What I Played in July

To start the year I was playing and finishing a couple games each month. However the last few months I haven't been playing many story based games. I have been playing more open ended games that don't exactly have an end such as management simulation games (spoiler alert, this is where most of my July went to).Write your text here...

The game I finished this month

I only finished one game this month and it was one that I started back in May. It has taken me much longer to finish games recently but that does not take away from my enjoyment of games.

The game that I finished this month was Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector.

I adored the first game and I feel the same way with this sequel. If you have not played either of these games, they are visual novels that have table top RPG inspired elements to the game. You get to make choices with a set of dice. If you get a negative output you have a chance to gain stress which can deteriorate your dice. The developer do expand on this mechanic from the first game enough to make it feel refreshing.
The best thing about both of these games are the stories. I don't want to go too much into the story as to not spoil it but it is fantastic. You can of course make different choices than I did in this game but the way I played it, it was a story of second chances and chosen family. There is so much depth in these characters and even after seeing both good and bad in them, you care for them.
If you even kind of like visual novels, give this series a go.

Where I spent most of my time

This month and last month I have spend a SIGNIFICANT amount of time in Two Point Museum.

I played this game last year for maybe around 30 hours. I enjoyed the game but I have very little creativity when it comes to putting together museum layouts. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to make the best optimized museum while looking great as well which just took the fun out of the game for me. Well last month I got all of the DLCs the game has right now and I am at a whopping 160 hours in the game. I absolutely had a different experience in the game this go around which has been a freaking blast. This is my first Two Point Studios game and what a game to start with.
I have struggled with management games in the past because they always have a slight learning curve that I never really wanted to sit down and learn. This game is not as complicated as others I have tried which really helps to easily sink so much time into the game. I have slowed down my play time now that I have the hours that I do and 41 out of 49 achievements. I have gotten all the base game achievements as well as the achievements for 1 DLC, the zooseum. I played a little of each of the 3 DLCs and man they are well worth it. Each expand on the base game in such a unique way so that it is not just more of the same. I will continue to play the game so I can get that 100% but I don't want to burn myself out. Whatever DLC comes out next, you know where I will be.

Foundation

While playing TPM I wanted to try out another management style game and I ended up getting Foundation on sale and this game was also very good. In this game you are building your own medieval village It was a refreshing change from TPM but I did not enjoy it as much. I know there is a large update and DLC releasing coming out toward the end of summer so I will go back and see what they add then.

PowerWash Simulator 2

The number 1 reason I got the second game was for the Adventure Time DLC. I haven't gotten to the DLC levels just yet but the sequel does add quality of life features that make this game very enjoyable. This is the game that I play when I need something low stakes and can have a show in the background.

RimWorld

RimWorld has been on my "to play" list for the longest time and I finally got the game during the Summer sale. I didn't know much about the game but I heard that it had a pretty good amount of depth to it. I have only played a few hours but I can already see how people sink hours and hours into this game. I played it on my Steam Deck and the game plays amazing.

Wrap Up

Even though I did not finish a lot of games, I had a blast with the time I put into these games. Citizen Sleeper 2 was such a fantastic story that I am glad I was able to be in that universe for as long as I was. Now that my TPM phase has seemed to die down, I do want to finish a few more games than I have the past few months. I want to go back to experiencing stories.
This month reminded me that gaming does not have to always be about games that you finish. I tend to have this mindset of I need to have finished games as proof that I play games but ultimately, I was not in the mood for them. Forcing myself to do something never leaves me with a good experience. At the end of the day, play what makes you happy! This is a hobby and it is supposed to be fun!

Isabel Ordaz 2026