Hi everyone, and welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I discuss all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. The 3.4 update for Genshin Impact finally arrived, so that’s taking up a good chunk of my time. But I still managed to make some room for other games. It was a mixed bag this week, with some impressing me and others disappointing me. Keep reading to find out which games were which.

Cyber Manhunt

Cyber Manhunt is the game I’ve been enjoying the most this week, though it’s not perfect by any means. You play as a hacker working for a company that tracks down the truth. You need to go through people’s social network accounts, email, as well as fake websites to gather information on them. You also have tools to help you decrypt their passwords and get private information you wouldn’t otherwise have access to. Usually you’re going after bad people, so it doesn’t feel too invasive. But there definitely seems to be something shady with the company you work for, too. I imagine they’re not all they claim to be. So far, I played through the first two chapters. I was a little annoyed to learn that only four chapters are available right now, even though the App Store description mentions all five chapters and the DLCs. I hope we won’t have to wait too long for those. Aside from that, the writing can sometimes be very awkward, and the voice acting is just plain bad most of the time. These things haven’t completely ruined the game for me, because everything’s still understandable and im enjoying the gameplay itself. I just wish they’d done a better job with the writing (or English translation), since the entire game is text. Anyway, check out some of my gameplay videos below if you want to see what it’s like in action.

Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!

I hadn’t heard of Pocket Card Jockey before it was announced for Apple Arcade, but from what I’ve played so far, there’s definitely something worthwhile here. To start with, there’s a very strange story — something about dying and being brought back to life by an angel but only if you promise to fulfill your dreams. Otherwise, you’ll go to Heck! Yes, HECK. The gameplay itself is a mix of solitaire and horse racing. So far, I only played through the tutorial and one race on my own, and there is a lot more going on than I expected. I’m not sure yet how much time I’ll spend with the game, but it’s certainly worth checking out if you have an Apple Arcade subscription.

Mare: Pocket Edition

Mare originally released as a VR game on other platforms, but this week it got an iOS port. It looked right up my alley, so I didn’t even hesitate before buying. Unfortunately, I haven’t been enjoying it much at all. I like the idea of playing as a mechanical bird flying through the skies, but that’s about it. You’re thrown into the game without any explanation at all — be it controls, story, goals — nothing. I managed to get the gist of the controls and goals, but I’m still not sure why I’m doing what I’m doing. I don’t know where I’m going or why I’m accompanied by a little girl. The controls are mostly tapping on perches that you can fly to, or tapping and holding on certain objects to activate machinery. You also need to help guide the girl around and she, in turn, will sometimes help you, say by opening doors. What I really don’t like is how all the environments look so similar. It makes my head spin and I end up getting lost because I can’t tell where I’ve been and where I’m going — it all looks the same! I’m also not happy with how the camera snaps between specific vantage points and you can’t really look around otherwise. As a whole, I’m just finding the game draining when it should be more of a relaxed experience. I finally threw in the towel two hours in when I couldn’t figure out the way ahead. It just wasn’t worth the effort anymore. I recommend watching some of my video below before deciding for yourself.

Chronescher

I started Chronescher last week and it made a good impression on me. I just didn’t have a chance to play a lot more this week. What I did play was really giving me a run for my money. The portal mechanic offers some tricky puzzles and the camera I just unlocked is possibly even more dastardly. I really did not expect this game to make my head hurt quite this much. I am enjoying it, and I’m grateful that it has an undo button. But I really need to be focused and not half asleep when I play this. I’m definitely going to continue with it, but bear with me as I’m not progressing as quickly as I expected to.

Genshin Impact

And last, version 3.4 arrived in Genshin Impact, bringing with it a new playable character, Alhaitham. I’m not pulling for him but I did play through his test run and he seems fun. There’s just too much I’m saving for, but maybe I’ll get him on a rerun. Aside from that, we got a whole new area to explore in Sumeru, though I haven’t touched it yet because I was busy with Alhaitham’s story quest and also the Lantern Rite Festival. But I’ll definitely start exploring the new area over the weekend. It’s my favorite part of the game and I just want to make sure that I’m giving it proper attention.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to this week! I also started the second season of Hunters, which was slow going at first, but seems to have picked up now. It’s still a bit of a silly show, but it’s keeping me entertained so I’ll finish it. Anyway, let me know in the comments section which games you’ve been playing and I’ll see you back here next time with more of My Week Unwrapped!