What are we all playing this weekend?

My scares should have been reserved for today, what with it being All Hallows' Eve and all, but my fright came on Thursday.

It was a dark October night and I was returning from work. A storm had blown through earlier in the week, so the evening was unusually crisp and clear. I walked between the terrace houses, feeling the eyes of work-from-homers on my back. I turned the key in the door to the communal hallway, climbed the creaky stairs, and tried to keep my footsteps light as I passed my rude neighbour's flat. My head was wholly absorbed by the prospect of the risotto I had waiting in the fridge/

I unlocked my front door and started up the internal staircase to the kitchen, not even bothering to turn on the lights. Out of the dark, something jumped down the stairs at me, hitting me in the stomach. I flicked the lights on in a panic and saw a small brown thing with a long tail bolting back up the staircase. A mouse. In my house.

Terrifying stuff, I'm sure you will agree. It almost put me off my risotto. Anyway, this is what the rest of the team will be up to this weekend..

Ollie
I've settled into a very comfy rhythm of playing the latest Trackmania campaign and also a bit of Factorio, both with my brother. When I've a bit of time to myself I'm also interested in trying out Queen's Domain. Heard good things!

Jeremy
I continue to chip away at our Castlevania walkthrough as it chips away at my soul. Such is the transactional bargain of dealing with Dracula during Halloween, no? However, as I answer the door for trick-or-treaters, I may partake in what is becoming an annual tradition - watching an old game playthrough on YouTube as I hand out sweets. I'm thinking I will watch the 1994 SNES game Nosferatu this year, which is not related to Castlevania but does feature a bold guy going to beat up Dracula and all of his minions with nothing but his feet and fists.

James
My previously mentioned attempts to play Mortal Shell 2 have been thwarted this week by, in chronological order, work, social obligations, brownie making, Deep Rock Galactic, and more brownie making. We go again.

Edwin
I'm helping with a house move this weekend, so I doubt I'll have much time for your foolish computer entertainments, but I'd like to crack on with Queen's Domain and also, try out Danchi Days, a sorrowful comedy about trying to revive a summer festival in a 2000s-era Japanese neighbourhood.

Callum
Suspiciously, Callum has been making squeaking noises in meetings. Is this a sign he planted the mouse? Perhaps he was the mouse. Surely, it's not a coincidence. There's no such thing as coincidence when it comes to mice.

Mark
I want to finish Virtue and a Sledgehammer, having started it the other night. I really dug The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, one of Spanish studio Deconstructeam's previous games. Thus far, VaaS is hitting just as hard in terms of emotional beats, but in a manner that's more haunting than charming. We'll see where I land on it by the end.

Julian
As well as searching my flat for mouse hidey holes, I will be (touch wood/cross fingers/make a sacrifice to Bob the Builder) finishing the DIY I started last weekend. Alcove bookcases and a painted living room are in my future, I just have to manifest it.

Besides that, I've been dipping my toes into Titanium Court. I like it but I don't so far love it. It's witty, the presentation is excellent, but I feel like it is also keeping me at arm's length and I want to be drawn into its world, not kept at a distance. It may just need more time. I will also be trying hard not to sweep the moon.

And you, reader dear, what are you playing this weekend…?