Hi everyone, and welcome to the latest installment of My Week Unwrapped, where I talk about all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. It’s been a fairly busy week, but still manageable. Puzzle and adventure fans should especially find some new games to play this week, but there’s something for everyone. So let’s get down to it.
Euclidean Skies
I had rough start with Euclidean Skies, and nearly gave up on it early on. But when I gave it another chance with a clearer mind, I fell in love. It’s not a perfect game, and certainly has some frustrations. But if you’re willing to look past them, there’s a truly satisfying puzzler in your future. I already wrote an in-depth review, so rather than rehash my thoughts here, I’ll let you read that. I also have a walkthrough guide if you’re already playing and need help.
Apocalipsis
Apocalipsis is a grim point-and-click adventure subtitled Harry at the End of the World, so don’t expect something cheerful here. It reminds me a bit of Tormentum, as there’s strange creatures and tormented souls. The art style is unique and helps capture the dark mood. So far, most of the puzzles have been pretty straightforward, with an occasional tricky one that gives me pause. I’m enjoying it, though I could have done without the section that involves quickly running through gunfire. I’m still making my way through the game, so I should have more impressions next week. Until then, you can watch my videos and use my walkthrough-in-progress here.
Old School Runescape
I had quite the Runescape addiction back in the day, and I have fond memories of shearing sheep, trapping lobsters and hunting greater demons to try and loot a rune helm. It’s been many years since I last played and I have no idea if my old account even still exists. So when Old School Runescape made its way over to iOS today, I started a new character. The tutorial took nearly an hour to complete, so I didn’t get to so much else yet. It seems to have translated pretty well to touchscreens, though, since everything was already doable with a mouse before. Switching from a mouse to a finger isn’t a huge difference, so tapping a tree to chop it down feels perfectly natural. That said, I’m older now and the appeal is not quite the same. It feels like a huge time sink when I have so many other games to play. It is nice to be able to pull it out whenever, but I suppose the only thing that would get me putting in the time is if either my old friends return or I find new ones. After all, the main appeal is running around and questing with friends. If you’ve never tried Runescape before, give it a go. The free version offers plenty of content, but if you find you want more, you can become a member for $10.99 per month and have access to much more. And unlike most free games like this these days, I don’t think there’s any way to buy your way ahead through IAPs. The subscription simply gives you access to more content. So give it a try — you have nothing to lose.
Hidden Folks
I reviewed Hidden Folks back when it first released, and I only had good things to say about it, despite not liking most hidden objects games. I can’t imagine anyone not falling in love with this black-and-white Where’s Waldo-like game full of tiny little people you can poke and prod. Each scene has certain folks or items to find, and there are cute little clues to help with each one. Perhaps the best aspect of the game, though, is the soundtrack. When you poke something, it makes a noise, and all those sounds were made by mouth. It makes for endless fun just poking and things to see what happens. I really can’t recommend the game highly enough, and it’s gotten several free updates since its initial release. This past week, it got some DLC that takes place on the beach, and it costs only $1.99 for five more scenes and sixty new items to find. So far, I’ve completed the first three areas and almost finished the fourth. There are some tricky ones, but it’s always delightful to discover something that requires a very specific action to find. Unfortunately, the second video I recorded got messed up, so you won’t get to hear my excitement when I released the kraken. But that means you get to discover it yourself! So don’t pass up on this content. It’s definitely worth the couple of extra bucks, as there’s so much packed into these scenes. I hope the DLC is successful so we can see even more content in the future.
Candies ‘n Curses
I’d been watching the development of Takoboy and Crescent Moon Games’ Candies ‘n Curses for quite some time, as I loved the pixel art style. It finally released just in time for Halloween, so I eagerly gave it a try. I knew it was going to be free-to-play, so I wasn’t too surprised by the multiple currencies and ads for continues. But I still found it hard to enjoy with all these things racked on to what could have otherwise been a solid game. I just didn’t like that I kept dying at the boss because I didn’t have time to study his patterns. If I wanted to continue from right before the boss, I’d have to watch an ad. Otherwise I had to keep starting over and make my way back to him. It got old pretty fast, as I never learned anything before dying. On top of that, I would unlock upgrades that weren’t really unlocked because I would have to pay a ton of coins to get them. Between the slow progression and inability to learn from my deaths, I gave up on the game pretty quickly. But it’s free, so give it a try and see if it’s something you’d like.
Allan Poe’s Nightmare
I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Allan Poe’s Nightmare, but the artwork grabbed my attention. It turns out, it’s a more stylish Flappy Bird, but you’re not chasing a high score. Instead, each level asks you to pick up letters and spell out a word from Poe’s writing. While you do so, a giant demon will try and eat you. I’m not a big fan of Flappy games, and I struggled a bit with it, but I do appreciate the unique approach to the genre. If you do like these fast-based reflex games, check out my video to see if it’s something you might enjoy. At the very least, the artwork is worth seeing.
Black Paradox
And last, I’ve been playing Black Paradox a few weeks ahead of its iOS release. It’s a fast-paced roguelike space shooter where you need to take down enemy ships and avoid their gunfire. You pick up different weapons and power-ups along the way, and also earn currency that can be used to purchase chips that act as permanent upgrades. The idea is to survive as long as you can, and then try again after you die. I’m not very good at it, as I’ve only beaten the first of seven bosses. But the variety of weapons and accessibility of it have kept me coming back for more. It helps to know that even if I fail, I’ll earn some currency I can use later. So death isn’t too painful. It’s also designed well for touchscreens, as you control your ship through relative touch on the left side of the screen and simply hold your thumb down on the right side to shoot. Picking up and switching weapons are slightly more complicated, but still involve tapping the screen and no silly buttons to watch. Hopefully I’ll make more progress before it releases in November, but until then you can watch my video below to decide whether to pre-order.
And that’s everything I’ve been up to this week! My Euclidean Skies walkthrough took up a lot of my time, but I gained an even bigger appreciation for the game while I was making it. I know most people are playing Stardew Valley and didn’t even notice any other games releasing. But if you’re like me and can’t see sinking endless hours into a farming game, try some the games I just covered. And let me know in the comments section if you do. Until next time, that’s My Week Unwrapped!
