Thrifty Gaming: Games That Won’t Blow Your Budget #40

Hey there Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs it’s that special time of the week—Thrifty Thursday!

In a world where it’s all about the almighty dollar, sometimes it’s a little tough to make our pennies stretch enough to accommodate our hobbies. But, there are plenty of ways to balance your budget while still enjoying the things you love, you just have to be a little thrifty about it. So, I created Thrifty Gaming in order to spotlight some lesser known indie titles that are both entertaining an affordable.

If you’re a new follower or someone who has been following since my Nice Job Breaking It Hero days and has been gone for awhile, here’s a refresher… Thrifty Gaming, is a weekly post series where I spotlight three games/visual novels that are under $10.00. These can be mobile games, PC games, and a few times I have found some nice indie console titles too. The list used to focus on just otome games and romance visual novels, but after requests from a few readers I have since expanded to other gaming genres. I don’t include sales or limited time offers, each title has to be consistently priced at $10.00 or less without any promotions to be included in this line up.

Note, these are not reviews, rather recommendations so your mileage may vary with some of these titles. This week’s post will include a brief synopsis and links to each game so you can add them to your gaming library! You don’t have to break the bank to enjoy your hobbies, so save a little bread and check this week’s thrifty gaming picks!

Frog Detective 2: Case of the Invisible Wizard (2019) – Grace Bruxner

Cost: $4.99

Windows, Mac, Linux | Steam

The famed Frog Detective returns in the most thrilling mystery yet! A town’s welcoming celebration for a mysterious Invisible Wizard has been ripped to shreds by an unknown culprit. The Detective must find out “whodunnit”!
The Case of the Invisible Wizard is the second game in the Frog Detective series, following The Haunted Island, which was loved by everybody.

-Synopsis

Frog Detective 2: Case of the Invisible Wizard is a short detective mystery game and the second installment in the Frog Detective series. Interrogate suspects, search for clues, and piece together all the facts to uncover the perpetrator of a heinous crime. The game takes roughly an hour to get through and utilizes point and click game mechanics. Frog Detective 2 offers highly interactive gameplay that can be played using a mouse and keyboard or a game controller.

11:45 A Vivid Life (2018) – DeconstrucTeam

Cost: FREE

Windows, Mac, & Linux

A short weird tale about a girl who discovered her skeleton isn’t hers, stole an xray machine and fled to the country to investigate her own body.

-Synopsis

11:45 A Vivid Life is a very short free to play game from the creative team behind The Red Strings Club. Follow Laynie as she explores her own body, by performing rudimentary surgeries, in order to piece together the truth behind her identity. Players can examine Laynie’s body with an x-ray machine and determine her reaction to each new discovery with several in game choices. There is some brief nudity, but none of it is sexual in nature. However, there are a few scenes that may make some players uncomfortable especially if you are not okay with cutting or removing body parts.

Cooked With Love (2019) – STARDUST★SODA

Cost: FREE

Windows, Mac, Linux

Perry is, to put it nicely, a bit of a mess. So they can hardly believe their luck when their crush, Lily, agrees to go on a date with them!

When the day of the date rolls around, Perry’s all set: they’ve scrounged up some cash, and got a reservation at the nicest restaurant in town.

Except… where’s their wallet?

With nothing left to lose but their dignity, Perry’s determined to whip up a fantastic dining experience at home.

Sure, they’ve never cooked before, but how hard could it be, right?

-Synopsis

Cooked With Love is a short romance visual novel from STARDUST SODA that was originally developed for the annual game jam Nanoreno 2019. The game has 2 pursuable characters, and about 11 different endings to unlock. Cooked with Love also gives players the opportunity to customize the protagonist—choose hair length, clothing type (pants or skirt), and gender pronouns. While it follows the basic gameplay of most visual novels which requires players to make a series of in game choices that determine the outcomes of the game, Cooked With Love also includes a food crafting mini game where you select ingredients and prepare food for each of the love interests. The game is fairly short, taking about 15-20 minutes per playthrough.

That’s it for this week’s thrifty buys, but, don’t worry I’ll have more titles for in next week’s post, so be on the look out for that next Thursday! But, if all that extra money you saved is burning a hole in your pocket and you just can’t wait for next week’s list, definitely check out some of my previous Thrifty Gaming posts, there are tons of games for gamers who like me are ballin’ on a budget!

Thank you for reading and Supporting Blerdy Otome! If you like what you see be sure to drop a like or a comment to let me know your thoughts on this week’s Thrifty Picks!!