Ducks and Magic. Do I need to say more?!
Placid Plastic Deck – A Quiet Quest || 17/02/26
In 2022, we witnessed the birth of the majestic Placid Plastic Duck Simulator. A simple game where you observe and collect plastic ducks. This time the developers graced us with a fun deck builder RPG! You play as the nonchalant and quite sassy Zoi. Your friend passionately introduces you to his favourite card game. Ready to battle him, a kind stranger joins you to help you out. However, the kind gesture backfires. You win, your friends cards disappear. A death match, you unknowingly accepted to. You both lose your deck to the stranger. You shrug it off, but your dear friend is devastated In a generational bonding, the deck was passed onto him by his father. It meant the world to him. And so your quiet quest begins for revenge.
Problem is, the committee is gone and the deck machine broken and in flames?? Quick, grab the fishbowl with the rubber ducky! And thus, your new deck in true duck galore, is born. Oh, and the cards talk to you. Normal, right? The game presents its worlds and characters in a beautiful pixel art, which blends amazingly with the 3D elements in card game mode. The presentation is beautiful. Each board resembles the owners deck, and every little motion has its own animation and quirks. A truly fun and lovely journey under 10 hours!
Rhell: Warped Worlds & Troubled Times || DD/MM/YY
The world is ending. Yeah, quite literally. People are vanishing, leaving no trace or reason. Towns are empty, libraries flooded. Only 12 people remain. 12 people to look for answers, to stop the loss of everything. Obviously, nobody is better fit for that than the brilliant sage Rhell! Rhell is rude, sassy, sarcastic and yet the most capable mage left. Will we be able to save the world? I dunno! But at least we have fun spells to try!
In Rhell you discover 40 different spells, each with a different mechanic, each with the function to be combined into something new (102,400,000 combinations!). You start off with roughly 4 spells, and these already show the brilliance of the combination system. I was looking at a big gap, unsure how to get across it. But why not use help? I push a stack of books to the boarder, summon a puppet with the skills to combine the push and jump mechanic. So I jump on the books and my lovely puppet yeets me across the gap. The more spells you get, the more chaotic and creative it gets.
The game excels in creativity. Pretty much every puzzle has multiple solutions, and it’s up to you to experiment. You can reset the room anytime and let the creativity spin. Sure, you can cross a gap by freezing the water or pushing logs into it, but you can also transform it into magma and just, you know, jump into it. Rhell will surely curse you, but they will be thrown into air everyt ime they touch the magma. And that’s just another way of transportation, right?
Quick Shoutout (not played yet)
THYSIASTERY || 09/03/26
We got a turn based dungeon crawler RPG in an astonishingly beautiful art style. The demo presented a quick and fun gameplay loop. Every loop gives you a new chance to recruit comrades, build your own skill set, explore the depth of the dungeons and fight horrific monsters. Various environments and lots of secrets, make the exploration intriguing and captivating. Modifiers can make the game even more challenging, but can also ease you in, if you are here for the vibes. Breathtaking and mysterious, don’t let this game slip by.
Bubblegum Galaxy || 11/03/26
Pastel colours, low poly design, bright and positive vibes. You befriend charming co-workers and most importantly, rebuild the galaxy! Yes, it’s in ruins, yet hope is not lost. In a mechanic, that heavily reminds me of Dorfromantik, you place tiles, to build on and expand cities and landscape. Join the Bubblegum Galaxy, if you adore a cozy city builder.
