Monthly in a Month #44: The Puppet Edition

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Hello and welcome to the madness!
The challenge is simple: Play and beat any 6 games, starting today, that have been featured in any given Humble Monthly/Choice bundle in two months.

The prize: 2x Lies of P
Note: This means I'm giving away two copies of the game and will have 2 winners.

Game length does not matter and I'm not looking for 100% achievement runs. So long as you play and beat 6 games, I'm happy. You can go easy mode and play a bunch of 1h games or go crazy and play 6 +30h games. So long as they were in a monthly at a given point, it is all good.

Just post a comment with either screenshots/ achievements showing that you fulfilled the criteria and I'll add you on Steam and give you the link. Feel free to share your thoughts on the games you've played, but it is not required.

FAQ:

Why you doing this?

I hate money. That and I realized I've been subbed to the monthly for over eight years (yes it has been that long, I checked) and it occurred to me that I've barely touched the games I've gotten from it, let alone played them. Figured the same would be true for a few others, so I figured this is a good way to change that. A sensible person would probably unsub in this situation, but please refer to the beginning as to why that will not happen.

I've played the first X minutes of a game, can I pick it for the event?

No. You cannot have any play time or achievements prior to the start of the event. The only exception is idle time from farming Steam cards.

Can I play a MP only game?

No. It needs to have an "end" in order for me to count it as beaten, so it needs to have a campaign/story mode.

If a game was sold as a non-Steam copy in a bundle (origin/uplay/drm-free/etc), can I pick it as a choice if I own a Steam copy?

No. The reason being that those who own a Steam copy would have an extra option that would not be available to everyone who bought the same bundle. If the game was originally sold as a non-Steam copy, but Humble later provided steam keys to everyone who bought the bundle, then the game would be allowed.

Why six games?

The first few monthlies had 6/7 games in them so I went with that.

How long are you going to do this?

Until my credit card statements gives me nightmares.

This event "ends" on February 6th when the next next HB Choice releases, though the giveaway itself will end the next day. If you manage to finish game number six in between that time, feel free to post, but know that I cannot guarantee that I'll be able to give you the link in time.

Good luck, have fun and stay safe.
Thanks for reading, and safe travels.

List of eligible games: https://barter.vg/bundles/3/3/
https://barter.vg/bundles/3/161/
Credit goes to PapaSmok

View attached image.

4 months ago

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Cjcomplex

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4 months ago

Game	Bundle	Achievement
A Short Hike	Humble Monthly April 2019	The End
Ghostrunner	Humble Choice April 2022	Finish Line
Monster Prom	Humble Monthly May 2019	Polyamorous
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl	Humble Choice March 2022	Everything is Connected
PGA Tour 2K21	Humble Choice September 2021	Express Delivery / Top Dog
UnMetal	Humble Choice November 2022	ESCAPE COMPLETE!

Game/Bundle	Status	Achievement
TSIOQUE	Beaten	And they lived happily ever after...?
60 Parsecs!	Beaten	For Science!
Western Press	Beaten	A grave matter
The Red Lantern	Beaten	Made it home
Fight'N Rage	Beaten	Child's Play
The Gunk	Beaten	What's so bad about Wilderness?

Game	Monthly	Achievements	Status	Proof
Black Future '88	Oct 2021	18/29	Beaten	Achievement: "IT'S ABOUT TIME"
Unpacking	Nov 2023	25/25	Beaten	Achievement: "No Place Like Home'
Panzer Paladin	Jun 2021	14/30	Beaten	Achievement: "Rescue Android"
Regions of Ruin	Jan 2019	19/20	Beaten	Screenshots: Credits, World map, Final boss
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind	Mar 2021	30/30	Beaten	Achievement: "An uneasy alliance"
Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight	Sep 2017	6/9	Beaten	Achievement: "True Ending"

Game	Ending Achievement(s) / Proof	Monthly/Choice
Regions Of Ruin	Achievements page / Ending screenshots	January 2019
The King's Bird	The Way It Was, Many Years Ago / The Way It Was, Not Long Ago	June 2020
The Wild Eight	Achievements page / Ending screenshots	February 2021
BPM: BULLETS PER MINUTE	Defeated Nidhogg	November 2021
Banners of Ruin	The Warden	July 2022
A Juggler's Tale	Together we are not alone	October 2023

Game	Status	Achievements	HB Monthly/Choice
Everhood	Beaten	37/78 Achievement: Adventure Continues	February 2022
Eldest Souls	Beaten	22/50 Achievement: First Among Equals	November 2022
Five Dates	Beaten	4/15 Achievement: Light Sleepers	February 2023
Nobody Saves the World	Beaten	27/41 Achievement: Personal Growth	December 2023
Roguebook	Beaten	11/61 Achievement: The Ruins of Heartforge	January 2024
Marvel's Midnight Suns	Beaten	30/72 Achievement: Family is Forever	January 2024

Game	Bundle	Playtime Before	Status	Proof
The Forgotten City	September 2023	-	Unplayed	-
Quantum Break	January 2018	90 min (Cards)	Unplayed	-
Midnight Fight Express	December 2023	-	Unplayed	-
-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-

Game Status	Impressions
Blasphemous / Started on December 9th / Finished✔ on December 15th Witness of the Miracle (Beat 100% of the game).	Before playing: As many others I am drawn to Blasphemous by its evocative art. But the gameplay itself seems like glorified "Super Mario". After playing: The last metroidvania I played was Bloodstained, It was from the "fathers" of the genre. I liked that, but damn it felt like clown's circus sometimes. So I won't confidently say that Blasphemous is better, but more focused and deliberate visual code of it surely carried me from the start till the very very end.
GRIME / Started on December 13th / Finished✔ on December 23d Kinship (Get the Kinship ending)	Before playing: Usually I try to diversify my games in vibes/genres/looks. But for the sake of paradoxical mixing things up now I try games that could be cousins: Metroidvania / Souls-like / Platformer / Dark Fantasy. After playing: First two days playing Grime I was "missing" Blasphemous, It's the downside of playing games in the same genre one right after another. Also the game is lowkey ugly: magnificent backgrounds, but everything that's on the forefront, the thing that you have to watch is, let's say, clumsy, the animation especially. But as the time went metroidvania formula started to work on me, I got hooked. In the end the only complaint that I couldn't resolve for myself is narrative choice to have souls-like, obscure "we won't tell you straight" attitude. Grime has an intriguing premise, more characterization would only work for the game.
🙁Minoria / Started on December 26th / Finished✔ on December 28th Saint Alice (final boss achievement)	Before playing: Let's make it "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (for now I don't know which is which). The third "dark fantasy metroidvania" here we go! Also it's kinda anime. "After playing:" It's not a right word but the game feels "amateurish" in comparison to Blasphemous and GRIME. I realize, that it takes a high professional level of knowledge and competence to make a game, but the result is still bottom of what we call indie game. Low budget feels everywhere and for me it even negatively impacts artistic intent.
Greak: Memories of Azur / Started on December 28th / Finished✔ on December 31st Memories of Azur (Finish the game.).	Before playing: I decided to go with another metroidvania to wash away the taste of Minoria with something better. The art looks cute so at least I'll get that. After playing: It's very interesting to dissect such games. Clearly the budget was cut, ambitions were reined in and game mechanics were not developed to full extent but only to some sellable level. Even the title "Greak" shows some undercookness. It's the name of the younger brother among 3 siblings, but he doesn't stand out in anyway. His sister Adara becomes playable character within the first 25min. So why not put her in the title? They all travel together anyway and their interactions with NPC are interchangeable. It's like calling "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" as "Leonardo: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" - okey, but why?
⭐Hollow Knight / Started on January 5th / Finished✔ on January 17th Completion (Achieve 100% game completion and finish the game).	Before playing: Sometimes when a game is so highly regarded and so frequently recommended, you may feel overwhelmed and even scared to try it. It's a promise of high reward but also a setup for huge disappointment. "Hollow Knight" is exactly this for me. After playing: Is this the best metroidvania? Well, for me it's still Ori duology. But if you want to count points then technical victory surely belongs to Hollow Knight. The game tries much many things and most of them done almost perfectly. So my reluctance to call it the perfect game probably comes from playing 5 metroidvania in a row (I kinda see metroidvania matrix now :)
The Forgotten City / Started on December 17th / Finished✔ on January 20th The Canon Ending (Reach Ending 4 of 4).	Before playing: Having played 5 metroidvanias for 1.5month I need some brain cleanser. "The Forgotten City" seems perfect for the task. After playing: This game reminds me of a theater play. Even though you can see paper decorations and painted in metal wooden swords, immersion is not broken. Good pacing (or rather good narration architecture) I was engaged and intrigued most of the time.

Game	Status	HB Monthly
Epistory - Typing Chronicles	Beaten	Sep'16 HM#11
Ghostrunner	Beaten - Finish Line	Apr'22 HC#29
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery	Beaten	May'23 HC#43
Quantum Break	Beaten	Jan'18 HM#27
Yoku’s Island Express	Beaten	Aug'19 HM#46
The Forgotten City	Beaten	Sep'23 HC#46

Game	Date	Playtime	Achievements	Status
The Forgotten City	September 2023	12.3h / HLTB (10.5h)	37 / 40	Beaten (Achievement: The Canon Ending)
Monster Prom	May 2019	15.5h / HLTB (8h)	24 / 52	Beaten (Achievement: That was unexpected)
Seasons after Fall	October 2017	13.5h / HLTB (8h)	20 / 21	Beaten (Achievement: A reunion)
Unpacking	November 2023	4.5h / HLTB (3h)	22 / 25	Beaten (Achievement: No place like home)
Prodeus	November 2023	11h / HLTB (10h)	25 / 30	Beaten (Achievement: It's Finally Over)
Spirit Of The Island	November 2023	36h / HLTB (31h)	29 / 49	Beaten (Achievement:To Know Your Past)

Name	Month	Status	Achievement
The Long Dark	January 2018	Finished	Leap of Faith
Company of Heroes 2	December 2015	Finished	Campaign - Conscript
Metro Exodus	May 2021	Finished	Your Destination
West of Dead	September 2021	Finished	The Banisher
Figment	September 2018	Finished	Coming Back to the Surface
Genesis Noir	May 2022	Finished	Not Alone

Game	Month	Status	Proof
Metro Exodus	May 2021	*Finished*	Your Destination
Metal: Hellsinger	October 2023	*Finished*	When She Falleth
Hello Neighbor	August 2020	*Finished*	No More Fears
Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek	August 2020	*Finished*	Fear
Prodeus	November 2023	*Finished*	It's Finally Over
Styx: Master of Shadows	November 2016	*Finished*	Renaissance

Game	Monthly/Choice	Ach
West of Dead	Sep-21	End of Injustice
Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York	Jan-21	Completed
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion	Nov-21	Turnip Boy
Iris and the giant	Feb-21	Completed
RUINER	May-18	Good dog (Finish Epilogue)
She Remembered Caterpillars	Apr-19	Resilient

Game	Monthly/Choice	Status
Jotun: Valhalla Edition	January 2017 Humble Monthly	Done
Owlboy	February 2018 Humble Monthly	Done
Yooka-Laylee	June 2018 Humble Monthly	Done
FRAMED Collection	September 2021 Humble Choice	Done
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes	November 2022 Humble Choice	Done
TOHU	December 2021 Humble Choice	Done

Game	Bundle	Status	Proof
Evan's Remains	March 2022	Completed!	You did it.
Banners of Ruin	July 2022	Beaten!	The Warden
Owlboy	February 2018	Completed!	Everything Falls
Ozymandias	July 2023	Beaten!	Harappans on Indus Valley
Wizard of Legend	January 2019	Unplayed	Wizard of Legend
Smile For Me	November 2020	Unplayed	Smile for You, Residual Melancholy, or Flower Friend

Game	Bundle	Achievement
1) Five Dates	February 2023 Humble Choice	unfinished
2) Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?	September 2023 Humble Choice	unfinished
3)Midnight Fight Express	December 2023 Humble Choice	unfinished
4) ...	...	...
5) ...	...	...
6) ...	...	...