Summer Games Challenge 2025 - GET EQUIPPED

[prfsnl_gmr]

First couple attempts at Alex Kidd... couldn't even pass the first stage. Now I can get 1/3rd of the way through.

Can't treat this like Mario. It's a slow methodical creeping game.

Lots of block smashing.

Certain blocks are a gamble. They can summon a ghost and I honestly never avoid it. Instant death!

Everything I’ve read about that game makes it sound horrible. I’m waiting with bated breath for your next review. Are you any better at rock, paper, scissors yet?

[alienjesus]

A tip for the question mark blocks - it’s not random which ones contain ghosts. The way to escape ghosts is to scroll the screen, so it’s best to set up an escape route before punching the blocks.

It’s well worth doing so, because the ? Blocks always give rewards in the same order- I don’t remember the specific order of which is first second and third, but one will be the ghost, one will be a magic bracelet power up which lets you fire projectiles when punching, and one will be an extra life, after which it loops back to the start of the sequence. If you know the order, you can be aware of when a ghost might appear ahead of time.

I also recommend writing down the order the enemies throw out rock paper and scissors during the janken matches. The order is fixed by default, but changes if you ever get one wrong. However, from a fresh bootup they will always throw out the same symbols in the same order as long as you always win the matches. So note down the first symbol for the first guy, and if you got it right, note down the second too. If you got it wrong, ignore the second until next time.

There’s an item you can find that makes it so you don’t need to learn more than the first janken match order, so make sure you get that.

Miracle World is a tough game, and a long one too. There’s 17 stages to work through, but the length varies significantly!

[pierrot]

Aw, shit! I can't talk smack about Ys anymore--.

jk, I've actually enjoyed Ys Origin fairly well, for the most part.

7. Little Nemo: The Dream Master

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Little update to say that I haven't played anything in about a week, summer games related or otherwise. I wasn't really having any luck with getting Ys Chronicles running on steamdeck with Japanese UI, so I kind of gave up on that and made pretty short work of Hugo's story in Ys Origin a while back. It's kind of weird from a plot perspective because it's fundamentally incompatible with Yunica's story events. I don't really like Hugo's gameplay at all, but I had a significantly easier time with him than with Yunica. For one, I think his weapon just unloads more damage by being able to mash out projectiles in pretty rapid succession. I didn't even really need to stop to grind with him at all, either. I also realized that I did miss a chunk of Claria ore just before the sand area boss with Yunica just from forgetting to go down a particular path branch. So that probably helped make the end of the game a lot easier. (Still have no idea where the fifth pair of boots are, though.)

I maybe should just move on to Falghana, but I kind of want to swing through Origin again with the third character.

I'm also hopeful that within the next week I have an entertainment center and consoles set up in order to get back to Dragon Quest VII.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Thanks, aj. Starting to notice the "patterns" emerge as I continue to play.

I really don't like this game though. Third Alex Kidd game I've played (obviously I'm not going in order) and all have been terrible.

The pacing, mechanics, and overall vibe are just so bad. I wonder if that "DX" remake is any better?

[BoneSnapDeez]

Alex Kidd is DONE.

Incredibly hard penultimate stage. So many low ceilings plus slippery jump controls = plenty of instant deaths. There are also "troll" rooms that basically kill you as soon as you enter unless you know to pivot and hit some switch. Of course you have like a millisecond to do so... I had so use a stored invincibility item to pass through one room. No idea how someone could do it otherwise, seems impossible given the positioning of (invincible) enemies.

Oh and was I supposed to have some item to tell me the order of switches the step on at the end? Didn't have it, so I just looked up the solution online. Don't care. Terrible game! I'll write more later.

[alienjesus]

Yeah, I think the item is found in the first big castle area about half way through the game. Honestly, as a westerner it’s pretty worthless though because it’s written classically Japanese style - it’s meant to be read from top to bottom starting at the top right.

Shame you didn’t find anything to enjoy. I think it’s a massively flawed game but I honestly have a soft spot for it. It does quite a lot of different stuff in its run time, not always successfully.

[BoneSnapDeez]

The first stage is best. Love the big vertical drop and then the transition to water.

[Key-Glyph]

Hey folks. Where my Code Veronica players at? I'm feeling like it's the next game I want to dive into, so I'm trying to psych myself up to hook up the PS2, locate the proper memory card, etcetera. Is anyone else feeling like they might take up CV in the near future? Give me your energies!

[Ack]

I've been perpetually annoyed with the Pope (the one in the game, not the White Sox fan), and with work being very busy lately, I've needed something that draws less ire, so I haven't continued with Medieval 2: Total War. However, I haven't stopped working on my Summer Challenge.

Instead, I have moved on to Saints Row: The Third. I first played the second years ago and enjoyed that it leaned into the more ridiculous aspects of its GTA-inspired formula. SR3 goes fully into it, literally starting with the main characters robbing a bank while dressed as themselves. I started by modeling my main character off of She-Hulk when I designed her, then later swapped out to look like Jason Statham, and now I am playing as a Black woman in a biker jacket, because...why not? And I'm rolling around Steelport helping out a pimp who speaks through a vocoder. I'm enjoying myself.

[Note]

Just a quick update on Phantasy Star. I made it through the Baya Malay Tower and the Celestial Castle. However, by the time I reached the Lassic battle, I was out of healing items and out of MP with Myau to use the Cure spell, so I wasn't able to get past that battle. I loaded up my save prior to that battle and exited the dungeon to do some grinding. I gained a level, bringing the party up to 26, and looking to gain one more before I try to make my way back to Lassic.

I do have all the best equipment up to this point, but I wish I could get rid of the vehicles taking up item slots here, as I don't think they're needed anymore. I was able to get rid of two things that I think are unnecessary now, so I can at least bring two additional healing items for my next attempt.