[blog] JK's Backlog Battle

25/09/2024 - Familiar Shadows Completion.
Current Backlog: 769
Currently Playing: 10

A very lovely and sweet little game made by 117Briggy for a Gamejam.
I got introduced into this game by a streamer named Cide.

I was given a sneaky hint by the dev that there was only 4 potions, so it didn't take too long to get them all.
the cat is very cute, and the animation is adorable. For a game that took only a week to make, its amazing!
- Marisa (JK)

06/10/2024 - A Short Hike Completion.
Current Backlog: 768
Currently Playing: 10

I played this game for Pay or Play 4th Cycle of 2024 and it was picked for me by Riku.

Hike, climb, and soar through the peaceful mountainside landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park
as you make your way to the summit. In A Short Hike you play as Claire, a young anthropomorphic black bird,
who lives in the city. She has come to visit her Aunt May at the Hawk Peak Provincial Park where she works as a park ranger.

It's a very chill and lovely little game where you go on a hike up the mountain!
To get to the top, you need to gather some golden feathers to be able to climb and fly higher.
The main story ends after you've reached the peak and talked with Aunt May about it,
but you can explore the game after it just fine. I did almost everything before went up the mountain though, which is possible.

It wasn't too difficult to play and to 100%. One of the achievements was time specific,
so I changed the time on my pc to get it, as I would have otherwise forgotten it anyway.
Other achievements were very straight forward, though I used an interactive map on google to find some of the collectibles.

In the end though, the game is very lovely and I think it's worth to play, such a lovely little game.
- Marisa (JK)

10/10/2024 - Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island Completion.
Current Backlog: 767
Currently Playing: 10

I played this game for Pay or Play 4th Cycle of 2024 and it was picked for me by Fynx.

Are you ready to adventure like it’s 2001?
Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island is a passionate revival of the legendary 3D platformer genre
with classic gameplay, playful gadgets, and a lighthearted story set in a gorgeous,
colorful world reminiscent of our childhood adventures.

It's a very nice and lovely little 3D platforming game that is reminiscent of Jak and Dexter.
It's quite simple, but has a few different unique mechanics that were quite fun to master.
There was some collectibles to gather, which were not too difficult either.

I'm quite sad that the game has been removed from sale on steam
since its a very lovely game and I would love to recommend it to people.
Im sure you can still get a key somewhere but its probably not worth it for huge amounts of money.
Either way, its a lovely game and totally worth playing if you happen to get it or you already own it!
- Marisa (JK)

20/10/2024 - An Arcade Full of Cats Completion.
Current Backlog: 765
Currently Playing: 11

It's a lovely free game from Devcats who have previously made games like A Castle Full Of Cats,
Sudocats, Zodiacats and many more. You get to journey through gaming history's time and space,
while searching for adorable feline companions in 'An Arcade Full of Cats,' the ultimate "pet'em up" hidden object game.

The paid DLC is required for getting a 100% completion on this game, but it is definitely worth it if you enjoy the rest of the game.
You join Leo and Fofiño as they navigate a feline-infused version of the arcade era, spanning from 1980 to the year 2000,
all while attempting to find their way back to the present! The DLC adds some more older timelines with extra stuff to do.

Absolutely recommended to be played!
- Marisa (JK)

25/10/2024 - Oxenfree Completion.
Current Backlog: 770
Currently Playing: 10

I played this game for Pay or Play 4th Cycle of 2024 and it was picked for me by Fynx.

Oxenfree is a supernatural thriller about a group of friends who unwittingly open a ghostly rift.
Play as Alex, a bright, rebellious teenager who brings her new stepbrother Jonas to an overnight party on an old military island.
The night takes a terrifying turn when you unwittingly open a ghostly gate spawned from the island’s cryptic past.

Oxenfree was a lovely game with a dialogue heavy story and different endings, as well as some cheeky time shenanigans.
I have enjoyed a bunch of similar games previously and this one did not disappoint at all!
The game offers a low stress experience without forcing you to rush through the game.
You can take it as slow as you like, or as fast as you like (or possibly can, obviously).

The game really shines with it's character design and making the characters feel like they were actually alive.
Their reactions, random dialogue and all the little details made it such an enjoyable thing story-wise.
Even if there story would have been bad, which it wasn't, but I get to that in a moment,
the characters would have probably saved the game even then.

The story made it so there was a constant sense of pressure throughout the game,
but it wasn't overwhelmingly bad that would have made me rush through it. I definitely got spooked a few times,
more times than I'd like to admit, but it was definitely not too scary, but just enough!

Few issues I feel like this game had, was when some dialogue choices would start to fade out
even before the character I was responding to hadn't finished talking yet. It was also a bit unclear
when the thinking bubbles would appear atop people, when they were thinking about a specific character.
Did it mean they were thinking of them positively or negatively?

The game was an alright experience to 100% complete it, but it did take me more playthroughs than I would have liked.
I didn't really follow guides for the achievements, except for the collectibles, so you can kinda tell that from my playtime.

Either way though, I think its a fantastic game
and everyone should definitely play it!
Highly recommended!
- Marisa (JK)

07/12/2024 - 100 Hidden Cats: Pirates Completion.
Current Backlog: 781
Currently Playing: 15

💜 This game was gifted to Catizens Curations for review.

It has really pretty artwork, but other than that, it's just like any other "poorly done" hidden object game
that can be completed in under 10 minutes. It would be a lot better if it wouldn't so easy to complete,
since currently the cats are not at all hidden and you literally don't have to even work your brain to find them.

I completed both the main level and the extra level
and would say that maybe turn your attention towards more of the better hidden cats games, like the ones from Devcats or Nukearts Studio.
I hope to see better content from this dev later though! The artwork was pleasant.
- Marisa (JK)