games

Final Thoughts on Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus

/ sashacurtiss / Leave a comment

I’ve been going through a bit of a metroidvania phase and Bo is a game that hits all my buttons.

Metroidvania – check.

Beautiful and eye-popping art – check.

Inspired by Japanese folklore – check.

Basically it sat right at the top of my wishlist until its release, when it was immediately snatched up. Which is all to say that I had pretty high hopes for Bo. And for the most part, it held up pretty well.

First – the art is gorgeous. Absolutely. Breathtaking. I loved every detail, every character, every background, every item, etc. It works.

Now I played right after the game came out and before some, let’s say, balances were patched into the game. So a few of the boss fights were slightly frustrating to say the least. But nothing worse than the pain of Hollow Knight so I can’t complain (too much anyway). I did get stuck for a while at Jorogumo, I guess the tree stump mechanic just wasn’t my thing. But for the most part the game was challenging but rewarding, not quite the rage inducing struggle of Hollow Knight but not a cake walk either.

I loved all the Japanese folklore included in the game, and based on my limited knowledge it at least seemed respectful of its origins. I’m not an expert by any means on that score so I’ll leave it at that.

To be honest this ‘review’ has taken me several months to write and looking back now I wish Path of the Teal Lotus had been longer, it really was such a fun time. And if that’s not a recommendation I don’t know what is!

Early Thoughts on Hades II

/ sashacurtiss / Leave a comment

My first thought on writing this was “oh man, I need to play more Hades II” and my second “why aren’t I writing about Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus.” Answer to the second one is I haven’t beaten it yet! And I will! Probably. Maybe. I need to get past Jorogumo first. Which I can totally do (update: I did it!).

So big caveat here, possibly a divisive opinion: Hades is not my favorite Supergiant game. Very honestly, it is my least favorite. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a good game or I didn’t enjoy it! I played 86 and a half hours of it, beginning on the day it was released on the Epic Store in Early Access. And that doesn’t even count what I played on my Switch version. But look at what it’s being compared with: Transistor, one of my all-time favorite games; Pyre, a beautiful and soulful journey; and Bastion, maybe not the strongest competitor in the lineup but charming all the same. Hades had a lot to live up to and I feel it fell short a bit, not the least because it’s not an original story/world.

Second big caveat, I’m not a huge fan of Greek mythology. I’m a huge mythology junkie in general, but I prefer almost anything besides Greek. I think this is because Greek mythology is presented oftentimes as The Mythology™ and growing up it was hard to find much in books besides Greek mythology. A little Egyptian, a little Norse, but mainly Greek. Basically, I don’t have the enthusiasm that say, Edith Hamilton does for the Greek pantheon.

All that being said, I think Hades II is a definite improvement on its predecessor.

Another caveat, I am not that good at either Hades or Hades II. But I still enjoy them!

The greatest of the new features – naked hot spring cutscenes (haha, just kidding, haha). To be serious though, I enjoy the touches like the hot spring allowing for further characterization. Supergiant creates great characters and I love getting to know them. I do also enjoy the meager gardening gameplay because deep in my heart I believe a farming sim by Supergiant would be kick ass.

The combat is slightly more fluid than Hades, which suits Mel as a character as well. There are plenty of ways to customize a run, whether it be a different weapon or seeking out a different set of boons or even levelling up the arcana cards.

Overall I’m excited to see what Supergiant does with Hades II and I look forward to exploring all the crannies and crags of the game.

Final Thoughts on Strange Horticulture

/ sashacurtiss / Leave a comment

I like plants. I like video games. And I liked Strange Horticulture.

The gameplay is very pleasing. It’s methodical. You get plants and slowly learn what’s what. You get a clue every in-game morning and use it find gasp treasure! Or at least more plants, which in this game is akin to treasure.

I don’t do plants in real life. Two big problems: one, I tend to forget to water plants unless they are IN MY FACE; and two, I have a cat who would love if I had all kinds of plants so he could destroy every single one with a great deal of gusto. Between these two problems, plants and I are just not meant to be. But I love the idea of plants so video games are my alternative. Usually, I scratch this itch by playing farming sims but Strange Horticulture is a great alternative.

The game also comes with a heaping helping of witchy vibes. The story is an intimate supernatural mystery parceled out in bits and bobs over the course of each in-game day. I enjoy that the gameplay is first and foremost and the story compliments it rather than becoming a distraction.

Also you can pet the cat, so that’s a huge bonus.

It’s not a terribly long game, I got through a playthrough and a bit in about six hours. Still worth the price in my opinion.

2024 Video Game Reflection

/ sashacurtiss / Leave a comment

Great God Grove is game of the year is the long and short of it. I played more games in 2024, that’s the other thing.

And look, I liked a lot of the games I played this year. And maybe :The Longing: should be my game of the year because I really loved it a lot. It just has gravitas, you know? But :The Longing: is a game that came out in 2020 and Great God Grove came out this year, so let’s call it a tie.

One of my resolutions for 2024 was to play more games, not that I write down resolutions or anything, but that one at least came true. What can I say? I like video games. They are art, no matter what anyone says.

I played a bit on the Switch also….

HOLD UP, Roots of Pacha was played for the first time in 2024.

Roots of Pacha wins. I love it so much. And yes it is a 2023 game, but I don’t care. Love it.

Anyhoo, on the Switch my favorite of the year might be Islets and I may just be saying that because it was the last one I finished on Switch and I may just be saying that because of VERY SUSPICIOUS Tour Guide but it was charming.

Worst game of 2024? Hmmm…I don’t usually keep playing games I don’t like so this one is a little harder. Maybe [redacted]. On second thought, I don’t want to namedrop for that. Every game has something good about it, every game is worth something. Even the shitty ones, haha.

2024 was a good year for games for me, hopefully 2025 is more of the same!