Hi everyone, and welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I discuss all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. Again, I spent more time playing Genshin Impact than anything else, but I still managed to try out a few new games and make progress on one I’m in the middle of. There are some worthy games to discuss, so let’s get started.

Otteretto

You may have noticed that the name Otteretto is a palindrome, which means it reads the same backwards and forwards. This is no accident, as it is also a game about palindromes. It’s similar to path-drawing match-three games, but instead of just matching same colors, you have to create palindromes. So for instance, green-red-blue-red-green is a palindrome. So is yellow-purple-purple-purple-yellow. The longer and more complex the string, the more points you get for it. It’s also completely relaxed with no penalty for taking your time to think, so I recommend doing just that. This is no easy game, at least for me. But it is very compelling. It also has very fair monetization, as the classic mode and daily puzzle are 100% free, no strings attached. If you like it, you can unlock three more modes for $2.99, all adding different twists to offer a new challenge. I bought the full game and don’t regret it. I highly recommend giving it a try for yourself and if you want to see what the other modes are like, watch some of my second video below.

ScourgeBringer

ScourgeBringer is an action platforming roguelite that’s been on other platforms but came to mobile this week. I’m not very good at fast-paced games like this, but I’m still having a lot of fun with it. The controls are surprisingly good for a touchscreen, with the floating joystick working also for dashes. What I really like about the game is how you can stay airborne for so much of it, just bouncing around between enemies. The touch controls also have auto-attack when you get close to enemies to make it a little easier to manage. Since it’s a roguelite, the idea is to make it as far as you can before dying, then invest your earnings into permanent upgrades in a skill tree. Despite only making it past the first dungeon once, I’ve still been able to unlock upgrades at a fairly quick pace, so it doesn’t feel like a slog. That said, I’m not sure how many times I’m going to be willing to replay the first dungeon. I keep dying either on the final boss or right after, so it’s getting a little repetitive. Still, the game looks and feels great so I’m compelled to play more. Again, you can watch some of my gameplay videos below to see what it’s like in action.

Dice Versa

Dice Versa gives me a sense of deja vu, but I can’t quite place it. You’re given a few dice to place on the board, but only same-colored or same-numbered dice can touch. The goal is to make rows of four to clear them and get points. You get bonus points for all four dice having the same color or number and you get a reroll if you match a row and column at once. You basically keep making matches until you run out of moves. So the rules are simple, but it’s surprisingly easy to trap yourself in a state with no possible moves. I can see this being the kind of game I pull out when I have a few minutes to kill here and there. The only down side is that there’s a full-screen ad between each game and no way to remove them. Thankfully they don’t pop up mid-game, so it’s not horribly intrusive. But it would be nice to be able to get rid of them entirely. I still recommend trying the game and hopefully the ads won’t bother you too much.

Railbound

Last week, I was still struggling to solve the last two puzzles in the fourth chapter of Railbound, but I finally figured them out! It was quite tricky and satisfying to solve. I’m still working my way through the rest of the game, but I updated my walkthrough guide to include that chapter.

Genshin Impact

And last, I’m still working my way through Sumeru in Genshin Impact. There have been almost nonstop events, as well, and the upcoming 3.1 update was just teased today, so I feel even more motivated to get through the current content. I’m also trying to prepare for Cyno so I can build him as soon as he arrives. This whole update has been really impressive in every way. I’m especially in love with the Sumeru soundtrack and feel like I could listen to it anytime and anywhere. Again, if you have any interest in the game at all, please give it a try. Don’t judge it based on its gacha. You’re missing out on a fantastic game.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to this week. I also started watching The Sandman on Netflix and I got sucked in pretty quickly. I never finished all the comics and what I did read was so long ago that I don’t remember much. But I get the sense that it’s a pretty faithful adaptation, obviously in no small part because Neil Gaiman is involved. One thing that does bother me is how they made 100 years pass so it can take place in present day, but it doesn’t really work when you have people aging 100 years instead of 70-80. I can overlook it, but it’s a bit distracting. In any case, it won’t stop me from watching. Anyway, let me know in the comments section which games you’re enjoying and I’ll see you back here next time with more of My Week Unwrapped!