• January 1
• Random Number: 230/366
• Time Played: 1 hour (total time: 1 hour, 26 minutes)

The process I am using for picking a game is pretty straight forward, I go to random.org, set the maximum to 366, and boom out comes a random number. Thankfully my list on howlongtobeat.com is not numbered so I have to count down (or up) the list to figure out what game I got. The process is easy, but I realize that I'm going to hate counting when the number falls in the middle of the list. Seriously, counting is hard. When's the last time you've counted above 100? Or, even 50? I'm serious, that shit is intense. Anyway, I got Rogue Legacy for my first game. I was surprised, I imagined I would get some obscure game I forgot I even owned. Instead I got a game that I've toyed around with playing this holiday season.

I originally bought Rogue Legacy back when everyone was talking it up. I remember that I played it for a few minutes and it didn't really grab me, but I planned on going back to it thinking that I had to invest time into it in order to "get it." I never went back.

My return to Rogue Legacy began about the same way as the first time I played it. I ran into the castle, died a couple of screens in, rinse, repeat. I knew it was a rogue-like/hard-game/third-descriptor, so I knew I had to just a keep at it. However, I always get nervous beginning a game like this, because I am so worried that I'm going to screw up upgrading and ruin the game. I probably feel this way because I usually screw up upgrading and ruin the game. After ten or fifteen minutes I started to really enjoy myself, but then I had to stop for dinner.

Then a strange thing happened. Even though I really had fun playing Rogue Legacy, I didn't really feel like getting back into it after dinner. Maybe it was because it started out so slow, but instead I delayed picking it back up and instead watched some TV and read some instructions for the table top games I got for Christmas. Eventually I started playing again because I felt obligated to give the game a fair share. And, I enjoyed the hell out of it. This second session lasted about 45 minutes and I really started to dig the game. I started to really like some of the small things - the amusing "traits" for your character, the little journal stories you find along the way, and especially the secret portraits with honest peaks behind the curtain of the developer's history. Probably the aspect of the game that struck me the most was how much the developers allowed the random traits to completely change the game-play. I got really excited the first time I got a character with vertigo and the entire game was upside down and backwards. One knock, however, was that even with this variety Rogue Legacy still began to feel monotonous after a while. Maybe if I didn't suck at video games and was able to explore in depth some of the other environments I wouldn't feel this way, but I just can't see playing this game for more than 15-30 minute bursts. (Also, it probably didn't help that I started to watch Lucha Underground in the background towards the end of the second play through, that shit is awesome!)

Alright, it is decision time. For each game I will decide if I want to put it on my "Shelved" list (games that I plan to come back to and play in depth) or put it on the "Retired" list (games that I will delete or sell and move on with my life).

When I woke up this morning I was completely prepared to put Rogue Legacy on the Shelved list, but right before I began writing this I changed my mind. As I thought about it I realized I didn't really have any desire to play it. I felt much the same way I did after I ate dinner yesterday and put off playing more of Rogue Legacy. Yesterday I thought I didn't want to play it because I had such trouble when I first started, but now, after I played more and enjoyed myself, I guess it's just something about Rogue Legacy. It's not you Rogue Legacy, it's me.

Judgement: Retired

I need to finish Rogue Legacy.

I finally started playing it early this year last year, and it took me some time to get into it, but there was definitely a groove where I kept on playing it exclusively for a couple weeks. Defeated three of the areas; still need to defeat Herodotus to proceed. The interesting thing about my playthrough was the offspring with unfavorable traits ended up on good runs (completing areas). I ended up defeating Ponce with farsightedness and nostalgia (I think?). Maybe I'll get back into it, but my backlog is really bad now.

I like your random process. Look forward to the next game.

Instead of doing random number generator you can simply copy and paste the entire list of games from time to beat or another steam scraper and paste it into the list randomizer on random.org. Then just play the top one. Less counting that way. Good luck!

I really liked Rogue Legacy but totally understand how monotonous it is. This was a game I played obsessively but only when listening to music or a podcast. Definitely one of those games. The thing I hated the most was just dying over and over to get a good character to run at bosses with.

Thanks for the feedback!

Farsightedness drove me crazy.

I never noticed that list randomizer feature. Now if I could only figure out why howlongtobeat.com only lets you export the completed games list and not your backlog, I'd be golden.

I could totally have see a time and place where I would have played the hell out of this game.

You could always use https://steamdb.info/calculator/ , sort by time played and copy the list from there.