Recent reviews by miraclemoose

Despite Stardew Valley being among my favorite games for years now, I haven't yet been able to write a review, because I just don't know how to put into words how much I love it. So instead I'll just say:
* when I'm feeling especially anxious, I can put on the SDV soundtrack and it brings me to a cozy place
* the other day while I was washing dishes I had the thought "I wonder if there's SDV fanfiction about Harvey"
* this game is the standard against which I measure all others in this genre

Are you a busy person whose executive functions and self-regulation sometimes abandon ship, leaving you drowning in anxiety but not actually able to get stuff done? Same, girl. Try this little focus tool. The vibes are excellent.

If you enjoy completing a collection, opening card packs, and seeing numbers get bigger and bigger, you will probably love Chillquarium. What started as a throwaway impulse purchase for me ended up being a beloved chill game into which I sunk 100+ hours. And now I get to enjoy my tanks full of coveted rainbow and golden fish variants in screensaver mode. Nice.

I have a soft spot for people who turn into weapons. If you do, too, there are two gems I always recommend in this niche: Boyfriend Dungeon (this very game!), and T. Kingfisher's book Swordheart. I giggled, I squee'd, I mindlessly cleared dungeons. Would do again.

I am a sucker for relaxed indie puzzle games. LYNE is the puzzle game I come back to most often, and it always, always puts me in a good mood. It is great for those wind-down moments after a long day, or if your mind's all over the place and you're trying to collect your thoughts.

How do I love LYNE? Let me count the ways:

1. There are a lot of puzzles! There are 26 standard sets of increasing difficulty, each containing 25 puzzles. There are also 1-2 daily puzzle sets, also of 25 puzzles each.
   
2. It is colorful! Or not, if you choose a more subdued palette -- it's a pretty minimalist game graphically, but I find it aesthetically quite lovely.
   
3. It is challenging, without being frustrating! The first handful of standard sets are pretty simple, but once you get into the higher-difficulty ones, they do take a bit longer to solve. The puzzles are engaging, but they don't leave me feeling lost and unhappy.
   
4. Also, it's pretty liberal with the achievements (don't judge me).