Week in Review - 5/8/2026

 

• Don't Starve Together (PC / Steam)

Back in the day, Don't Starve was a constant favorite. I've owned Don't Starve Together since it was created because I enjoyed playing the original in tandem with others to compete to see how far we could survive. Together takes it to a whole new level. I'm really bad at it. Though I don't starve that often, I can't seem to stay alive for longer than a week or two. I really want to get better at surviving in this game. So far, I only play Wilson. Perhaps I need to branch out.

• Sand Land (PlayStation 5)

I finished Sand Land this week. It took a lot of determination. It's not a bad game, but I found it very mediocre. The story is cute. The characters are endearing and memorable. It reminds me in a lot of ways of Blue Dragon in that regard. However, I had a lot more fun playing Blue Dragon due to it being a turn-based RPG with a robust job system. The systems in Sand Land feel very half-baked. I really enjoy crafting and kitting out the vehicles - which feels like the main draw of the game - but the combat itself is so repetitive and ultimately quite boring. I had to really force myself to finish the game on a deadline. It was enjoyable, but also rather forgetable. It made me want to play other tank-based RPG games like Valkyria Chronicles or something in the Metal Max franchise. 

• Vampire Survivors (PC / Game Pass)

This game has been on my radar for a long time. It's very popular. People love it. Everyone says I'd like it, but it doesn't look like a game that I would like. Since I absolutely love Vampire Crawlers, I finally tried it. Shocking news! I don't like it. I played it for 45 minutes then uninstalled it. I did like the references in Vampire Crawlers as they translated from this game, but I don't like the gameplay loop at all of this game. I don't like bullet hells in general - or reverse bullet hells, apparently. The exception is Hades because my love for Greek mythology surpasses vampires, I guess.