What Video Game Did I Play Yesterday?

DIY "Shareware Disc of Switch Software" Adventure

Aquarium Land (Switch)

December 17th, 2024

I got back to work after my long weekend yesterday, and as such, I didn't really play much. I started in on the current map based event in Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade, but was way more focused on leveling up my characters.

I also made a run at finishing Aquarium Land, but this game's grand finale will have to wait for tonight. I'm in the last aquarium, so I just have a bit more grinding to go to unlock the final tank and be done with this.

December 16th, 2024

Yesterday was a much lower grade gaming day than Saturday had been. I did my weekly upkeep in Spirit City: Lofi Sessions, getting a couple more spirit companions while I was at it. It was very low effort, but that was fine.

Other than that, I buzzed through a bunch of the story mode in Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade, hoping to get some more dispatch locations and more effectively grind for items. It worked, and it was fun to finally get into the game-exclusive bits of the story. The Fukuoka campus students aren't as bad as I thought they'd be, and it's more fun to get their story than it is to plod through the manga story, but told much worse.

I also tried a game one of my coworkers was talking about called Blade of God X: Orisols. It was more action-y than the mobile stuff I usually play, but was also a little dull and incomprehensible. My character's design is cool, though, and since I'm always looking for games to play while I'm half asleep, I might try it again for that. I'm not sure, though.

I kept on with Aquarium Land, too. I'm hoping to finish this off tonight or tomorrow, but if I don't, that's fine, too. I just want to move on to my next game.

December 15th, 2024

Yesterday, I hid inside from the ice, which gave me a lot of time for games. Luckily, I'd just gotten my preorder of an Atari 7800+ in, so I had plenty to do! My family had a slightly outdated Atari 2600 when I was little, but I'd never played the 7800 before yesterday. It's probably very skewed to judge a system like this by a souped up re-release and a modern pack-in cartridge, but it seems neat! I played Bentley Bear's Crystal Quest, which came with the system, for a little bit, and was surprised how vibrant the colors were, and by how much I liked the controller, too. The game itself seems like it'll be a bit of a "git gud" situation, but I'll give it more shots!

I was really excited to pop in the Epyx sports 2600 multicart I'd ordered, though, for California Games. I maybe took too much pride in being a better gamer at 37 than I was at 4 as I played, but even aside from that, the demo scene vibes of the title screen and the weird, puppet-ish hacky sack guy looked great plugged into an HDMI port! From here, I'm a bit determined to improve a bit at the BMX event, but it'll be a fun grind.

With the multicart popped into the system, I wanted to try the other two included games, too. I'd never played either before, but found Summer Games kind of confusing and tedious on my first play. Everything seemed to have really tricky timing, and I thought the graphics were a bit flat compared to California Games.

I had a lot more fun with Winter Games, though. The sled and luge events have a crazy sense of speed for the 2600, and biathalon was the only event I felt truly baffled by. I'm looking forward to figuring out how this game works a bit better.

Because this post really needs to go on longer, I did quite a lot of more modern gaming, too. I had enough time to devote to it, so I grabbed my study notebook and tackled some walls of text in Model Debut #nicola. I unlocked the clothing shops and got a hairstyling assignment, so the game is opening up a bit at this point. Being able to read the Japanese text is still the most satisfying bit of it, though.

I went a bit overboard with Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade as I did chores and stuff, too. It seemed like time to get my characters leveled up, so yesterday, I was mostly just grinding for materials. It wasn't super exciting, but it was fun.

Lastly, I kept on in Aquarium Land, too. This really isn't offering anything new other than the numbers going up as I move through the game, but I'm over halfway through. It doesn't seem like it'll overstay its welcome, even if it is getting a spot repetitive.

December 14th, 2024

Today is a good day to avoid going outside and dealing with ice, so I am posting from a very cozy spot inside. Yesterday, I ended up feeling a bit panicked for no reason and not playing nearly as many games as I wanted to, but that is okay!

Of everything yesterday, I was probably most excited to find the beta test for Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road on Steam. I played the 3DS digital-only version of the first Inazuma Eleven years ago, thinking a soccer RPG would be funny. I got really hooked on it, though, so I was happy to find this so easily available. I probably won't play online, as I am pretty bad at sports games, but I am playing the story mode demo. So far, it's very cute, but I only played for a few minutes before feeling compelled to run more errands.

Earlier in the day, I ran Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade for hours, clearing out the Gojo stamp rally event and trying to boost my team a bit. The event story was kind of funny, but I like the map style events a bit better than these basic buzz through the level ones. Another map event just started, though, so I'll play that within the next few days.

I kept going in Aquarium Land, too, falling asleep pretty shortly after I started. It's fantastic to have a before bed game this effective.

Today, I'm trying to get stuff done so I can play games stress free after dinner. I don't know if I'll succeed, but I'm doing okay so far!

December 13th, 2024

I'm off work today, which is nice, but there's an ice storm rolling in tonight! I'm trying to make sure all my devices are charged and there's decent food I can eat if we lose power, and should be good on both those fronts. Even to myself, it seems like I'm more worried than I have to be.

Tomorrow, I will probably have a lot of games to write about, but last night, I just played a little more of Aquarium Land. I was tired and I didn't want to focus, so it was an easy, relaxing choice. By the time I started playing, I was already really sleepy, so I only cleared one level. That was also fine.

December 12th, 2024

Last night, I wanted to play something bright and summery, since the cold was getting to me. I landed on Aquarium Land, which I picked up on Switch for 20 cents a while back. I didn't expect anything, but it was an all right zone-out game with some cheerful, sparkling blue beach vibes. I put a bubblegum pink dolphin in my in-game aquarium and felt harmony with the game's vision of the world. Even though I have dozens of better games to play, I will be returning to this brightly colored grind.