#classical jrpg lets go

[gxtchas]

i think judai deserves to have this when he is out in medieval realms.

[ohnoitstbskyen]

Since I asked you about Sephiroth, I also wanted to ask about what you think of Aerith’s character and her characterization throughout the franchise.

Hhh oh god. Yeah.

So, again, Aerith begins in Final Fantasy VII as a seemingly intentional semi-subversion of the Princess Holy Maiden White Mage JRPG trope.

Mechanically she is absolutely a classic white mage, but she's also a street kid with way more life experience than Cloud, who both connects instantly with him due to his similarities with Zack, her dead ex (because, of course, Cloud is directly copying Zack's entire personality), but she also notably pushes back against him, and repeatedly refuses to let him treat her like a damsel in distress, and takes direct agency over where the story is going and what's going to happen.

As she becomes more and more conscious of her Magic Special Lineage, she changes, of course, and... arguably falls a bit more into a straight rendition of the Holy Maiden trope. Albeit I have always quite loved the reveal that Aerith isn't killed by Sephiroth just as a big tragic fridging to advance the story through Cloud's pain, but as an intentional gambit on her part to ultimately defeat the villain. The translation of the game is famously a bit wonky, but my reading of the story is that she

realizes that Sephiroth is manipulating Cloud as his primary agent in the world and that she needs to get away from him

realizes that in order to cast Holy and defeat Meteor she needs to enter the Lifestream, so

she manipulates Jenova/Sephiroth into killing her in the one place on the Planet that has the strongest connection with the Ancients so she can take advantage of their knowledge to figure out how to make Holy work.

It also kinda seems to me like she realizes that Cloud is the best chance the planet has of a champion who can defeat Sephiroth and unblock the Lifestream for the Holy spell, and maybe she sacrifices herself in part in the hopes of breaking Cloud out of Sephiroth's influence. which, yeah, that is definitely some fridging-trope nonsense.

The original game absolutely isn't perfect on how it handles it, but Aerith is (especially for the late 90s) a remarkably active player in the story, with a lot of agency entirely separate from the male protagonist, who comes into a role that requires her to separate herself from the main party and go off to set her own plans into motion.

I am overall less fond of how she got portrayed in media after the original FF7, where she really did seem to get boxed into an entirely unironic Holy Maiden trope - especially by Advent Children which casts her as a literal lover/mother to Cloud, whose especially pure and holy influence heals the blight of Geostigma once her darling Cloud overcomes his personal conflict. And certainly, a lot of portrayals of Aerith I've seen tend to focus way more on her mystical, divine Cetra Chosen One-ness than on her actual upbringing as a scrappy sassy street kid.

The Remake games... have generally walked the line okay, I think? Aerith with the steel chair might genuinely be my favourite gif from any videogame ever,

(she's just so happy to be beating the shit out of this man)

although I do feel like her portrayal in those games make her a bit too much of a Love Interest To The Protagonist character. I feel the balance in the original focused a lot more on her coming into an understanding of her role in the story separate from her attachment to Cloud, but I also have massive nostalgia glasses on my face about Final Fantasy VII, so I recognize that I am biased here.

I'm curious how the Remake trilogy, which is a wild metacommentary on the legacy of its own original, will ultimately handle her, and I really do hope it doesn't confuse the idea of a "good ending" for Aerith with the idea of being romantically paired up to a male character, or with the idea of literal or metaphorical motherhood or some other bioessentialist nonsense.

[imsobadatnicknames2]

To my great surprise, one of my friends expressed interest in DnD, bringing the total people interested including myself to a whopping THREE! Now, I've only played DnD a few times at a game shop and literally no other TTRPGs, but I'd be open in checking out other stuff (and can hopefully persuade my friends)! Would you happen to have any recs for maybe a bit more of an intro/beginners game that one could run with three players total? (If you happen to know any that maximizes a player feeling badass, that'd be neat & appreciated, as I think that's the main draw for them lol). Anyways, thanks for your time :3

Hiiii thanks for your question! So have in mind that I haven't played any of these firsthand because I'm mostly into games that mechanically emphasize disempowerment (the games i run tend to go less for the Found Family of Heroic Misfits Go on an Epic Quest approach and more for the Gang of Amoral Treasure Hunters Get Themselves Killed While Looking For Treasure in a Dark Scary Hole one), so I'm going off mainly from the play experience implied by reading the rules themselves and by what I've heard other people say about them.

First of all Is Quest RPG

I've seen it recommended a couple times by @thydungeongal and after reading a bit of it I have to agree with her assessment that this is the game that most D&D players seem to ACTUALLY want to play when they start invoking Rule 0 and the Rule of Cool and playing fast and loose with mechanics. It's a game where the explicit design intention seems to be natively supporting the style of gameplay that most popular D&D Actual Play shows feature, without any of the negatives of trying to fit 5e's square peg into that particular round hole. It's also available for free, which is pretty nice.

I would also recommend Brighthammer: Rules Light High Fantasy (which is a hack of Sledgehammer: Rules Light Dark Fantasy)

It's a simple system with a d100 resolution mechanic which fits into two eight-page mini-zines, one for the players and one for the GM.

It leans into the heroic fantasy angle specifically by letting players continually accumulate advantage to rolls during combat encounters by performing heroic actions, such as defending an ally or an innocent bystander. This one is also free and it's a pretty quick read so you don't lose anything by checking it out.

Next up is The Basic Hack

This one is a slightly streamlined version of The Black Hack, which itself is a massively streamlined version of early editions of D&D. Just like The Black Hack, it uses D&D's classic six-attribute array and a lot of other mechanical elements that make it pretty easily compatible with a lot of D&D materials while still being a very distinct system of its own, but where it differs from TBH is that it simplifies a lot of its mechanics and overall has a less gritty and more heroic tone.

Lastly there is Break!!, which is the only game in this list that is going to cost you any non-zero amount of money

Break!! has some old-school sensibilities here and there (seems to take some inspiration specifically from games like Cairn and ITO) but aesthetically and tonally it takes most of its cues from fantasy anime and JRPGs. It has a pretty cool-looking setting, and some interesting twists on classic fantasy TTRPG races and classes. You get everything from "basically a D&D fighter with a different name" to "paladin meets magical girl" to "literally an isekai protagonist". Anyway one way in which it leans into making the players feel pwoerful and badass is that its initiative system rewards being proactive in fights: whatever side starts the fight gets to act first, with no checks or rolls required. Also, it handles health depletion on a per-encounter basis. Health regenerates fully imbetween fights, essentially ensures that players always start fights at full strength and gets rid of long-term resource depletion. Which, you know, i like long-term resource depletion for my games, but if what you want to do is feel like badass heroes this is definitely the way to go, and it still has some interesting long-term consequences for running out of health in a fight.

[mirensiart]

I really love your KeyChain AU, and can’t stop thinking about it in terms of gameplay. Like, the idea of a two-player game where the duo are literally chained together sounds like it could make for some amazing dungeon design, especially in the context of LoZ. Key and Chain (from what I’ve gathered) would play differently as well, at least at the start. Chain’s obviously a swordsman, so would that make Key support, a mage, the other end of the chain, or something else?

I also really like the idea of them learning new combos as they grow closer and more coordinated (like strangling a bokoblin with the chain). Maybe these could act as dungeon items of sorts, where you need new ones to defeat the dungeon boss?

But then what about when Chain gets sealed off? Because a game going from multiplayer to single player for a decent chunk of time probably isn’t a good idea, as it would rob the second player from, well, playing. So, from a game design perspective, you’ll need to have another character fill in. But from a story perspective, the players still really need to feel the loss of Chain. (as a side idea, maybe ghost button prompts appear that mimic the button prompts for starting combos as Zelda, but actually hurt you because Link isn’t there to finish them? They’ll have to disappear as Key gets used to traveling without him and so they don’t become annoying for the player, but still)

So, what if Chain has a dog that he sent home at the start or something (or maybe a pig-dog because this is the adult timeline, and as a nice callback to Link the pig)? Just to fill in for a second player character, while still letting both players really feel the loss of Chain on both an emotional and practical level. Y'know, to really hammer home the purpose of the journey (beyond world peace).

…Man, I wish this was a real Zelda game. Like, even just the basic premise of the chain sounds like such a cool idea, nevermind the story you’ve built up. I want to play it so bad, and it doesn’t even exist! Guess I'll have to settle with just your (amazing) art. :)

Hmm ok so, first things first, I'm very happy you like my keychain au :)

And secondly and most important, I didn't design the au with the idea of it being a co-op game, though there would be the option to play as co-op, but it's primarily a single player experience

I based it on the xenoblade chronicles games, especially xenoblade chronicles 2: torna the golden country

If you've played xenoblade games then you'll know they are single player, but xenoblade2:torna plays with the idea of controlling 2 characters and changing them during battle, depending on what you need

In xenoblade2 there are 2 types of characters, drivers and blades. Blades are sentient weapons and drivers are their wielders. When you bond with a blade, you are linked together forever, and can't be physically apart

In battle the game shows that connection with a chain made of magic :)

Anyway, here's a small gameplay video

I imagine the gameplay style of the keychain au to be similar, in the sense that you control one of them but you can freely change between them depending on the situation, you can also play with the chain length as Chain during puzzle solving etc

(I'm using the xenoblade concept of changing characters, the gameplay would still be the classic zelda btw lmao I'm not implying it would have the xenoblade jrpg gameplay)

Also, if you check out the keychain masterpost on my pinned, you'll find that I've drawn a small comic of them using teamwork to kill a bokoblin with the chain

And also drawings & info about Key being a magic user and an archer

In xenoblade chronicles 2 u change characters depending on terrain, u need to control a specific one to tresspass specific areas

The same idea would apply here, control Key to use magic to open a magic door, use Chain to cut down a path, maybe only one of them can swim, so use them to traverse water, etc

There's a lot of posts on my blog about really good gameplay ideas others have given me if you wanna go down that rabbit hole lol

I do think that the idea of half of the game being 1 character instead of 2 is to make it so the loss is felt

Like maybe now you can't get to certain areas cause the skill required is Chain's, so sidequests or chests have to be retrieved/finished before they get separated, etc

Anyway, I personally have a more story & character based ideas for the au, since like, it realistically won't be made into a game lmao so thinking about it as a game and what will or won't work gameplay wise isn't my top priority 😅 but I do like the idea of it being made into a game

In the second half of the game, in a co-op scenario when 2 players are playing, I can see like maybe a phantom Chain being used for the second player, kinda how luigi's mansion has the goop luigi clone for co-op, but like, for it to make sense narratively maybe phantom co-op chain doesn't have all the normal skillset Chain does 🤔

Anyway, again, not thinking about it as a co-op game first lol but more of a single player thing

[tyriq-edits]

Video Games that make you feel like you’re in a Fairytale

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

There will be a LOT of Dragon Quest titles on this list so be prepared. But yeah this is one of the most beloved games in the entire Dragon Quest series. And while it is not my personal favourite (The title goes to Dragon Quest IX) it has UNDENIABLE fairy tale vibes. From the bright and colourful world to the story. This is a must-experience JRPG. The story follows the nameless protagonist who works as a guard at the palace of the Kingdom of Trodain. But one day the former palace jester curses the king and turns him into a troll and his daughter, princess Medea, into a horse and turns everyone inside the palace into plants (except for the hero who manages to barely evade the curse) So now with the help of the headstron mage Jessica, the priest Angelo and the former thief Yangus he travels the lands to find a way to break the curse. With an amazing cast of character and a fantastic love story between the hero and Medea as well as some pretty dark moments scattered throughout, this game gives me the same vibes as an old disney princess movie. Some sweet moments, funny ones, scary ones but in the end you know you will get a happy end.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the white Witch

A young boy needs to travel to a fantasy world to rescue his mom. Listen this game has been praised to the high heavens by everyone under the sun and for GOOD REASONS! Like i doubt i could add anythin

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Sky

This game means EVERYTHING to me. it was my very first JRPG ever and it came to me during a time of deep mental anguish and a spiritual crisis. You play as an angel (or Celestrian as the game calls them) who has fallen from heaven and has lost his halo and wings and must now travel the world, doing good deeds to find a way back to your home up in the sky. The world, as always in dragon quest is VIBRANT and LIVELY, with amazing characters and is accompanied by Akira Toriyama's (Who created the Monster and Character Art for all Dragon Quest games up until his death last year) art style just gives this game such fantastic vibes.

Dragon Quest V: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride

Me? Obsessed with Dragon Quest? Whatever gave you THAT idea! Jokes aside DQV is widely regarded as the best one in the series and for good reasons. It was highly innovative when it first came out and still holds up rather well. You play as the nameless hero and follow him throughout his life starting as a child, watch him get married, have kids and also having to rescue his wife from the main villain. If you want some classic JRPG goodness, I HIGHLY recommend giving this one a try.

Final Fantasy IX

I know this is a bit of an unusual pick and a lot of people do not like this entry in the franchise as it abandons the Futuristic Technology-Fantasy fusion the franchise is usually known for in favour of a high fantasy adventure alongside a more chibi-style artstyle instead of the usual anime artstyle but regardless of all that, this is my favourite FF game of all time. And the first two acts of the game feel so much like a fairytale retelling. The princess that willingly lets herself get kidnapped by a plucky thief to escape her wicked mother and things spiralling from there. I cannot reccomend this game enough

Fantasy Life (3DS)

Now is the perfect time to get into Fantasy Life with a brand new FL Game having just released this month. It’s peak cozy vibes set in a beautiful fantasy setting and an equally beautiful story to go along with it. I have not yet played the new FL game but if it’s anything like the original on the 3DS i can guarantee it will be worth every penny.

Born of Bread

My favourite Indie Game of all time. I will openly admit that only the first city in the game is a “typical” fairytale style story but even so it’s very much worth it. It’s a Paper Mario inspired Turn Based RPG where you play as Loaf, a little Bread Golum who was accidentally created by Papa Baker. But not long after Loaf’s birth Papa Baker get accused of plotting a crime most foul against the queen of the land (Witchcraft and ruining the Queen’s dinner). So now Loaf, alongside his friends, must travel the lands to prove his father is innocent.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Yes, another DQ title but trust me, if the previous DQ Games in this list did not sound like smt you’d enjoy, I can guarantee you WILL fall in love with this one. It’s in my opinion the creme de la creme of a “Hero’s Journey” type plot and has by far my favourite cast of characters in the entire Franchise. You play as the Luminary, the lost prince of a long forgotten kingdom who must journey to rid the world from darkness. However along his journey he is perpetually demonised and faced with persecution. Or to put it simply you play as Gay Jesus and the government wants to see you executed. It is also available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PS4/PS5. So it is one of the DQ titles that’s the most easiest to acquire for modern gamers without having to rely on emulation or having to sell a kidney for a physical copy.

Little Goody Two Shoes

I mean if you have been keeping up with the Indie Game Scene at all in the past few years there is NO WAY you haven’t at least stumbled across this game at some point. And like let me tell you, you cannot get more Fairytale core than this. Unfortunately however the fairytale in question is german. You play as Elise, a girl trying to escape her mundane life in a little village but she must face several challenges and monsters in order to do so. Also you can be a lesbian in this game if you so wish. So clearly it’s a 10/10.

[styrmwb]

I beat Miitopia

I literally only played this to cope with the distance to Tomodachi Life

Well, not entirely true. I played Miitopia on the 3DS when it first came out. I love Tomodachi Life, I love RPGs, so what's not to like about a combination of both? I never beat it back in the day, though. So when the Switch remaster came around, with an insane mii creator, it was an easy purchase. I then proceeded to only make miis with it and never actually played the game. Skip to now! It's been on my backlog for far too long, Tomodachi Life is in the horizon; let's finally beat Miitopia.

The RPG

Like I said, the gameplay is a combination of Tomodachi Life and classic turn-based JRPG combat. There's different jobs, of course; each Mii can have different personalities that give them different interactions, as well as each mii have relationships between each other that can cause different events to happen. You can only control your mii, and for the most part, you're an observing force; however, you do have "sprinkles" to take more direct control over recovery, as well as the ability to put miis in a back lane safe spot.

I have two feelings on this. I think it's the perfect representation of WHAT a mii game would be as an RPG. The fun of Tomodachi Life is watching the silliness that occurs, and that's part of the fun of Miitopia. However, and this is my other feeling, I don't think they mesh perfectly. In an RPG, I like taking control of my party members and strategizing and exploring and stuff. When that control is, for the most part, taken away, it kinda takes away some of the joy? Especially since you can only control your guy, it makes some jobs way worse in the NPCs hands, or makes just your gameplay not as fun as it could be. There's a lot of levels with different paths to take, which is in one part cool cause that gives each place a lot of replayability, but in another part... kinda boring. Cause I'm just watching my miis go through path over path over path and I don't really have a lot of control of anything beyond pick a path. It becomes kinda monotonous, especially late game. (Side note, as of writing this, I haven't done post game, so it's very possible that there's a shift, but playing through the Darker Lord section of the game, I imagine it's more like that). It's not bad though. Like, there's a reason I was able to finish it; it's still entertaining enough.

To go into a little more detail about some other essential pieces of the puzzle; relationships are very important. But grinding them is not the best in the world. You want high relationships, but they only increase a bit in the after level inns, or after certain events. I think this mainly becomes a problem when you have your whole party available to you, and introducing everyone to everyone becomes rough, and you're doing harder fights and you don't have the firepower needed (or alternately the wide variety you should have access to). The switch remake does help this though, which I'll clarify in a sec. There's also the food system. You feed your miis foods to increase their stats, but they also have randomly generated likes and dislikes, like Tomodachi. This is great flavor wise! But it does stink when I want my RPG to get stronger and just... nobody likes the food they need. I swear my mage hated EVERYTHING that increased magic. I get why this is all here, the pieces all make perfect sense, I just think the connections are rough around the edges.

Back to the Switch version; it did add a couple things. One is Outings, which are special events you can send a couple miis to to boost their relationships. This is HUGE. This helps the grind of relationships so much, when you can get your hands on the tickets needed (they also add a lot more funny situations for you to see while you play through, break up the monotony). It also adds a horse. The horse isn't... as hype as the outings? But it's nice and I'm glad its there. You can customize it (mine was Invincible from WoW), it gives you extra damage, but it's also another relationship you have to build, and it doesn't always make itself useful in the optimal times.

That's only one half of the game though. The other half, I enjoy FAR more.

The Miis

The original charm of Miitopia from frame 1 is that it's an RPG where you choose all the characters. Any NPC is a mii that you can customize and slot in your own dudes, as well as your party members. What then occurs is the same sort of fun you get from Mad Libs, seeing things that make surprising sense or are COMPLETELY out of character. Making miis is fun, seeing the miis do things is also fun.

Where the Switch version takes this is upping the customization to 11 with "makeup" and "wigs", essentially "place shapes everywhere on your miis" and "have some extra hair". This leads to some people making complete works of art, but more generally, your mii cast is widened. To really show this, have this nice little visual I spent way too much time on to show My Entire Mii Cast:

(names of miis representing my real friends are censored for privacy's sake)

I tried to generally keep That Mii Style cause I just like it, but you can really see how insane the creator can go (and I'm not even a master with it).

Similar to the RPG section, there are pros and cons with this. Pros are obvious, fucking look at that. The creator is amazingly fun to use and create with, and the scope of possible characters is infinitely increased. Don't tell me I could have really had fucking Among Us Crewmate as one of my main antagonists in the same way as just with the old mii maker. Cons: the wig system kinda sucks. It feels super limited and hyper specific, and if Tomodachi Life uses or expands on this creator (god I hope it does), I really want them to broaden the span of that system. Mii hair in general has always been the weakest part of the creator. The other con is as amazing as the makeup system is, you cannot use it on NPCs as you're picking them. What I personally did to fix this, and to not break the gameplay flow of "oh new city let's spend a whole day on character creation" is I precooked everyone before I even started the game, prepping everyone in the whole run. This made for a great RPG section, but it sucked when I was like a week in and I just didn't get to play (I also started my job so that didn't help my time)

The Topia

I really wanted to use this title joke but MAN does it ruin the integrity of my writing (is that something I have) cause it is hard to think of what it means, but I will do it regardless

I think the interpretation of The Topia I'll use is the set pieces and visuals; I really love the way this game looks. It was originally a 3DS game, so it kinda has this 2D, layered vibe to it. It feels like a stage play, kinda Paper Mario-esque (which double works since the Miis are referred to as actors so this is probably intentional), but on top of that, I love the colors and textures. The desert and the final zone are probably my favorite examples, with the moving sand, or the storm of mii features in space. I also really love when it goes all in on the 2D vibes, looking like it was cut out of paper to make little puppets. It's a perfect vibe for this kinda game.

The actual world generally feels pretty generic RPG, but in a good way. You can even see it in the punny names that it's intentional. The first location Greenhorne is a grassy field, then you have the classic World 2 desert of Neksdor; you have the elf forest (featuring Bigg Forest), and Karkaton, the final zone of hell. There's also the act 2 areas but they didn't really leave as much of an impression on me as much (again except for that final area that was really good)

The Comedy

The game is funny. Which, for a half Tomodachi Life, I sure hope it does. As I said earlier, it's got that Mad Libs charm to it, with the comedy of seeing whatever miis you put in get into the precooked situations. I took a lot of screenshots during my gameplay, so I can actually supply visuals to prove my point:

It's very silly, and there's much more than just this. There's also all the in between bits with just your party; the time they spend with each other in the inn, or the random events mid exploration. I got a lot of giggles during playing. I do think the charm of it kinda fell off in the 2nd act, but that's mostly cause it wasn't really introducing anything new to the table. But that 1st act, when you're meeting a bunch of new people and getting into weird situations? Peak.

There's also an enemy called a Twerkey. Just thought you should know if you didn't already.

The Story

The story isn't the deepest thing in the world, but it doesn't have to be and shouldn't be, due to the nature of the game. What it is though, is absolutely PERFECT for what a mii based RPG should be. There's an evil Dark Lord stealing faces and putting them on monsters. That's great! I love that it's based around faces. The 1st act is where I think it's at its strongest, as you're exploring new towns, making new friends, and really hitting different mini arcs, with the last area pulling together all your friends (side note, I love that your character just gets so annoyed with the same shit happening for the 3rd time). The 2nd arc, after you've defeated the Dark Lord, and the Dark Curse has possessed the Great Sage (who, regardless of the face I put on, I very much enjoy), is really where I lose interest in it (and where I stopped in the 3DS version), as you only get the one city of the Traveler's Hub, and the NPCs are far less interesting. It picks back up once you've finally opened the Sky Scraper, and you get the unpossessed Dark Lord to explain the backstory for you. As well as that final fight being an amazing combo of Miis, Bizarro Sephiroth from FFVII, and Bhunivelze from FFXIII Lightning Returns. There might be more in postgame, but I don't think I'll really delve into that any time soon unless I get a fire in me.

Ho ho! You've finished your post, I see?

Miitopia is not a perfect game. I got bored with it in the 3DS version, and if I wasn't so determined to finish it here, I might have fallen off again. But. Regardless. I wouldn't change it. It might be a flawed combo of two very different types of game, but in a way, it's also kinda perfect? It did something weird, and it went all in on that weirdness, it tried something crazy, and I can only respect it for that! Just cause it's not PERFECTLY tailored to my wants, doesn't mean there's not plenty to enjoy about it. Miitopia is a game that I'm glad was made.

Playing it just makes me more excited for Tomodachi Life though. I just wanna use this mii creator and see my guys do silly things Without me necessarily having to also play an RPG.

Oh also, if you wanna download any of my miis (excluding real people and OCs those are mine), the code is 1RCRW6R.

7/10. Not a perfect combo of aspects, but something that is very charming regardless, and brings a lot of humor and creativity to the table. An experiment, where more should follow in its boldness.

[sarahs-malewives]

get to know my self insert + selfship !

note that this will likely be updated/changed ! ok to rb, though !

proper credits at the bottom of the info !

Ship: scorcheddungeonshipping - kabriel

scorched adjective burned by flames or heat. - in reference to Sariel’s fire magic.

dungeon verb - literary imprison (someone) in a dungeon. - in reference to the titular dungeon.

playlist / ship info

verrader - sariel’s post canon fairy/kabriel “kid”

“You asshole! You’d give up everything we have right now for some lame fucking desk job?!”

s/i

Sariel Half-elf (tallman father, elf mother. Average tallman lifespan, sterile. lol) 24 He/him. Bi/electio aroace (cupioromantic/cupiosexual) Undiagnosed autism 5’10” / 178 cm Taiwanese 🇹🇼 / Japanese 🇯🇵 🗡️ / #sariel dunmeshi oc tag

voice claim: alejandro saab / yuri leclerc fe3h (two different videos are linked !)

Ref / toyhouse / sariel in dunmeshi (anime) / random lore + childhood

“You only care about me when it benefits you! You never cared about me before it didn’t benefit you.”

romantic f/o

Kabru Tallman 21 He/him. Trans man, bi. Male pref Autism, ocd 5’7” / 170 cm Indian 🇮🇳 🪙 / #kabru of utaya

voice: cedric l. williams (sorry I couldn’t find a good link lmao)

He uses his canon design! wiki

first meeting

both were on the first floor of the dungeon the day that laios’ party set out to save falin. they reached for the same sword at one of the stalls (sariel because it was a material he hadn’t tried with his fire yet and kabru because it was his preferred weight/length), which led to them having a petty argument. eventually Kabru caved and let Sariel take it, and they parted ways hating each other.

sariel made it his mission then to go through the dungeon alone and seek kabru and his party out as much as possible (without following them, of course) just to bother him.

general favorites

Sariel color: green, teal animal: cat food: ramen drink: milk season: autumn hobby: reading

monster: treasure insect weapon: sword, mace element: fire

music: rock, metal, emo, etc. bbno$ movie: john wick (& action/adventure) book: garfield comics, the catcher in the rye (& fantasy) game: poker, monster hunter, pokemon (& jrpgs)

Kabru color: gray animal: dog food: tomato soup, grilled cheese drink: water season: autumn hobby: writing (what he’ll say), thinking, planning

monster: griffin weapon: sword, dagger element: earth

music: indie, instrumental, classical. dua lipa, chappell roan, charli xcx movie: laura, pi (& mystery) book: the westing game, crime and punishment (& mystery) game: chess, clue, fire emblem (& tactical rpgs)

tropes

- dog & wolf someone who protects the innocent & someone who preys on the innocent - sheep dog & wolf dog - dog & cat someone who is loyal & someone who is only out for themself - deer & wolf - vampire & werewolf - unstoppable force & immovable object - enemies to/and lovers

🍙 / 🧳 / 🍄‍🟫 🗡️ / 🍂 / 🪙 🚬 / 🪶 / 🍁

dividers: x / x

[leidensygdom]

well @voidsteeth has given me the power to ramble a bit more. PLEASE ignore the cat in that picture, for some goddamn reason it's the only way tumblr let me post this goddamn picture. it's a nice kitty, mind you

Up above, some really loose logo/main pic ideas for it! Excuse my terrible handwriting. Let me do it bullet-point format since it helps my adhd pin down stuff

So, it's gonna be a RPG. I wanna figure some fun gimmick and I surprisingly have a bunch of that well fleshed out! (Part of it revolving the elemental system, concerning Flesh/Memory/Mind/Matter/Soul). I'm not a huge fan of the repetitive encounter "smash everything in front of you" format. I'm going to be using RPG Maker MZ. My partner has a lot of experience with that, which should help a lot!

Inspired by a bit of a mix of classic JRPGs and more recent indie RPGs, specially Rpg Maker stuff. I've been raised watching my dad play the old Final Fantasy games (which I love dearly, specially IX, X and VII), but I've ended up loving the more recent indie scene myself (OFF, Oneshot, Undertale/Deltarune, Everhood)

(I'm gonna be playing more RPG Maker games to help with inspiration and knowing how much I can bend the system- Please feel free to recommend me some!)

Set in a sort of high fantasy setting, and it takes a bunch of stuff from the one I run my current DnD campaign in. I think it will feel familiar to DnD/PF players, but I'm going all in with my own worldbuilding! I wanna set myself apart from these.

I want to have a sort of in-game illustrated encyclopedia because I really dig that. I liked the way OFF used images here and there to add to the lore. I just love the idea of being able to collect pages and learn more on the way. I've sketched the ones for the elements already!

Themes will spin around friendship and human connection, eldritch horror flavoured stuff, and some temporal shenanigans too. It will also tackle on the importance of understanding the past- The story will put some focus on how people are too busy pillaging a ruined city to understand what actually destroyed it in the first place. Which, well, it's the kinda thing to have consequences.

I'm planning to work on this on my free time, and once it has a nice shape (and perhaps a playable demo), I may consider having a Kickstarter to complete it. I'm fairly confident I can handle (with enough time) most of the parts of it. I just need to get a bit familiar with pixel art (for the maps). I used to do that ages ago! I'm also familiar enough with programming and have done small web-games in the past.

The one thing I am absolutely not qualified enough for is music. I wanna try honing my skills but- Oh boy. (on that note, if you know of small musicians that are open for commissions, do let me know! Just as a very preliminary view)

also you can bet this is gonna be really LGBTQ+ themed. I wanna also take the chance to maybe sprinkle in some of my heritage's stuff, I've wanted to do that for ages!

I'm of course always open for specific questions about this. I'm really excited to work on it and help my mental health on the way. I'll do my best to share some concept art, mock ups and such as I get it more fleshed out! I have some enemies pinned down and I think people will really enjoy these designs : )

[somethingwittyandweird]

It's that time again! What's your favorite game you played this year?

Hope you're ready for a response to rival last year's post. There are so many good games that I have so much yapping to do about. And, if I may say so, this year was an accomplished one: I made some notable progress putting long-standing backlog titles to rest, as well as some new games that won me instantly. So, let's dive in...

We started off VERY strong with converting one of last year's “I watched this game and it was cool” to “I played this game and it was cool”: Hi-Fi Rush. It absolutely captivated me throughout. It has everything- charm, style, writing and characters that are heartfelt, hilarious, and over the top all at once- and most of all it has an incredibly natural evolution of the high-style high-precision action genre into a rhythm-based brawler where the world moves to the beat. Do I even need to mention it has, not one, but two banger soundtracks? It's a game I look forward to replaying (a rare praise from me), and one I know I'll be in love with for a long time.

Around the same time I was working my way through Sea of Stars- I've talked more about that here but it also really had me engaged as a modern love letter back to the SNES JRPG era. Visually stunning, musically lovely, satisfying gameplay, and a story that I felt gave its well written characters the space they deserved.

Once those were out of the way, I had my mission for the rest of the year: get this backlog CLEARED. Throughout the year, I knocked out:

Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia: a game beloved by many growing up that had passed me by. Experiencing it for myself years later, I could tell that I would have poured endless hours into this DS title as a kid, and even today I loved it enough to 100% its quests and Pokedex. Absolutely killer writing and fun gameplay that still holds up today. I am glad I played it as an older adult though for one reason: at this age I know how not to harm my DS’ screen when drawing endless loops.

NEO TWEWY: A sequel to a cult classic I never thought I'd see but I was so, so happy to see it come back. The new game massively shook up the gameplay (it had to, TWEWY for DS is very literally inimitable) but fully kept the spirit and updated it. As the OG wore its 2000s teen culture loud, this game carried the torch forward and gave us the same charm with modern Internet culture. It brought back old characters in excellent ways, added great new ones, had some of my favorite kind of time travel writing moments, and did it all with style, flair, and a rocking OST. In every way a worthy successor to the OG.

Indivisible: Another game I wrote about elsewhere, Lab Zero's sadly ill-fated entry into action platforming. As I said there, I'm glad I could give myself closure on it and I was glad to appreciate the parts of it that did clearly shine- the delicious visuals and combat gameplay. Hopeful to see where those devs end up and what they'll contribute their talent to now.

Triangle Strategy: In terms of strategy games this was a foray outside my usual Fire Emblem interest zone, but it is my friend’s favorite game of all time, so I had to give it a go. The differences took some adjusting, but I ended up enjoying my time with the game. Combat was engaging, visuals had me oohing and ahhing in places, I liked the characters (Julio and Jens my MVPs). But the standout was the story- as deep and politically thrilling as I was promised it would be. The narrative voting/negotiation system offered me some cool moments of choosing my path (or one time having it chosen for me) which culminated in a really really well set up three-way ending split; it wasn't just choosing a side but choosing an ideology, and the characters who wouldn't abide that choice felt completely justified in their refusal to follow you. I didn't get the golden route, but I may go back someday. Without a doubt my best narrative game of the year. (Plus, the final boss of the route I chose was really really tactically engaging and I loved it as much as i feared it.)

Along the way, a few non-backlog titles did sneak their way onto the list…

Case of the Golden Idol: a visually quirky detective narrative puzzle game that scratched the same deductive itch as Obra Dinn, I had a lot of fun deciphering its ersatz mystery. Each chapter is a death tableau and you use clues and logic to piece together who is who, what is what, and what has happened, with each scene leading to a bizarre overarching narrative that makes you want to keep going just to see how wild it gets.

Death’s Door: A little soulslite adventure title about a reaper crow working for Death and trying to straighten up some loose ends. The environments are really well modeled (though a map wouldn't have gone amiss) and the combat system had a satisfying loop with some unique twists. Its final boss impressed me by being a spectacle fight through multiple zones that showed off the boss’ powers thematically, let you learn what the boss was doing in each phase, and wasn't a drag to retry (the usual danger with set piece fights that keep shifting areas). 

Blasphemous: One of those “classics” of the modern indie metroidvania space, and one of the first to get overtly Soulsy with it, I finally got the chance to try it and it showed me just why it deserves its "classic" status. The writing was very Souls and the platforming very vania, both excelling in their own way. I really loved the sheer variety of collectibles, that's a strong point in my heart for any metroidvania. I absolutely adored the music, a masterwork of Spanish guitar tracks I still listen to. And visually the game’s strong Spanish Roman Catholic aesthetic absolutely oozed artistic passion, and it was clear that so much work went into its visuals… including the surprising amount of (well-animated) gore. Which leads me to…

Nine Sols: if I had a nickel for every soulslike metroidvania I played this year that turned out to be quite unexpectedly graphic, these would be my two nickels. But content warning aside, I can't sing Nine Sols’ praise enough. Its gameplay was thoroughly polished and at every turn designed to help you feel like a kickbutt martial artist warrior, running up walls and surviving lethal enemies with perfect parrying and a unique attack to give that iconic ‘dash past enemy, beat, they explode’ rhythm to the fights. Then it sells that mastery by making enemies increasingly lethal, requiring more and more skill, but the floor never ramped hard enough that I was frustrated (though the last two bosses had me baffled for a while). Exploration felt rewarding with a lot of cool and useful items to find, and seeing this game’s beautiful blend of "Taopunk" futuristic + traditional Oriental environmental designs was a treat unto itself. And lastly, there's a gripping story that unfolds as you get to know its characters- Yi, your mysterious protagonist, the friends he makes, and the enemies he ruthlessly cuts down.

Are we done yet? Almost, I promise. 

As of writing I'm in the middle of Echoes of Wisdom and Ghost Trick, so those, while both great titles, will I think be their own posts. All that's left then is to acknowledge the games I played that I didn't, or couldn't, “beat:” the multiplayer ones.

I played a bunch of MtG with my friends, and I played a lot of Civilization VI with other friends, and those both took up many happy hours. If this wasn't too long already I'd tell you about unstoppable bunnies and definitely not werewolves, or my friends and I allying to conquer the world. But I knew when I got my switch recap today that there's a clear standout in hour count alone: It's not a surprise to you or to me, it's Splatoon freshwater-freaking 3. 

How could I not give it the most love for this year where I fell harder into it than ever before? Where my elite Salmon Runner friend helped me climb to dizzying new heights of EVP rank 999? Where I appeared on so many friend’s multiplayer streams for Splatfests and Big Runs? Where I took it upon myself to fill out my weapon collection 100%? Where I did Side Order runs until I knew every floor by name? Every one of those things has given me a cherished memory… but none more cherished than attending an honest-to-goodness music festival in this game, with my friends, reminiscing on past triumphs, on the importance of living in the present, and with the thrill of looking to the future. I loved Splatoon 3, and with the Grand Festival, it felt like the game, the devs, and the community gave me that love right back. 

That, among all of these games’ memories and experiences, is the one I think I'll treasure longest.

Video games are cool. I'm so, so glad they're real.

[msunitedstatesjames]

Ranking the RPG style games I played in 2024:

Just a note, I'm ranking based mostly on my enjoyment, and this ranking is not meant to be an actual statement of their respective quality. I enjoyed every single one of these games regardless of their ranking, and I played through their complete stories and most or all side quests. Also, as you'll see, this was just a stellar year of RPG gaming for me, so really the worst I can say about any of these games is that they're just good.

9. Greedfall

I made the big mistake of playing this right after finishing Baldur's Gate 3. No RPG was going to compare well to that. Greedfall certainly had an interesting world and story, and I liked the diplomatic aspects of it. Greedfall does attempt to have an interesting companion system by letting you grow your relationship with companions and choose one to romance, though it's really quite a shallow relationship you have even compared to other games from around the same time or earlier. The thing that really bothered me most about the game is the repetition. Environments are almost identical everywhere you go, and the combat gets repetitive after a while too. However, if I remember, this game was made by a fairly small studio with limited resources, so it's actually an impressive achievement in that sense.

8. Mass Effect 1

Don't kill me, internet, but ME1 didn't impress me all that much. I think the best thing about it is the thing that really held the series together from game to game: the characters. The companions are mostly great, even in ME1. It introduces some of the most iconic characters of the series like Garrus (my beloved), Wrex, and Liara. The romances always felt a little lacking and awkward to me in this game, but maybe I was just bitter that you couldn't romance Garrus yet. The combat and leveling up system were still not perfected, and exploring the planets often felt kind of clunky and grindy. But overall, it introduced us to one of the most iconic video game protagonists of modern gaming, and it set the base for the rest of the series, so I can't complain too much.

7. Octopath Traveler II

So, I went into this one with no knowledge of the first one. Now, I fully intend to go back and play it. This game had a lot going for it. You get to know the characters so well through their stories, and somehow the huge variety of tones from story to story made it more engaging instead of jarring. Going from really dark and depressing tales to lighthearted and hopeful ones was actually a lot of fun. I loved the way you got to see where each character was on the map and pick which order to meet them in. The art and visuals were gorgeous, the bosses were awesome, the storytelling was effective, and the different abilities of the characters were fun to use. My only real complaint is that the combat did start to feel repetitive after so many hours of gameplay, often fighting similar enemies. Overall, it was one of my favorite games this year, even if it didn't make it to the top of my RPG list.

6. Sea of Stars

I would die for Garl, that's all that needs to be said, right? I technically played over half of this one in 2023. I put it on pause when BG3 came out and only came back to it months later. I'm glad I did. This was really just a beautiful game. The scenery was beautiful, the attacks and ultimates were beautiful, the character models were beautiful. The story was fun in a classic JRPG style. There were certainly dark moments, but it was overall a hopeful game, which I personally appreciate, and there were several times the humor really knocked it out of the park. The characters certainly could have had more depth, but in this style game I didn't genuinely feel like that was a problem. Like many games in this genre, the combat did become repetitive at times. But this game made me do one thing almost no game does. After finishing the main quest it motivated me to get back in there and finish up the few dangling loose ends that I left behind. And boy was it worth it.

5. Mass Effect 3

Even though I didn't play Mass Effect until this year, I've been a gamer all my life, and I remember the outrage around ME3 when it came out. And some of that I understand. The ending left something to be desired, there were plot holes, many things just felt too convienient, and, of course, Kai Leng. Still, in my opinion, this series has always been built on the back of it's characters, and few if any games have let you build such long lasting and meaningful relationships with the companions. I guess I might have been angry if I romanced someone other than Garrus, but getting to build on that relationship (and the friendships) from game to game was amazing. And I can't discount the fact that ME3 contains perhaps the greatest piece of DLC of all time, The Citadel DLC. So in the end, maybe it all balances out.

4. Dragon Age: The Veilguard

I don't care what anybody says, I loved this game. I genuinely liked all the companions, which (unpopular opinion) is more than I can say for some of the previous Dragon Age games. I found the combat really fun, but I always think playing as a mage is a good time. The Spellblade specialization was a great time, and I liked that mages in this game have the option to get up close and personal, which combats one of the biggest issues with mage gameplay in many RPG games. I didn't think the villains were anything to write home about, but the same could be said for Inquisition. I thought the game made interesting additions to the lore of the world as well. I've seen some complaints about voice acting which is just baffling to me because I thought the acting was stellar. And of course, my beloved Emmrich is going right up there with my favorite Dragon Age companions. He was such a well acted, animated, and written character, and he was a great, fresh take on necromancers. It was interesting playing this in the same year as the ME games because honestly it often played like it was an ME game, but I love them, so no complaints about that here.

3. Mass Effect 2

Most people in the RPG community seem to agree that this is an iconic game. I loved the character focused missions, though at first it took some adjusting. I had to realize that the characters WERE much of the plot. This was perhaps the first game I've played where you get to keep more than just 1 or 2 characters from game to game, and it was probably the only game I'd played where you got to carry over a romantic interest from game to game. Playing the ME games right in a row really allowed me to properly experience the improvements in everything from combat to traversal to character arcs. In any other year, this probably could have been my top game.

2. Disco Elysium

I slept on this game for far too long. I'd heard how weird it was, and while I like a little weird I thought it might be too much for me. But it was on sale and I was still in the post BG3 funk. When I started it, I still didn't think I would like it. But I quickly got invested in the mystery and in the fabulous characters of Harry and Kim, and it was over all too soon. I absolutely loved the attribute/skills system in this game. It genuinely felt like some of the best I've seen, and not only was it a cool and story relevant system, but it legitimately affected the way you played the game and reacted to different situations. The voice acting was equally amazing. The art style worked perfectly with the tone and the setting. It was uncanny and absurd, it was timely and serious, it was heartwarming, it was tense, it was devastating, it did everything so well. Even the music was perfect. My only complaint is that I stupidly played this on Switch, and crashing was a huge issue for me throughout the game. Don't repeat my mistake unless you have no other option.

1.Baldur's Gate 3

Little needs to be said about what makes BG3 great. Sometimes less is more. The character interactions and relationships are among the best I've ever experienced, the acting and animations were top notch, the sheer variety of role playing choices and endings were absolutely the best I've experienced, and this is the rare game that I plan on playing more than once.

Honorable Mentions (Games that are only sort of RPGs)

Stray Gods

If you look at the official title of this game, it has "Roleplaying" right in there. Still, I would say this is RPG-lite. You do make decisions that affect your ending, you do interact with characters, and there are even romance options. On the other hand, you don't really have choices in regards to customization or building your protagonist, there's no skill/level up system that I remember, and there really isn't any fredom of exploration or side quests, so in many ways it didn't feel like a full RPG. More than anything it feels like a visual novel (which is not a complaint). It was a great game. I loved the protagonist. The songs were fun, and getting to change the tone and content of the music was an awesome concept.

Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

I loved this game. I don't know why I hear so little about it. Much like the other Witcher games, it forces you to make really difficult choices over and over again, often with no real right answer. Meve was a fantastic protagonist, and most of her companions were memorable and interesting. Your choices do ultimately affect the ending and often have basic resource related consequences, but while the actual combat always felt life and death it pretty much never had real consequences. You're often told, "don't fight these guys, we don't have the troops," but you always win and rarely lose troops anyway. Still, it was a great game, and I played for over 60 hours. This one doesn't fully fit into the RPG category for me just because it's primarily a deck builder, but it does have a lot of other RPG traits. It has world exploration, fun companions, and you can level up your army through building your deck. If you haven't played it and you're a Witcher fan, take this as your cue to remedy that.

[gayleviticus]

jrpgs are famous for having mixed to negative depictions of religion but I feel like ffxiv is one of the more atheistic, materialist ones I've seen. (this is not a criticism or a negative post! this is an observation of the games perspective. materialist here meaning 'the material world is all there is' not 'buys lots of stuff)

thats not to say it's *anti theist*; it's not even particularly negative about religion - the church in ishgard is bad but it's reformed rather than abolished, beast tribes seem to be stereotypical savage heathens summoning their barbaric gods but this is just in game racism, and in fact Garlemald is such an interesting example of a people who think they're so above such primitive superstitions they don't realise their god is just nationalism.

and even with the knowledge of what these many so called gods are, the game still doesn't take any kind of anti theist bent. when the topic of regional gods comes up they're treated like respectable cultural beliefs. at worst, there's maybe a kind of implicit condescension where the main characters privy to the truth are happy to let the plebs keep on believing in falsehoods bc it's their culture, but thats more reading into gaps left in a story that i dont think is that interested in religion than anything else.

but ffxiv is also a game that at this point has plunged pretty much all the mysteries of its setting w a kind of materialist thoroughness. magic is a thing of scientific study and technobabble, the gods have been unmasked, the afterlife is a place you can go, the cycle of rebirth is verifiable, even the power of the human heart is a quantifiable energy source.

obviously it's not unusual for fantasy media to have all sorts of fantastic things that are just objectively true. like, being able to visit the afterlife is a very old trope. but I feel like ffxiv brings an extra level of stripping away the mysterious, the numinous, the spiritual that you don't see elsewhere.

and I don't think that's necessarily bc it has some specific ideology in mind. I think a lot of it is as much practical storytelling - as the game has gone on and on, it's built itself on successive reveals about the nature of its universe and so naturally the consequence is that mystery is going to fade away. even something like taking the classic ff magic/technology mix seriously for worldbuilding means a much more technobabble-y approach to magic than something built on mystery or symbolism or association

but even games that are explicitly about killing God I don't think have this same level of 'we have plumbed all the mysteries of the universe.'

and for an example of media that is atheistic but not so rigidly materialist - fma 03 omits Truth, the godlike figure from the manga, and doesn't give any indication of any kind of deity. instead it replaces it with the impersonal Gate, which represents everything incomprehensible about the universe.

the absence of deity to impose order and logic upon the chaos of the universe *increases* the mystery of fma 03s setting, whereas in ffxiv dethroning the gods is used to decrease it.

[thatguywiththetumb1er]

Speaking of media I could write entire essays about...

Sometimes you'll be playing a game and you'll come across a revelation that completely changes the way you look at the world and the story it's trying to tell.

Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass has FOUR of those. (Granted some more impactful than others but still.) It's beautiful and brilliant and funny and terrifying and tragic and haunting and BOLD in its storytelling choices.

It's a JRPG with such an elegant central gameplay mechanic that feeds into its themes in such a poignant way.

It's the kind of experience that makes you question if anything actually matters only to realize that actually EVERYTHING matters.

But most importantly... IT HAS A BUTTON THAT LETS YOU SKIP COMBAT IF YOU'RE AT LEVEL FOR AN AREA.

Play it. Play it. Play it. Play it. I got it for pennies as part of a massive itch.io bundle with thousands of games. It was bar none my favorite.

It won't be for everyone but it deserves to go down in history as a classic.

[smash-64]

2024 Game of the Year Countdown #9: This Way Madness Lies Nintendo Switch, 2023

I’ve had my eye on Zeboyd Games’ latest installment for a while, and picked it up once it went on sale, as they often do. I think I got Cosmic Star Heroine for $1.50, and that ended up being in my Top 5 for 2021. The concept of mixing magical girls and Shakespeare is completely absurd, and while I can’t say it’s exactly a seamless combo, it’s definitely the funniest game that Zeboyd has put out. I wasn’t exactly rolling on the floor laughing, but my constant chuckles while on lunch at work got a steady stream of “what are you playing?” questions coming my way.

The pixel art is the best in the Zeboyd repertoire, and they definitely won’t let you forget about how pretty the magical girl transformations are, since they insult you if you try to skip them!

The transformations themselves are pretty neat for pixel art.

I enjoyed the music, although I was slightly disappointed that Hyperduck Soundworks wasn’t returning, as I think they did a phenomenal job for Cosmic Star Heroine. The battle tune is catchy and easy to listen to for long periods of time, which is great since some of the battles on the harder difficulties will drag on. Although I would say that the songs with lyrics definitely had more of a garage band sound, which may have been intentional, but was still a bit unexpected in my opinion. The menu song sounds like they tried to mix two songs together, lyrics and all. So not all are great.

In the early part of the game, I was afraid that the whole experience would be over before I knew it. HowLongToBeat said the game should take 6-8 hours, and it took me about 11. I’m not really sure what people were doing to finish in just 6 hours, and 11 felt about right, since the last two dungeons dragged a bit.

The game also offers actual Shakespeare quotes at times, but then also gives a "modern translation," which is always just jokes.

This Way Madness Lies was a good, short, classically-styled JRPG with lots of jokes and a fun battle system. Plenty of customization within each unit, and within your team makeup as a whole, gives you plenty to do and plenty to experiment with as you go through the game. I especially liked how the game often forced me to use seemingly random team combos because it let me figure out who I liked best. 

[wandringaesthetic]

Once again I must speak of humanity's highest art form, the Japanese Role-Playing Game

So Tales of Berseria ate my free time in a way that it's been a while since a video game did. I just beat it.

I'll get the easy stuff to talk about out of the way first.

Regarding gameplay. I played it on "normal." I should have played it on a higher difficulty, and you should too unless you are just remarkably bad at action RPGs. Starting from about the halfway point I got good enough at chaining combos together with Velvet that the difficulty became trivial. I ignored whole mechanics. I hardly ever bothered switching out characters.

Battles are the thing I like least about the Tales games I've played previously. They mostly translate the "action" part of "Action Role-Playing Game" as "pressing a lot of buttons" in a way that doesn't reward strategy OR skill very much. Berseria isn't an exception here. That said, there's probably a little more to it on a higher difficulty, and it feels a lot more "fair" than its direct predecessor (Tales of Zestiria) did, in that it does reward attacking enemy weaknesses and enemy attacks rarely feel totally unavoidable. The bell-like sound when you successfully KO, stun, etc an enemy and the combo counter going way up in the 50s does feel kinda satisfying in the way I imagine the lights and bells on a slot machine feel satisfying.

Overall visual presentation is uneven. In some ways, it feels like a game of an earlier generation. Like "we are doing as much as we can with these three tile sets, give us a break, let your imagination do some of the work." A few areas, windswept green hillsides and hazy, blooming marshes, are legit beautiful. Dungeons generally feel a little sparse. Towns are bright primary colors vaguely european anime world. Given that the world is being alternately overrun by daemons or under the iron grip of its government and church, the generally bright and sunny aesthetics feel a little discordant and I feel like this story could have benefited from the world backing up its themes and vibes a little better. Don't even necessarily veer away from the anime aesthetics much, just do something with the lighting. One of the moments where the aesthetic best backs up the plot and themes, IMO, comes late in the game. Your heroes are in an abandoned, far northern town. The sun is setting and there's a red glare on the snow....

SO ANYWAY NONE OF THAT IS WHY I WANT TO TALK ABOUT TALES OF BERSERIA.

From one point of view, this is a revenge story. From another point of view, this is a classic JRPG , you're awaking the elemental lords and preventing an ascent to godhood. From another point of view, you are the villain of the piece, on a mission to kill the guy who actually really did save the world, fucking up everything and everyone on your way. You consort with daemons, witches, pirates, and traitors. You eat people.

What is called reason... isn't. What is called selfishness... isn't. The people who are yelling about their feelings are maybe the most reasonable ones and the ones keeping it locked up are absolutely bridled by their emotions. What is luck? What is one's nature? What is free will?

(Why do birds fly?)

The writing, in terms of themes and motifs and meaningful echoes and variations on themes is really, really special. (At least if one understands that this IS a JRPG and this IS an anime and we ARE going to yell about our ideals.) Also the character dialogue (and there is so much dialogue, just SO MUCH both meaningful and unmeaningful this is also a feature of this series hope you enjoy listening to your six new wacky, grimdark anime friends for the next 60 hours) is very good.

Combs, apples, hair, swords, coins, flowers, compasses. Illness, grief, death, loyalty, faith, despair, perfection, children, hunger.

Maybe I'll walk this back when I'm not high on this game's fumes, but as a scholar of JRPGs, I think this is one of the top two or three best WRITTEN of them out there. I feel like I'd have to play it two or three more times to really highlight why, there is so much going on here. Like, if you accept that it is highly, highly character driven and the world's a little underbaked.

Anyway. Good and evil, order and chaos, darkness and light, reason and emotion, all that's illusions and if you must insist on dividing them, if they're not in an ourobourus yin yang, eating each other, keeping each other in check, shit gets fucked real quick.

[gleepatrol]

would love any media recs!

Will do, pal! In fact, I'll make a nice little list of a few things I personally enjoy, things I've seen other Sparklecare fans enjoy even if I'm not a fan of them myself, and things I think would be similar to SCH even if I've never engaged with said media myself. I got a bit tired by the end, so I kind of dumped the things I like but barely relate to y'all there. Hope that's okay!

Happy Tree Friends (Webseries | What it has in common: brightly colored furries undergoing horrific torture. If you liked Sparklecare for the edgy cute things in horrific situations elements and don't mind the lack of anything deeper than that here, this one is for you. I've never watched it myself, but be warned, I know it is gory.)

The Amazing Digital Circus (Webseries | What it has in common: Seemingly inviting, colorful place ends up being a psychological nightmare for the characters. Not a lot of furries, but that's okay, the themes of horror and mental health are very much there with a found family of sorts cast. It's a fun show if you haven't seen it yet.)

Invader Zim (Western Animation | What it has in common: The de-facto pioneer of early 2000s lul so random dark comedies. It is kid friendly but melds horror and comedy elements that will make you go 'oh that's where they got it from' for so so so many things. Its influence cannot be understated.)

Bojack Horseman + Tuca and Bertie (Adult Animation | What it has in common: While these shows are deeper than Sparklecare from what I've heard, if you want nuanced discussions of darker adult topics with furries, these two are a good bet. Neither has horror elements but dip their toes into comedy occasionally.)

Psychonauts (Video Games | What it has in common: Imagine Invader Zim but they actually touch upon serious topics of mental health. Oh my goodness, almost every line of dialogue is hilariously quotable (btw this game is the source of "I am the Milkman; my milk is delicious" as an example.), it actually helped me through a dark blip in my life by just how dang relatable or comforting some of the characters are, and has a really surprising amount of diversity for an action platformer from 2005. Psychonauts 2 has you overlook a canon gay wedding! I could gush about this game forever let's move on to the next item before I keep you here all day...)

Dead End: Paranormal Park (Western Animation | Gay and spooky, this show has canon trans/nonbinary, gay, and autistic characters uncovering a darker than it seems theme park, mixing horror and comedy once again. I've seen people enjoy it.)

Gravity Falls (Western Animation | It's Gravity Falls, baby! You know this one! The one with Bill Cypher! Mostly funny but surprisingly emotional or dark at times. There's a reason it's considered an all time classic at this point. If you haven't seen Gravity Falls yet for whatever reason, please do. Or it's Western Animation contemporaries like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Steven Universe, The Owl House, or Adventure Time!)

Almost any Mascot Horror (Video Games | There's dying, furries, and a deeper lore you can choose to try to piece together. It's usually near impossble but hey you can try. The Mascot Horror genre covers stuff like FNAF or Dandy's World btw if you've never heard the genre term! )

BFDI/Inanimate Insanity (Webseries | I can't really tell them apart. People in the Sparklecare fandom seem to like them. I think they're reality show parodies? Ask other people about them, I never got into them.)

I'm also a big fan of Professor Layton, Ace Attorney, and Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective but I will admit those puzzle/visual novel games aren't everyone's cup of tea. In terms of JRPGs, I also like the EarthBound/Mother series, Undertale/Deltarune, the Mario & Luigi/Paper Mario RPGs, and Chrono Trigger. Platforming games are one for the mainline Mario games, LittleBigPlanet, or Spyro the Dragon for me. And of course, there's the fandom all time classics like Pokemon, MLP, Sonic, Warrior Cats (though I'd recommend it's sister series Wings of Fire above it first), anything Nintendo really, or just the furry fandom in general! Dungeon Meshi is a good anime. And one more batch of suggestions with a rapidfire of indie games, Smile for Me/Great God Grove, In Stars and Time, Bugsnax, and probably a few more I might be forgetting, but yeah that's my list! Now go enjoy at least one of those things!!

[tagamantra]

random screencaps of my current ffxii tza rerun

(i lost my old save file but only really finished the great crystal, now i'm hunting down espers and got Chaos!)

i'm already a huge huge fan of FFXII and Ivalice as a whole, from its non-european-centric fantasy style to its slipstream weird fantasy esque vibes and feelings. it's not so much fairytale as it is "utmost fantasy historia" in a way. its political story captures and it does the classic ivalice thing wherein its political story eventually gives way to earth shattering conspiracies but the best part about ffxii's conspiracy is that even the subject of the earth shattering conspiracy are also having their own conspiracy. it's wild and it's so fun to play through. i'd put its narrative somewhat on the poetry side (alongside things like elden ring or legend of zelda breath of the wild, focusing on the world, immersion, and the moment-to-moment) rather than the narrative prose side (in the vein of things like baldur's gate 3 or mass effect or whatnot, where the writing goes to the characters and is more overt and drags you along with it), though of course being a JRPG it has to conform a bit into prose gaming (forgive the terms i am a literature person first and foremost)

on the gameplay side as someone who loves character action games and simulation rpgs (tactics grid rpgs) i really started out not liking it. but then when i started treating it essentially like ogre battle or unicorn overlord, a somewhat slight autobattler with constant menu pausing to issue different commands, viewing it a bit more like a strategy game, everything really clicked. figuring out everyone's builds with self-imposed challenges (such as having every job in the game be used) is so so so fun as someone who is a sucker for buildcrafting (it's why Final Fantasy Tactics and Elden Ring are the few games I replay!). nothing is more satisfying than seeing a really good build and team comp soar through a grueling boss battle, where you still have to micromanage, casting Dispels and upkeeping Buffs and switching Gambits (and even weapons!) on the fly.

one of the things that FFXII really turned me around on is the whole "you have to both unlock this spell/technick/weapon/armor and acquire it out in the world to equip/use it!" at first i hated it: i already spent time grinding LP to unlock the license, why did I have to still find it in the world?

then i kind of just figured, whatever, i'll explore and just try to find everything if i can. and it worked. exploration in this system was fiercely rewarded: things like Bravery (ATK UP), Faith (MAG UP), and Protectga (AoE Protect) could only be found in chests in the nooks and crannies of the Necrohol of Nabudis. now i have a care for these places i'm traveling around. oh, the nabreus deadlands are called that because nethicite was used here and now it's fantasy fallout new vegas? shit dude that's all you had to say. sorry i wasn't paying attention at first. i wasn't aware of your game. now hand me Silencega and let me get Chaos as a summon

now i can't just rush through the story or whatnot (well, you can! but it's no fun if you do that but it's totally doable and not too difficult which is honestly very accessible). i have to go around the areas i travel around, and exploration is fun because with the gambits system i don't have to keep fiddling with these menus, i can just let my smartly built team do the work. its as if the game rewards you for taking the time to build up and setup your characters! this is a game that rewards team composition and party management, something i feel is sorely missing from modern ffs (ffxv and ffxvi)

to top it all of it's kinda diegetic and immersive. of course these spells and technicks you don't just get. the jobs in this world (also diegetically) only get you to unlock the License to use these things, which are proven by adventuring (and thus, gaining license points). they don't automatically get you that thing. now you have the license, you can use Scathe sure, the most powerful black magick spell in the game, but you have to get into subquest blocked areas of a deep mine to even find it in the first place, and its blocked behind Gilgamesh! so now you're looking for these things and you're interacting with Ivalice and Ivalice feels so alive and lived in because it compromises so little for the player

it's not all perfect of course. so many of the higher spells and technicks and weapons straight up need guides to get, while others are at the whim of RNG. fuck that, but i can't help but completely respect it. it's such an ivalice matsuno choice to do. so many things in this game need guides to do, to the point that while i'm doing it i'm hearkened back to my first elden ring playthrough or my first demon's souls playthrough were i'm partway dependent on those that have come before me to be satisfied with my game. and i don't think that's a bad thing, i think that's something video games are uniquely able to do as a medium.

also i can't help but wish the UI was just a tad bit better, but FFXII was of course made during the menu jrpg era and the PS2 was no doubt already struggling handling so many things that FFXII was bursting with the seams with (something it has in common with its distinguished grandfather vagrant story)

and finally, so many of the things i like about FFXII only really came about in the Zodiac Age (specifically the Switch Version): being able to respec Jobs, finding rare items in the world instead of just buying them from the baknamy merchant in the necrohol of nabudis lmao... but despite all this these are minor detractions to the overall peak experience

though to be fair to the OG it was on a whole a different, perhaps easier game. and i kind of liked the fact that everyone had the same license board. it had that non-self interpenetration buddhist vibe, but also meant that you can go with almost whatever gear and spell setup for whatever team you end up with

what a good game,,, characters are so great too. i love vaan and penelo because they really are both an audience stand-in as well as a masses representation in a cast of knights, princesses, sky pirates and forest shamans