Day 6: Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos Platform: Nintendo Switch If you're a fan of RPG Maker-style ARPGs with mild roguelike and city builder elements, then this one's for you. You have your default starting class, sword and shield type, but there are eight other unlockable classes in total. There are dungeons that consist of multiple floors that change each time you enter. I haven't gotten far into the game, barely only scratched the surface, but so far I'm enjoying it quite a bit. There are quests to undertake, mobs to kill and be killed by, dungeons with little puzzles to solve, and a town to restore, amongst various other little things. As I progress, I'll make a more in-depth review. I picked this up for just a couple of bucks on the eShop, and for the price, it definitely doesn't disappoint. The only thing so far that seems a bit bothersome is that re-entering a dungeon costs me all my gems, regardless of how many or how few I have. I'll have to figure out the method behind that as I go. So keep that in mind, and be sure to spend them on something before you go in, just in case. Other than that, it's a fun little game that I'm looking forward to playing more and progressing in, and I definitely recommend checking out the demo at least, if you're into this type of game, and for just a bit of pocket change on special, it's definitely not a bad deal at all.

Day 8: Meteorfall: Krumit's Tale Platform: Android This is a rather quirky and unique roguelike deck builder type. At the beginning of a round, it lays out a set amount of cards (which they refer to as tiles) from your deck and you choose cards from those cards to exchange for gold in order to purchase the items from the same set that was just laid out for you to help you in the upcoming battle. It sounds confusing but it makes more sense when you see it, I promise. Once you've exchanged things and geared up, the round starts and you choose which items to use, and can use multiple at one time. For example you can use armour to defend and a weapon to attack, or you can use two weapons if the weapon allows it, etc.

Day 4: No Man's Sky Platform: PC Warning: This game has a very well executed photo mode, so if you're as obsessed with taking pics in games as I am, you've been warned: This game is absolutely gorgeous, and there are so many wonderful photos to be taken and so much time to be spent taking them. TL;DR since this is rather long: Game is extremely fun, suitable for all play styles with various customizable settings, and I highly recommend it even if you're not into space games.

I'm going to try something a bit different this year by playing a game every day then posting some screenshots I took while playing it. I'll be playing all kinds of games from a variety of genres, from AAA titles to indies, and I'll probably throw in some "what even is this?" random games. If anyone else is up for the challenge and wants to do this as well, feel free to join in with the hashtag #366daysofgaming2024.

Day 10: Crashlands Platform: Android After seeing the trailers for this game, I absolutely could not resist trying it out, and let me say that it does not disappoint. It's pretty hilarious and there's comic relief and puns around every corner, from the interactions with your robotic companion, to the names of the gear, the quests, etc. It's an open-world survival craft that appears to have heavy influences from Don't Starve (which I'm sure will make its way into my posts at one point or another as well), if you're familiar with that one. The gameplay is straightforward, you gather, craft, and fight. It's got pretty chill vibes from what I've played so far. You won't starve to death, don't need to sleep, there's no stamina to manage, and the dark won't kill you. Well at least not in story mode. Plus, being able to teleport back to base from anywhere on the map is a total game changer. There are a few other difficulty levels to choose from as well, so I'm sure there's a difficulty suitable for every play style.

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Day 19: Street Dude - Homeless Empire Platform: Android This is interesting and a little silly, and it's decent fun if you enjoy a bit of automation (which can be toggled off in the settings) but also enjoy running around freely. You basically gather resources from dumpsters to open other areas, and often need to trade in some resources for others. If you're running short, there's plenty of free resource piles laying about, but you've got to watch an ad for each one.

Day 28: A Tavern for Tea Platform: Android This is a unique almost like visual novel style game where you have a couple of customers come in and you serve them tea, but there's more to it than that. There's actually a nice storyline, and I'll keep this brief as this is a very short game and I don't want to give any spoilers. It's short, but after certain instances if something doesn't go as planned, you get clues as to what to do next to progress the situation, and taken back to the title screen to basically redo the scenario from the beginning each time, with notes and knowledge of how to go down the correct path the next time. I found this to be just a bit tedious, but it's not too bad. I actually haven't gotten to the end yet, as I've had to start over a bunch, but I've enjoyed it and would like to get to the end at some point. I recommend A Tavern for Tea to those who like relaxing games with chill music, and who don't mind a little backtracking and thinking in the process.

Day 7: Kitaria Fables Platform: PC This is a cute little ARPG/farming sim with heavy Harvest Moon elements. Or should I say Story of Seasons? So far all of the characters are anthropomorphic animals, and I think one is actually a food and is definitely not an animal. The game starts off in town, and questing starts out with light combat and a fetch quest. Pretty normal RPG beginning. Once you've done a few quests and made your way through the first dungeon, the farming elements open up. There's a day/night cycle, which luckily you don't have to sleep and there's no fatigue or stamina to worry about. The time of day (which ticks by as one second in real life equaling one minute in-game) only seems to affect some of the mobs that spawn, and whether the shops are open or closed.

Day 9: Music Tower: Tap Tiles Platform: Android This is a chill and relaxing rhythm game with a cute aesthetic. If there is such thing as a cozy rhythm game, this is it. You play music to collect tickets to buy decorative furnishings for your music stage. You can also craft some of them by collecting bonus material boxes as you play. The music is relaxing and is easy to play, and the characters are cute. The only bad thing is having to wait for furnishings to finish building (think typical city builder) but if you get the game with Google Play Pass, all the in-app purchases are free, so you can purchase currency for free and get everything completed without the wait.

Day 13: Demetrios: The Big Cynical Adventure Platform: PC This is a quirky point-and-click mystery game with a little bit of an adult theme, and some toilet humour (which you can toggle off if you want) and it is definitely a thinking person's game. I'm not so great at these kinds of games, but the dialog of the main character was fun. As you go through the story, you pick up items along the way that help you solve the mystery of the events that unfold in the beginning, and there are hidden cookies to be found as well, which help you uncover hints if you get stuck. I didn't spend a whole lot of time on it unfortunately, as it was getting late, but it's something I want to see through to the end when given the chance. I'm enjoying the randomness of it, and the weird, off-the-wall dialogue, and the occasional pop culture reference. I found quite a bit of what our main character says to be pretty relatable as well. I recommend this to anyone mature enough to not be made uncomfortable or offended by mild mature elements, and tho those who are into point-and-clicks. Even if you're bad at these kinds of games, such as myself, it's still highly enjoyable with the use of guides if you need.

Day 23: Card Thief Platform: Android This is a unique card game where you have to move your thief card around a 3x3 grid to gather loot and treasure, and the goal is to go through all the cards in your deck without being caught by the enemies. You can get stealth boosts to replenish your sneak along the way, as well as other cards to help you reach your goal, and there are cards that can be interacted with on the grid for other effects that can change the dynamic of the game.

Day 21: Boba Story Platform: Android This is a cute, chill little shop management sim where you have to serve customers their orders of boba tea. There's no extensive assembly line or anything, just when they want one, you tap them, and it automatically makes it. The only exception I've seen to this so far is when a customer wants a flavour that's not on the menu, you then have to set up a drink that contains it. There are frequent prompts to do a little mini game to make the drinks, which are fast and simple. There are many ways to customise the drinks, from the flavours, to the lids and straws, all of which are super cute. You can also customise the different areas of the shop, such as the waiting area and prep counters, etc.

Day 24- Dilemo Platform: Android Dilemo is a true/false trivia game that has categories in a multitude of different categories, (including my two faves, video games and anime)each with its own leveling system, and difficulty increases as you level up through them. There are also in-game achievements you can earn as you play. It's a straightforward game that makes good use of all that useless knowledge you've no doubt been accumulating in your brain for some time. I recommend Dilemo to anyone who likes trivia games.

Day 2: Cult of the Lamb Platform: Nintendo Switch Don't let the cuteness fool you; this game can get pretty dark if you want it to be. It's a great mix of action roguelite, base-building, and resource management, and you can be straight up evil while doing so if you so desire 😈 #366daysofgaming2024 #esantzks366daysofgaming2024

Day 16: Rogue Adventure: Roguelike RPG Platform: Android Roguelike card-based games are all the rage these days, so here's another one for you. I only cleared the first area, and quite easily, but the combat is straightforward and easy to understand. You choose paths to go down, and there are merchants along the way you can use your coins on to buy new cards. Unfortunately there aren't any tooltips on the cards that I've been able to find, so if you're introduced to a status or ability that you're unfamiliar with, you won't be able to find out what it does. You get 4 cards to start, and can only play 3 per turn unless you have cards that buff your mana count (which is what you use to use cards) and whenever you play one, another pops up in its place. There are several classes to choose from, and I started off as a Necromancer. With that came cards with the ability to resummon cards from the discard pile and use them again. Once your turn is over, any cards currently in your hand would be shuffled back in and you'd start the next round with four fresh ones. HP doesn't regen between places along the path, so you'll have to work some healing cards in as well. Overall I enjoyed the short time I was able to play, and would like to pick up where I left off when I can. I didn't die, so I can't say what happens upon death, so I have nothing to report on that, unfortunately. I recommend Rogue Adventure to those who like pixel graphics and card-based RPGs.

✨ The Ups of Born Again Nostalgic Graphics: This game brings back the old-school pixel art to the modern mobile gaming scene. Those bright colors and detailed pixels? They really give Born Again its unique aesthetic. It's like a blast from the past but with a fresh twist! Exciting Combat: The game's got this fast-paced hack-n-slash thing going on. The battles keep you on your toes, and with a bunch of weapons and skills, it never gets boring. It’s all about that action!

Day 27: Tiny Guardians Platform: Android This is an auto battler where you summon different classes of characters to protect the main character throughout her journey. Each class has a different function, weakness, and advantage. You play through waves of enemies as you make your way through each stage (which surprisingly isn't just in a straight line like most other games of this type) and there are a lot of different types of enemies to encounter. It reminds me of an RPG party making their way through a level mostly on their own. I like the balance of auto and interactive, as there are several things you have to do and not just leave them to their own devices, such as: summoning additional characters to fight alongside, casting some spells, picking up potions off the field, and changing character formation so you have fighters on the front lines and ranged and casters in the back etc. You change directions and enemies spawn from different sides so paying attention to formation is a must. I also found it really cool that if one of your fighters gets downed during combat, they will automatically revive after a certain amount of time, so there's no need to worry about struggling to have mana to resummon them with. I recommend Tiny Guardians to anyone who likes RPG style auto battlers that you don't just sit and watch boringly.

Day 12: Parasite Days Platform: Android Let me preface this by saying that this game is amazingly cute, and extremely funny as well, and I'm absolutely in love with this simple little hidden gem of a game. I don't want to give any spoilers so I'm going to keep this pretty vague. It's a chill, casual game and you can play it with one hand if you desire. It's categorized as adventure and simulation, and let's just go with that since it's just so unique it's kind of hard for me to categorize.

#InCaseYouMissedIt, this series is dedicated to bringing you those hidden gems in gaming news - Stay tuned for every session, keep your curiosity piqued for more unique updates and discoveries. New Beta & New Releases A Difficult Game About Climbing - February 2024 Release Slated for release in February 2024, this game is a homage to the "feeling pain" genre, akin to "Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy." Developed by Pontypants, it challenges players with a difficult and humorous climbing experience, where a single slip can mean falling back to the beginning.