Video Games I Recently Fell in Love with Playing

I’ve been writing this blog since 2011. In fact, the day I wrote this post was only 4 days from its 10 year anniversary.

Since this blog has been around for so long, I’ve been working through the archives on my various social media platforms. If I have all these thoughts, I may as well keep sharing them – right?

Shortly after I started streaming, I pointed out that my tastes have changed quite a lot since I wrote some of my oldest posts. My viewers suggested I should write updates for some of those evergreen topics – such as what video games I’m enjoying at the moment. I jotted down the idea when it came up, but it has fallen through the cracks until now.

I don’t play video games as much as I used to. Unfortunately, I just don’t have hundreds of hours to devote to anything that doesn’t strike me as truly exceptional. I’m extremely choosy about what I do sink my time into because I’ve been burned by video game experiences in the past as well, and I just don’t have room in my life for that anymore.

Also the games I do devote my time to tend not to be typical and I get more than a few odd looks when I express my love of them. So I admit it’s not a topic I bring up very often these days.

But I have encountered some truly amazing games in recent history that are worth mentioning. I tend to be quite far behind trends so, if for some reason, you haven’t managed to pay any of the games below yet, I highly recommend giving them a try!

Hades

Remember how I said I don’t have 100 hours to devote to something unless it’s truly spectacular? I have over 180 hours of gameplay logged for this game, which testifies to how highly I regard it.

Hades isn’t the type of game I usually play. It’s a combat game. And I suck at combat games. I don’t have great hand-eye coordination. My reaction times are slow. Anything that involves perfect timing is a huge struggle for me.

I picked up Hades because it’s based on Greek Mythology. And I’m a sucker for, it’s mythology. Everything I heard about this game raved about the characters and their stories. And the main thing I look for in a video game experience is a story that’s going to knock me off my feet. So I decided to give it a try.

I fully expected that I would not be able to play this game. And it was hard. Until I discovered God Mode. God Mode is a nice little check box the devs included for people like me who can’t handle the steep climb in the game’s difficulty. It grants you a small boost in defense based on how many times you’ve died – and I died A LOT.

I feel no shame in having used what some people might consider a cheat, because this game delivered beyond my expectations. The story is amazing. The characters are well researched. The art, the voice acting and the music are all on point. In fact, well after I beat the main story, I kept coming back to this game so that I could finish off all the NPC stories – and I’m glad I did.

I would start this game over and spend another 100 hours beating. So I highly recommend trying it.

Gris

This game is a stark contrast to the last one. First of all, it’s short. I’ve beaten it twice in a little over 10 hours, and I lingered over it. There’s also no combat in this game. It’s a puzzle platformer with some interesting mechanics. As you progress throughout the game, the main character unlocks new abilities that let her reach sections of the game that were previously inaccessible.

This was another game I picked up because I heard good things about it. It is gorgeous. The style, animations and mechanics are fairly simple compared to a lot of other games, but that doesn’t detract anything from the experience.

I did not realize when I started playing this game that it has a story. I was interested in the puzzle platforming and exploration aspects of the game. This game has no dialogue. And yet, it does tell a story – and a powerful one at that.

I still remember the exact moment I realized what this game is about. And I cried. If a game with no words can still deliver such a powerful emotional experience, it’s well worth the time and money devoted to it.

Gris has been out for awhile, so it goes on sale regularly. If you like puzzle platforming and you’re interested in something both beautiful and powerful, please give it a look. You won’t regret it.

Sucker for Love

I play a lot of dating sims. I started playing them as a bit of a joke. I give my character a silly name and chuckle whenever it comes up during a tender moment.

But it turns out that lots of otome dating sims (that’s dating sims made for women since you date dudes) have really compelling and interesting stories. So more often lately, otome dating sims and visual novels are my go-to game experiences.

I could probably write an entire post about the various dating sims I’ve played. But we’ll save that for another time. For this post, I decided to feature one I found particularly interesting.

Sucker for love is dating sim meets Lovecraftian horror. This is one of the few non-otome dating sims I’ve played, but I loved the heck out of it. You play as a guy obsessed with the dark occult. Your goal is not just to summon an elder god from their slumber, but also to date them.

First Date comes with three datable Lovecraftian ladies. None of the chapters are particularly long, but each has their own mechanics. There are some interesting endings depending on the decisions you make and the interactions between your dating options. And this game includes some mechanics beyond just clicking to make decisions, which is non-standard for dating sims.

In terms of story, Suck for Love isn’t as deep as some of the other games I’ve played. But it’s well suited to its inspirational source material. And I love the game’s dark humor.

A second chapter, Date to Die For, is in the works, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the developer does with it. If you’re looking for a dating sim to dip your toes in, and you’re a fan of Lovecraft, give it a go.

Monster Prom / Camp / Roadtrip

Speaking of non-standard dating sims, here’s an entire series worthy of notice. I not only own the games, I have pretty much all the DLC. (Give me those outfits!) I backed the kickstarted for the game’s sequel that spawned three full games instead of the expected collection of mini games.

Monster Prom is dating sim meets party game. Unlike other dating sims where you pick a love interest and try to work your way through their story, in Monster Prom you have to win your date by raising your stats and passing a series of skill challenges. Monster Prom and Monster Camp are also party / competitive games. So if you’re playing with a friend, you can compete to steal a date from someone else.

It’s hard to put the experience of these games into words if you’ve never experienced them. Despite their cartoony appearance, they’re designed for adults and include very adult humor. It’s impossible for a game of Monster Prom/Camp/Roadtrip to not end up entirely bonkers. Your character encounters crazy antics whether you succeed or fail at the events. If you play the game with friends and add funny voices, it’s a total riot. Certainly, you’ll never forget a round of these games.

For Monster Roadtrip, instead of trying to win a date, you cooperate with your friends to try to reach a crazy destination. But you can still grab a date along the way.

Each game has extra hidden layers that can be unlocked by stumbling into random events. Which means that all the characters do actually have stories that you can experience over time. It’s shockingly deep for what it appears to be on the surface. I have over 100 hours of gameplay in this series collectively, and I’m always up for adding more.

A Building / Castle Full of Cats

Remember how I said I play a lot of non-standard games that most people won’t find interesting? At the beginning of the year, a friend introduced me to A Building Full of Cats and its sequel, A Castle Full of Cats.

The premise behind this game couldn’t be simpler. There is art. You find the hidden cats. You click on the cats and the art changes to highlight or color them.

That’s it. That’s the game.

And yet, I eagerly watch the developer’s page for the next installment in the series – A Tower Full of Cats.

I genuinely wish this game did last for a hundred hours. I would spend that long looking for cats. But these games are actually quite simple and don’t take that long. Which maybe adds to their appeal. They’re relaxing. There is no stress involved. And the art is beyond beautiful.

Also, while the first game – Building Full of Cats – doesn’t have much of a story, Castle Full of Cats does. It even has a boss fight! Again, the stories aren’t particularly deep, but the devs do seem to be adding lore to all of the cats that appear regularly as they go.

Also, as an added bonus, some of the money from purchasing these games goes to cat shelters. The games are also full of cute pictures and cat facts. What’s not to love? They have a few other cat-related games in their bundles including a sliding puzzle game (Zodicats) and Sudoku but cats (Sudocats), which I also found enjoyable.

So now you know what I’m up to in my spare time. What games are you playing lately?