Games I look forward to in 2024 and beyond

Previously, I talked about several demos that caught my eye during the recent demo galore that was Steam's Next Fest October 2023. However, not all of those games made into my wishlist, and even if they did, I didn't rank them highly. And that compelled me to write this list: here are some titles that I very much look forward to in 2024 and beyond. Some of them have already been fully released, some are still in Early Access, and some are still in development with demo builds available.

Steam Next Fest October 2023 - demos that caught my attention

Steam's Next October Fest has come and gone. With the tagline "A Celebration of Upcoming Games", it's a great opportunity to look around for hidden gems, as well as to try out demos. A lot these games have already published their demo prior to the fest, but the fest worked as some sort of a "gathering ground" so that you don't have to manually search for those demos yourself. So here are some that I have checked out, in no particular order. Who knows, maybe you too will stumble upon something you'll like!

Awesome games I'm currently playing or played recently

Hello, I hope everything is OK. It's nice to see that things are slowly getting back to normal. Regardless, the quarantine has given me more than enough time to sink into games, and I have discovered a bunch of very addictive ones. Lots of the games on this list ended up becoming my favourite games of all time, so here they are.

Writing once a year, life-long depression, shorter reviews, and what-not

It's been a while since I posted anything here. The sad thing is I actually have a ton of reviews but they're all in a draft shape. I really want to keep up with everything, but it's not easy - you know - living life on hard mode. The life you never wanted. But I have to keep going, and so I want to write something and post it here at least once a year.

Ryse: Son of Rome - spectacularly cinematic, yet unmemorable

Ryse: Son of Rome is a visual marvel, I'll give it that. It's got carnage - blood and chopped off body parts everywhere. If you demand historical accuracy and realism, give the game a hard pass. If you're looking for a game with an impactful story and memorable characters, give it a harder pass. If you're looking for a game with an intricate combat system and branching skill trees, then still, Ryse Son of Rome isn't for you. If you're obsessed with repetition to perfection and craving for a short yet dramatic cinematic experience, then it might just be up your alley. Actually, it's perfect for that, if it's what you're looking for.

Grand Guilds (demo) - a quick glance

This is the last entry of a four-part series I'm doing this month where I try out the demos of four very recent or upcoming tactical turn-based tactics games.

UPDATE, 2021: I actually got a free copy from someone I assume is a friend of the developer's. The campaign took me 36 hours and it was actually very enjoyable.

Grand Guilds is an upcoming tactical RPG developed by an indie Filipino studio, Drix Studios. I heard about it about a month ago and the reason I put it on my wishlist is the game's  wonderful artstyle which reminds me a lot of those Saturday morning animated show I watched as a kid. If its Steam page is of any indication, Grand Guilds is story-heavy. It follows the adventures of Eliza, a former guild leader who's just returned from war, only to find herself involved in a mysterious conflict that's more than meets the eye.

We are the Plague (demo) - a quick glance

This is the third entry of a four-part series I'm doing this month where I try out the demos of four very recent or upcoming turn-based tactics titles (try saying that four times).

The first thing I noticed when I booted We are the Plague is the beautiful yet grim artwork, which reminds me of that of last year's Iratus: Lord of the Dead. However, while the artwork is nice to look at, the demo's showcase of combat is not looking good. There are a couple of glitches here and there. Granted, it's still just a demo, but still.

Legend of Keepers: Prologue - a quick glance

This is the second entry of a four-part series I'm doing this month where I try out the demos of four very recent or upcoming turn-based tactics titles.

I'm enjoying this demo a lot, it's definitely up my alley as a huge longtime fan of Darkest Dungeon and turn-based tactics. This game is reverse Iratus: Lord of the Death, which is the reverse of Darkest Dungeon. Obviously this is just a demo, but if this is what the full game will be like, I can't really recommend it for now, mainly for the very THIN tactical layer (not sure if that's the right term but that's the best I can think of). Do I enjoy it though? Yes.

Alder's Blood: Prologue - a quick glance

This is the first entry of a four-part series I'm doing this month where I try out the demos of four very recent or upcoming turn-based tactics titles.

Alder's Blood is yet another upcoming turn-based tactics game set in a grim Lovecraftian world. Lately, following the popularity of Darkest Dungeon, we've been seeing a surge turn-based games adopting similarly dark, hand-drawn artstyles. Alders Blood is no exception, and that's not a bad thing if you're into it.

What's next?: changes in my writing style and approach to reviewing games, and a bunch of other stuff

It's been a while since I last posted anything. And trust me, I'm beating myself hard over that, other than over my obviously deteriorating "English skillz". Since I started dabbling in ghostwriting and freelancing, I haven't had the time to write any reviews. Some of you on here that I've made friends with from various discussion groups (if you're still lurking around) know that this site was never intended to be a private blog, but it's a space to put my reviews out there. So if I'm not writing anything relevant, this site is going to be rather idle. But lately I've been reflecting a lot about my writing journey, and about maybe it's time I brought it somewhere, as well as how my writing style has evolved over the years.