Week of 02 Feb 2025
“Flock and shepherd will be reunited.”
Achievements Earned In:
- Phasmophobia
- Bound by Flame
- A Little to the Left
- Return to Grace
- Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
With nothing to do, it was time to finally buckle down and grind out the final Prestige in Phasmophobia with TommyToday. I had about 20 levels to go, so it was a few hours of running through Sunny Meadows at about 3000 XP each go. We have all this down to an exact science at this point and can clear out any specter in short time. While once in a while there’s the stubborn, quiet ghost (or vengeful Demon) to struggle to locate, usually we walk in, quickly locate the ghost, get the three pieces of evidence, and bounce. And with my third Prestige under my belt, it was time for my final achievement: the tutorial. Yeah, I completed the entire game without ever running through the Training course, so I had to make this my final achievement. Man, this is a really fun game and one of the few I kinda hope gets more achievements!
Achievements unlocked: 54 (+2) | Completed
Every screenshot looks like the part of the horror movie when things are about to get bad.
I got back to Bound by Flame on Monday to finish up my first playthrough of the game on Hawk (easy). The main goal of this playthrough was to reach the end as a Demon, while also romancing Sybil and Edwen. The former is pretty easy (kinda weird my ashen skin, fiery eyes, and giant demon horns weren’t a turn off…) but Edwen takes a lot more effort to reach romantically, so a guide is pretty much a necessity. If you miss a mission or say the wrong thing in a dialogue choice, you’re outta luck. But, luckily, as I reached her final mission in the smelly sewers of an ancient Eleven city she was down to clown and the achievement popped. Gurl is freaky. Tuesday, it was on to my Captain (hard) playthrough, and I still had to romance the two male companions but with the glitch ready to go and a handle on what I needed to do (and not having to hold my skill points until late into the game) I made lightning-speed progress. I still did what side-missions I could as I went to level up, but with unlimited traps and potions and crossbow bolts I cleared through even the bosses with no issue. I actually managed the entire playthrough in that single evening! All the achievements popped when they were meant to and I had this one completed!
Achievements unlocked: 41 (+18) | Completed
Could you two maybe save it for later? We have to lay siege to this Ice Lord.
Announced as leaving Game Pass in mid-February, it was finally time to complete A Little to the Left. I’d been stretching this one for a good while, using it to keep my streak going when I needed it. It helped it’s both a fairly short/easy game with guides, and can be played over cloud. If you’ve never played this, it’s just taking an ADHD look at everything and organizing it to make patterns. It’s such a neat idea and can really make you think sometimes. There are also two add-ons, and I have to say they kinda dragged on. They felt more “difficult” at times then the base game. Or maybe I was just over it by then… Anyway, moot point as I used a guide the whole time to blow through all of this as quickly as possible on Friday, though I also played some throughout the week. I wonder if they’ll ever add more? They seem to be bundling all the content nowadays, so maybe not.
Achievements unlocked: 65 (+27) | Completed
That wasn’t the only game leaving Game Pass I wanted to get to, though, so I also wanted to get Return to Grace knocked out. It’s one of those “walking simulator” titles and is therefore pretty simple to make your way through. I was legitimately curious about the story so I could have skipped the dialogue and cut down the play time (I think) but played it all the way through. My first playthrough was getting the collectibles in the game and reaching the “good” ending, which was more involved than just listening to Control and reaching the “bad” one. You can luckily make a save or two to make the completion shorter, so you can start skip the intro for the second playthrough. Loading a third save made near the end allows you to choose the alternate route through an ice canyon and unlocking the remaining achievements. I’m not sure about the ending, but I enjoyed the banter between your character and the various AI processes you’re stuck dealing with. Logic definitely got the most laughs out of me. Who doesn’t love witty dry humor?! It’s also always cool going into “old” abandoned structures and digging through what remains to discern what happened. I started this Thursday evening and managed to knock this out in a single session as well! Getting some completions this week.
Achievements unlocked: 35 (+35) | Completed
Oh no, ancient space vandalism! The worst kind!
As I’d stated last month, I am aiming to play one game every month in 2025 that was released in 2024 that I felt didn’t receive a fair shake. I really enjoyed Suicide Squad, a lot, so I was excited for the next title. I went with Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, a Metroidvania title that had the misfortune of being released after another, much larger and higher-profile entry in the genre a few months prior, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. This is… similar, but much more of a traditional platformer, like Castlevania, whereas The Lost Crown is practically Smash Bros. I felt this was perfect for my pick this month as it’s seeped in Bantu culture and you can even set the spoken dialogue to all be in Kiswahili! If you don’t know the story behind the development of this game, the developer made a pretty heartfelt announcement at the Game Awards, and the game is about moving on after heartbreak and loss. It’s really touching and sad, and I had to hold it together a few times when Zau really voiced the pain he was feeling. Oof. Gameplay-wise, I really enjoyed the feeling of movement, especially during combat. I mostly kept to the Moon mask when I had the choice, as the melee combat of the Sun mask felt…stunted. I couldn’t place it, but I just kicked more butt without it. Combat becomes a joke by the end of the game when you can pull enemies into the air and drop them or knock them into spikes/lava. Bosses? Psh, hit ‘em with the lazer beam! But, I had fun, and managed to complete the entire game Saturday. It’s about an 8-hour completion! I also didn’t have much trouble, even with the Trials the game throws at you. Glad I picked this one! Which should I play next?
Achievements unlocked: 19 (+19) | Completed
Time to just take a moment and reflect.
Highest ratio: 10.19
III (Phasmophobia)
Lowest ratio: 1.00
Not all those who wander are lost (Return to Grace)
Hear my Plea (Tales of Kenzera: ZAU)
