Hi everyone, and welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I discuss all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. Avolteha got fixed so I got back to playing that and spent a good part of the week with it. I also tried some other new games, as well as content updates from a few of my favorites. Things are quiet in Genshin Impact at the moment so that’s given me a chance to play other games. There’s a lot more to discuss, so let’s get to it.

Avolteha

I wrote a short preview article of Avolteha a few weeks before it released, but due to some iCloud bugs I didn’t get to play more. Thankfully, those bugs have now been fixed and I made a good amount of progress. I’m enjoying it a lot, though I do still wish my character could move faster. There are also some puzzles that aren’t super intuitive to me, but for the most part it’s been logical. The graphics are the biggest draw of the game, and I love all the little details of this alien world, especially the quirky characters. I don’t have a new video but I included my original one below and also have a walkthrough I’m working on if you get stuck. I’ll hopefully have final thoughts on the game next week, but overall I’m impressed with it.

Almora Darkosen RPG

Last week I played some of Diablo Immortal and found it pretty bland. It felt too linear, like there wasn’t really much to explore. But I tried Almora Darkosen this week and it’s closer to the experience I was hoping for from Diablo. It reminds me a lot of Titan Quest, since it’s much brighter than Diablo, and you explore the world while picking up quests from people you encounter. There are also teleportation points all over for quick travel. I especially like the crafting, which allows you to improve upon a piece of gear you found or even brew potions. I did take a beating when I tried to enter a new area, so I need to figure out a plan before I head there again. I have a mercenary that fights alongside me, which is great, but even he almost died in that area. I hope to spend more time with the game next week and give more impressions, but you can also try the game yourself for free. It’s supported by ads with a one-time IAP to remove them.

Logica Emotica

Logica Emotica is the latest puzzler from Bart Bonte, best known for his color-themed games. Each level is made up of emojis, but the gameplay itself is a Sokoban. The rules change, but usually you need to swipe to move emojis around and get them to a specific spot. There are snake-like levels that remind me of Snakebird, and a lot of other familiar mechanics. I played through the first 25 levels and it’s a pleasant enough game, but it’s not doing anything I haven’t seen before. It’s free and supported by ads with a one-time IAP to remove them, so there’s nothing to lose by trying it for yourself.

Ice Cream Disaster

Ice Cream Disaster is a completely free high score chaser where you need to catch balls of ice cream on your cone and avoid hazards that can knock them off. When your pile of ice cream gets too big and looks like it might fall, that’s a good time to eat it and claim those points. You always have at least one backup cone to use, but once they’re all gone it’s game over. There are upgrades to buy with the tokens you earn, such as new characters, better cones, and even new areas to play in. It’s a stylish game with a sense of humor and it’s easy enough to get into. I just find it gets very repetitive while trying to save up enough points to get the next upgrades. Again, it’s completely free so just try it for yourself.

Loop the Game

I started Loop last week but got stuck on a big about an hour in. That bug was since fixed and I was able to finish the game, after a total of about two hours. I liked the atmosphere and soundtrack of the game and the puzzles showed some promise. But I never felt like they truly evolved to the point where they felt satisfying to solve. The puzzles felt very repetitive and remained mostly the same throughout. The companion AI was also weird, because it just meant I did less work. There were levels where the AI did more work than I did. I don’t regret playing it but I also hesitate to recommend it. You can watch some of my gameplay video below to get a better idea of what it’s like later in the game.

Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery

I had great things to say in my review of Behind the Frame back when it released, so I was thrilled to see it got an update with a new DLC. This new standalone story is told from Jack’s perspective as a young artist. It’s just as beautiful as the original game and once again bittersweet. It doesn’t take long to complete it but it’s very much worth doing so.

Bacon – the game

Phillip Stollenmayer, aka Kamibox, has been adding new levels to Bacon – the game every once in a while. I don’t begin to understand the order in which they’re added, but I’m always open to throwing bacon on more items. This new update also comes with something special. Anyone who completes all the levels will be sent a surprise in the mail. I don’t know what it is yet because I didn’t want to be spoiled, but I love the whole idea. If you’re a fan of Bacon – the game, make sure to check out the new levels!

Knotwords

I’m still playing Knotwords every day and haven’t broken any of my steaks yet. I also finished all of June’s puzzlebooks and made videos of them if you need help with any. If I’m still playing in July, I’ll see you then with more videos.

Broki

I’ve been chipping away at Broki over the last few weeks, only playing a little at a time so I don’t get tired of it. This week I played some of the Envy chapter, which has an extra piece in each level. So you need to figure out which one doesn’t fit on the board. It’s a nice twist, but the puzzles still didn’t get all that difficult in the 50 I played. I’ll stick with it and see where it goes, but I’m not sure I’ll complete the whole game.

Genshin Impact

And last, I’m still playing Genshin Impact even though there wasn’t much to record this week. I managed to get all 36 stars in the Spiral Abyss again after thinking I couldn’t. I hate fighting Maguu Kenki on a timer and just didn’t feel like I could get another star off him. But someone gave me a crazy idea of using a team Yelan, Xingqiu, Zhongli and Kazuha. Zhongli wears an Archaic Petra artifact set and the Dragon’s Bane weapon and then he’s the driver for all of Yelan’s and Xingqiu’s attacks, strengthening all the hydro damage. It seemed insane but I tried it and it worked! I’m also still trying to get a constellation for Yelan because I love everything about her and want to be able to use her shadow run more often. But I’m already near pity and haven’t gotten her, so I’m scared to lose another 50/50 on her banner. But I’ll probably try anyway before the banner ends.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to this week. I also wrote about the announcement from Netflix today about all the games coming to their subscription service this year and I’m very excited. You can read more about it here. Aside from that, I starting catching up on the 13th season of Doctor Who and continued watching Gentleman Jack. I also watched the new Candyman movie but found it confusing and a bit forced. Anyway, let me know in the comments section which games you’re enjoying and I’ll see you back here next time for more of My Week Unwrapped!