Hi everyone, and welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I discuss all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. I didn’t play too many games this week, but that’s mainly because I got addicted to Loop Hero and barely wanted to play anything else. Genshin Impact‘s new update also took up a good chunk of my time. Still, there’s a few games I want to cover, so let’s get started.

Loop Hero

I knew Loop Hero was supposed to be good, but I had no idea I would have such a hard time putting it down. I actually stayed up all night playing on its release, something I haven’t done in a really long time for any game. For those who don’t know, it’s a roguelite with the basic premise that your hero automatically walks along the path that’s in a loop. He’ll fight any monsters he comes across, but you can’t control him during battle. What you can do is play cards that affect the map and also equip gear to increase his stats. You can also pause at any time to strategize. Now, every time you complete a loop, you’ll end up back at the campsite, where you heal. It’s at that point that you also have the option to end your run and keep 100% of the materials you looted. That does not include gear, though. Those materials are used to build and upgrade your base camp, which allows you to unlock new cards and classes. In fact, one of the most frustrating aspects of the game is when I overestimate my character’s capabilities and either die or have to retreat before I get to the campsite. When you do that, you forfeit a lot of the materials you collected and it can make progress feel a bit sluggish. Still, I’m having a ton of fun with it, especially now that I have three classes to mess around with. I also like that once you beat the Chapter 1 boss, you can move on to Chapter 2. You don’t have to keep starting from the very beginning, as with so many roguelites and roguelike. That alone is a huge factor in why I’m sticking with it. I haven’t gotten tired of it yet because I’m not replaying the early stuff anymore. And I really do want to beat Chapter 2. I’ll definitely keep playing, but I might have to cut back a bit so I have time for other games. In any case, the game is free to download with a very generous demo so you can see for yourself if you feel like buying the full game.

Methods 2: Secrets and Death

The first 20 chapters of Methods released on iOS not too long ago and I had a good time with it, so I was looking forward to playing more. I didn’t expect it so soon, but this week Methods 2: Secrets and Death released on multiple platforms, including iOS. It takes us through the next 20 chapters, but I’ve only played through 21-25 so far. As with the first part, I like the quirky characters and over-the-top murder mysteries they have to solve. It was just hard to pull myself away from Loop Hero for it, especially since I have to be in the mood to read a lot if I’m going to play. But I’ll definitely continue with it next week and give further impressions.

Vampire Survivors

Vampire Survivors is the gift that keeps on giving and this time we got a surprise update with two new stages to explore. The first is the Laborratory (I don’t know why it’s spelled that way) and the other is Carlo Cart, which is basically a riff on Mario Kart. The Laborratory is fun, as you have a lot of doors to go through, levers to pull, and a train you can summon to kill enemies. There are also two new unlockable characters, one which can walk through walls. If you need help figuring out any of the new stuff, I made a walkthrough guide here.

Aurora Hills: Chapter 1

I had already played through Aurora Hills: Chapter 1 last week and had mostly good things to say about it. I didn’t have a chance then to finish my walkthrough, though, so I worked on it this week. I also made a new video for the whole chapter. I’m still really impressed with it and looking forward to playing Chapter 2 whenever it’s available. Again, the first chapter is completely free, so there’s absolutely no reason not to play it.

Genshin Impact

And last, I finished all the new world quests in version 4.6 of Genshin Impact. I’m still exploring the new underwater area called Sea of Bygone Eras, but I spent time completing the latest limited event, so I still have a lot to explore. I’m not sure what 4.7 brings because I haven’t been paying close attention to leaks lately. But I do hope we’ll get another area to explore soon, as I don’t think I have that much left to find in this one. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to this week. I also finished The X-Files, which I have mixed feelings about. There were episodes in the reboot that were great fun, but the overarching story felt shoehorned in and didn’t really fit with past seasons. At least in my opinion. Still, I’m going to try and track down the movies so I can be sure I saw everything. I also started watching Elsbeth, which is a spin-off series from The Good Wife and The Good Fight. I liked both shows and especially liked the character of Elsbeth Tascioni, so I was thrilled to hear she was getting her own show. This one has her moving to New York from Chicago in order to “police the police” and she basically solves murder mysteries. I’ve watched three episodes so far and I think she’s figuring things out too quickly and easily to be even remotely believable, but I’m here mainly for her character so I’ll likely stick with it. Anyway, left 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!