Games I Played in March 2026
2026 May 09 | video-gamesWalfie’s Nonograms
I usually can’t catch Nice Gear Games’ streams, but I saw that on one of them they had played a game with Nonograms in title and it caught my eye immediately. I adore Nonograms, and have almost 80 hours on Pictopix which is my favorite to play on my computer. But Walfie’s Nonograms is special - it’s a game for the Game Boy Color. That means it’s a perfect fit for my somewhat recently hacked 3DS that I keep enjoying more and more. If you have a 3DS lying around and haven’t modded it, just do so. I didn’t even have to take the SD card out when I did so (though if you have the option, you should do it rather than attempt it wirelessly just in case).
This absolutely became my comfort game while going through it’s puzzles, being my before-bed activity on multiple nights. Nonogram games live and die by their presentation and this one is thriving. So many great color palettes and a nice variety of background music tracks that can each be changed at any time to perfectly fit whatever mood I was in. The images you reveal are exactly my kind of references, bringing a surprised smile to my face. And the puzzles have way more clever designs that I was expecting, especially some of the earlier ones. If you have any interest in Nonogram puzzles, please give this a shot.
Slay the Spire 2
When Slay the Spire 2 was first announced, I was getting a haircut. But once I saw the trailer, I thought to myself: “I already have Slay the Spire.” Even after over 430 hours (time spent having fun is not time wasted), I have more to do in the original game. So when this first hit early access, I told myself I probably wasn’t going to buy it for a while.
… And then I watched a couple livestreams and was shocked at how much changed.
I have described this sequel as “Slay the Spire for sickos” many times, assuredly annoying who is getting tired of people throwing the word sickos around like it actually means anything. What I mean is that the card synergy in this game is far more interesting than the ones found in the first game. Some of my favorite examples being the “Sly” attribute which plays a card for free if you discard it during your turn, or the Necrobinder being able to do damage when applying a debuff while one of her primary debuffs instantly kills an enemy if its value exceeds the enemy’s current health. The game feels incredibly tight, even in comparison to the original which had done such an excellent job with this sort of design.
And the multiplayer - my goodness. Allowing one player to half the damage everyone else takes but taking double themselves, someone playing many low-cost cards and being followed up by another player’s damage being based on how many times the others did damage that turn. Even being able to use your rest spot to heal another player instead of helping yourself. I had little expectations for how this mode would feel compared to single-player and I’m happy to say that it’s arguably better.
post-March thoughts, oop: I’ve been really into the changes Mega Crit has made so far. And somehow the balance adjustments are not the only thing affecting it’s reviews now :/ Look, if you’re upset at the word feminism, you’re a fucking loser. Can’t believe I’m saying that in the Slay the Spire section.
WarioWare: Touched!
(It’s a DS game, I saw so many links to a pirated copy just double-checking the wikipedia page)
Other than Walfie’s Nonograms, I wanted something I could almost idly play on my 3DS to keep my hands busy while watching something longer than usual. WarioWare is not meant to be played idly, haha. But after realizing that, I did go ahead and give this one a fair shot of its own. It’s very gimmicky, clearly trying to wring as much novelty as it can out of the DS’s improved hardware over the GBA. And to its credit, most of its ideas are pretty alright. One of my biggest hurdles was that the tutorials at the beginning of each section didn’t always give a good impression of the central mechanic. It was never too awkward to figure out, but when Microgames are so short, any confusion compounds quickly. If I’m in the mood for some WarioWare, this is probably not the entry I’d go back to. I will give it an ounce more credit for introducing Ashley, who’s always been one of the more iconic characters in the series, in my opinion.
Poco
The Aro Pond Discord was very excited to find a good, free game called “Poco.” And I, eternally determined to play things other than the games I started before this month, gave it a spin. It’s a cute adventure game starring a small clown trying to get back to the circus. I never quite connected to the world myself, but I do like its artstyle and I’d rather characters be just alright than anything negative. What I did enjoy was how the minigames seem unapproachable in the very beginning, when you’re supposed to make a clow- er, fool of yourself. When you encounter them again later in the game, the more supportive atmosphere and the likely chance you’re closer to a flow state, makes them feel much more approachable in a nice little sample of narrative-gameplay harmony. Poco is a very accessible little adventure game, and sometimes that’s just what you might be craving.
Rose Hips
You don’t have to play pornographic games. I’m not even saying you should, they are explicitly not for everyone in a way where that phrase isn’t completely meaningless. That being the case, I’m really glad I gave this one a go.
When I hear “this dialogue is very natural” said, it’s usually always about something that feels completely unnatural to me. I don’t know if I’m too used to typical fiction dialogue, if I spend too much watching social interactions than having them, or as I once said: “granted, the teens i talked to talked like anime characters but still,” but regardless, the conversations in Rose Hips actually feel real to me. That’s probably the most impressive thing about this game, but a very close second is that eevee made an engine for the walking around bits in this game developed for Ren’py.
There’s so much cool stuff out there that it makes me even angrier than I already was at the recent attempts to censor sex workers and queer people online through the demonization of porn and sexuality. Rose Hips is was part of the strawberry jam, and I highly suggest giving other entries a look. Art is so sick, go embrace and support it.