J. L. Hilton | Passages to other worlds

Try-It Tuesday: TRUE FEAR PART 3

Posted on April 29, 2025 by J.L. Hilton

TRUE FEAR: FORSAKEN SOULS PART 3 is the third and final game in a trilogy ten years in the making. All three games feature protagonist Holly Stonehouse uncovering family secrets in various creepy places including a crumbling childhood home, haunted asylum, and abandoned high school.

The developers, Goblinz, gave me a Steam key for myself and others to give away. If you’re interested in getting a Steam key, let me know in my YouTube comment section.

Parts 1 and 2 are some of the best point-and-click games in the genre. I’m disappointed that TRUE FEAR PART 3 doesn’t have any hidden object puzzles, since they were so well done in previous installments, but I’m still enjoying Part 3. They’ve gone heavy on the lore and storytelling, and tense cutscenes add a lot to the experience.

Part 1 came out in 2016, which I played it on my YouTube channel. Part 2 came out in 2018 and I streamed that one on Twitch. Part 3 was just released this month, in April 2025, which I’m playing on PC.

The Try-It Tuesday video, above, is just the first in my playthrough of TRUE FEAR PART 3. I will continue playing this game and uploading videos to YouTube. Episodes are edited, but only irrelevent portions removed. The series will include solutions to all puzzles I encounter.

I can’t find ESRB information for Part 3, but Parts 1 and 2 were rated “T” for teens, so I assume Part 3 is rated “T” as well.

TRUE FEAR PART 3 launched on PC and macOS, but the developers told me they will release the game on mobile around mid-May and console versions will be available a few months after that.

~ J.L. Hilton

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Try-It Tuesday: MACHINARIUM

Posted on April 25, 2025 by J.L. Hilton

MACHINARIUM is a 2009 singleplayer point-and-click puzzle adventure by Amanita Design, makers of the game Chuchel that I played earlier this month. I’ve been wanting to play it for several years, but for one reason or another, never got around to it.

Since this week’s Try-It Tuesday falls on my birthday, and since I enjoyed Chuchel so much, I decided to finally play MACHINARIUM.

If you’ve ever played a point-and-click adventure game, you’ll understand the basics: Find objects and figure out how to use those objects to progress. Sometimes you’ll need keys to unlock something, a ticket or code in order to open a door, a tool to make or break something, or your wits to solve a puzzle.

MACHINARIUM offers a unique art style, mysterious world and compelling story for our charming little protagonist, a robot named Josef. You begin the game in a junkyard and work your way back into the city, as the story unfolds through environmental storytelling and animated thought bubbles.

Many puzzle adventures are set in the human world and filled with things we easily recognize and understand. But in MACHINARIUM, I enjoyed the challenge of playing in an imaginary robotic reality, because I couldn’t be sure exactly how to interact with my strange surroundings. How would I obtain sunflower oil in a metal city, make a cigarette for a robotic inmate, or lure a mechanical dog back to its owner?

I spent about 6 hours playing MACHINARIUM and earning all 12/12 achievements. The videos are edited down to about two and a half hours total, so that gives you some idea of how much time I wandered around experimenting and trying to figure things out.

MACHINARIUM is rated “E” for everyone 10+, with comic mischief and depictions of smoking. At one point, a robotic “cat” is stunned with electricity but not harmed. Some of the puzzles and game mechanics may be challenging for younger players, but there’s an in-game hint book and an online wiki.

The video above includes levels 1-10. If you’re looking for other levels, check out my other Machinarium videos below.

~ J.L. Hilton

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Posted in Video games | Tagged Amanita Design, chuchel, Try-It Tuesday, Video Games | Comments Off

Try-It Tuesday: CHUCHEL

Posted on April 1, 2025 by J.L. Hilton

This week’s Try-It Tuesday falls on April Fool’s Day, so I wanted to play something fun and silly.

CHUCHEL is a 2018 point-and-click comedy adventure game that reminded me a bit of Alice in Wonderland, Adventure Time, Loco Roco, Spongebob, Centaur World and Terry Gilliam’s wacky Monty Python animations. It’s got old-school Muppet energy, with cute and/or creepy critters, catchy tunes and loads of humor.

I laughed a lot and thoroughly enjoyed this indie game by Amanita Design, the Czech developers who also made Machinarium, another game I’ve been wanting to play. Since playing CHUCHEL, I’ve also added their games Pilgrims and Happy Game to my wishlist.

Beneath the silliness, though, CHUCHEL is a parable of life. Chuchel and his frenemy Kekel are constantly fighting each other to compete for a limited resource (a cherry they call “gizzabub”) which is constantly being manipulated by a larger, more powerful force in the shape of a giant black hand (God? capitalism? government?), enticing them to constantly chase after the object of their desire while also punishing them for doing so. Eventually, we find out that the malevolent force, which resembles a big, hairy drain clog, has been hoarding thousands of cherries all along. But the pair learn to work together to change the drain clog monster and share the cherry.

At first, I thought maybe I was reading too much into it, but then there was a level where the drain clog actually offered Chuchel and Kekel a red and blue pill, and that’s a little too on-the-nose to dismiss.

This video includes levels 1-8. There are 30 levels total and I’ll be playing those in upcoming videos. Total play time is about two hours, depending on how long it takes to figure out each puzzle and how much you goof around.

I found most of the puzzles and gameplay to be easy, but there were a handful that stumped me for a few minutes. I don’t think CHUCHEL is meant to be super challenging though, just funny and fun.

The game is normally $10 on Steam but I got it on sale for $2.99.

Since it’s a Czech developer, I thought maybe the name might mean something in that language. So I checked Google translate and “chuchel” means “he snorted.” “Kekel” means “he cackled.” Also, the pronunciation is more like “KHOO-khill,” not “CHOO-chill,” if Google is to be believed. So, that’s how I say it in my videos.

However, I only found out AFTER playing the game and uploading my videos, that the official pronunciation is “chuh-chull” according to the game’s one-year anniversary video from the developer. Dang it!

CHUCHEL is rated “E” for everyone and PEGI 3. There are a few bits of potty humor and a lot of cartoon violence (like the original Bugs Bunny cartoons). I think the only thing that would make it unsuitable for children is that a few of the puzzles are a bit complex and might frustrate them. But it would be a great game for a child and parent to play together.

~ J.L. Hilton

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Posted in Video games | Tagged chuchel, indie games, Try-It Tuesday, Video Games | Comments Off

Try-It Tuesday: URBAN JUNGLE

Posted on March 25, 2025 by J.L. Hilton

URBAN JUNGLE is a singleplayer cozy houseplant gardening simulator and puzzle game developed by three-person team Kylyk Games and released in March 2025.

Similar to Unpacking, URBAN JUNGLE is an object placement game that progresses through the stages of someone’s life via the places they live. There’s more dialogue in URBAN JUNGLE however, and even some dialogue choices as you talk to family members.

I don’t know if dialogue choices make a difference in the game, as I’ve only played two out of a total of eleven chapters so far.

The puzzle aspect is in the form of maximizing points based on houseplant variety and preferences for light, water and adjacent foliage, and completing objectives that require finding and interacting with objects in each scene.

There’s also a creative mode, which I prefer because I enjoy decorating each scene, rather than worrying about point values.

Unfortunately for me, I have shoulder problems so I use a touchpad on my laptop, not a mouse, and I couldn’t figure out how to rotate items, which seems to require a scroll wheel. But all other gameplay worked just fine with the usual left and right clicking and dragging. I could also zoom in and out by swiping my fingers together or apart on the touchpad.

There’s a free demo on Steam and the full game costs $11.99. Rated “E” for everyone 10 and up.

~ J.L. Hilton

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Posted in Video games | Tagged cozy games, Try-It Tuesday, Urban Jungle, Video Games | Comments Off

FALLOUT prop replicas

Posted on March 22, 2025 by J.L. Hilton

All of these were made or assembled by me, unless otherwise noted.

*Vault-Tec bobblehead from Bethesda, mini Hancock from Funko*

I pasted a Nuka Quantum label over a bottle of Jones berry lemon soda for my Mississippi Quantum Pie video, Sugar Bombs bowl is official Bethesda merch

*This Vault-Tec lunchbox was made using a vintage lunchbox I bought on eBay*

*Grandchester Mystery Mansion and Nuka Cola tickets from Etsy*

This Nuka Quantum light is purple because that’s the way it looked on my PC when I played **Fallout 3**

This plasma rifle is official Bethesda merch, but I mounted it on a peg board to replicate the weapon racks in **Fallout 4** settlements. Of course if these were real **Fallout 4** settlement display racks, I’d only be able to fit two weapons on there (one per board)

*I found a stars and stripes sash, similar to what Hancock wears for a belt in **Fallout 4**, and I spray it with Duft Werks “Scavenger” scent to smell like the Wasteland*

*Nuclear material from **Fallout 4** (left), my prop replica (right)*

*This is the Fallout prize package I gave away during my 2022 YouTube subscriber celebration*

*Not really a prop replica exactly, but my oldest left this on my nightstand after I started playing **Fallout 4** because I was so enamored with Sturges.*

*I bought this stocking on Etsy, added the Vault Boy pin and filled it with various prop replicas I made for my oldest daughter, who’s a big Fallout: New Vegas fan*

~ J.L. Hilton

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Posted in Crafting, Video games | Tagged Fallout, Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout New Vegas, prop replicas, Video Games | Comments Off

Try-It Tuesday: TINY GLADE

Posted on March 18, 2025 by J.L. Hilton

TINY GLADE is a cozy, sandbox building game where players can construct fantasy castles, ancient ruins, medieval inns, fairy villages and more. Developed by Swedish indie studio Pounce Light and released in September 2024 for Windows.

My friend Herman bought this game for me when it came out but I couldn’t play it until now because the devs just added controller support. I never use a mouse because it gives me shoulder pain. Even when I’m not gaming, I have to use the touchpad on my laptop, so I’m so glad I could finally give TINY GLADE a try.

TINY GLADE has beautiful music, visuals and sound design. I love the way I can shrink, enlarge, raise, lower, move, color and design towers and walls. It feels magical.

But, unfortunately, with a controller, the camera and builidng mechanics are very awkward and frustrating. There’s nothing much in the way of tutorial to explain how anything works, so there’s a lot of fiddly trial and error. Which is not what you want in a “cozy” relaxing game. I spent over an hour just trying to figure out the basics and adjusting my settings.

It sure makes adorable pictures, though, thanks to the in-game camera. Once I started to get the hang of the controls, castle construction was a lot of fun. This would be a really cool way for a DM to create images for their next Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

I wanted to go into TINY GLADE without any preconceived notions or expectations, so I didn’t watch any tutorials or build videos on YouTube before playing. But I highly recommend you do, if you plan to play it yourself. Now that I’ve tried it out, I’ve watched several and they are really amazing.

TINY GLADE could fast become a game that takes over my life, if I let it.

I found conflicting information about an ESRB rating for TINY GLADE, with some sites saying it was E for everyone and others saying it was T for teens 13+. I don’t think there’s anything inappropriate in this game but younger children might find the castle construction mechanics too difficult.

The game costs US$14.99 on Steam for PC and Linux.

~ J.L. Hilton

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Posted in Fantasy, Video games | Tagged Fantasy, medieval, Tiny Glade, Try-It Tuesday, Video Games | Comments Off

Hide & Seek: Where’s Buddy?

Posted on February 28, 2025 by J.L. Hilton

Our cat Buddy loves to explore the house, from the depths of dark closets to the heights of the kitchen cabinets. See if you can find him in this photo of our kitchen pantry.

~ J.L. Hilton

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Posted in Photography | Tagged Cats, Games | Comments Off

Mojave memories

Posted on January 24, 2025 by J.L. Hilton

I danced to this song after midnight in a dingy little Mojave Desert bar, back in 1993, with a bunch of wastelanders, raiders & Brotherhood of Steel … I mean, a bunch of locals, bikers & Marines.

Good times. Still one of my favorite songs.

~ J.L. Hilton

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