Completing my Backlog - June Progress

The end of the month has arrived, so I have decided to look back at some of the games I've completed during this period... there aren't many, but I'm getting there!

I'm thinking of making this a monthly thing. Help me keep track of my backlog. Besides, it's always good to reflect on things, so why not?

Anyways, here are the six games that I either played a lot of or completed this month.

Adverse

The game contains 40 levels that are spread across eight zones. Each zone has its own theme, such as this forest theme. They all look pretty nice too.

Adverse was a game I discovered on Steam's Discovery Queue feature, and I ended up buying it a couple of days later with a bunch of other indie games, as they were all on sale. Combine fast-paced action with parkour whilst wielding a bow and arrow. That's basically Adverse.

Moving platforms? Check. Environmental traps? Check. Enemies that seek to make your life miserable? Check. How lovely.

It's short, and it feels more like a tech demo than anything else, but it's a lot of fun, if a bit frustrating at times. It's not perfect, but it's a unique concept that's executed splendidly. I would love to see an even bigger version of this.

Tell Me Why

This game has fantastic cinematography, as showcased in this screenshot. Every location you visit in this game is beautiful to look at.

So... I technically started this back in February, and I only just finished it a week ago. Yeah, it kinda took me a while. I had some pretty time consuming assignments so I ended up playing this game once every two weeks or so.

Made by the same developers who created Life is Strange, Tell Me Why follows two twins as they reunite several years after a traumatic event in their childhood separates them. What comes after is a mystery of what really happened back then, and what it means for them moving forward.

The game sees you playing as both twins in various parts of each chapter. Their dynamic is complicated, partly as a result of being apart for so long.

Tell Me Why isn't for everyone. It's very slow-paced, and if you don't connect with the characters, there isn't much point sticking with it. Personally, I really liked it. The writing's good, the visuals are spectacular, and I found myself heavily invested in the story. Worth giving a shot.

Kind Words

Kind Words is small since it's a simple concept, but what's there is charming and wholesome. A very relaxing soundtrack plays in the background too.

This one is very different than the other entries in this list, in that it's not really a game per se. It's more of a social therapy experience. The idea is that you vent out whatever is bothering you to the world, and then people will respond to you. Everything is anonymous, and the game insists that you do not try to contact other players.

As the name suggests, this is supposed to encourage kindness and empathy. Even spending just 10 minutes a day writing to people and giving words of sincerity can make a huge difference. You help people, or people help you. This has the potential to save lives, and it could have a major positive impact on yours.

This deer is the game's mascot who's responsible for delivering all of your letters. You can also acquire stickers to go with these letters.

More people need this in their library. I've only just started playing it a few days ago, and I've been blown away by how wholesome it is. I haven't found a single troll yet. Just people who either need help or are wanting to help others.

Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing

Here's a picture of Knuckles getting ready to wipe Amigo off the face of the Earth into the fiery depths of hell below. Knuckles can do that if he wants to.

I used to play this a lot when I was kid. Back when Blockbuster was a thing (I know, it hurts to remember...), I used to rent this game all the time. Looking back at those days, I realise that I was a really weird kid.

This picture was taken after he wiped Amigo off the face of the Earth and into the fiery depths of hell below. He is very happy.

If you've read my review for this already, you know I don't give it high praise anymore. If you haven't read the review, you can find it here. It's a fun game, it's just lacking a lot. The sequel did a much better job at... well pretty much everything.

Deliver Us The Moon

Humanity has quite a substantial settlement on the moon, and yet, years after the event, nobody is here. Except for you. Quite eerie.

This was something I just completed the other day, and although I finished it in just a few days, it was absolutely incredible. Deliver Us The Moon is basically a sci-fi blockbuster film, but in video game form. It has an incredible atmosphere, a gripping storyline, and is remarkably well polished.

In this universe, the Earth isn't doing too good, thanks to climate change and the depletion of resources. Humanity relies on the moon for energy, until an event caused a major blackout that disconnected the Earth from the moon. With no hope for an investigation due to the lack of resources, the space program is shut down, with the rest of the planet slowly awaiting their cataclysmic fate.

Part way through the game you acquire a drone companion that can be remote controlled to access small passage ways. He also keeps you company.

A group of people unwilling to give in send you, a lone astronaut, off-planet to investigate and fix the situation. You get to explore a space station orbiting the moon whilst having to navigate without gravity, something that is done so well, the likes of which I haven't seen in any other game. Then you also get to explore the moon and its abandoned facilities, as you uncover what happened all those years ago, and fix what went wrong. It's a remarkable game, and I couldn't recommend it enough.

Red Dead Redemption 2

In this picture, I am about to rob a train. I am definitely not going to get hit by said train.

Like Tell Me Why, I originally started this a few months ago, only to be repeatedly interrupted by assignments. Alas, I recently finished the base game as well as the epilogue. Took me a long time, but I finally did it, and it felt good.

What can I say about it? It's an absolute masterpiece, through and through. It's the video game equivalent of a HBO TV show. The game is massive and beautiful, to the point where other games struggle to compete with it.

The world feels so convincingly alive, with all the activity and life. It's also beautiful. Every frame is screenshot worthy.

It's immediately become one of my favourite games, with characters such as Arthur, Sadie and Charles being some of my favourite video game characters ever. Very rarely do I play games and not want it to end, especially when it's open world. This was one of those games.