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Game Thoughts: Abandoned 07-2024

While I've been trying to finish all the games I start, sometimes I just don't have the energy or a particular game just doesn't hit right and I put it down early. As a result I don't get around to writing about them, which is a shame because I frequently refer to my own blogposts as a refresher on what I did or didn't like about a given game or book.

So, for future me's reference, here's a handful of recent games I didn't quite make it through:

(Drilldozer, Pokemon Unbound, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, A Space for the Unbound, Cocoon)

Drilldozer: GBA (Analogue Pocket)

This game is charming as hell and I really love the graphics on it, but the drilling mechanic via the L/R buttons was terribly annoying to me, as was the way the background music cranked up to an annoying victory loop every time you pick up the 3rd Gear each level.

I made it to the Stadium boss and ended up too frustrated with the controls (this may have been an Analogue Pocket issue, but the game was asking for way too much precision!)

Pokemon Unbound - GBA (Lemuroid on Android)

Pokemon Unbound is a fan-hack of Pokemon Fire Red (which, for the record, I do have a physical copy of, so this is all kosher).

I've avoided fan-hacks forever, figuring they'd just be cheap randomizers and cheesy edgy upgrades like "you can kill the pokemon".

This fan-hack is insane. The creators completely redid the battle system, back-ported Pokemon from several generations beyond Fire Red, added in mega evolutions, Z-moves, raid battles, and made an entirely new region with all new gym bosses, locales, storyline, and sound track.

This is a completely different game using a couple of Fire Red's bones and little more, and what I played was amazing.

The makers of the game know their Pokemon, and the Quality of Life improvements begin immediately after you pick your character. You're asked if you know type matchups and whether you care about EV/IVs (to determine difficulty), and then whether you'd like to impose a level cap to prevent steamrolling the gym leaders.

The level cap really changed the game for me -- I found myself scrambling to build new teams at each new gym in order to survive the type matchups, which really altered the dynamics my usual Pokemon experience. I think I used more pokemon (and several I would have never have even thought to use!) in the first 4 gyms than I usually do in a whole playthrough of a standard game.

The story's a bit long-winded with too many characters, and I ultimately burned out around the time I got Surf (which often happens to me with 2D Pokemon games, I don't want to go explore all the ponds and lakes), but it was honestly a fantastic experience up until that point.

Castlevania Aria of Sorrow: GBA (Analogue Pocket)

I've never played a Castlevania game seriously, but enjoy a lot of modern metroidvanias. I picked this one up to have a go on the Pocket and it was great!

I got to a point, however, slightly after fighting Death(?) where I was continuously frustrated and dying stupid deaths, and ended up not picking it up again.

A Space for the Unbound: Steamdeck

This one was on my wishlist for a while! It's a really interesting kinda-visual-novel kinda-rpg indie with lots of interactive bits and a story that I still haven't unravelled.

I feel like there's big things coming in this story, but I'm not in a mental space to engage with it right now, despite it totally being my usual jam. This might be a winter game for me, and I think I'm going to put it down for now and try again later. (I'm currently on the second jury-style dream)

Cocoon: Steamdeck

I want to start of by praising the game's aesthetic. It's absolutely gorgeous, and I'm sad it didn't click with me.

The orb-in-orb deal was pretty novel until I picked up the third orb, at which point I realised I wasn't really enjoying the style of puzzle the game was providing me, and that I wasn't excited to explore the third world at all.

My orb management is sub-par at best.

I think a lot of by burnout / failure with these games is from me currently craving media that challenges me a little more than usual, as opposed to simply being fun or interesting.