Nova Lands & Regular Factory: Escape Room + 2 More - Steam Deck Tested | Jul 14
Kia ora Everyone!
What a weekend, phew! I need a few more days to get over the last four. We were up at 5am on Saturday to catch the first water taxi from Kawau Island so we could drive down to Papamoa and dog sit for my parents while they came up to Auckland for a couple of days. Getting to the pontoon in the dark was a mission. The dinghy we borrowed (ours had to be stowed on the boat) rowed like a cork, and it had a small leak, so with the two of us and all our stuff aboard it was sitting low in the water. I had to perch right behind Eben so the bow didn’t go under! We tried to keep quiet, but between Eben cussing, me trying to give directions in the dark, and the noisy oarlocks, we’re sure we woke everyone up. The sun was just starting to rise as we reached the pontoon. What a start to our Saturday!
Once safely on the other side, we hopped in the car, stopped for a quick coffee and breakfast, then drove to Auckland to grab some things from our storage unit before getting back on the road for the next 2-3 hours to my parents’ place. They hopped in their car and headed up so Mum could celebrate her birthday with her old school friends while Dad visited with his. We spent the last couple of days looking after their cute as Rottweiler, Henry (biggest teddy bear ever), and Lab-Collie cross, Stanley (a bundle of nervous energy). My parents drove back yesterday and we did the swap again, this time to start our two-month house/cat-sitting duties for our friends. I get to swap dog cuddles for cat cuddles, so I’m good. Eben has already set up the “work-til-I-drop” station that will be his spot for the next two months! Now to spend the next day or so catching our breath and catching up on sleep.
Hope your weekend involved fewer leaky dinghies and a lot more sleep, but was just as awesome!
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: v3.8.14 (Stable)
This Week’s Featured Games View Full List →
Epic Games Giveaway
This week featuring Nova Lands, Tattoo Tycoon.
This one reminded me of Forager and Minecraft: collect resources, build a base, and expand out to other islands. I think playing Minecraft has wiped out my enthusiasm for games like this; I'm more into puzzle games at the moment and can't get enough of them. But to each their own!
View compatibility details →
This was recently given away by Amazon Prime, so you may already have it if you have a subscription (my first testing session is in this earlier post). If you like sims and have always wanted to try your hand at being a tattoo artist, then this is the game for you. Free-hand is not my strong suit, but at least it let me chuckle at my poor drawing skills once again!
View compatibility details →Amazon Prime Gaming
This week featuring Regular Factory: Escape Room, Still There.
I had to leave this one till last, since I absolutely love these games! It did not disappoint, and it'll be one I aim to finish soon. I've been on a puzzle game bender lately; I recently 100%'d Freshly Frosted, Machinarium and Hidden Folks, and I'm currently working my way through The Bridge, so I'll happily add this one to the rotation!
View compatibility details →
Not sure about this one yet. It has the puzzle gameplay and an interesting storyline, but I couldn't quite get into it fully. I haven't given up on it though; it may just be how tired and out of sorts I am at the moment (still getting used to a new routine and surroundings), so I'll give it another go once I'm back on track. The game's description definitely interests me, so yeah, I'll be back to this one soon.
View compatibility details →Looking Forward
Next up on the free games front:
Epic Games: Epic’s got two on the way. Luto looks like it could be an interesting one to try out: a psychological horror game that traps you in your own home (kind of like Beetlejuice) and won’t let you leave. I hope it plays well on the Steam Deck. Echo Generation: Midnight Edition looks like it could be a bit of fun too, very Stranger Things, with a gang of kids trying to figure out what’s going on in their town.
Amazon Prime Gaming: Amazon Prime Gaming has three worth grabbing: a GOG code for Framed Collection, an Epic code for Escape Academy, and Poly Vita on Legacy Games. Escape Academy has been given away a couple of times before, and I’ve already tested it, so you can see how it runs on its game page. If you missed out on it previously, here’s your chance to grab it. We’ll get the other two 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)