The title screen to the video game Escape from Ever After

The chapter 1 screen for Escape from Ever After. The screen reads: "Chapter 1: The Three Little Pigs"

The bestest boy: Wolfgang aka The Big Bad Wolf (one of the party members in Escape from Ever After)

Promo image from Escape from Ever After

Escape from Ever After was fun. A cute little Paper Mario-like adventure that had banger music and looked great but didn't quite "wow" me. I still think Bug Fables is the best of the Paper Mario(-like) games but this one was a solid #2. #IBeatAGame #gamersky #Blackgamersky

The original title screen for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

The four ancient sages in order of my faves: Qia the Zora, Raphica the Rito, Agraston the Goron, and Ardi the Gerudo.

Calamo the Korok. No lie this little guy was one of the MVPs of the game for me alongside Zelda (of course) and Agraston.

The Light Dragon flying across the sky (IYKYK 🥺)

Age of Imprisonment was everything I wanted Age of Calamity to be. AoI being a story that strengthens TotK over AoC doing nothing for BotW made all the difference. Well, that and having Melinoë from Hades II as a Zora 😅. I'm gonna miss the Wild Era Hyrule, but it went out well #IBeatAGame #gamersky

Title screen for the Switch 2 edition of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Samus Aran preparing to fight side by side with Sergeant Ezra Duke. First Black man in a Metroid game since Anthony in Other M!

Screenshot of the five Galactic Federation soldiers in Prime 4 right before the final battle

My mission complete screen. It features Samus in her Legacy Suit and the following stats: 93% of scans collected, 100% of items discovered, and 21 hours and 52 minutes of playtime (remember that I play games slowly 😅).

When everybody was freaking out over dialogue in Metroid Prime 4 I knew people were exaggerating, and I was right. The GF soldiers were highkey a highlight. What yall SHOULD have complained about was the desert area and how pushy the map is. An 80 is about right. #IBeatAGame #gamersky #Blackgamersky

Screenshot of the Hollow Knight title screen with the Hidden Dreams menu style

Opening text of the game Hollow Knight. It reads: "In wilds behind they speak your name with reverence and regret, For none could tame our savage souls yet you the challenge met, Under palest watch, you taught, we changed base instincts were redeemed, A world you gave to bug and beast as they never dreamed. From 'Elegy for Hallownest' by Monomon the Teacher"

Screenshot of "Ghost" (aka the Knight) training with a nailmaster. The two cross blades with ferocity.

Congratulations screen from the ending of Hollow Knight. It features a message from developers Team Cherry that reads: "Well done on achieving this great feat. You persevered and you triumphed. We hope you enjoyed yourself in the world of Hollow Knight. We'll meet you again soon on the road ahead."

My plan was to finally beat Hollow Knight in time to play Silksong when it came out, but clearly that didn't happen 😅. It's all good tho bc this game is an EXCELLENT Metroidvania all on its own. Who knows if I'll 100% it (I ended with 84%) but I loved what I had. #IBeatAGame #gamersky #Blackgamersky

Ending title Screen for the video game Pokémon Legends: Z-A

An in game selfie of my character and (one of!) the Black "Nurse Joy(s)"

Screenshot of my character and the fashion designer and Team MZ member Naveen

A screenshot of my character and the battle enthusiast Jacinthe

It's funny; a few games this year started great but fumbled their endings, while Pokémon Legends Z-A was the opposite: the ending was way better than the journey there 😅. Game was fine, inferior to Legends Arceus but fine. I had the most fun taking pics with Black ppl lol #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky

Screenshot of the episode 1 title screen for the video game Dispatch.

Dispatch characters Robert and Royd meeting at a bathroom urinal

An evaluation of my choices throughout the game. It says, "An everyman, your Robert always kept everyone guessing what he'll say or do next".

The end credit title screen from the video game Dispatch

Finished Dispatch last night & 👏🏿 Adhoc! It was a stellar story and by the end I was super invested in each character. I have never played this type of game before so I didn't know what to expect, but what I got was great. Def going towards the top of the list. #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

The title screen for the video game Hades II

An unfinished family portrait of the rulers of the dead in Hades II

Screenshot of my first successful (underworld) run.

Screenshot of Hades II stating that Melinoë's task is complete (aka, I rolled credits)

Rolled credits on Hades II last night and it. was. amazing! I was a bit confused by the credits ending so it felt a little bit anticlimactic, but the journey there was fantastic. Of course there's SO MUCH more to do so who knows how things will TRULY end. #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

I finally went on and beat Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I LOVED the vast majority of the game but (no spoilers) I definitely feel some kinda way about how it ends. That probably doesn't stop it from being my favorite gaming experience so far this year tho. #IBeatAGame #blackgamersky

Title screen for the video game Super Metroid

Screenshot of Super Metroid gameplay right before getting an upgrade

Ending screen of Super Metroid showing the percentage of item collection. I collected 63% of items during my first playthrough.

Screenshot of Samus Aran smiling and giving the camera a thumbs up in the ending sequence of Super Metroid.

Apparently I just do not gel with "sacred cow" video games 😅. Beat Super Metroid last night and while I can see why people love it, I was not one of those people. The controls were clunky and it's way too obtuse, but I did like the music & story. #IBeatAGame #gamersky #blackgamersky

Official image of Metroid: Samus Returns

A "screenshot" of the Metroid: Samus Returns title screen

An in-game image of Samus and the baby Metroid from Metroid: Samus Returns

A "screenshot" of the file select screen of Metroid: Samus Returns, showing a completed file with over 55% of items collected in just under 15 hours.

My Metroid journey returns w/ Metroid: Samus Returns! It was a fun little romp that finally made Samus feel like an actual bounty hunter lol. Speaking of feel, despite playing amazingly a 3DS & intense combat dont mix 😅 My hands hurt by the end of the final boss. #IBeatAGame #gamersky #Blackgamersky

Official art for the video game "Blue Prince"

Just finished #BluePrince and my brain is still reeling 😅. It was a fun puzzle roguelike that I know I just scratched the surface of. I'll have to see how deep down the rabbit hole I go (RNG is an unforgiving baroness) but I enjoyed rolling credits at least. #IBeatAGame #gamersky #blackgamersky

Last night I finished #SouthofMidnight! The music and story were fire, Hazel is a great protag and it felt authentic to so much from back home (I'm from Mississippi). Between this and #Sinners... Black southern culture all 2025. #IBeatAGame #gamersky #Blackgamersky

It's been a min bc this game was HUGE but I got a new one for the #IBeatAGame thread: Metaphor: ReFantazio! Truly an epic tale that is more than a little poignant right now, this game is def one of the JRPG greats. The pacing dragged a bit in places but still fantastic. #Blackgamersky #Gamersky

Game #50! When I tell you the last act of Dragon Age: The Veilguard was a ROLLER COASTER 🙃. I loved this game a lot, and not just bc I met my husband Davrin in it lol. I know the game gets a lot of flack and I have my own critiques, but it was a damn good time. #IBeatAGame #blackgamersky #gamersky

The most recent addition to this (and game #49 since 2018!) is The Plucky Squire, a cute indie game about the book bound hero Jot. I won't dare spoil the main gimmick bc discovering it on my own made my jaw drop. Great ideas but in need of a little polish. #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

Judge me if you feel you must but IMO ALBW is leagues better than ALTTP. Sure it's a bit on the easy side but the story, characters, and world are very rewarding. Plus it helped ease us onto BOTW and TotK with its item rental mechanic and general nonlinearity. #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

My brain was tested all throughout Animal Well but I'm proud to have finally beat it (esp in challenges like the Mock Disc chase). It was a very minimalistic and sometimes frustrating, but I enjoyed it overall. Even the brainy Metroidvanias are up my alley lol #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

I truly wish Princess Peach Showtime was better. There are some fun ideas here, but the lack of complexity (there's only two buttons used) ended up making this kinda drag along. Least it was pretty 😅 #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

There's not a whole lot more for me to say about Astro Bot but that this is video games at their best. Fun from start to finish, a joy to play and look at, and such a beautiful love letter to the games of Playstation's history and the people behind them. #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

This may make some of yall try to take my Zelda fan card away, but I did not care for ALTTP 🫣. I'm sure in '91 it was revolutionary, but in 2024 it's obtuse and not that enjoyable to play. I respect what it did for the Zelda series but yea. Nah. #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

Thank goodness Zero Mission came right after to wash that taste out of my mouth. This is probably the smoothest controlling Metroid outside of Dread and super replayable. Plus the upgrades/changes from the original make this the definitive version. Go play it! #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

Even before I became a Metroid fan I was always hearing how bad Metroid: Other M was. If you know me tho you know I have to form my own opinion, and my opinion is...they were right 😬. There were some bright spots (usually associated with the action) but yea...😬 #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

Seeing the announcement for Astro Bot earlier this year convinced me to actually try Astro's Playroom. I never woulda guessed how fun this game was and how many memories it would bring back. I STILL can't believe how polished this was as a tech demo. #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

How Microsoft didn't recognize the quality on their hands with HiFi Rush I'll never know. Even if you suck at rhythm games (like me 😅) you'll still have a lot of fun.
The visuals and characters (like my faves here) are also a highlight. Highly recommend! #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

I was excited about Tales of Kenzera: Zau from the moment I saw it at TGA 2023. Once I was able to experience the story and visuals I liked it, but admittedly it didn't really stand out amongst the Metroidvanias I've played. The included comic was cool tho. #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was a fantastic game. Great gameplay, good music, great visuals. My only complaint is the story left some things to be desired by the end. Still heavily recommend it tho, esp if you're a Metroidvania fan. #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

Born of Bread was a fun classic Paper Mario-esque game. I loved the characters (esp Yagi & Chloe) and the world, I just wish it wasn't as buggy and some elements (like the battle system) were more fleshed out. Oh and Yagi & Kakoi are totally a couple. #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

As a fan of JRPGs, I was excited to finally give an honest try to this game. It did not disappoint. It did also make me really really want a "traditional" JRPG like this with Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser as party members. Do it, Nintendo! #IBeatAGame #Blackgamersky #gamersky

2023 was a MARATHON of great games, and though Mario Wonder didn't grab me until I played online, it ended up making me actually like a 2D Mario (that hasn't happened since New Super Mario Bros Wii). Pretty fun game overall. #IBeatAGame #blackgamersky #gamersky

Idk why everybody started hating Spider-Man 2 out of nowhere, but I loved it. There were flaws but everything in the game worked to support its strongest feature: the narrative. You know the acting and writing are good when I question if the trailers lied to me 😅 #IBeatAGame #blackgamersky #gamersky