Game Roundup #2

Assemble with Care, Unpacking, TOEM

So uh, hi there! Long time no see, right? I’ve been away for quite some time, busy with life and stuff. I actually have been working on a different piece for quite some time now, but I thought it might be a little… too heavy to go back to writing after such a long time. So I thought that I can publish this newsletter that I’ve also been working on to ease back into writing on Substack, it might be the best to start with an easy piece.

So in this one, we will be talking about some of my favorite and short indie titles!

Assemble with Care

Played on: PC
My Playtime: 2.5 hours
Available on: PC, iOS

Coming from the same developers as Alba: A Wildlife Adventure and Monument Valley series, Assemble with Care is a little gem where you assume the role of a mechanic, fix various machinery and trinkets, and unfold the story in the meantime.

This game is one of the first games that come to my mind when people ask for a breather game where they can just play without getting stressed. This short game has a lot of heart and soul, I can recommend it without hesitation. Though these short puzzle games usually leave me wanting more levels, I also think that it is enough to convey the whole story. The narrative design is great, the way that they tell the story through little details in the puzzles is very cute. 10/10 game if you know what to expect from a game of this type.

The only issue I have with this game is the difficulty of the levels - or lack thereof. With some small trial and error, you can force your way through all the levels. The only levels that gave me any semblance of difficulty was the last one. It’s not as if I want to be stumped and spend half an hour just to solve a puzzle, but I would like to rack my brain more to feel the satisfaction of completing a difficult puzzle. I’m sure a lot of people here can relate. Other than that, it is an amazing example of a short and fun breather game to play between bigger games.

Unpacking

Played on: PC
My playtime: 6.4 hours
Available on: PC, iOS, Android, Linux, Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, XBox One

I’m usually the type of person that comes from a vacation and doesn’t unpack their suitcase for a month. I only come around to unpacking it either because I need to use the suitcase again, or I get really fed up with the suitcase lying around in an open state. When my husband and I moved to our new house, a lot of the boxes were unopened for who knows how long.

Which is why when I learned about the concept of Unpacking, I thought this game might not be for me.

Turns out unpacking can actually be fun!

This game nails the comfort of settling into a new home without making it a chore. There is something really calming about opening up boxes, deciding where to put your stuff in and decorate your place as you want. As you go through more boxes, and the house becomes more home-like, it feels really satisfying even for a disogranized person like me.

The most impressive thing about the game is its narrative design. It tells you a complete story without any dialogues or narration. You only get a little sentence at the end of a level which implies the thought process of the main character. The rest of the story, you need to figure out by checking out the boxes and putting the clues together yourself. There was a moment in the game where I audibly gasped when I understood the implications of what was going on. If you played the game, you would know. It is pretty hard to miss. Yes, the implications made me sad, but I was even more amazed by this storytelling choice, a brilliant usage of the props in the game without ever needing to tell the story outright.

I just wish there were more levels and it didn’t end so early. The only reason why I have around 6 hours in the game is that I played the game once and started over and completed half while speaking to a friend on the phone.

TOEM: A Photo Adventure

Played on: Steam Deck
My playtime: 6.9 hours
Available on: PC, Switch, Xbox One

TOEM is a cute and heartfelt game about going on an expedition and taking photos during your adventure. You get to meet a colorful cast of characters despite the game being monochrome. The usage of 3D space in a world with hand-drawn 2D characters is nothing short of amazing, and the characters draw you in with their quirkiness.

This is quite possibly the only game I’ve ever played that I had the urge to 100%, and I didn’t really have to look up any guides. Capturing the right photos in TOEM gives me a satisfaction that I don’t get from other games of its caliber. This is most likely because of the art direction and the narrative design that revolves around the game mechanics. The game is similar to others such as A Short Hike, Lil Gator Game or even Chicory, but I thought that TOEM’s use of game mechanics and environment were more efficiently used than the others as they perfectly combine with the story and keeps you going without feeling like a chore.

The characters are charming, the dialogue is funny without being cringy, and reaching the end feels so good when you actually get there. In games like these, it is important to keep it engaging and fun, and TOEM succeeds at this without overstaying its welcome.

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This is it for now! I am planning to have a more consistent upload schedule in the future and I’ll probably be focusing on shorter pieces to ensure regular updates. I hope that what I have in store for you guys will be worth your time and that you’ll enjoy them!

Life has been getting in the way too much and I want to take the reins in my hand again. See you in the next one!