Blogging the experience of gameplayhttp://www.gamelog.cl/index.phphttp://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7997Last time I was in Japan (this year!) I didn't really have a list of games I wanted to find, but while there I was tempted, so I pulled a short list together of oddities/indie games - plus this title. It's a pinball game, and I've always liked videogame pinball games, so I thought I'd try to find it. I had no luck at all (and I tried in LOTS of places). I was able to find all the other indie games...which was nice, but this one was no luck. Once back in the US I was talking to a colleague and I mentioned this game - and he said something about the developers (or was it the publisher) sort of being in trouble and that their games were now getting attention in the collector market and that if I was interested I should pick it up sooner rather than later. So, I bought a copy (the US release) on ebay and here we are. The game is kind of weird - not in the "ooh, it's a bit perky/risqué".. I assumed that from the series (senran kagura games), but weird in that there aren't that many tables to play (only 2!, but there are variations which aren't that interesting either) - but you play horizontally and it's kind of hard to see what's going on. It really made me want to play it vertically. I've been playing the story - getting to the end with all the characters, which isn't that much fun. I mean the table play is fine and I've enjoyed that, just that it's a bit of a grind to get to the end with each character. All of this in hopes that I will unlock something fun? THere's a creepy "spray water on characters" voyeur mode - and the characters get naked (but PG - everything is covered up by hands and the right camera angles), but it gets old really fast (not that it was that interesting to begin with). The table physics feel a bit too floaty, but it's ok - and there's an interesting scoring/goal system. You have to meet certain goals in order to advance to a mini-pinball game, once you clear that you can beat the level and then move on. The end credits are also pinball...and there's lots of "smacking" the characters (who lie about inside the table play areas) with the pinball. The ending are the worst in this sense, since you're literally targetting their bosoms/read ends with the pinball...or sometimes smacking them with the paddles. Still all PG...so, weird?jpThu, 13 Aug 2026 20:18:02 UTChttp://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7997&iddiary=13513http://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7915I've played this a few times in the last week - and I had not played in a long time. I was surprisingly better at the game since I last played? I just have a recollection of getting really lost and unable to get back to the pod/ship and that being very frustrating, but now...it was fine?! I was playing with my kids though, who are much better at it than I and now where to go and do stuff, so I think that really helped. Also, I've been unlocking things and I think I finally am able to play all the different types of missions. Some are more fun than others, for sure. The most recent one I unlocked was sort of a heist mission...sort of. Really it was about wrecking another dwarven mining company's stuff - but it ended with a major boss fight that was pretty fun.jpThu, 13 Aug 2026 20:02:56 UTChttp://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7915&iddiary=13512http://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7994Had to stop playing because I had to return the game and Switch 2 as I changed jobs. Sigh. Was fun while it lasted!jpThu, 13 Aug 2026 19:57:47 UTChttp://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7994&iddiary=13511http://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7996I started playing this a while ago now - in June. I'm only posting now because...well, the site was undergoing major maintenance. But, it's back now! So, I picked this game up earlier this year on a trip to Finland. I had no idea it existed, the metacritic score seemed decent enough, and I have a soft spot for Lodoss War since I first watched (some of it) way back in the 90s. (and watched the entire thing a few years ago). I always liked the idea/knowledge (which may not be true?) that the anime was essentially someone's D&D campaign. So, sort of like fan fiction that later gets published, but this one became an anime. I should probably look up more info so really know the history...but whatever. Generally I'm not a huge metroidvania fan, mostly because I sometimes tire of the backtracking, but also they are often harder than I'm willing to practice/train for. So, I play until I hit a wall, give it a few goes, and then move on. This has not happened yet - which has surprised me! Though to be fair, I haven't played in 6 weeks or so, so who knows what will happen when I get back to it. I think I'm about 1/3 of the way in, reaching chapter 3? And, going from memory, I think I got to a point where was feeling lost and not sure where to go next. So, not the "ugh, this boss is too hard for me", but rather - "where am I supposed to go next?". I'm actually enjoying how complicated the game feels like it is, with how much progress I'm able to make. THere's two energy systems you charge up, and you really want to be maxxed out, but you have to swap between them - and there's sometimes attacks that come in one energy type (and charge you up instead of hurting you). So, it has a mechanic I'm familiar with from 2D shooters! I'm not really following the story all that much and it's been a while so I don't remember the NPC/non-party characters, but it seems like the whole thing is going in the direction of "this was all a dream". There is an inventory system, but I haven't engaged with it much, and I seem to have interesting weapons to use so the shops have been a waste of time in that sense? Maybe it's too early for now...jpThu, 13 Aug 2026 17:10:31 UTChttp://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7996&iddiary=13510http://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7995Heard about this one recently and got stuck playing the demo on itch (though it's also available on Steam) for a few hours until I got to the final (demo) ending! It's an incremental game with some interesting things going on - you have a bat and smash bottles, but you have a limited time to do so (in seconds, like max 25 or so after all the upgrades?). When time runs out you can go again or go to the shop to buy upgrades. As expected you want to get more money from smashing bottles and there's ways to do that - spawn golden bottles, champagne bottles (when they smash the corks fly out and can smash other things), and even molotov cocktails (that explode, smashing other things). There's a few things I thought where nice/clever: a. The game has two distinct phases (once you unlock molotovs, everything changes, really) - the "you smash" and the "maximize money in the time allowed". In the latter, the game mostly plays itself as the molotovs keep everything getting smashed. b. The "you smash" has rotating bottles, and since the smashing can take a few hits, there's some interest in smashing champagne such that the cork flies in a certain direction for more damage. c. The champagne corks are pretty clever - since it gives you a reason to, in the short time you have to smash, choose what to smash a little more carefully. Go for golden or champagne hoping for a productive chain reaction? Of course there's also a prestige/reset mechanic - from which you can lock a separate bat that smashes. I'm curious how far things will go once the full game is out - and what the nature of the upgrades will be. I'm really hoping for more variety in the experience beyond the simple "number go up" - in that sense the molotovs seem like they're capping the experience in a detrimental way (even as they were super fun to smash when I first unlocked them.jpSat, 30 May 2026 18:16:28 UTChttp://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7995&iddiary=13509http://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7994Still playing! It has an interesting structure in terms of its levels and such - the core metaphor is that you're going deeper into the planet with each level, and they're both thematic and numbered. I got to a point where there's a bifurcation - go right into what I thought was "jungle land" or left into "snow land". I went right did a few more levels, cleared the boss (it was plant/poison land) and in order to continue going deeper I was then told to go back to "snow land"! There's a fast travel/teleport system involving giant worms that can move your around, so it was easy enough to do this, but I was surprised to learn that the fork was just a "choose what order to do these" situation... and also, the entire "fork" makes little sense thematically so I'm curious to see how it's explained and communicated in the interface - will it look like a fork in the "hole" going into the planet's core? The titular ability (bananza mode!) was a bit underwhelming - you turn into a bigger DK and can now punch things you couldn't before - it lasts a limited amount of time. But, I've since unlocked a new one - DK-bird - where you can glide around (and after paying to unlock) and drop an egg on enemies. The gilding around was important/necessary in the plant/poison levels, and I'm expecting it to be similarly required in the snowy ones. We'll see!jpSat, 30 May 2026 18:07:32 UTChttp://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7994&iddiary=13508http://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7962Kicking myself for not writing an entry when I was playing this 6 months ago. I am cleaning up my wishlist, backlog, and etc., and the FEELING I get when I see Silksong "in progress" is anxiety. I had jotted a few notes in December, as follows: "It�s true, Silksong is hard. Like, really, frustratingly hard. Like punishingly difficult. I hit a wall at the end of Act 1 trying to beat the Last Judge. The game likes to place benches far away from boss fights, such that retrying boss fights involves slogging back through tough platforming and other sections of the map." I did kill the Last Judge and complete Act 1. I remember that took a very long time, and that after the Last Judge, I died a few more times and, probably, with shaking hands and rapid heartbeat, said, "I can't do this anymore." Actually, it may have been in one of those rooms with waves of enemies. This innovation is new and unwelcome to Silksong, rooms that lock upon entering and spill several waves of challenging enemies at you. Yeah, I think that is what got me, just being pummeled over and over in one of those rooms, getting tired of exploring the maze-like map, tired of dying, tired of corpse runs, just exhausted. The game became a chore. Besides that, I loved it, haha. I was definitely into it for a while. It was sublime until it wasn't.dkirschnerWed, 13 May 2026 14:58:07 UTChttp://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7962&iddiary=13507http://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7992I meant to quickly beat this back in April so I could have a "completion" for the month, but I got really busy after spending barely an hour one afternoon with Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, a bizarre little twin-stick shooter about a turnip...who robs a bank. The game builds off previous games in the series, which I have never played, in which Turnip Boy commits tax evasion and, according to this game at least, seems to have started a war. Work has slowed down for the first time in nearly two months, and while I wait for my next contract to begin, I figured I'd knock this out. The whole game is silly. The world is populated by sentient fruits and vegetables. You are employed by a pickle / mafia gang leader to rob a bank of a garlic bulb / bad guy / killed your dad. You have a base, where you can get new weapon loadouts by bringing weapons from the bank (always try to return with something new or high-powered!), purchase progression items from the "dark web," and upgrade stuff at another vendor. You go on "runs" to the bank, which are timed (starts at 2 or 3 minutes, goes up to 5 or 6 with upgrades). Runs are over when you die or when you exit the bank. Die and you lose half the cash you accumulated in the run. Survive and you are handsomely rewarded. Upgrade stuff. Go back to the bank. It's a roguelite too. The bank has a specific layout of rooms, but you'll encounter some randomized areas too, and enemies and treasure are somewhat randomized. Throughout the bank are tons of NPCs with little fetch quests that usually reward you with pictures (fun/ny to look at) or hats (fun/ny to equip). A blueberry might want you to find its wedding ring, a lime wants you to get divorce papers from her lemon husband, a scientist pineapple wants you to find a philosopher mango and ask it an ethical question about experimenting on fruits, etc. I had some good laughs. In each corner of the bank is a boss. Boss fights were fun, but the most challenging were early on. Once you start upgrading stats, the game becomes easy. It definitely ends up being an "upgrade everything and go nuts on all the enemies!" type game, experience being overpowered. I haven't played a twin-stick shooter in a while, and while this wasn't revolutionary or anything, it was fun and scratched the itch. I gotta get back to Divinity: Original Sin 2. I might have some extra time till my next gig, so maybe I can boot it up, remember what I was doing, and make some progress this week.dkirschnerTue, 12 May 2026 17:20:35 UTChttp://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7992&iddiary=13506http://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7985I got to that point where I hit a monster/boss that just wasn't that much fun, and then I got a bit lost in terms of where to continue making progress, and the backtracking started to get a bit tiresome...as I explored and searched for different paths. So, time to bail!jpMon, 27 Apr 2026 22:04:52 UTChttp://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7985&iddiary=13505http://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7993Can you believe that I capped out on character level? I hit level 24, with plenty of game to go (I checked a guide, though I had reached the last 20% or so) and that's it. No more levels. It was a bit of a disappointment to be honest, and I also started to tire of having to backtrack all over the place to talk to different characters and so on. It was fun, and surprising to me in many ways, it's an action RPG with real-time combat, but no real challenge or interest in the combat - limited items and gear, no significant shopping or upgrading...there's boss fights (which are much harder than the regular game), but there wasn't much there to continue to keep my interest. So, I've decided to bail. I did also spend some time on the Wikipedia page and it looks like the game has been re-released a million times across different formats, and rebundled with new content, and stuff touched up and more. I'm kind of surprised because I wasn't all that impressed to be fair. As in, the game was fun and I enjoyed it for a bit, but I'm not entirely sure that it merits THAT much attention in the re-releases? Maybe I'm missing something and this game really resonated strongly with lots of people?jpMon, 27 Apr 2026 22:03:27 UTChttp://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=7993&iddiary=13504