It's Grim Up North and Reading Routine Change Part Deux
I finished It's Grim Up North. However, it's only the first chapter of the game. I don't know when or if the second chapter will come out. It's a pixel adventure set in Yorkshire and you play as an old detective named Terry who discovers these shapeshifting purple goo aliens have invaded. It's a point-and-click adventure game with turn-based combat sequences. This game has a very specific type of humor that is probably best understood by those who have grown up in English culture and especially in the Yorkshire area. Obviously I wasn't raised in England, but I did really enjoy the humor and thought it was the game's strongest point.
The puzzles were also good. They leaned on the easier side, but there was one part where I got really stuck and there is no walkthrough whatsoever for this game. No written walkthrough, no YouTube walkthrough nor any hints either. I guess no one's heard of this game? So, I had to get by on my own. I was stuck for a day or two, but I did get unstuck, which was good because I might have had to abandon the game otherwise.
So, the other aspect of the gameplay was the turned-based combat. I actually did all right on that with the exception of the last two battles. I wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen when Terry died. Would I have to start the battle over again? Fortunately, there was a skip button, so you don't have to win to move on. I didn't really know what I was doing during those battles, but at least I got through most of them. I guess if you're into this sort of thing though, it adds a fun element.
No voice acting in this game, but you do have humorous quirky characters. I do think it's a little rough around the edges. Some dialogues don't disappear after completing a certain goal. Like that shop owner still asking me to get rid of the chavs even after I got rid of them. I was also able to pick up items again after I had already used them. The inventory was a little clunky too. Then there was a game breaking bug during the middle of one of the battles. I think I could tell this was probably the developer's first game.
Overall I did enjoy this game. I appreciated the humor, which made me laugh quite a bit and enjoyed the puzzles too. Would I play chapter two? Maybe. Turn-based combat is not something I'm great at, but as long as I can skip it, it might be fine. Could be quite a wait for the next chapter to come out though. I know how these things often go. Sometimes games are just never completed for budget reasons or otherwise, so we'll see. In the meantime, here's a screenshot. A rap battle at Garden Con to win that stuffed wolf for a puzzle. The game is quirky, that's for sure.
Next up is a game called The Crimson Diamond. This one is an EGA graphics style adventure inspired by Sierra's Laura Bow series. I've never played those games, but I get the vibes. Hopefully no dead ends though lol. Looks like another perfect one for the Fall season too.
There is one last thing I wanted to talk about before I wrap this up. So, back in August I decided to try to change my daily routine. I wanted to do it in part to see if I could get more read. It didn't work out like I hoped and I ended up more stressed as a result, so I ditched that routine apart from one time block for one of the activities, and that's still been working fine for me.
Now I want to try something different specifically for reading. Normally, I have a couple books I read at the same time, not counting my nighttime book. I read by bouncing between the books throughout the day, and I don't know what it is, but it feels like my reading has slowed down. It takes me longer, especially reading on my Kindle depending on what it is. So, it feels like I'm slogging my way through books even if I'm enjoying them. I haven't been happy about it. I want to be able to get through more pages. Maybe it's a concentration thing, but I've decided I want to try something new. Instead of bouncing between books, I think I'm going to focus on one book at a time, but alternating days. So, say on Monday I would read book one, then Tuesday read book two, and Wednesday go back to book one, ect. I think this might help me be able to read more. Of course I could be entirely wrong, but maybe it will help with my focus. And AI agrees that this method would be more effective at getting more pages read. AI has never steered me wrong before, right? :P
The only way to find out for sure is to test it out, which I was going to start doing next week. Another fun project for me to try. Of course, I know there's the chance I'll be let down again like with trying to change my routine, but I'll consider keeping this new method if either I read the same amount or more pages than I did before. If I end up reading less like what the new routine did to my reading, I'll go back to my old ways again. No harm done. Worst case scenario, I'll just have to learn how to accept my reading process and habits. There might be nothing I can do about it. I'm getting older and have chronic pain issues that affect my concentration, and that could be just how it is. I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes though, and hopefully it works out.
The one downside I can foresee however is that this new method may lead to more DNFs if I'm reading a book I'm not enjoying. I'm usually good at picking books I know I'll like though and don't DNF often. And it's not like I'll be reading all day for hours and hours either. I can't really do that anymore. I'll still be doing my multi-tasking with other activities like I usually do anyway, so that breaks up the reading. I think it should work out fine. I'll comment here again at a later date to talk about how it went. Not going to start until next week though to give myself some mental preparation. Whatever that means lol.
The puzzles were also good. They leaned on the easier side, but there was one part where I got really stuck and there is no walkthrough whatsoever for this game. No written walkthrough, no YouTube walkthrough nor any hints either. I guess no one's heard of this game? So, I had to get by on my own. I was stuck for a day or two, but I did get unstuck, which was good because I might have had to abandon the game otherwise.
So, the other aspect of the gameplay was the turned-based combat. I actually did all right on that with the exception of the last two battles. I wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen when Terry died. Would I have to start the battle over again? Fortunately, there was a skip button, so you don't have to win to move on. I didn't really know what I was doing during those battles, but at least I got through most of them. I guess if you're into this sort of thing though, it adds a fun element.
No voice acting in this game, but you do have humorous quirky characters. I do think it's a little rough around the edges. Some dialogues don't disappear after completing a certain goal. Like that shop owner still asking me to get rid of the chavs even after I got rid of them. I was also able to pick up items again after I had already used them. The inventory was a little clunky too. Then there was a game breaking bug during the middle of one of the battles. I think I could tell this was probably the developer's first game.
Overall I did enjoy this game. I appreciated the humor, which made me laugh quite a bit and enjoyed the puzzles too. Would I play chapter two? Maybe. Turn-based combat is not something I'm great at, but as long as I can skip it, it might be fine. Could be quite a wait for the next chapter to come out though. I know how these things often go. Sometimes games are just never completed for budget reasons or otherwise, so we'll see. In the meantime, here's a screenshot. A rap battle at Garden Con to win that stuffed wolf for a puzzle. The game is quirky, that's for sure.
Next up is a game called The Crimson Diamond. This one is an EGA graphics style adventure inspired by Sierra's Laura Bow series. I've never played those games, but I get the vibes. Hopefully no dead ends though lol. Looks like another perfect one for the Fall season too.
There is one last thing I wanted to talk about before I wrap this up. So, back in August I decided to try to change my daily routine. I wanted to do it in part to see if I could get more read. It didn't work out like I hoped and I ended up more stressed as a result, so I ditched that routine apart from one time block for one of the activities, and that's still been working fine for me.
Now I want to try something different specifically for reading. Normally, I have a couple books I read at the same time, not counting my nighttime book. I read by bouncing between the books throughout the day, and I don't know what it is, but it feels like my reading has slowed down. It takes me longer, especially reading on my Kindle depending on what it is. So, it feels like I'm slogging my way through books even if I'm enjoying them. I haven't been happy about it. I want to be able to get through more pages. Maybe it's a concentration thing, but I've decided I want to try something new. Instead of bouncing between books, I think I'm going to focus on one book at a time, but alternating days. So, say on Monday I would read book one, then Tuesday read book two, and Wednesday go back to book one, ect. I think this might help me be able to read more. Of course I could be entirely wrong, but maybe it will help with my focus. And AI agrees that this method would be more effective at getting more pages read. AI has never steered me wrong before, right? :P
The only way to find out for sure is to test it out, which I was going to start doing next week. Another fun project for me to try. Of course, I know there's the chance I'll be let down again like with trying to change my routine, but I'll consider keeping this new method if either I read the same amount or more pages than I did before. If I end up reading less like what the new routine did to my reading, I'll go back to my old ways again. No harm done. Worst case scenario, I'll just have to learn how to accept my reading process and habits. There might be nothing I can do about it. I'm getting older and have chronic pain issues that affect my concentration, and that could be just how it is. I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes though, and hopefully it works out.
The one downside I can foresee however is that this new method may lead to more DNFs if I'm reading a book I'm not enjoying. I'm usually good at picking books I know I'll like though and don't DNF often. And it's not like I'll be reading all day for hours and hours either. I can't really do that anymore. I'll still be doing my multi-tasking with other activities like I usually do anyway, so that breaks up the reading. I think it should work out fine. I'll comment here again at a later date to talk about how it went. Not going to start until next week though to give myself some mental preparation. Whatever that means lol.