My Week Unwrapped: May 19, 2023 – Rytmos, Time Master, Laya’s Horizon, TRUDOGRAD, SWAP and More

Hi everyone, and welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I discuss all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. Rytmos was the highlight of my week, a chill puzzler with an equally chill soundtrack. I also tried some games that were in my backlog and continued catching up on Genshin Impact. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s get started.

Rytmos

Rytmos, at its core, is a puzzler in which you need to draw a path that passes through all the nodes on the board and then connects back at the start. Each solar system is made up of three planets and each planet is made up of six sides that you have to solve. The puzzles themselves aren’t super difficult, and only a few really stumped me for a little while. But I appreciated how new mechanics were added constantly to shake things up. There are ice cubes you slide around with your finger, chunks of the board that slide in and out to change the layout, and portals — just to name a few. So even though it wasn’t the most difficult puzzler, I enjoyed figuring out each of the new mechanics and working around them. Another highlight of the game is its focus on music. Each planet represents a different instrument which you learn about and can also unlock and play digitally. The soundtrack also incorporates these instruments, so it’s constantly changing and keeping my interest. I really enjoyed my time with Rytmos, but if you’re not sure just play the free demo for yourself. I also have a full walkthrough here if you need help.

Time Master Pocket Edition

I love the idea of Time Master. It reminds me of games like Causality and The Chronos Principle, both puzzlers that have you manipulating time. But the main difference between those and Time Master is that they’re either turn-based or on a grid, so it’s harder to mess up and you can just focus on solving the puzzles. There are also no timers. But Time Master is a speedrunning game without a grid. You control a little wizard and need to collect all the crystal shards before heading for the exit. But since you have the ability to manipulate time, you can use your past self to help you collect those shards. In theory, it all sounds great. But it’s the timer that kills it for me. Too often, taking half a second too long to turn around or pausing for a split second will cause you to lose a star. I would mind it less if the three star requirement was a little more forgiving, but from the levels I played, it almost always required near perfection. For this kind of game, I enjoy working out the solution but don’t really enjoy trying to shave off seconds. It’s stressing me out and probably enough to keep me from continuing with it. But if that doesn’t bother you — or you relish the challenge — there seems to be a pretty solid game here.

Laya’s Horizon

Laya’s Horizon is another game I want to love but I am absolutely terrible at it. It’s from the developers of Alto’s Adventure and is very much in the same spirit. But instead of a 2D snowboarding journey, you’re gliding through a 3D map using a wing suit. The controls are therefore far more complex and I just can’t seem to get a handle on them. I do appreciate that they were designed specifically for touch screens and I’m sure there are plenty of people out there easily grasping them and doing fantastic tricks. But I am not one of those people and unfortunately the game is more frustrating than relaxing for me. I still recommend checking it out if you already have a Netflix subscription.

TRUDOGRAD

TRUDOGRAD is a post-apocalyptic RPG that takes place in the ATOM RPG universe. I’ve only played for a little over an hour so far, and I spent a chunk of that time just creating my character. After that, I didn’t even leave the inn that I started in. I picked up a few quests there and spoke to some folks, even lock-picked a few doors so I could rummage through the closets. But then I got sucked into the card game and forgot about everything else. It does seem like a well-made game with quality writing and world-building. Your choices also seem to matter. But I just don’t really have the time or headspace for a huge RPG like this right now. If you are looking for something like that, though, TRUDOGRAD might be exactly what you need. I recommend watching some of my gameplay video below to get a bit of an idea of what it’s like.

SWAP : Mobile Edition

Despite the fact that it looks like a game that would have originated on mobile, SWAP was actually out on other platforms first. Now that it is on mobile, I can say that it is indeed a good fit for touchscreens. It’s an arcade game in which you need to swap the colors at the bottom of the screen so that the dropping squares hit the right color. There’s also a story that includes a snarky computer, which is voiced rather well. So far, I completed the first chapter, though not without some frustrations. I’m not sure I’ll stick with it, as it really stresses me out. But it’s made well and appears to be completely free — with some optional add-ons you can purchase for a one-time fee of $2.99. Definitely give it a try to see if it’s your cup of tea.

Genshin Impact

And last, I’m still chipping away at all the Genshin Impact content I haven’t finished yet. I just completed the main world quest that was added a couple of months back, but there’s still a lot of side quests and puzzles for me to work on. I also have the previous area to explore more, but I don’t really like it that much. I’ll get to it eventually, but it’s not a priority. 3.7 is also arriving in a few days, along with a new 4-star character that I want. Other than that, I need to figure out if I want any of the 5-stars in 3.7 or if I’ll just save for future banners.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to this week. I’ve also been re-watching Veronica Mars for some reason and I started the new season of The Great. 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!

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Polly

    Hi! I’ve just finished the white door today, lovely little game. I found your site when I got stuck on one bit, thanks for the walkthroughs!

    I’ve really enjoyed the rusty lake games, not as keen on those by dark dome, would you be able to recommend any others in this genre that are for Android?

    Thanks!

  2. najozox

    45

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