This Month’s Games
June was lowkey kinda busy for me when it came to games! It was Steam Next Fest, which I actually got to check out this year. July was pretty slow, not a lot of new games
On Stream
June
Steam Next Fest
I covered all of the (15) games that I checked out for Steam Next Fest over on my website! Read it here: https://pizzayeti-makes.ghost.io/june-2025-steam-next-fest-recap/
I’ll give yall a couple of highlights for the newsletter.
My favorite games were
- Panik - puzzle game with lil dudes who do panic. This was my favorite out of all the demos I played.
- Hirogami - origami action-adventure game where your character folds into lil origami shapes to explore the world
- Under The Island - a Zelda-like where the island is sinking into the ocean and you gotta figure out how to stop it
- Gecko Gods - solve puzzles and explore the world as a lil gecko, defy gravity and bring back the gods
July
Lone Fungus
I really love the art and exploration in this game. The boss fights are a lil rough at times, but once you get used to the different patterns, they aren’t too bad. Greencap, the main character, has such good energy lol. They really do not take anyone’s nonsense and will let people know when they’re doing too much. I’m getting pretty close to the end of the game, so I’ll let yall know what my full thoughts are next week!
Pick the game up here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1674780/Lone_Fungus/
On My Own
Eternal Strands - Finished
Okay, I gotta admit, I ended up really liking this game lol. The story sold me in the end. I still think that the Monster Hunter style gameplay loop maybe isn’t for me, but the characters in the game were a lot of fun to spend time with. Also, I got this wild fire spell that let me just create explosions around enemies and once I learned it, it was over for the enemies.
I’d really recommend to folk who are looking for a chill way to spend a couple days and who also want to lowkey be the Avatar. Just make sure that you talk to the NPCs; it makes for a better experience.
I’m gonna be writing a more in-depth piece on it soon, so make sure that you keep an eye on my website (and maybe sign up to be a free member over there to get updates on new writing pieces).
Check the game out here: https://www.eternalstrandsgame.com/
TTRPGs
Wanderhome
Y’all, I finally started reading my copy of Wanderhome thanks to Storytelling Collective’s Bookwyrms. I’ve had a copy for min since I backed Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast, but hadn’t taken the time to read through it.
This book feels like coming home. Unlike a lot of the ttrpgs I have played, Wanderhome is not built around combat. The basic understanding is that the folk you come across are fundamentally good and that you’ll be able to find what you need in the towns that you encounter, as long as you also treat folk with care. The way that the rules are written before you even get to the playbooks feels like the start of an adventure where you’re just trying to find your way to a space to call home, and it’s been beautiful. I’m so excited to finish reading through it.
I’m going to play with a group of folk from Storytelling Collective in August, and I’m so excited to see how the game plays. I’ll follow up next month to let you know how it goes! Have you played it? I’d love to hear about it.
You can get a copy of the book here: https://possumcreekgames.com/pages/wanderhome
Monthly Thought - Doing it Anyway
I’ve been working on re-framing what making things looks like for me. I got caught up in the vibe where it feels like the “most important thing” is finding a way to make money off the things I make. Which meant that anytime I didn’t make money off of something or if folk didn’t look at it, or if they didn’t comment on it, I felt like I wasn’t doing it right.
And that’s bad for me lol. It makes me feel like there isn’t a point in making things. But, when I think a little more about it, that’s not really why I make things? Like, don’t get me wrong, extra money would be nice to get back some of the money that I spend to host my website and things like that. When I sit down to make something, whether it's my first solo video game, or a ttrpg idea, or a new article or story, my main goal has almost never been, I’m making this to make money. It’s more that I have an idea or a story that I want to share with folk cause it feels like it needs to be made.
I’m still working on getting back to a space where I feel like I can make things without having to think about monetizing them. I want to feel more free to just create what I want and not have to worry about if the algorithm picks it up or if it makes a couple of bucks. So, for the second half of this year, I think I’m just gonna try to go for it? I’m gonna write more about what I’m reading and playing and watching. I’m gonna try making 2 lil video games/tools and share them with folk. And who knows, maybe I’ll write another story or two.
I think the second half of the year is gonna be themed around doing it anyway. It might be hard to convince my brain that what I’m making matters, that it’ll have an impact on people. And maybe what I do won’t have an impact on other folk, but it’ll have an impact on me. And that’s gotta be enough. Cause I gotta be enough.
My Content for this Month
In June, I posted a lot more YouTube Shorts than normal and had a written recap of the June 2025 Steam Next Fest come out on my website!
Also trying out a new writing vibe that I'm calling Small Slices. It's gonna be shorter writing pieces on the games that I've been checking out. The first one is on Wilmot Works it Out! Read it here: https://pizzayeti-makes.ghost.io/small-slice-wilmot-works-it-out/
Only had a couple of streams because my weekends have been busy, but working on figuring out a more frequent schedule cause I do like streaming.
In August, I'm gonna be writing up a recap of a challenge/creator camp that I did in June and July with Buffer.
Ending
See yall next month.
Keep telling stories. Keep creating. You are important for the world that we want to create. I look forward to continuing to build a better world and better stories for us all. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I’ll see y’all around the Internet.
