Happy Monday and Happy Unnamed Summer Games Information Roundup Season! Summer Games Fest is in full swing, as are the many related and unrelated press conferences and direct presentations. We’ve got Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft’s today, and… well, it’s been a lot. As a Nintendo-related journalist I’ve got my work cut out for me with all these lovely indie announcements and updates, but as a humble member of the Avocado I’m just here to bring you into a nice space for games discourse and discussion.

For the past few days, I’ve been immersing myself in the superlative Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. This noir and arthouse-infused puzzle game is a standout for the year and an absolute joy. Taking the “soft Metroidvania” structure of Resident Evil and turning it into nothing but a puzzle game was a fantastic idea. The puzzles themselves are brilliant, inventive, and never feel cheap or unfair. The atmosphere is terrifying; the world and setting are mystifying. The game fully encourages you to pull out a pen and paper, and an empty notebook I’ve had since high school is getting quite the workout. I’ve got six, seven, eight pages filled with Greek letters, Latin numbers, dozens of math equations, backwards and upside down translated English sentences, icons, and the like. The game puts this stuff into a massive compendium, but have this kind of cross-section I can make myself is so helpful. And so nice. It feels right.

But, I can’t go it alone. As it turns out, there have been some puzzles that, while perfectly in keeping with every other puzzle in terms of difficulty and rules, had solutions that eluded me. Some still do. And while it’s okay that I’m casually working on all of them at once (the game is wildly nonlinear and doesn’t require you to solve everything to hit the credits), I actually got some help from my dad. A lot of the time, he was more of a soundboard that could give responses, but one problem about X and Y angles fully flummoxed me. And he got it! He was also helpful figuring out a quick maze problem as we took turns moving our finger across the TV. I accidentally tapped my fingernail to the screen. No scratch, I think.

Unfortunately, I think I need some help beyond that with two things (one small puzzle and one big setpiece), and that’s just what I’m gonna do in today’s thread: ask you fine people for help. And that’s where I want to go with today’s prompt: tell me about a time where you got stuck and called in a friend or partner or family member. I’ve got plenty of other examples myself, like the time my (now) brother-in-law solved the legendarily awful “Canary Mary” mini-game in Banjo-Tooie by madly swiping a spoon across the Nintendo 64 controller. Or how, since I can’t play Smash Bros. Melee at all, my middle school friends ended up unlocking all the characters. Games can be lonely, but I like to think of them as communal, not just through competition or even traditional multiplayer, but through how we experience them together. Helping each other out is a really lovely part of that. And if that means asking for help yourself right here, please do so!

While you’re going through that, what did you play this weekend? I certainly hope someone can help me out with Lorelei, but I’m excited to here your stories. And of course, while Merve’s got a thread prepared for today’s Ubisoft show, any dishing about the summer game season is not only acceptable but highly encouraged!