I know, I know. I tried tons of games. I won’t finish them all, but I think it’s always worth trying out different titles to expand my knowledge or surprise myself.

The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story

The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story is a new game by Riot Games that can be enjoyed by fans and newcomers to the League of Legends world.

Developed by Riot Forge and released just this April 19th, MageSeeker follows the story of a mage named Sylas who was jailed at a young age for his crimes of justice.

Ironic, but that is the way of the world in Demacia. After being imprisoned for 15 years, he is now free along with other mages.

The main plot is a bit meaty, so here is my attempt at condensing it:

Sylas escapes his imprisonment after 15 years and burns down the kingdom of Demacia. While his goal is finding Lord Eldred, the leader of the Mageseekers, other freed mages and rebels seek rebellion and the structural overturning of the tyrannical aristocracy. While Sylas also seeks this, he is more focused on killing Lord Eldred. With their goals meeting each other, Sylas now has to balance his thirst for revenge and the completion of this rebellion.

The game features a pixel art style reminiscent of Dead Cells, Moonlighter, and Transistor. The colors used in the game are also refreshing, and light to the eyes.

The sound design is also notable, with a 3D feel that adds depth to the game’s environment. For instance, the sound of water falling becomes softer as you move away, but louder as you approach it.

Combat is pretty nice, as you get to hit enemies with normal attacks and a variety of spells learned or stolen from monsters and Mageseekers. There are also platforming elements, such as running, dashing, or chain pulling through different areas.

NPCs are pretty fleshed out and have personal motivations that make them feel human and special in some way. Unnamed NPCs also have one or two dialogues, assisting in trying to create a living breathing world.

Characters from the original League of Legends game also show up such as Lux and Garen. Garen even uses his skills from the original game, so it’s pretty cool to see. The game also introduces new characters, some only found previously in the text lore and some added through this game.

Overall, The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story is a fantastic game that offers plenty of surprises for League of Legends while welcoming newcomers to the franchise. Its beautiful art style, sound design, engaging story, and gameplay mechanics also make it worth a try.

Potato Flowers in Full Bloom

Potato Flowers in Full Bloom is a dungeon-crawler RPG game that was released on March 10, 2022, by developer Pon Pon Games and publisher PLAYISM.

The game reminds me of classic RPGs like Legend of Grimrock and Heroes of the Monkey Tavern, where you move around in the game using the WASD or Arrow Keys on a tile-based system.

You navigate through various obstacles, solve puzzles, and defeat enemies with your party of different races. You also meet friendly NPCs that help you along the way.

Your party consists of three members from any of the available races, and they have four general combat options: attack, guard, skill, and rest. During combat, you will need to manage your party’s health, stamina, and spirit. More features exist such as surprise attacks, multi-target attacks, and hit rate indicators.

Potato Flowers in Full Bloom also has a cute 3D art style and soundtrack, which creates an immersive and soothing experience. Additionally, you can pivot your camera during cutscenes which is a neat little feature.

Overall, Potato Flowers in Full Bloom offers a classic dungeon-crawler RPG experience with a modern twist.

Wizard of Legend

Wizard of Legend is a fast-paced, action-packed, and roguelike game made by Contingent99 and Humble Games. Released on May 15, 2018, it received positive feedback for its pretty pixel art style and addictive gameplay.

Its plot is simple, you are a wizard attempting to become a legend by passing the Arcana Trials. You also meet a colorful cast of characters, including Tomi the Tome, Ward the Wardrobe, and Veres the Mirror.

However, Wizard of Legend’s main draw is its combat rather than the plot, requiring you to master the art of casting spells, evading attacks, positioning well, and maintaining combat resources.

Combat in Wizard of Legend primarily requires you to use four different spells: Basic, Standard, Dash, and Signature spells.

You can choose from a variety of spells, called Arcana, each with its own unique specialties and effects.

Furthermore, you can equip Relics and Robes that provide various permanent effects, ranging from offensive to defensive or a mix of both.

While these features may seem enticing and highly engaging, Wizard of Legend is not for the faint of heart. It is notoriously difficult; demanding patience, persistence, and a willingness to fail repeatedly. The game is easy to learn, but hard to master if you want to conquer the trial quickly. Fortunately, co-op mode definitely makes the grind a bit more bearable and enjoyable.

In conclusion, Wizard of Legend is a must-play for hardcore roguelike fans looking for a challenge. The game’s unique art style, impressive sound design, and addictive gameplay make it an experience worth having. That being said, solo players may struggle, and some others may find the repetitive nature of off-putting. Nonetheless, Wizard of Legend is a game that deserves to be played, appreciated, and enjoyed.

Slay The Spire

Slay The Spire is a roguelite deck builder game developed and published by Mega Crit Games, and it was released on January 23, 2019.

The game features three different game modes to choose from and each mode provides a different experience. Four different characters can also be chosen, each with their unique set of cards.

With any deck builder games, card variety is a must and Slay The Spire has 350 of them. You can find and add these cards to their deck with each climb attempt at the Spire.

Aside from card variety, every climb attempt features different map layout that further adds to its replay value. That’s not all of it as the game has over 200 different items, 50 mysterious events, and 50 unique combat encounters.

During combat, you must carefully use and manage the cards and energy. You can also bring and use three potions to help you in battle. Rewards are also gained after combat or in mysterious events, they can provide permanent or temporary boosts, additional cards, or additional gold.

In conclusion, Slay The Spire is a fantastic game that combines roguelite elements with deck-building mechanics. Maybe I’ve been too exposed to different games similar to this like Arcana of Paradise: The Tower and Griftlands that this feels more casual than its competitors.

City Game Studio

I’m a big sucker for great simulation games like Cities: Skylines, Idol Manager, and Rollercoaster Tycoon, and right before April ended, I just found one more that feeds this long-suppressed addiction.

City Game Studio was released on the 25th of August in 2021 by Binogure Studio and is, in my opinion, the perfect version of 2013’s Game Dev Tycoon.

Honestly, there is a lot to unpack. So, let me try and group them into specific categories.

City Game Studio’s gameplay can vaguely be categorized into three sections: Game Development, Studio Management, and Real-Time Strategy.

Game Development is simply the creation of a game. You first create the title of your game, pick its genre, and choose the platform it is released on. Afterward, your game goes into the three-step process “Design, Development, and Publish.”

In this three-step process, you will adjust sliders that affect certain game elements such as Story, Characters, Physics, Sounds, Animation, and Artwork. Different genres have different platform and game element preferences, so it is important to finetune them where they are the strongest. After the game is out, you will now have to market it to boost its income and fan generation.

Studio Management involves buying or renting Studios across the map, designing them for better productivity and happiness, and filling them up with employees. This, in some way, is like playing Sims but involves balancing creativity and practicality.

Real-Time Strategy elements are scattered all over the game, from the city and urban management, buying market shares and platform licenses, to cracking competitors’ games and hacking their companies.

Honestly, the game is so complex that trying to understand it is already a big step. It has a fairly high barrier to entry even at the lowest difficulty. Fortunately, things get a tad bit easier once you get the hang of it. For those who just want to experience creating video games and empires out of their company, the sandbox mode is always open.

It is very hard to condense everything that City Game Studio game has to offer as there are more features like microtransactions, server maintenance on online multiplayer games, console creation, and remaking and remastering. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy game tycoons and development.