The groundhog finally declared… more winter and gaming quickies of last year! Even though I’m going outside more often, I still love staying in an playing a ton of video games! You can’t beat the warm, familiar glow of your favorite TV screen, can’t you? Here’s a list of games I played last year that I’d recommend. Without further ado, let’s get to the Gaming Quickies of Last Year!
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage
Sure, it released in the west December 2021, but I’ve been constantly playing Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage. Known as Project Sekai in Japan, this rhythm game celebrates the popular Vocaloid community with a lot of awesome songs. (Besides, it’s my Gaming Quickies of Last Year column, I do what I want.)
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage tasks you and five units to tap, hold, and flick to the beat of popular Vocaloid tracks. As the game emphasizes the real world aspect, there are covers of the song by the original characters of the game. From the idol group More More Jump to the mysterious Nightcord at 25:00, there’s personality oozing out of these characters.
What I love about Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage is that it free-to-play and isn’t too dependent on its gacha aspects. You can get special cards for rolling the glorified gambling machine, but enjoying the stories and music doesn’t require a penny. In fact, I would encourage you not to blindly pull and enjoy the best music the Vocaloid community has to offer. I love how there are some deep cuts included (some songs aren’t even sung by the Crypton Vocaloids originally)!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to try and endure Machine Gun Poem Doll.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Sure, Elden Ring and God of War were the hottest games out on shelves last year, and their gritty story and difficulty are one of the main draws. Nothing wrong with that, but sometimes you just want a title that’s adorably relaxing. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is one such game, and it’s beautifully adorable. (Plus, it makes me want to revisit Kirby Manga Mania sometime soon.)
This is cause for celebration because of Kirby’s first full-fledged 3D adventure on Switch. The game looks charming, especially as Kirby travels through a post-apocalyptic world. It feels deserted rather than haunted, and I love how HAL Laboratories made the environments. In addition, the soundtrack is as amazing as ever; I mean, Kirby technically won a Grammy, after all.
The best part of any Kirby game lies in his copy abilities, and they deliver. While a smaller pool of base abilities appears in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, they are all easily upgradeable. This means Fire can become Volcanic Fire and pulverize everything in its path (plus traversal potential is top-notch).
The game is filled to the brim with minigames and extra objectives as you rescue Waddle Dees from captivity. You can bring in a second player to help as Bandana Dee, which is great for families with younger children. Honestly, this game exudes charm, and I could just eat it all up, which is why it’s a perfect pick for gaming quickies of last year!
Haiku, the Robot
Going to the digital side of things, Mister Morris Games’ Haiku, the Robot is a great indie Metroidvania. If you’re waiting for another Hollow Knight announcement (who isn’t?), feel free to whet your appetite with this game.
If there’s one thing that immediately separates Haiku, the Robot from its competitors, it’s the lovely art style. The pixel art is amazingly detailed and captures each setting perfect. From aqueducts to junkyards, the beauty of the distended is something to behold.
The boss fights are fun and hectic, with the patterns challenging but not too difficult. While I did get lost a few times, the environments were detailed and had a great aesthetic. It was fun exploring the different scenery and dodging various enemies.
If you’re looking for a tough but fair and entertaining Metroidvania title, I suggest that you pick up Haiku, the Robot today!
Super Kiwi 64
Look, I miss low-poly 3D platformers as much as the next guy, so I’m glad SIACTRO is making these bite-sized experiences. From Toree to Beeny, there’s a lot to love that won’t break the bank. Super Kiwi 64 is no exception to the nostalgic line of short but sweet games from this developer.
There’s not much story here, but Super Kiwi 64 allows players to zip through eight levels as the titular Kiwi. You can dash and use a corkscrew attack to traverse through each level, which works very well. There aren’t too many enemies, but there are enough to plan your movements and attacks too. The music and graphics evoke a 90s feel that gave me nostalgia throughout my playthrough. The best thing about Super Kiwi 64 is its affordable value; it retails at $2.99! It truly puts the “quickie” in gaming quickies of last year.
If you want to try out a nifty little game and you’re on a budget, Super Kiwi 64 is the game for you.
Yurukill: The Calumniation Games
I love bullet hell titles even though I’m terrible at them. I also appreciate the Zero Escape-like puzzle/visual novel genre, so mashing them up together was a dream come true. Yurukill: The Calumniation Games mashes up detective puzzle solving and shoot-em-up gameplay in an innovative manner.
Yurukill Land is a wonderful, fun-filled place… filled with Prisoners that committed detestable crimes. Each of the culprits (in one case, two culprits) pair with an Executioner to play a small game. If the Prisoner wins, they are set free; if the executioner wins, it’s game over for the Prisoner. You initially control Sengoku, a man who doesn’t remember his crime that killed 21 people. However, throughout the game you’ll control various Prisoners in their fight to stay alive before they die in Yurukill land.
The game is divided into two sections, a point-and-click puzzle room and a shoot-em-up stage. In each chapter, you’ll control one of the Prisoners as they try to solve the mysteries in the room and face the Executioner’s inner demons. It’s actually a gameplay mechanic; you’ll have to assuage the Executioner because they hold the button that’ll instantly kill you.
The puzzles are serviceable, but the second half is where the game shines. At the end of each chapter, you’ll reach a shoot-em-up stage with your protagonist where you’ll need to defeat your Executioner to survive. Here, your knowledge of the puzzle room will determine how many lives you receive. In addition, you’ll need to remember the case because there will be short knowledge minigames within the stage. Answer incorrectly and you’ll lose lives. Each protagonist has their own strengths and abilities, so you’ll need to balance dodging bullet sprays and dishing out damage.
I adore the mix of genres and it’s a novel way to experience bullet hell and point-and-click games. The characters are unique and fun to interact with, and Yurukill mascot Binko is delightfully deranged. Yurukill: The Calumnation Games is a fun hidden gem for which you should be on the lookout.
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires
The Warriors franchise is a guilty pleasure of mine, but recent games have knocked it out of park. From Samurai Warriors 5 to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, the series shows no signs of slowing down. I haven’t tried the Empires subseries of games since 5, but this one is a great entry for Warriors fans.
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires puts you in charge of unifying China under your rule. You can pick a preset character or make your own, and then choose which time period you want to conquer. The game focuses more on strategy than hack-and-slash gameplay, though there’s plenty of that here. Every in-game month, you can choose actions that range from diplomacy to invading territories. It’s a simple loop that works well if you want to take your time thinking.
Because Dynasty Warriors 9 was an open world game, Empires also follows suit, making use of the spacious settings. I’m not a huge fan of the open-world gameplay of the base game, but I like how it complements the strategizing here. Due to the nature of the gameplay loop, I can imagine myself playing this for quite a while.
Bonus: Dream Controller Joy-Con for Gaming Quickies of Last Year!
Playing Kirby and the Forgotten Land was an amazing experience, and I purchased an OLED Switch to play it. What’s better than an improved screen? Kirby Joy-Con!
I want to give a shoutout to Dream Controller for sending Miso these amazing controllers. They’re modified from official Joy-Con and don’t peel off. The controllers are also UV resistant and look great in handheld mode. In short, Dream Controller is the best option for custom controllers, and the company has a ton of different options!
If you’re interested in buying some for yourself, use code HEARTDC23 for a discount today.
That wraps it up for our gaming quickies of last year! What games are you playing this February? Sound off below in the comments, and stay tuned for more gaming, anime, and manga coverage here on Miso!
