Hi everyone, and welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I discuss all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. You may have noticed I went missing again. Unfortunately, I had a death in the family a few weeks ago and I spent the time since with loved ones. It’s been a pretty shitty year between this and my cat dying. So I’ve not really been all that in the mood to play games. That said, I have been recording some videos here and there, so I have a few games to talk about. But again, please bear with me as I try to get back to some form of normalcy.

Legend of Keepers

I keep coming back to Legend of Keepers even though it’s been kicking my butt a bit. The idea is that you command monsters and have them defend dungeons against humans trying to raid them. I struggled a lot using the starting “master,” the Slaveholder, but had much better luck with the Enchantress and the Engineer. I still haven’t been able to beat the fourth level with the Enchantress, though, and I still need to play more with the Engineer to see how it goes. The whole game is turn-based, which is just what I needed right now. I’m not really focused enough to deal with reflex-based games and just need some light distractions. That said, there’s still a lot of strategy involved and I’m not sure I’m picking the best upgrades for long-term success. I’ll stick with it for now but might get discouraged if I fail too many times. I recommend checking out some of my gameplay below to see what it’s like before buying, but there’s a solid game here.

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon

I normally love match-three games and was excited that Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon finally came to iOS (through Netflix). That said, I got tired of the rogue-lite aspect pretty quickly. I thought I chose the mode that would let me restart a level instead of having to start all the way back at the beginning when I fail. But unless I’m missing something, there doesn’t seem to be a way. And I got bored playing the earlier easy levels over and over just to die on a later one and have to do it all again. I wouldn’t recommend paying for Netflix just for this game, but if you already have a subscription, give it a try and see if you enjoy it more than I did.

Syllacrostic

Syllacrostic is a daily word game in which you need to figure out words based on a hint and a group of individual syllables. Each day there’s a new puzzle, similar to Wordle, but there are also permanent puzzles you can play if you want more. The game isn’t flashy, but for those looking for more daily games to play, this is a decent addition. It’s also free with some non-intrusive ads at the bottom, so there’s no harm in trying it for yourself.

Bumballon

I like the idea of Bumballon. It’s sort of an auto-runner (or flyer?) in which you get shot out of a cannon and have to slow down at certain points to both pick up collectibles and avoid obstacles. It also works well with a touchscreen, since you simply tap and hold anywhere on the screen to slow down. My main issue with it was the length of the levels and the lack of checkpoints — at least up to the point where I threw in the towel. The first few levels were short and sweet, but then it started throwing a whole bunch of new mechanics at me in a single level and I got tired of restarting it every time I died (see a pattern?). With checkpoints or shorter levels, I might have stuck with it. But as is, I don’t see that happening. The game is free to try, though, so I recommend doing so for yourself.

Vampire Survivors

Somehow, Vampire Survivors keeps getting more content updates. The latest one, 1.5, is free and includes a new area to explore called Astral Stair. There’s also some new relics to find, including one that evolves Yatta Cavallo, one of my favorite characters from early game. Although it’s not a huge update, it’s always nice to have more to do in Vampire Survivors. The new area is also pretty difficult, even with the more overpowered characters. If you need help with any of the new achievements, I have a guide here.

Genshin Impact

And last, I’ve been trying to keep up with Genshin Impact so I don’t miss out on limited events or primogems. I’ve really been doing the bare minimum, though, and not doing any extra exploring. I even skipped floor 12 of the abyss last round. I did enjoy the TCG-centered event and Yoimiya’s second story quest. But I do wish I could take a proper break from the game without missing out on things. For now, I’m going to continue doing the bare minimum until I feel less burnt out and want to spend more time with it.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to over the last few weeks. I also bunged most of The Last of Us on the flight home and then got a week of HBO Max so I could finish it. I’m glad they turned it into a series, because I doubt I would have ever played the game, but the story really is top-notch. I also watched the final season of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It wasn’t the best season, but it was better than the previous one. It was also nice to have a proper ending and some closure instead of a cliffhanger. 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!