1st November
Hello and welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we’ve been playing. This week, Bertie tries to settle into the rhythm of Hades 2; Chris presses Q to say “thanks” after being resurrected a lot; Connor plays the flute to diffuse tension like a musical negotiator; Dom starts hallucinating; Marie wonders why she rebuilt her island; and Will shares with us the secret game he tests mechanical keyboards on.
What have you been playing?
Hades 2, Switch 2
I’ve been dabbling with Hades 2 on Switch 2, which is a pleasingly symmetrical thing to write, and as you probably know, it’s a game that fits wonderfully on a handheld. While my partner watches K-dramas (and I secretly do too – have you seen Dear Hongrang?) I take Melinoe for another run at Greek time titan Chronos. I’m not very good at it yet. I’m in that period in a roguelike where I’m still settling in. I haven’t looped around enough yet to make attack habits instinctive, rather than actively thought about, and there are layers to the fast-paced strategy I don’t yet understand, though I obviously don’t know what they are yet because I don’t understand them. I’m in the learning phase. And it’s frustrating sometimes. I totally get why some people butt heads with this structure that has you seemingly set to ‘fail’ a few times before you make what feels like meaningful progress. It takes perseverance, especially in Hades 2, which does feel more punishing than Hades 1. But I won’t let it beat me.
-Bertie
Battlefield 6, PC
TCG Pocket and Football Manager 26 lurk in the background as ever, but I’ve put a few hours into BF6 this week and I tell you what, it sure is a Battlefield game. Some cracking maps. Some absolute hellholes. A lot of people who do not know how to drive tanks. Brilliant with a squad, sort of horrific without one, though I do like being able to mash Q to say “thanks” after being revived, which I’ve no shame in saying I have to do quite a lot.
–Chris
Arc Raiders, PC
Listen, here’s the deal. I’ve been glued to Arc Raiders ever since it launched yesterday, sinking all hours (aside from the nine-to-five of course) to running Topside and searching for loot. It’s got a really vicious cycle that’s harrowing at times but deeply moorish. It’s got some real spice to it.
I’ve made a few short-lived friendships in the process of course, playing the flute in front of people tends to diffuse any tension, though interestingly enough the further along I get in quests, the more keen people are for a scrap. Perhaps it’s because their inventories, like mine, are slammed full of loot. When you have a lot stored up, losing all your weapons on a run doesn’t sting as much as you’d think.
So yeah, absolute scorcher of a game. Aside from that it’ll be 2XKO as always. I strive to put in an hour every day at least.
-Connor
Deep Rock Galactic Survivor, Xbox Series X
Help. Help. When I got to bed at night, I saw little tiny blue XP shards magnetising to the centre of my vision. When I’m sitting at my desk typing away, I can feel the Deep Rock Galactic Survivor icon on my Xbox calling to me like the Green Goblin mask. I’m dreaming about flame-thrower and acid cannon synergies, wondering where I can carve out 20 minutes to have ‘one run’ through the cursed mines of distant planets. This game has as much of a hold on me as Vampire Survivors ever did. Help.
-Dom
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Switch 2
After the news about the 3.0 update and Switch 2 edition in January, I raced back to my island to find that I left it in an utter state. I restarted it a while back, which is still a choice I question today, and am currently trying to get it back up to five stars to get K.K back. And I can’t wait for the update. The Happy Home Designer DLC is where I spend most of my time now, so to have a hotel I can do that with on my own island sounds like bliss.
-Marie
Glyphica: Typing Survival, PC
Essentially a mix of Asteroids and The Typing of The Dead, indie game Glyphica has become my go-to test for mechanical keyboards. It starts slow enough, with chill ambient music and three or four-letter words slowly floating towards your spaceship as you type to destroy them, but the intensity ramps up considerably as you go on. Soon, there are $10 words all over the place, firing off missiles, hiding behind shields, and your weaponry has to get equally elaborate with turrets, sawblades and mines spawning as you type specific letters or maintain a streak. After several sessions, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of its roguelike elements too, with whole new arsenals to uncover, permanent stat boosts to unlock and plenty more challenges on the horizon. I loved Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing as a kid, always trying to set new words-per-minute records and learn weird new words, and right now Glyphica is scratching that same itch.
-Will