the "mere" reaction times that temple run goes for, here you can side-step/etc. stuff - and there are different paths, and in all you can be a bit creative for how you approach stuff...I've had fun so far - unlocked all the green levels and I've started on the blue ones!
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Cuphead (Switch) by jp (Apr 6th, 2025 at 13:37:03) |
I only get to play this when my son comes around - and we play together and I realized, yeah - I need to either start practicing seriously or just give up. And, I enjoy playing it co-op, so there's not much sense in practicing, so I decided to give up.
We did make it to the 2nd island(?), and played some of the levels there - but I was clearly starting to see a steeper path to success. As in, it too us (mostly my fault) more and more tries to make less progress. He's already played it, beat it too? So, not much point for him really.
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Sonic Rush (DS) by jp (Apr 6th, 2025 at 13:34:08) |
I started playing this from the saved game - with new(?) character Blaze on "area 2" (I don't remember the exact name). And, I just could not beat the level - it was set in the casino world, and everything was moving super fast and on "automatic" - so, you just press move and the character zips along, bounces, etc.
It's actually quite boring! Because you just do this, at some point you hit an enemy (very few enemies in the game!), lose your rings, and then carry on. But, I'd lose because I'd fall into a bottomless pit, lose three lives and then out.
I'd say it wasn't so much frustrating as it was a disappointment. Yes, the point of Sonic is that it's "fast" - that's it's thing. But I find that there's little interaction to the game for most of the levels - you just "go along with the direction". It's neat when sometimes you get bounced around automatically, but for the most part I like to control the character.
So, I deleted the save file and started a new one, this time with Sonic in the equivalent of green hill zone. This level has two areas and then a boss. So, it's like 3 levels make up a level.
And, the experience was pretty similar - run on automatic for a while, lose rings suddenly or die, repeat with a bit more caution...etc. I did make it all the way to the boss fight - which I almost beat one too many times, and I just realized - ok, this is dumb - at least the boss fights have more gameplay ( you dodge, make an attack when the weak spot is open, etc.) - but it's still a pretty boring/uninteresting platforming experience.
So, off to the shelf it goes!
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Secret Files: Tunguska (DS) by jp (Apr 4th, 2025 at 19:16:25) |
I think there's a weird moment in time when everyone thought that point-and-click style adventure games were dead, but they were not. And, I think this game is an example of a game that was under the radar of "mainstream" games press at the time? Or at least under the radar of the average consumer of videogames...
This particular game is also a strange little time capsule - it's a port of what I think was a PC game...also at a time when people where porting all kinds of things to the DS. And, it works! Well, from a UI perspective at least. And it works pretty well. At least compared to another adventure game I played recently on the DS whose name I'm blanking on as I write this. I bounced on that one because it had some character/3D interactions that were awkward and unintuitive. Here, they were much smarter about it (I'm assuming they made UI "concessions" because it's on the DS). So, while you have a 3D character that navigates a static space - you don't actually have to move the character around directly in order to interact with objects/places in each scene. Press one button and all the interactive spots highlight, and you can just tap on them directly. I LOVE this solution - especially because I was never a fun of the "hunt for the pixel" approach that many games had (on PC) - and I'm super glad it didn't come across into this DS version (for all I know, the "here's all the highlights" was also possible on PC).
But, the UI triumph aside, I still kind of bounced off this. I got stuck on a puzzle (how typical!) - and what I had to do was leave a location to visit another location and then continued...this seemed really "unfair" to me - as in, unintuitive - mostly because I had assumed I could not leave the locatio in the first place. It wasn't entirely unintuitive - but it was the sort of puzzle where I was sure I should be able to (in this case) get the key out of the aquarium - but it turns out that no, I had to leave the place, do some other stuff, and then come back. At this point I was well into the tried-and-true "try all the things with all the things", except that I did not know I could leave the location I was at. Sigh.
So, from glancing at my list of DS games I still need to play...well, I wasn't THAT interested in the story so far and the puzzles didn't feel particularly interesting either..so, it was an easy game to put on the shelf.
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Shogun Showdown (PC) by dkirschner (Apr 4th, 2025 at 18:33:00) |
Clever little tactics roguelite. It reminds me of Into the Breach and other tactics games where you are given clear information about what enemies will do each turn. It's also reminiscent of Into the Breach because of the small play space. Basically, the game takes place on a 2d plane that is divided into like 8 or 9 spaces. Any given character occupies 1 space and can move left or right. You build a "deck" of "tiles" that include attacks and other special abilities, many of which involve movement (e.g., a forward dash that moves to the nearest frontal enemy and deals 1 damage). Your goal is to build up your tiles and progress stage by stage until you kill the Shogun.
During each run, you can purchase and upgrade tiles, mostly increasing their damage or decreasing their cooldowns, purchase passive abilities, use items, and other standard roguelite stuff--make yourself stronger by strategically handling whatever random things you get.
Most every action you do takes a turn, and all characters take turns at the same time. So, you move right (1 turn) and all the enemies do a thing (one might move left toward you, one might queue up an attack). Then you queue up an attack, and those two enemies might queue up an attack and attack, respectively. Actually, it also reminds me of Crypt of the Necrodancer, which works like this, where all characters act simultaneously. In that game, when you move, everything else moves. Shogun Showdown is like that. When you do something, the enemies do something.
I beat the Shogun for the first time this evening, which was maybe my fifth run or so. I had what felt like extremely overpowered weapons, a sword that I'd leveled up to deal 5 damage with only a 2-turn cooldown. I also had a bow-and-arrow with 4 damage and a 3-turn cooldown. The kicker though was a curse that doubled the next damage on an enemy. So, I'd just queue the curse, the sword, and the arrow. That took literally half the Shogun's health bar. Did it again, dead and into phase 2. No problem. Did it two more times. Dead. Easy. When you beat the Shogun, you unlock "day 2", which is the next difficulty level. You can also unlock additional characters with different skills, and you can keep unlocking new tiles and stuff. I consider it beat after taking out the Shogun once. It's a fun game, really tight, and makes you think ahead. It doesn't do much that you haven't seen before though.
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Murder in the Dark (Other) by maybeK4T1E |
| Murder in the Dark is a fun and silly game to play when you and your friends want to do something that doesn't involve staring at a computer or TV screen. |
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most recent entry: Thursday 27 January, 2011
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Murder in the Dark is a popular children’s game that is a derivative of tag.
_Players_
The minimum number of characters for the game is three, and there is no maximum. However, the optimal number of players is between five and fifteen for an average-sized house. I played the first game with eight people and the second with ten.
At the start of each game, each player selects a slip of paper from a hat or other container. One slip designates a player as the cop, one designates the murderer, and the others are civilians. The contents of the paper must be kept secret from all other players, and they are returned to the hat before the start of play.
_Gameplay_
There are two factions of players. The cop and the civilians are on one side, and the murderer is on the other. The cop and the civilians want to discover the identity of the murderer. Additionally, the cop wants to avoid being killed at all cost because if he is the murderer automatically wins. The murderer wants to avoid being caught and to kill as many people as possible in the hopes that one of his victims is the cop.
When the game starts, all lights are turned off, and the players start to move around the house. Since the murderer does not want to arouse the suspicions of the other players and the cop doesn’t want the murderer to target him, all players behave like civilians, either sneaking around or hiding.
Once the murderer feels it is safe to do so, he begins looking for good opportunities to kill people. He does this by sliding his hand across their necks. Victims are not allowed the struggle against him or shout, and after they are killed they slide to the ground and must remain silent and motionless. The only exceptions are when the murderer forces them to move to another location or if someone asks them if they are alive.
When someone finds a dead body, he yells, “Murder in the dark!” and everyone turns on the nearest light. The murderer is allowed to kill people as long as the lights are off, so it is important to get the lights on quickly to avoid being killed.
Once the lights are on, any dead people are allowed to go into the main base with everyone else, but they cannot take part in the discussion and voting and can’t play for the rest of the game.
All living players, including the unknown murderer and cop, then discuss who they think is the murderer, and everyone votes on a single person. During the voting, all players become vigilantes and kill the suspect, meaning he is also out of the game. The suspect then reveals if he is or is not the murderer, and if the cop was killed he reveals his identity. If the murderer or the cop is killed by anyone, the game is over. Otherwise, the lights are turned off again, and the remaining players continue until the murderer kills the cop or they catch the real murderer.
Players may include their own house rules to increase or decrease difficulty. I and my friends limit games to fifteen minutes and forbid people from sticking together in groups for safety, but we also allow a minute or two at the start of each game to allow people to adjust to the darkness and find hiding places before the murderer can start killing.
_Set-Up_
Darkness is the most important element of the game. The play area, typically someone’s house, must be as dark as possible. Windows and blinds must be shut, TVs and computer screens must be turned off or covered, and all lights must be turned off. Adequate hiding places are also important. Any fragile or dangerous objects should also be put away to prevent anyone hurting themselves stumbling around in the dark. One central play area, such as a living room or kitchen, acts as a base where players will convene to discuss the identity of the murderer and find out their roles for the round. That room’s light does not get shut off until real play begins.
_Game Sessions_
Game 1:
At the start of the round, each player drew their roles from the hat. I was a civilian. Once everyone indicated they were ready to begin, the living room light was shut off. All players were familiar with both the game and the house, and several people quickly settled into their favorite hiding places. People usually altered between hiding and walking around, trying to find people behaving suspiciously and checking to make sure the people in hiding places were still alive.
I knew that the area beside the refrigerator was well-shadowed and would give me a decent hiding place before everyone’s eyes adjusted fully. It would allow me to observe the other players while still staying in a place that was too wide open and centrally located for the murderer to feel comfortable killing me there. I almost gave my friend a heart attack when I finally stood up. I thought he had seen me, but clearly he hadn’t! After abandoning the kitchen, I made my rounds around the house, searching out people hiding and checking to see if they were still alive.
After about five minutes, my friend Sara shouted, “Murder in the dark!” and everyone quickly moved to turn on the nearest lightswitch. Bruce had been slain! We all convened in the living room and voted on our suspect. We decided to kill Danny, who revealed he was not the murderer. Neither one was the cop, either. Down two players, we resumed gameplay.
This time I decided to hide. I settled in at the back of the laundry room, feeling secure in my very dark spot. Unfortunately, the murderer must have been following me, because no sooner did I settle in did I feel a hand sliding across my neck. It was Sara! She had been the one to “discover” Bruce’s body! Feeling annoyed at falling for her clever trick, I spent the next five minutes on the floor, hoping that someone would find me in my obscure hiding place. No such luck, but thankfully another body was found elsewhere in the house, and I could get up. Sara had made quick work of the others, and now only three people remained alive. Unfortunately, one of the people killed was the cop, which meant Sara won the game.
Game 2:
The second game was played immediately afterward, with the addition of two more players. Again I was a civilian. Determined to catch this round’s murderer in the act, I decided to follow people around. This ended up backfiring because every time someone spotted me sneaking around, we ended up warily dancing in circles around each other, each suspecting the other was the murderer and unwilling to turn our backs on each other. Changing tactics, I instead found a hiding place that would allow me to see into the master bedroom, where I was hoping to catch the murderer in action.
I watched several people go through the room, but everyone left alive. After several uneventful minutes, someone started to approach me. I hopped up, hoping to get away in time, but I was cornered and murdered by Morgan.
Unlike methodical Sara, Morgan didn’t hesitate after he made his first kill. He went on a killing spree, hoping to get as many people as he could before anyone discovered a body. From my spot, I could tell that the house was growing very quiet and worried that Morgan would end up killing everyone and winning the game.
Luckily, Danny had other plans. Knowing that Austin was well-hidden in the living room, Danny did his best to lure the murderer in there as well. The murderer would think he was alone with Danny and would take the opportunity to kill him, while Austin secretly watched all the action. It was a risk, since he wasn’t sure if Austin was the real murderer, but in the end it was a success. Danny was murdered, and Austin called, “Murder in the dark!” and flicked on the lights. With an eyewitness report, the remaining players quickly decided to off Morgan, and the civilians won the round!
_Opinion_
Murderer in the Dark is a very fun game to play with friends. It is accessible to most ages and all skill levels. While it is similar to hide-and-seek or tag, the dark, creepy environment and the threat of being “murdered” create an air of urgency and excitement. The game changes with each group of people because everyone has their own play style and schemes, and even within the same group people are always switching up tactics. I really enjoy the game, but I do suggest putting a fifteen or twenty minute time limit on games, because it can get tedious waiting up to ten minutes for a hesitant murderer to finally start killing.
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