iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

There is MAD Breakdown (2004) DNA in Ace Combat 8. I refuse to believe that there isn't a connection between Coster and Derrick, the main character from Breakdown lol The first-person cutscenes, highly detailed cheeseburgers, pressing "X" to shake hands constantly, and the physicality of it all 🤯

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Game #38 of 2026: Marvel's Wolverine - I've never been a big comic book guy, but I've been a fan of Insomniac since their Spyro days. The game is "fine", but it's probably the weakest modern Insomniac game to date. I completed the game on The Best There Is difficulty with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Game #37 of 2026: The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales - Team Asano's & Claytechwork's latest HD-2D action-RPG. The game has its problems, but I sort came around to it by the end. I'm simply drawn to Zelda-likes. I completed the game on Very Hard difficulty with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

When you're playing a Trails game and the story progresses just a tiny bit so now every NPC has new flavor dialogue that you can't NOT read. I must make all the dialogue bubbles above each person's head turn gray, even though I'll immediately forget what each NPC said the second I'm done reading 🫠

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Game #36 of 2026: Onimusha: Way of the Sword - Capcom's latest reboot of the legendary Onimusha franchise. The game flow/structure isn't great at times, but the combat, animations and bosses are exceptional. I love Musashi and the cast is amazing. I completed the game at 100% on Action difficulty.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I think the thing that excites me most about the OOT remake is the change to how jumps work. I was a bit disappointed to see that it was going to be a mostly faithful/1:1 reimagining, but freely jumping opens up a lot of possibilities for changes to the dungeon/area layouts, etc.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I tried that FF Resonance demo... The UI feels mobile adjacent and just looks ugly (why do the command descriptions cover other commands in the list!?) Rain is also the most stock-ass MC I've seen in a minute and the dialogue reads like an RPG Maker FF tribute game. I don't know man.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Absolutely howling, as they say, at the capitalization of the word "Beds" in Angeline Era 😂 But yes, I agree, a "Bed" is a very important person, place or thing.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Game #35 of 2026: Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy - Asobo Studio's prequel story to the PT games, sans the rats. I'll have more to say about it down the road. I completed the game on Nightmare difficulty with the Platinum trophy earned. It's easily one of my favorite games of the year.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I completed those DK challenges a few weeks ago but I hope Nintendo doesn't do this again going forward, not without making changes first. I never would have thought Nintendo would approach "Achievements" with this degree of FOMO. The boss rush and final rehearsal with no skills was brutal btw!

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Game #34 of 2026: Crisol: Theater of Idols - a first-person survival horror game clearly influenced by the classics that came before it, including the post-RE7 titles. I completed the game on Martyr difficulty but did not get the trophy for it because the game is buggy and the dev has shut down.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Asobo Studio at it again with their impeccable art direction and impressive visuals. The Plague Tale games are so damn good and Resonance has not disappointed so far.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Game #33 of 2026: Duskfade - a 3D action-platformer that clearly wears its love for PS2 era platformers (and Kingdom Hearts) on its sleeve. The story/characters didn't do much for me, but I liked the game. I completed Duskfade on Master Clockmaker difficulty at 100% with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Game #32 of 2026: Ascent DX - a short and sweet 2D Metroid-like that was originally a PICO-8 game. It's got nice pixel art, decent chiptunes and solid level design. I played through the game 3 times so I could get a no deaths (resurrections) run and I completed it at 100% with the best ending.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I circled back to GoW Sons of Sparta recently and finished it out of morbid curiosity... woof! What a mess. I can't believe the entire game was framed around a search for a kid. The boss battles were atrocious and one of the in-game Feats is bugged for me. I truly don't understand why this was made.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Game #31 of 2026: Big Walk - House House's "walker-talker" that's best (and only possible) with others. I played through the game with two of my oldest online gaming friends and it was one of the best multiplayer experiences I've ever had. We completed the game with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Game #30 of 2026: PRAGMATA - Capcom's SCI-FI TPS with an emphasis on hacking. I'll have more to say about it down the road, but I loved nearly everything about it. The true final boss on Lunatic difficulty was pretty challenging, too. I completed the game twice and unlocked the Platinum trophy.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Game #29 of 2026: Aphelion - Don't Nod's latest narrative-driven, SCI-FI adventure game of sorts in collaboration with the ESA. It's got stealth segments, Uncharted cliff climbing and a bit of that Jusant rope dangling. I enjoyed my time with it! I completed the game with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Game #28 of 2026: Bubsy 4D - Fabraz's latest 3D platformer starring Bubsy and friends. I said this before, but the game felt more like a Demon Turf/Tides mod and lacks its own identity. "Curiosity killed the cat" one may say, but I completed the game at 100% with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Made the connection that these underground ruins in Splatoon Raiders are more or less the caves from Pikmin 2 and I don't know how to feel about that lol

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Game #27 of 2026: Little Nightmares III + The Backstage DLC - Supermassive Games' take on the LN franchise. I replayed the main game and got the Platinum trophy this time around. I also finished The Backstage DLC, which was a great addition. I like the game more now, but it's still no REANIMAL.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Game #26 of 2026: HOA - a 2D puzzle-platformer with nice visuals and a lovely soundtrack. Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about the game itself. The puzzling and platforming just isn't very interesting. It's also incredibly short. I completed the game with the Platinum trophy earned, though.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Am I the only person on this earth playing Aphelion? I can't help myself with all the not-so-great to good Don't Nod games that aren't Life is Strange. Give me Remember Me, Banishers, Jusant and whatever this is lol

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Why was The Sheep Detectives so fucking good 😭

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Game #25 of 2026: Junkster - a 3D platformer collect-a-thon with crafting elements where you play as a robot who's trying to rebuild their ship. Out of all of the indie 3D platformers I've played this year, this is the best one yet. I completed the game at 100% with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Game #24 of 2026: Under the Island - a 2D, top-down, action-adventure game clearly inspired by Nintendo's classics. It's a surprisingly competent Zelda-like with a decent OST, some clever puzzles, unique tools, and good dungeon design. I completed it at 100% with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Game #23 of 2026: Deer & Boy - a 2.5D cinematic puzzle-platformer clearly inspired by the works of Éric Chahi and other games in the sub-genre like INSIDE. It doesn't do anything particularly new, but I enjoyed it for what it was worth. I completed the game with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Game #22 of 2026: Darwin's Paradox! - a 2.5D cinematic puzzle-platformer where you play as an octopus in search of his loved one. Tonally, it's a bit of Mars Attacks! and Destroy All Humans! I liked it, but it's rough around the edges. I completed the game at 100% with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

I finally finished vanilla Ys X. It only took me 3 years and 70 hours on Nightmare difficulty lol this game has a lot of issues but damn, Falcom sure knows how to reel me in towards the end. This series needs a reset, though. I don't think Ys should be as long as a Legend of Heores game.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Just got back from visiting Chicago properly for the first time. I tagged along for my husband's library conference and got to hear LeVar Burton Speak! I saw "The Bean" and ate an Italian beef sandwich, which I sacrilegiously assembled to be as close to a Philly cheesesteak as possible lol

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I've been on a Ys kick lately. I started Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta during my flight yesterday and it served as a reminder that some of the more recent Ys games are missing the intro field/dungeon title card flybys. These are so essential imo, the cloud shadows and everything ugh 😫

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

At the zoo today with the husband 🦒 🐢

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

From a week or so ago; I saw Between the Buried and Me for the umpteenth time. This was the second time at the Ace of Spades in Sacramento though. Fallujah and Imperial Triumphant opened. It's always fun to observe and live vicariously through the youth running in circles in the pit lol

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

I've been replaying DK64 on NSO for the first time since I was a teenager and I'm pretty sure this wannabe SM64 slide objective with the beetle added like 5 years of wear and tear on my new-ish N64 controller in a single night lol I eventually got it but god damn!

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Game #21 of 2026: Adorable Adventures; a 3D adventure game where you play as a cute little boar who must use his nose to find his missing family. It was a super chill, non-linear collect-a-thon. The game could use a better name, though. I completed it at 100% with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Game #20 of 2026: Mina the Hollower; Yacht Club Game's top-down 2D genre hybrid of sorts. The game clearly wears its inspirations on its sleeve but it's so densely packed and mechanically layered. I completed the game with no active modifiers at 100%. It was (mostly) all killer no filler.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Game #19 of 2026: Wario World; Wario's first (and only) 3D adventure. Although some aspects of the game haven't aged well, I still love it. It's short but challenging if you don't use the garlic dispensers. I completed the game at 100% with everything collected. I miss Treasure.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Game #18 of 2026: Super Mario Galaxy 2; I haven't played SMG2 since the original Wii release, so it was nice to revisit the Switch version. It's still a masterpiece (although collecting the post-game Green Stars is very tedious). I completed the game at 100% again with all 242 Power Stars.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Game #17 of 2026: Yoshi and the Mysterious Book; Good-Feel's latest 2D puzzle-platformer. I completed the game with the true ending, collected all Smiley Flowers & all creatures, special studies and challenges have been explored. It was easily one of my favorite games of the year!

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Missed this trend during my Marathon-induced social media blackout. My brother and I shared a collection growing-up, so between the two of us, these were likely among our #first5imports Gunner's Heaven King's Field I King's Field Additional I & II Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere Shadow Tower: Abyss

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

The new Yoshi game is pretty chill and fun. Reminds me of Wario Land 2/3, where you don't take damage and it's more cause and effect. The OST is so boring, though. It's my biggest disappointment so far. Good-Feel games just don't feel right without Tomoya Tomita. Some stages don't even have music 😫

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Game #16 of 2026: Mixtape; an adventure game of sorts that plays like an interactive music video set to the backdrop of three best friends' last night together. It's well-made/produced, but I didn't connect with it as much as I hoped to. I completed the game with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Game #15 of 2026: Gecko Gods; a 3D puzzle-platformer where you play as a tiny lizard. It's got a nice aesthetic and some fun exploration bits where you sail between islands, but the puzzles were fairly simple. It was fine. I completed the game at 100% with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Spoiler alert for my 2026 GOTY post (which probably won't be posted until February of 2027)... I don't think anything beats Pragmata when it comes to my "Favorite WARNING Screen" game this year. They're EVERYWHERE lol

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I like Marathon A LOT. Hours logged are probably slightly skewed (since I've left the game running while sitting in the lobby for a bit), but I finally got the Platinum after 200+ hours along with 4 Titles along the way. I'll have a million things to say about it at some point...

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Game #14 of 2026: REANIMAL; Tarsier Studio's successor to Little Nightmares. It's a masterclass in art direction and sound design. An evolution to what Éric Chahi first established with cinematic platformers/Another World. I finished the game with the true ending and earned the Platinum trophy.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

I somehow made it to 40 today. I do miss hearing from my dad. I know he's rolling in his grave, considering the state of things here and abroad. And yes, I'm still just a kid at heart. I haven't been able to move on from ice cream cake with those little crunchies at the bottom since I was a kid ha

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Game #13 of 2026: Planet of Lana II; Wishfully's sequel to their debut cinematic 2D platformer. Takeshi Furukawa's score completely elevated the experience. The cinematics and sound design are a step above the first game, too. I loved it. Completed the game at 100% with the Platinum trophy earned.

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Matty 🐻 🏳️‍🌈 @unexpectedenemy.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Game #12 of 2026: Ratcheteer DX; a top-down, 2D Zelda-like that takes place underground due to a meteor that hit the earth. The game's main gimmick is that you need to use your lamp to navigate and solve puzzles. It's short and sweet! I completed it at 100% with everything collected.

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