Just chillin’ tonight… literally. So far, it has been (once again) the coldest winter I’ve ever had here on the coast. I woke up to ice this morning, and tomorrow is looking to be about the same. The sun has been coming out, but as nice and bright as it is I wouldn’t mind a small enough amount of heat to go with it. It feels like I mostly live in sweaters these days…
Didn’t have time to play anything today, but I did get a little animation done, and even caught up with a friend I haven’t talked to in awhile. All in all a fulfilling day. Now it’s time to charge myself along with my other devices.
Happy Valentines Day! I don’t have anyone to really celebrate it with, but a friend and I did a surprise gift exchange. I upgraded my mic stand over the weekend, and offered him my old one.
It isn’t even that old either! I just needed something tall that can sit on the ground, giving me more room on my desk for other things. It just needed a small bit of cleanup and it was ret-2-go. I brought it to work today and he surprised me with my own pet pinky demon!
Haven’t decided what to name it yet… Pinky seems too obvious.
It was definitely a kind gesture… I’ll have to get him back when his birthday rolls around, just a couple months away. That’ll give me time to fabricate my plans for a proper giftvengeance. 😛
Defeated the Hypno Baron and the “Horror” he summoned. This game is a pretty good laugh, and it gets good battery mileage on my Steam Deck. I might actually finish this some time soon-ish! I’m trying to get all the level items first.
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!
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.
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!
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!
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
Screenshot From 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
Shinobu (Left) and Maya (Right)
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 climbing underneath some unsuspecting demons.
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!
