A couple of nights ago, I arbitrarily decided on two goals for myself by the end of the year. One was to read 40 books (I’m at 33) and the other was to hit 40,000 for my gamerscore. Granted, I was at 38,671 so it wasn’t like this would be a monumental task, but I picked it to numerically match my book goal. I’ve downloaded some new games from GamePass and decided to cross the finish line with Unpacking and Kill it With Fire.

Kill It With Fire is now on GamePass so I knew I had to jump on it. The game is all about killing spiders in the most ridiculous ways possible. I’ll just go ahead and say I loved this game! You progress through levels by completing objectives (some are about unique ways to kill spiders while others are just goofy tasks you can perform in the level). Along the way, you’ll finding new weapons and upgrades for your equipment. The gameplay and graphics are simplistic, but nothing beats the joy of finding a totally badass way to plow through spiders. I was laughing and loudly celebrating whenever something totally bonkers happened.

I knew I was having FPS anxiety with some of the weapons, but I soon realized this isn’t a game that punishes you. You CAN shoot a rocket launcher in a small room and experience no consequences! The more I played, the more I fell in love with the combination of an energy drink and weapon. Sipping an energy drink slows down time, giving you the ability to take out spiders in the most creative ways. I’m showcasing it in most clips here. One of my favorite moments was this next video – I moved a monitor expecting to find a spider on the back. Instead, I see a jumping spider launch at me in slow motion from a picture frame and hilarity ensues:

To get to 40k, I had to do arcahno-gauntlets. After completing all objectives in a stage, you have the option to turn on a boom box to begin a challenging timed task: an arachno-gauntlet. Again, popping an energy drink and going to town on these suckers is the easiest strategy. I don’t know how someone would achieve these without popping an energy drink first. I loved every one of these encounters:

With each passing stage, new types of spiders are introduced. Jumping spiders, web-throwing spiders, and even invisible spiders will enter your game. You will never actually get hurt by a spider, but their presence will still have you jumping and dodging them like a reflex. This next clip is another arcahno-gauntlet challenge featuring the exploding spider (plus another random jumper):

This game is a TON of fun. There are so many memorable moments and amazing clips I want to share. Before I move on to the other game that helped me cross the threshold, I want to share one more slow-mo video with a hilarious kill I didn’t even intend to do. I accidentally drank an energy drink and stumbled into this situation:

The other game that I played is Unpacking – a game that is literally just that: unpacking boxes. I don’t know why I love the mindlessness of games like this. The game is straight forward – you traverse through the years courtesy of a photo album. Each stop is a new home providing insight into how your life plays out. You’ll spend lots of time filling bookshelves and packing tampons under your sink. Yes, it really is just that:

I understand talking about this game isn’t interesting, especially after following the chaotic funhouse that is Kill It With Fire, but sometimes, all you really need is a cleaning simulator to unwind at the end of the day. You may have a lot of dumb things to put on display in your house, but there is still something enjoyable about the experience.

I honestly think the best part about sharing this game is how I crossed the 40,000 gamerscore line. Here I am, perusing through the achievements for the game when I see what the final one is: flush every toilet in every home. Now, I didn’t realize some items in the home can be interacted with. You can set clocks, turn on gaming consoles, and yes, flush the toilets. I quickly went through my album, flushing every toilet I encountered until the triumphant moment when I acquired 100 gamerscore for flushing.

And there you have it. 40,000 gamerscore. That was a pretty low-effort achievement, but it is one none-the-less.

Are these games you have played? You’d pick Kill It With Fire over Unpacking, wouldn’t you? Let me know what you think in the comments below!