The Black Friday Deals Got Me

 The Black Friday Deals Got Me

Nothing hits quite like Thanksgiving leftovers and scrolling through Steam to see what deals I want to take advantage of and what I want to skip. I ended up scrolling through my wishlist twice in addition to seeing the recommended deals that Steam had to offer. So here's what I bought and why I wanted to check it out!

Bokura

Bokura is a puzzle adventure game where you and a friend play as two boys who ran away from home. Through working together, you have to overcome various obstacles and the game is meant to relive the childhood nostalgia of the two boys growing up.

So why did I buy it?

Well, first of all it's a co op game that I knew I could play with my friend. And secondly, it's a game where we have to trust each other and I think it will surely only lead to hilarious situations. I have been playing games with my friend for years now and the two of us are always looking for new co op games to play and I really like that this one can have a slightly spooky twist.

The Coma: Recut

In this Korean cult classic game, you play as a student being relentlessly stalked through the halls of your school by a psychotic killer. You have to know when to run, when to hide, and all the while attempt to solve puzzles to figure out what's going on.

So why did I buy it?

When Steam Next Fest happened I wanted to play the demo for the latest game but sadly ran out of time. Still, I was intrigued and kept the game on my wishlist. So when I saw how good the sale was for the first game I wanted to check it out. I might have missed out on the free demo, but I love a good cult classic and this seems like a horror for the ages!

Chasing Static

A psychological short story told in video game form. Discover a mysterious facility and explore it all the while uncovering secrets of what happened to the now missing villagers of Hearth. An eerie game that uses spooky ambiance to create a scary experience.

So why did I buy it?

I recently played a walking simulator game that was a story told in game form and found it to be really intriguing. So when I was looking through Steam horror games and saw Chasing Static I was intrigued. I love the idea of telling an immersive story that I'm in the middle of, unable to change but only striving to uncover the why of it all. So after enjoying the other game I played, I wanted to try another from this genre.

And there it is. Those are the three games I picked up from the Black Friday sale! There are two others I'm debating as well and even as I sit here writing this I know the night is still young and my credit card isn't far away. So maybe there will be a part 2 where I talk about how I gave in and picked up copies of Mineko's Night Market and Harvest Island.

Thank you so much for reading and let me know what you bought!

💛 Memento

A Stranded Spark: A Story of Love and Loss

A Stranded Spark: A Story of Love and Loss

When tomatecebolla.games on Threads reached out to me to be featured in my Steam Next Fest coverage I was excited but also didn't know what to expect. I could tell it was a cozy and stylistic game but honestly not much about what the overall story would entail or how in depth the demo would go. But now that I've played it I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised!

A Stranded Spark follows the story of Guina, a puppet stranded on an island along with a colorful cast of characters. Guina helps them while uncovering their own past in the process. It's a wholesome and sweet story full of interesting characters and all sorts of different puzzles.

Overall I really found this to be such a cozy and sweet game. It's a cute concept and one thing I love is that there is a lot of variation in the puzzles so if you're bad at one, don't worry, there won't be a ton of the same puzzle! Because I did get frustrated with one and only had to be frustrated once!

So let's talk about how I felt playing A Stranded Spark!

Music: 4/5 The music of this game is so soothing and nice to listen to. It really sets the tone of the game well and provides a nice atmosphere that keeps with the calm nature of the game. One thing I noticed is that when the characters speak, especially the crying man, it can be a bit unbalanced. He was incredibly loud compared to everything else. But I did like that sound effects are used for character speech. It always helps to add to the atmosphere of the game.

Characters: 4/5 Speaking of characters, I really enjoyed the characters of A Stranded Spark. They each have their own distinct personalities and this is made clear both in how they speak and the sound effects used in their speech. It's a fun concept that adds a little extra flair, especially since there are no character portraits. I think this is a perfect stand in! 

My favorite character was absolutely the robot!

Story: 4.5/5 The story is sweet and just a little bit sad. A lot of these characters have experienced loss that they are working to cope with. The crying man thinks his mother won't welcome him home since he isn't the strongest out there while the robot has lost his creator. Guina helps each of these characters deal with their losses and struggles and it makes for such a sweet story.

I genuinely want to see this story unfolds and where it's all leading to. I love the idea of helping each of these characters and also coming to terms with Guina's story as well!

Mechanics: 3.5/5 I liked the mechanics and puzzles of this game a lot. The platforming is rather generous which is nice for someone who is particularly bad at platforming. And when it comes to the puzzles, there's a lot of variation. It's lovely to have variation because if you don't like one puzzle, chances are you only need to do it once.

In my own playthrough I encountered one frustrating puzzle that I was absolutely terrible at. I don't count it against the game since there are plenty of people who do happen to like those rearranging puzzles. One thing that could have helped is perhaps a hint system if you're in a puzzle for too long. It could potentially help with frustration!

This man quickly became the bane of my existence!

Coziness: 5/5 Talk about a lovely and cozy game! A Stranded Spark takes you on a heart warming journey of love, loss, and moving forward. It's cozy and full of fun puzzles and platforming. Honestly, it's a good game to relax with!

If you want to watch my playthrough of the demo it's included in my Cozy Steam Next Fest video! Here's the link for it! The gameplay starts at 18:51 or you can watch all three games included!

Watch Me Play!

And if you want to wishlist this game or try the demo for yourself, here's a link to the Steam Page!

A Stranded Spark Steam Page

Thank you again to tomatecebolla.games for reaching out to me on Threads about covering your game! I absolutely enjoyed it and found it so rewarding to play and get to know each of these characters!

And to anyone reading this, have a fantastic rest of your day!

💛 Memento

Everholm: Find Your Sister or Become A Farmer

 Hello hello, it's Memento! And I'm here to tell you about Everholm.

I played this game as part of an unpaid Lurkit Key Campaign. So while I received a copy of this game for free, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

If you want to wishlist Everholm, here's a link to the Steam page! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2312520/Everholm/

First of all, I just want to start out by saying I loved this game! I originally played it for a couple hours just to do a review video and then I found myself drawn back to it and wanting to play more. As of writing this I've played for a little over five hours and hoping to do more on my upcoming vacation. It's a charming game with such a beautiful style to it and I can see this easily becoming a staple in the cozy farming sim genre.

When it comes to game review though I like to go through about 5 categories and then go further in depth into each one. So without further ado, let's talk about Everholm!

Music: 3.5/5 The music of Everholm is genuinely so beautiful. I loved the soundtrack and found it set the mood well. My only issue was that I felt like I heard the same song for most of my playthrough. I would just love a little more variation when it comes to the music. Maybe a separate track for going into the shops, especially the magic shop since it has such a spooky and mysterious vibe over there.

Characters: 4/5 All the characters in Everholm were so cute and I want to get to know them more! Each one of them had a distinct personality and I look forward to learning their likes and dislikes as I get to know them. I do think it would be valuable to add a few more generic dialogue options though as I watched Marry mention wanting the rain day after day. It could just offer a little more casual character development. Also, please add portraits for the dialogue. It makes it easier for me to remember characters and also allows me to get to know them better just by seeing what they look like and maybe one to two different emotions! It just helps me to remember each character better and form more of a connection with them.

As you can see, there are quite a few characters to meet and get to know!

Story: 4.5/5 I found the story to be simple but compelling. You play as Lilly, a young girl looking for her missing sister Melanie. You go to Everholm and despite everyone knowing you, you've been struck with amnesia. I found the story fun and interesting while also leaving room for me to take things at my own pace. I didn't feel like I had to rush through the story and could instead casually enjoy it and balance well between story and casual farming.

Plus there were just so many cool places to explore that I didn't want to just rush through the story!

Mechanics: 3/5 This was probably where it was the most hit or miss. Some of the mechanics felt truly intuitive like the farming, but others definitely needed a little work. The fishing was the worst offender and just felt clunky to me. I think the interface made an already difficult system even harder because it was on a curve.

Here's what fishing looks like:

Personally I just had a really difficult time with it and think it could use some modifications. The combat was also a little tough but I think that's mostly because your starting weapon, true to the usual, isn't the greatest. I think the combat will get easier once more weapons are unlocked. And like I said, many of the mechanics felt natural and easy to do!

Coziness: 4/5 And to end it off, the coziness factor! Everholm is such a cozy and delightful game. I genuinely believe that with a couple of minor updates, this could easily become a staple of the cozy farming genre. The story itself stands out while not being overbearing and the aesthetic is one of my favorites that I've seen in a long time. It's gorgeously done, has a lovely vibe, and has left me wanting to play more in my free time. 

If you're looking for a cozy farming game with an intriguing story, I cannot recommend Everholm enough! It's truly a beautiful and captivating game and I hope you'll check it out!

If you want to see an in-depth video review as well as a preview of the intro of this game, here's the YouTube video I did. Once again, I received my copy of Everholm for free but all thoughts and opinions are purely my own. I loved this game and that's why I strive to give constructive feedback on both what I loved and what I hope might be changed or updated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKgh9yZ564U

If you read this far, thank you! I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day and don't forget to check out Everholm if this struck your fancy!

💛 Memento

A Warm Welcome!

 Hello hello, it's Memento!

I want to formally welcome everyone in to what will hopefully be a fun filled blog that combines my love of cosplay, gaming, and indie games. I'm hoping to showcase cosplays, talk about games I love, and reviewing and uplifting indie game titles that I play. 

So for a little info about me, I'm Memento. I started playing video games when I was just 6 years old and haven't stopped since. At 18 I got into cosplay and now I love combining both of my hobbies as I get dressed up, stream games, and create content. I strive to uplift and create a supportive community full of people who want to cheer each other on and celebrate their own successes.

If any of that interests you then come along for the ride!