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QuickTidal, on 02 October 2025 - 04:07 PM, said:

Oh yeah, just on the subject of dollar value for indies, because I got it in summer and have been digging into it since: have you played UFO 50? Absolutely absurd achievement in game design, and because there's so many games in it, and pretty much all of them are good, unless one has an aversion to retro/pretend-retro gaming in general, there's bound to be at least a few of interest.


The skinny for those not familiar: UFO 50 is a 'retrospective' collection of games from a fictional console developed by a fictional game company in the 80s. It tracks game development in that period in the most brillantly nerdy possible way, by both iterating on actual trends and developments of the time but also by taking ideas that were really later or more modern and stripping them back to the parameters of 80s development, essentially inventing fictional precursors for modern gaming trends. It also shows developing trends and running series within the company itself. Both directly in sequels to earlier games and in things like how Vainger is a metroidvania that iterates on a gravity-flip mechanic the 'earlier' game Warptank, or how Porgy and Divers are both '1986' releases focusing on diving and heading back to the surface as a gameplay loop, but with very different tones and styles.

There's several games in it that could genuinely have released as individual titles. Runs the gamut too, from strategy (quite a strong focus actually) and puzzles and more full, structured action games through to pure arcady type experiences of various sorts.






Here's a trailer, though it really doesn't get across quite what a nonsensical achievement UFO 50 is.

https://store.steamp...20/Iconoclasts/

Iconoclasts is on sale, for anyone who hasn't played it. That's a much-underappreciated all-time classic, genuinely one of my favourite stories ever in gaming. It's also a metroidvania, but a much more story-driven one- Cave Story is a clear influence and Metroid Fusion a cited one for the creator, though it's a bit more puzzle-platformy than either and nowhere near as hard as Cave Story. Though it's no cakewalk. Anyway, highly recommended, it's incredible.

I'm glad you said that coz I got it on ebook where maps are rubbish anyway, but yeah looked it up and it's great.



I watched a youtube vid not that long about how it'd be great if more fantasy book maps were a bit unusual in one way or another, and I remember agreeing but also thinking that increasingly, they are. And this is one of them.

And yeah it was the cover what sold me on it.

lol just got (at full price) Alchemised without seeing QT's mention of it, about 50 pages in. Didn't realise it was a HP fanfic changeup, but it's a lot better than 50 Shades I'd imagine...


Anyway I'm enjoying it so far, let's see if it gets the Double Meh or if it fits my tastes more.


I also picked up The Raven Scholar, the other buzzy fantasy of the moment. Haven't started it yet though.

QuickTidal, on 29 September 2025 - 12:53 PM, said:

Read Notorious Sorcerer instead. A quick search says I'm still the only person to even have mentioned it on this forum and that is an outrage. Also: it's called Notorious Sorcerer. There's at least a 50% chance you'll like it.

I think I might end up liking Silksong even more than HK, though only replays will tell - it's so rewarding, and once you get past a certain point you get way more customisation and ways to engage with the difficulty than the first game ever gave you. But it does take a lot of blood sweat and tears to get to that point, and there is one questionable decision in the game's structure that is definitely gonna put a lot of fans off.


Like, I don't think it's actually more difficult than HK, but the ways to mitigate the difficulty are harder to find than the difficulty which you just run face-first into.


It's very, very satisfying though. Hornet moves like a dream.