18th April
Hi there, and welcome back to our usual spot where we talk through what we’ve been playing lately. This week, Connor seems to lose his grip on reality and goes for an axe handle instead; Victoria has to deal with the sting of handing over a present that nobody values; Kelsey tries to prevent Cooking Mama from ending up with a restraining order; and Bertie shows off what he can do.
Which games have you spent time with this week?
One more question: can you remember what you were playing last week? No need to panic—our What We’ve Been Playing archive has everything you need.
Old School RuneScape, PC
I’ve slid into a never-ending routine—one of those unrelenting grinds where my mental well-being probably won’t bounce back anytime soon. It’s all chop trees, store logs, process the timber, and then turn it into bows. After that, those bows get used to dress up totems, serving as tributes for ents living through their calm cycle of admiration for the natural world around them. For me, the payoff is experience for fletching, and I’m painfully behind.
I’ve put in hours on this. It starts in Seer’s Village, specifically on the forestry-focused worlds. There, me and plenty of other people who feel thoroughly trapped in the digital woods just keep swinging at trees, only occasionally breaking it up—like when taking part in odd events such as giving baby ents haircuts or stopping fox hunters. Imagine a crowd of anonymous folks cutting down trees; the conversations between these poor souls can be animated, warm, and even a little childish, but somehow they always end up drifting into politics.
I kicked things off with maple trees just behind the bank, though every now and then someone grumpy from the Yew tree area on the far side of town would drop by with their timber haul. I had it easy back then, even if I didn’t realize it. I must have gathered hundreds of logs, then turned them into more bows than I can reasonably count.
Still, this morning before work, I moved up to Yew trees—trees that take a lot longer to fell. Now my rune axe is starting to feel worn out in my hands. A better axe does exist, the dragon axe, but you can only get one by defeating a boss that’s far stronger than you, or by pulling a one-in-10,000 drop from an activity called Wintertodt. Of course, I could just buy one, but that’s only for people who don’t really want it enough.
This might sound like a fresh form of suffering, and sure, it is—but it’s also oddly satisfying in its own way. Once I finish, I won’t just be able to craft better bows (and sell them); I’ll also become a stronger woodcutter, capable of cutting magic trees. That’s where the doors open: golden chests in the Shades of Morton crypt, and even the chance to sacrifice charred bones from mithril dragons. That, in my view, is the appeal of Old School RuneScape. Every step ties into many more, and it’s worth chasing that tangled network of goals. Well, almost everything—except for the Mage Training Arena. That one’s too much.
-Connor
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo Switch
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Animal Crossing is 25 years old now. I remember how vividly the original game launched. It may not feel like “it was only yesterday,” but it certainly doesn’t seem that long ago. Right?
Earlier this week, I opened up Animal Crossing: New Horizons with my daughter, who lives on my island with me. “There might be a little surprise waiting for you in your post box,” I told her, complete with a knowing wink. She went straight over to check—and sure enough, a special commemorative item for the series’ 25th anniversary was waiting for her. She opened it immediately and proudly set it outside her home. Then she turned around and announced she didn’t like it at all, planning to sell it to Timmy and Tommy at Nook’s Cranny. Cold-hearted little…
Did you spot that the commemorative item sold for 25,414 bells, marking Animal Crossing’s 25th anniversary on 14 April? I pointed it out to my daughter, but she wasn’t interested. Still, she does have a brand-new cooker in her house now.
-Victoria
Slay the Spire 2… on a plane
Technically, I didn’t just revisit Slay the Spire 2 and Vampire Survivors this week. I also spent time with a game I can’t share yet, and I attended an event I’m not able to discuss either. I’m pleased to say I was involved in some covert goings-on—though I was far less thrilled about being stuck in a stationary post-Brexit queue while trying to get home.
That said, flying still gave me a useful chance to play Slay the Spire 2 on the move. I borrowed a PR’s Steam Deck so I could keep getting my Slay fix. They were kind enough to let me use it (after a bit of persuasion)! As for that PR, Slay 2 hasn’t really gone well for them so far—they’ve only been testing it casually. And because I’d been talking up my current obsession, the pressure was on to perform. I was also seated next to someone from PC Gamer, and I could practically feel their curious attention drifting toward my screen, which made me extra nervous about putting on a good show.
About an hour later, I handed the Steam Deck back. It took a second before the PR caught on to what was displayed: Victory. I’d done it—I’d defeated the spire. They looked absolutely delighted, and honestly, I have to say I could tell they were impressed. Even the PC Gamer representative seemed to be taken with it. I could barely keep a smug little grin from spreading across my face.
-Bertie
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, Nintendo Switch 2
I’ve been incredibly excited for Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, and I’ve already built a pretty chaotic island. So far, Leon Kennedy, Agent 47, Ditto, Lara Croft, Professor Layton, Dr. Gregory House, Cooking Mama, and yes—me—are all enjoying paradise together.
Lara Croft seems to fall for just about everyone she comes across, while Leon Kennedy looks like he can’t stand anyone he meets. That even includes Agent 47, who apparently decides that Mr. Kennedy is his closest friend after their nights of sleepovers and sharing secrets. Awkward, to say the least.
The main focus on my island (and not for the most flattering reasons) is Cooking Mama. Everyone’s favourite video game cook is teetering on the edge of getting a restraining order, since she won’t stop hovering around Ditto and staring at them. And since my island is only just starting to come to life, I don’t even want to imagine what’s in store for Cooking Mama and the rest—but I’m sure we’ll all get updates in the weeks ahead.
-Kelsey