First Impressions: Yes, thank you please.

the perfect action vessel

screenshot from the game. pixel graphics with a pre-rendered background of a city. a boy and a bird stand on a balcony looking out over the city.

A Bird Story (Steam Deck, 82 minutes):
Isolated and dreamy, a boy grows a relationship with a bird. Minimal gameplay with gorgeously serene piano music. Beautiful. Simply sentimental, especially to one that has loved a non-human friend.

screenshot from the game. text reads "Sidequest #13: clean out closet."

This Game Will End in 205 Clicks (Steam Deck, 12 minutes):
A meta monologue from a villain forced to do no evil for a day. There are no choices, or actions other than clicking, and the countdown gimmick does not tie in very strongly to the narrative. Kind of underbaked. Funny here and there.

screenshot from the game. pixel graphics. a redheaded girl stands in a lush green forest near a river. there's a bat.

Under the Island (PS5, 15 hrs):
Feel the wrath of my mighty hockey stick. Top-down action adventure with puzzles, dungeons, and upgrades. The world is packed with rewarding secrets. This genre never fails: it's still one of the best.

oh it doesn't really tie in directly. it's 100 years later!

incredible bundle. S+ tier bundle.

Okay so I was with you until I got to the bottom: you have GOT to play Spirit Tracks and Four Swords Adventures.

what's that overlooked game? i can't read it

fun!

I did a journalism.

are we supposed to find the little uncanny girl in pragmata creepy or am i alone in the world

this is significantly better

Nothing against most of these games, but... this is a terrible list.

@andresplays.bsky.social okay The Knightling is a good time, but they really need a "shield shut up" toggle.

You've got nothing to prove. Just play Hollow Knight.

"frido"

so good

I just rewatched Hercules, and his performance regrettably holds up pretty well.

screenshot from the game. harsh hand-drawn lines with bright colors. a blue person surrounded by flowers.

screenshot from the game. harsh hand-drawn lines with bright colors. a yellow person stares at a black and red sunset.

screenshot from the game. harsh hand-drawn lines with bright colors. two figures in combat with jagged rings of pink and purple energy trailing the arcs of their attacks.

screenshot from the game. harsh hand-drawn lines with bright colors. a big yellow diamond explosion in a narrow hallway.

Death of a Wish (Steam Deck, 11.5 hrs):
A cardinally intense top-down action adventure. The art style and sound design and combat are all frenzied in presentation yet deliberate in execution. It feels satisfying when actions connect. Chaotic, beautiful, furious, vengeful, and righteous.

zoomed in image from one of the screenshots. person says "hi! i'm ordinary al. i'm very normal and there's nothing weird about me at all."

tag yourself

Thank you for this.

Nothing is more humbling than texting a joke to your dad and getting a thumbs up emoji in response.

Two open cans of Dr. Pepper. One is Cream Soda flavor, the other is Cherry flavor.

If Dr Pepper will not sell me Cherry Vanilla, I must take matters into my own hands.

I put over 100 hours into both: I'm hungry for the third entry

"You can tell it's AI because it uses the Oxford comma and em dashes" well fuck me for taking the time to learn how to use punctuation I guess.

hell yeah brother

Horizon always gets me.

they will take the em dash from my cold dead hands