28th March
Hey there, and welcome back to our usual slot, where we share a little window into the games we’ve been getting stuck into. This week, it looks like everyone’s heading back to the same set of titles. Bertie is diving into Slay the Spire 2; Connor’s growing frustrated with teammates in Marathon, though not in Old School RuneScape; Kelsey is busy with Pokémon Pokopia while also trying to ‘ship Leon Kennedy and Lara Croft; and Dom is once more spending time with his balls.
So, what have you been playing over the past week?
And here’s another one: do you remember what you were playing last week? No need to stress—our What We’ve Been Playing archive has you covered.
Play another game, Bertie!
Alright, I’ve come back to Slay the Spire 2… but here’s the thing: I managed a solid run as the Regent, so I figure I’m forgiven. After that, I started experimenting with tiny decks and repeating cards—something I haven’t really tried before. It made me feel pretty sharp. I still got taken out in the end, but it genuinely left me feeling like I’d earned a win.
Now I’m tinkering a bit more, building deliberately around specific ideas while resisting the urge to accept card rewards too soon, even though that’s a real challenge. Sometimes I find it hard to shape things into synergy as I approach the end of Act 2, and that can feel a bit shaky—but then, every so often, it clicks and you get those flashes of brilliance.
During a recent session, I picked up a card that offered “Replay 3,” which lets a card be played three extra times with zero energy cost. It’s random what card ends up getting the boost, but at one point one of my new “multiplayer” cards was enhanced by it. On its own, that card gives my co-op partner four extra energy (instead of three), so “Replay 3” effectively scales it up by four—handing them 16 energy altogether. They didn’t immediately realize what had happened when I used it, and then I caught some suitably vivid language over voice chat. You’re welcome.
This is exactly the sort of lucky, game-altering moment Slay the Spire is famous for.
I also spent some time with Nutmeg, a nostalgic football management game, and I wrote up my impressions of it. It nails the retro feel, but the more I play, the more I’m starting to suspect the card-game side is fairly limited. Or maybe I just need to push through a slow opening. We’ll see how it goes.
-Bertie
Play another game, Connor!
Yep, I’m back in Old School RuneScape and Marathon. In RuneScape, I’ve finished mining shooting stars for Stardust, and I’ve used it to upgrade my mining gear to gold and buy a fancy ring that… increases mining. I mean, come on—that’s how the game works! I could be out there fighting monsters or knocking out quests, but instead I’ve been mining for hours. That’s the deal.
As for Marathon, I’ve been pretty irritated while running Cryo Archive with random players online. Risking heavy loot just to team up with people who don’t communicate, then get caught by other players, die, and quit before they can be brought back is beyond frustrating. If I had to compare it to other gaming experiences, it’s like getting stuck in a miserable World of Warcraft raid group for more than two hours—then doing something similar in Ranked League of Legends.
Still, there was a bright spot: I managed to join a properly organized squad with other games media folks this weekend. Our expectations are high!
-Connor
Play another game, Kelsey!
Nothing about this surprises me—I’m still fully hooked on Pokopia. Since launch, I’ve put in roughly 70 hours, and while I’ve rolled credits, most of that time was spent in the early area of Withered Wastelands. I’ve carved out cliffs, built loads of houses (only to knock them down and rebuild again… twice), and put together a pretty underwhelming treehouse so all my bird Pokémon can live there.
Next up, I want to build a big—absolutely not modest—dojo for all my fighting-type “mons. That said, I’m also trying to force myself to take a pause so I don’t burn out too quickly.
Then there’s also the Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream demo, which managed to pull me away from Pokopia for a few hours. On my island right now, Lara Croft is pining for Leon Kennedy’s attention, while he’s tied up with sleepovers with Agent 47… It’s quite an adventure.
-Kelsey
Play another game, Dom!
It’s got me interested again. The Regal Update dropped in a few weeks back, and since then I’ve been right back to messing around with my balls. I just can’t seem to stop. It’s incredibly engaging—so captivating, so hypnotic. Honestly, I think this game nudges me into a “Tetris Effect” headspace more than even Tetris Effect itself did.
Between Balatro, Ball X Pit, CloverPit, Die in a Million, and The Rogue Prince of Persia, it’s been a fantastic stretch of years to be a fan of roguelikes. So yeah—let’s have Vampire Crawlers next, I guess!
-Dom