Hi everyone, and welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I discuss all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. I spent some more time with Genshin Impact and 1-800 SUPER, but for most of the week I’ve been immersed in the upcoming narrative puzzle game, unmemory. There were also some exciting content updates from some of my favorite Apple Arcade games. And on top of all that, there’s a new season in Sky. So as you can see, we have a lot to discuss!

unmemory

I was lucky enough to get my hands on Plug In Digital’s upcoming game that is both “a book you can play” and “a game you can read,” called unmemory. The layout is reminiscent of Device 6, in which you read the story through text on the page but are sometimes interrupted by things like locked briefcases or vaults that you have to unlock using clues found in the text — and elsewhere. You also sometimes have to turn your device around and also listen to audio clips for clues. I don’t want to say too much yet since I plan to review it, but I’m 3/4 through it and am beyond impressed with what I’ve seen. There also seems to be some bonus Easter eggs to look for, so there’s some replay value. The game releases on October 13th and, based on what I’ve seen so far, I would recommend grabbing it. But you can also wait for my review or watch some of my gameplay videos below. Note that the crashes seen in some of my videos have already been fixed.

9th Dawn III

I never played Valorware’s first two 9th Dawn Games, but so far I’ve spent about two hours with 9th Dawn III and there’s a lot to like. I was confused about a few things at first, but the tutorial made most of it clear and the rest I’ve been figuring out through exploration and messing around with the UI. Basically, it’s a huge open world action RPG where you run around, pick up quests, explore dungeons and kill monsters. I’m currently trying to learn to cook and that’s not going so well, so it’s a bit frustrating. I also just ended a confusing quest because I thought I was looking for a specific item but it turned out the quest giver was lying. Other than that, I’ve been enjoying myself. I’ve been running around with a sword in one hand and a staff in the other, which allows me to do some decent damage both close range and from afar. I do wish there was a cheap and easy way to teleport between villages, though, because I missed a lot of quests and then had to go back for them. Overall, I’m impressed with the game — especially the way it’s been adapted for touchscreens. The developers have also been quick to patch any issues, including the placement of the inventory button. I was hitting it all the time by accident in my first video but you can see that it was already moved by my second video. If not for all the other games stealing my attention, I definitely would have spent more time with it by now. Check out my videos below if you want to see if it’s something you might enjoy.

Genshin Impact

I already mentioned Genshin Impact in my last roundup, and also wrote some early impressions. I spent a few more hours with it this past week and am still pretty hooked, but I took a break for some other games. My favorite part so far was this three-part treasure hunt in which I had to use a treasure map and clue to find the next clue and so on. I wish more games had treasure hunts, as they can feel quite rewarding to solve. I also unlocked the fourth character, who controls electric magic. She’s proven to be quite strong and I’ve actually been using her the most lately. I’ve still been avoiding the shop and everything surrounding it, so I haven’t rolled for any new characters. So far that hasn’t been an issue, but I’ll report back if it becomes one. For now, I can still recommend it even if you hate gacha games.

1-800 SUPER

I wrote a bit about 1-800 SUPER last week, but spent more time with it since and actually completed the game. I think there are still some other endings I could get, but I don’t see any way to tell what my missing achievements are so I can try and chase them. Anyway, the story was very tongue-in-cheek and a bit out there, but I did enjoy my time with it. There were some superheroes and villains I didn’t get to talk to much, but I’m not sure if that’s just the design or if I’d hear more from them if I restart. It’s hard to tell. It didn’t take me long to reach the ending, so if that is all it is, it’s a pretty short game. I don’t regret buying it, but some might at that length. Also, I encountered a bug that made it impossible to answer the phone, but the developers said they’ll be fixing it in an update. If you want to see more, I have a walkthrough here with videos of my entire playthrough.

Sine

Lonely Vertex’s upcoming game, Sine, features such a clever mechanic that I wasn’t sure I hadn’t seen it before because it just seems like such an obvious thing that should exist. It’s broken up into stages and you need to avoid space debris while picking up flowing orbs and getting to the exit as fast possible. That probably sounds like a billion other games, but what’s different here is that you control a sine wave that your character follows. It uses simple swipe controls, where swiping left shortens the curve and swiping right widens it. As you progress, the levels get harder and require more split-second adjustments. There’s also a three-star system, and to get all three you need to pick up all orbs and get to the exit within the time limit. I only played through a few levels of the first world and tried out some of the second world, but I think there’s something very special here. You can see more in my gameplay video below and expect to see it in the App Store on November 4th atlas a premium game for just $2.99.

Blowie – Top Down Shooter

Blowie is a vertical shoot’em-up, or SHMUP, designed specifically for mobile. Using relative touch, you move around the map and shoot at enemies while avoiding their gunfire. It’s different from other games of its ilk in that you don’t automatically move ahead and the enemies don’t automatically come to you. You have to go after them. It’s an interesting idea, but I found it a bit frustrating and quit after my first death. I’m also not a fan of games that offer continues in exchange for watching an ad, so that was a bit of a turnoff. The game is free, though, so give it a try and see if you like it more than I did.

Beankind by Ketnipz

I’ll admit I don’t know who Ketnipz is, but I liked the idea of a game that encourages being kind to others and sharing love. Or, at least I thought that was what Beankind would be about. It’s actually just a clicker/tapper in which you tap the screen to earn “love” that’s then used to buy upgrades for your room. And that’s basically every other clicker/tapper out there. The main difference here is that there’s also a global tap counter and everyone can earn some rewards based on the total global taps. But it’s still just a tapper and personally I find it a bit insulting that anyone would try to claim that I’m “sharing love” by endlessly and mindlessly tapping my screen. So I deleted it after three minutes. Others seem to like it, which I honestly find baffling, but to each his own. At least it’s 100% free, but just remember you’ll never get back the time you spend tapping at nothing.

Sky: Children of the Light

It’s been a big week for Sky, as the Season go Prophecy kicked off this past Monday. I was already playing it in the beta version, but I have some fresh videos of the seasonal spirits you can find here. I also have some videos of the first two trials in beta here but haven’t had a chance to do the Trial of Water in the live version yet. If you don’t mind spoilers, my Trial of Earth video is very entertaining. I also have a video of the long drum ultimate gift in action.

Kavel

Sadly, I haven’t gotten any news high scores in Kavel. But I still have super exciting news, at least for me. The developer made me my very own color palette! It’s called App Unwrap and features the five colors in my icon! I’ve been playing with it since the update released and I’ve since gotten the achievement for clearing the board with one move. So that seems to be some pretty good luck! The update also added mid-game saves, so you can now play a few minutes at a time without worrying about losing progress. Overall, a very nice update.

Guildlings

Guildlings was one of my favorite Apple Arcade games, but it ended on a cliffhanger. We’ve all been wondering when more content might arrive, and that time has come! This isn’t exactly Chapter 2, but it does expand on Chapter 1 to make it twice the size. That means new players have a lot more content to play through, and those of us who are continuing can play the same content but as side quests. I only played about an hour of the new stuff, but I’m enjoying it so far. I loved the quest in which you need to gather a few different Startups and help them find each other. I do feel like I need a refresher with the battles, though, as I kind of forgot how they work. Anyway, I’m looking forward to playing more and you can find all my past and future gameplay videos here.

Little Orpheus

Little Orpheus is another Apple Arcade favorite of mine and it also got a new update this week. It’s not quite as big as Guildlings‘ update, but it’s still pretty exciting. If you replay each chapter, you’ll find little glowing orbs throughout. Each one you collect unlocks a little behind-the-scenes clip narrated by Ivan. You can also use the orbs to unlock strange outfits for him. And finally, if you collect all 60 orbs, you can watch a special epilogue. I kind of wish I could watch it without them, since I’m not sure when I’ll have time to replay the whole game. But hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze in a chapter here and there and see the epilogue. If you have the time, it is still an enjoyable game to replay and now you have a good reason to do so!

I Am Dead

Annapurna Interactive has a great track record of releasing unique and powerful games, and I Am Dead is their latest. Unfortunately, iOS was not included as a launch platform, but I really wanted to check it out, so I dusted off my Switch for it. I played for about an hour so far and I really like what I’ve seen. You play as a ghost who can see inside objects. You’re visited by the ghost of your dead dog Sparky, who needs your help finding a new protector of the island of Shelmerston before the volcano erupts. This means finding and interviewing five different ghosts who are eligible for the role. To do so, you need to first read the thoughts of people who knew the person when they were alive. Then you need to find mementos that were meaningful to them. And then finally you can talk to the ghost. There are also side quests, such as finding little critters that take the form of specific shapes. And there are riddles that are extra hard. I found one by accident in the first chapter but I still need to work on the others. Overall, I’m really enjoying the gameplay and the voice-acted story. I can’t help but notice, though, that the game would be perfect for touchscreens. I much rather be swiping to move around a room and tapping directly on objects instead of having to use a joystick to line up a cursor with them. Pinching to zoom in and out is also what touchscreens were made for and that’s what most of the gameplay is. Hopefully that means this might come to iOS one day! Until then, I still think it’s worth checking out if you have a Switch. You can also watch some of my gameplay video below to help you decide.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to this week! Keep an eye out for my unmemory review over the next couple of days, along with more videos of Genshin Impact and Sky, as well as any other interesting games that crop up. Anyway, let me know in the comments section what you’ve been enjoying and I’ll see you next time with more of My Week Unwrapped!