WOBFU: Weekly Overview of the Bundle For Ukraine
A Tale of Cruelty and Seduction: WOBFU Page 5
What a strange pairing, no?
Overview
Page 5 is a strange one, if I’m honest with you. Let’s start with the fact that what I feared last week came true: this is the first page of the bundle that has more ‘Software’ than ‘Video Games’. Specifically, it sits at a 13/17 split, which didn’t happen until nearly the 30s in the previous bundle. Combined with the fact that of the 7 duplicates, 4 of them were games made it very strange to only have 9 entries to write about for this week.
That didn’t make this week feel much lighter though, especially with some of the games listed below. I’m not sure if this trend will continue, but it might get a bit awkward if it does; the format thrives on lots of games in a row, and having just software will make it feel off. But that’s a worry for future me. Time for games!
Video Games
Software
Duplicates
Video Games
The recommendations!
Cruel World
April Fools jokes in game development are rarely as funny as they sound. It’s either an entire day of announcements that a studio is creating a ‘wacky game’ that is outside the company’s norm and unintentionally discounting that style of game when there are audiences that would adore it, or uninspired announcements for games people have been wanting for decades. It ends up coming off as tonedeaf, meanspirited, or just lazy. Some pranks land thanks to satire, well-placed timing, or sheer charisma by the studio, but the same cannot be said for many others.
‘What a strange place to rant about April Fool’s Day’, you might be wondering, but there is a reason; Cruel World by droqen is an April Fools joke gone horribly right. droqen is a Canadian developer best known for terrorizing my brain with starseed pilgrim in the Racial Justice and Equality bundle, and has created dozens of other games to check out. Here, however, is a game released on April 1st with a very specific goal: “Is it possible to make a game in which everyone blames everyone else for their failure?”
Cruel World is a platformer with the strangest of movement, where the little guy will do a tumble if running fast enough and bounce off of walls in strange ways. The only way to escape each level is to reach the green doors, but the movement and level layout makes this brutally challenging without solid platforming skills.
I lack those, as you may recall. Never fear, however, for there are many terminals in each level that can assist. The ‘i’ give helpful hints on how to play, and the ❤ are checkpoints so that if you die, you go back to that checkpoint instead of the beginning.
This is where the game ‘falls apart’, because unbeknownst to you the game is being updated by every other player. To use the checkpoint, players use the side console to give it a command. Unfortunately something restricts you, shows you ‘Owners’, and then prompts to hack it. A ‘hack’ requires a strength of 1 to 100, and once you have set a solid number for yourself you can begin.
Here’s the issue: every person that has used the checkpoint prior to this are what you are hacking against. The strength of the hack is how much health you have in this ‘hacking battle’, but the more health you have the slower the process takes as a latency penalty kicks in.
By the way, I might have implied this is just for checkpoints, but that is a lie because it’s for every node. This means that even reading the tutorial requires a hack, and as you can imagine there are quite a few people out there that have played this. Needless to say, while writing, I’m still waiting for one of the ‘i’ tutorial hacks to complete as there were 80 PEOPLE, so I don’t even know about KISS or SAVE.
This is what was meant by the degradation of the world, at least during the time that the experiment was running. Every person that interacted with each node had a decision to make; become selfish and retain a node, or attempt selflessness knowing that you could be burned. droqen even highlighted the experiences of the first two months in a twitter thread, which better highlights the ridiculousness of the entire premise.
As a game it is possible to beat without worrying about the hacking, but that’s what makes it so wild. It’s a social experiment as much as it is a game, blending both platforming and console commands to create this strangely hilarious experience.
Still waiting on that hack, for the record. I don’t think it’ll ever finish. Oh well.
Bard Harder!
Bard Harder is a small visual novel by ‘Shark and Pelican Games’ which asks a very simple question: do bards always flirt with the big bad evil of the campaign? The answer is yes. Okay maybe not always yes — that’s a reach — but it is 100% the point for this little jaunt.
Players follow Robin, a girl invited to play ‘Wizards & Wyverns’ by her friend and WM Subin. Along with the established players Nia, Alden and Presley, Robin makes the dashing-est bard to ever exist, whom can be given whatever name. Even completely wrong ones, like the one I chose (I’m not the most aware person, okay?).
Rather than having players play out the TTRPG, they are whisked forward 6 months to the final boss in Vulcuzar and are put in a dastardly position to save all of their friends. The only solution, of course, is flirtation.
As a visual novel the writing is what makes it shine, and it’s hard to complain about a game that embodies the goofiest parts about tabletop games. The party of adventurers are all goofballs with fun names, played by three friends that just want to have fun. They each give a different perspective on tabletop tropes, such as how Presley points out that ‘flirtation in games would just be considered stalking in real life’. It doesn’t want to parody the genre per say, merely point out fun tidbits that you or I would make in passing conversation.
The real treat is, of course, is Subin and their portrayal of Vulcuzar. Just like in tabletop, Subin helps Robin out to ensure that the flirtation doesn’t completely bomb out — enabling players to do silly things is half the fun. Vulcuzar is a ridiculous villain with hidden secrets, and his responses to flirtation magic are all golden.
It helps that I too enjoy evil skeletons, especially when they have altering eyes that sometimes have hearts. It can be strange to flirt with your Game Master, but Subin handles it well — but there might be more to that, but only if Robin can successfully tame this deadly adversary.
While only 30 minutes long, it gets to the best parts of the game immediately and allows for memorizing fun tidbits to be rewarded quickly. You get right into what the game wants, and that is flirting with an evil skeleton wizard. If this kind of silliness mixed with some genuine emotions (and some good ol’ fashion ‘eat hot chip, be gay’) is up your alley, then give this little game a whirl.
Also I just noticed the WM screen has Vulcuzar’s staff on it. Clever.
Cardinal Cross
Call me on brand, but what’s not to love about sci-fi romance visual novels?
Cardinal Cross is such a game made by ImpQueen — now LarkyLabs — an indie studio in the UK founded by Roman Alkan or ‘Rinmaru’. Set in a cyberpunk future that has taken to the stars, players follow a ‘Scavenger’ named Lana Brice.
Taking a job in the hopes of just getting her next paycheck, she ends up getting wrapped up in a mysterious plot involving anomaly-ridden technology and the means to tear apart everything from underneath. But… does she even want that?
Push the boundaries of ‘visual novel’ status, players are constantly given multiple styles of choices in order to progress the story. General decisions come with four choices, with three choices giving different tones (honest, clever, annoyed) and the fourth being given no decision at all. Yes, this is a game in which choices are timed. After all, sometimes silence is the loudest response Lana can give.
Other decision types include pivotal decisions that alter the path of the game, usually displayed with only two paths. Silence can be chosen here, but from my understanding it will still choose one of the two and alter how the other people present feel.
The final decision type directly correlates to how those other people ‘feel’, because this is also a game with romance. Every decision will have an impact on the characters, as seen by their response in the top left. This isn’t the ‘everyone disliked that’ kind of reaction, instead opting for more nuanced emotions to appear. Some may find a response interesting, while others could be bothered/unnerved by them.
The aim is for nuanced characters, as taking the same answer type over and over doesn’t guarantee that the person you want to smooch will always appreciate it. It’s what make the game feel so dynamic, even if most decisions made aren’t ‘life altering’. It gives Lana some control over her situation, who she wants to like and dislike, and the characters in turn can react to it.
This wouldn’t be possible without the world being as gorgeously immersive, however. The 12 systems controlling the galaxy, constant political strife between numerous factions and an oppressive computer that oversees everything are just pieces of a massive galactic puzzle. With all of the nouns being thrown around, new terms are highlighted and added to a codex so that you can reference it at any time and gain context, rather than having a player perform mandatory exposition. It keeps all of the characters feeling like they belong to the world, rather than are pieces to reinforce the world.
While I cannot put my finger to why I sense a familiarity to Cardinal Cross, I can confidently state that it is easily worth the investment of time to sink into the stars. With a dozen chapters and numerous endings to explore, its hard not to get excited for a massive space drama that actually wants you to become dramatic about it.
Oh, and the funny way Lana ‘swears’ never gets old. Trust me.
The rest of the page includes:
Pushamo
Starting off Page 5 — at least, in the video games — is a new way to think about block destruction games. Created by Brook.p8 with music by Emma and Gruber, the idea is that players are a small ship within a grid that has shapes spawning on the sides.
Each shape will begin to drift into the square, and it is up to players to grab them and move them around in the square. They can then ‘combine’ them if they are opposites to cause an explosion, similar to getting a line in Tetris. This completely alters the way you look at the grid, as where the blocks are placed can hinder where you can place future blocks. Since blocks can ‘block’ others, this also means that the blocks can be stopped outside of the grid space, which will cause the game to violently shake until a ‘Push Over’ screen ends your entire run.
It’s a brilliant idea, and with so many game modes its hard not to recommend it on the sheer mechanics and ideas alone.
Dragon Drop
This adorable game comes to us from Cloudy Games LLC. It is an arena ‘brawler’ that pits you against your friends to drop the others off the map.
Everyone plays on a grid and only has the ability to ‘roar’, which sends a wave out in the direction facing. After a short delay, all of the grid highlighted by the roar will fall, leaving a gap in the map. Anyone that falls off loses a life and hatches on a random square to try again. It’s simple and effective, and the aesthetic makes it so adorable as you run around roaring at people.
Currently the game is in beta, with the most recent version being 0.2.6. If you want a game to play with friends while also being hilariously adorable, try this out.
Note: The page says 0.2.3, but the download says the version is 0.2.6. I don’t know why either.
The Majesty of Colors
This is a game I wasn’t expecting to see again; this is a remaster of (I Fell In Love With) The Majesty of Colors, a FLASH game made by Gregory Avery-Weir. While I had never played the original, I had heard about it from a few individuals that would quote its brilliance.
It’s a game in which the player dreams of being at the bottom of the ocean as a monstrous being of tentacles and eyes, interacting with the world as if they didn’t understand it. An inner narration breaks up the segments as the player makes decisions on what they wish to pick up and where they drop it, with some decisions leading to different endings. The first interaction with the ‘creatures’ is the most important, for it will determine the tone of the rest of the game.
It’s a beautiful remake by Gregory’s co-founded studio that keeps the spirit of FLASH while bringing it up to speed for those that couldn’t experience it. Go see how being a creature at the bottom of the ocean can change you.
If Future Proof sounds familiar, that would be thanks to their previous submission in Rosette Diceless from the Racial Justice bundle.
Macbat 64
Serving as the sequel to Kiwi 64, Siactro has brought another loveletter to the 3D platformers of the 90s in Macbat 64. We already had Toree 3D just last page, but now we can follow the story of a young Macbat in a story all his own while living in a post Kiwi world. Small bitesized puzzles and minigames are in every world, and there’s even a racing section for all you old Mario Kart fans.
If you’ve enjoyed any of the other ‘64’ series, then this is a shoe-in for you. Without the nostalgia, I’d recommend it to those that just love 3D puzzles and aren’t afraid of some retro graphics.
Demonizer
This cozy pixelated game comes to us from Iori Branford. It’s all about exiled princess-turned-succubus Amelia fighting back against a strange invasion of humans. When her sister leads an invasion against her newfound family, Amelia uses her newfound powers to turn all of the soldiers into monstergirls to fight back and possibly learn the truth.
Mechanically, this works in a ‘shmup’ way, as Amelia dodges bullets, arrows, and magic in order to shoot her heart-lazers at the enemies. Defeated enemies will leave two kinds of hearts; blue hearts power up Amelia, augmenting her existing abilities and powering up her bombs, while red hearts add a demon to her arsenal. These demons are what make her augmented abilities so interesting, as they will collect hearts, fire in different directions to assist, and make life for Amelia easier.
It really sucks you in quite quickly, and thanks to the immersive world full of characters to rescue, it’s hard to argue against giving it a shot; especially if you like shmups. There may also be a ‘2.0’ coming soon, but that was last stated ~6 months ago, so who knows?
DUFE: Masquerade
Time to strap in for some QUEER LOVING as we dive into this side story otome by Galen Games. Serving as a prequel to ‘Deliver Us From Evil’, this story fleshes out the shared backstory of Keldran and Ace in a spooky haunted house setting.
Players can decide which of the two to ‘follow’ for their respective routes, but there are no decisions to make outside of this so don’t go thinking that there can be some great variations in the plot because of this title. It gives context to them both, who they are and how they know each other. Now to be fair, I haven’t played the original DUFE, so I took the ‘Keldran’ route as recommended by the game.
It only takes an hour to get through both routes, but if you were invested in the original mystery otome game that these two hunks come from, then you’ll love this extra lore. If you haven’t it still has some good writing and artwork, plus it’s one of the few explicitly gay games to be featured which is neat.
Software
Sodalitas
Starting off our software is this 1-page TTRPG by Jdrlab. Centred around its title — meaning comradery and sodality — players will utilize 4 words to create their characters and build their world. It’s simple and quick, wanting everyone to come together to make decisions that benefit them all in the hopes of building upon their guild.
Mausritter: The Estate Adventure Collection
Losing Games have given us an expansion of their TTRPG system ‘Mausritter’ with a focus on estates and locations. There are nearly a dozen new stories within to tell, each containing their own illustrations to lovingly paint the picture of where you are all going. You do need to own the base game for it to work properly, but if you got it from the previous bundle then you are all set.
Six Figures Under
Six is a very popular number here, and the pun writes itself; there are 6 solo RPGs for you to play about being a fledgling necromancer. Each game centres around your ability to apply to certain jobs, or perform said jobs, and how you journal them. It’s not long, so if you like the theme I’d say to give it a try.
Textreme 2
One of the few that fully embodies the ‘software’ moniker I’ve given this group, this is a text editor aimed to allow for the creation of wacky fun fonts. At first I wasn’t sure if this was a game or not, but I’m classifying it here since the entire point is to just make sentences and phrases so that you can add ~effects~. It’s all in good fun, and if you want to make some gifs/images of bouncy texts then this is great.
Far From Home
Returning to the TTRPGs gives us ‘Far From Home’, a game based within the ‘Belonging Outside Belonging’ framework. The games focus is on immigrants and outsiders, exploring a culture and land that you aren’t entirely familiar with.
The characters made will attempt to shape themselves by blending their past and their present, while also understanding the circle that ties all of the players together. These circles do a Ven-Diagram, and drive much of the decisions and design of the game.
The Witch’s Almanac
A solo exploration game focusing on the player’s identity as a witch and their ability to craft potions. All potions require two components, but must be made while the Pink Moon is up. Once it sets, the potion fails. Gameplay revolves around this tension and a deck of cards to facilitate it. The potions themselves can be of whatever you want, but the act is what makes the game fun.
A Visit To San Sibilia
Another solo RPG, but this has you exploring the fictional city of San Sibilia, a city blended into our world yet wholy distinct depending on who is visiting. Similar to above, cards drive the scenarios that you will experience, and it is up to the character you’ve created to determine how they feel and what they see. The interesting part? If two cards drawn have the same colour or number, the city shifts. If this happens four times, your trip abruptly ends. Best of luck in San Sibilia.
Magical Console Warriors
This is a hilariously dorky look back at 30 years of consoles. Each one is personified in the greatest magical girl way possible, and you can enjoy reminiscing as you search for each easter egg on each design. It might not be a page-turner for everyone, but those that want it will know.
Into the Glacier
Another game about going beyond the grasp of humanity. Into the Glacier is a solo game in which the player will map out their journey and contemplate what brought them there. The barren wasteland gives you time to gather your thoughts, but that doesn’t mean it is empty. Journey forth and see what you find.
Lutong Banwa
This is a cooking game. You heard me correctly, this is a tabletop RPG in which you cook food. Specifically, players will go on adventures to acquire ingredients from the spirits around them, slowly creating dishes based on old civilizations. This crazy idea allows for a fully customizable campaign, with nothing truly being directed by anyone; you do what you want, and you see what you can get. Created by the same people that made many previous entries in the Racial Justice Bundle, if you like this combination of ideas then this is a brilliant adventure.
Aventures en une page · Saison 1
Jdrlab has given us another entry, but unless you are a French speaker then this version is not for you. Upon further investiation there is an English version, but it is not until page 7 — so let’s hold tight for now. If you speak French, by all means grab this and find out for yourself.
Skirmish: Wallet Friendly Wargaming
The ultimate game for those looking for a budgetary option when it comes to tabletops, Skirmish is a tactical wargame played with a die in an 8x8 grid, and that’s it. There are 20 armies to command and lore of each faction to understand, but without the minis to accompany them. Each faction plays a different way to get you involved, but without the overhead it can be played anywhere with anyone. It even has the Aggro Crab Seal of Quality! What’s not to love.
The Knights of the Road
Reimagine the late 1800s/early 1900s, where the USA jumped into the industrial revolution and the world rocketted towards the beginning of its technological overhaul. Now imagine that all of the mythological creatures that roamed the Americas also existed, and the Government has left those of the west to die. You and your friends decide to become monster hunters in this land, and this game will enable that. It’s a mini-hack of Into the Odd, where you’ll roam the lands, solve puzzles, kill monsters, and avoid Barons. Good luck!
On The Path
Rounding out the software is this hack of Honey Heist set within The Witcher series, where players become monster hunters for coins and investigate a strange letter. It’s meant to be a minimalistic homage, down to the fact that there are only two stats; HMM and FUCK. Honestly I’m not sure if it’s a joke or not, but I appreciate the reference nonetheless.
Regardless of its silliness, it is a tightly packaged deal that anyone who enjoyed Honey Heist will sink into. If you enjoy the Witcher I’d doubly recommend it.
Duplicates
Only 7 this time!
CanariPack 8BIT TopDown
Pack from page 3 that gives you an 8bit series of assets to make your own game. See here for more info.
Metamorphabet (2015)
Adorable game to teach anyone about the English alphabet. Nothing fancy, just good fun. Read here.
CanariPack 1BIT TopDown
The other pack from Canari Games for this page, this one specifically for 1bit-era games. Was on page 6, read here.
Windosill (2009)
The other game by Vectorpark that made its way into the bundle (at least on this page). It is an adorable puzzle game. See page 10’s words here.
Shutter Stroll
A relaxing game about taking pictures on an island that is generated just for you, see my photos (and writeup) here.
Old Man’s Journey
An emotional tale where you follow an elderly gentleman on the slow path to reconciling with his past and experiences. Tearjerker, can be read here.
Ithaca in the Cards
Collaborative story game using a deck of cards to make your journey back home with your friends. See more on it here.
