My thoughts and impressions on Day of the Devs 2026 as a first-time attendee. I spoke with a few of the developers and got a chance to play Queen's Domain, Tire Boy, Kiln and more...
unexpectedgames.blog/2026/04/06/d...
Game #14 of 2026: REANIMAL; Tarsier Studio's successor to Little Nightmares. It's a masterclass in art direction and sound design. An evolution to what Éric Chahi first established with cinematic platformers/Another World. I finished the game with the true ending and earned the Platinum trophy.
I somehow made it to 40 today. I do miss hearing from my dad. I know he's rolling in his grave, considering the state of things here and abroad.
And yes, I'm still just a kid at heart. I haven't been able to move on from ice cream cake with those little crunchies at the bottom since I was a kid ha
Game #13 of 2026: Planet of Lana II; Wishfully's sequel to their debut cinematic 2D platformer. Takeshi Furukawa's score completely elevated the experience. The cinematics and sound design are a step above the first game, too. I loved it. Completed the game at 100% with the Platinum trophy earned.
Game #12 of 2026: Ratcheteer DX; a top-down, 2D Zelda-like that takes place underground due to a meteor that hit the earth. The game's main gimmick is that you need to use your lamp to navigate and solve puzzles. It's short and sweet! I completed it at 100% with everything collected.
When I first played X5 as a teenager, I could never get past the fact that there were not enough Heart Tanks in a single playthrough to max out both Zero and MM.
And then there's the hunter ranking system ahhh such a frustrating mess lol
I sort of love this game still too lol
I've finally started to dig into it this year and I can't get over how good each game is so far. I was sort of going from left to right starting from the top, but I've jumped around a bit already.
I have been doing my best to fully complete (cherry) a game as soon as I start one before moving on.
Game #11 of 2026: Resident Evil requiem; Capcom's latest in the long-running RE franchise that (mostly) succeeds in combining what RE7 established in first-person horror with Leon's post-RE4 shenanigans. I completed the game on Standard (Classic) difficulty & loved it, despite some decisions made.
Game #10 of 2026: Kena: Bridge of Spirits; Ember Lab's debut action-adventure title. I replayed the game on Master difficulty, finished all of the Spirit Guide Trials, and got the Platinum trophy. I've always said Kena felt like the first quarter of a 3D Zelda game. Can't wait for the sequel!
Game #9 of 2026: Tokyo Scramble; a survival horror game of sorts where you hide from "Zinos" (dinosaurs) while using smart phone apps to stop them in their tracks. It's the most Wii-ass era game I've played in a minute. Finished on Hope difficulty with all S Ranks & Access Point messages collected.
Thanks for another fun localization @84play.bsky.social! Y'all got more than one laugh out of me with this one haha
All S Ranks on Hope difficulty in Tokyo Scramble. No additional unlockables, blah. If I was in my twenties, I would have gone for Despair difficulty as well.
The hardest difficulty is so miserable, though! I'm nearly 40 and I can't do this kind of shit anymore lol
Not great but apparently Bungie resolved the issue with the artist and they're even credited in the final game:
share.google/wRKiRyeVSL0z...
Marathon is (dangerously) good. That is all.
No excuses. It's now on PC, Switch, and PS5! Öoo made my top 5 last year. NamaTakahashi is one to watch!
I now own this game on three platforms haha any chance ElecHead will also find its way to PS5? I'd love to own that game for the third time as well!
My husband and I may have made an appearance in this video, see if you can spot us haha
I attended my first Day of the Devs and got a chance to talk to a few of the devs while checking out some cool games. I'll be writing about it on my blog (hopefully) soon!
I'll do one more and then enough of this trend lol this is my PS2 Sicko Edition. If you want to know who I am, deeply to my core, these are "my games" haha
"My 9 Games" can change on a daily/weekly basis lol but here's a PlayStation 1 Edition for now.
These are the games that immediately come to mind if you ask my about the PS1. 9 games just isn't enough, but these were super formative experiences for me.
Still thinking about REANIMAL.
I'm nearing the end of Resident Evil requiem (I think?), playing on Standard Classic difficulty, and the Grace/Care Center portion was peak RE design.
Parts of Leon's side of the game, though... I'll share my thoughts down the road lol
I knew I was going to love REANIMAL, but I'm absolutely floored by it as I approach what's presumably the final few chapters.
If this game doesn't get nominated for best audio design and art direction at the end of the year, then WTF are we even doing!? Tarsier Studios is in a league of their own.
Game #8 of 2026: Lovish; the latest game from the developers behind Astalon: Tears of the Earth. It feels like the modern-day equivalent of The Tower of Druaga. They somehow distilled Metroidvania elements into a single-screen adventure, too. I completed it at 100%, got the Plat, and loved it!
Game #7 of 2026: Crosak (Play-Dough Age); a 3D platformer where you play as cavemen and everything is made out of playdough. It's clearly inspired by Super Mario Galaxy and it's an objective-based collect-a-thon à la SM64/B-K. I completed the game at 100% with the Platinum trophy. I really liked it!
My one and only contribution to today's discourse:
Gotcha. I'm still relatively early in the game. Haven't unlocked Moonlighting yet.
I played a decent amount of the original PS1 game but never finished it. I really like the island vignette structure, though. It's so easy to pick up and play, put it down after an island etc.
Did you play on the highest preset difficulty by chance? I don't find it too brainless or anything in the early hours so far on that mode. Curious how hard this difficulty is in the end/post-game as a ton of people seem to complain about how "easy" it was overall.
Stoked for the Xenoblade Chronicles X: DE Switch 2 update (and I hope the other games get updated as well soon), but I think the text is way too small still (and they apparently improved the text size in this version!) my eyesss
I guess anything is on the table at this point in terms of being axed/shutdown. I have no confidence in Sony when it comes to keeping Team ASOBI and Housmarque around.
Dissolving Japan Studio was the first sign of PlayStation losing its identity for me. What is even happening anymore?
