Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
and Part 5
End of Garbage
End of Garbage is a short, spooky first-person puzzle game made by a friend of mine. The demo is the first couple of puzzles, and give you a sense for the vibe of the game.
I’ve played the whole thing, and while the experience is short, the polish is high and the puzzles really get you thinking. Check it out.
Australia Did It: End of the World Railway Defense Business
I’m a sucker for any game with a train, as well as merging classes (see my review of Slice & Dice) and this one is no different.
It’s a tricky game, as you have to manage units in a slow tactical layer before transitioning to a bullet hell mode. I made many mistakes in the demo, but couldn’t deny its charm, or the QOL features that encouraged experimentation in the weird, radioactive world.
What happened to that world? Well, the answer’s in the title.
Cursed Words: The Word Game That Isn’t
It’s Balatro but Boggle, and it rules. The demo is extensive, and it quickly lives up to its title about not being a word game at all. Check this one out for sure. Simple premise, very addicting.
There are No Ghosts at the Grand
They say that when your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. You have lots of tools in this charmingly funny demo, but they all look like guns. You also are greeted with a set of problems suited to the tools you have on hand. Mostly these involve cleaning and repairing things. There are some incredible needle drops, and while the game didn’t run extremely smoothly on my old hardware, it looks great and has a fun sense of humor. Definitely interested!
Find it here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3725190//There_Are_No_Ghosts_at_the_Grand/
Ballionaire
Ballionaire is pachinko by way of roguelike. I swear I’d already talked about it here in the past, but I can’t find any evidence of that happening. Forgive me. It’s fun, mindless, and almost too chaotic to parse at times. The difficulty isn’t linear. Obstacles are placed in front of you, and new constraints are introduced that make it hard to progress. Legibility isn’t high, you’ll often fail a level and not really know what you could have done better. There are endless synergies, and it’s clearly designed with intention. It feels a bit like a casino, and I can’t see myself playing a lot of it at a desktop.