The Backlog Check-in Vol. 398: 8/18/25: Sword of the Sea Edition

[canedaddy]

New releases:

Delta Force - Aug. 19
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution - Aug. 19
Sword of the Sea - Aug. 19
VOID/BREAKER - Aug. 20
ACUVAC: A Suck and Blow Adventure - Aug. 20
Discounty - Aug. 21
Herdling - Aug. 21
Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi - Aug. 21
Chibi-Robo! - Aug. 21
Grit and Valor: 1949 - Aug. 21
Sengoku Dynasty - Aug. 21





Played recently: Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled

Finished: nothing

Added to backlog: nothing

I hardly did any gaming last week because I was sick. Looking forward to playing Sword of the Sea tomorrow.

[argyle]

I haven't heard of Sword of the Sea until now, but it looks really cool - I'll have to add it to my Steam wishlist.

Games added: Nothing

Last week: Finished nothing, played Elden Ring

This week: Elden Ring

[canedaddy]

Just curious... did you play Shadow of the Erdtree and/or Nightreign? As much as I enjoyed Elden Ring (plat!) and am tempted to check those out, I'd be terrible if I played either without replaying the main game first to relearn combat, etc.

[argyle]

Just curious... did you play Shadow of the Erdtree and/or Nightreign? As much as I enjoyed Elden Ring (plat!) and am tempted to check those out, I'd be terrible if I played either without replaying the main game first to relearn combat, etc.

I played Erdtree, and it's fantastic. Don't have much interest in Nightreign since it's multiplayer only. But yeah, I had to play a bit of the base game last year to relearn how to play before I played Erdtree as well. Played a few hours to relearn what's what, first with a new character, then with my existing character, and then I took my existing character into the DLC. You can't overlevel for the DLC, they introduce a new material in it that powers you up, and without having much of that, you'll get steamrolled no matter what level you are going in. It's not as big as the base game - of course - but it's way bigger than you'd expect any DLC to be. Very dense too, the map is deceiving - there are lots of "levels" to it.

EDIT: BTW, what I'm playing now is on the "new" character I made last year before playing Erdtree, so I've been doing everything again fresh with no new game plus shenanigans. Having as much fun as I did the first go around. Tam and I both are playing, and we're using a weapon type that neither of us played last time. It's this massive staff that acts as a hammer, but it also casts a pretty strong spell that homes in on enemies - makes for a great ranged & up-close combo. It's a ton of fun to get in the mix and smack stuff around.

[crimson_tide]

Hey. Summer ends next week. I MIGHT try to drop my 2024 game of the year list (I somehow actually did end up playing at least 10). Next year will be...a small plate goty. I'm not sure how many I will get to this because

A) My PS5 is still boxed up

B) You all know I have 10 minutes every 3rd moon cycle to play

C) My limited time is now spent getting dog walked like the Green Ranger did all them fools for like 5 straight fades in... Dragon Ball Fighterz which I introduced to my kid and turns out she's a goddamn prodigy at that one and that she wants to play...when it's not Lego Marvel Superheroes...and Overcooked...and Puzzle Fighter... goddammit, I gotta get this kid into FFX-2. Or Kingdom Hearts...but I refuse to be that parent until she asks for it...sigh...

Where was I...oh yeah:

Played: Chained Echoes is the mother flipping shizNITE friends! The PS4 one was a glitchy mess I had to put down but this game is exquisite on my Steam deck! These fools bout to be lefty as fudge and I am HERE FOR IT! It's quite the disjointed opening and there's a lot going on in story and combat and character development (story and combat) but there's mechs. Not a spoiler, the game starts with you in mechs. It's a baller ass game I am sticking with. Y'all JRPG heads should give it a look. Oh and that One Piece game no one likes. It's a good enough mindless pallet cleanser. Oh and the stealth greatest game ever made, Party House in UFO 50. I need to play the kinda linked UFO 50 game Minnie and Max. Oh and all those games with the soo to be 10 year old

Bought: Nothing? I think. WAIT: I got new kittens. Bodega cat had a letter so I took two and named them Bebop and Rocksteady. It was that, Smoke and Stack, Tomax and Xamot or Thundercracker and Skywarp. The children were not pleased with these choices but who cares.

This week: as much Chained Echoes as humanly possible before school starts. It's so good, I charged up my 2DS to make another effort at Radiant Historia as a before bed game. Maybe people be right about these things being heavy hitters .Sometimes.

Hope all's well with your families all!

[canedaddy]

Sword of the Sea is dope. I'm pretty sure everyone here would enjoy it.

I played Erdtree, and it's fantastic. Don't have much interest in Nightreign since it's multiplayer only. But yeah, I had to play a bit of the base game last year to relearn how to play before I played Erdtree as well. Played a few hours to relearn what's what, first with a new character, then with my existing character, and then I took my existing character into the DLC. You can't overlevel for the DLC, they introduce a new material in it that powers you up, and without having much of that, you'll get steamrolled no matter what level you are going in. It's not as big as the base game - of course - but it's way bigger than you'd expect any DLC to be. Very dense too, the map is deceiving - there are lots of "levels" to it.

EDIT: BTW, what I'm playing now is on the "new" character I made last year before playing Erdtree, so I've been doing everything again fresh with no new game plus shenanigans. Having as much fun as I did the first go around. Tam and I both are playing, and we're using a weapon type that neither of us played last time. It's this massive staff that acts as a hammer, but it also casts a pretty strong spell that homes in on enemies - makes for a great ranged & up-close combo. It's a ton of fun to get in the mix and smack stuff around.

Good info. Thanks. I'm sure I'd enjoy experimenting with different builds/weapons. The first time around I was just trying to be as strong as possible to survive.

Hey. Summer ends next week.

Man it flies by the older you get. How the heck is it Aug. 20??? Hope you get a good set of brats this year.

C) My limited time is now spent getting dog walked like the Green Ranger did all them fools for like 5 straight fades in... Dragon Ball Fighterz which I introduced to my kid and turns out she's a goddamn prodigy at that one and that she wants to play...when it's not Lego Marvel Superheroes...and Overcooked...and Puzzle Fighter... goddammit, I gotta get this kid into FFX-2. Or Kingdom Hearts...but I refuse to be that parent until she asks for it...sigh...

Let her cook while her reflexes are at their youthful best. There's a time for turn-based RPGs when she's older... though I'm not sure there's ever a time for FFX-2 or Kingdom Hearts.

Thanks for the word on Chained Echoes!

[isthatallyougot]

I've, of course, been lost in my fictional baseball universe. Over 400 hours this year and that's not counting so much of the league creation itself. I'm currently 1/2 game up for the only wild-card spot and 6 1/2 games back of the division leader with 50-ish games to go in the season. Things are *tight*. I'm leading the entire USBL in both homeruns and stolen bases. My bullpen has finally rounded into form. My only real weakness is starting pitching depth. One of my starters is a young guy who has nasty stuff and gotten plenty of strikeouts, but when he gets hit, he gets *rocked* hard. I've got 2 solid guys (one of whom is an absolute star) at the top of the rotation and then it has been mixed results with the bottom 3 - some good and some bad. The staff is *adequate*, but as all baseball fans know, you'll likely only go as far as your pitching can take you. But, as mentioned, I *do* have a pretty filthy and deep bullpen, so it's a matter of getting between 4-6 innings a piece from the bottom 3 of my rotation if possible. My lineup is so stacked that I struggle to spread the ABs around, but it's a good problem to have.

The look I imagine if most of you guys read these posts:





I also sneaked in a PS2 title to keep my 26-year streak of at least one new-to-me title on that console every year since launch. I would mention it, but I'll save it for my 2025 reviews because I imagine you guys will have a nice laugh at my expense. I may try to get another PS2 entry in before year's end as well.

Hope you guys are all thriving...or at the very least, hanging in there.

Argyle, I will *one day* purchase and play Elden Ring (and Sekiro...and Bloodborne).

[argyle]

Argyle, I will *one day* purchase and play Elden Ring (and Sekiro...and Bloodborne).

Oh, I've given up on that - not waiting anymore. Your master plan was to get me hooked on a Souls game, then your work was done so you were out. I'm wise to your schemes.

ron-swanson-eyes-on-you.gif (138.05 KiB) Viewed 886 times

[isthatallyougot]

Argyle, I will *one day* purchase and play Elden Ring (and Sekiro...and Bloodborne).

Oh, I've given up on that - not waiting anymore. Your master plan was to get me hooked on a Souls game, then your work was done so you were out. I'm wise to your schemes.


ron-swanson-eyes-on-you.gif

[canedaddy]

I've, of course, been lost in my fictional baseball universe. Over 400 hours this year and that's not counting so much of the league creation itself. I'm currently 1/2 game up for the only wild-card spot and 6 1/2 games back of the division leader with 50-ish games to go in the season. Things are *tight*. I'm leading the entire USBL in both homeruns and stolen bases. My bullpen has finally rounded into form. My only real weakness is starting pitching depth. One of my starters is a young guy who has nasty stuff and gotten plenty of strikeouts, but when he gets hit, he gets *rocked* hard. I've got 2 solid guys (one of whom is an absolute star) at the top of the rotation and then it has been mixed results with the bottom 3 - some good and some bad. The staff is *adequate*, but as all baseball fans know, you'll likely only go as far as your pitching can take you. But, as mentioned, I *do* have a pretty filthy and deep bullpen, so it's a matter of getting between 4-6 innings a piece from the bottom 3 of my rotation if possible. My lineup is so stacked that I struggle to spread the ABs around, but it's a good problem to have.

Man that sounds like real baseball. Glad you're enjoying it. Now go win that championship!