Sometimes being fickle can work in your favor, because you end up playing The Messenger!!
Dear Backlog,
It’s Friday again and I’m about to write my first ever “Dear Backlog” post! Which you probably figured out when I started this off by addressing you directly. After much thought and almost 140 Daily Backlogs, I think it’s about time to retire the whole “Daily” moniker and condense these updates into a weekly format. You know, instead of bustin’ my hump trying to come up with interesting things to say four or five times a week! Honestly though, it has been a ton of fun writing for The Daily Backlog. It helped me hone my skills as a “writer”, it helped me think critically about my favorite hobby, and of course it helped me make a significant dent in my backlog! Even if those numbers fluctuated over the past six months or so.
This change of pace to the blog is three fold really. First off, it’ll allow me to focus more on enjoying the games I’m playing. Not that I wasn’t having fun to begin with, but now I’ll be able to spread my thoughts out over a few days instead of always having to be on point. I also think this’ll give me a better appreciation for the games I’m playing. Secondly, this change will give me more time to work on some of the other projects I’ve been thinking about. Like my Backlog Reviews, live streams or even updates to the website! It’s been super fun playing around with all of these side projects and it’ll be nice to give them more of a focus. It may even make way for more collab work, which would be super exciting!! And finally, I think the weekly updates will be a good place to summarize everything that happened in the past week. Whether that’s sharing what other content we’re working on, making progress in a game, or completing multiple in a row! It’ll kind of be the de facto place to see what’s going on over at The Backlog Odyssey. It’ll make this website a bit more fast and loose, and that’s the way that I like it!
But that’s enough of this hullabaloo, let’s get back to the real backloggin’ business and talk about what we’ve actually been up to over here at The Backlog Odyssey!!
The Fickle Backlogger
After getting back from our little out of town trip last week, I was ready and raring to jump into Vambrace: Cold Soul. You know, that game I’ve been picking at for the past two or three weeks. It was kind of what I was in the mood for. Something a little slower paced and that I could take my time with. And with it being a Darkest Dungeon style RPG, it seemed like the perfect fit. I mean, I really enjoyed Darkest Dungeon, even if it did make me lose a few hairs.
Then when I started to play it, it just didn’t seem to be hooking me like I wanted or expected it too. Sure it was a lot like the RPG I longed for, but there was something about the way it was put together that seemed a bit off. For one the battles just didn’t have the same impact and there were just enough annoyances in its systems that it was making me hesitate to boot it back up again.
But those graphics, that art direction and that atmosphere! They’re all so luscious and beautiful! Something the Devespresso devs are really making a name for themselves with. And something that’s making me want to power through it, just to see how it all plays out. But alas, I decided to put it on hold. Not indefinitely, because I have many thoughts about the game I’d really like to share! That and I do really want to write a review for it, but another game stepped into the fray that instantly absorbed me and drew my attention away!
Ninja Trumps Knight
And that game, my dear backlog, was The Messenger! With which I apologize for increasing your size once again. But this is a glorious ode to ninja games of yore! Where Vambrace didn’t quite live up to my expectations as a Darkest Dungeons inspired game, The Messenger exceeded them! It took the best parts of games like Ninja Gaiden (which is all of them) and added even more fun ways to dispatch your foes with katanas and shurikens. Oh and it’s a metroidvania of sorts, so that’s a huge plus!!
Then it’s all tied up into a fancy little retro package with fantastic sprite work, elegant chip tunes and dialog that’s both hilarious and perfect for the world the devs were trying to create. Which is a love letter to the 8 and 16 bit eras, as well as, a satirically critical look at how silly those games could be sometimes!
I’ve only had the game for about a week now, but I’ve already completed it! Well not just completed it, I acquired the Platinum trophy and finished up the DLC!! Which is a pretty good sign that I enjoyed myself! Seriously though, Sabotage Games really outdid themselves, and I’ll be dreaming about a sequel for many months to come. I do still have some criticisms and I would like to discuss The Messenger more, but I’ll try and save those thoughts for my review. Which should hopefully be coming in the near future!
Week One
Well, I think that may do it for another week. Although The Messenger had me distracted for the past week, I do plan on getting back to Vambrace. That is, if I don’t get distracted again! It really does seem like it has lots of potential and like I said, those graphics and the cream of the crop. I’m thinking I just need to give it more than the few hours I’ve already put into it. Who knows, it may open up and blow my socks off! That’s not to say I won’t be fantasizing about flipping, cloud-stepping and wall climbing again either!
Until next we meet, my dearest Backlog, have a wonderful week.
Currently Playing
Vambrace: Cold Soul (Steam)
Cattails (Nintendo Switch)
Total Backlogged Games: 729
Total Completed Games: 42
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And you can keep tabs on my backlog by checking out the Backlog Odyssey Backloggery game list!
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