Backlog

Ah, backlogs. We love ’em, we hate ’em. But we all have them. Whether you keep a complete list in a database, or just have that nagging feeling that ‘that game’ still needs to be beaten. My personal philosophy is to choose a few games I want to complete that I haven’t gotten to yet so I don’t feel overwhelmed.

Think of it more as a personally curated recommendation list than a situation where “If you don’t eat your veggies, you won’t get dessert.”. Here is the list I made for the opening of the blog. I’ll update this down the road. Let’s see which games I can complete.

Dragon Quest III: HD 2D Remake
Finished: Not Yet

I played part of Dragon Quest I on a tablet several years ago, and got pretty far given that I was pretty uncomfortable playing on that particular setup. So I was eager to pick up Dragon Quest III: HD 2D Remake when it released last year. But I was dealing with health issues and felt overwhelmed, so I put the game down and figured I’d go back to it later.

We now have a release date, October 30th, for the HD 23 Remake for Dragon Quest I and II. So I really need to get moving on playing and beating this since the games tie together and these modern versions have been enhanced to improve and better connect the story.

Pokemon Shield
Finished: Not Yet

I bought my first Pokemon game when I got my Nintendo DS. It was Pokemon Diamond, and I bought it to play with my friends RJ and Brandon, while we were all active in Phantasy Star Universe. It was the first of many times that I would buy a Pokemon game—and then not beat it. Which is absurd. Pokemon is one of the most easy going RPGs ever in terms of its main storyline. No more, I tell you. This is going to be the year. At first I thought of doing Brilliant Diamond, and making the story come full circle. But the IGN reviews I looked at praise Brilliant Diamond for its challenge, and that’s NOT my goal, so I’m going to pick a different game instead.

After looking at the three games I have for my Switch—I’m not counting Pokemon Eevee, because I’m terrible at the ball toss mechanic—I’ve decided I’m going to pick Pokemon Shield and start with Scorbunny since I like all three of its evolutions. I know—blasphemy for the ‘grass trainer’. But Scorbunny, and more importantly Cinderace, are more appealing to me visually than Grookey and Rillaboom. And while that may seem a bit petty, I will take ANY edge that will encourage me to actually start and finish this darn project. It’s been trying to be completed since 2007, and it deserves to be checked off of my ‘gaming bucket list’.

Dark Deity
Finished: Not Yet

A recent gift from Jay, and the game I’m currently half way through at the time of writing this article. Dark Deity is a sold turn based strategy RPG in the same vein as the older Fire Emblem games. And I love it for that. The overall structure of this, so far, reminds me of playing Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance on the GameCube, and that’s the one Fire Emblem I actually beat, so I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to roll the end credits on this game.

The maps are long and complex here. I started this thinking I was going to zip through it in a couple weeks, but a map can take me an hour or more, so I’ve started focusing on this when I want to play a strategy map. That’s not a knock on it, though. That’s just the nature of this genre.

Visions of Mana
Finished: Not Yet

I am a huge fan of the game Trials of Mana, which released on Switch and Steam a few years ago, and successfully beat it after really enjoying the demo. So I’m optimistic that I will find this one good, too. I’m a bit leery of the subject matter here. Games about sacrifice can be hit and miss for me. But due to my love of the last game I played in this series, and this game’s gorgeous art style, I have to check it out. It’s been sitting in my backlog since the Steam Winter Sale, so its past due to be installed and played.

Bustafellows
Finished: Not Yet

Solving mysteries and changing the flow of time? Sounds like a winning combination to me. The characters look interesting, the art style is attractive, and I like games that let me mess with what is happening to the characters and their world.

I grabbed the PC version of this during a Steam sale, and now that I’m reading there’s going to be a part II and your original file carries over? Yep, gonna need to move my butt and get this played.

Wylde Flowers
Finished: Not Yet

It’s fun enough getting to go to a town and start a new life inside of a game. But when this is paired with joining a coven and learning magic, color me intrigued. I’ve heard this has solid writing and easy to grasp farming mechanics. With it being character based and having room for growth in the interaction between the main character and NPCs, my attention was piqued and I must check it out. I tried to start this a while ago, but health issues made it hard to focus. So here we go again.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
Finished: Not Yet

Skulking through the world under cloak of invisibility. Joining the Dark Brotherhood. Advancing through the mages guild. I’ve wanted to go back to this game for at least a decade. But I have to use a controller to play something like this, and the older versions for PC do not have controller support. I bought this remaster the moment it launched—and then promptly got a really nasty cold. So it’s on the backlog to remind me to get back to it when I’m feeling better. I don’t need it to become another game cluttering the list of my games on Steam.

Potion Permit
Finished: Not Yet

The moment I heard about this game I was dying to play it. The idea of gathering materials to create potions and cure people is close enough to the type of farming, town interaction, and time management gameplay I enjoy that I felt confident. But unique enough, and focusing on something I was interested in enough, that it stood out from the crowd. Plus, you get to have a dog. Who doesn’t want a dog? The demo only confirmed everything I initially thought. Now I just need the right moment to dive in for real.

Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Finished: Not Yet

A top down, Zelda-like experience, with the twist being that instead of combat you solve puzzles via coloring. I love games that encourage creativity and leaving one’s personal touch on the game world you are exploring. And this looks like it will give me that in a cute adventure with themes of coloring and food.

Definitely sounds like something I should enjoy, and since I bought it during a Steam Sale I might as well get to it now rather than later. Sometimes an idea can sound so good on paper that I’m scared to play the actual game and find out if its execution lives up to its idea. But how will I learn the truth if I never play it?

Wytchwood
Finished: Not Yet

Dark fairytale vibes, smart writing, a gorgeous color palette and a Faustian bargain with a creepy purple goat. Marry that to problem solving mechanics that focus on crafting items to reach solutions and you have a setup that is going to instantly draw me in. I grabbed Wytchwood from a Steam sale and have been a bit nervous to start it because it’s premise is incredible, which means my expectations for how it will turn out are pretty intense. But the only way to find out whether it’s good is to play it, so that’s what we’ll do.

Now that you know what games I’m trying to work through in 2025, feel free to share what you want to complete this year. There are so many great games out there, and each of us only have so much time to devote to this hobby. While there are big ‘tent pole’ games that most people get hyped about, it’s always interesting to see which other games grab someone’s attention and why that happened.