CyClones & I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream + 4 More - Steam Deck Tested | Jul 5
Kia ora Everyone!
We’re in the final countdown until we pack up and move to land for the next two months to house/cat sit for friends. We’re both looking forward to it this time around; normally it’s just me who enjoys our stints on land. I know the only reason Eben is keen to be off the boat is so he can work basically round the clock without interruption. Being on land gives us steady, easy access to electricity (no need to run the generator to top up batteries), and we can leave our work stations set up, unlike the boat where our office and desks double as the dining and living areas. Having multiple spots to move between will be better for work than the single one we’re limited to on the boat. It does mean I’ll have to make sure he takes breaks and remembers to eat. Last time we house sat, Eben would work from 7am until 10pm if I didn’t interrupt him.
I always enjoy house/cat sitting as I get to cuddle Mimi, our friends’ cool cat. We’re cat people and had two before moving onto the boat full time. Unfortunately Bailey, my little guy, passed from cancer before we made the move, and Rocky, Eben’s buddy, passed after from kidney failure. So yeah, we miss having furry friends around to keep us company, but house sitting lets us have that even if only for a short time. The other things I’m hanging out for: hot running water (no boiling water for two months), easy access to shops (no planning days to weeks in advance to get stuff delivered, or organising which day I’ll shoot across to the mainland), and most importantly, I get to see my parents, who live 20 minutes from the friends we’re house sitting for, which is awesome! So this week will be a daily effort to get the boat ready and ourselves organised to be away for two months. Should be all good though; I don’t think we have too much to do… I hope!
Current System Setup
- Junk Store Pro: v3.1.0.1 (Beta Channel)
- Junk Store Plugin: v1.1.13 (Main/Default)
- GOG Extension: v0.1.11
- Decky Loader: v3.2.6 (Pre-release)
- Proton: GE-Proton 11.1
- SteamOS: v3.8.13 (Stable)
This Week’s Featured Games View Full List →
Epic Games Giveaway
This week featuring I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, plus River City Girls 2.
This point and click had me chuckling from the start thanks to some interesting dialogue. I tested with two characters, and their muttering about the evil computer making their lives miserable was a highlight. I've been meaning to test this one on GOG and I'm a bit upset that I haven't, as it seems like a fun game to keep around on my Steam Deck. I hope this isn't a prelude to our future relationship with technology, that would suck if it ever came true.
View compatibility details →
I remember testing the first River City Girls when it was given away on Epic in April last year. Back then I wasn't too sure about it. It's a quirky beat-em-up, which I like, I think it was just the story that didn't grab my attention. This one carries on from where the first game left off, so if you enjoyed that one then you're bound to like this one too. Maybe I should revisit the first game, just to make sure my initial take still stands.
View compatibility details →Amazon Prime Gaming
This week featuring CyClones, LoneStar and Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga.
This immediately hit me with the 90s retro Doom feels and reminded me how brutal games back then could be! This will be one for Eben as he loved the DOS era of games. I mean, that's why Junk Store came to be, purely so he could play his DOS games on his GPD Win 2 with Steam Input. I'll be sure to get him to try this one out.
View compatibility details →
This one was given away by Epic back at the start of last month and it still works out of the box. You can find my write-up from when I first tested it here.
View compatibility details →
Man, this game got me. I was so sure I wasn't going to get sucked in, only to hear Eben say "That game sounds like it has your number." Sure enough I'd been playing for longer than I expected to, but I was having fun! It's a tactical turn-based RPG with automated combat, and I'm not 100% sure how I feel about that, but I'm willing to play it some more to test it out. Anyways, it's a fun game and worth a shot if you're just looking for something to try this weekend.
View compatibility details →GOG Giveaway
This week featuring Nexus: The Jupiter Incident.
Unfortunately this game was not my jam this week. It played really well and looked good, but just wasn't my thing. If you like tactical strategy games with an extra management element then this one's for you. As for me, I prefer more straightforward games that I can easily get into.
View compatibility details →Looking Forward
Next up on the free games front:
Epic Games: Epic’s got two on the way. One was previously given away by Amazon Prime, so if you missed out on Tattoo Tycoon then here’s your chance to pick it up. The other, Nova Lands, looks like it could be interesting, the Epic page describes it as a mix of Factorio, Forager and Satisfactory.
Amazon Prime Gaming: Amazon Prime Gaming has two GOG codes landing on July 9. I’m so excited, they’re giving away another escape room game, whoop whoop, cannot wait to get my hands on Regular Factory: Escape Room! Still There looks like a puzzle game I’ll get wrapped up in too. We’ll get these tested once they’re live.
For game-specific issues, feedback, or just a chat, you'll still find us on Discord or Reddit.
As always we hope you’ve had an awesome weekend,
Annie & Eben (aka The Junk Store Team)