Hi everyone, and welcome back to My Week Unwrapped, where I discuss all the games I’ve been playing over the last seven days. Once again, this will cover two weeks of games instead of just one. I spent a lot of time playing Tower Swap, despite some grievances with it. I have a weakness for match-threes. I’ll elaborate in a bit. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s get started.

Carmen Sandiego NETFLIX

Apparently there’s a new Carmen Sandiego animated series on Netflix, which I was completely unaware of. It actually came out in 2019, but Netflix only recently made a mobile game tie-in. I’ve spent a few hours with it so far and there’s a lot to like, but it could definitely be better. The idea is that you play as Carmen, traveling the world and tracking down agents of VILE who have stolen valuable items. You solve very easy puzzles and complete equally as easy mini games to uncover clues that can either help identify the thief or help track them. I do wish the puzzles were a bit more challenging. I also don’t like the leveling system, which requires you to complete some time-wasting filler cases in order to earn more experience so you can access more of the main story. It feels like it’s there just to pad out the game and keep you playing longer. But all it’s achieving is making me tired of the game before I reach the end. I still think it’s worth checking out if you have a Netflix subscription, but don’t get one just for this game.

Reviver: Butterfly

I’ve been following developer COTTONGAME’s works for a while now, as they tend to focus on adventure and puzzle games. I also like the quirkiness of them. That said, I don’t always love what they put out. Their last one was Woolly Boy and the Circus, which I liked a lot except for some terrible localization. I was looking forward to Reviver, especially since it was well received on Steam before it came to mobile. I played through the first chapter and enjoyed it to some degree. I like how you switch between different years and use items in the past to make something happen in the future. The story feels a bit lacking, but that’s not what made me stop playing. There was a puzzle in the second chapter that I just couldn’t solve and I’m not sure what the issue is. It basically gave descriptions of different butterflies and you needed to recreate them from different pieces provided. I had no issue with the first two, but no matter what I did with the third, nothing worked. It makes me wonder if it’s a translation issue. Rather than look up a walkthrough, I just stopped playing, since I wasn’t enjoying it that much anyway. The first chapter is free, though, so I recommend trying it before deciding for yourself.

Tower Swap

Tower Swap has been out for a few years already, but somehow I hadn’t heard of it until recently, despite being a big match-three fan. I was disappointed seeing that it has opt-in ads and IAPs that can give you a leg up, but I still can’t stop myself from playing. It’s quite addictive. The basic idea is that you match three or more of a resource to upgrade it into something that helps defend your castle against the incoming dragons. For instance, three stone turn into an archer tower, three archer towers become a stronger tower, etc. Three piles of wood become a ballista and three pieces of ice become an ice wall. Each of those items work in different ways. A tower shoots in any direction one space around it. Ballistas shoot up and down a column, and cannons shoot left and right along a row. Ice walls slow down the dragons so you can get more attacks on them. And last, treasure chests can be opened to get more swaps and other surprises. You have a certain number of swaps available each day and when you run out, the dragons come. You can earn more swaps by making bigger matches and also by opening chests. The idea is to get as many defenses up as possible and also spread them out so the whole board is well defended. Because if too many dragons get past your defenses and reach the castle, it’s game over. Also, the mother dragon attacks every 10 days, so you need to prepare for that. I think the longest I’ve survived so far is 40 days. I’m disappointed that you can buy upgrades like more lives for your castle, because the next one available to me costs 25,000 gold. That takes a long time to earn just through play without buying more through IAPs or opt-in ads. Sometimes you’ll also get offers to watch an ad for an upgrade or buy more defenses or other helpful items using gold. So it feels very grindy and not exactly “pure.” I would love a fully premium version of the game that’s balanced around the in-game economy without ads or IAPs. But this is all that’s available, so for now I’ll just enjoy it until the grind becomes too much.

Catagrams

Catagrams is a new word game that just released, which is sort of a crossword game but where you’re confined to lining up words based on the colored lines (or yarn) on their edges. The game gives you a lot of flexibility as far as how easy or difficult it can be. You can decide how many words and how long they should be. Overall, it’s a nice addition to the collection of word games we have on mobile, but I think there’s something lacking to really hook me. It’s free to try, though, so I recommend doing so. Also, the premium $9.99 IAP also goes to help shelter animals, so I appreciate that.

LOK Digital

I’ve been slowly making my way through LOK Digital over the last few weeks, not because I don’t like it, but because I want to savor it. I made more progress and have now completed eight chapters, which you can see here. It’s getting quite tricky and convoluted, especially the question mark tiles that can be reused within the same word. The bonus levels in each chapter have really been giving me a run for my money. I’m a little scared to see what’s coming in the next (and possibly final) chapter. From what I’ve played so far, I would definitely recommend the game to any puzzle fans. And I suggest going at a relaxed pace so you can enjoy it, instead of trying to rush through it.

Genshin Impact

And last, I played through all of the Lantern Rite event in Genshin Impact and earned the new 4-star character, Lan Yan, as well as Xiangling’s winter outfit. Overall, it was an enjoyable event, though I did miss the voice acting. I do hope that can be sorted out sooner than later, as the voice acting is one of the big draws of the game for me. In any case, a new update is coming in a few days, so you’ll see some more gameplay y videos from me this coming week.

And that’s everything I’ve been up to these last two weeks. I also saw a lot of movies in the theater — Companion, One of Them Days, Presence, Bring Them Down, and Heart Eyes. They were all good, but Companion was my favorite. I highly recommend seeing it without knowing anything about it. Don’t even watch the previews because they give too much away! I’m also catching up on Succession now that I have HBO Max again, but it’s a bit weird to be watching it during the current political climate. Anyway, let me know in the comments section which games you’re playing and I’ll see you back here next time with more of My Week Unwrapped!