Terribly excited to be starting up @adinolfi.bsky.social's Heartworm on stream tonight! Been itching to play this one since it launched, but I wanted to wait until the weather was right. At long last - it's time!! 🎃📷

Played through "Crowded. Followed." by @nightdivestudios.bsky.social last week and holy hell, what an experience. AWESOME concept for a horror game, executed with finesse, doesn't overstay its welcome. Never thought I'd feel so creeped out in such a crowded place. Strong horror recommend from me 🎃

Recently I've played through Bloodborne, Hollow Knight, Silksong, Cronos, Hylics, and Hylics 2 - now I'm gearing up for Silent Hill f, Hades, Lords of the Fallen, Ghost of Yotei...autumn gaming is OUT OF CONTROL

I won't spoil it here, but I've just learned of a BIG secret in Silksong regarding the ending, and I'm just so excited to go check it out. Thought I finished most of what the game has to offer, turns out I was dead wrong. Love this game 🪡

Finished Silksong. It's a masterpiece. Damn hard game, much harder than the first one. More thoughts later...after I sleep 😅

Currently 16 hours into Silksong and I have to say, every single aspect of this game's combat is absolutely goated. Enemies are nimble, intelligent, and aggressive, and Hornet's toolkit is a 10/10. Tons more to go into later today but suffice to say I am having a BLAST with this game 🪡

Silksong in less than five hours. SILKSONG IN LESS THAN FIVE HOURS

Sudden epiphany last week: if I could do game playtests day in and day out as a full-time job, I absolutely would. I love testing the boundaries of a ruleset, trying to break games in creative ways, engineering edge cases, collating feedback, just all of it

I legitimately don't think I will ever get tired of soulslikes

(1/2) Just finished Venba by @visaigames.bsky.social! Great little package, very poignant and grounded story, strongly echoes sentiments I heard from various friends all through adolescence. Beautiful depictions of food and a bopping soundtrack. ~90 minutes, EASY recommend, hats off to the dev team

The curtains are drawn, the tea is brewing, and I'm going live with @jessemakkonen.com's Without a Dawn!! I've heard good things about this one, excited to hop into it. Catch my playthrough at twitch.tv/thuskindly!

Been casually chewing my way through a full playthrough of the mainline Sonic games, and I have to say, that series went in some truly bonkers directions

Thinking about the Simon fight in Expedition 33. Screw that guy. Awesome fight, immaculate vibes. I despise him. Went back for a rematch, then another. Glorious. Absolute bullshit mechanics. Favorite boss fight of the year so far. Phase 3 is criminal. It's perfect. What do you mean he gets ANOTHER -

this is my favorite review of my favorite review of Death Stranding 2

Been way too busy these past couple months - travel, personal stuff, sickness, job hunt, all that. Finally back at it and knee-deep in the games scene again - it's good to be here!!

I'm currently playing through Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin on PC, and holy shit I just absolutely adore this game. Tricky to compare it to the first one since they scratch very different itches, but the atmosphere is immaculate, the lore is magnetic, I'm loving every single minute of it 💙

I've been playing a Necromancer in Diablo IV since launch, and there's been plenty of up and down - but far and away the class has felt at its best these past few months. I have 13 skeletons, 10 wolf spirits, a golem...really leaning into that "army of minions" fantasy. SUCH a dope class

Just about reached the end of my power progression journey in Monster Hunter Wilds and I have to say, this game absolutely SLAPS. The music, weapon toolkits, monster movesets, crafting chase, gradually learning all the game's systems - all fantastic. Can't wait to come back for Title Updates!!

Monster Hunter Wilds is such a treat. Definitely marred by big technical problems and a pretty ho-hum campaign story, but even as I blast through the MSQ to get to the good stuff afterwards, I'm struck by the sheer variety of monsters on tap here. Every single fight has been an absolute banger

Just played Butcher's Creek by @duskdev.bsky.social last night, and it was a straight up killer. Super striking imagery in the finale, and one specific building I won't spoil here. I'm wondering if the melee centric combat was an homage to Condemned? Super similar vibes. Absolutely worth a buy.

Started playing Vampire Survivors for the first time today...I have friends and family, I have things to do, this game is going to be a Balatro-tier problem 😭

One of my projects this past year has been playing through all of the "main" Mega Man games: the primary numbered entries, the X series, and the Zero series (and maybe Legends?). I'm playing them in release order, to really get a feel for the year-to-year evolution of the series. 🧵 #megaman #zero

I've only ever played Dark Souls once, 10+ years ago, and it was entirely via a walkthrough. I'd heard so much about how hard the game was that I got intimidated and sheepishly followed a guide step-by-step. Optimal build, optimal routes, boss cheese strategies...I clung to guides for all of it 🧵

Network test is over! Managed 2 kills on the Night Lord, one as Recluse and one as Duchess. The whole game is just stupid amounts of fun if you're looking for a rapid, highly distilled cocktail of the action elements of Elden Ring with the speed dialed up to 11, and absolutely nothing else. 🧵

Managed to hit a few good sessions during tonight's Nightreign network test! As expected I absolutely adore Duchess - very stylish, awesome toolkit, slick animations. I did NOT expect to enjoy Recluse as much as I did! I love the residue-absorption mechanic, and tying it to FP recovery is GENIUS

Nightreign network test ahoy! So excited 🥰

So much exciting information about Eden Ring: Nightreign dropping today!! Highly recommend @vaatividya.bsky.social's excellent preview video. It's a thorough roundup of mechanics, classes, game-feel, etc. I'm so excited for the network test this weekend. Can't wait to main Duchess 😍

Remember when Embracer Group used to be in the news like every three days? Those were wild times

(1/4) Finished Rule of Rose! I absolutely adored this melancholy, sinister little oddball of a horror game. Best depiction I've ever seen of a game that just FEELS like a dream - the overall premise of the airship setting and the Aristocrat Club sounds insane when you explain it to someone else,

Super good piece and well-worth a read. Without having played it myself, I do have some questions about nail-fits-hammer level design, given we can swap characters basically anytime - but if Shadows can deliver on that front, it's an easy yes from me. Best of luck to the team as release draws near!!

"Wake up, get up, get out there."

My first proper Elden Ring kill with a dance pad!!! Going on a bit of a journey this year. I got really inspired by @gloomshadows.bsky.social's incredible dance pad clears, and also Fearnley FitzRoy's Sekiro dance vid. I'm not really a great dancer, but i LOVE Elden Ring, and this is SO MUCH FUN 🥰

Now listen, when I say "I play 100 video games to completion every year," I really do mean it. I live and breathe this stuff. And here's a link to my full Steam replay page!! Such an awesome feature 💙 s.team/y24/gpqvmng?... #SteamReplay #Steam2024

(1/3) So, I'm having an awesome time digging deeper into Infinity Nikki. But I'm really conflicted about the gacha aspects of the game (it's my first ever gacha). It does seem to be much more generous than other titles, and I haven't run into any problems just foregoing that whole side of it

Today's fit!! Still coming to grips with just how adorable this game is 🥰 #InfinityNikki

Finished Metaphor. Masterpiece, instant classic. From minute one, I felt like a kid playing Final Fantasy IV for the first time again. As @genepark.bsky.social identified: this is a game with a message of hope, and it's nice to have more of those floating around. It's just...an absolute all-timer. 💙

Just started Infinity Nikki, and it's ADORABLE 😭 Will definitely be putting a good amount of time into this one, in between all the other stuff on my agenda. Also a big thanks to @sweetpeachgames.bsky.social for very graciously providing these codes!!

I'm sufficiently far in Metaphor: ReFantazio that basically any screenshot I post would be mega-spoilery! Which is a shame, because I have so many more to share and gush over. But suffice to say, I'm still having the ride of my life with this game. Finishing it soon and I'm SO SAD about it 😭

Yep. Bad time. #mouthwashing

Ready for a bad time 👍 #Mouthwashing

Landed my dream job 8 years ago. But times are tough, and I got laid off a couple weeks ago. Today is my final day, I'm stressing over what could possibly come next, and then I see...this! Feeling more determined than ever. Who knows what's waiting for me? Thank you, @charalanahzard.bsky.social 💙

What an absolutely awesome idea. This Friday, @itch.io is not taking any cut of game sales made on their site. It's the perfect time to go support your favorite indie dev - or browse around to find new creators and explore their work!!

Optimist: the cup is half full. Pessimist: the cup is half empty. Metaphor Player: if I drink this by myself, no time passes. But if I share it with a teammate, it'll take a whole day; can I drink on the gauntlet runner? Only 3 days until we leave town, better play it safe and skip the water -

(1/2) Played @pataloon.bsky.social's Threshold! An excellent, ~1-hr game with a dense, menacing atmosphere, and a tightly-coiled second-to-second gameplay loop that keeps tensions punchy. Sinister lore bits hide beneath every floorboard; players are suffocated by a sense of gathering doom.

Tuesday was International Men's Day! This post is dedicated to the LEGEND, Leon Strohl. Brave, humble, loyal, fights for his friends, loves his countryfolk, upholds his legacy, truly noble. Excellent VA. Fantastic shoulder pads. I would die for this man. Steadfast legend. What an absolute champion.

So many great moments in Metaphor while your party is on the road. I'm always grateful when a game with such a sweeping scale sets aside time to explore the quieter, more intimate scenes you spend bonding with teammates.

The further I get in Metaphor: ReFantazio, the more I understand that it really is as good as everyone says. The character arcs are so heartfelt, and the calendar system gives such concrete shape to your growth alongside them. It's so grand, and earnest, and encouraging...I really adore this game 💙

I have used both "Warriors in Valor" and "Verge of Life and Death" from the Metaphor: ReFantazio OST as background tracks for key combats in a D&D campaign that I run. Results were tremendous. Highly recommend these tracks to other DMs.

Location art from Metaphor. Absolutely GORGEOUS

I've been steadily chewing through Metaphor: ReFantazio for the past few weeks, and it honestly is SUCH a good time so far. I'm in love with the main crew, the lore, the visual style, combat, music, class identities, just everything. Probably not even halfway through and I cannot get enough of it 💙