Just started Horizon: Zero Dawn! It makes me think of the newer Tomb Raider reboots, but with a unique story of its own. Really digging it so far. Looks excellent in 4K!
It’s Official: I’m Probably Gonna Buy It
Unlocked everything in the Whisker Squadron Survivor Demo! I think that means I have to buy it when it launches.
Whatever Floats Your Boat
The final frame for the evening from my ongoing animation project! Currently in month two of putting it all together, and still a ways to go before I can stick a fork in it and declare the beast done. Makes for some strange photography in the meantime.
Starfox But With Cats and More Lasers
Found Whisker Squadron Survivor during my hunt for Next Fest demos, and I think I found a winner! It’s basically Star Fox but with cats and a roguelike leveling system.
I played it in between my desktop and my deck perfectly fine. It supports higher refresh rates, the music slaps, and even for being a demo it looks really well polished. I’m looking forward to the full version!
This Demo Is Batty!
Been playing more of the Grim Guardians: Demon Purge Demo, it’s a fun challenge! So far I’ve managed to unlock a new technique that combines both characters, also I defeated the BAT BOSS. This really does a good job nailing the Castlevania aesthetic.
If you like Metroidvanias I recommend giving it a try!
Steam Next Fest! Metroid Monday
It’s Steam’s Next Fest! That amazing time of year when indies release demos for the masses to play with! (Well, technically these games get released all the time… but for a short time we get to see them shine in the spotlight!) I’ve already found a few metroidvanias to pack onto my Steam Deck to try!
A Sister’s Journey
The first Demo I played was A Sister’s Journey; A colorful pixely Metroidvania where you play a young girl named Violet, and you’re on a journey to find your sister! (Duh!) Run and gun your way through enemies, climb beautiful pixelated landscapes and dart around to avoid dangerous spikes and pits. It did lag a little bit on my Steam Deck by a couple of the waterfalls, but with a little bit of tweaking the game runs much better. It even has settings for the Steam Deck in mind as shown above.
Trinity Fusion
Another Metroidvania that caught my eye was Trinity Fusion. Unlike the other demos I downloaded today; this one uses 3D graphics! You have three parallel selves that you can control, each containing different abilities. Trinity Fusion also makes use of procedurally generated levels, meaning a different experience each time you die and restart. You can also gain different abilities and weapons along the way. It should go without saying, but my love of my life so far in the demo is the lightning katana!
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge
Last and certainly not least is a Metroidvania that gives vibes of the old school Castlevania games. In Grim Guardians: Demon Purge you play as two demon slayers; Shinobu and Maya. Shinobu packs a gun and daggers to protect herself while Maya carries a sword and a Shinigami barrier. You can swap between both characters at any time. In fact, it’s a good idea to switch regularly as you start to lose health on either one. You also have a chance to revive your other self should you get skull-fucked by a bunch of enemies.
Maya is also capable of climbing into smaller areas, unlike her taller counterpart. I like being able to switch between two different play styles. Out of the three demos I played I think this one has my most attention. I might pay it another visit tomorrow!
Have you tried any demos during Next Fest? Feel free to share in the comments!
Spacing Out In 8 Bit
I finally finished it! It only took a few decades, but I did it! Onto the next episode!
The Second Episode in the series is very similar to the first. Aside from new food and candy sprites, we have climbable soda and robots you can hitch rides on. You’re aboard a Mothership hovering over Earth, and you’re tasked with saving the cities that are on board. So far I’ve saved one and completed a couple of levels. It’s nice being able to play these on the Deck!
In Space: No One Can Hear You Torture Teddy Bears
Originally I was going to tackle a different game, but I actually made enough progress to press on through Commander Keen! I just have one more level to beat, then I can move onto the next area of Mars!
Evening Open Thread
It’s looking like the weather will be wet and stormy this weekend. I’m already contemplating the after work PJ’s tomorrow! I’m thinking about trying a couple more things from my Skyrim cookbook over the weekend. There’s a recipe for spiced milk with honey, and it sounds like it could be a good drink on its own, or a nice addition to chai. I might even try to make the Honey Pudding, or if I’m up for it the Sunlight Soufflé! Minus the entire cup of fucking nutmeg!
My after SFM treat tonight was more Commander Keen. I swear, this game is the Dark Souls of its platforming era. It starts off easy and then the level design really starts to show itself, and then it becomes fun, then a pain, and after a break more fun again. It’s a viscous cycle. I might consider playing one of the other hundreds of games in the ol collection instead. We’ll see what the nostalgia meter says.
Same Shit Different Game
Today’s choice for Steam Deck, Klonoa: Lunatea’s Veil from the Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series! I was happy when they finally ported them to PC last year that I bought it just to play on Steam Deck! After all these years of playing the console roms.
I’m making sure to play something at least an hour a day. The project I’m working on will probably take a couple months to do, and if I want to do it right I need to have some chillaxation time.