Hi everyone, and welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I discuss all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. There were some solid releases this week, but I’m also still heavily invested in Genshin Impact right now. The biggest highlight for me this week was finity., even if it feels like it’s kicking my butt. I’ve also been enjoying the new release of Clue, though I think it would be more fun with friends. Anyway, let’s get to the games.

finity.

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan on match-three games. But not the kind full of IAPs and energies and power-ups you buy to make it easier. I like those that offer a challenge and mix things up. So finity., which released recently on Apple Arcade, so right up my alley. It does a few things different. First off, you slide each row or column instead of only moving the tiles you want to match. But each tile also has a certain number of times it can be moved before it will lock in place and prevent you from moving that row or column at all until you clear it. Early on, it’s not too bad, but I keep messing up around the same point and end up having to forfeit because I can’t make any more matches. One thing I don’t like about the game, though, is the way the ranking works. Unless I’m misunderstand something, ranking up unlocks new mechanics and new themes. The problem is, it seems to also interrupt a game in the middle and end it. So I had a really good game going that was my highest score, but then I ranked up to unlock new mechanics and the game ended. I’m not really sure how to predict that and it has me worried that it will happen again just went things are going really well. I’m hoping there’s a point where that will stop, when all the mechanics are unlocked. I just don’t know for sure and I find it an odd approach to a high score chasing game. It’s still very much worth checking out, though I personally wish it wasn’t on Apple Arcade. These are the kinds of games I would like to own, since they have infinite replayability. If you already have an Apple Arcade subscription, though, there’s no need to even think twice — just play it.

Clue / Cluedo

I admit it’s been a very long time since I’ve played the board game, Clue. But this year, Hasbro redesigned the game for modern audiences, giving it a fresh new look with more diverse characters. To celebrate, they worked with Haiku Games, the developers of the Adventure Escape series, to make an adventure game involving the new cast of characters from the board game. So I did play that back in February. It’s no longer available to play, but you can watch my videos of it here. Anyway, because of that game I was already familiar with the redesign when Marmalade released an updated version of the digital board game. So that’s where we are — it released this week and I had a chance to spend some time with the classic board, as well as the Black Adder Resort version, which is likely inspired by White Lotus. The Black Adder board is not included in the original price and costs extra, but I can’t really say yet whether it’s worth it or necessary unless you’re a serious Clue fan. From what I can tell, the differences are purely cosmetic and how the game works doesn’t really change. However, both boards do come with multiple different modes to shake things up. First, you can play either alone against the AI, or online against random people, or online with friends. I can see how the best way to play would be with friends over voice chat, but so far I only played single player against the AI. There are then three different game types — Classic, Ultimate Detective, and Clue Cards. I think the two newer modes offer more excitement and improve the pace a bit. My main complaint with the game is that it moves very slowly. I’m playing against a computer, so I would expect as little wait time as possible, but it still feels like it takes way too long to get back to my move. It is fun to deduce the killer, though, and I appreciate the included tools that automatically take notes for you — if you so desire. So overall, I would say this is a solid digital version of Clue with some nice graphics and enough variety to keep things interesting — especially if you play with friends. If they added the option to speed up animations, I could see playing every once in a while when the mood strikes. But if you’re a fan of the game and have a bit of patience, I think it’s worth picking up.

Bibots

Ever since Vampire Survivors released, I’ve been keeping an eye out for similar games that might scratch the same itch. Unfortunately, Bibots is not that because it’s a twin stick shooter. Instead of just focusing on dodging and staying alive while your weapons auto-aim, you have to control both your movement and your gun at the same time. I just end up flustered and shooting in the wrong direction, and end up getting myself killed. It’s just not the right fit for me. But if you like twin stick shooters, by all means, give it a try. It seems like an otherwise decent game.

Pizza Hero

Speaking of Vampire Survivors, I continued playing Pizza Hero, which is indeed very similar to VS. I was enjoying it, but then I beat the third area (aside from the tutorial) and realized that was it. Sure, I could try to find more pets or recipes, but I’m not really seeing the point. I can already beat the final area in the game, so what’s there to strive for? I’d be happy to revisit the game if it ever gets more content, but as is I didn’t even need most of the permanent upgrades — I just needed the right mix of weapons to make it easier to survive. It’s free, so I can’t complain. But I was a little disappointed that it ended so quickly. It’s still worth playing — just be aware the ending may come sooner than expected.

Omen Exitio: Plague

I also finished Omen Exitio: Plague this week. I kind of had the opposite problem with it, where it always seemed like I was close to the end but my character’s story would drag on a bit. I enjoyed the writing enough to stick with it to the end, and I’ll probably check out the bonus story, as well. I’m not sure I would replay to see different paths, but we’ll see. In any case, if you’re looking for an interesting choose-your-own-adventure style game, this one’s a good option.

Genshin Impact

And last, I spent a lot more time with Genshin Impact this week. I finished the very long archon quest and a whole lot of world quests, too. I also unlocked all the waypoints, so now I just need to keep exploring and see what I’ve missed. It’s a bit daunting, since now it’s not just land exploration but underwater, as well. It might get tricky to figure out which areas have things I missed. But for now I’m still enjoying it, so I’ll keep exploring.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to this week. I also finished The Chosen One, which had a bit of ab underwhelming ending. I also started the second season of Mindhunter, but I find that I’m not always in the mood for it, so I also started watching the Australian miniseries, Bloom. It’s about a small town that loses five people in a flood and then some strange plant grows that has supernatural powers. I won’t give anything more away, but I am enjoying 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!