Games I Played in April

[@razbutwo]

april felt like it was only 12 days long, but I hope you enjoyed it. have a great may!

[@IIOsOsII]

its july

[@coralcat5706]

@@IIOsOsII woooosh

[@mitch.paulsen]

May is going to be such a good month, i almost feel like Ive already lived it!

[@CODENAMEDERPY]

You too!

[@celestialkitsune]

​@@IIOsOsII /whoosh

[@Jay-tg9uv]

These videos being delayed is kinda fun cause I can notice certain games in main channel videos being mentioned / used for background footage and assume they'll show up here in the next few months

[@razbutwo]

Yuuuuuuuup lol

[@IronPineapple]

Another Crab’s Treasure vouch. Basically a must play if you’re into souls-likes whatsoever which is something I pretty much never say outside of actual Fromsoft titles. And yeah, all of the shell mechanics are kinda brilliant.

[@Slikeen]

If you said it, and it's related to soulslikes, it must be true 😂

[@JDLaney-zk4wb]

This and Lies of P are the best Soulslikes that aren’t made by From.

[@Evanz111]

The parry on release thing sounds really neat. Like not as punishing if you whiff because you still have your guard up.

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

It's that good? Damn

[@doomcat6426]

I've never tried a souls-like yet but have been wanting to. Would this be a good intro or would it be better to start somewhere else?

[@rickimaru915]

I’m not huge in to cosy games but I absolutely adored A Short Hike. The ending made me very emotional, since I’ve had a similar experience

[@Waffletigercat]

Since you talked about Aggro Crab’s penchant for item durability: I really enjoyed that aspect of Going Under. It was fun constantly having to adapt to new weapons, and sometimes even try to grab a new one mid-fight. I think that works especially well in a roguelike, since you can’t hold weapons over between runs anyway. But every single time I’ve tried to talk to someone else about Going Under, they immediately go “ugh, I hate weapon durability. There’s no way I’d play that.” I would try to explain that it’s a roguelike. That weapons are plentiful. That, while empty-handed, your dodge roll would automatically grab the nearest weapon. None of it mattered. They’d just chant “hate durability” over and over, like they were jamming their fingers in their ears and going “LALALALALA”. :(

[@jurtheorc8117]

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within had weapon durability too and it worked in its favor, kind of like a beat-em-up. All (human) enemies would drop a new weapon and at the end of their durability you could simply throw them. Granted, movesets didn't really change with the *type* of weapon but there was still fun to be had in continuously switching up, between dual weapons or sword-and-off-hand fighting style.

[@Evanz111]

Ooh, I had no idea dodge roll would also grab a weapon when empty! And yeah, I feel like more often than not: people don’t dislike weapon durability, but rather how certain games have implemented it. If the game is designed around it then it works out to be a whole lot of fun.

[@calvinmills4069]

Another Crab's Treasure is definitely a sleeper hit. I feel like its always highly rated by reviewers, but I don't hear the "wider gaming community" raving about it.

[@A2daM2daZ]

I'm waiting for bugs to be patched out on console before buying it since my console backlog is already so big. But if you have PC I'd say its worth checking out now. (unfortunately my pc can barely handle moonstone island)

[@callummcneill6266]

Sleeper hit? Every youtuber was playing it

[@lankymario7189]

should i play this before playing elden ring?

[@ferrancharlesmagic]

Consider Another Crab’s Treasure for its great sense of humor and fun platforming mixed with souls. Pick Elden ring for staggeringly grand environments, epic scope, and super tight & varied combat. Elden Ring is probs more of a must-play than Another Crab’s Treasure and is debatably an easier starting point for souls newcomers, but both are good.

[@somefishhere]

I would like to mention that Pepper Grinder has great art and animation. So good if you just want to see that

[@Slikeen]

Press F to pay respects for Raz's concept of time. He will be missed (for 2 months at least) 😔

[@jozimastar95]

F

[@cyberdeathrat]

hes on ekko time

[@ExploreImagineDefineCreate]

I've really enjoyed Peppergrinder's demo. Replaying the levels over and over to improve my time is something I've been enjoying more and more in games.

[@skadoomosadi1411]

I'm really excited to check out Pepper Grinder and also whoever animated that swinging pot of soup, HOLY CRAP 1:41

[@scoundrel1692]

You have a great May too!

[@AshnSilvercorp]

5:18 to add to that, I'd recommend Nine Sols. Not perfect, but it purposefully keeps the parry separate and a primary focus for the game. It feels horribly unforgiving at first, but feels like a breeze when you master what options it gives you.

[@technoboop1890]

I am seconding Nine Sols, may even be on par with Hollow Knight imo

[@AshnSilvercorp]

@@technoboop1890 it's way smaller than Hollow Knight really. Much less cryptic and very up front about the story, much how Another Crab's Treasure was mentioned here. It's also likely finalized in story development, meaning what endings have been proposed are probably final.

[@technoboop1890]

@@AshnSilvercorp It is smaller for sure, and I prefer how it presented its story myself. The bosses are top tier though. 3 phase eigong is among my favourite bosses of all time now and thats saying a lot.

[@jurtheorc8117]

haven't properly *played* Nine Sols myself, only watched a playthrough of it. Ended up being a lot more engaged with the story and characters than I initially expected I would. Rather fascinating stuff, and the Shennong and Shuanshuan questlines and collectables stick with me quite strongly. So does Kanghui and his jade guillotine... man, that was severely messed up... ( _ ) Cookie Cutter's a personal favourite amongst Metroidvanias. Not *exceptional* in gameplay but a solid time. Lead dev puts his nose to the grindstone on asking for criticism and making the game as technically good as it can be. There's a big update planned with new characters and story stuff and i'm very excited for the future of it.

[@nimadarillian8573]

Nine Sols is great, but I'm guessing the reason he didn't mention it in this context (apart from not having played it yet), and also didn't mention Hollow Knight, is that both are more focused on combat than movement, while it's the other way around for the Ori games

[@StarWarsGirl2011]

i always feel fear that we'll never get another video after the 'unless i decide to stop doing this'

[@AcousticBlu3]

I am looking forward to every video of yours man, I always learn about games I've never heard of. The only game I'm familiar with from this video is Another Crab's Treasure haha. You've been a huge inspiration to me creating my own channel. Can't wait to see what you played in other months!

[@Kingme1800]

Thanks Raz, I knocked out a chunk of my backlog in April - Signalis, Dagon, RE:4 Remake, Bramble: The Mountain King, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and Helldivers 2. Another Crab's Treasure is going straight to the wishlist.

[@tim0735]

Pepper grinder was pretty cool, but for me the final boss was so much harder than the rest of the entire game that I didn't even finish it.

[@cacapupu1234]

I hope you never decide to stop doing these videos

[@CheesecakeMilitia]

it's funny because I never even thought of Another Crab's Treasure as having "durability" as a mechanic - I always treated my shell as a sort of extra health bar. The fact that (outside of certain umami skills or hammers) your shell doesn't affect your damage output *really* goes a long way, since it's more *weapon* or *tool* durability that people love to complain about in games.

[@sass2836]

Always great to see another monthly video! Yet another review for Another Crab's Treasure that's making me go... I should really play this. The Pepper Grinder gameplay mechanics are interesting, loved a similar movement system in both Gris and Ori.

[@EnabiSeira]

I've been seeing stuff from the developers of Another Crab's Treasure on social media and it looks as good as I thought it would be. Thanks for April's recs

[@pokichuu]

I always enjoy these videos

[@ThePaulineu]

I was a bit taken aback by the pepper grinder demo, because it actually slows down the pace quite regularly with puzzle sections. The puzzles aren't hard to figure out, but require a bit of back-and-forth to see in what order to do what thing (such as opening doors that close other doors). I was expecting fast-paced platforming that flows perfectly if executed correctly, but instead I got that, and every two screens or so the camera screeching to a halt on a screen with a timing and ordering puzzle to figure out. I felt like saying, "False advertising!"

[@sshim950]

I’m glad you haven’t decided to stop doing this. : ) Thanks for sharing!

[@EmyN]

We love these videos Raz!

[@alanamarko]

love your stuff, raz! i hope you decide to keep doing this!

[@fedenadur]

I have to play Another Crab's Treasure. Great video as always dude!

[@musiclover01ization]

Nice video. I always like hearing about the stuff you're playing.

[@THExLIFExISxTOxSHORT]

Yesss, I missed these videos! Happy may y'all

[@AkaiOfCrimsonLand]

We probably won't know until later videos, but I hope you're able to give Nine Sols a look someday. It's another souls-like combined with Metroidvania elements. I finished it last month and enjoyed the overall experience.

[@jassykat]

another crab's treasure was so good. I... I have a crush on Krill...

[@SuperLocrian]

Hey Raz, thanks for the vids. Truly appreciate your time and effort! I just performed a mass purge of all my YT subscriptions. Both your channels were on my short list of resubs. Thanks again!

[@missitheachievementhuntres560]

Yay April ^^ I love those videos!

[@jurtheorc8117]

To anyone up for another kind of Souls-ish game with a creative and colorful world, some levity, actually really solid story, writing, voice acting and music like Another Crab's Treasure: Can very warmly recommend Clash: Artifacts of Chaos. It's a prequel to the Zeno Clash series, but this time with a third person perspective. It's a kind of 3D beat-em-up/brawler adventure in a bizarre monster world, but there's an element that may bring God Hand (to those who know of it) to mind: namely customizing your melee combat style. Has you finding different martial arts styles and Special/Individual attacks, of which you can assign two Stances to swap between and put three Special Attacks to Special Button, Special + Forward and Special + Backward. All stances consist of: - Combo string - Jump attack - Run attack - Charge attack - Sideways dodge attack - Forwards dodge attack - Backwards dodge attack so it's easy to remember. All stances have their own unique animation movesets and animation properties (like Spear dealing the longest-range damage of all Stances and being largely focused on enemies straight ahead of you, Lightning being the quickest and Muay Thai-like, Boxing being an all-rounder, Mammoth Stance being the slowest but also having highest raw ungus bungus damage with a lot of elbows, double haymakers, a dropkick, etc.) And you can swap stances mid-combo too. Some extra spice is that you can animation cancel by inputting a new non-combo move the *moment* your previous attack makes combat with the enemy. And instead of a Stamina meter, there's a Guard meter. Depletes by attacking, being damaged and by running and jumping, restores on its own by just walking and leaving it for two seconds. Instead of limiting your moves, as long as there's even a *little* bit of meter left, you only receive 50% damage of an incoming hit and less stunn. Instead of an immediate counterattack or stagger, parrying/defending makes enemies move slower for a few seconds AND can be used to immediately return projectiles. There's also a kind of Super State that puts you in first person perspective and if you deal enough damage without getting knocked out of it, it will deal a generally unique high-damage Finisher. Like goomba stomping, elbow breaking into a rib stomp with your own elbow, a Jojo punch rush with sweeping camera, and more. Like i said at the start of this comment, the art direction is genuinely amazing. Very colorful, has a kind of crosshatching filter (which you can turn off), there's rarely any humans in sight and it's mainly freaks, monsters and aberrations. Oh, and there's also a lore-important and nigh fully optional mechanic called The Ritual. Essentially, you can challenge sapient opponents to a special dice game before a fist fight, "bet" an Artifact, and the winner gets to spend their artifact. The use of this is that you cadictate a special condition on the upcoming fight. Like the opponent being forced to take a free hit, having to drink a poison that periodically staggers them, tying their leg to the ground with a length of rope to reduce mobility, having to slather themselves in something that attracts a flock of wasps, placing bait for a predator to join the fray, or even forcing them to become a Summon in a later fight. Music's fuppin' impeccable. The Boy Calls and Pseudo's Theme are only the second and third song in the soundtrack and they're beautiful and awesome. Writing, voice acting and story is good too. Very warmly recommend it.

[@MegaPT_]

we already in may this year is going by so fast i already feel july coming

[@Umbra_Witcher]

your pepper grinder feelings were spot on

[@alvinthz]

Nooo don't stop doing this... I loved it 8:24

[@Dubtoy94]

I really like these videos I hope you put out more

[@Jobpm]

I would recommend Another Crab's treasure to anyone who wants to start Soul's like. Really fun and not too challenging

[@Maurycy5]

Nine Sols is another game with a "block on release" parry mechanic (although it's a secondary parry).

[@boyblob]

The Pepper Grinder talk was interesting to me, as that's a game I was pretty interested in leading up to its release. I loved Celeste and did all the A, B, and C sides, and the Farewell. So yeah, really went all in on that title and I see what you mean. I have the two Ori games sitting on my Switch. I guess I'll see if I enjoy that Pepper Grinder mechanic in those games. Cause that base mechanic is really what drew me to PG.

[@lucasleite9009]

if you want a platformer that utilizes the full capacity of its movement, then you should play rusted moss... specially with the expansion they recently released. its trully an amazing game that I think more people should play

[@Ryan-ey3qk]

Pepper grinder's main mechanic is actually straight out of sonic colors.

[@jairdinh7563]

Oh no he's gonna do what he did to rain world and do it to rain world downpour. This is great line up of games.

[@papershread]

i enjoy this video series. Excited for May's video release.

[@Nulify-jc4fs]

I have a question: Do you naturally end up playing 3 games in a month or do you do that for this channel in order for it to be consistent? Or do you play over 3 games each month but only choose 3 to cover? Great video by the way

[@razbutwo]

I try to play a minimum of 3 games a month just so that I’m always trying something new, but I aim to play more than that-just been a busy year so I’ve pretty much only been able to hit 3

[@roadtripwarrior]

Dude i really wanna like your channel, ive watched you Iron Pineapples videos and you seem like a cool guy, I just wish you wouldn't compare indie games to other Top Notch classics so much, like, please just let the game be without comparing it to Celeste (one of the most ground breaking titles ever made), I don't NEED every game to be Celeste, sometimes I just want something that scratches that itch. The joke about also if "you're looking for a cool metrodvania that explores time travel, play Ori and the Blind Forest." Like, I get it haha. Those games are good. Comparison is the death of creativity. Sometimes I've not liked a game as much cuz of my expectations or hopes that it would be like X or Y, and not enjoyed it much, and then later in life, tried them again and been like whoa what was I talking about, now that i was hoping it'd be like whatever, its awesome! So, yeah. Your channel is really cool, I LOVE exploring indie games. I don't have as much time to play games anymore, but in my spare time I will just peruse the Steam store looking at them, so this channel is kinda perfect! It's just like... common man. It's just, you literally say with your own words that you don't wanna compare something to something, and then you do it. Just don't do it. Anyway much love, i still support your channel and will keep watching.

[@razbutwo]

I treat this channel as a way to share my quick thoughts on stuff I play. Sometimes those thoughts are filled with comparisons because that is what came to mind when playing. I aim to be more thoughtful and careful with comparison on my main channel, as I do get what you’re saying, but here, I feel like saying that having played a different game made it harder to appreciate a newer one, while also acknowledging that it is a me problem, is a valid thing to share. It’s how I experienced the game and while I’m sure I would have liked it better had I not had previous baggage, that is not really how life works. We are the sum of our experiences and what we have seen informs how we feel about what we see in the future. So yeah, I do hear you, but I am sure I will compare stuff again in the future because it is the nature of how I share stuff on this channel. I understand if that makes you uninterested in the channel though.

[@Ikea_Shark990]

I should remember these words to let games speak for themselves more. It's kinda harsh to force expectations like that onto games when they're just their own experiences. Thanks, stranger. I hope yall find 5 dollars while walking in the street.

[@Waffletigercat]

I absolutely loved Pepper Grinder.

[@Thomas-yf1ve]

i remember in the good old days back when i played a lot of fun, different games. over the past 2 months, i played 1 hour of the witcher 3, 30 minutes of no mans sky, and like 5 minutes of need for speed. :/ i feel old

[@lieful3623]

I would really like to see you play Vacant Kingdom. Its a super goofy puzzle bullet hell game that doesn't get any attention. Thanks if you do:) Also your my favorite youtube channel, thx for being good

[@8bitrot]

ive been wanting to play pepper grinder it looks so fun :D

[@realcuondaotherside]

Father-Man is catching up

[@kunairuto]

Big recommend on for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown since you liked Convergence.

[@TheLegendofTrk]

Your voice satisfyingly calm

[@masterofdoom5000]

Pepper Grinder really does feel like a first game with third game concerns, chucking in distractions and "variety" when the core has so much potential. I don't know WHY a lot of platformers around the third entry go gimmicky but they do~

[@rafaela00002]

crab game looks fun

[@TimAquila]

Meanwhile me: Played Celeste, that one is my 2nd favorite game Still think Pepper Grinder is a Masterpiece, which I enjoyed every second. (Except for the Final Boss which was more of the Dark Souls Type feeling of extreme Joy after beating a tough Boss) I think it did great stuff with the drill while also confronting the player with new mechanics all the time.

[@razbutwo]

I may just be too much of a hater for my own good.

[@Kufunninapuh]

​@@razbutwoarguably not enough. You are pretty lenient on Ori 1 which I think is a mid tier game, especially compared to Ori 2 which is a masterpiece. I pick my metroidvanias pretty carefully as I'm not the biggest fan but I think ori 1 might actually be at the bottom of that list. Perhaps most notably beaten by guacamelee which I know people have some mixed feelings on. I could do without the memes but I'm not into metroidvanias for the story so it doesn't bother me that bad and equally I'm not particularly fussed about the ori story either. If I would have played ori 1 on release I suspect I might feel differently but having played both hollow knight and axiom verge before it, ori 1 feels half baked. I wanna reiterate though, ori 2 is a masterpiece. Probably on the top of my metroidvania list, possibly on the top of my over all list of games, neck and neck with titles like Celeste and Outer Wilds.

[@CookingIsEasy27]

Let's gooo, raz vid!

[@scotthuffman3462]

I'll say it a little louder for the devs in the back SPRINTING DOESN'T ALWAYS NEED TO BE LIMITED

[@thereallylargeknome7461]

good july video

[@LightPink]

Don't yet have a titanium watch

[@Marlyn-Swordfish]

Wizard of League 2 Demo

[@Justin-ee1mv]

Nice

[@FTSFBS]

Raz❤

[@ravencl]

hi raz

[@Ikea_Shark990]

I'm not Raz but hi human!

[@jasonfanclub4267]

What are you playing this month?

[@MurasakiNoKami]

I don't know what to say, but I'm never this early so I had to say something.

[@Raid_]

so I was wondering if youve played the MGS games, but I dont see any way to check without going through all your videos.

[@razbutwo]

I played MGS4 when it came out, which I’ve heard is a terrible entry point. I also played some of 5, but got distracted by other games. I’ve also played MGRR, but that doesn’t really count.

[@amyb2589]

Does anyone know what this genre of YT vid is called? Like a gaming diary where they just chat about the games they've been enjoying (or not). I've been going for backlog/video game essays to scratch the same itch but it varies you know?

[@JuhoSprite]

Wait it already has been april!?!?

[@izzyr3231]

Im getting this urge to replay both ori ganes for some reason, weird

[@Dandy4ask]

convergence is good as a game on its own but its a bad league of legends story. Some characters act nothing like how they are supposed to, mainly Camile. Also because Arcane is going to be the main lore the entire game has been retconned by it. rest in peace Riot Forge

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

*checks date* Something's up lol

[@mertkorkmaz8726]

Hello sir. How do you make this thumbnail. Can you help me with that please ? Is there any tutorial i can watch for that.

[@chillmadude]

time to see what raz thinks about convergence, praise him if he agrees with me, and flame him if he has a different opinion than me

[@chillmadude]

this is a joke obviously, everyone has the right to disagree with me on whether or not the game is good

[@renaigh]

late april fools

[@jozimastar95]

I hate how the souls like genre is always dark and hard to see with very punishing death , we should have more cool souls likes

[@jurtheorc8117]

Though it's not a *full* Soulslike, can warmly recommend Clash: Artifacts of Chaos. Zeno Clash Prequel. Rather colorful and straightforward, though still set in a world that can be quite violent. Hardly any humans-- the inhabitants are largely animalistic humanoids (or the other way around), freaks, monsters and aberrations and the main character perhaps most of all. But the writing's good, there's levity, very nice art direction, *fantastic* music and atmosphere, and gameplay/combat is more like a 3D brawler/beat-em-up where you can find different martial arts styles to make your own fighting style with. Can still give a challenge but it's not shin-kickingly hard.

[@aligillani7107]

Not playing any AAA games lately?

[@razbutwo]

Yeah, not really. I did play Shadow of the Erdtree, but aside from that not much in the AAA scene has interested me. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is on my radar, but it came out when my second kid was born, so I haven’t had the time for it (and then when I did have the time, I played Elden Ring instead lol)

[@aligillani7107]

@@razbutwo hahahaha yeah i can understand. I too have two kids and they are handful. Looking forward to your future content. Keep up the good work.

[@BGID7]

"Played games in April" Uploads in July...

[@razbutwo]

Comments in August.

[@Ghostlynotme445]

But it’s July…

[@razbutwo]

oops lemme delete this then

[@TehTeh911]

Omg I'm so early ❤

[@TrissTheFirst]

I don’t like the outro, leaves me with such a negative feeling

[@songle217]

We all fear the day he decides to stop doing this.

[@razbutwo]

while I get it, including it is my way of making it clear that if I am still making this series, it is because I enjoy making this series.

[@bargink5287]

let me make it easy for you guys in this comment section. MOTHER 3

[@ttin0]

Really wish those videos were first on Nebula.. or at least added at the same time.

[@razbutwo]

Ah shit yeah I’m sorry. I forget with the second channel because I put far less thought into posting stuff. I’ll work on that.

[@azuarc]

7:20 The worst part of any game with item durability is the item durability.

[@Ikea_Shark990]

I like this vid. Hope you, your wife, kid, and family are well

[@Ashtarte3D]

Crab Souls is fun but I don't think it gets out of the FromSoft shadow nearly as well as Lies of P does. Sure it's cute and colorful but it still feels like it relies on reference to other games to keep you amused.

[@jurtheorc8117]

Have you heard of Clash: Artifacts of Chaos? People define it as a Soulslike, but it's much more its own thing. Helps that it's part of an already established setting, being a prequel to the Zeno Clash games. And like AC'sT, it's very creative and colorful. Less so "cute" -- most inhabitants are gnorpy morpy florpy monsters and freaks. It works more like a 3D brawler/beat-em-up where you find different martial arts styles to make your own fighting style with, equipping yourself with two Stances and three Special Attacks to switch between. All Stances have wholly unique animation movesets and purposes and can be individually upgraded by finding figurines by exploring (essentially a kind of upgrade points). There are weapons, but they have durability, only come in Light and Heavy variants, and all they do is replace the main combo string. Can still give you an edge in battle, though, but weapons are *not* the focus. There's also a lore-centric mechanic that you don't have to engage with if you don't want to, known as The One Law and The Ritual. Basically: You can challenge any sapient enemy to the Ritual. The One Law dictates they *have* to engage with it. It leads to a short dice game where you roll dice, take turns placing value modifiers, and the winner gets to enforce a special condition upon the ensuing fight (based on the titular "artifacts" you play) Like the opponent having to take a free first hit with a club, placing a fence and the first to get knocked out has to take a hit with a club, the loser having to slather themselves in something which attracts a swarm of wasps or placing down bait which attracts a predator into the fray, etc. The most interesting being an Artifact where if you win, the loser gets tied to a Summon artifact. So you can use that same enemy as an ally in a later battle. Story, atmosphere, characters, art direction, *especially the music*, voice acting etc. range from good to great. Worst thing about it is that people tend to get lost. Can warmly recommend it.

[@bloodborneonpc7]

2 months late dude

[@razbutwo]

today is may 1st. what are you talking about?

[@iirumkim6267]

312 views in 7 minutes? Bro fell off 💀

[@razbutwo]

that's actually pretty good for this channel lol