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 finally took a break from Balatro, not because I’ve had enough of it but because this week was just so jam-packed with notable releases. I mean, I played the new Kingdom Two Crowns DLC for a full eight hours the day it came out. And that’s just scratching the surface. This is a very good week to be a mobile gamer who’s looking for something worthwhile to play. If you choose one weekly roundup of mine to read from the last few months, make it this one.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe

I played The Stanley Parable years ago on my PC and absolutely loved it. I also thought it would be a great fit for mobile, since it’s mostly just walking around, no complex controls to deal with. But that never happened and then the Ultra Deluxe version was announced, which I honestly thought was an elaborate April Fool’s joke. I mean, it never seemed like the kind of game that needed anything added and “ultra deluxe” sounds like a joke, doesn’t it? But then it released on PC and I ate my words. I didn’t play it, as it’s been a while since I’ve had patience to play any games on PC. But then, out of the blue, it was released on iOS without any warning — at least not that I know of. For those of you who don’t know what the game is about, you play as Stanley, an office worker who has a very boring life… until one day when he notices that everyone is gone and he’s the only one in the office. He goes off looking for some explanation and ends up in all sorts of strange situations with a narrator narrating his every move. It’s strange and delightful and meant to be played over and over to take branching paths and get different endings. The mobile version also comes with its own unique ending if you play through it twice before purchasing the full game. If you try to play a third time, the narrator does a whole sales pitch that’s new for this version. It’s quite entertaining and I recommend experiencing that before buying the game. But you should still buy the full game. I only played through it a few times so far, but I’ve already experienced some new content I hadn’t seen before. I’m looking forward to spending more time with it, though I do wish the controls were a little less awkward. The movement controls are forward and back arrows instead of a joystick and it feels a bit clunky that way. But again, there’s no fighting or platforming, so it’s not a huge deal. Anyway, play the free demo and see for yourself how it feels. I also have the bonus ending in my first video below if you missed it.

A Little to the Left

I didn’t know a whole lot about A Little to the Left when it released on PC, but I did know it was well-regarded by many. Since the idea is based on straightening a slanted photo, I was concerned it might be a game for perfectionists and something that could end up trying my patience. But I’ve played through the first two chapters and it’s just a pleasant little puzzle game with a charming art style. Each level gives you some objects to organize, but it doesn’t tell you how. You need to look at the items and see a pattern. For instance, you might need to arrange books by size or pencils by color. Some levels also have multiple solutions, but they tell you by showing that you have more stars to collect. I especially like the mischievous cat that keeps making a mess of my hard work. It’s altogether just a really cohesive idea that works a lot better than I ever imagined it could. I’m looking forward to playing more of it and I highly recommend checking it out, especially since it’s free to try before deciding whether to buy the full game.

Kingdom Two Crowns – Call of Olympus DLC

When Kingdom Two Crowns first released on iOS, I was completely obsessed with it and spent so many hours sucked into that gorgeous pixelized world. There were already multiple campaigns available back then, but later another DLC was added, the Norse Lands. I again saw hours and hours devoured by the game. You can look them up on my YouTube channel and see just how many hours I’ve spent on this game. It’s been a long time since I’ve played, though I did enjoy the standalone release, Kingdom Eighties. But now, Kingdom Two Crowns got a brand new DLC named Call of Olympus that immerses you in the world of Ancient Greece where you still fight the greed, but you’re helped by the Greek gods. You also can unlock mythological beasts as mounts, including Pegasus, but I haven’t done that yet. I have, however, gotten the chimera and the three-headed dog, Cerberus, who’s my favorite so far. He creates a little ghost army that fights off the greed for you. There’s a lot of changes with this campaign, namely that it starts off with five small islands that are easier to clear, so that you’re more prepared when you get to the bigger islands. You also don’t enter the portals to blow them up and there’s different quests to complete. As with the previous campaigns, I’ll probably start over at some point because I feel I wasted too much time while I was figuring things out. I think I’ll probably get overwhelmed in my current playthrough, but I’m also loath to go back to my starter horse after using Cerberus for so long. Anyway, the DLC is more than worth the $3.99 it costs if you’re a fan of these games. As I said, I played for eight hours in one day! I even had to fight the urge to skip the gym today so I could play. I think the other DLC is also on sale right now if you haven’t bought it. And I’m working on a guide here where you can also see more of my gameplay videos as I add them.

Children of Morta

Children of Morta is a fairly old game at this point, but it only got ported to iOS this week, thanks to the legends over at Playdigious, who continuously bring us quality premium games. Right off the bat, I was stunned by Children of Morta‘s pixel art. I was just constantly marveling at how gorgeous it looks. As for gameplay, it is a game that’s a bit of a challenge for me. It’s a roguelite in which you can play as different characters that have their own weapons and skills, but you also pick up extra abilities during your runs. They also share some upgrades that you can buy back at your home base. I really liked that you unlock story bits between runs and even new characters, seemingly by just playing. It reminded me a lot of Hades in that regard, and it’s probably what would keep me playing. I was struggling a bit in the actual dungeons, but as a roguelite I think that’s normal early on in the game. On a quieter week, I definitely would have spent more time with it, but my attention was divided between so many games that it didn’t stand a chance. Especially since it’s a genre I struggle with. But it is absolutely gorgeous, was ported thoughtfully by Playdigious, and even has a narrator for all the story bits. If this is the kind of game you enjoy, definitely grab it. But those of you who prefer more relaxing games might get frustrated quickly. You can also watch some of my gameplay videos below, but it took me some time to get used to the dual stick controls, especially for the melee attacks.

Machinika: Atlas

I absolutely loved Littlefield Studio’s Machinika Museum, which was like The Room series but with alien artifacts. It ended with an obvious opening for a sequel and they actually announced said sequel a good while back. I was looking forward to it possibly more than any other game, and I had high hopes and big expectations for it. Machinika: Atlas picks up where the original left off, now in a crashed spaceship on Saturn’s moon. As expected, you walk around more in this one instead of being stuck mainly in one spot in each chapter. You would think that would already make it a better game, but so far I’m a bit underwhelmed. I’m on the second chapter and already I had one puzzle that wouldn’t accept my solution even though I’m pretty sure I was doing what it asked. Another glitched out on me to the point that it was unsolvable. I decided to take a break then and let the developers work out the kinks. But to be honest, what I played so far didn’t wow me and it’s not pulling me back in. Especially with all the other games that released this week, it’s been very easy to just let this one sit until I have more time and fewer games fighting for my attention. Thankfully, it is free to try, so I recommend doing so to see for yourself if you think it’s worth buying.

Hidden in my Paradise

I’ll confess that I’m not really a fan of hidden object games, with the exception of Hidden Folks. I don’t have a lot of patience for them and this is no different with Hidden in my Paradise, even though I can see the love that was poured into it. I like that it does something different by letting you rearrange the scenes — and sometimes you need to do that in order to find an object. But after just two levels, I was over the novelty over it and the tedium was setting in, like it so often does with these games. I liked the idea of moving items at first, but after a bit I actually wished I didn’t have to. Again, it’s a charming game and there’s a lot of extras in each level — like finding the hidden fairies — for those who do enjoy it. I just don’t think I’m the target audience. I recommend watching some of my gameplay video to see if you are, though.

Genshin Impact

And last, there was yet another update for Genshin Impact this week. It brought with it a new archon quest and also a new character, Xilonen, who roller skates! I’ve been having the best luck of my entire Genshin career in version 5, as she’s the third Natlan character I’ve gotten super early. This means I now have all of them and have still been able to save most of my wishes. It feels good to not have to spend all my wishes to secure a character I want. Anyway, I’ll be playing through the archon quest and Xilonen’s quest, but will be taking my time since I have so many other games to play and only so many hours in a day.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to this week! I also watched the entire Little Fires Everywhere, which was an excellent show that I highly recommend. And now I’m catching up on the new season of Vox Machina. Anyway, let me know in the comments section which games you’re enjoying and I’ll see you back her next time with more of My Week Unwrapped!