Game binge roundup
March 5, 2026 Reading time: 17 minutes
I recently binged through a number of short games in my Steam library. Many of which I've owned and wanted to play for years. Here are my thoughts on those games.
!! Spoiler warning for all !!
Manifold Garden
I don't remember how I came across this game.
- I really like the minimalist visual style, ethereal vibes.
- Great sound design.
- Extremely trippy especially the later levels and the ending.
- Sometimes I enjoy just falling through the infinite space.
- Challenging but not to the point that it was frustrating.
- I had to use a guide 1-2 times.
- A unique puzzle experience.
Mutazione
I also don't remember how I came across this game.
- Mechanically very simple, a limited number of areas, but the character writing was really well-done and engaging.
- I wanted to talk everyone at every time frame.
- I really felt like I got to be a part of these characters' lives for a few days.
- Much of this game is very slice-of-life, and I appreciate the how relaxed it made me feel.
- I really liked Mori - granny who makes you delicious food, such an endearing character.
- They are all endearing characters, with well-defined personalities, quirks, goals, fears, etc.
- I enjoyed Tung's house's vibe at night, by the waters, with the background sound of the TV.
- Miu's secret swimming spot was one of the favorite areas.
- I missed the characters when the game ended, which doesn't happen with every game I play.
- It's been over a month since I finished this game, and I still think about the characters I met, and the places I visited.
- I still think about the loss and grief the characters went through, how they must've felt during those incidents, and how they'll continue to heal after the events of the game.
- It's a short and simple game, but a game that really stuck with me.
- The additional content with the letters from the characters was a nice. It made my transition off the game a bit easier.
My Friend Pedro
This game was mentioned on a lot of top indie games of the year lists.
- I'm into the soundtrack.
- I especially liked the Pedro levels, so whimsical.
- I never quite gotten decent at the game play, but thankfully it's pretty forgiving in terms of respawn points.
- I'm really bad at paying attention to multiple enemy bullets flying at me and dodging them.
- It wasn't quite really the type of vibe I'm into, but nonetheless I enjoyed this game.
- Mad respects to the fact that most aspects of the game (other than music) are done by one person!
- I hope someday I can feel inspired and motivated enough to make a tiny game all by myself, art, design, coding, music, and all!
Night in the Woods
This has been on my to-play list for years! I'm glad I finally got to it. I decided to play this because I was craving more games like Mutazione where you really get to know the characters.
- I really liked the vibe, it's super cozy, relaxing, and nostalgic.
- I hung out with Bea for all the nights when I had a choice.
- A lot depressing but real talks.
- I can completely understand Bea's frustration with Mae at some points. Even I got frustrated on Bea's behalf, like Mae, girl, you are so naive. Things aren't so simple.
- I know Mae is well-intentioned though!
- When Mae and Bea talked about how proximity was a big factor in their friendship, it certainly made me reflect on the relationships in my life. I am glad I can pretty confidently say that my inner circle is not based on proximity. Some may have started that way, but we all live very far now and barely see each other in-person. Some of them I see maybe once a year, or not even that.
- Star gazing with Mr. Chazakov on his roof was a small but memorable parts of the game. I just imagine how nice it must feel to be hanging out on a rooftop, on a warm-ish evening, while the Sun is going down.
- Bruce's story left a mark on me. It's a classic story of no matter how hard well-meaning people try, sometimes things just don't work out. It's how things are in life.
- I interpret Bruce's ending as killed himself, which made his last convo with Mae gut-wrenching.
- It's another moment that shows Mae's naivety IMO.
- I completely missed the fact that the 4th avatar on Mae's desktop is Casey's... I kept waiting for a message from them.
- Mae's dream sequences were quite trippy, I liked it.
- The cult plot line felt a bit disjointed to me. It doesn't negatively impact my enjoyment of the game, I just wish it tied in a bit more with the rest of the story.
- Maybe someday I'll play again and hang out with Gregg and Angus! There's definitely a lot of replay value there.
- I enjoyed the two minigames that were included with the main game.
Monument Valley
I believe some of my coworkers showed me this game when it first came out years ago. I finally bought it in January.
- Really cute visual style!
- The puzzles are super creative, the way they leverage isometric perspective as part of the game mechanic.
- I enjoyed the additional mechanics, such as the twisting paths, that were introduced in the later parts of the game.
- The box level is the one that made one of the the strongest impression on me.
- I already bought Monument Valley 2, and wishlisted 3. I look forward to continuing the adventure!
Abzu
I bought this game a few years ago. I likely heard about it through top indie games of the year lists.
- I actually listened to the soundtrack for years before I actually played the game. Specifically To Know, Water.
- The sea creatures are so adorable, I appreciate all the small details they added to their behaviors.
- I really took my time enjoying meditation mode, just sitting around and staring at these creatures float about. It's very therapeutic.
- Ride all the things. Make all the jumps. Do all the barrel rolls.
- I spent way more hours than the average how long to beat play time because I just enjoyed swimming around.
- I got jumpscared at moments when one creature suddenly ate another.
- My favorite is the last level with the shark.
- The environments are so pretty for every level.
Before your Eyes
I found this game probably through browsing for highly rated games in the Steam database. I went in not knowing anything about the game.
- I was surprised by the game mechanic. I think it worked well with the narrative!
- There's something really inherently bittersweet about memories passing by at the literal blink of an eye.
- It's beautiful and sad to see a character's entire life flash by.
- My eyes were really drying out because I tried so hard to not blink. I was committed to watch every scene to its fullest! For the most part I was able to.
- I really liked the story. The last few scenes were hard to play as I tried to keep my eyes open while tearing up.
Far: Lone Sails
I was looking for highly rated atmospheric games, so I came across this one on the Steam database.
- I love the environment design, so atmospheric!
- There's something so soothing and calming about passing through an abandoned area through a quiet night, just you by yourself.
- The settings are very "grand", which instilled a sense of awe in me.
- The environment storytelling was well-done. It was a great experience piecing together the story as I traveled across the land.
- I hoarded so much junk in the bedroom that it was a struggle to get out bed every time I respawned.
- The puzzles and challenge level was comfortable to me. Enough challenge to make me think but not so much that it became frustrating.
- I bought sequel already, so I look forward to more of this series.
Soft Body
The developers of this game was at a local in-person game fare some 9 years ago. I played the demo there and enjoyed it and bought it on Steam in 2017.
- I remember spending many hours in this game back in 2017-ish, but gave up half way because controlling it using keyboard was just too painful.
- A few years later I played it using a PS3 controller, but for some reason still gave up not far in because it was too hard.
- I don't know why but this time I picked it up, I beat the whole thing in 1 sitting. Have I just become or patient or has Elden Ring trained me well. Or both.
- Anyway, this was a fun, fast-paced game. It definitely gave me the dopamine hit I craved.
OneShot
Another find through the Steam database via sort by highest rated.
- Another awesome game that executes breaking the 4th wall wonderfully.
- This game has some of the most creative and unique gameplay mechanics, especially towards the end.
- Examples include using actual desktop and dragging the app window around to get clues
- The trippiest part for me is using a 2nd app to overlay on the game app to find the right path.
- They did an amazing job making Niko connect with me, the player.
- The world design is simple yet beautiful.
- I adore those glowing shrimp!
- I like the different bioluminescence lore within each layer of the world.
- The choice I had to make at the end really made me put into some philosophical pondering.
- I chose to save Niko and destroy the world.
- I'd rather save the character I bonded with than to save a bunch of characters I barely know.
- I know there's a sort of new game+, but I haven't gotten to it yet.
Sheepy
One of the highest rated free game I found through the Steam Database.
- I did not expect such a polished and well-designed game for free! No wonder why it rated so high! Not just because it's free.
- The visuals, music, world design, vibe, characters, game play, are all chef's kiss.
- I love the post-apocalyptic vibe, and the mix of nature and urban settings.
- I especially love how the music and game play intertwined.
- One of my favorite parts was sheepy dashing quickly across the field, with EDM playing to match the speed.
- I looked up the story behind the production of this game and discovered that it's done by a Youtube channel that I had followed since a long time ago! (MrSuicideSheep)
- The MrSuicideSheep brand is all about sharing free, high-quality content, so it makes perfect sense that they're behind this game.
To The Moon: Beach Episode
I've been following this series since the very first game in 2011.
- I already knew that even though on the surface one might expect this to be a lighthearted episode, that in reality it would likely destroy my feels. And it did.
- This was a nice wrap up of the To The Moon series, even though there'll still be one more mini game to be released.
- I appreciate the closure it provided to a lot of the plot lines
- It was nice to meet all the characters again, though admittedly I kind of forgot the details of a lot of them because it's been so long ago.
- For a while now, the fan base kinda knew that Neil was likely going to be dead by the end of the series. However the way the story was told still caught me off guard and hit hard.
- Beyond just this game, the whole concept behind To The Moon makes me think a lot about how I would approach some of the situations in my own life. You know a story is well-written when it makes the audience reflect even so many years later.
- Would I want to alter my memories to the "ideal" before I die? Even if it's not real, would it matter if I didn't know it wasn't real? I probably wouldn't want to undergo the procedure. I prefer the imperfect reality.
- Would I want to relive simulations of my memories? Or of my altered memories? Would that make the grief drag on for longer? Would I really feel comforted by a simulation of a loved one even if it retained all of my loved one's personality and memories? I probably would just want to move on and not prolong the pain.
- An aside, this makes me think about Junji Itou's Lingering Farewell story. I wouldn't want that, I'd just want to move on.
Slime Rancher
This game was pretty popular for a while and highly rated, which is likely how I found out about it.
- I spent way longer than the average play time of this game. I went for all the upgrades, completed all side plots, and filled all the farm areas.
- This was a very addicting game for me, but I find that's often the case for me with farming simulators. I just want to optimize all the things!
- I like the cute slimes, the variety of slimes, all the ways the farms can be optimized, and just trying to earn as money as possible to purchase all the upgrades.
- I didn't actually spend that much time exploring the areas. I mostly just focused on capturing the slimes I needed to fill the corals.
- Despite having spent so much time on this game, I don't have much more to say. It was simple but really engaging. I will play the 2nd game eventually. I heard it feels a bit less like a farming simulator, and more like an adventure game.
Next games I want to play
- I'm still mostly focusing on shorter lower commitment games.
- I need to finish Like a Dragon Gaiden.
- Likely next games:
- Monument Valley 2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Rain World
- Spiritfarer
- I've been yearning for some Souls games again. I bought the Dark Souls I-III on Steam despite already owning the PS4 versions. However having it on PC makes it way more accessible for me, which means it'll be more likely that I'll actually play it.