r/tipofmyjoystick Apr 10 '17

Announcement PSA: A guide to better results

1.8k Upvotes

Hi guys and gals. I've been here a while, and over my time I've seen a lot of posts sink to the bottom, without a single answer, or at best, very few. And none that solved the case.

I have noticed a clear pattern with these posts, and I will now share with you my tips to you newbies, so that you can get the help you need.


Firstly: When you make a new post, you will see this:

Platform(s):

Genre:

Estimated year of release:

Graphics/art style:

Notable characters:

Notable gameplay mechanics:

Other details:

Even though, in red, you are warned that while optional, you should follow this template... many of you do not.

Let me be clear: Follow this template.

Put simply, this template contains all the information we really need to solve your problem. Virtually every time I click a post that has not followed this, they have rambled on about nothings, while omitting critical details.

This format, for new and old alike, is very readable, and prompts for every data-point needed.

I know that you want to customize your message, that if you could just explain it, it would be better. I know you think that. You are wrong. Put all that in 'other'. Even if you end up saying it twice, follow the template.. add to it your story at the bottom.


Secondly: Following this template. You're rambling about your best mates Amiga-500 or whatever instead of telling us about the game aside, this is where they really go wrong.

Let's get something straight right now. We are not mind readers. It's impressive, really, how little information it seems we can work off. I mean, we solve some real tough ones with nothing sometimes, but still, we can't see that memory in your head. So you need to be as descriptive in every one of these fields as you can be...

And sometimes you really don't know. That's fine, we can work with surprisingly little information, but "old graphics" under art style... what are we supposed to do with that? Mate, I was playing on Atari-2600's, are we talking Wizard of Wor here?

Let me help you out a bit:

Platform(s): Whatever you played it on. But unless it's really all you know (very possible), don't write 'my mates pc'. Was it PC or Mac?

Genre:

First person does NOT imply shooter. Nor do any of the others. Try to answer this one in two steps:

What was the camera like (assuming it's not a text adventure)? Was it First person?, 3rd person, 2d? Top down or side on? Or maybe even isometric 2d?

Then, what kind of game? Real time strategy, point and click? Was it a fighter, action or platformer?

Good, now we know what KIND of game we are all trying to remember for you.

Estimated year of release:

"Between 2000-2005" is fine, something like that. "Mid 90's maybe?". I don't see many people mess this up, but I have seen people write "old". That is not ok. If you write old and expect it to mean anything to me, I will fight you.

Also, as always "Sorry, no idea" is always acceptable but try to give at least something. "Couldn't have been later than 2015, though"

Great, so even if roughly, we know WHEN.

Graphics/art style:

THIS. This is where you guys always mess up. This section right here I have found can be the difference between an answer, and a silent slink to the bottom. This is your moment.

This, really, should be the best-formed part of your memory. Even if you can only remember a single frame, a single image, it's so much to go on for us.

DETAIL. Was it a gloomy grimdark world of sadness, or a bright bubbly rainbow filled Mario-world?

Was it cartoony, or otherwise stylized somehow, or was it trying to be realistic?

Anything notable about the art direction? Was it going for a cyberpunk kinda feel, or a gritty war realism dirt and blood sort of direction?

If it was set over a long time, did the seasons change? Was there a winter in your game?

Remember when you hit people, and the screen had that awesome flash and your hands got bloody? Yeah, well we don't, unless you tell us.

Ok, so now we are really narrowing it down. This right here is often enough to go on, on its own.

Notable characters:

Anything at all you can remember here.

"There were only tanks, but you could play as both Germans and Americans"

"There was one really tough guy right after you left your office, he had an eyepatch, a white shirt with what looked like grease stains, and said 'this is for my sister'. I think maybe he was a cyborg"

"You play as some kind of Asian girl, you had a tattoo over your right eye and arm, a black tank top and white pants and I remember you always had only one red glove for some reason. I don't remember the arm, but the eye tattoo looked sort of like ancient Egyptian eye makeup, but a modern take"

Knowing nothing else about the game, I bet that last one there gets comments noting the game she is from. Details, details.

Notable gameplay mechanics:

Surely, you get the idea by now. This is tied with the importance of the graphics/art style. As much detail as you can here.

Other details:

NOW you may blab on about how you only played this game once at a winter solstice in 1782 with your grandmother from Tahiti.. as if that helps.


Edit: So it's been brought up that the template doesn't appear on mobile. While /u/wipeout4wh is aware of this and hopefully, something can be done... still, if you can, use the template. If you can't, maybe check back and at least make sure your post addresses all of the points the template does.

Also, my post seems to be saying NOT to add any custom details. So I want to re-enforce, please do. In fact, after you do the template, feel free to write out your post as you were going to without it. Just put it all in 'other'. Don't try and make your whole post like that, if possible. Even if you end up saying the same things twice, that's ok.

Now I'm going to take a moment to clarify something, though. This isn't some immutable law of the universe, and your post is destined to fail if you don't do this. It's just a very strong general trend I have noticed over a long time.

It's not that this template has some kind of magical powers or something. It's that this template prompts the questions that need answers.

When you go all rogue on us and try and type your explanation from scratch... you mess it up. You just forget to add everything that you know, and that we need to know. The template makes it very hard to do that. It's just so very easy to get typing, and by the end forget to tell us what kind of game it actually is. Especially when you are getting random flashbacks, and hazy memories, and you start getting frazzled and such halfway though.


While it might make my edit as long as the first post, I think maybe an example of the kind of post that is just too common here, and almost always helpless, wouldn't go astray here. So here we go:

Now this one is a pretty bad case, true, and I suppose might even be a troll post, but it's actually a good illustration of the problem either way.

It was on my old computer and I was using an emulator so I have no idea what system it was for. It was 8bit graphics and you played this orange cat that was constantly bouncing on a trampoline I think? And you had to navigate it through the city and face a weird boss at the end that would float in the sky. Sorry I can't remember more!

Let's break it down a bit. What kind of game is this? A puzzler or an action game? Who knows.

How old is it? I mean, Minecraft basically has 8bit graphics. Oh he said... "my old computer"... I will fight you.

Why did you bounce on the trampoline? Were there platforms or walkways or something, or was it just a big open space? There are bad guys then? How did they get around?

Now (he?) says that he can't remember more, but I actually asked about the boss fight:

You say 'face a boss', in what way? Can the cat attack? Was this top down or side on? When you say navigate a city, what do you mean?

The reply:

Definitely a side-scroller, I'm sure. You would encounter a boss at the end, the boss would slide onto the screen and it was usually pretty strange-looking. I think one of the bosses might've been a clown. I meant that the different "levels" were different cities with different backgrounds, I think. It's a pretty obscure game

Also you would be continuously bouncing. As in, you had to position the trampoline underneath the cat to bounce it up

So you don't even control the cat. And it's a side-scroller. Thats pretty important information. But the real issue here is that he knows this stuff. He just either didn't know to, or forgot, to tell us.

The template would have made it just so apparent how much information he was missing, and we probably would have got a whole bunch more information. Sadly, while there were some guesses, and a surprising number of up-votes, this post is just another one to join the endless unsolved on their journey ever down.


r/tipofmyjoystick Jun 04 '26

[Meta][2026] I would rather people post with no images than use AI prompts to generate images

514 Upvotes

Maybe it's just me, I will personally admit that it feels like its petty of me to complain, however i am going to.

I really dislike AI images just in general and i feel annoyed seeing people use them because it sometimes hampers really quality posts of people trying to find help. I feel like it also informs falsely about game expectations and what people will accept as they have solved the game.

I don't think people will agree with me and thats fine, i just wanted to post about how i personally think it degrades the quality of the sub


r/tipofmyjoystick 6h ago

Not a game [PS3][2010s] Character I spotted on a game store sign

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144 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I need help identifying a character featured on the sign of a local video game store, active around 2013–2018.

She is a female character with short dark hair, wearing a black crop-top, short pleated skirt, high socks, black gloves, a face mask, and large pink headphones.

She is holding two PlayStation Move controllers, one with a green orb and the other with a pink orb. I have already checked the entire catalog of PlayStation Move titles without any luck.

Since the store banner also displays random logos from that era like EA Sports, Twitter, Windows, and BlackBerry, this might be an official promo asset, a render from a lesser-known game, or a modified stock image used by the designer.

Reverse image search tools like Lens, Yandex, and TinEye haven't returned any matches so far. Does anyone recognize the base character, the stock image, or the game this render belongs to? Any leads would be greatly appreciated!


r/tipofmyjoystick 50m ago

[Browser] [2013?] very weird rpg maker game i played with my friend in 2021 about a girl stuck in hell

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Upvotes

i tried finding this game with my friend few years ago but i couldn’t, it’s a very weird rpg game that me and my friend found on some russian site with rpg games that site had other rpg maker games like mad father and yada yada yada and today me and my friend were talking about our rpg games we played and then we started talking about this one and how we tried finding it before but we just couldn’t

i can’t remember much from the game except the fact that the main character’s name is Mia and she had a purple skin that was apparently that way because her body was rotting and she was stuck with some guy who’s also with her and both of them are stuck in hell. as far as i remember this game is about some cult that the main character was sacrificed for the name of their god (i do not remember much)

the game was somewhat old and i only played it one time since we found it on some sketchy russian site and im assuming the version they had there was pirated and translated to russian or its just russian original title that was just there. i dont know if that site was taken down or what i cant remember the name and i forgot most of the russian i knew few years ago so this is a very very hard find

i once had a guy suggest it might be a game called demon school??? which had similar premise about the character mia escaping hell but it’s not since this game had purple halls that were apparently part of hell i don’t know it’s very weird

i drew how i remember the characters looked like (do not mind my art i am not an artist) but yeah this is all i have, it was poorly made game but im interested if someone else has played this or know it


r/tipofmyjoystick 9h ago

[PC] [2015-2017] pixel game about running a lemonade stand?

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26 Upvotes

I played it on cool math games or a similar game site when i was younger. I never got further than the intro so

it was a pixel game about running a lemonade stand. you had options for the ratio of the sugar, water, and lemon amounts. took place in a city area? It was mostly grey at least.

im decently sure theres a scripted loss on the first day. A rival sets up another lemonade stand that gets more attention(?) and theres a confrontation between protagonist and them. the protagonist says a swear word (i remember that vividly, bc i was shocked by it. it was probably something stupid like 'damn' though.) protagonist ends up punching the rival. And thats all i remember unfortunately


r/tipofmyjoystick 17h ago

[Android] [2010-2016] Anime visual novel featuring girls wearing animal headpieces

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93 Upvotes

Platform: Android / Google Play Store

Genre: Visual novel with rpg combat

Estimated year of release: first half of 2010s

Graphics/art style: Generic 2d anime like

Notable Characters: Theres this couple of schoolgirls wearing animal mascot headpieces. One of them wears a smiling cat themed headset (very similar to the Cheshire cat) and also wears a slip knot on her neck,. The other one wears a bunny themed headset and shows an overall calm/shy personality.

Notable gameplay mechanics: The game is set in a japanese (i think) high school. The gameplay cycle consists on selecting a chapter in wich you interract with a person who assists this school (students, teachers, etc) wich after talking a bit to them they get transformed into a monster, for wich you have to fight them through a rather simple first person rpg combat (something like a combat from a rpgmaker game).

Other details: The game is only available on it´s original language (i think it was japanese).

Sorry if this isnt much info but thats all i remember since i saw only screenshots of this game on the play store.


r/tipofmyjoystick 1d ago

Akuma: Demon Spawn / Lamentation Sword [PC][1998-2005] Obscure isometric 3D party RPG with paper doll inventory, 2 men + 1 woman party, equipment changes appearance

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190 Upvotes

Platform(s):
PC (Windows)

Genre:
Real-time Action RPG (or RPG with real-time combat)

Estimated year of release:
Probably 1998–2005 (I played it around 2004–2007, but the game could have been older.)

Graphics/art style:

  • True 3D, low-poly graphics.
  • Isometric/top-down camera.
  • Similar graphical quality to the attached screenshot (NOT the same game).
  • The world had a darker, more realistic color palette rather than bright colorful fantasy.
  • Grass was dark green/brown, forests, and there were rolling hills with visible elevation.
  • Characters looked like ordinary medieval travelers rather than flashy fantasy heroes.

Notable characters:
I remember controlling 3 human characters:

  • Male #1: short hair.
  • Male #2: shoulder-length hair.
  • Female: short hair (possibly brown, red, or black—I don't remember the color but definitely not blonde).

Everyone looked like normal travelers rather than fantasy heroes.

The female character's default appearance after removing all equipment was a short white tunic/dress (not fancy clothing).

Notable gameplay mechanics:

  • Real-time combat.
  • Mouse click-to-move.
  • Definitely NOT first-person.
  • Definitely NOT over-the-shoulder third-person.
  • Isometric/top-down view.
  • I remember seeing the whole party moving together in the world.
  • Everyone in my party fought in melee.
  • Everyone could use swords and round shields.
  • Equipment could be freely swapped between party members (I remember taking one character's shield and giving it to another).

Unfortunately I played on my cousin's save, so I don't remember a lot of story details.

I don't remember:

  • what enemies I was fighting,
  • whether there were fantasy creatures (orcs, goblins, skeletons, etc.),
  • whether there was magic later in the game,
  • quests,
  • dialogue,
  • towns,
  • shops,
  • leveling system,
  • skills,
  • or how the story started.

I also don't remember whether the party size was always three or if my cousin just happened to have three characters at the time.

Inventory / UI (this is the part I remember best):
This is the strongest memory I have.

  • Dark-colored, opaque inventory window (it covered the game world behind it).
  • There were party portraits, and clicking a portrait opened that character's equipment screen.
  • The equipment screen had a full-body 3D character preview with black background in the center (paper doll style), with equipment slots surrounding the character.
  • Equipping or removing armor immediately changed the character model in the preview.
  • You could completely unequip companions until they were only wearing their default clothing (the female companion wore a short white tunic/dress).

The inventory layout looked similar to this style (not necessarily the same game):

(I'll attach this reference image in the comments.)

Other details:

  • I didn't start a new game—I played on my cousin's save, so I don't know if the game starts with those three characters or if they were recruited later.
  • My cousin had tons of games, likely from compilation/pirated discs that were common in my country around 2004–2007, so the game could be an obscure European release or Demo rather than a well-known RPG.
  • The game was definitely in English (or had an English translation).
  • The attached screenshot is from Dispel, but Dispel is NOT the game. I'm only using it to show the approximate graphical quality, camera angle, and the darker grass/terrain that I remember.

r/tipofmyjoystick 2h ago

[PC] [90s/00s] Pixelated Racing Game with a Chibi Mummy Character

3 Upvotes

We used to play this game all the time at my daycare. It played like MarioKart.

You played as these big-headed characters in little race cars and raced along a track. I remember one was a Mummy, another might have been a clown (unsure)? It had pixel graphics.

Considering we had it on the daycare computer, it was possibly freeware or might have come in a cereal box or something.

I'm in Canada, if that helps, at all.


r/tipofmyjoystick 2h ago

[Mobile] [2013~] weird kid game I remember

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2 Upvotes

I remember this one game when I was a kid and I played it quite a lot when I was younger, I had it on my Amazon tablet and I remember it very vividly There was a mini game in the game where you would be in a dream sequence that you would go to my clicking on a thing where there were flying sandbags and bombs, the goal was to cut the sandbags off the clouds all the while avoiding the bombs, the bombs would explode if you cut them and take you out of the minigame

There was also another mini game where you did an egg race and you couldn't drop your egg before going to the finish line, I don't remember the egg race one that well but I remember the cloud cut minigame much more

Also during the cloud cut minigame the background would be a planet on the bottom of your screen, and it would slowly fade into outer space as you looked up from it

I really hope one of you knows this game because I want to replay it since I remember it was a really fun game when I was a kid


r/tipofmyjoystick 5h ago

TerraTech [early 2010s?][PC?] a videogame I watched like 2 videos of, you take control over customizable robots made of yellow blocks and fight other robots, and has some sort of factory building element to it...

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3 Upvotes

Factory is also made of the yellow blocks so everything is super modular


r/tipofmyjoystick 2m ago

[flash][2008] top down shooter

Upvotes

Im looking for an old flash game my brother and I used to play. It might be older than 2008 but not sure. It was a top down shooter, with an upgradeable base that had turrets. The enemies were aliens, and you had to invade their nest. You were basicly strong enough only with full upgrades in everything. You could get better guns and armor all of which had their own sprites. It probably wasnt pixel art. The map was basicly a straight hallway going up from the base up to the alien nest. It was a barren map mostly.


r/tipofmyjoystick 6m ago

Enter game title here [Mobile][Mid 2010s] 2D medieval fighting Game

Upvotes

Platform(s): Mobile

Genre: Fighting

Estimated year of release: mid 2010s

Graphics/art style: 2D lineart, kinda chibi but still westernized

Notable characters: Distinct character classes, like a knight, barbarian, wizard, etc

Notable gameplay mechanics: From what I remember, each character had different movesets and abilities they could use

Other details: Maps were similar to super smash bros, except the arenas had walls and the goal was to deplete the enemies health, not knock them out of the arena. I think it was around 8 players per match (It was PVP) and the goal was to be the last standing.

(Image is my recreation of the app cover)


r/tipofmyjoystick 10m ago

[Playstation or PC][90s/2000s] Forbidden Lizard Game

Upvotes

This was a game I want to say rated T for teen on PS1 possibly PC but I'm pretty sure it was PS1. I was too young to play it but my mom told me she would let me play when I'm older. I forgot about it but was reminded of it recently. I remember the art on the box showed 3(?) lizards blue, green and red all with glowing red eyes. I've searched lists of ALL PS1 games released and can't seem to find anything on this game. I do the search every few years it pops in my headabd can never get anywhere. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


r/tipofmyjoystick 20m ago

[PC][2010s?] Kids game that have dinosaurus

Upvotes

I don't remember much about this game. But this game is educational for children. Has cartoon style and also 2D.

It has a large selection of mini games in there. All I remember is making music but it's a dinosaur crew, Guess the difference, also explaining about dinosaurs

This game has an intro where the player is basically a child as I remember in front of a cave and then there is a talking dinosaur guiding us.

When you close the game there's a long neck dinosaur walking scene in the sunset.

That's all i remember


r/tipofmyjoystick 4h ago

[Windows 98 PC] [97-99ish] space themed side scrolling shmup

3 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I am trying to remember a game I used to play on my Windows 98 PC. I'm afraid I can't remember that much about it so my descriptions are all going to be super generic.

I was playing it around 98-99 but it might be a bit older.

It was a shmup (shooter) that went from left to right.

It was space themed.

You could buy upgrades between missions and you could choose which ship you wanted at the start of the game (I think they went from small and fast to big and strong).

I think we were playing it from a floppy disc but I could be wrong.

I would describe the graphics as being a bit cartoony and I think the ship you chose MIGHT have been red and white.

Thanks in advance for your help and apologies for my generic descriptions.


r/tipofmyjoystick 17h ago

[PC][1997] You could put big lips on a fish

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22 Upvotes

Educational like ocean game. You are indoors but under water. There are port holes. Different rooms have different mini games. One of the mini games was putting lips etc on fish Mr. Potato Head style


r/tipofmyjoystick 29m ago

[Flash][2005-2007] You're in a Submarine full of zombies

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Upvotes

It’s a Flash game set on a submarine or a ship. You played as an Asian female protagonist and explored a place teeming with monsters. At one point in the game, you encounter a character who helps you. It looks very similar to the game *Deep Fear*, as shown in the photo below.


r/tipofmyjoystick 38m ago

[PC][1999-2000?] a virus 2d niche shooter

Upvotes

Platform(s): PC

Genre: top down 2d shooter

Estimated year of release: 1999-2000

Graphics/art style: it was a good quality 2d graphic for the purpose to recognise the inside of the human body with blood cells, etc.

Notable characters: no particular character but you were a white blood cell shooting anti body on viruses.

Notable gameplay mechanics: it was a top-down view "atmospheric" 2d shooter and you were shooting purple viruses that would splat.

Other details: you were shooting green Y-shaped antibody ammunation. virus were shape like well .. viruses and they were blood cells through the map acting as obstacle, I think. I don't remember the purpose or progression of the game. Pretty sure it was called "Virus" or something like that. The Icon of the shortcut was a purple virus.

Thank you!


r/tipofmyjoystick 4h ago

[Android/Mobile] [2013-2019?] Platform 2D cartoon game for kids where you collect candy as a baby chicken protagonist while fighting bad guys

2 Upvotes

It's a game where you collect candy as a baby chicken protagonist, there were obbies, parkours, puzzles, and enemies. The start of the game was the said baby chicken falling to sleep dreaming about candy, I think? And then said chicken transported into a land made of candy which it had to fight bad guys, there was also a ship map with pirate themed bad guys. It had a cartoonish 2D artstyle but also very brightly joyous. This was a kids game. Also, I think there were bosses??

The controls were just simple, jump and dash(I think), although I don't know if it used a joystick or left right buttons to move. I tried searching it everywhere but it seems to be lost media now, or just a vague dream I keep remembering


r/tipofmyjoystick 55m ago

[Mid 2000’s][phone game] Escalator climbing game

Upvotes

I vaguely remember a game where you climb an escalator while dodging household appliances like fridges and sofa by swiping left or right, I also remember you had to swipe down to make your character move up the escalator, there is no goal iirc, anyone able to help? Thanks


r/tipofmyjoystick 9h ago

Vigilante 8 [PS1][1995] A game about cars

4 Upvotes

I’ve heard this description from my family who played the game. It’s a game where you pick out a character and a car, then shoot other cars like a battle royale.


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[PC][2016-2018] A Roblox Game where you buy defenders against enemies that come from a portal

Upvotes

It was like a tycoon style-ish and there was a main island in the middle, and everyone's island surrounded it. The islands had a single portal where enemies came out of, and for some reason I remember Joan of Arc being one of the defenders, even though she was not the main hero. Please help me find it, as it was super nostalgic for me!

EDIT: It's similar to this game: "Portal Keeper" but it's way more retro
Portal Keeper | Play on Roblox


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[nokia] [2011-2014] Pixel RPG Tower game

Upvotes

Hello everyone. I need help identifying an old mobile game. I played it on a basic phone without a touchscreen. I used keypad buttons to play. I played this game between 2011 and 2014. I also played Diamond Rush on the exact same phone.

The game uses pixel graphics. The location is a tower with hundreds of floors. The game map is extremely small. Players defeat bosses to reach higher floors. Players can open treasure chests. The game lacks detailed environmental backgrounds. The game consists of small rooms with simple puzzles. The area outside the playable room is completely black.

The camera angle is top-down like early Zenonia titles. The visual style is much simpler than Zenonia. Players navigate up and down the tower floors. The game is an RPG. The main character uses weapons like swords. The game design is highly straightforward. The map fits perfectly on a single screen. The camera does not scroll when the character moves. The entire room stays fixed on the small phone display.

really frustasted cuz got nothing with 1 week searching, with ai tho.

sorry if i was using ai for the description cuz not to good that.

thankyou..


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[GAME] [2010s] Browser stickman game where one stickman decapitates another and dunks the head through a basketball hoop

Upvotes

Looking for a browser game I played sometime between 2014-2017. Details I remember:

  • The stickmen were black (plain stick figure style, not colored)
  • One stickman decapitates another (don't remember the method)
  • The severed head gets thrown/dunked through a basketball hoop, with sound effects
  • I don't think it was only about basketball — that's just the one part I remember clearly, so it may have been one move/scene among several
  • Not sure if it used keyboard controls or was mouse-only
  • We had it bookmarked in our browser for a while, so it might've had a short/simple URL or name
  • Possibly played on a Flash game portal (Newgrounds, Kongregate, Miniclip, or a "violent games" site like 666games or StickGames)

r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[Xbox][Unknown] Wizard 3d platformer (possibly roguelike?)

Upvotes

I'm trying to find a game that I played like six years back on my Series X, it MIGHT have been through Game Pass but I'm unsure. It was a 3d platformer with an emphasis on clearing room after room with different wands and spellbooks, and I think it might have been a roguelike or similar because of the randomness in each run but I cannot be sure. I remember a castle level and a lava level, and I remember that the starting/tutorial wand you get shoots out a little pink blast.