nicked on 24/5/2023 at 11:44
Been playing a bit of Tomb Raider Anniversary. I remember the camera being less horribly janky, but it's still a lot of fun. I really want something similar to scratch that lonely exploration/puzzle itch. Any suggestions?
Sulphur on 24/5/2023 at 14:26
Can't think of anything with that specific vibe apart from CD's own Legacy of Kain games and, of course, Ico - which is not a lonely game per se, but I think its ability to channel separation anxiety is a perfect complement to its stark environments - and while it's not really the same thing, Sable is really nice and chill when it comes to exploration, which is ironic because it's set in a desert, but hey.
henke on 24/5/2023 at 14:27
Yeah, Sable! Or for a few other indie alternatives: Tchia, Rime
Or when you're ready to get SERIOUS: Human Fall Flat :cool:
Malf on 24/5/2023 at 14:56
Also, the other games that along with Anniversary make the first Cystal Dynamics TR trilogy are pretty good too, Legend and Underworld (although I seem to remember preferring Legend to Underworld).
The big tombs in the second Crystal Dynamics TR trilogy can be good lonely puzzle experiences, but I don't think the rest of those games really capture the TR feel, thanks to trying to be open world games in the UbiSoft mould at the same time.
Sulphur on 24/5/2023 at 15:01
Quote Posted by henke
Yeah, Sable! Or for a few other indie alternatives: Tchia, Rime
Or when you're ready to SERIOUS: Human Fall Flat :cool:
And when you're ready to get seriously serious, HFF's user-created levels. :cool::cool:
Oh yeah, there's also Tasomachi, and while I haven't played the full game, I played its charming if bare demo, and it's got the loneliness and chill puzzle exploration bit down. The controls are floaty, though, and it's more of a puzzle platformer than something where you're peeling back multi-stage puzzles or carving your way through environments, but it's worth a look if nothing else.
Edit: how do you feel about a perspective shift - as in, isometric entries like Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light/Temple of Osiris? GoL was really great back in the day, and I have fond memories of co-op'ing it with henke, and I'm sure it'd play nicely solo; but yeah, they aren't lonely again per se.
Starker on 24/5/2023 at 17:35
Or perhaps play some of TR's numerous fan missions?
Renault on 24/5/2023 at 19:38
I was kind of bored with Tears of the Kingdom, so I went back and am doing a NG+ run on Elden Ring. It's pretty funny in the early to mid areas, you end up just wiping the floor with everyone. I took out Magrit, Godrick, Radahn, 2 Tree Sentinels, Godfrey and Morgott on my first try (plus a few others). You wouldn't think that would be fun, but strangely enough it was. It's kind of like Luke coming back to face Vader after getting his ass whooped at Cloud City, payback time. Anyway, it's great just going anywhere and doing whatever you want to do, my main goal has been just getting every area of the game open and accessible as quickly as possible.
The difficulty has definitely picked up in the endgame areas though (everything northeast of the Capital), so that's where the challenge will lie. Even at level 185, I'm still getting my ass kicked in certain areas of the Haligtree. For the moment I'm just looking to do a bunch of quests that I never got around to the first time, and maybe try some new weapons out. It's been a year since my last playthrough, but it's easy to slip back into it and it's still a great time.
Just thought of this, but I sort of wonder how DLC will be handled (once it comes out) if you're currently playing NG+. I'd be best to go back and play it on my original run of the game, but I'm guessing that's not possible anymore.
nicked on 24/5/2023 at 21:08
Some great suggestions, thanks folks. I've played some of them like Rime and Sable, but got some more to add to the list.
Was not aware there were fan levels for tomb raider!
Tomi on 25/5/2023 at 15:36
I recently bought my first ever gaming console... XBox Series X! Apparently I got the last XBox in my hometown and now it's out of stock again, which made me feel a bit smug about it. :p
My main excuse for this unexpected turn of events was that my wife wanted to play Hogwarts Legacy (she has never shown much interest in any kind of games before), but it's a fun little toy to play with. It's sort of interesting to see how awkward the main user interface is though, and how unbelievably bad some of the Finnish system translations are - you wouldn't believe that this is the flagship product of a mega-corporation. After my first steps into the console world I'm getting used to the awkwardness though, so it's alright. It's great to play games on the big tv screen, and most (not all) of the games run and load super quickly too. :)
I subscribed to the Ultimate Game Pass (or whatever it's called) for 2+ years as I discovered some loophole that you could use to get it for really cheap. It involved buying some XBox Live Gold gift cards on bargain and then converting them to Ultimate. I think it works for new Ultimate users only.
So far I've been playing Weird West, Unravel, the new Lego Star Wars game, Bugsnax, Super Lucky's Tale, Lonely Mountains: Downhill, Forza Horizon 5, Fifa 22, and Redfall. Nothing particularly great, but they're all at least somewhat decent. Maybe I'll post about them some time later.
WingedKagouti on 26/5/2023 at 11:07
I grabbed the (
https://www.humblebundle.com/games/luck-draw-roguelike-deckbuilders) Luck of the Draw Humble bundle earlier this week.
Started out with
Luck be a Landlord, which consumed 5 or so hours immediately after installing. It's fun enough and does have quite a bit of depth when you start examining it, but I had my fill after around 10 hours total. The basic premise is that you're a tenant in an appartment complex and the only way you have to pay your ever increasing rent is to play a slot machine which you constantly modify.
Then I got hooked on
Tainted Grail: Conquest. The story is that reality and time completely broke apart due to some sort of corruption called the wyrdness, so people die and come back over and over while trying to keep their minds in one piece and not succumb to the corruption. A strange goat-like creature tasks you with setting things right and purifying the source of corruption. It's clear to see the devs put in a lot of effort in making the game look and play well for a deckbuilding roguelite. I highly recommend it if you like Slay the Spire or other combat centric deckbuilders and want something more with a good amount of story.
