An attempt at #FreshFebruary

It's a new year, it's time to try new things. On twitter I stumbled across the hashtag #FreshFebruary, a month-long challenge to try out a new (to you) video game each day. It seemed like a good way to finally dig into some games that had been sitting untouched in my library, as well as check out unfamiliar titles on itch.io and during Steam's Next Fest, which happily aligned with this challenge. So here's some quick thoughts on what I've been looking at!

... is what I'd like to leave it at, but unfortunately I ended up falling ill about halfway through the month, which proceeded to be the errant domino falling and knocking over all my plans. (Another domino also fell elsewhere, but that'll get its own blog post later.) I only made it to about twelve games! But honestly, hey, that's still a solid number.

Day 1: Swapwood Quest R

Swapwood Quest R by Team Bugulon is a cute little block puzzle game, both free and playable in-browser. The gameplay is a Tetris Attack or Panel De Pon-like, but with an RPG twist. Instead of competing against an enemy to match blocks and stack garbage on their screen... there's only your one side, and you'll queue up offensive or defensive manuevers depending on what you align. Meanwhile the enemy will do their best to interfere with your moves, and deplete your lil guy's health in return.

A well-made little game with lovely art! I played it on a day I was determined to work on cleaning up this site, but just kept going back to it, haha. I'd love if there were more but, as it is, it's an excellent bite-sized experience. Heads up though, the final boss is a considerable step up in difficulty compared to the rest of the game.

Day 2: Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom

Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom by Panik Arcade is a cheeky 3D platformer in which you play a cute wind-up taxi car. You have an accelerate button and a reverse button, but you can't quite jump. Sure, you can manage a little bunny hop, but it doesn't travel far. Instead, a lot of the challenge and fun is in reaching new areas by taking advantage of your dash button to launch yourself up and across the geometry.

There's only a demo with two stages available currently, but the gameplay shows a lot of promise! I had a blast when that "aha" moment clicked in and I realized how the game wanted me to proceed. And, of course, it makes an affectionate nod to a certain other taxi game.

Day 3: Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils

Curse Crackers by Colorgrave is a 2D platformer where you play as the acrobatic Belle, as she aims to rescue her kidnapped boyfriend from the nefarious Bonnie.

This is one I picked up during a Steam sale, but hadn't yet gotten around to. While the pixel style is true to old GBC games, the gameplay itself (thankfully) is not. The controls are tight and snappy with some fun movement options. I'm sure the speedy slide jump is key for speedruns of the game. It's cute! I'm gonna have to dig back into this one sometime, it scratches that nostalgic itch perfectly, without the frustration of actually playing some old platformers.

Day 4: Ex-Zodiac

Ex-Zodiac by Ben Hickling is a low-poly, 3D rail shooter inspired by certain classic games of the 90s. Any Star Fox fans out there? Y'all hear about this?? ...That said though, I've actually played very few of those games, let alone the ones folks considered good, so I can't quite view this through the lens of a proper fan!

Standing on it's own though: hey, Ex-Zodiac is hard!? Previous experience with rail shooters tell me this is just standard for the genre, but man, this one sure gave me the business. I don't think I earned any rank worthy of showing off. Definitely the sort of game that warrants several playthrough attempts to improve at.

Day 5: Rocket Knight Adventures 2

Rocket Knight Adventures 2 by Konami is the side-scrolling platformer action game sequel to, well, Rocket Knight Adventures. You continue to play as the titular Rocket Knight, Sparkster, himself in this entry, but there's been some changes to how the game controls. ...I wish I could say that I walked away from this liking it as much as other entries in the series!

It's just, I dunno! There were a handful of changes that don't really mesh well. The rocket pack charges faster but Sparkster himself moves slower, the basic sword attack feels less effective overall to bother using, the level design is disorienting, and there's a new slot mechanic that more often than not punishes the player just because??? Without any knowledge of the other games in the series, it'd probably end up a solid "alright". But having that experience, it just feels like a step backwards after how much I enjoyed Rocket Knight Adventures and Sparkster.

Day 6: VIVIDLOPE

VIVIDLOPE by Jaklub. Most folks have probably encountered some form of mini-challenge in other video games where you have to step on a series of panels to either light them up or change their color without backtracking, VIVIDLOPE takes that idea and makes it the whole video game. A very relaxing and easy-going sort of experience!

Honestly what charms me the most is how they've perfectly nailed that Dreamcast je ne sais quoi in the aesthetic of the game. Like, yeah, Super Monkey Ball, sure. But the UI, the presentation... I can hear the roar of the system and the beep of an out-of-battery VMU in my mind's ear.

Day 7: Gunstar Heroes

I've had friends recommend and hoot about Gunstar Heroes by Treasure before. I'd originally planned to tackle a handful of Genesis games for this challenge, since I'd only had the occasional secondhand experience as a kid, so this is my first proper experience with something by this dev.

It's neat! Aiming in several directions takes some getting used to (plus whether or not you can move, depending on who you pick), but being able to switch what surface you're positioned on in some stages is pretty novel for an older run and gun type of game. I was somehow unsurprised to find there was a grapple mechanic in here.

Day 8: Tailspin!

Tailspin! is another free game by Team Bugulon from above. Made in 72 hours, you play a canary travelling deeper and deeper down some sort of cavern. The controls seem simple on first glance--you have a jump and you can dash with your drill--but I was very pleasantly surprised to see there was a bit more depth. For example, you'll ricochet off of hard surfaces you try to dash into, and that's extremely key for getting around later on!

Despite the time constraints it was made under, Tailspin! is an excellent and fully realized little game. My only big upset is that I haven't played anything in-depth with just keyboard controls in several years, due to crunchy bone concerns, so my lack of fidelity has been adding an extra layer of challenge here.

Day 9: Gravity Circuit

Gravity Circuit by Domesticated Ant Games lies somehwere between Megaman and a beat-em-up, which makes it sick as hell. Instead of a pellet gun, you've gotta punch and kick your way through. You've also got the common friend of modern platformers: a grapple hook. It's very fast-paced and fun, and the demo features a handful of equipment options for the player to mess around with. There's only two stages available, but what's there is already very strong.

I'd originally kept an eye on this for friends, as I'm not particularly what I'd consider a Megaman fan. But this clicks in a way certain titles hadn't, so now I'm definitely watching for the full release.

Day 10: Alien Soldier

Alien Soldier by Treasure takes day ten.

I'd been meaning to play this for a bit now, but somehow missed that it was another Treasure game, whoops. It seems to follow Gunstar Heroes' layout of having various bullet types to pick from, as well as the ability to change what surface you're braced against. The controls were a little stiff and difficult to work with starting out, but the extra spice here is in having a parry, plus the ability to dash back and forth across the screen as a sort of evasive dodge. Once I started to grasp that manuever, the game--and its bosses in particular--became pretty fun!

The potential is fantastic, but the controls aren't quite as snappy as I'd like. It was great once I started getting into a bit of a groove about it but, putting responsiveness aside, the game is pretty harsh even on lower difficulty settings.

Day 11: GrimGrimoire OnceMore

"Say... have we met before? ... no, it couldn't be. Forget it."

GrimGrimoire OnceMore by Vanillaware, is seeing an English release soon this year. I'm quite familiar with some of Vanillaware's more action-oriented work, but this one's slipped under my radar for quite some time! Unlike, say, Odin Sphere or Muramasa... GrimGrimoire is a real-time strategy game. I'm enjoying what I've played in the demo, and the story's got some pretty fun intrigue to it.

I don't have any experience with the original that I can compare this remaster with, unfortunately! But the game is gorgeous and I'm sure that, like the previous Odin Sphere remaster, there'll be various quality of life adjustments and new art. (The Japanese release has recast the voice actors, though at the time of this writing, I don't know if that'll also be the case for the English version.)

Day 12: Verlet Ascend

Verlet Ascend by Sagewind Studio. Between the game description pitching this as an endless parkour, and Steam itself saying, "Hey, you like Downwell?" I was intrigued. A roguelike platformer where you keep climbing up as opposed to constantly falling down has potential.

As it stands though, the very short demo available is rough. It's okay as a sort of concept slice, but I hopped up to the end in a quick six minutes and was left wanting. A new weapon unlocked after the initial clear, sure, but it didn't impact or change up the gameplay in any meaningful way. There is little challenge, and a lack of fun incentives to keep playing. Both of which I feel are pretty key for anything that pitches itself as a roguelike.

This could be just an early build, certainly! But it's unfortunately a lacking first impression.

It's a shame to end on a bit of a sour note, but what can you do!

I had a lot of fun while I was able to stick to this though, and wouldn't be opposed to trying again next year, or perhaps doing something similar another time. There's just so many video games out there, and this challenge was a good excuse to try out some new ones.