#LoveYourBacklog 2024: my response

The #LoveYourBacklog event spans a month dedicated to your pile of video games.

At the beginning of February, I had the pleasure of announcing the return of this community collaboration for 2024 and encouraging everyone to celebrate their backlog. A mountain of releases shouldn’t be a cause of guilt, but a sign of just how much we love our hobby and having something to suit every mood.

The first part of the event involves displaying a badge on your blog throughout the month and, if you’re happy to do so, linking it to your digital library so others can view your games list. You can check out mine opposite. I’ve gained 449 titles since joining Steam when I started blogging over ten years ago and my collection of point-and-clicks continues to grow.

The next step is to answer six questions about your backlog and publish a blog post about the releases selected. Further details can be found in the original announcement and my own responses are included below. To keep things simple for myself, I’ve decided to ignore my other digital and physical libraries and concentrate on Steam alone – but how you choose to do it is up to you!

The final part of the #LoveYourBacklog event is to consider participating in #MaybeInMarch. If you’re up for it, why not attempt to complete the game that’s been sitting there the longest, and share your experience next month? It’s thanks to this challenge that I finally completed both The Path and Papo & Yo last year, titles I bought back in July 2013. Which release will I be working my way through this time around? Let’s dive into the questions and find out…

A game you bought on release but haven’t yet started

After going through my entire library, I haven’t managed to find a game which meets the criteria for this one. If I’m excited enough about a title to buy it on release day, I generally end up playing it almost immediately. The game I most recently picked up but haven’t yet started is technically Splashkin’s excellent platformer Tinykin from August 2022. However, I completed the Xbox Game Pass version a while back and wanted to purchase my own copy so we have it ready for our GameBlast24 schedule, so it doesn’t really count.

An unplayed game with an intriguing storyline or mechanic

The first time I heard about I Know This Place..? by RBL LABS and SameFrame was when it popped up in my discovery queue one day. Its description as being an ‘experimental mystic adventure’ appealed to me but what really drew me in what its unique premise. After completing the first chapter, players can directly influence the plot of the rest of the title as it’s developed. This means that nobody knows what’s going to happen next, not even the creators, so I’m intrigued to see where the narrative begins and is going to end up.

A game you haven’t played yet due to its intimidating difficulty

I backed the Kickstarter campaign for Gamedec back in March 2020, then received my key from Anshar Studios in September 2021 but haven’t yet tried it. The description on the page sounded interesting: ‘As a detective, you must solve crimes in both the real and virtual worlds, yet no case has a simple solution.’ But it’s the following line that makes me feel intimidated: ‘For better or for worse, every decision you make will have consequences for your character and their reputation in both worlds.’ No pressure then.

The game most likely to never be played

I have a bunch of weird action releases in my library and no idea how they got there. But if I ignore those, the game I’m least likely to play might be A Rite from the Stars by Risin’ Goat. I became a backer for the Kickstarter project in August 2014 when my stepson was young and very into titles like The Legend of Zelda. It didn’t end up being released until July 2018 though, by which time he was a quite a bit older and far less interested. The reviews are positive but I get the feeling that we’ll never end up playing it.

The most recent addition to your library

Alongside I Know This Place..? above, I bought The Tartarus Key by Vertical Reach in November 2023. Pete and I enjoyed the demo when we tried it during one of the previous Steam Next Fest events and I decided to pick it up so we could play it on stream with friends one evening. We didn’t get around to it for a reason I can’t remember now, but it’s still high on my to-play list. I like the way its visual style is reminiscent of 90s horror releases but the gameplay is more focused on exploration and puzzle-solving.

The game which has spent the most time on your backlog

As explained last year, the game that has technically been on my backlog the longest is Brütal Legend by Double Fine Productions. However, as this is a lead-in for #MaybeInMarch and I like to stream the event on Twitch, I’ll need to pick another title so as not to receive a copyright strike. Next up then is The Cave from January 2013, coincidentally by the same developer. This puzzle-platformer allows for local co-op so I might see if I can persuade Pete to descend into the mysterious depths with me.

That’s it from my video game collection for now – how about yours? To find out how you can join in with the #LoveYourBacklog event, take a look at this post and keep your eyes open for #MaybeInMarch details coming soon.