MINDWAVE

Rapidfire crazy microgames for people in not-america

I saw this one going around Bluesky during some steam promotion week or somesuch, and it caught my eye in a way only something this ridiculously overstimulating could.

I've always been a fan of microgame... Micro Gamegames. Micro((game)^2)s. Macro of micro games games, an incredibly addictive format whose charm shines brightest in the creativity and variety of the presentation, for which MINDWAVE yes i WILL respect the allcaps is 200% tailor-made.

Even before the craziness of the gameplay itself takes hold, it's a whiplash of contrasts between your classic disillusioned punkish protagonist, the monokuma-lookin imagery, and the bizarre side characters.

When it became abundantly clear that every one of these elements are a laser-focused design choice that fuels the subtext of the actual gameplay system, a PvP of mindscapes, I could tell this one had the sauce. And it was only then that the core gameplay actually started.

I can't explain that though.

Very excited for the full release of this. I definitely need more time with it, especially to take in its perfectly-complementing soundtrack outside the context of being blasted with microgame imagery.

Aeruta

Food?? Combat?? Dungeons?? Girls It was very hard figuring out the order of these words.

When this game's trailer came across my steam queue, about four different similar games that I am fond of came to mind. That alone was a strong argument to at least try it out.

Just to put this up front: the game has beautiful sprite animations and charming character art. Contrasting (or complementing?) this, it has the ultra simple plot of what I can only describe as a contrived F2P MMO story and dialogue, in what I hope is a charitably nostalgic read rather than an insult. Frankly, I'm not always looking for a novel. Sometimes I am looking for a cool picture book, and I got what I asked for this time.

(Obviously I picked the rolling pin.)

The gameplay loop is one that relies on repetition, which naturally means that fun gameplay is a must. What constitutes fun is, of course, subjective, but if you already know I have a weakness for restaurant sims, you should also be informed that I definitely have a weakness for platformer action too. And being a self-reported F2P MMO oldhead, I'm no stranger to the loot-grind brainrot either.

So with that, I have to admit, if I ever get the full version or early access of this game, I will spend untold Well, I'll probably tell it here. amounts of time on it if it's even half as fun as it feels like it can become.

I will say that the demo offers a pretty limited look into something that is still in early access, so the randomized aspect is exhausted quickly even with only a little bit of replaying. My hope is that it's sufficiently expanded in the full release, because I have gamer brain worms.

Also, if you can tell which MMO it reminds me of, no you can't. ...But it 100% has Maplestory DNA.

DRAPLINE

This one is by a dev whose previous work I enjoyed quite a lot, though I haven't had time to write about it anywhere here. Until that time, I just have to insist you play Noel the Mortal Fate.

From what I can tell, this one is quite a different game, but their ability to create charming character designs and gradually build up intrigue is all in the DNA, even if it's quite simple to start with.

The demo hits the ground running to showcase the basics of the gameplay loop and what you can expect mechanically - daily life events, NPC relations, and the foundation of a decent fantasy plot about the (eventual) fate of the world.

Even on a first look, it became clear to me that the game is tightly balanced in a way that stretches your resources, which can make lucrative "negative" choices enticing. Your decisions influence your dragon girl's growth, as a dragon and a girl, and questionable morality appears to be a feature with true pros and cons.

To be honest, as this game is essentially in pre-alpha, with early access only starting later this month, it's tough to say where this will go from here. It feels like the kind of game that encourages some replayability, so it might be run-based, and a bit shallow by nature as every character so far only has a few simple lines of dialogue. But it's cute and simply fun, so I'll be keeping an eye on it for sure.

my bad.

I waited too long to talk about this and the moment has passed. If I ever pursue this, it'll be in a new post.

Actually,

I might make a separate post about this one. Since first posting my other impressions, I've spent another several hours on this. I'll be finished before I next think about updating this page, so I might as well wait.