iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 15h

Gmail's spam filter has just given up entirely, huh?

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 04/10/2026

Absolutely gigantic Doom mod (although you only need the UZDoom engine, no game purchase needed) dropped last week. What if Hexen was four times the size and had 12 wildly different playable characters. www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/... I like the big demon lady who can ENLARGE at will.

623561

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 04/10/2026

Even though the Steam sale means things are a bit less packed than usual, there's still a whole PILE of interesting games due this week. These are just the ones I have an eye on. Any big ones I've missed - full games, DLC, major updates, etc?

3264

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 02/10/2026

Okay, yeah, literally the FIRST THING I see in this mod is some hardcore mapper flexing. This is Quake 1.

311620

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 01/10/2026

Oh, wow. Now THIS is a really good art style for an action game. These are all gameplay screenshots, not concept art. Demo just dropped. store.steampowered.com/app/4654930/...

37110

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 01/10/2026

REALLY good giveaways on Epic today. Buried Stars is a very slick detective murder mystery/VN, and System Shock 2 is just one of the best immersive sims ever, now given the Nightdive remaster treatment.

39325

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 27/09/2026

The original version of The Demon Rush came out in 2008, and was... an experience. But the combat was mostly coherent. The remake came out in 2020 as a Playstation exclusive, and then to Steam in 2021. It has been growing and expanding for free ever since and might be even weirder to play.

0111

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 26/09/2026

It's great to see Normal Golf Game being so popular. If you're in the market for more esoteric golf, consider The Last Golfer. It's very good, tragically undersold and just A Whole Mood. store.steampowered.com/app/2537630/... Yes, that is combat and boss battles in a golf game.

67213

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 26/09/2026

It's also very funny seeing some reviews shocked that there's WAR that is FUN in a game with an ANTI-WAR MESSAGE?

4506

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 24/09/2026

Two good freebies on Epic this week. Astrea is an REAL smart deckbuilder where instead of cards, you collect and customize dice. Also has a wild health system where self-damage is often very good. And Mechabellum is a great 1v1 autobattler, all about mindgames. Recently added a solo roguelike mode

2414

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 24/09/2026

I am not that great on narrative analysis. Finer points of subtext and themes often elude me. I feel like that comic about the ogre unable to fully analyze Ulysses. But I can understand the basic shape of things put in front of me, and it baffles me sometimes when clearly VERY CLEVER people cannot.

3904

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 22/09/2026

Oh, they really are just a fantasy version of the Doronbo gang, huh?

313421

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 21/09/2026

Doom mod shout-out to Bestiary. A weird, experimental adventure where every map is built around a single custom enemy type. Despite requiring U/G/Zdoom, it's uses vanilla 90s Doom tech for almost everything and does some UNHINGED detailed stuff with it. www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/...

1287

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 16/09/2026

Okay, Fright Train? VERY good game. Also great to see the range WildArts have. Caput Mortum was an experimental interface slow walking horror game, while this is a mash-up of every survival horror flavor at once that somehow WORKS. Finished my first Chapter 1 run. I thought I did good. Rank E. Hah.

18118

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 15/09/2026

The main character is a deep cut reference to Xexyz for the NES!

110

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 14/09/2026

Oh, wow, this here? THIS is what a Cult Hit looks like. Released in 2017 to 6/10 average reviews and limited interest, but a small loyal playerbase stuck with it And then the Downpour expansion came out in 2023 (maybe the best expansion ever?). And it has gone from strength to strength ever since.

1036556

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 13/09/2026

There really is zero heterosexual explanation for like 70% of this game's writing. These girls are TURBO gay. Also I think the first male character to get a full character sprite was a femboy who wants the attention of all the cute boys.

1151

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 13/09/2026

I'd say @dascumaru.bsky.social probably fits the bill? store.steampowered.com/developer/Da...

150

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 13/09/2026

Forget who mentioned it, but last week I was reminded of Øyvind Thorsby, who has been doing webcomics for over a decade now. A full, extensive page most days. The art is amateurish and flat, kinda like a puppet show. The stories are wild, galaxy-brained theatrical farces - comedies of many errors.

3449

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 13/09/2026

This stupidity extends to other stores, of course. Due to absurd threats made by payment processors a while back, I can search for, view and buy the F&H games on Itch without issue... but if I try to to the developer's page on there? I get this: The only way around it is with a VPN.

1423

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 13/09/2026

Every time I bring up something like this, I get a few people adamant that they can view and buy everything without ID. Quick test: Can you view/buy the Fear & Hunger games? Cult hit horror RPGs, frequently cosplayed at cons: store.steampowered.com/app/1002300/ store.steampowered.com/app/2171440/

10586

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 10/09/2026

Ooh, big update for Blood in the Panopticon. A New Game+ mode with a new boss, new ending, etc. Always good to see. store.steampowered.com/app/4109210/... Story-heavy (and apparently heavily branching) roguelite shooter with ASCII combat graphics. A nihilistic hacker & gynoid plot to end mankind.

0458

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 10/09/2026

Oh, this look amazing, in a point-and-laugh kinda way. Also... Why is a piece of 17-year-old kusoge in there?

108910

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 05/09/2026

I really shouldn't bounce between Onimusha and Blood of Dawnwalker. Two games about intricate magic swordfighting and the muscle-memory they demand is almost completely different. Having those two come out within 24 hours of each other a week after Cicadamata and Vholume hit simultaneously is neat.

2542

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 03/09/2026

I asked the developer of The Immortal Lock for an image to help provide scale for just how big it is. She gave me these shots of the entirety of Quake E1M1 in the editor. Again, this is from a Quake mapping *newbie*, not a veteran oldhead that's been modding it since the 90s.

1304

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 30/08/2026

I'll check it out tomorrow, but Cicadamata patch notes area already getting interesting.

2433

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 26/08/2026

This is going to worm its way into my brain as much as Anthology Of The Killer did. I can feel it.

1212

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 26/08/2026

Also the devs 110% understood that people were going to be EXTREMELY NORMAL about Proxima. Picture is alt-text'd if you can't read it.

A doodled notice of Proxima, reading:

HAVE YOU SEEN HER?

She has shoulders loik fortress
nek nail a praiz bull and
arms laik mill bins(?)

Last seen breaking a man's
jaw nier the tavern

Please tell her Petryk
thinks she's fairer
than spring

3474

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 24/08/2026

Also if you're loving Cicadamata's vibes, I HIGHLY recommend you check out End Of Starchild next, which is free and hits a lot of the same kinda notes. msx.horse/eos/

2514

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 23/08/2026

120 of 2026's best PC games, ordered according to a weighted Steam community rating, skewed slightly towards popularity. It's a wonderfully diverse mix, and with only ~5 big AAA games in there.

97221

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 22/08/2026

It's weird how low-fi concrete structures in games can be oddly beautiful. Screenshot from Vholume, which launched yesterday afternoon. store.steampowered.com/app/4131730/...

427046

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 22/08/2026

Well, dang. Their login servers might have buckled, but they've definitely got the bandwidth to serve the game, huh?

1101

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 16/08/2026

Huh, whatever's wrong with Bluesky might not be localized. Whole internet is Having A Moment.

1022658

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 12/08/2026

Hey, indie devs, this is what happens when you try to sneak AI stuff onto Steam without disclosing it. Don't do that! It will completely destroy your reputation!

1555396

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 11/08/2026

Ha, goddamn. Wild Blue Skies out on Thursday, Rogue Eclipse on Friday. store.steampowered.com/app/1921490/... store.steampowered.com/app/782260/R... Getting my Star Fox fix without paying the Nintendo Tax. (I still reckon Ex-Zodiac and SF: Event Horizon are the best indie attempts, though)

2527

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 11/08/2026

Tell me that Onirism or Twisted Tower aren't a pair of PS360 games lost in time. store.steampowered.com/app/1057640/... store.steampowered.com/app/1575990/...

3433

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 08/08/2026

Every so often, I filter my Playnite Library by Community Score and narrow it down to just this year. Not sure about the exact formula. It's slightly weighted towards number of reviews over percentage positive, but it's always an eye-opening, wildly diverse slate Also funny Creature Kitchen is top

1390

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 07/08/2026

Seriously, check out their previous two games. So far they're three for three on great games in very different genres. store.steampowered.com/app/2447980/... store.steampowered.com/app/1786010/...

1123

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 06/08/2026

Introduce yourself with four mechs

Dai Guard - Nothing a little wax can't buff out

3351

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 03/08/2026

I genuinely appreciate how varied the playable characters in this are. In appearance, mechanics (and each has four mix-and-match movesets!) and personalities. There's some Sonic DNA to the game but it feels like the developer understands where the tropes are limiting and tries to do better.

1131

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 03/08/2026

Ooooh, I see what you're doing there... Game recognize game. (The game is Doom... in Frebbventure Alliance)

2374

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 02/08/2026

The PC Gaming cambrian explosion began 13 years ago. Up until July 2013, there were 10-30 releases on Steam every month. Now there are *thousands*, a number that is still growing constantly. And I have dedicated myself to trying to keep track of what's happening, because I am apparently an idiot.

1746565

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 30/07/2026

PSA: OTXO and Sol Cesto are this week's Epic Store giveaway games. Two stylish roguelike gems that could not be more different. One is Hotline Miami in a cursed hotel. The other is a unique game of skewed probability management. store.epicgames.com/p/otxo-396b8b store.epicgames.com/p/sol-cesto-...