What we’ve been playing • Eurogamer.net

Hi! Welcome to our regular post where we write a bit about some of the games we’ve found ourselves playing over the past few days. This time: the idols, the hangers, and the pit …

If you fancy catching up with some of the older editions of What We’ve Been Playing,
here are our archives.

Idol Manager, PC

At first glance, Idol Manager looks like a simple management simulation on girl groups and the idol industry. You get a job as a manager and are tasked with starting a new girl group that would sweep the nation. You set up auditions, get your band together, release singles, and ultimately put the company on the map.

However, like in real life, being in the entertainment industry is not all glitz and glamor. One moment my band is releasing a funny single that ranks in the top 5 hottest this month, then the next I get a notification that one of my idols is being reported for a live incident. It’s a nice look at the idol industry – frustrating and stressful, but really enjoyable and revealing.

I’m currently in my first game in normal mode and I’m still trying to figure out how to pay off my loans without overwhelming my idols. Half of my idols are already on hiatus but we need to organize one more gig to have more fans and more gigs. But oh no, another dating scandal? I think I need a vacation.

Felisha Dela Cruz

Unpacking, PC

“Play unboxing,” they said. “It will be relaxing.”

They were wrong. Unboxing is anything but relaxing. But that’s also the point.

Moving is a stressful experience and the unboxing certainly reflects that. The seemingly endless piles of boxes; careful deliberation of the exact way to organize objects; the nostalgic break to contemplate old objects. I just wish these characters would learn to pack their things in an orderly fashion, properly categorized by room.

And as for those Steam reviews lamenting that the game is too short… it took me almost six hours to complete unboxing. Am I anal and pedantic? Yes. Did unboxing bring out my worst qualities? Absoutely.

But the stress of arranging these objects thus comes with immense satisfaction. This is only helped by the sound effects – do yourself a favor, turn off the music, and revel in the clicking of plates, the sound of a drawer opening and the sound of another completed cardboard box.

This satisfaction also extends to storytelling. The simple act of unpacking things carries so much weight that you slowly piece together someone’s life: their tastes, their relationships, their big life decisions. Everything unfolds subtly, blossoming into a story that the player takes at their own pace as they gradually make connections.

It’s just hard to focus on the story as the stress increases and another play waits to be completed. Why are there never enough hangers?

Ed nightingale

In the pit, Xbox

Know when you want to watch something but aren’t sure what it really is and so instead spend 30 minutes mindlessly scrolling through countless Netflix thumbnails? Well, while I like it, that’s kind of where I’m at with Xbox Game Pass right now. The sheer number of choices on offer makes it very difficult for me to stick to one game. I constantly download them, stick my toe in, then quit after 10 minutes when said game hasn’t instantly scratched that weirdly non-specific itch of mine.

I took a driving vacation to Mexico and made donuts on the grounds of ancient temples in Forza Horizon 5. Swery’s The Good Life, to name a few, but so far nothing didn’t keep me coming back as much as Into the Pit.

Into the Pit is a little first-person roguelike with that beautifully colorful yet gothic visual style that is oddly both retro-inspired and very detailed at the same time. Each procedurally generated level is tiny and that, combined with the speed of combat, means you can complete each one in a matter of minutes or less. Gliding around these little arenas firing magical explosions from your fingertips as dark music pulses loudly through my headphones gives the game an almost Devil Daggers vibe, and that intensity brings with it a welcome dose of adrenaline that I feel sure about. prevents returning to the dashboard.

It’s certainly not a perfect game, and I feel like spending a lot of time with it will allow me to uncover all of its secrets pretty quickly. But, in those times when I can’t decide what to play and just need something to stop my endless scrolling, it always feels like I’m diving back into the pit.

Ian higton

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