Hi everyone, and welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I discuss all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. A big chunk of my week was spent trying to salvage my game data after my iPad’s iCloud backup got corrupted. I managed to get it working eventually on a new iPad, which I’m enjoying quite a bit, but it means I lost a lot of time and didn’t get to cover as many games as I’d planned. Still, I have some excellent games to discuss, so stick around!

There is No Game: Wrong Dimension

I mentioned There is No Game: Wrong Dimension last week when I played the first chapter ahead of release. I’ve since finished the game and reviewed it, so I don’t want to repeat myself. But this is, quite simply, a must-play. It may very well be my Game of the Year, even though this was such a strong year and I already had the winner picked. Please, just play it. I have more gameplay videos here, but you really should just go in blind.

The Procession to Calvary

It was torture waiting for The Procession to Calvary to come mobile more than half a year after its PC release. But it was worth it, because it’s every bit as entertaining as its predecessor and just as absurd. Again, I have a full review here, so go read that and then play the game! I also have more gameplay videos here.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II

I had meant to play more of Star Wars: KOTOR II ahead of release, but with my iPad woes, this was one of the games that took a hit. I wanted to finish the games I’d started before delving into a 40+-hour game. From the hour I spent with it, though, I’m impressed. Everything’s designed around touch controls, so you tap on enemies to auto-attack instead of trying to mash a bunch of attack buttons. The camera and joystick sometimes get in the way of each other, but it’s not been too irksome yet. I also haven’t encountered any bugs, though I’ve been told this is the same version that was buggy and incomplete when it first released on other platforms. It does allow you do upload mods to it, though, so the fan-made version is an option if you take the trouble to find it. I’m not sure I’ll have time to play much more of this before the year ends, but I do want to chip away at it next year. You can watch some of my gameplay video below to see what it’s like.

Adventure Escape Mysteries: Legend of the Sacred Stones

I started playing the latest Adventure Escape game, Legend of the Sacred Stones, last week and, since I make my walkthroughs on my iPhone, that went largely uninterrupted by my iPad emergency. It still took longer due to my being preoccupied, but I’ve almost finished the step-by-step guide and will start on the videos tomorrow. You can see my full guide here.

Jetscout: Mystery of the Valunians

Jetscout is a hardcore tilt-based platformer where you fly around on a Jetpack and try not to bump into walls. It’s pretty hardcore and possibly too hard for me, but I haven’t tried it yet on the easy mode. I’m not generally a fan of tilt controls, and I’ve so far only played on my iPad, which is a bit big for making small movements. I may give it a try next week on my iPhone and see if it’s easier, though it just might not be my kind of game. If you like hardcore tilt control games, though, give it a try, as it offers quite a challenge.

Headland

I played some of Headland for you last week and mentioned that I liked the gameplay but not the controls. I’ve since played a bit more of it and the controls are still getting in the way. It’s like the whole screen zooms in and out when I move and it’s jarring. I also got stuck on the ground at one point and was forced to restart the whole area. I think the developers fixed that in an update, but I’m still not sure I’m enjoying the game enough to stick with it when there are so many other games fighting for my attention. It just feels a bit like the same thing over and over, even through I’ve only played through a few areas so far. If I find the time, I might play some more, but I’m not in a big hurry. You can watch my gameplay video for some of the paid content below if you’re trying to decide whether to buy the full game.

Sky: Children of the Light

The Days of Feast holiday event arrives in Sky this Monday. I’ve already covered the beta version of that last week, so I don’t have any more news on that front. But I did unlock my full ultimate gift costume in beta and made a video to show it off. It’s absolutely gorgeous, as it’s a bird mask and wings with matching pants, and the cape has this magical effect where it seems to change between black and red depending on the lighting. Players have been calling the cape phoenix wings and I think it’s fitting. They’re also testing out a new Daily Light system in beta, where to you get more light from candles you collect early on in a day and then less if you continue to try to collect the light from all realms. It’s a welcome change, and it’s nice to see the developers recognizing that the grind is causing burnout. I can’t wait for this change to come to the live version, and I’m looking forward to see what other changes they have in mind to make the game less repetitive.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

I had planned to complete the Apple Arcade game, Alba, last weekend, but that’s when my iPad broke. As soon as I had the new one up and running, though, I finished the last two chapters and found every last animal on the island. I really liked this one, and appreciate that it was geared at kids but still written and designed in a way that adults can enjoy it as well. My only complaint is that the controls were a little awkward, especially since you can’t adjust the camera while running. I think it would have played better in landscape mode on iPad, but it’s still perfectly playable as is. This is definitely one of the highlights on Apple Arcade and I highly recommend it. I also have a full walkthrough here if you need help.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to this week! I’m going to continue working on my Sacred Stones walkthrough this coming week and try to finish some other games that I’ve been meaning to. I also need to work on my GOTY list that keeps getting pushed off. It’s possible it won’t be ready until January, but it will get done! Anyway, let me know in the comments section which games you’re enjoying and I’ll see you back here next week for more of My Week Unwrapped!