2026 Gaming Goals!

So, as I stated elsewhere, 2026 is the year of clearing games that have vexed me or just sad idle on my computer for too long. Reviewing the list... I have too many to actually complete in one year (too many for one lifetime frankly - such is the curse of ADHD impulse bundle-buying), so I'm just going to have to select a dozen of them and see what I can do.

1. Brok the InvestiGator
   • I backed this enough to get a physical copy, enjoyed the demo... but in three years, I never got around to playing the full version of this hybrid beat-em-up/point-and-click adventure (a style that reminds me of Sierra's old Quest for Glory series, though that leaned more into proper RPG and Brok leans more into the beat-em-up side). We fix that this year, and we fix it first.
2. Lollipop Chainsaw
   • Suda51's attempt at a game styled like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I unfortunately have the RePOP version, which means I don't get the licensed music from the original. I still don't think Dead or Alive's track goes with the combine harvester sequence, or Human League's track with the elevator sequence.
3. Shadows of the Damned
   • Perhaps not one of Suda51's finest works, but that's because he collaborated with EA on this one. EA kind of stymied his creative efforts here. But even Suda51's worst is still leagues ahead of many AAA developers.
4. Minecraft
   • I played this back when it was a tiny browser thing. I played this on multiple servers since. However, in all 16 years since this game's been around, I have never beaten the Ender Dragon or the Wither. We fix that this year. I even already know what seed I plan to use - 19006492568.
5. Raft
   • Another game where I've had it for a long time, played around, never beaten the main story... but when I last played this, there was no true conclusion. Well, there is now, so we can finish it.
6. Far Cry 2
   • As I stated in the other thread, I got all the diamonds in the first half before putting this down. Time to get everything else and actually see the end of this one.
7. Post Void & Mullet Mad Jack
   • So... THESE are a pair of first-person shooters where there's little level navigation, a lot of running forward and shooting, and strict time limits. I plan to beat both of them - I combine them because Post Void's achievement list is basically nil (beat the game once, use all weapons, fail 20 times and mess with the settings menu a bit, and you'll have them all), so more focus is on Mullet Mad Jack here.
8. Sentinels of the Multiverse
   • Now that the kid gloves are off, I can finish what I started in getting every achievement done (including every villain on Ultimate). I don't count the Earth-Prime side of this yet as once I finally get there, there's going to be unlock conditions for variants that I need to worry about.
9. Baldur's Gate 3
   • Another one I started but never finished. Seeing a running theme? I'm ultimately planning on two playthroughs but I might have to settle for one this year.
10. Darkest Dungeon 2
    • I started it a while back, things fell apart when I went through down times last year, and now it's time to finish it.
11. CloverPit
    • A horror game revolving around a slot machine? In an art style similar to Buckshot Roulette? Sign me up!
12. Arx Fatalis
    • This one's a bit older. A dungeon crawler, and one of the first efforts out of Arkane. I really enjoyed their second game, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, so I'm giving this one a try. (And I also have Prey 2017 on my big list, which is another of theirs.)
13. ???????
    • I don't want to reveal what this last one is. It's a horror puzzle game with a rather infamous reputation among the fandom, and that's all you need to know.

There are also a handful of games I'm looking forward to that are probably releasing this year:

1. Beastro
2. Mouse: PI for Hire
3. Slay the Spire 2
4. MewGenics (the latest from Edmund McMillen, the Binding of Isaac guy)
5. An upcoming DLC for Legendary Tales (a VR hack-and-slash I really enjoyed)
6. Whatever expansion is coming for Monster Hunter Wilds

As well as some of my ongoing cases:

1. Warframe
2. Darktide
3. Vermintide 2
4. Party Animals

And a few ongoing cases such as:

1. Arizona Sunshine Remake & 2
2. Slay the Spire
3. ATLYSS
4. Powerwash Simulator (first one only, not gonna bother with 2nd)
5. A number of roguelikes that have accumulated in my library for years now
6. Megabonk
7. Balatro

If the game in question already has a separate thread I previously made, I'll use it and may just reference it here. Otherwise, I'm using this thread for my progress in any of it.

Well, that plan got derailed fast.

I uncovered two games that I thought I'd completed, but got updated since I last touched them.

One being a nice casual game called Little Inferno. There were three years in a row in my 20s where I streamed this as a Christmas game, and lo and behold, three years ago they introduced a Christmas DLC story - and achievements. I did all of it in one fell swoop.

The other... being fast-paced shooter POSTAL: Brain Damaged, a subject I... okay, looks like I can't put the NSFW tag on a thread after the fact, so I can't really discuss the game (or the DLC that got released since last time I played the game) here. Sorry! (Yes, it's really that messed-up of a game.)


That and PEAK have been taking up my time.

So, I've been completing games, just not in the way I intended.

I'm going to have to address that.

Weekly update on this:

I think I've gotten enough badges on PEAK that I can put that down for a while. Much of what I have left involves escapes and multiplayer so I can come back and look for groups on it later.

Slay the Spire, I've finished Ascension 3. I'm doing these with the Defect, and this time I managed an All for One deck with a bunch of Claws and other 0-cost cards.

And I also unlocked the second drawer in CloverPit (I'd beaten the demo so I already had the first one unlocked), even making it up to the 11th deadline on that run... with a sole focus on getting cherries, one of the weakest symbols on the slot machine. I've actually got a "memory pack" dangled over my head for my next run. Reading up on what those are, it looks like completing this one's going to take quite a while.


Anyways. With my games finally getting over their holiday events, I really, REALLY need to look into starting Brok finally.

Morgana Willowsett said:

Very nice! I love how you're locking in to complete such a fine collection!

My goals are a little simpler, aiming to get gold star promotions for my dwarfs in Deep Rock Galactic, making significant progress in Avernum 2 and managing to complete a full run on RV There Yet.

If I get an opportunity, I do want to clear some Mega Drive titles too.

Click to expand...

Hmmm... I have Avernum games in my Steam library, but I haven't done anything with them.

However, thank you for the reminder that I need to address my console games too. I am basically at a point in my life where, due to massive binging on gaming bundles in my 30s and late 20s, I need to be much, MUCH more careful about what I buy and play. I should at least clear all the console games I have in some fashion or another - and that includes the Mega Drive Classics stuff I got before they discontinued it on Steam.




Anyways, weekly update.

CloverPit's memory cards are turning out to be quite easy to get. Generally you can pick them up with good luck in the first couple rounds. And I've unlocked all four drawers. However... I looked up whether there was any other progression, and it turns out I need to start collecting the corpse parts in each run. Apparently that's how you get actual endings in this game. Problem is, the corpse parts make meeting the deadlines harder...

That is... quite honestly the only progress I've made this week on the main list. I've been distracted by VR gaming - mainly Legendary Tales, where I'm trying out three new builds. My first playthrough was a "lightning mage" setup that relied on that charged-orb fusion spell. My others are going to be a greatsword playthrough, a stealth build (yes, it's actually possible with one of the skill trees to play stealth).... and going for achievements requires a perma-death character, for which I will be going for an ice mage with the icicle-launching fusion spell and not wielding any weapons (there are skills to make your punches deal reasonable weapon damage, actually).

And Slay the Spire I'm now working on Ascension 5.


-----------------------------------------

EDIT:

No point posting twice in the same day on a thread like this.

CloverPit? I finally got the door open once. Still haven't gotten the good ending and I need more memory packs before I try to clear all the hard modes, but we're getting somewhere at least.


And... I finally, FINALLY got started on Brok the InvestiGator. Playing on Hardcore which means the fighting game aspect's going to be tricky sometimes.

Not exactly far yet. Intro sequence wasn't there when I played the demo three years ago, but Chapter 1 is mostly like the demo I remember... which may mean I'm nearing the chapter end since I've gotten past the Tribot cop.

Brok the InvestiGator is... the visual style of a Disney Afternoon cartoon, with a story of a detective in a dystopic world. No seriously, you have your Drumers (civilized society, very much based on appearances - best shown when you go into the pharmacy and four of the six recommended drugs are diet medicines. None of them work like Ozempic, one might work like Wegovy or Zepbound though) and your Slumers (poor neighborhoods, crime, everything crumbling). Brok (a gator) and his adoptive son Graff (a wolf) are the latter, and the entire first chapter's investigation requires you to fake Drumer credentials.

I'll find the ad coupons (which you can use to get hints) as I go and worry about finding everything and getting every game over and ending after I've reached the game's proper conclusion at least once.

Tasks done on this play of Chapter 1:

• Sold the broken cleaning bot for money
• Fixed the remote
• Paid the energy bill
• Convinced the package sorter bot to work for Shay
• Got the old veteran some medicine

Oh, and the Virtual Arena has a bunch of furry donators as audience members. I knew Duncan (a macro green kangaroo, falsely accused of causing a kaiju game to fail) could be an audience member, but I'm surprised Skyox (the Tribal Hunter guy - much as I enjoyed that game, that's not one to mention in casual conversation) was one of the donators.

I will address any further progress I make with Brok later tonight. CloverPit, I'm trying to go for the sacred charms and having a bit of trouble there.

There are a number of ongoing games I didn't mention but I will be modifying the first post to add those in later. For now, we have something else.


We have another new game for the list that kind of surprised me. One that just hit Early Access earlier this week.

When I was checking some videos, I saw one for a game called Hungry Horrors. Given who it was, it was a compilation of what happens when the monsters reach you.

But let me back up a minute. What is this game even about? Well, you're a princess who starts off in a dungeon. You get out, and get suckered into a deal where you're cooking for monsters from British and Irish folklore. Your cards are traditional dishes from the region, apparently? Can someone help me out on these? Roast Potatoes are an easy one, Yorkshire Pudding's definitely something I've heard of before, but Boxty? Potato Farls (which a number of early monsters hate for some reason)? Colcannon? Crempog (which kind of looks like a pancake dish based on the card in-game)?

Alright, so there's a couple other quirks. If you chain foods with certain flavors together, the monster will get fuller faster - and that is practically mandatory to get anywhere in this game. Also, there are certain foods they love and some they hate. Loved foods count multiple times for the chain bonus, but feed them a hated food and they'll purge - which is BAD.

In the demo it took me only like two runs to get to the second area. Now that I bought the early-access version? Second area on the first try before a Spriggan scratched me to death. Yeah, that means the Grendel (the boss of the Cave area) was not much of a challenge. (Any clue why he likes Yorkshire Pudding so much though?)

At least I've never had a Puca (in this game, they steal your gold and are one of the few monsters trying to run away instead of going after you) get away so far.

(There's multiple different spellings of some of these monsters, if I miss any letter accents that's why.)

So unfortunately, due to the snowstorm and a sudden urge to clean the house, the continuation of Brok didn't happen this weekend. I actually wound up trying to catch up on some of the "longer-term" games, specifically Warframe.


Anyways, today I got my hands on another Early Access title, although this time I've been anticipating this one.

So, with the fact that the original A. A. Milne version of Winnie The Pooh went into public domain (no shirts, or you tread on Disney turf), of course it'd be seen as free real estate by someone wanting to develop a horror game. An Australian studio didn't go the "first person and jumpscares" route with that - instead, you're cast as a mutating virus that Winnie somehow got. You build a path to evolve and turn Winnie into a freakish monstrosity, occasionally helping him defend himself from the more concerned residents of Ashdown Forest the Hundred Acre Wood.

I led with the gameplay explanation so that when I told you the game's name was "Winnie's Hole", you might freak out instead of thinking it was something raunchier. (It actually refers to the feeding hole in his belly that he develops due to this mutating virus.) I still wouldn't let a kid near this game, but that's because they'd have constant nightmares about the silly ol' bear as a body horror.

I got past Owl (the first actual boss encounter) on my first run in Early Access and managed to catch Rabbit in a random event (where he revealed he also had begun mutating for some reason) only to take much more of an encounter than I could handle right after. Part of that was just bad planning, part of it is due to the fact that you are way more of a glass cannon here than in most roguelikes. Owl had 70 HP, there are regular enemies in the first area with 40+ HP easy, but Winnie starts out around 12 HP and gains health slowly (you can get the occasional +1 max health from the mutation tile phase).


EDIT: And now having completed a run... apparently the virus that infected Winnie is being sought out by a plague doctor for the sake of viral evolution. Interesting. This means I have to watch out for certain perks as I play and complete runs with them to unlock new actions.

So I've updated the list to include the perpetual games.

There's Warframe - the basic premise is "space ninjas" but the lore is so much more in-depth that I really can't cover it here. I can say the developers have quite a pedigree for fast-paced games as they were the ones who made Unreal Tournament up to a certain point. Anyways, I kind of work in spurts with this game - I used to play this a lot more often, but with the sheer variety of games I have I needed to space it out a bit more. I believe the developers have a slower-paced game coming soon...

Next is Darktide. Warhammer 40K universe, small-scale Chaos uprising that just happens to be on a world that produces battle tanks. You've got guns, you've got psykers as a character option, but your opponent is actually a trained battalion and the cult that teamed up with it. I tend to only log onto this one when there's an event going on - I have an overarching goal to complete every mission type on the hardest difficulty with every character type but that takes way low priority.

And then... Vermintide 2. Warhammer Fantasy universe, basically the end of days when the local race of ratmen decide to finally make their presence known. Let's just say in lore that the Skaven curbstomped a lot of factions during the End Times - but you might not feel that from this game where you're taking on ratmen by the hundreds, mostly in melee (yes, even if you're playing as Sienna, the local fire mage). Having gone on this long, this game's got quite the plethora of content... it's just that this game winds up the lowest-priority of my three perpetual games, as I can easily complete most missions on the difficulty below the one I consider "game completion". I eventually want to be able to do every mission on Legend difficulty (I'm not bothering with Cataclysm difficulty) with every variant.

I didn't list Monster Hunter Wilds as an ongoing because I've already put it in my "waiting for an expansion" list, but that's one I'm checking in on every once in a while. I eventually plan to take out every monster with the five weapon types I use, but that's something of a slow burn.

Lastly is Party Animals. It's basically my one multiplayer versus game. Most of it is "last man standing" small-team brawls, but there's also a cart racer, several types of score games, an Among Us knockoff, a cabin with fishing mechanics available... I've actually been very very lax on this game, as there's no major event going on to my knowledge.



Anyways, on to this week. Brok has still been on the backburner and I really need to get to it this weekend now that I'm better handling this stormy weather.

In CloverPit, I actually managed the white phone and the true ending. The messages actually change in that case - the red phone implies feeding an addiction, whereas the white phone is basically an addiction recovery hotline. I will still need to accomplish it more to unlock the sacred charms, but this is just something I can pick up every once in a while. I have to go through Hard mode with every memory card at least once anyhow.

I actually played more Peak yesterday too. After some hiccups, I got five achievements in one run - surviving an antlion attack in the Mesa, shooting across the Mesa canyon in a Scout Cannon, escaping without ever losing consciousness, escaping while carrying the Bing Bong plushie from the crash site, and escaping without using a single packaged food item. Too bad that was all on Tenderfoot, so no new sash for me. Overall I find that I really need to use my gear in The Kiln (pitons are worth their weight in gold there) and not worry so much about bringing food there. Maybe a single Honeycomb or Yellow Winterberry for that region? (Suffice to say I'm REALLY going to dread the "Leave No Trace" badge...)

Hungry Horrors... I've nearly beaten the Early Access content available so far. Unfortunately on my last good run, I got through every biome up to the Town but my deck had too many foods that Clurichaun didn't like and I found out that his "Munchies" trait (random craving every turn) makes him immune to the potions that let you change an enemy's craving. I still find it baffling that a random drunk fairy is more challenging of a boss than Queen Mab (who's the boss of the Meadows, the fourth biome - Town is fifth), but whatever.

Similar story for Winnie's Hole - that one's lower priority as I've beaten the Backwoods area. Turns out the boss of that path is Eeyore. (The boss of the initial forest area was the Plague Doctor's assistants.)