My Week Unwrapped: May 7, 2021 – Knights of San Francisco, Woven, HIX, One Escape!, Under Depths of Fear 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. I spent a lot of time with Genshin Impact again because I’ve been trying desperately to get Zhongli, but I still managed to fit in plenty of other games, some new, some less new. I’ve been slowly making my way through the new SP!NG levels, played some more Titan Quest, and gave Northgard another go after it was updated with some improvements. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s not waste any more time.

Knights of San Francisco

I wrote about Knights of San Francisco last week, a few days before its release. Now the game is available for everyone and I completed a playthrough. It’s not a long game, but I enjoyed my time with it. I did shut off the music because I found it distracting, and I wish there were at least sound effects or ambient noise instead of just silence. Still, it’s all reading so it’s like reading a book in a quiet room. I liked the whole Necromancy aspect, which allowed me to resurrect enemies I killed and have them join my team. It’s also fun to hack off limbs and then wield them as a weapon. There were some odd situations, though, where the game thought I still had a weapon that I’d already replaced with another. The game is also on the easy side, as even the boss at the end didn’t put up much of a fight. I’m also not sure how I feel about the ending, even though I did “win” the game. It wasn’t a huge revelation to me when I finally met the Doghead, and the encounter felt a bit anticlimactic. I still enjoyed the journey and don’t regret playing it, but I would have liked some better payoff in the end. You can watch some of my gameplay videos below if you want to get a better idea of what it’s like.

Woven Pocket Edition

I played some of Woven back when it first released on Nintendo Switch, but I stopped early on at a sort of rhythm puzzle because I found it very awkward to play that particular part with a controller. But now the game is available on mobile, under the name Woven Pocket Edition, so I wanted to give it another try. I made it farther this time, as the the puzzle I was struggling with is much easier with touch controls. It’s still not perfect due to the placement of the buttons, but it was still much more manageable than with a controller. Instead of having to cycle through the four buttons and then select one, you can just tap directly on the button you want. But the mobile version of the game has its own issues, mainly the tap-to-move controls. I think for a game like this, a floating joystick would have been preferable. But I still would have settled for decent tap-to-move controls and pathfinding. The problem is my character often ran in the wrong direction, and I could never tap very far into the distance because he’d just get stuck on the landscape. It ends up being very tedious, because you have to tap every couple of inches to keep him moving. If they could improve the movement controls, I might give it another shot, but until then I’m afraid I’m going to have to move on to other games. The iOS version is free to try with a one-time IAP to unlock the full game, though, so try it for yourself and judge whether these issues are a problem for you.

HIX: Puzzle Islands

HIX is a new puzzle game that’s on sale this week for $0.99, so I decided to take a chance on it. I was a bit skeptical from the App Store description and screenshots whether it would offer enough challenge, but it’s actually a lot trickier than I expected. Each level is made up of hexagon tiles. Most of them can be swapped around, with the goal being to make paths to connect the different buildings. It stars off easy with just one path, but harder levels will have two or three paths, all criss-crossing. It’s a relaxing game without any time limits or move counter, so you can go at your own pace and take as long as you need. I’m enjoying it quite a bit, though there are a few things that bug me. For some reason, the game likes to remind me constantly that I can’t rotate the board. I know that, but it’s rarely necessary to do that, since it’s a top-down view. The only reason to rotate is if the starting point of a path is blocked. Otherwise, it makes more sense to just stay in one view and not disorient yourself. But the game even sometimes decides to rotate the board on its own. I don’t know why, but it’s very annoying. Hopefully the developer will fix that in an update. I also found the difficulty curve confusing, as it would jump around between easier levels and harder levels instead of gradually getting harder. It messes with the pacing, as it feels like you’re going backwards. It didn’t ruin the game for me but it killed the momentum. And finally, I m found the music very repetitive after a while, so I shut it. Thankfully, the sound of waves splashing continued to keep me company without the music. Overall, I think the game is worth checking out, especially for just a buck. I also started a walkthrough guide if you get stuck.

One Escape!

One Escape is a puzzle platformer that first released on other platforms but made its way over to mobile this week. I like the general idea of it, when you have three sets of levels, each played by a different character with a different abilities. For instance, the duck can squeeze through air ducts, the gorilla can climb walls, and the warthog can punch through walls and move crates. I initially thought you would approach each level with all three characters and have to choose the best one for the job, but instead each character has 20 levels to play through. I only spent a little time with it, but already some of the mechanics were getting a bit old, like running back and forth through the level to pick up key cards to unlock doors. Eventually, what made me stop was the onscreen buttons. They’re poorly placed on iPad, all the way at the bottom, so they’re awkward to work with. I tried on my iPhone after, but it wasn’t much better. I wish the buttons were adjustable, or an even better solution would be to just have the left side of the screen for movement instead of two arrow buttons that are easy to miss. Each level is short enough that death isn’t too terrible, but it’s still annoying enough to fail because your finger missed a button. I also died a few times in the stealth levels from the camera seeing me even though I made sure not to come out of hiding until it had passed. Overall, it’s not a bad game and I would probably play some more if the controls were better. You can watch some of my video below if you want to see what I mean.

Under: Depths of Fear

Under: Depths of Fear is a survival horror game played in first-person view. Things aren’t really explained, but you need to explore your surroundings, find useful objects and solve puzzles. It has a creepy atmosphere, with doors locking behind you, and other doors mysteriously opening. Perhaps the place is haunted? So far, it’s involved a lot of running back and forth along corridors to open new doors or look for anything you missed. I even had to crawl through some vents while lighting my way with a match. I’d like to continue playing, but I do need to be very careful because the running back and forth in this kind of game gives me motion sickness. Again, you can watch some of my gameplay video below to get a better sense of what it’s like.

PewPew Live

PewPew Live is a completely free twin stick shooter with several different game modes to keep you occupied. It even has multiplayer, though I didn’t try it yet. I spent a little time with each mode to get a feel for it, and while it seems well made, it was just too difficult for me. I don’t know if it was the controls or just the general hectic gameplay, but I had enough after a few minutes. I still recommend checking it out as its free with no ads or IAPs, so there’s nothing to lose.

Northgard

Last time I played Northgard, I missed a very important detail that made it impossible to complete an area. I didn’t know that I had to upgrade my scouts to enable them to explore enemy territory. But the game got updated this week to add upgrade information and also an extra zoom level for text and user interface. I started the area again and — thought there were a few hiccups, including a population cull — I was able to complete it. I’m still enjoying it quite a bit, so I plan to stick with it. I just need to carve out big chunk of time to play, as it doesn’t really lend itself well to quick sessions. Again, you can watch some of my gameplay video below if you want to see it in action.

Day Repeat Day

I continued my new playthrough of Day Repeat Day and am nearing the end. But I also encountered a captcha puzzle that I can’t figure out how to solve. And I’m worried that if I continue playing and I miss the bit of info that I need, I’ll be unable to solve it at all. Then I’d have to start the whole game over for another chance at it. So I’m at a bit of an impasse. I might just finish it anyway and make peace with the fact that I can’t see everything the game had to offer. But I need to mull it over a bit first. I have more gameplay videos here if you’re just hearing about the game for the first time.

Genshin Impact

Like I said earlier, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Genshin Impact lately. I’m trying to get Zhongli, the character that’s only available for another 10 days as part of the gacha mechanic. I’ve been scouring the game for every last piece of currency that’s used to roll for new characters and I still haven’t gotten him. It’s devastating, because I saved up and want him so desperately. I’m at the point where I’m considering flushing my principles down the toilet and buying some in-game currency to win him. I’ve never bought in-game currency or other consumables in a game before, so this would be a pretty big deal. There’s still a chance I won’t have to, but it’s a very small chance. I’m bummed that I let this game break me, but it’s just such a great game outside of its gacha system. Anyway, wish me luck!

Titan Quest: Legendary Edition

I only spent a little time with Titan Quest this week because I’m getting close to the third Telkine and Typhon, who’s supposed to be a very difficult boss to beat. I’m noticing that I’m struggling now against some regular enemies, so I want to work on my character before going in deeper. I have 45 unused attribute points, which would make a world of a difference if I apply them. But since you can’t respec later, I’m afraid I’ll invest them poorly and regret it later. So I’m going to take some time and research it properly before going any further. If anyone is familiar with the game and has any advice, please don’t hesitate to share.

Sky: Children of the Light

This week in Sky, there was a new Treehouse quest, which I made a video for. You can see the rest of my guide for those quests here. There was also an update to the beta version of the game, which allowed us to preview some of the upcoming Days of Rainbow event, as well as the exclusive Nintendo Switch content. The rainbow trials spells are bugged at the moment so I didn’t get the rainbow cape yet. But you can see what it looks like on the spirit, as well as the rainbow flower accessory. There’s also a pack in the shop that will only be available to purchase on Nintendo Switch, as well as a platforming area that you can only access if you’re wearing one of the capes from that pack. If you don’t mind spoilers, you can watch my videos below to see what it’s all about.

SP!NG

And last, I’m still slowly working my way through the new SP!NG content. I’m currently stuck on level 198, which is a really punishing level. I’m sure I’ll get it, but I think I need to get a proper night’s sleep first. So that’s what I’m going to do now.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to this past week! I’ve also been watching the second season of Westworld, but I’m not really sure why. It’s been so long since I watched the first season that I barely remember who anyone is. The story is also all over the place with its timeline jumping and I’m having a hard time keeping track. And it’s also just not very good. There’s no one to root for, no one to care for. I’m not really invested in any of it. I’ll probably finish the season, but I’m probably done with the show after that. Anyway, let me know in the comments section what you’re playing — or watching — and I’ll see you back here next time with more of My Week Unwrapped!

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