Week in Review - 6/26/2026

 

This review will cover this week and last week, because I was out of town and did not get a chance to update as much as I hoped. Now that Soul Hackers 2 is crossed off my list, I'm having trouble deciding what my next big game will be - so standby for choice paralysis. 

• Dave the Diver (PC - Steam)

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who knows me, but I do really enjoy fishing in video games. Dave the Diver is not your typical fishing since it's more about diving with a harpoon than fishing with a rod, but I love it all the same! This is one of my comfort food games. I go back and restart it once a year and I daresay I've never even finished it. Every time I come back there is new DLC to (maybe?) check out if I get far enough into it - and this year is no different. "Into the Jungle" just came out, so I decided to dive back into Dave. I'm really going slow and building up the restaurant more than I ever have before. I doubt there will be new content because Bancho a prequel story has been announced and I'm there for it. 

• Dead Cells (Switch)

This is another comfort game. It's another game I start over and over again - collect things over and over again, but never really get to its ultimate conclusion. It's another game that always seems to have new free content or new DLC each time I come at it. It's another game that I think content is at its cap, though, because this team has been working on a new game that I am super excited to get my hands on this year. Konami actually gave these guys the keys to the kingdom to make a new Castlevania game - the first in over a decade! Castlevania: Belmont's Curse comes out this fall - right around my birthday! - and has a female protagonist to really entice me into buying it on its launch day. I love Dead Cells and I am so excited to see what they do in Castlevania. 

• Don't Starve Together (PC - Steam)

I have been playing this once or twice a month with a close friend. I used to play Don't Starve (the original game, not Together) quite a lot when it came out and I got quite far into it. I have forgotten all my skills, or Together is just such a different animal that you have to relearn how to stay alive. That said, this last attempt we got to our first winter - and immediately died. It's the farthest we've made as a team! There's so much time that passes between each attempt, though, that anything we learn will have to be relearned and relearned over and over. Progress is very incremental, but it's a fun way to pass a few hours laughing and enjoying time with a friend or two. 

• Soul Hackers 2 (PlayStation 5)

I beat this game last week. I really had to force myself to keep playing it. As I mentioned, I tried it while it was in its last few days on PlayStation Plus. I knew it had bad reviews, but the beginning of the game actually impressed me. The visuals are great. The character designs are great. The graphics in battle - especially the demons themselves - are outstanding. The battle system is very fun. As it fell off PlayStation Plus, it was on sale with all DLC for $17 and I bought it. However, the game really starts to fall off after those initial good vibes. The story is incoherent. It's interesting, but I never really had a clue what was going on. The dungeons are so, so boring. I hope you like subway systems and warehouses. This is just a very mediocre entry in the franchise that does not live up to its potential. 

Games I Need to Finish

• Pokémon Blue (Genlocke)
• Yakuza 3 Remaster
• Yakuza Kiwami 3 / Dark Ties
• Monster Hunter Stories 2
• CyberPunk 2077
• Trails to Azure 

Week in Review - 6/12/2026

  

I feel invested in Soul Hackers 2 since I bought it during a time where I'm trying not to spend (too much) money on video games. However, the game just really wore out its welcome and I'm struggling to sit down and play it when I only have an hour or so a night (if I'm not too tired). 

It was also a big week in gaming news and reveals. Some of the things I'm most excited about were the smaller projects that got swept away by big reveals like Final Fantasy 7 Revelations, Ocarina of Time and Persona 4 Revival & Persona 6 confirmation. I'm more interested in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse made by the team that did Dead Cells which was a great game inspired by the Castlevania franchise. I dare say Final Fantasy Resonance is about the most exciting Final Fantasy announcement I've seen in years. Brave Exvius was a game that looked awesome and I really wanted to play, but never got a chance - so I would love to see that game play out across Resonance installments. The trend of re-creating quality mobile gacha games into solid single-player experiences (Octopath 0, Another Eden) continues to delight me. 

• Monster Sanctuary (Switch)

I only got to sit down with this game for a few minutes this week, so I don't have much to report. Instead, I will tell you my early game team. I chose Spectral Lion as my Spirit Beast (starter) and his name is Solaris. I'm also using a Blob named Bloop as my healer. A Vaero named Beat as my buffer. I have not invested in my backup crew; they each have 9 skill points I have yet to distribute because I do not know how to build them. The backup crew includes Yetimon the Yowie, Magpi the Magmapillar, and Brock the Rocky. That's really all I have to say about it. I want to beat this game because it's good, but there's also something not-quite-right about it that doesn't hold my attention very long. My previous attempt, I got 24% completion and I'm sitting at 16% right now. 

• Rogue Legacy (PC - Steam)

This is a very fun rouge-lite game. I want to do some kind of challenge log with my son, but I haven't quite conceptualized what to do. The gist of this game is that you're playing a family bloodline that's trying to explore this dungeon. Each death is permanent, but then you choose your descendant to start a new run. Between runs, you build up your local township which unlocks new classes for future generations, increases their stats, or unlocks new items and equipment. The gameplay loop is very satisfying. Each character has a class they're locked into but they are also afflicted with genetic traits that can be positive or negative (and a few completely neutral). For example, if your descendant is colorblind, the entire run will be monochrome. It's very clever. 

Week in Review - 6/5/2026

 

I haven't had a chance to play games in the previous two weeks. I am a bit more committed to keeping up with the Week in Review this year, but I'm just so busy these days I don't have as much time for games! 

• Monster Sanctuary (Switch)

This is a very creative blend of monster taming and Metroidvania. I have started this game a couple of times now and never quite made it through to the end, but it's one I definitely enjoy. These developers recently made a pseudo-sequel which is monster taming mixed with roguelite elements in the same universe as Monster Sanctuary so it has reinvigorated me to come back to this world. That game is called Aethermancer and it is currently in early access. Monster Sanctuary lets you travel with 6 monsters that have unique field abilities to access new areas of the Castlevania/Metroid style map. You battle in 3v3 monster battles with your typical elemental weaknesses. The monsters have skill trees to make customizing them very unique. 

• Soul Hackers 2 (PlayStation 5)

I continue to push through this game because I bought it on sale as it fell off PlayStation Plus. My first impressions were overall positive, but as I continue through the game I see more and more flaws. The characters and monsters are quite stunning visually, but the dungeons are some of the most boring environments I've ever seen. Do you like sewers? These game developers do. The dungeon designs are really quite bad. The story is very confusing. This game is carried by its great combat system (a mix of Shin Megami Tensei & Persona) but everything else is starting to feel quite lazy. I know they also patched in some QOL elements like running and fast-forwarding battles. I can see why this game launched to unfavorable reviews. The more I play, the more I wish I was playing Shin Megami Tensei or Persona. 

Week in Review - 5/15/2026

 

• Planet of Lana (PC - GamePass)

I'm really hitting a lot of games before they disappear from the subscriptions that I pay for. This is a very short and very beautiful game about a girl named Lana separated from her ... friend? Sibling? The graphics are amazing. The music is amazing. I believe it took about 4-5 hours, so it's not a huge commitment of time for a very emotional and simply told story. It's a puzzle-platform game, so it reminded me of old classics like the Oddworld franchise - Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exodus. It has such a minimalist story told through the exploration of the world to reunite these two children - and you get a cute little pet to accompany you on the journey. I can't recommend this short game enough. I'm glad I got a chance before it disappeared out of my sphere of games. 

• Soul Hackers 2 (PlayStation 5)

This is another game that I've wanted to try but is falling off PlayStation Plus on May 19th. I highly doubt I will be able to finish it in time, but if I get hooked then maybe I will buy it on an upcoming sale. For a spin-off in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, it doesn't have the greatest reputation. I have to say the opening sequence was extremely confusing. The graphics are awesome and gameplay seem very fun so far. I see the name Kuzunoha is mentioned in this game. That's another game (Raidoh Kuzunoha) I need to play. It is so far and overall enjoyable. I'm not entirely sure what all the negative press was about, but it has also gone through a few patches as I'm playing it 2 years after its launch.