so i've got this backlog to go through

and i figure, why not turn it into a fun little thing i can blog about. so here we go.

(all game selections subject to change; check back here for updates!)

estimated time to beat: 10 hours
reason to play: this game was given to me as a gift and i'm just, excited to play it! literally my only reason to put it at the top.
first impressions: lives up to the hype! i'm playing it on passive mode, which in my opinion does not diminish the spooky vibes of the game itself. every time i catch a mutated fish the sound chord jumpscares me enough. i've been playing this handheld with headphones late at night, which has been the optimal way to immerse myself in the world.
final thoughts: overall really enjoyed this game! getting each individual ending was quite simple-- managed to stumble across the event i needed to get the good ending before i'd even finished the main questline, so that was nice. having seen a tiny bit of what normal mode looks like i think passive was the right choice for the sake of my heart.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW i thought the final twist of the collector's identity was VERY fun and added a new depth to the story; i'm already looking forward to a complete replay (i accidentally sold one of the airman's buddy's dog tags and this is a mistake i'm GOING to rectify) to see the little hints to this twist in the early game!

estimated time to beat: 33 hours
reason to play: i will not lie. i didn't really enjoy disco elysium the first time i tried it. not even because of the randomization-- i think that shit rules, actually-- but just because i tend to get avoidant of the things my friends are obsessed with. it's a failing of mine. i'm hoping approaching it from this direction doesn't result in me bouncing off of it.
UPDATE (1/31): well, theo managed to talk me into playing this, and very well may end up doing... a thing about it. so i have had to bump it up to february, shifting a few other games around in the backlog schedule. pray for me to finish the longest game on the list in the shortest month of the year.
final thoughts: COMING SOON

estimated time to beat: 12 hours
reason to play: i got all the bioshocks on sale like... two years ago? and it feels like a good time to get around to them. also, i'm better at FPS games than i was when i first tried to play infinite.
final thoughts: COMING SOON

estimated time to beat: 3 hours (pony island) & 28 hours (outer wilds)
reason to play: i put pony island at the top of the year because pony island 2 is coming out. then i realized it was a little short for the month (putting it in february was a coincidence) so i dropped my next most anticipated backlog title, outer wilds. i'm about an hour into outer wilds already so i know i can hunker down and really enjoy it.
final thoughts: COMING SOON

estimated time to beat: 14 hours
reason to play: i know this game gets up to some buckwild shit. i want to see it so so bad.
final thoughts: COMING SOON

estimated time to beat: 13 hours
reason to play: if any game gets bumped up to an earlier month, let's face it, it's gonna be this one. i've had spoilers blocked for this for like two years, i want to know what happens in it SO BADLY.
final thoughts: COMING SOON

estimated time to beat: 11 hours
reason to play: same as bioshock 1. fun fact though! my dad bought a ps3 when i was a teenager to play this game and batman arkham knight. he played neither of them. instead i played twenty hours of portal 2, the first five chapters of final fantasy xiii, and way too much lego star wars.
final thoughts: COMING SOON

estimated time to beat: 15 hours
reason to play: i love my friends, and my friends love this game. there has to be something to it. genuinely i'm not even sure what the game's ABOUT, i just bought it bc my friends are into it. i know fonts are involved in the design somehow?
final thoughts: COMING SOON

estimated time to beat: 6 hours
reason to play: i've had this game in my library for years and i feel like i'm missing important supergiant lore by not playing it.
final thoughts: COMING SOON

estimated time to beat: 12 hours
reason to play: I KNOW, I KNOW. LISTEN. i'm really looking forward to being able to talk to rachel and david about how this game could have been so good, actually.
final thoughts: COMING SOON

estimated time to beat: 13 hours
reason to play: genuinely i don't remember how this game ended up on my wishlist. there had to have been something there. if i'm being QUITE honest this made it here because i didn't know what else from my backlog to pull, but i'm sure i won't regret it.
final thoughts: COMING SOON

estimated time to beat: WE'LL SEE
reason to play: there's a bunch of really cool titles coming in 2025, and i'm sure more will be announced or my friends will talk me into picking something up over the course of the year. so leaving myself the space to play one felt like the right call. i might shift this one around depending on the game and my hyper for it.
final thoughts: COMING SOON