I'm obsessed with playing games in the horde survival genre, or "bullet heaven" genre as some like to call it. From game to game, there's always some new twist on the basic formula, from fundamental differences to smaller mechanical ones. HoloCure: Save the Fans! is one of the best games you can play without paying as much as a cent, it's completely free and also one of my favorite games in the genre.

Half-embarassingly, I know many of the playable characters here by name, stemming from a past love for VTubers. Each idol from the Hololive idol group playable in this game has their own main attack and exclusive upgrades, making them all distinct and fun to use. There's also a whole dollhouse mode on the side, letting you decorate your house, farm crops, and even fish.

Achievement hunting broke my heart, however, as after over 50 hours of grinding I was met with the final achievement requiring me to grind for another 80 or so. This is frankly cruel and unfair, and I hope to see it changed or removed in the future. A full letter-grade was retracted just for that.

Keeping that in mind, I still highly urge you to check the game out, whether you're a VTuber fan or not. If you're for some reason on the fence about giving the genre a shot, this is a fantastic starting-point.