Backloggin’ the Year – Sam’s Sojourn, April to June 2026

The last three months have been mixed for me emotionally, as winter became spring, and then turned into summer. I did so many fun activities during that time; it felt like a bit of a blur. I went to the Muskokas for the first time since I was a child, and my husband and I hiked a few new-to-us provincial parks. Willow, as usual, got so much attention and praise from all the people we met throughout our journeys, proving once again that she is the social butterfly of the three of us. I also went to a Drag Brunch hosted by Minhi Wang and Perla from Season 5 of Canada’s Drag Race, and that was an amazing time. If you are ever in Toronto and love drag, their brunch is easily one of the best I have ever been to.

One of the joys of living in a city like Toronto is that there are always events happening, and some that you wouldn’t necessarily know about without good friends finding them. I also had the pleasure of attending OperaMania, a wrestling-opera event where matches were hosted while opera singers performed the classics. It’s your reminder to explore your own city and see what kinds of fun events exist, because you never know how much fun you’ll have. Summer, as always, is busy on my end, and #JRPGJuly will be starting soon, so rest assured, there will be tons of great content happening here at RPGamer.

But I am sure my adventures are not why you read this quarterly column. You are here for video games, and video games I did play! As always, please check the links below for any reviews and similar longer-form content, as this column is for all the other nonsense that I’ve played within the past three months.

• 8-Bit Adventures: The Forgotten Journey Remastered Edition Review
• Avowed PS5 Review
• Quartet Switch Review
• Traysia Review
• Adventure Corner ~ Homura: The Crimson Warriors
• Adventure Corner ~ Lost & Found Co.

The Other RPGs I Played:

Alex and Luna 4evar.

Lunar: The Silver Star Remastered (PS4): In early May, I was looking for some comfort food and remembered I had bought the Lunar Remastered collection. Lunar: The Silver Star is a childhood favourite RPG and one I’ve completed multiple times. I still cry at the same scenes, Nash is still my favourite putz, and overall, there’s just something wonderful about playing an RPG where its core theme is love conquers all. Everyone in the game is in a relationship; they are (mostly) supportive, though slightly dysfunctional (I’m looking at you, Jess and Kyle!), but most of all, it’s a beautiful story about a young boy wanting to follow his dreams of becoming a Dragon Master and falling in love with a young woman whose secret identity is unknown to her. I won’t lie, I blitzed through this, and it was the joy I needed after playing so many longer RPGs in April.

All the Non-RPG Goodness

I ended up powering through a ton of great games during the last three months, with each bringing me so much joy. TOEM ended up being a standout as it was such a fun photo game, and the puzzles had a good amount of challenge to them. I haven’t tried the DLC I got from this purchase, but I’ll be saving that for when I truly need it. I also powered my way through Wilmont Works It Out, which is the sequel to Wilmont’s Warehouse, a game I adored a few years back. This time, it sees Wilmont obsessing over doing puzzles from his weekly puzzle club! So much fun!

I also played Once Upon a Jester on HerrFrog’s recommendation. There was one bit in the game where I spat out my water because it was just so funny, and if you’ve played the game, you’ll know the scene I am talking about. The writing was hilarious, corny, and it had a very specific type of humour that was both very dry and zany. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I finished Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which I have such mixed feelings about. I loved the first half of the game in all its hillbilly horror glory, but as soon as that element lessened, I found myself less intrigued by the story as it went on. There were so many interesting boss battles and puzzles, and I can see how this game rebooted the franchise. I also finally finished RoboCop: Rogue City, and finishing it led me to rewatch the first two movies, and now my husband and I are on an 80s and 90s action film kick. I found so much joy in giving people parking tickets.

Lastly, there is Marvel Cosmic Invasion, which, if many of you have been following this quarterly column for years, you know I love me a beat’em up. I will say that the Silver Surfer boss fight in this game sucked so bad, and it nearly made me quit the game with how messy the fight was, and I definitely couldn’t beat it with the recommended characters. I still really enjoyed the game, but I am also happy to never have to do that boss fight ever again.

Never again.

Whatcha Playing Now, Sam?

Forging bonds in fantasy land.