#fe mana

[nieznasztejosoby]

Genealogy of the the holy war art dump primarly substitutekidsoriented this one : D / it just felt wrong not ot post it since they have like 3 pieces of fanart each even if its also on white backgrounds ^^; . if this gets one non mutual reblog i will post all of my genealogy art otherwise i dont wann be clogging up the tags

Like implied reblogs are aprieciated : D

[tactician-in-green]

have you drawn mana with roy b4??

Hello, anon!! Honestly, not really lmao

But it had been on my mind, so here Mana and baby Roy bc I thought it'd be cute 😳🙏🏻

[cake-wlk]

good night

[princehatterene]

y’all know you wanna read the Deep Mana Lore doc

[randomnameless]

Just wanted to say I was going to be dropping a thing comparing Tales of Symphonia's handling of Racism compared to FE:Tellius, but then it kinda hit like a ton of bricks that Tellius has no leg to stand on. It may have some, despite being in general a normal "Purple" story, where "oh no oppressed babies, so racism bad". (Where yes, Laguz once, long ago, so not really relevant at all, were the oppressors)... but then Tellius actually has a not-so-well hidden "Racism GOOD, actually" message because of the Laguz losing what makes them Laguz thing that just turns the whole thing into a clusterfuck. Thanks for pointing that out. I mean, Radiant Dawn isn't well written (The complaints levied back in 2007 and 2008 are still valid! Time doesn't change quality of writing!) but yeah. Because as far as handling the topic of racism, Symphonia against Tellius already was Hydrogen Bomb vs Crying Baby (Because Symphonia wasn't a simple purple story-- instead the main villain was of the oppressed minority and was actively racist himself), but that makes it even more poignant.

I liked Symphonia's take on racism (even if Mithos is imo treated with sugar tongs), but Tales's storywriting has always been better than FE in general...

I haven't played the recent entries (ToX2 was my last!) but even in Xillia the issue was sort of the same, even if I love Gilland (Alvin's uncle?) going all "it wasn't me" to Milla who accused him of, well, what Elympios had been doing for the past several centuries that made Maxwell say "nope" and create Rieze Maxia.

(But then Xillia's ending is bullocks, apparently the cast (including Milla!) is okay with letting spirits dies because Jude will develop one day tech that doesn't need them to die, and in the meantime, well, it's just too bad for them I guess)

[saficswrites]

BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR @manatikiart!!!

Lucisev smut!!!

I really hope you enjoy.

[pupsmailbox]

GOTH ID PACK

NAMES ⌇　abby. ace. addam. alister. amelia. amoret. ange. angel. angelo. anubis. arch. archette. ash. aslan. aspen. astor. astoria. astrophel. atticus. axelle. azazel. azrael. bael. bat. batsy. bella. bellatrix. blade. blair. blanchette. brahms. branwen. cain. callan. calliope. cannibelle. caskeite. casketta. caskette. caspian. celeste. celestia. chaos. charlotte. cherry. chira. chiraelle. chiro. chiroptairre. chiroptelle. chiropteranne. choir. christian. cofette. coffin. coffine. constantine. corbin. corpse. crimson. crow. crowley. damian. damien. demonesse. divina. dorian. draven. edgar. elatha. elijah. elix. elwin, elwin. elwood. ember. emmaline. etienne. evan. evangeline. eve. faith. forest. forrest. frill. frille. frilleine. frilliette. frilly. genesis. ghost. gothita. gothitelle. gothitess. gothitesse. grey. gwen. gypsy. hades. hawthorne. hecate. hemlock. imortalle. imortella. iris. israel. jakob. jet. jett. johnas. josiah. judas. kain. kane. kedi. keir. lacey. laciene. laciette. lazarus. leo. lilith. lilithe. lolita. lucid. lucien. lucifer. lucius. luscious. lynx. maeve. malice. mana. martyr. max. melancholy. merle. micah. michael. misery. mordred. morris. mors. morte. mortis. mourge. mourgette. myrette. nightshade. noah. noctre. nocturne. noir. obsidian. oleander. omen. onyx. orion. orpheus. ozul. ozzy. prince. prophet. raven. ravenie. raveniette. rook. rowan. ruby. saber. saint. salem. samael. samuel. scarlet. secrette. seraph. serenity. shilo. shiloh. silas. silver. silvester. skelly. skulliene. skulliette. skully. sorrow. sylvester. syn. thorn. thorne. tobias. tommy. trix. umbriel. valkyrie. valo. vervain. vesper. victoria. ville. violetta. vito. vlad. woundie. zeon. zephyrine.

PRONOUNS ⌇　abby/abby. ae/aer. ash/ash. bat/bat. bleed/bleed. blood/blood. book/book. bug/bug. burn/burn. chain/chain. chap/chapel. chill/chill. claw/claw. cloud/cloud. cob/cobweb. cof/coffin. coffin/coffin. corps/corpse. creep/creep. cri/cross. cro/cros. cross/cross. cross/crosse. da/dark. dae/dae. dae/daem. dark/dark. decay/decay. dee/dark. des/despair. devout/devout. div/divine. dust/dust. echo/echo. edge/edgy. en/envie. fae/fang. fang/fang. fe/fear. fie/fiend. fog/fog. fri/frill. frill/frill. ghost/ghost. ghoul/ghoul. gore/gore. goth/goth. goth/gothic. gra/grave. grave/grave. ha/haunt. halo/halo. hie/hiem. ho/holy. holy/holy. horn/horn. hx/hxm. hy/hym. ink/ink. lace/lace. lae/lace. lost/lost. mist/mist. moon/moon. net/fishnet. ni/night. night/night. null/null. par/parasol. parasol/parasol. pray/pray. pray/prayer. proph/prophet. ro/rose. rose/rose. rot/rot. rust/rust. sac/sacrifice. saint/saint. scar/scar. shx/hxr. shy/hyr. si/sinister. sin/sin. sku/skull. skull/skull. snake/snake. spider/spider. spike/spike. sto/storm. stud/stud. thou/thorn. thron/thorn. thxy/thxm. vae/vaer. ve/ver. velvet/velvet. vo/void. whis/whisper. whisper/whisper. witch/witch. wood/wood. x/x. xae/xaer. × . ♠️ . ♣️ . ⚰️ . ⛓️ . 🌑 . 💀 . 🕯 . 🕷 . 🕸 . 🖤 . 🥀 . 🦇 .

[corazondemusa]

Confio en ti plenamente y nunca cuestiono tu accionar. No, no es una fe ciega, ni es voltear el rostro para otro lado para ignorar la verdad. Es haber ahondado en ti, y haber llegado a tus cimientos, viendo las venas de oro que corren por ellos. Inmutable, firme, los valores que abraza tu vida y el accionar que de ellos mana. Es saber que aunque puedas equivocarte no es erróneo el motivo sino el camino tomado. Saber el corazon de alguien es estar confiado, con la fe plena en el latido del alma. No hay temor, no hay duda, solo la paz mas dulce del mundo.

e.v.e.

[compulsiveimpairment]

Do you have names for Lord Bloodmoon?

I was thinking something magic related but haven’t done research into specific things, got any ideas?

oooo for lord bm? i actually havent thought of any, but my brain mightve filled with ideas once i saw this

Binary was one of them (I guess the reasoning was that Binary code uses only 2 variants of single digit numbers) and another was Matrix (I- don't even know why?? It worked in my brain-)

For magic related names, I don't think I've got many off the top of my head, but I could always conjure up a fe- wait, Conjure works- alongside that, I don't think I have many more now? I'd think that Mana is too trademarked (?), but maybe Cast?

Lmfao my brain loves working overtime. It's spiralling around Binary and Matrix or Conjure and Cast now- if you have any ideas, you're welcome to add!

[toyamacityfm-hibikore-archives]

よしもとかよ 「日々是好日」。vol.140 ( 2024/8/14 + 8/21 )

2024   14th + 21st august 　

M1 le fleurs (Austine)

　 M2 holy smoke (Vashti Bunyan) 　 　 M3 子供はみんな (Juliette Greco)

　 M4 The 23rd Psalm (Bobby McFerrin) 　 　 M5 little girl dreaming (Pura Fe) 　 　 M6 愛しい遠い人 (金延幸子) 　 　 M7 まつり (おおたか静流) 　　 　　 M8 Pua Mana (Na Leo) 　 　 　

[好日の素…シダ植物を愛でること。]　

　 　 植物を日々愛でていますが、 正直なところ ほとんど馴染みがなかったといいますか… 植えた覚えがないのに いつの間にかいる、シダ。 おそらくシノブだろうと思うのですが どこからかやってきて 今では庭だけでなく 室内の鉢植えや 多肉植物を植えてある容器の中にまで 育っていて、驚いているのです。 　 バラやブルーベリーの 鉢の中で すっかり我が物顔で 葉を広げているのをみると さすがに厄介だな…と 除草作業の際には 撤去するようにしているんですが、 これがまた とてもたくましくて 取っても取っても これまたいつの間にか わっせわっせと繁っているのです…！ 　 困っているのに愛でている、なんて ちょっとおかしな感じですが そんなわけで現在 我が家におけるシダ植物は3種類。 勝手に育っているシノブ的なものと、 除草のお手伝いの時にやってきたイワヒバ、 そして、交換会でやってきた プテリス・エバージェミエンシス（画像）。 番組内ではソテツもかな？とお話ししましたが ソテツはシダの要素はあるけれど 違う種類の植物だそうです。 （失礼いたしました！でも我が家では花は咲いたことがありません…） 　 そのシダたち、ひとまず 室内で管理している鉢植えについては なんだか涼しげでいいかもな、とか どうしてこんなにたくましいんだろう？とか ちいさな芽がクルンと丸まっていてかわいいな、とか いろいろ思っているうちに すっかり情が移ってしまった、というわけ。 さらには 様子を見ることで 鉢への給水のタイミングが分かるようになったので 「水の管理は任せた！」というようなことに なっています。 　 ちょっと困ったな、と感じることでも 視点や向き合い方が変わると たのしみになることもあるのかもしれないな、と 窓辺のシダをながめながら思うこの頃です。 　 　 　 　

* * * * * * * * * * *

[日々是食べたい！… ラムネ菓子]

　　 ラムネ、と聞いて イメージされるのは 飲みものでしょうか、それとも お菓子でしょうか…？ シーズン的には 飲みものの方かなー、と思いつつも 懐かしいお菓子シリーズということで（笑、 今回はお菓子の方を取り上げてみました。 　 口の中でしゅわっ、ほろほろと ほどけてゆく食感と、やさしい酸味が好きで 子どもの頃に いちばんよく食べたお菓子のひとつだったと 記憶しています。 　 ラムネ瓶のかたちのパッケージに入った ロングセラーのものから、 京都や奈良のおみやげとしても知られる カラフルでコロンと丸い、愛らしいもの、 また和菓子の落雁の型をつかったものもあり、 目にもたのしい！ 　 また、昨今では 熱中症予防や二日酔い対策のタブレットが ありますが、これも ラムネ菓子の仲間なんですよね。 熱中症予防のタブレットには 日々お世話になっています。 こちらもいろんな形やフレーバーがあって 選ぶのもたのしいし、 個包装になっているのがありがたいです。 　 日本で生まれたお菓子、とも 名前の由来はレモネード、ともいわれていますが 詳細は不明、という ちょっと謎めいた一面もある、ラムネ菓子。 大人と呼ばれる年齢になってあらためて、 さわやかな味と 愛らしい姿に惹かれています。

[daibolik-lovers-encyclopedia]

Diabolik Lovers - Anime

KANJI

ディアボリックラヴァーズ

ROMAJI

Diaborikku Ravāzu

GENRE

Supernatural, Romance

DEVELOPER

Rejet

STUDIO

Zexcs

DIRECTER

Tagashira Shinobu

RELEASE DATE

Started airing - September 16th, 2013

Finished airing - December 9th, 2015

RATING

TV-14

PLATFORMS/OTHER

2-disc DVD volume set was released December 2, 2014

Taken off crunchy roll March 31, 2022

Current available streaming platforms unknown

CONTENT

2 Seasons/24 episodes

Diabolik Lovers (ディアボリックラヴァーズ, Hepburn: Diaborikku Ravāzu) is a Japanese visual novel franchise by Rejet.

An anime adaptation was first announced at a 2013 event called the "Rejet Fes 2013 Viva La Revolution". During the "Otomate Party 2013" event later that year, it was announced that the adaptation would be directed by Atsushi Matsumoto and produced by the Zexcs studio.

Diabolik Lovers (ディアボリックラヴァーズ Diaborikku Ravāzu), abbreviated as DiaLover, is a Japanese anime television series directed by Shinobu Tagashira and produced by the animation studio Zexcs.

Diabolik Lovers More,Blood (ディアボリックラヴァーズ モア、ブラッド Diaborikku Ravāzu Moa,Buraddo) is the second season of the DiaLover anime series which takes its title from the second otome game of the same name, Diabolik Lovers MORE,BLOOD.

However, the second season is not a direct sequel to the first season, but a spin-off based on the second game of the franchise.

Plot

First season

Yui is a kind and gentle seventeen-year-old second year high school student who lived a normal and peaceful life, until her father moved overseas for work.

“Not wanting her to be alone” , he sends her to live with an old friend and his six sons. When she arrives at their mansion, she discovers that they are vampires.

Only to be informed that there is a different, much darker reason she was sent to them. While she optimistically accepts her situation, she unravels mysteries of the Sakamakis' past and her own.

Second Season

After living with the Sakamaki's for a month, Yui begins to have strange dreams and apparitions regarding a mysterious purple haired woman. Her fate takes a turn after she gets involved in an unexplainable fiery car accident with the Sakamaki's.

This incident heralds four new vampire brothers who suddenly appear and abduct Yui for their own purposes.

Main Characters

Yui Komori (CV: Rie Suegara )

Ririe (Shuu) Sakamaki (CV: Kōsuke Toriumi)

Reiji Sakamaki (CV: Katsuyuki Konishi)

Ayato Sakamaki (CV: Hikaru Midorikawa)

Kanato Sakamaki (CV: Yūki Kaji)

Laito Sakamaki (CV: Daisuke Hirakawa)

Subaru Sakamaki (CV: Takashi Kondō)

Ruki Mukami (CV: Takahiro Sakurai)

Emilio (Kou) Mukami (CV: Ryōhei Kimura)

Edgar (Yuma) Mukami (CV: Tatsuhisa Suzuki)

Azusa Mukami (CV: Daisuke Kishio)

Carla Tsukinami (CV: Toshiyuki Morikawa)

Shin Tsukinami (CV: Showtaro Morikubo‎)

Side Characters

Karlheinz Sakamaki (CV: Ryōta Takeuchi)

Richter Sakamaki (CV: Jun Konno)

Cordelia (CV: Akane Tomonaga)

Christa (CV: Yuki Tashiro)

Beatrix (CV: Mana Hirata)

Music

First Opening Theme

Song - Mr.SADISTIC NIGHT

Artist: Ayato Sakamaki (CV:Hikaru Midorikawa) & Shu Sakamaki (CV:Kōsuke Toriumi)

Second Opening Theme

Song - Kindan no 666

Artist: Ryōhei Kimura & Daisuke Kishio

Ending Theme

Song - Nightmare lyrics

Artist: Yuki Hayashi

[tactician-in-green]

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! 🎉

As tradition, I drew myself a fanart of Eliwood and Mana (my Mark OC)! 💙💚

[cake-wlk]

I can imagine the reason Manakete Kiran would be small because being only 500 years old

Possibly! If you want to think of it that way, then go ahead. My Manakete Kiran is an ordinary human that was turned into a Manakete when transported to Zenith, so they are very young in Manakete terms.

But they also have two forms as well— A big battle form and small, almost cat-like form, so its a bit ambiguous as to which one is their 'true' form.

[princehatterene]

Did you play the gamecube fire emblem games growing up :o

i actually never owned a gamecube :( i started my gamer journey with the ds and wii

i have watched. most of a playthrough of path of radiance tho! it’s a really cool game! and ike is awesome, i love that guy. i gotta finish that playthrough one of these days, and watch radiant dawn too

[mathcat7]

The Great Games I Played* this Year

*to completion or near completion. Sorry TWEWY, Signalis, etc.

2023 was a very divisive year for gaming, full of really incredible titles while also showing some of the industry and culture's lowest lows in overhyped deliveries, mass layoffs, and an award show doing its damnedest to spite the developers who made the show what it was in the first place.

For me personally, I did enjoy the games that released this year that I had the chance to play, but the majority of my time gaming this year was spent catching up on backlogged titles, or diving into recommendations my friends had for me. I'm just not a hype person, generally speaking. However, I've been wanting to discuss what I've played at length—so many incredible experiences and unique mechanics. Even putting together this list I'm in awe of how many new games I've gotten to play. So, let's get started, in order of when I first played them.

Path of the Midnight Sun Studio Daimon

Now, this game sits in a very interesting place in my mental landscape. Just 6 months before it's early January release, Path of the Midnight Sun was only a romhack of a GBA Fire Emblem title in my head. Sure, one of the greats of the early FE romhacking scenes, but nothing more. It was quite the surprise to me to hear in late fall 2022 that it was a standalone title, with full voice acting and an RPG battle system without the prefixed S- it had originally started with.

I was a bit wary about playing it, especially after being burned by a similar SRPG with romhacking roots, but once I got into the thick of things it was quite the charming little game. Biggest props goes to game's artistry, with a masterful use of Live2D. The designs of Studio Daimon's Nene Kantoku combined with Iron Vertex's animators are an incredible duo, making Ornieres and crew all the more pleasant to watch interact with one another.

For gameplay, PotMS seems pretty standard-fare for RPGs when you start out. Probably the best comparison I could give are the older SMTs, the ones with front-line/back-line parties. But then you unlock access to Ornieres' Manastone, and the game just opens the hell up. Battles become a management of mana and time, as the more mana you can accrue, the more you can grow your party's skillset, but you can't stall battles to farm because turns spent in battle burn the clock for chapters, and time wasted will bite you for objectives. It's also worth noting that every other character starts battle with no MP and will instead generate it over time. The ways this game experiments with such a normally taken for granted staple of the genre is really cool, and something I'd want to see happen elsewhere.

For writing, the game's biggest strength is in its characters. Between Ornieres' struggles with his sudden amnesia and visions of atrocities committed, and Faratras being alienated from her homeland and branded the second-coming of the Demon King, the game is really good at exploring their psyches: fears, wishes, hopes, even romantic inclinations. These are all characters I would enjoy sitting with for a dinner (or a bar brawl, in Cristoph's case).

Though speaking of supports, the game ditching the Fire Emblem pretense of "Character who will only be relevant for one chapter/section and becomes army fodder afterward" by turning said characters into passive bonuses with the occasional attack is somewhat a double-edged sword in my opinion. While this does mean that Ornieres, Faratras and their closest allies get the maximum attention they deserve, I find myself struggling to even remember the faces of anyone else that joined them, with like exceptions to the pervert grandpa/son combo and the male pegasus knight who did actually have a bit more plot relevance than most of the fodder if memory serves. Bit of a shame.

Beyond that, this game was a really strong start to my year. I'm a bit sad that the game's following seems to mostly be from its romhack days, because I do really think it stands well on its own merits now. A recommendation for anyone looking for a visual novel with a little extra going on.

Fire Emblem Engage Intelligent Systems

From one of the strangest pre-release cycles where the main character's design was leaked months in advance, to splitting a fandom now inflated with people who have only played the two prior releases, Fire Emblem Engage is nothing if not an iconic anniversary game. I was certainly excited in the prerelease cycle, tuning in regularly on the official Fire Emblem socials dripfeeding info on the . But did it live up to my expectations? Yes. Oh my gods.

Mechanically speaking, the game is sick. The twist on the standard FE gameplay this time around are the emblem rings, which when equipped give the wielder bonuses that are callback to previous titles' own gimmicks (well, when they're not forced to make stuff up in the case of Lyn for example.) And like, the sway of power this gives makes the strategy element of Engage just so, so fun. Chapters become this multi-level analysis of when it's good to utilize the power boosts of engages, who should get which ring/bracelet for which chapter... In my first time playing an FE's maddening mode (or series' equivalents), the juggling of these ideas and theorycrafting for builds really made me get into the game's guts.

Writing wise, it's probably the most emotionally resonant Fire Emblem I've ever played. Alear's character arc as she grows into the divine dragon they wanted and meant to be was so incredibly sweet, and combined with a lot of the chosen family elements woven into Alear's interactions with their allies, and those allies with each other, makes for probably the most thematically queer FE since the Tellius duology. It's a big reason they've risen to be one of my favorites if not the favorite lord in the series.

These two elements, among other goods, made Engage my Game of the Year for this year, and honestly really revitalized my love for the series. I started writing fanworks for FE Fates again. It made me want to shift my video focus away from FGC funnies to covering the series, and if not for the shackles of working full-time, I'd probably be doing some longform, Chuggaconroy-esque in-depth walkthrough of The Sacred Stones right now. That's how much it means to me. Alear Fireemblem you will always be famous.

(There should not be any more mentions of Fire Emblem from this point, I promise.)

Needy Streamer Overload xemono - WSS Playground

This management sim, if I can call it that, was quite the surprise to me. Playing it was just out of curiosity from one of my friends posting art of the main character Ame-chan. Her design is not particularly unique in of itself, but its a fun fashion fit that I'd maybe try someday, and the brooding red and blacks bear a striking contrast to the bright and pastel colors that make up her internet persona, OMGkawaiiAngel-chan (or Kangel, for short).

Your role as "P-chan" is to be Ame's manager as she becomes a professional content creator in the next month with (hopefully) a million subscribers, but the nature of your relationship with her is dangerously blurred from the start. You are also her confidant, her closest friend (with benefits), her one and only stream moderator, any many other "her"s. She's dependent on you to help her to an extreme, and there's little you can do to improve upon that.

I don't know what to say about the game itself, a lot of what I got from it feels too personal to share in these writings. What I can promise, however, is there's a lot Needy Streamer Overload has to say on the nature of being an online influencer, how the job warps relationships with other people, the way the job goads forgoing mental health and ignoring moral and ethical boundaries. Ame is an extremely driven and passionate creator, but also vulnerable, isolated, under-medicated. Doing consistent back-to-back streams grows her audience faster, but eventually Ame will either end up unloved, overstressed, or just plain out of unique content if you only dedicate her to the grind. Medication can help bridge the gaps sometimes, but often doing so gets in the way of her performing her best on streams, or even at all due to their soporific side effects. And seeking new ideas for streams can take you to some places: Jonesian conspiracism, chan boards, beach ball camgirl sponsorships. The road to a million followers is one of grays.

And while I am aware I haven't seen the game's true ending yet, I thought it was fascinating that the endings I did see always ended in disasters or tragedy, even in mundane circumstances. I won't get into detail here on account of the graphic nature of some of them, but I got the message from it that trying to center yourself in her woes is mortal folly. Try to be a good friend, don't try to be a savior.

You should probably be in the right headspace mentally to play this, but barring that this is a recommendation for anyone whose been terminally online, or just collectively likes mentally ill women.

Cassette Beasts Studio Bytten

Now this here would be my second pick for Game of the Year, and the top spot for Indie Game of the Year. A really well put together monster collector that does a lot more to distinguish itself from it's most popular contemporary in Pokémon.

I don't want to compare it too much to that series, this game stands very well without that, but I grew up with Pokémon and I think there's a Cassette Beasts does differently from it that I love. Take the game's typing chart for example: rather than a simple multiplicative power boost/drop interaction, this one is a lot more focused on the long-game, as striking different types generates chemical reactions that induce status buffs/debuffs/effects based on the reaction. Key battles can't just be simply brute forced or brick walled, you'll end up losing the ability to use AoEs or give the enemy a free substitute-like wall or just get plain frozen. Some interactions even change your type temporarily. I could also point to this game's takes on shinies, called bootlegs. Bootlegs are not simply palette changes, but also change the monser's typing and movepool. And a bootleg can be of any type in the game, even the same type as what is native to that monster. Granted, tying gameplay changes to what would normally just be a cosmetic nicety can be precarious, but for me it just adds to the fun of hunting bootlegs across New Wirral, seeing how a monster performs differently in battle when taken out of their natural state.

I'd also be remiss not to mention one big departure from most monster collectors: you don't collect the monsters themselves, but rather record copies of them with a peculiar cassette tape set, which also serves as the vectors for you and your party to take the form of those monsters. It's just a very conceptually cool idea, and I love that the game even toys around with the implications of it sometimes, like how party member Kayleigh will weigh about the sugar rush that becoming a Candevil gave her. The game's larger story is relatively small scale, but I like the push and pull the monsters and archangels of New Wirral have in relation to man-made concepts and humanity. (Much like another game on this list, more on that later.)

The game's music is also incredible. From the homely feelings of Wherever We are Now to the upbeat yet tense Like Chimeras, the game's soundtrack and score, done by Joel Baylis, is certainly punching above its weight. Dynamic music isn't particularly novel, but I love the impact Shelby Harvey's vocals give to the battle themes are whenever you and your active partner fuse (Yes, there's fusion! Every monster is capable of it!) Even if you're not out to play the game itself (and I wholeheartedly recommend you should), the soundtrack itself is worth it alone!

(Addendum: while the game has only had a couch co-op option at the time of writing, Studio Bytten has a true multiplayer function currently in the works, and planned for early next year, so another potential bonus insofar as a recommendation.)

Crosscode Radical Fish Games

I've never been able to get into MMOs. The grind and dedication to playing one over a long amount of time has never been for me, and even with MMO-lites, I would quickly grow tired/bored before the good stuff and move on. But it did intrigue me when one of my pals described this game as a single player MMO.

Crosscode is more akin to an action RPG that uses the MMO genre as its backdrop; it's a game about playing a video game in many aspects. We follow Lea, an amnesiac nonverbal player avatar, whose time in the MMO Crossworlds is supposed to serve as some form of therapy while she regains her memories. Note that I did say nonverbal rather than silent; Lea's ability to speak is greatly impaired, only able to say simple words that were hacked in for her by Sergey, the man watching over her therapy. The game goes to great lengths to show this limiting in communication; NPCs don't care but Lea often has to play charades or do careful usage of her few words to get her points across, and sometimes there are misunderstandings. This was really something neat to see for me, someone with poor communication skills at times. Lea's amnesia also plays an interesting role in this. Sergey explains to her at first that Lea's real life counterpart is in a coma, so her experiences and memories made from that point onward are just of CrossWorlds. Everyone she interacts with has another life to return to, even the people whose job is only to develop and manage the software, so her life is oftentimes dictated on whoever is online at that very moment, or otherwise in pure solitude. It's a very interesting lens to view the world in, one where you're online presence truly is the only thing other people can see you from. And once the game reveals the "truth" behind Lea's coma, I think it also has some very interesting philosophical openers as to meaning of such an existence.

Also the gameplay elements are really neat in this. At first, combat is pretty run-of-the-mill melee and ranged combat in a top-down perspective. But then you reach the first temple and gain access to using fire, and the games complexities start to open up! Then you have this mix of resource and threat management. And that feeling just amplifies as your get the other three damage types in the following dungeons. Element matching with your enemies are the best way to mitigate damage, but attacking opposite is oftentimes the best way to maximize damage. Or it can even be a puzzle at times!

Speaking of, I think one of the game's best elements is the puzzle design in the temples and related dungeons. They serve as a great primer for understanding the different types, and how they interact with parts of the world, and with enemies. They are as much tools as they are weaponry. I would complain a little bit that the time sensitive puzzles get a bit too complicated at times for me to perfectly follow, but the inclusion of speed sliders for those puzzles is a nice addition that I don't often see utilized elsewhere.

Some short props should also being given for the atmosphere, CrossWorlds feels particularly well lived-in by its players, especially in its quest design. A newbie player who managed to keep failing upwards by getting bailed out by endgame tier veterans? A glitch hunter leading you to cut content and a boss that flunked out of playtesting? Apollo, the sworn rival and nemesis to Lea who keeps reading her every action as a challenge? These feel analogous to people and personalities I've seen abroad during my many years gaming (and even I've ended up the former in one scenario or another), and I think speaks well to the writing team's own social experiences.

Really solid game all in-all. If you're not into anything turn based, or are just an enthusiast of MMOs, this should be up your alley.

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga Atlus

"Big fan of x excited to play the game for the first time"

For the past few years, the DDS duology was something I admired from afar. From the really cool, sharp designs of the demonic Atma Avatars, to being the only press turn SMT with a traditional RPG party, to Jim Reaper's still unfinished low level run of the second game: there was a lot I was interested in about the game but was something I was weirdly reluctant to find out about playing for myself.

That was, until I found out that this game isn't one of the "beloved so much that physical copies are impossible to find." There are just resellers who have the duology still factory sealed, so I went and ordered one, and played them on my PS2 slim.

The games captivated me with the way they wrestle with the ideas of what it means to be human and the nature of that struggle. In DDS1, the Embryon going from cold and unfeeling individual to a group of passionate, thoughtful, eccentric, and even selfish personalities, the essence of humanity, juxtaposed with their very demonic forms in the atma avatars and their being driven to devour the other inhabitants of the junkyard, is incredibly compelling. And DDS2 drives this further when the Embryon's struggle for survival in the real world is placed at odds at humans who would devour each other for leisure and power. I gasped the first time I heard Hunting - Betrayal play in-game, having seen the full context surrounding the theme. Just on the story alone, these games quickly rose to one of my favorite games of all time. And this isn't even getting into the music, the designs, or the atmosphere either, I could keep going on!

If you want a retro suggestion, I cannot recommend this duology enough!

(As an aside, Cielo has got to be one of the characters of all time as well. Being the grandchild of Jamaican immigrants, I've really got to wonder what Atlus was cooking with this stereotypical Patois accent and dreadlocks on this pasty motherfucker. Made me laugh whenever he spoke in scenes, at least.)

Can't Live Without Electricity MELOVITY

I hate puzzle games. (affectionate)

I first found out about Can't Live Without Electricity through one of the YouTube channels I watch, Aliensrock. Puzzle gaming is his wheelhouse, and while it's not normally my genre of choice, the aesthetics of CLwoE combined with its concept were enough to win me over to try for myself.

This game centers around connecting homes to power plants with a steadily increasing limit of wires and other utility structures, and the goal is to connect enough homes as long as possible through the level, to the point the level doesn't have empty plots to use. Reorganizing and optimization are the name of the game here, as you're not always going to have plentiful wires, or run out of hammers to teraform the rougher terrain tiles scattered about. The game penalizes you on score for finishing a level using its two "cheat" tools in generators and jumpers, but there's no penalty for using them intermittently. So then the management also becomes strategic; setting a generator on a house while you try and fish for more resources to eventually connect it to the network naturally. Having to rework the entire grid because a house got placed in a very inopportune location can be quite frustrating, only for that feeling to be replaced with catharsis the moment everything comes together.

The game's square grid levels were a fun challenge, but I can't really say the same for the hex grids. The first level was an absolute filter to me; despite the big difference in the functionality of wiring ranges, the game leaves you with about the same strict economy of resources as the last square grid levels.

So yeah, my singular puzzle recommendation! And hey, while you're at it, did you know the game has Steam Workshop support, and that you can play a custom level I designed?

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore Atlus - Intelligent Systems

HA I LIED! FE NUMERO UNO!

Jokes aside, the revitalization effect Engage had on me combined with some recommendations by friends eventually led me to playing TMS#FE, the unholy marriage of Atlus's Shin Megami Tensei's battle design with Fire Emblem's characters from Mystery of the Emblem and Awakening. It was time I finally learned something about this title that wasn't the infamous "vagina bones" tweet.

My thoughts on the game's writing can really be boiled down to "Tsubasa should've been the Point of View main character instead of Itsuki". TMS's story is a great coming-of-age story for her and the rest of Fortuna Entertainment's stars. The Mirage incidents serve more as a backdrop for the group to learn and grow as performers, individuals, and as a team. It's really good, a lot better than most people give it credit for.

So, why is Itsuki the one we have to follow throughout?

Despite him not being the bog standard blank-of-slate mute-of-voice "Atlus Protagonist™" on account of having actual voiced dialogue, Itsuki Aoi ends up reading just as blandly as the worst of them. The main deal about him is that he doesn't have any strong aspirations, unlike his friends. He's just a guy. This isn't a bad thing in of itself, but it becomes a problem when, as a character, Itsuki doesn't really meaningfully grow; he's the same character you started with at the beginning the game except he's made a few new friends and somehow managed to do the not-a-harem troupe in the meanwhile. Meanwhile Tsubasa over here manages to find and rescue her sister, surpass her legacy, stand on equal ground with her biggest inspiration and role model in Kiria Kurono, and by the end of the game become a multi-talented star idol. There's so much to her and the rest of Fortuna, so Itsuki ends up by comparison being quite the sore spot for me.

Moving over to the gameplay, TMS is a bit more of a standout to me compared to other Atlus rpgs I've played. Whereas modern SMT and Persona tend to have their weakness-exploit battle systems result in huge snowballs by granting extra actions, TMS instead opts for sessions, where allies will automatically follow-up with additional attacks when a weakness is struck. This in turn results in a much more standard action economy while also still granting decent rewards for playing well and optimizing who chains what attack. Heck, even if you're not in for the mechanically deep stuff, sometimes its just fun to see everyone wail on a guy upwards of 30 times. Much as I love stuff like press turns, I think TMS was a good sign that Atlus could be trying more things with their games' battle systems. The one thing I'd say SMT/Persona's turn systems are significantly better about is momentum when it comes to character deaths in battle. Since turn order in TMS is determined when the turn starts, if someone's dead when that turn starts, they'll be skipped even when revived, and given all fights only have 3 active party members at a time, it is incredibly easy for a fight to spiral out of control because of a critical hit or session. But that's just my one nitpick; everything else about the system is pretty solid.

Oh, and the music! The music in TMS is really good. Reincarnation is great, but everyone loves that—I even remember catching bits and pieces of it as openers to some YouTube videos. My personal favorite is Dream☆Catcher, the song is much more my vibe, and the accompanying animation and outfits for Tsubasa and Eleanora are probably my favorites of the bunch. But also who can forget getting full vocals for the Fire Emblem Theme?

Tokyo Mirage Sessions is pretty neat. Give it a go if you're looking for the more esoteric Fire Emblem stuff. But don't say I didn't warn you about Aoi.

Kirby Star Allies HAL Laboratory

I've been really slow to play the Kirby games released for the switch, and I really could not tell you why despite my love for the series. That being said, I had a chance to play this alongside my lovely (currently) long-distance partner during one of our visits together.

It was a very pleasant co-op experience, doubly so given that I'd not been able to play Kirby with someone since the days of SSU. Solving puzzles and tacking fights together in something low-stakes; it's simple pleasant fun. Plus, seeing as I was playing this in the aftermath of all the update content, playing with the dream friends was also quite nice, if just for that nostalgia factor of seeing old enemies and allies with their movesets and attacks adapted to a new title. Another carryover I was quite happy to see was imbuing abilities with elements from other abilities. This was a favorite of mine in Squeak Squad's ability scrolls, so it was really quite nice to not only have that return in some form, but it also be a key part of puzzle segments as well as some fights.

My one major gripe is that the game's main story is saddeningly short. In the collective 6 or so hours we played together we were already well into the final world. Granted, Kirby's modern story modes are typically a breeze, but one segment of the game only being dedicated to Popstar itself was just... weird. Also, the control scheme being centered around the friend systems really messed with my muscle memory. Among other things, I would've preferred something like the x button handling most friend mechanics instead, similar to how it would summon/delete the helper in SSU.

But hey, that's not too big a deal in my opinion. Like I said, I really enjoyed getting to play this with my partner, and I still think it's a solid co-op choice for the time. Really hoping to get to the rest of the switch Kirbys in time.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX Spike Chunsoft

One last case of me being a big fan of a game/series without exploring a key piece of the media at first. Explorers of Time is the game I can thank for being one of the catalysts to me becoming a writer, and I've played every title in the Mystery Dungeon Series... except for Red and Blue Rescue Team. So in the midst of collecting the Xenoblade trilogy to play in the eventual future, I also went and picked this up to see how it would fare with past experiences.

While I don't have a lot to say for this game in general (writing wise, its certainly a lot more straightforward than the explorers' trio, and the world doesn't feel nearly as lived-in by comparison), the game mechanically was quite neat, if only to see the newer mechanics of the 3DS era mystery dungeons brought to an older title. This goes especially for the inclusion of auto-mode, taking out most of the mundanity of basic dungeon navigation. I am a little sad that 3-member parties seems to be what has stuck for the series going forward, but I guess its a small price to pay in comparison to revamping the recruit mechanics to be less brutal and unintuitive. I'd also argue that it was a step backwards to take away the usage of basic attack from the A button in favor of automatically choosing a best move to use, but its another small potatoes issue given how quickly the basic attack gets obsoleted in other titles.

It was also just nice to return to the general concepts of the mystery dungeon. I was a child when I was first introduced to this series, and while a lot has changed since then—the scale and nature of my writing, my gender, my furry tendencies—there's still a lot that's remained the same. Just like in 4th grade, this series has been a lovely testing grounds for creating and developing original characters. The environments of the dungeons, and the simple interactions between the party and the world allow me to make interpretations and conversions that I can carry with me into my own works.

I would still recommend people play the Explorer games first if they're new to this side of Pokémon if we're talking on the story side of things, but this isn't a bad way to start either.

Backpack Hero Jaspel

I'm not sure how to introduce this game. If I speak on pure genre, the closest thing it is, is a deckbuilding roguelike. But there is no deck, just a backpack that holds your weaponry, armor, potions, and managing your inventory is as much a game as the much more typical turn-based, 3-energy-for-actions combat the subgenre is built upon.

I don't think Backpack Hero would've hooked me as much as it did if not for the inventory management. For one, it's a lot harder to fall into the pitfall of bloating your build; your backpack space is limited, and while leveling up lets you expand the size, there's only so much armor and shivs you can carry. You will very often be reorganizing just to optimize your build, or to add a key piece of gear you just received. In a way it's as much of a puzzle game as it is rougelike, and that aspect fascinates me.

I also like how differently 4 of the 5 characters in this game play. Purse the mouse is your standard character, whose main strength is in the flexibility she can expand her backpack in, allowing for versatile builds with very unusually shaped weapons. Satchel the robin has much of his inventory separated into individual pockets, which limits the power of adjacency in exchange for specializing in builds that are distance or line based. He also has a special charm effect with his instruments that allows a more pacifist route of playing. Pochette the porcupine is beast summoner, and her pets even get sub-backpacks of their own! Incredibly cute. And Crate, the robo-mouse, pushes the mechanics to 11 with his unique gimmick of routing the energy into his backpack rather than directly using it, making item positioning especially important. Much as I enjoy the other four characters, I have no praise for the 5th character in the ensemble, Tote the frog. She handles a lot more like a traditional deckbuilder character, using a "deck" of carvings that she places into her backpack over the course of combat. This in my opinion is to her detriment, as it reintroduces draw luck and deck bloating and other less than stellar aspects of the genre (and her having a unique 80 HP compared to the cast's 40 feels particularly illuminating). I hope she sees a rework at some point.

Lastly, I think the game's usage of a story mode is very clever, if only for the fact that most of the quests given to you in the mode are more akin to runs with a pre-established build, or a primer on the more game-changing relics. This is a great way to get players invested in deeper mechanics of the game, or to let them try items they would otherwise have to luck into, and something I hadn't seen done in other deckbuilders I've played. Great addition.

This game is my recommendation for anyone feeling burned out on the deckbuilders and wanting something fresh from the subgenre.

Lethal Company Zeekerss

Last but not least, a game that has taken the multiplayer YouTube scene by storm, this little indie darling in Lethal Company. I'm realizing by typing that now that I haven't added any multiplayer games to this list. With good reason; my friends are usually satisfied playing not-so-new titles with me, your DRGs, your RoRs, even TF2 on a blue moon.

I haven't had enough time with this game, and I tend to get squeamish around playing horror games, but I will say it's been a blast with friends. I've seen uses of proximity chat enhance games before, but its implementation here as a core part of the game's multiplayer and interaction with the various creatures in the game is quite genius. You could be screaming your head off cause you saw a bracken and no one could be even the wiser just from being several rooms away.

Or, for a personal anecdote, one of my friends who is a lot more experienced with the game had rushed into the building immediately. I catch up to find a corpse in the beginning room and I freak out. What the hell happened? I spent the rest of the in-game day awash in paranoia while my other friend investigated. Only to find out in the aftermath that what had killed him was an incredibly unfortunate landmine at the entrance. Honestly, no notes, this game is as ridiculous as it is scary for me.

I hope going into the next year I can have a lot more fun with friends with this title in particular.

Wrap-Up

Gaming's shaped a large part of my life; I've made most of my friends through playing and talking about playing games. I wouldn't be who I am without many of the games I've played. But many of the discussions I have about games up to this point have been behind the closed gardens of Discord servers and DMs. In fact, a large part of most of my ideas and thoughts don't get to leave small places like those. And that discretion has its uses, sure, but it leaves a lot to be desired on the aspect of where I'm coming from as a person.

As I look to the new year, I'm still as determined as ever to make Royals of the Tempest something more than just a few scenes I gush about frequently. But writing a novel takes time, and practice, and reflection on why I write, why I do... anything really. When I play a game recommended to me from a friend, I play it to understand their world better. Likewise, when I'm writing something, I want people to have a look into my world. A fanwork to convey why I like these characters. A review to show you what I look for in a game, and what I took home from experiencing it. A novel as synthesis to everything in my world, and the fractions of worlds I've been able to visit.

I looked back to my 2022 retrospective, one not as focused on gaming, and saw that some my plans for this year had to fall to the wayside, even my writing to a degree. But plans need not be dedicated to one year and one year alone. I'm not finished, but I'm still on the trail. Happy 2024.

[somethingwittyandweird]

What's your favorite game you played this year?

You've activated my “review of my year in gaming” trap card! I was already going to make this post in some form or another, you've just given me the perfect launching point. So, the first thing you should know about asking me for favorites: I never give just one. How could I, when it's been such a banger year of games? (Heads up, this one's going to go long.)

I loved Tears of the Kingdom to death, and it took home my most hours played on Switch. It is a shining example of what devs can do with an extra few months to polish a game. There were so many remarkable moments that testified to how much care and ideas the devs were able to put in. I loved how it used the time since the first game to develop familiar places and characters, adding depth (no pun intended) and also making sure every familiar location had some new twist. The story was a much stronger followup to BotW, and I think this overall has my new favorite ending sequence of anything in the series (I'd love to make a full post sometime about how the final Ganondorf battles just keep getting more spectacular with each new title). I am so, so, so, so normal about this incarnation of Princess Zelda. 

Also in my favorites this year is Fire Emblem Engage, which hit at just the right time to scratch my strategy itch. As a long time FE fan it’s not a surprise I enjoyed this one- though it lost the political intrigue of its predecessor in favor of a more traditional/tropey story, I still had a lot of fun with all its gimmicks and gameplay innovations. Also it is hands-down the most visually appealing game in the franchise, a title previously held by the series’ GBA entries which are masterworks from the peak era of beautiful sprite art. From the incredible crit animations to the spectacle of super attacks to the battle maps which are so beautifully detailed that the game lets you free roam around them after a battle just to appreciate them better. 

I finished the Link’s Awakening remake this year! It was a charming trip back to an older era of Zelda design philosophy and I found it fascinating to compare the ways where the classic puzzles and challenges differ from what the game would be like if it were made today, as well as the places where modern technology allowed for better QoL changes that weren’t in the original. I really enjoyed the music as well, which I find to be a standout among the series still.

Here at the end of the year, I have to give a shout out to Sea of Stars. It has everything you want in an indie darling- very pretty pixel art, very nice music, turn-based battles with timed hits I joke, but Sea of Stars does a great job balancing evoking/paying homage to icons like Chrono Trigger and bringing new gameplay to the JRPG formula. I like its pared-down take on JRPG combat which revamps skills/mana into a much more dynamic resource that’s constantly being spent and regenerated, and I’m a known sucker for character combo attacks which this game has in spades. The later parts of its story are told with a lot of heart, and again I am a known sucker for certain character archetypes. Surprisingly also, I think the movement and exploration is absolutely a standout- not something that’s typically emphasized in the genre. But this game constantly has you hopping across stepping stones, balancing on tightropes, climbing walls and ledges… the emphasis on interesting traversal and verticality is a strength few games like it can boast. 

Before my final pick, I’m including a special section for all the games I didn't play myself but watched my friends play and still want to praise: Hi-Fi Rush, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Mario Bros Wonder, Pizza Tower, the Minish Cap Switch rerelease, and more all came out this year and all of them have brought killer music, excellent gameplay, and stunning visuals that I’ve enjoyed to no end. Anyone considering to pick up any of them would find a quality product without a doubt.

With all that said: I think ultimately it has to be Tunic in the end. Underneath its premise of a Zelda/Souls-like adventure game there is a wealth of secrets that goes as far down as you have the courage to delve. It’s a game built to evoke nostalgia for games that you didn’t understand yet, posing as a game that you watched an older sibling play or a game you could only find a poorly-translated foreign copy of. It obscures everything and teaches you its secrets through context, exploration, and discovering in-game pages of the manual (remember manuals?). It’s a game made for lovers of secrets and puzzles, full of hidden paths and trophies that reward inquisitiveness and observation (and taking paper notes). It was when I saw that it not only has a conlang, but that it gives you the hints you need to fully translate it, that I knew I had to get it myself. It spurred me to screenshot every in-game piece of menu text, then spend evenings cross-referencing it to identify phonemes and construct a key.

The rush I got on completing that key is one of two moments I knew this game was absolutely special. The second standout moment is when the game teaches you its hugest secret, and then invites you to prove your mastery of it by presenting you a huge, multi-part puzzle. But, Tunic does the same thing that one of my other all-time favorites, Outer Wilds, does so well: powerups via knowledge, “unlocking” abilities that you always had, you just didn’t know that you did. The pieces to this puzzle are hidden in plain sight; it’s only when the game tells you what you’re looking for that your understanding shifts, everything clicks, and your eyes are opened to the path you have to follow. I don’t say it lightly, but I consider Tunic to be a one-of-a-kind title, and one that delivers completely on its unique vision. 

In case that brick of text doesn’t make it clear, I love this game. 

I love all of these games.

It's a fine time to be alive.