My Week Unwrapped: December 20, 2019 – Song of Bloom, SIMULACRA 2, Dragon Castle, Boxentriq, Kine, Black Desert Mobile and More

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Hi everyone, and welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I discuss all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. Somehow it’s already December 20th and there’s only a few days left to 2019. I haven’t even started working on my Game of the Year list because developers keep releasing more games! And then I’ve been also playing some that I bought during the Christmas and holiday sales going on right now. So there’s quite a bit to cover, even this late into the year. If you’re looking for a new game to play, you should find something you like below.

Song of Bloom

I mentioned Song of Bloom back when the release date was announced, and I was blown away by it. It’s not a long game, and it’s not perfect, but I still highly recommend playing it. There aren’t too many games that utilize different iPhone features as part of puzzles, and this one does so in very clever ways. It’s a very playful game and for $1.99, you really shouldn’t pass it up. You can read more in my full review here. It’s not my best review, though, because I was trying to keep spoilers to a minimum.

SIMULACRA 2

I mentioned SIMULACRA 2 last week, and I was really enjoying the murder mystery, along with all the fake social media postings. I finished the game once and got a bad ending, but before I did that a found some fairly hidden clues that I wanted to dig deeper into. Unfortunately, the save system was making it too hard to do so late into the game, so I decided I’d work on that on my next playthrough. I want to try and get the good ending, but the developer is planning an update soon and I’m waiting for that first. Overall, it’s an enjoyable game, but I’m not sure how difficult it will be to get the good ending and if I’ll be persistent enough to get it. Either way, I got a few hours of solid entertainment from it. If you liked the original, I think it’s worth picking up the sequel. I also have my full playthrough here.

Dragon Castle: The Board Game

I’d never played the board game version of Horrible Guild‘s Dragon Castle before, but I’ve always been a big fan of Mahjong solitaire, so I was looking forward to trying this digital version of the game. So far, I’ve only played against the AI, but I’m really enjoying it. The basic idea is that you have piles of Mahjong tiles. Each turn, you choose a tile from the top layer. You can then choose another of the same exact tile somewhere else on the board if it’s not blocked by other tiles. Alternatively, you can grab a shrine, or use your special ability. Each player has a board on which they place the tiles they pick, with the goal to match four or more of the same color. When you do, you get points for each tile and they turn face down. You can then build on top of those for more points. There are other ways to improve your score, and there are different modifiers in the form of dragons. But I’m still learning, so I’m not very familiar with all the the different dragons and special abilities. But it’s an easy game to get into even if you don’t fully understand everything yet. I’m learning as I go. I also like how the game plays perfectly with one hand in portrait mode. It makes for a great on-the-go game. (There’s an issue right now where the game crashes if you’re on 4G, but it works fine on WiFi or airplane mode.) I haven’t tried any games against other players yet, as I joined the one game that was open but the other player never took their move. I would love to try and play against some friends, as it seems like it would be much more fun against real people. But I haven’t tried against the Hard AI yet, so I’m hoping that offers a nice challenge. In any case, this seems like a well-designed game and I’d recommend it if you don’t mind that you might only play against AI if you don’t have friends to play against. (Note: The game has since gotten an update that fixes the 4G bug.)

Get aCC_e55

I’ve only played a little of the room escape game, Get aCC_e55, but it reminds me a lot of NOX with the way you rotate the camera to see the room from different angles. So far, I only tried the free version, and found some things confusing. I tried to pick up an item and it told me I needed to buy the full game for that. I still managed to make some progress, but I stopped playing after about 20 minutes. I’ve since gotten a code from the developer to unlock the full game, so I’ll give it some more time without worrying about ads interrupting it. I like the idea of time travel, though I haven’t made it that far yet. One thing I didn’t like is how I couldn’t pick up items until I knew I needed them, at which point I forgot where they were. I get the reasoning behind it, though, so I’ll just have to get used to it. Anyway, give it a try for free, and if you like it, you can redeem one of these codes for the full game unlock if no one beats you to it: KLPMRJFLMX7W & 6AHHRRLPKW76

Boxentriq

I did some paid testing and feedback for the puzzle game, Boxentriq, a little while back. Because of that, I don’t want to give any impressions. But the first 10 levels are free, so give it a try and see for yourself whether you want to buy the rest of the game. I believe there are only 20 levels available now, with more planned in the future. I’m also working on a walkthrough here if you get stuck.

Black Desert Mobile

I’m not really into massive multiplayer online games (MMO) these days, but a friend convinces me to try Black Desert Mobile. As usual, I spent a ridiculously long time customizing my character before finally starting on my journey. Unfortunately, from what I played so far, it felt exactly like every other mobile MMO I’ve tried. I spent most of the time tapping on quests and being taken there automatically, then following some prompts and collecting my reward. I killed some foxes (and felt bad about it) and some boars, but for the most part I just felt like I was being pulled along. The joystick on my iPad is also way too low, so I have to hold my iPad awkwardly in order to use it. I doubt I’ll play anymore — even if there are pets like cats and dogs — but if you’re into these kinds of games, it does look pretty impressive. And it’s free, so there’s nothing to lose by trying it out.

Sentinels of the Multiverse

I’d picked up Handelabra’s superhero card game, Sentinels of the Multiverse during one of the many sales it’s had, but I never got around to playing it. Since it’s on sale yet again, I figured this was a good time to try it. The idea is that you control four different superheroes who take turns battling the supervillain. If you take him down, you win. If all your heroes fall, you lose. I very narrowly won my first game, and I was so sure I was going to lose. But my heroes managed to squeak by with 3 of them barely alive. That game started as the tutorial, so I’m not sure if I had a bit of a leg up. But it also took almost an hour for that one game, so I’m not sure I’ll be playing much more of it in the future. I prefer my roguelike card games a bit speedier. Still, it’s a pretty well-designed game with a lot going on, so it doesn’t get boring. Just be aware that there’s a lot of DLC and expansions, so the $0.99 sale price only gets you the base game. Still, it’s worth that low price if you like these kinds of games.

Pocket Build

Pocket Build is another game I grabbed on sale for $0.99. It’s on sale right now, so I figured I’d make some gameplay video. Unfortunately, it’s not really for me. I’m not into designing villages just for the hell of it. There is a lot to choose from if you like that kind of thing, including Halloween and Christmas decorations. My personal favorite was the giant rib cage, though. I found some things confusing, like why I couldn’t get my worker to get in the boat I bought for him. And then when he finally did, he just went in circles. I don’t really have much patience or interest to learn more about the game. But again, if you like building villages and collecting resources, you might like it.

Sky: Children of the Light

I’m still playing Sky every day, and the latest Season of Belonging spirit is available in the Wasteland starting this week. It’s a pain to get, so I recommend bringing friends. But the reward is so worth it. It gives you the “Don’t Go” expression, which is quite possibly the best emote in the game. You can see the quest and the expression in my video below.

Kine

And last, I played some of the puzzle game, Kine, on my Switch. I only spent about a half hour with it so far, but I really enjoyed it. You play as different musical instruments, and you have to roll them around to the music sheet in each level. The twist here is that each instrument changes shape when you press the A button. This allows them to move around obstacles and cross gaps. It’s hard to explain, so I recommend watching some of my video below. But it’s a genuinely fun puzzle game and it has an unlimited undo button if you mess up. I could see something like this working well on mobile, so I hope it makes it over there one day. But until then, if you have a Switch and enjoy puzzle games, give Kine a try.

And that’s everything I’ve been playing this week! Another Adventure Escape game also just released, so I’ll be working on my walkthrough for that over the next few days. Hopefully I can also find time for my GOTY list and the massive giveaway I want to do to celebrate my 50,000 YouTube subscribers milestone. Anyway, let me know in the comments section what games you’re playing at the moment, and I’ll see you back here next week with more of My Week Unwrapped!

This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Hugo

    Thank you Appunwrapper and dev Andrew fir the redeem code for Get aCC_e55

  2. J. Stothart

    Hey, new at this so please bare with me. I only have a Amazon Fire 10. Do you have a site that covers those games, game reviews and walkthroughs in case I get stuck? My son has a Nokia V-5 phone. He plays rpg’s and needs reviews, lists of good games and walkthroughs if available. His current game is Moonshades and he needs cheats!

  3. J. Stothart

    Also need really good rpg ‘s for the Nokia V-5 along with cheats and walkthroughs. Thanks again, Unwrapper!

  4. Dr Renier Palland

    IΓÇÖm currently addicted to BitLife. ItΓÇÖs overwhelmingly fun. Also, Clockmaker. Insanely difficult, but one of the best match-3 games on the App Store by far.

    Choices by Tin Man Games was free for a bit, so I got it (again) and I just canΓÇÖt seem to get attached to it anymore.

    Wanderlust is also amazing, but I feel a bit blah when I have to get into it. After the first story, it feels like a repetition. Is it just me? Or does the game get a bit better? You know how much I love my non-linear narrative games, but does it make any difference to what I choose?

    Also, Simulacra 2 needs to update before I continue playing. ItΓÇÖs SO LABORIOUS right now. I just canΓÇÖt play it without getting bored.

  5. AnneH

    I wish i could find the Dec sale post without having to find this link and click through. Love your walkthroughs ( i just subbed on youtube though i prefer written) but your website could use improvement.

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