#last time i played skyward sword was on the wii and i feel like this was easier there

[xiomeebo]

replaying skyward sword right now and I am having the worst time trying to take out the fucking spiders.

[blueeyedrat]

Games I played in 2023.

Last year was stable. This year has been... less so. I've bounced between getting out more and shutting myself in more, and between trying to take better care of myself and letting small issues and stressors start to pile up. My steady job got a lot less steady, and I'm now out of work and finding ways to pass the time. Like video games, for instance. Shall we?

(2022 ⇐ 2023)

Moncage

This was another decent year for getting caught up on games I've tried out and expressed an interest in before. Moncage, INSIGHT, Railbound, URBO, and a few other games you'll see further down the list. I also followed up on some games I've played in the past like Train Valley 2, and even dipped back into some old mainstays like Eternal. One of these days I'll find time for Minecraft or Dwarf Fortress again.

I more or less broke even on my backlog this year, chipping away at smaller games from assorted bundles I've picked up over the years, but also picking up some new bundles to add to the pile. So many games, so little time.

Before We Leave

While we're talking about the backlog, here's a game I've been interested in for a while. A settlement builder in a solar system of small planets, with a quaint aesthetic of wooden ships and massive space whales. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this one. The automation and logistics aspect is an interesting spin on the genre, even it gets a bit complex at times. Never too challenging, though, and there's enough depth and nuance to hold my interest all the way to the final stages and on towards the stars. I'm looking forward to the upcoming sequel.

The Legend of Zelda (series)

It's hard to go wrong with Zelda. I have fond memories of Skyward Sword, Wind Waker HD, and Breath of the Wild, and with a new one on the way, it seemed like as good a time as any to catch up on my library. In order: Link's Awakening DX, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Minish Cap, and the DLC quests from Breath of the Wild I never got around to. Our Wii U saw more activity than it's gotten in years.

Opinions on each: Awakening was a fun, solid 2D adventure that never overstayed its welcome, though the game shows its age at a few points. Likewise, Ocarina was an interesting look at the series' jump to 3D, but was also somewhat janky at times and it took a while for me to really get into a groove with it. (I think the turning point might've been the Water Temple. I actually liked the Water Temple. Ye gods.) Majora was a sizeable improvement gameplay-wise and played with the format in neat ways, though I'll admit that I butted heads with the time loop mechanic more than once.

I have a particular nostalgia for Minish Cap; some of my earliest memories of Nintendo games are watching my friend's GBA over his shoulder on the bus ride to elementary school. After so long, this was the one I was most curious to see if it held up. Answer: yes. Minish Cap is officially my favorite 2D Zelda, and the highlight of this little retro binge. There's a lot of charm to it, and it just feels good to play.

It may be a bit too recent for nostalgia, but I almost forgot how much I loved Breath of the Wild. My old file was exactly how I left it, and playing through the extra content was a good way to re-acquaint myself with the "new" Zelda style before…

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

This was a daunting one. If I had to sum up Tears in one sentence, it would be this: There is so much game in this game. Even compared to its predecessor, there's so much to do and so many more layers of exploration and interaction, with a wide array of smaller improvements that make it a smoother experience overall.

I wish I could say I put as much time into this game as I did into Breath of the Wild, and I did put a lot of time into it, but… some other things got in the way. Summer is when my work got a lot busier and a good amount more stressful, and this was a game I slowly chipped away at whenever I found time for it. I got pretty much everything I wanted out of it, and after the credits rolled, I put it away and haven't touched it since. I should change that. I'm sure there are more good times to be had.

Mutazione

The word that comes to mind to describe Mutazione is fascinating. It's a point-and-click narrative, light on gameplay, heavy on story and character. Of the other games I've played recently, the vibes remind me the most of Sable – quiet and contemplative, where all you want to do is observe and take in the world and characters that are being presented to you. It dovetails nicely with the story itself, which largely consists of a curious little soap opera playing out around characters who are along for the ride. The writing is some of the best I've seen this year, and gets real fuckin' raw in ways I wasn't expecting. This one will stick with me for a while.

Pikmin 3 / The Wild at Heart

I've never had the focus or dexterity for a really complex RTS, but Pikmin's always been a little more approachable. Played the second game in the series a while back, picked up a used copy of Pikmin 3 at a local convention this year, and with another one coming out, it seemed as good an excuse as any to make it a double feature.

Both games have their charms. Pikmin has a distinct style and sense of scale that's hard to replicate, and a good variety of environments and encounters and puzzles. The Wild at Heart is smaller in scope as a Pikmin-like, and hits some familiar beats while remixing some of the core ideas in interesting ways. The latter also put more of an emphasis on character and narrative, something I'd like to see fleshed out more, but what we got was still satisfying. Both games were fun, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Pikmin 4 soon.

Chants of Sennaar / Heaven's Vault

Another double feature – one game that caught my eye immediately, and another I've been curious about for a while. For a long time I've had a fondness for constructed languages, with scripts and writing systems of particular interest. The idea of decoding such a language lends itself well to a puzzle game, and these two approach it in different ways: Chants of Sennaar features multiple cultures in a Tower of Babel-esque setting, each with their own quirks and traits to learn and translate between, and their own puzzles to solve. Heaven's Vault opts for depth, with a single language and a vast history that you slowly unravel through exploration.

My verdict for both games is the same. The language puzzles are really cool and interesting! I want more of them! …Everything else in between gets sort of meandering at times. Not enough to drag down the overall experience, but perhaps enough to overstay its welcome. Sennaar filled the space with a mish-mash of puzzles and stealth, which felt oddly paced at times. Heaven's Vault's pacing was hit even harder with slow exploration and visual novel-esque story segments – fine enough for one playthrough, but the amount of wandering and backtracking involved makes me hesitant to go back and play NG+ to see the rest of the content. I don't have the patience to play a visual novel multiple times to see what all of the dialogue options do. The story's fine as is, and I got what I wanted out of it.

Even with their faults, these are still probably the games that influenced me the most in 2023. If anyone asks me, as a game dev, what I would make given unlimited time, resources, and creative freedom, from now on I'm going to point to Chants of Sennaar and say "something like that". I want more games like this to exist. I will make them myself, if I have to.

F-Zero 99

This wasn't the only racing game I played this year – a bunch of new content was added to Mario Kart 8, and I also pulled Horizon Chase Turbo from my backlog and spent a bit of time on that – but this is definitely the one that made the biggest splash. I've never played an F-Zero game, and it controls differently enough from other racers I've played that I had to unlearn a lot of muscle memory, but I got the hang of it after a while. The 99-player model is frantic in an enjoyable way, and races are quick enough that it's easy to pick up and play in short bursts… which is good, because short bursts are all my nerves can take with this one. Seriously this game is stressful. Fun, but stressful. Maybe one of these days I'll actually win a 99-player race.

Cobalt Core

I've been playing... a lot of Cobalt Core these past couple months. I don't jump on every roguelite or deckbuilder that comes out, but when one does get its hooks in me, they get in deep. This is another one of those games where everything just works. Great music and pixel art, fun characters (all traits shared with its predecessor, Sunshine Heavy Industries, which I also liked this year), a simple but engaging narrative, and an addicting gameplay loop that I can easily sink an hour into whenever the mood strikes me. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't need to – it takes a lot of ideas from games that have come before it, and builds on them to create something really enjoyable. One of my favorite games of the year, without question.

Terra Nil

As we build up, so too must we tear down. This is another one I wanted to get to sooner or later, and managed to slip it in during the last couple weeks of the year. It's also a type of game I want to play more often; a lot of the time when I play sim and builder games all I really want in the end is to build nice-looking homes and environments, and Terra Nil spins that into a puzzle game where those things are the only goal. It was a nice time, but left me wanting more – either more content in Terra Nil, or more games like it.

Eastward

This game is… a curiosity. A solid action-adventure game with a memorable cast of characters and impeccably detailed pixel art. Gameplay flips back and forth between slow-paced story segments and fun setpiece levels with a decent variety of tools for combat and puzzle-solving. The biggest sticking point is the narrative: the pacing and worldbuilding felt odd and disjointed in places, particularly in the back half, sometimes feeling like it's saying too much and often like it's said too little. Yet throughout all that, it never failed to be compelling, and I was hooked all the way 'til the end. What's more, the idea of the upcoming Octopia DLC flipping the entire game and setting on its head has my interest thoroughly piqued – something to look forward to in the coming year.

-

Here's to 2024, and here's hoping things turn around sooner or later.

[pjunicornart]

Random Thoughts About Cornelius/Lewis I think about way too often

Title is self explanatory. Mostly headcanons under the cut.

I wonder what else he's picky about? Why would he make a PB&J gun? Because he's like me. Portions on certain foods need to be EXACTLY TO MY SPECIFICATIONS otherwise I'll break down. So if he's picky about a simple PB&J, what else is he picky over? I think he doesn't like a lot of spaghetti sauce on pasta, or he just orders butter pasta. He probably never has any kind of liquid/creamy based thing on subs, like mayo or dressings. Also can't stand coconut. Just a vibe.

I don't think Neil tolerates heat very well. I feel like on really hot Summer days, the last thing he wants to do is go outside... unless it's to a pool. Because he gets heat sick very easily, and he feels like he's gonna puke but he knows he's not but because he feels like he is he's just in an eternal cycle of suffering. I'm not speaking from experience what are you talking about...

Loud/sudden loud noises are probably a sensitive thing for Cornelius. I feel like when he was younger he'd hate the sound of blenders, mixers, rumble strips on roads, lightning, etc. As well as shrill/cringe inducing noises such as styrofoam rubbing against styrofoam, crinkling/ripping/rubbing plastic, squeaky markers on whiteboards, buzzing from flies and bees, and squeaky shoes on linoleum floors.

Do you think Neil ever goes into one of those little travel bubbles and just kinda floats through the air? Like to be in a calming environment.

I think besides dogs, he also wants a pet snake. It was like that when he was a kid, and as an adult, he still wants a pet snake.

Cornelius has a very specific way of doing things, and if you mess up that system by cleaning his mess for him, you're dead!

I think in general he has sleep issues. Especially when Neil is on business trips. He's only comfortable (and used to) sleeping in his own environment, so any other environment messes with his routine enough to make him toss and turn.

In case it wasn't already obvious, I think Cornelius is autistic. Self diagnosed later on down the line. I feel like the physical symptom he displays the most (aside from fidgeting) is toe walking.

Let's face it... Lewis in the movie is kind of an irritable jerk. But I think this is explained by his past. He always keeps his guard up and he never wants to get close to anybody because they always leave him. Hence why he scolds himself for letting himself think Wilbur was a friend, rather than scolding Wilbur for lying after he found out.

He didn't like frogs at first because "Ew, slimy."

He was definitely the type to always get picked last in gym class. Neil can't catch a ball to save his life... but he is a pretty fast runner.

Another vibe I get, but I feel like there were those times when he wished Mr. Willerstein could be his dad. He was essentially the only thing close to a father figure he had in his life before he got adopted. We don't see much screen time with them interacting, but it's clear Lewis and Mr. Willerstein had a pretty good teacher-student relationship. Hell, I even feel like Lewis would prefer to spend his lunch hour with his teacher instead of in the cafeteria with everybody being loud and annoying.

If Neil is gonna play any game, it's gotta have good puzzles. So what I'm saying is he probably played a lot of Professor Layton. But because he grew up during the DS, Wii, and Gamecube era, he's probably nostalgic for those Zelda games (Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword), Mario games (New Bros. Wii, Mario Kart Wii, Galaxy 1 & 2, Mario Kart DS, Mario Party DS, Double Dash, Sunshine, Paper Mario), as well as the Metroid and Megaman games which would've been in circulation during that time period. For some reason, I don't think he was ever interested in Pokemon. I feel like that's more Franny's schtick.

Cornelius does NOT like horror games. Unless it's FNaF, because it's not actually scary most of the time.

He either sleeps in the softest blankets known to man or he ain't sleeping at all.

Neil may be one of the smartest men on Earth, yes, but he still has his dumb moments. Like when he's trying to find the syrup in the pantry for his pancakes, and he can't find it so he asks Wilbur for help. Then Wilbur proceeds to find the bottle of syrup that was right in front of Neil's face the whole time, and he somehow didn't register its existence.

Lewis prefers longer socks to normal length socks, because he blisters easily. But also because there are more fun varieties.

Frogs he can learn to love. But small, spindly spiders? NOPE NOPE NOPE. Tarantulas? He loves them because they're fuzzy and the perfect petting size! But the minute the spiders get smaller he is OUT. He hates bugs in general, really. The minute he finds a spider, ant, bee, or any bug in his house he will bomb the residence then move to Mars.

[welcome-to-hyrulepark]

[CHAPTER ONE: AN UNINTENDED JOURNEY (PART TWO)]

Locate: shrine of ressurection. Date: 06/04/2017. Time: 9:15 am.

We started arguing about what we should do:

«What is this blue bullshit where Craig and his homies fell?» Kyle wondered.

«It looks like a bigger version of portals from the "Portal" game,» Cartman theorized. «And if we have the blue portal, there must be the orange one.»

«Where exactly? Maybe in hell?» Kenny asked sarcastically.

«Come on, guys,» Butters said, «Let's just jump in and then everything is gonna be clear.»

«Okay, mr. Smartypants, here you go!» Cartman said and kicked Butters right into the pit.

«Cartman, are you fu--» but Kyle didn't manage to say the full thing, since he was kicked right after.

«KYYYLEEE!» Stan screamed and jumped to save his best friend.

«CANNONBALL!» Cartman yelled and literally dunked into this portal.

Kenny got a little bit confused, but then he decided to jump after everyone else. I was left alone in the woods, sat a little on the boulder that the guys tried so hard to push, and then I realized that I had nothing to lose and jumped into this damn portal.

--------------------------------------------------

Craig finished his flight in the portal and ended up in some kind of cave, filled with the blue lights. Then Tweek flew into his arms. After that, Clyde and Token appeared. Suddenly, Butters, Kyle, Stan, and Cartman fell out of the portal.

«Hey, what the hell are you doing here?» Craig asked.

«We- We had no other choice.» Butters said.

Soon someone’s scream came from the portal, and a few seconds later a horse’s ass appeared in the distance.

«Disperse!» Cartman shouted.

Just like cannonball, Kenny stormed into the cave. He barely stood up and noticed that he had changed a lot.

«Holy shit! Look at me! I'm a real centaur.»

«And my ears are sharper for some reason.» Kyle said perplexingly.

--------------------------------------------------

When I was last out of the wormhole, Stan was calming everybody down:

«Don't panic, folks. We just need to enter this blue hole and then we gotta go back to South--»

However, as soon as Stan looked towards the portal, it began to close.

«No, no, nooo!» Stanley screamed and started punching where the wormhole used to be. All we had to do was find a way out of the cave, so we could at least figure out where we were.

Usually the cave is a very dark and scary place. But not this one, because it was illuminated by blue light. The lights were moving in a very definite direction, as if showing us the way out. We were moving in this direction, and the light was getting brighter and brighter. Finally, we saw a very bright light in the distance. «Is this the exit?» I thought. But it turned out to be something resembling a tub with a huge lamp above it, like an operating table. The boys were scared because it could be some kind of secret laboratory, but for me this place seemed to be familiar. It was then that Kyle decided to approach this very tub.

«Guys, look!» he said with a note of panic in his voice. «What is with this guy? Is he going to be subjected to terrible medical experiments?»

«Is there a guy in there?» Craig asked.

«Yeah.» Kyle answered. «He's about 16-17 years old, only wears underwear and has the same sharp ears as me.»

That description makes me feel overwhelmed, because this is exactly the same picture I had of a glowing cave and a teenage elf in a tub filled with the same glowing liquid on my TV screen yesterday. To test my guess, I decided to look here myself. At that point, I almost had a minor heart attack, because I realized — we found Link.

«Jimmy, are you okay?» Clyde asked.

Yes, I was okay. Moreover, I was sure I knew a way back into our dimension. I turned to the guys and asked them:

«Guys, do you know, what is The Legend of Zelda?»

Everyone was silent and only Cartman answered:

«Oh, oh, oh! I know these games! I played Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword on my Wii.»

«Great, Eric!» I said. «So, why did I ask you that question? Now, what I’m about to tell you may sound a bit freaky to you, but judging from this place and this fellow lying in this stone bathroom, we find ourselves in the world of the last game of the series, Breath of the Wild, which I played on my brand new Nintendo Switch.»

«Wait, wait, wait!» Cartman interrupted me. «How long have I been sleeping? Nintendo has released a new console?!»

«Yes, but that’s not what’s important now.» I went on. «In the game’s plot, Link wakes up here after a hundred years of sleep, because back in the day he failed…»

«Don't spoil me! Please, no spoilers!» Cartman yelled.

«Eric, I'm actually going to suggest we follow the plot of the game so we can get home.» I said. «You’ll know the story before you get to the video game anyway.»

«So, what exactly do we do?» Tweek asked.

«First, we need to wait until Link, I mean this fella, wakes up.» I said. «And then he can help us find our way out.»

We sat there waiting. Five, ten, twenty minutes had passed, but he was still not getting up. Everyone was getting bored and I was still sitting there waiting. Finally, Craig couldn’t take it:

«Jim, are you sure we’re here at the exact moment when your Link is supposed to wake up?»

«Do you have any doubts?» I asked with suspicions.

«Of course I do because I’ve watched a lot of science shows about space and quantum physics. It was said that such wormholes are completely unpredictable, and can carry not only to another dimension, but also to another time.»

«You mean we can sit here even for fifty years until he wakes up?» Tweek panicked.

«I'm not going to wait for so long!» Kyle exclaimed.

He walked up to Link, took him by the shoulders and started shaking.

«Dude, Wake up! We need you!!!» he screamed hysterically.

Kyle stopped holding Link, he fell down, hitting his head, and came round finally. After seeing dozen oddly dressed boys, Link wanted to scream, but he just wheezed (of course, because he hadn`t spoken for a hundred years). We looked at him like he was our biggest hero, while he looked at us like he lived his whole life in the woods and didn’t see people.

«Guten Morgen.» I said. «We’ve been waiting for ya.»

In response, Link just started mooing and wheezing, trying to say a word.

«Are you sure this guy will help us with anything?» Token asked me.

«Sure.» I said. «All you need to do is give him time to adjust.»

«Wh-h-sh-hat I... You a-a-re dho-o-oing here?» Link asked.

«Congratulations!» I said, shaking his hand and winking to the others. «You just woke up from a hundred years of sleep, and we came from another dimension to help you adapt to a new world for you.»

«A h-hundred years? Another dimension? It seems like some kind of joke,» Link said. «I am just dreaming about you all.»

«So that blow to the bottom of the tub didn’t wake you up?» Kyle asked with displeasure.

«We are just wasting our time!» Craig said. «Come on! We can find this goddamn way out by ourselves.»

Of course, I was upset by such a twist because I felt bad for that Link. I thought that he deserves better and should become a hero. But the others were adamant. Getting home is what they were thinking about right now.

--------------------------------------------------

Link kept lying in the tub, trying to realize what happened to him. He just opened his eyes as some kids told him they came from another dimension, and he’s been here for 100 years. But how exactly did it happen? What was he like in that old life? Link was trying to remember something, but it was like nothing in his head, and he couldn’t remember anything except for those first minutes after he woke up. What is this strange place and what is beyond it? Link realized that he could no longer stay here and decided to follow those freaks. His hands trembled and he tried to get to his feet. It took him a lot of work to do that, because after such a long time he couldn't even stand still. Now he had to get out of the tub and find those boys. He lifted his leg, stepped over the edge and was able to touch the ground. However, before he could lift his other leg, Link tripped, fell, but broke nothing, as he had put his hands forward. Barely standing up, he began to walk step by step towards the corridor to find his new acquaintances.

--------------------------------------------------

«Wait! I'm with you!» We heard suddenly.

«You’ve made up your mind!» Kyle said happily then he walked up to Link and let him hold on to his shoulders.

«Let me help him walk.» Kenny said. «Because I’m higher and have four legs.»

Link took Kenny and used him as a walker. We kept looking for a way out, following the same principle - follow the lights. And these same lights piled up in a blue, shining stalactite that had some sort of terminal below it. We came up here, and Clyde then said:

«Guys, look! It’s a tablet charging at the docking station. Holy cow, the tablet in the fantasy world! It even has a camera!»

And then Clyde pressed the camera button and took a really bad selfie, as you know, if we’d taken a picture of ourselves with a Japanese toilet without knowing it.

«Be careful, Clyde!» I said. «It’s an ancient artifact, Sheikah Slate.»

«How do you know about our artifacts being from another dimension?» Link asked.

«Ha-ha-ha! Trust me, buddy, aliens from a distant universe can know a lot.» I responded.

As I took that Sheikah Slate, an arrow appeared on the screen that acted like a compass needle. «It probably points in the direction to the exit.» I thought. Then I gave the slate to Stan, because my hands were holding crutches and we all went in the direction of the arrow. Eventually, we came to a huge stone door, which had to be open with the same Sheikah Slate, as I remember. Stan tried to lean it on something like a scanner that was nearby. The door opened on its own, and the bright sunlight almost blinded us. As soon as our eyes got used to daylight, we saw in front of us an incredible landscape. Link was the first to exit the cave, and suddenly we heard someone’s voice:

«Finally. We were starting to think you’d never wake up.»

We followed Link out and saw that there was an old man with a staff sitting near the entrance whose face was covered with a hood. Seeing us, he was as surprised as we were.

«K-kids?! They weren't in our plans.»

«You won’t believe this, but they’re saying they came from another dimension and trying to help me.» Link said.

Those words confused the old man even more, but I tried to explain him everything:

«Believe us, sir, it would be dangerous for him to go alone, and together we would make a great team. We have an archer, a swordsman, a wizard, a paladin and a guy who always knows what to do.»

«It’s true. This boy even explained to me what this thing is.» Link said, pointing on Sheikah Slate.

The old man pondered a little, stroked his beard, then said:

«Well, let’s just say that you were sent by the Almighty to help this guy finally stop the chaos that is now unfolding throughout Hyrule. If we lose again, nothing can save us.»

«We are glad to oblige.» I said, and stretched out my hand to him.

Then I noticed that I did not feel this old man, my hand passed through him. «Was the ghost talking to us?» I thought, then looked up and recognized king Rhoam in this man. He looked at me and smiled, then he looked up at the others and said:

«Well, the only thing I can do is wish you luck. Let your own adventure begin!»

After that Rhoam went away, gradually disappearing. We gave him a look, and Butters even waved at him, then asked Link:

«So, are YOU ready for this adventure?»

«Probably yes.» Link responded. «But I’m not going in there naked, am I?»

We noticed that Clyde had found a chest of Link’s old clothes at the entrance of the cave: yellowish robes, brown pants and boots. There was also a folded paraglider, which was given at the beginning of the game. Link put all this on, I took the paraglider, and we set off.

«Jim, don’t you think it’s a little suspicious that the wormhole took us exactly to the beginning of the game?» Craig asked me.

«Let’s assume that the old man was right, and we were brought there specifically so that we could help this unfortunate world.» I said in response.

I've been wanting to remake the first chapter for a very long time, but doing it in comic form would mean at least another 2-3 months of work, and I need to move on and draw the third chapter. That's why I did everything in WattPad fanfic format: text that is interrupted by illustrations so that reading is not boring.

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[Chapters menu]

[solidandsound]

Annual~ video~ game~ retrospective~~~

My goal for this year was to beat every game in my backlog from the year 2004, having already cleared out everything prior to that. I did succeed at this goal as it was set... but since then I have also added a bunch more games to my backlog, thanks to my partner and I buying up a bunch of stuff before the Wii U virtual console store closed. As a result, I'm setting the same goal again: to beat everything in my backlog from 2004 or earlier. As a subgoal, I'll try and get a head start on 2005 as well, as that year is packed for me!

In terms of numbers, I only beat 26 games this year. That's a fair bit fewer than last year's 33. I blame some of the meaty titles I tackled this year, as well as the stuff I played a lot of but can't say I'm done with. If I want to boost that number, I may decide to play more tiny indie games next year.

I went on a bit of a Fire Emblem kick this year. After doing my second playthrough of Three Houses, I still wanted more, so I tried Shadow Dragon for the first time. I'd always dismissed the game for its art style and knowing that it has a more bare bones story than other games in the series. Both of those things are true, but it ended up being such a blast to play regardless, and so interesting to see where the famous Fire Emblem permadeath mechanic began. I then went on to (re)play Fire Emblem (GBA) and Sacred Stones, and thought a lot about the pros and cons of FE's approach to permadeath and how it's changed as the series progressed, and ended up taking some notes on how I would approach it in a game of my own. And I closed off the year with a replay of Fire Emblem Echoes to top it all off!

I also went on a bit of a Zelda kick to prepare for Tears of the Kingdom. Unlike a lot of folks my age, I only got into Zelda as an adult, and there was still a lot of the series I hadn't gotten to yet. To remedy that, this year I played Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, and Skyward Sword. MC was charming. I loved Twilight Princess! It had such strong imagery, intense vibes, and Midna is possibly the best character in the series. Phantom Hourglass was kind of awful and I ended up dropping the game; they took the basic Wind Waker art style and then decided they didn't need to do any actual work on making the game look good. Skyward Sword was a mixed bag and ultimately feels pretty low-to-mid for the series; it's competent enough but excels at very little. And then, of course, there's Tears of the Kingdom, which I mostly loved. It's an impressively dense game with a world that feels very lived in, and it makes some smart balancing changes coming from Breath of the Wild. I wasn't too fond of the ending, though.

I went on a bit of an Etrian Odyssey kick, too. After Untold 2, I was really craving more, so I made the jump into the more traditional side of EO with EOIV. I had so much fun building my party and coming up with their personalities and backstories.

Here are some more highlights from the year:

Hades. Supergiant doesn't miss!

As a side adventure to my FE obsession, I played Dark Deity, an indie FE-like. It was quite fun early on, but became more tedious later, as well as much buggier. I eventually dropped it, but I'll be curious to see how the sequel turns out.

Voice of Cards: the Isle Dragon Roars. This game has a card-based aesthetic where you flip over cards to reveal the world map. It was great to play on the Switch touch screen, and I'll be sure to check out the other VoC games in the future.

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. I've been chipping away at this game on and off since last year. There's a lot of great stuff in here, and I can see why it's considered an early SRPG classic, but it also feels clunky and underdeveloped in places. Still, it's a Matsuno game, so it has an excellent sense of place and politics.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. My second Matsuno game of the year! Starts off strong, but eventually the story pacing slows and you run out of new abilities to learn, so I did kind of rush the ending after a while.

Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright. A much meatier game than I expected from a crossover title, this is probably one of my favourite Layton games. I do think the villain got off easy, though.

Resident Evil 2 Remake. This was my pick for Spooky Month, and it was a good one!

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions. My third Matsuno game of the year, and the best game I played this year. I've attempted it multiple times before but always got stuck somewhere or other. I suppose I'm finally old enough to wrap my head around its mechanics, and I'm so glad. I was truly blown away and could not stop thinking about FFT for a week after beating it. That ending!!

I also continued my quests through the Yakuza series (Kiwami 2) and Higurashi (chapters 4 and 5), replayed the excellent Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy for the first time since I was a teen, and put hundreds of hours into Splatoon 3 and dozens into Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. The latter is part of why I moved FFXII and FFT up my list, so I could have greater appreciation for their soundtracks while playing TFBL.

I'm likely to go on a bit of an SMT kick again next year with SMT V, Soul Hackers 2, and/or Persona 5 Strikers. I've also been wanting to replay Fire Emblem Awakening with new context, as well as do my third run of Three Houses. Other than that, I have a lot of Wii U virtual console titles to get to now. That'll include my first forays into some classic Nintendo series like Metroid and Pikmin, so it should be a good time!

[satoshi-mochida]

Some thoughts and details on my last Gamefly rental, No More Heroes(Switch version).

An otaku named Travis Touchdown living in the city of Santa Destroy meets a woman named Sylvia at a bar, and after some talking, decides to join the United Assassins Assiciation(UAA), thinking he'll get lucky with her if he gets to Rank 1(and to earn money for all his otaku needs).

Like Skyward Sword, you can use the Joycons to replicate the feel of the Wii version, but I used the modern control scheme.

Basic controls:

X and Y attack with the beam katana high and low, respectively. While in Santa Destroy, pressing Y has someone drive Travis' motorcycle to him. Holding either button will build up a charge attack.

A and B are melee attacks which can stun enemies and let you use wrestling moves on them by jitting the shown directions on the Control Sticks.

Holding L and spinning the right control stick has Travis wank the beam katana around to recharge it.

Hold ZL to lock onto enemies. While holding the button, you can hit the right control stick left, right or backwards to dodge roll. I think you need to hit a direction on the control stick after guarding to dodge and slow time down to get a few hits in.

When you reduce an enemy's HP to near 0 or counter them by locking blades(or whatever an enemy is using) by spinning the Right Control Stick fast enough, you'll get a prompt to hit the Right Stick in a specific direction, which will do some more damage or kill most regular enemies. After doing one of these Finishers, there'll be a roulette for bonuses at the bottom of the screen, two of which are different types of Super Modes. Managing to get 777 will give you bonus money when you clear a Ranked Battle mission.

After each mission, Travis goes back to his motel room, and there are several things to do there:

Change clothes at Travis' closet.

Change which beam katana to use as you get more from his bed's drawer

Look at the map of Santa Destroy and check your records for missions

Listen to messages on the motel room's phone. I don't think there's actually any that pop up aside from in cutscenes, though.

Save the game at the toilet.

Watch the TV, which lets you rewatch certain movies, like the game's opening and tapes you buy from Beef Head.

Look in the fridge to get restore health...which I think is already at maximum outside of battles?

Play with Travis' kitten Jeane.

There's not much to do around Santa Destroy at first, but more gets unlocked as thew game goes on:

You can get Side Jobs at K-Entertainment and the Job Center, which can be repeated for more money. You'll need to do new jobs at the Job Center first to unlock new Assassination Gigs at K-Entertainment.

There's a training dojo at the Thunder Ryu Building, where you can increase the combo of each beam katana, and raise your Strength and Max Health once(?) between each Ranked Battle. Amusingly, a lawyer-friendly version of 'Eye of the Tiger' plays here. XP

Buy new beam katanas or add-ons for it at Naomi's Lab.

Buy new clothes at the Area 51 clothes store. On New Game Plus, some new shirts can be found around the city.

Buy a tape at Beef Head video store which will teach Travis a new wrestling move when he watches it back at his room.

There are 49 Lovikov balls to collect, which can be given to the drunk Russian man, also named Lovikov, to learn new techniques, including being able to Dash by holding A or B when the beam katana isn't out. Here's a map of where they are. It'd be a good idea to probably keep a checklist to mark off as you collect them.

Another set of collectables is trading cards that you can find in treasure chests while doing the Ranked Battle missions, which are all of wrestling mask(Suda51 loves wrestling). On New Game Plus, more trading cards can be found, but around Santa Destroy this time(which I forgot to do before sending the game back).

Before you can do the next Ranked Battle, you actually need to pay an increasing amount of money at the ATM, so you really need to do the side jobs to grind a bit.

Travis has a motorcycle to drive around Santa Destroy with, which is also used in one Side Job and Ranked Battle mission. A is accelerate and B is brake/back up, ZL is a nitro boost and ZR makes it jump. I wish it was used more or that you could have sections with combat on it.

One of the upgrades, the Accelerator, you can buy from Naomi's shop lets you find buried treasure around Santa Destroy, which will also be marked on the map/minimap. On the first playthrough, this will just be 1000 LB, but the new Trading Cards can be found this way on NG+

The last add-on from Naomi costs a huge amount of LB, and the best way to grind seems to be Assassination Gig 18.

The camera can be kind of a pain sometimes, mostly in tight areas like hallways, and it doesn't stay locked on as you dodge roll.

Two types of battles I had trouble with:

A type of 'fight' that happens a few times is having Travis hitting X or A when a line of enemies throws baseballs at you, and you need to hit it correctly to take them out, and it's three strikes to an out. I could never get the timing down to take out more than a couple of them. ^^;

As you progress, there'll be spots around town(and one Assassination Gig) where you fight a bunch of enemies but only have 1 HP.

Being a Suda51 game, it's a mix of bloody, absurd and over the top(along with some nice moments here and there), and is great for it. There's some deeper stuff about the game/characters, as well, with the second set of trading cards on NG+ having more details on the various Ranked Assassins(some of whom come back in later games one way or another).

An old but amusng detail is that Travis' design is based off of Johnny Knoxville, which fits really well. XD

I'd been meaning to play this for a while when it was back on the Wii, and all of the games are easy to play now, so I'll get to the sequels, eventually.

Next game being sent is: Detective Pikachu Returns.

[girl4music]

Okay,… you never asked for it but I’m going to go on a long rant anyway because I’m just that kind of person.

‘Twilight Princess’ isn’t just my favourite Legend Of Zelda game. It’s also my favourite video game of all-time. I’ve played it countless times over 100% both on the GameCube and the Wii (mostly on the GameCube because that mirror-switch was just unnecessary - LINK IS LEFT-HANDED!) and it’s timeless to me.

The main reason why is Midna and I really have to explain why she’s the main reason because if you knew me you would know just how important character is to me in art/entertainment. She’s my favourite Zelda character of all-time. Her character representation and development is handled superbly for a video game, and, like you, I loved that I finally had a companion in a Zelda game that felt like a REAL PERSON as opposed to an annoying shadow following me around everywhere I went, telling me what to do every single fucking second. Navi really is the reason ‘Ocarina Of Time’ was a once-only/never-again gameplay experience for me. I completed it once 100% and never looked back because Navi was just that annoying. Fi in ‘Skyward Sword’ I didn’t mind so much as she stayed in the sword for most of the game and only emerged when I actually needed her help. Not before prompting me to summon her every time though. Midna however was an absolute joy to engage with, to have as a companion and to learn of her plight in the Twilight realm and understand her story. Why she is the way she is when we first meet her. Why she’s so mistrusting, manipulative and selfish. And how she goes from that to someone that actually sacrifices her own well being to keep Link safe and to help him save Zelda and Hyrule by extension. She’s just the shining example of how characterisation should be written in a video game because she didn’t feel like a sidekick, only there to aid us along in our endeavours. She felt like a friend. Someone to confide and take comfort in. And since you spoiled the endgame for her, - that is still one of the greatest character transformations I’ve ever seen in any art/entertainment medium whatsoever. So yeah, she’s the main factor as to why I love ‘Twilight Princess’ so much. The creators of the game actually made me care about what I should have regarded as another “Navi” in another Zelda game where the gameplay is majorly the same as the last game was in that the mechanics were just the same.

But other reasons were the maturity of the darker visual appearance (because I was one of those “ridiculous” people that didn’t like the graphics art style of ‘Wind Waker’, discounting it completely as a playable, let alone enjoyable, Zelda game because I was an idiot like that back then), a thoroughly engaging open-world exploration gameplay experience I had never really had before, and finally, like you also mentioned, I cared about the NPC’s throughout the entire game - especially those of Link’s hometown - which made me feel personally close to the character I was playing as for once. I’ve never felt that way before about Link. I mean he was still silent and about as charismatic as a cardboard box - just as he always was - but the dynamics changed. I related to and resonated with him like never before all because I felt a personal attachment to HIS people. That made all the damn difference.

You talked about how ‘Twilight Princess’ is a game you could only play once, feel fully immersed in and then it would go stale for you. You’d find yourself rushing to get through it. That was and will never be the way it is for me. I could go back to that game right now - start a whole new playthrough and find myself just as immersed in that world, in that lore and in those characters. Yes, nostalgia would be a factor as to why, but I just know that I’d completely enjoy playing it just as much as I did the first time I played it if not more.

[owlixx]

Operation Terminus

So…I’ve canceled my plan to play/replay the first nine Assassin’s Creed games following my current playthrough of Valhalla. Instead, I’ll be cleaning up my “backlog”. Given the nature of what I do and how I play games, that’s less about which games I “own” and more about which games I’ve already sunk some time into.

Games I’m close to finishing:

* Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Xbox

Yeah this is the one I’m currently doing so definitely going to finish here before moving on, but I maybe do some small sonic game runs before digging into this operation proper.

* Phoenix Wright 1 3DS

I’m sooooo close, I’m like halfway through the final case, the DS exclusive one.

* Midnight Suns Xbox

Okay admittedly I’m only like…just past the start of Act 2 but this one is a priority before all the information completely leaves my brain. Plus the DLC is all out now and I own it!

* Wind Waker Wii U

I’m literally over halfway done with the triforce hunt so this is super close but I lost about an hour of progress last time I played over a year ago and haven’t touched it since. Shouldn’t be more than a couple days of playing left.

* Sonic Unleashed Xbox

Stuck on empire city, I just need to get some more medals to progress. Using a guide should help.

Games I’m near or around half done:

* Skyward Sword Wii U

In Lanayru Desert for the first time, not yet to the dungeon. So 1/4 - 1/3 done with the game? The motion controls kill me but standing up might help

* Metroid Prime 1 Wii U

Similar to wind waker, lost a good chunk of progress last time I played to space pirates. I don’t think you can turn down the difficulty after starting a playthrough but I should if I can.

* Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze Wii U

Stuck on boss of world…3? I do really enjoy this game when it works well

* Wario Land 3 Switch

I think I’m around half? Game is just big and other stuff came up

* Hot Shots Tennis Get A Grip PS Vita

Actually no idea how long this game is but it’s awesome

* Ratchet and Clank 2 PS3

I think I’m around half? Just got new ps3 controllers

* Bulletstorm PS3

I think I just started act 4 of 7, enjoying it so far

* War For Cybertron (dad?)

Okay admittedly I’m like less than half done with the first of two campaigns but I think I’ll be trying this coop soon online with my dad

* Fire Emblem Awakening 3DS

I think I’m on chapter 8 of 25

* Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes Switch

I can’t remember how far I got actually but I feel like I poured a good amount of time in already

* Xenoblade Chronicles Wii

Maybe 1/3 done with game?

* Professor Layton 1 DS

Maybe 2/3 done? I tried to omit games I’ve already beaten from this list unless I’m super close to beating them again and it’s been a while

* Mario Kart 7 3DS

I just kind of plink away at unlocking all the courses now and then but this shouldn’t take long with any effort applied

* Monster Tale DS

Again no clue how long this one is but I feel like I’m a good chunk into it, maybe 1/4

* Deadpool PS3

I think I’m on chapter 4 of 8

Games I Can Skip The Intro On:

* Mega Man Battle Network DS

I’m past the first main boss but not yet to the second. Playing a fan Tran of the Ds remake

* Mega Man Battle Network 2 GBA

I think same as above

* Death Stranding PC

Honestly this is a huge game and I’m only maybe 6 hours in

* Disco Elysium PC

Maybe 15 hours in?

* Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3

Barely past tutorial

* Bayonetta Wii U

Literally just past tutorial

* Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga Remake 3DS

Out of tutorial and past first main boss

* Final Fantasy Tactics Advance GBA

Decent clip into this one, maybe 15 hours, but it’s a huge game

* Puzzle and Dragon Z 3DS

Still in the tutorial in the main game, on world 3 or 4 of the Mario version

* Pilotwings Resort 3DS

I mean, it’s such a short game that the couple hours I’ve played is like half of it

* Dragon Age Origins Xbox

Maybe ten hours in? Big game though

* Final Fantasy VI GBA

Only 2-3 hours in and a huge game

* Twilight Princess Wii U

Just past the tutorial if that

* Crisis Core PS Vita

Think I’m still in the first real mission after the tutorial

* Locoroco PS Vita

Towards the end of world 2

* Patapon 2 PS Vita

Okay not actually far in but I’m considering the five or so hours I spent in Patapon 1 to be a kind of sunken cost tutorial

* Dead Space Extraction Wii U

I think…3 missions in? Out of 10?

* Sonic Colors Wii U

On world…3? Out of 7? Played before and replaying taking turns with partner

* Uncharted Golden Abyss PS Vita

Okay just past tutorial admittedly

* Wipeout 2048 PS Vita

Like Mario kart, i plonk away at this here and there

* Luigi’s Mansion 2 3DS

First of five mansions down

* Retro Game Challenge DS

I wanna say I’m on the third or fourth game of 8

* Grand Theft Auto 4 PS3

Maybe 2-3 hours in

* ICO PS3

1-2 hours in

* Demon Souls PS3

Okay barely even got past making a character, just got to the hun world at all

* Pokémon Sun 3DS

Okay this one I’m actually more like half done with I think, maybe closer to 1/3 but it’s been a while.

* Elebits Wii

Maybe 3 or 4 of the 25 levels done

[transgirl-gaming-thoughts]

My Thoughts On: Rhythm Heaven DS

Hi there! It's Alex! I recently (ok, like a month ago) finished Rhythm Heaven for the Nintendo DS, or more specifically I played the Japanese release, Rhythm Tengoku Gold. I absolutely adored the first game on the Gameboy Advance, so I was really optimistic going into the second entry of the series! Did it pay off? Eh...

Keep in mind that all my thoughts should be taken with a grain of salt, as I am not an objective game analysis expert or reviewer, I'm simply sharing my personal thoughts.

I've never leaned much into the whole "Nintendo gimmick controls", like the Wiimote or the DS touchscreen. Some games make good use of the touchscreen like Cave Story on the 3DS eShop allowing for more seamless inventory selection, but mostly I view these things as novelties that could be done without. I play Skyward Sword on the Switch so that I can use button controls instead of motion, for example. So when I saw that RHDS was controlled 100% using the touchscreen, I wasn't thrilled. BUT, I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and start my journey!

The first few games are alright, with a new take on Built to Scale from the GBA entry, and some more neat rhythm games, but right after Remix 1 we reach my first symptom of carpal tunnel: Ping Pong. The Ping Pong game in RHDS is easily one of my least favorite rhythm games in the series so far, and that's counting the rest of this game! It was my first taste of the mixed bag that is Rhythm Heaven DS. Con: The rhythm games aren't as consistent as the first one. While I pretty consistently enjoyed the games in the GBA game, the DS entry constantly had me on highs and in lows. Some games I loved, like DJ School, and some I abhorred like Ping Pong and Moai Doo-Wop.

Reaching Remix 6, I was worried as to how I might fare in the second half of the game. I already knew there were 10 levels in all, so I- wait, are those the credits? Yep, after Remix 6, the staff credits roll, and then the last 4 levels are added, making them technically post-game content? That felt odd to me and totally threw off my rhythm of progress. Looking at my backlog and seeing that it was already beat made it hard to continue for a little bit. I finally did come back to it and... well...

Con: The last 4 levels are pretty mid. Most of the games in levels 7-10 are just new harder versions of previous games, and the remixes most of the time use games that weren't even in that level so you have no fair clue as to what may be thrown at you. It sort of feels like this was a "Rhythm Heaven Expert Mode" which was an unpleasant punch to the throat. I love Rhythm Heaven because I feel like it makes rhythm games accessible to people who aren't really any good at them (i.e. me), so to have a slew of games of this manor wasn't exactly fun for me, but I can see why people might like it.

Now, I have to say, Remix 10? Easily made the whole game worth it! Pro: Remix 10 is a bop. Remix 10 incorporates every game up to that point, and strings them all together in a perfect song that ties together the leitmotif of the game present in so many of the songs! Remix 10 made the rough journey worth it for me, and that's saying a lot considering how many things I disliked about this one.

One last Pro: It has one of the best soundtracks ever! Particularly I love Fan Club, The Dazzles, and Karate Man 1 and 2. Fantastic music, even among Rhythm Heaven games! I was blown away!

In the end, despite everything, I still enjoyed Rhythm Heaven DS. It's not a favorite of all time, it's not even a favorite among the series, but it's still a lovely game with an identity of its own. If i had to rate it, I'd give it maybe a 4/5 stars to be fair, but it's far from perfect. Still, I look forward to sticking with the series, as Rhythm Heaven Fever on Wii is next! Be sure to ask questions and suggest new post ideas in my ask box! Stay safe, stay hydrated, and God bless! Happy gaming to ya!

~ Alex

[pinkobjectmilkshake]

I wanna talk Nintendo Direct but I don’t wanna come across any more Direct-related leaks (apparently Among Us got leaked but I thought that was on the platform already?)

My personal predictions:

- an update on Metroid Prime 4 (probably the ‘one more thing’ this time - it’s probably gonna be crossgen)

- Splatoon 3 Final Fest, or at least the next Splatfest if not that (how have the youtubers I watch not thought of this?)

- Fitness Boxing Miku news

- Maybe replaying that recent Sonic X Shadow Generations trailer (50/50 chance)

- Mario Party (possibly crossgen?)

Suggestions I’ve seen some of the Youtubers I watch - and their commenters - make:

- 2D Zelda (either a new title or a remake - Capcom’s Oracle games and Minish Cap are the oldest titles to not yet have received either a remaster or remake, so it could be one of those)

- Arlo specifically mentioned wanting a Super Metroid remake in Dread’s engine, and although realistically I think that one’s unlikely, I know MercurySteam have been wanting to do it since they first started developing Metroid games, so it’s not impossible. It’s the next Metroid game on the ‘remake’ chopping block anyway

- Mario sports title (GettingMadz suggests baseball or basketball, since those are currently absent from the Switch)

- 2D Donkey Kong. Probably not a Country though, since Retro Studios seem to have a lot on their plate with Prime 4 (although if they were developing both simultaneously, it’d explain why the latter’s been a bit sluggish in that regard). I feel like the series has had more eyes on it since the Super Mario Bros Movie came out, and there hasn’t been a new game since Tropical Freeze (does MvDK count if it’s a successor to DK94?)

Suggestions I’ve seen around the place but am personally a bit skeptical on:

- a Kid Icarus game. I haven’t played Uprising, but I know the control scheme is pretty reliant on the 3DS’s hardware, so it’d be a pain in the ass to port to Switch. I’d say that it’d be better to just make a fourth game, but at this point it can be held off for the Switch’s successor.

- a third Tomodachi game (or fourth if you count Miitomo). As much as I love Tomodachi Life, and think it would be a fitting swan song for the Miis, I don’t think it’s gonna happen at this stage ;-;

- ports of the Wii U’s Zelda remasters. It’s been almost 8 years, if they were gonna happen they would’ve done it already (probably alongside Skyward Sword HD). Just give up on these games coming to Switch.

- Xenoblade Chronicles X port. Although it’s the last Wii U original that’s apparently worth a damn, it struggled to run on that system without a now-inaccessible patch, and running it on the Switch would bring similar results (I mean, BotW runs into major framerate issues occasionally, and that was a launch game!). I’m confident in saying they’ve always been saving this port for the Switch successor.

- a 3D Mario game. They just released a definitively mainline Super Mario game last year with Wonder, but although it’s not unheard of to release two mainline games with different gameplay styles for the same system within a year of each other (NSMBWii/Galaxy 2, NSMBU/3D World), there’s no point in doing that when the system is on its deathbed. I’d say they’re saving it for the Switch successor’s launch, if not later - mainline Mario is a system seller after all.

[mass-effort]

i just want christmas to come so i can drown my sorrows in zelda botw

[doomed-era]

sure why not but im not going to fish thru emojis so: least fav zelda game, favorite version of zelda, fav location, pet peeves, unpopular opinions and fav headcanons

OOH hehe :)

this makes it a bit easier tbh I don’t like cross-referencing the emojis 

least favorite game,, ahaha (I’m probably gonna play it after I finish this ask)

full disclosure I like all of the ones I’ve played a LOT and I know a lot of people pick on skyward sword but...yeah

it’s actually really good still, I enjoy the aesthetic and the music is gorgeous of course

of course there’s those little details I enjoy in every zelda game like the signs up in skyloft academy and slicing mushrooms and the npcs  (gorko my beloved)

and the motion controls are actually really fun? I’m playing on the wii and I haven’t made it that far through but like

mmm the writing. kinda sucks. not just in a handholdy tells you five times to press a to win the race but just...mmmgh it feels off. even when it’s just story material it feels redundant and jilted, and this may be partially the translation’s fault but??? the themes of the story are also weird. the beginning makes a big deal of how Link is this special chosen one and has everything handed to him, and when something like that is emphasized so early on in the story I kinda expect it to be subverted? I don’t know how to explain why this makes narrative sense to me

and then they apparently just. never do. and while I like what I’ve seen of the characters so far having them in a framework of “everything you do is predetermined by a goddess who while good intentioned from day one had some weird priorities” is...wow

don’t like that, it makes me uncomfortable

additionally some of my least favorite headcanons stem from skyward sword so yeah I like the game but it’s still my least favorite of like. my favorite games 

favorite version of zelda: it’s botw zelda ahaha

she’s such a nerd??? I love her??? I really wish we had gotten to see more of her nerding out in the memories I love it when she does that 

if anything that’s what makes her my favorite, though her insecurities are certainly a...thing

I really enjoy it when she’s just outright mean to link, actually. give me more of that. let her be mean. let her be insecure let her be uncomfortable with all this and eventually find her own way

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the calamity happens on her 17th birthday and that’s when she unlocks her powers. botw is ultimately zelda’s story imo- it’s about her growing up and realizing she has to forge her own path instead of following her predecessors

(tetra is a close second though...love her)

favorite location: MMMM forest haven..............or dragon roost......or city in the sky..........or twilight realm...........or korok forest.....or the dark world.....

okay AESTHETICALLY forest haven. also. makar. love him. I love WW deku tree I love forbidden woods I love the deku leaf. best item in wind waker. love magic power being taken from my body it makes such a pleasing sound

narratively I like the dark world. the dark world is just. I love it. screw any other “dark” dimension in zelda it was formed by ganon’s desires and it shows the true nature of those inside it!!! it has trees that spit bombs!!! it’s so sad and scary and interesting bc the ppl in the light world know the people trapped in there they can’t get out and AUGH

(people who say that oot ruined alttp for them are wrong alttp is AMAZING and VERY different from oot shut UP do you hate basic similarities in a game series filled with patterns)

honorable mentions are the final area from wind waker (that last scene? powerful man. plus it’s absolutely gorgeous) and lake hylia twilight princess (I quote the bird all the time and launching link out of a cannon is funny)

pet peeves: 

ough I have so many 

-ppl ignoring the non “triforce trio” characters. they’re not always side characters ugh (in general I hate the idea that a “side character” can’t also be complex)

-soulmates zelink

-reincarnation hcs in general. I really do not like them. I’m obviously working with them for a fic I’m writing but nah not a big fan

-links having specific “quirks” bc of the “hero’s spirit.” I hate this so much. genuinely dehumanizing 

-anything that even remotely fetishizes the gerudo

-any hc or writing that treats link as zelda’s servant for any reason (unless it is treated like a bad thing). I’ve heard bs like zelda saying “listen to ur betters” @ link in stuff like. and that’s just not treated as messed up in any way. canonically zelda rlly hasn’t expected link to ever wait on her! if anything she’s said the opposite. the only thing I can think of is botw zelda ordering link to go away but that’s not treated as a good thing, that’s treated as her being a jerk. I don’t expect their society to treat them as equals but I do expect the narrative to

unpopular opinions

-this kinda crosses over into pet peeves I suppose but yeah I hate the idea of the hero’s spirit being an actual spirit

-there’s no specific requirements for what makes a “link” it’s just vibes. link vibes. same with zelda and ganon

-bit of a nitpick but linked universe doesn’t get how bunny link works. legend should not have been transformed into a bunny by the shadow crystal as the twilight and the dark world are two fundamentally different things

-the zelda timeline and its canon are very loose and people can do what they want (and I’m free to dislike it)

-monsters are underrated. they are not mindless in most games though there’s some instances where they’re smarter or more controlled by ganon. they’re often a natural part of the environment driven mad by evil. I find this to be much more compelling

-THE SHEIKAH ARE SO UNDERRATED also ngl both the sheikah and the yiga have cult vibes if u think about it too hard (I have) if someone can give me a fic about the origins of the yiga clan or anything sheikah centric I will thank you profusely

favorite hcs

-wind waker link needing glasses. this is just adorable

-I think some links using sign language/being nonverbal is rlly cute

-alttp link twitching his nose or doing bunny things

-fairies liking sugar water 

-ganondorf being shorter than the average gerudo. any interpretation of him where he’s a manbaby

-botw zelda being a bit more unhinged than she is in canon. mad scientist vibes bay-bee!!!!

-midna coming back to hyrule through the leftover twilit portals :]

[tortilla-of-courage]

Hey, I was thinking of getting the Skyward Sword remake when it comes out, but I’m new to the Zelda games. Do you have any advice about the game itself? sorry to bother you if this is at a bad time!

hello there! i was just taking a break from hw, it's no bother!

I think that, for a first Zelda game, Skyward Sword is a nice place to start! Both because it's the first one chronologically (so you get to learn about the very start of some of the key elements of the series) and because it's, all in all, a really straight forward Zelda. Imo it's a good game to introduce new players to the classic Zelda formula (get to place, do necessary quest to enter dungeon, fight miniboss, get dungeon item, fight boss, repeat), especially after BotW bringing in so many new players.

Maybe the main point of advice, gameplay wise, would be to check if you would enjoy the controls, since it's the biggest "controversy" of the game. I'm not sure how the Remake's approach with buttons and the joysticks will work, or how comfortable it'll be. But the motion controls - if you ever played Wii Sports Resort for the wii and felt comfortable enough with the motion controls there, then you should be good, since they're almost the exact same (as far as I know, WSR was actually a test of sorts for SS's motion controls) (and with the joycons' motion sensors they should be better, hopefully). Even if you're not too good at using them, the game's never way too strict on them. If i was able to play through the game swinging the control around wildly with barely a second thought when i was 11, it cant be too bad. Most people I've talked to who have played the original game personally loved the motion controls and barely had any issues with them, but again, this can vary from person to person.

Game-wise, if you ever get lost or forget what you're doing, Fi is right there! She reminds you of your main goal atm and gives you info about NPCs if you select them and ask her about them, so if you're not sure how to continue she can help. Honestly, this game gives you a lot of options to get help if you want it, and unlike what most people say, they don't just shove it in your face; if you get stuck in certain puzzles there's a place in-game to get help, too.

Also, the game might make you feel like you're in a hurry most of the time, but really, you can take all the time you need to finish, so play at your own pace with no worries! Explore, collect everything you want, play the minigames 3 hours in a row until you finally get the last reward, or just dive straight into the story and do no sidequests if that's how you wanna play!

Another big thing, for this game and all others, would be to not let other people sour the experience for you before you even give it a try! Skyward Sword is honestly an amazing game with a really good plot, characters, and dungeons/puzzles, and doesn't require you to be a Zelda pro to play it. If you do buy it when it comes out, I hope you can enjoy the game as much as possible and have fun!

[bellamaxlabs]

I was thinking of getting into the Zelda series, and I know you've played a lot of them, have any recs on which I should play first? Or maybe rank which ones were the best? Like I said I really don't know what I'm doing here, thanks for the help!

Ranking my favorite zelda games because absolutely no one asked! Except for this anon!

* I’m gonna be ranking these on a scale of 1-10 on story, gameplay, and dungeons so 1 is pretty much ass and 10 is like the holy fucking grail of game design alright

* Also remember this is entirely opinion, but I do hope I'm able to help!

* Skyward sword:

* 9 in story, 5 in gameplay, 7 in dungeons, the story is so so so good man and it kills me to know that some people avoid this one because of the controls, yes they’re frustrating sometimes but for the absolutely amazing story it’s so so worth it this game made me cry like 3 times

* Twilight Princess

* 7 in story, 8 in gameplay, 7 in dungeons, Twilight princess is one of those games that people generally regard as an off-brand ocarina of time, but the double clawshots and whole city in the sky stuff combined with Midna and the twili and Zant makes this game so worth playing like,,, its probably in my top three Zelda games of all time ok take the ocarina of time thing with a grain of salt

* Windwaker

* 6 in story, 7 in gameplay, 9 in dungeons, this one really stands out to me because even though the dungeons are so much easier than other games I’ve played they just flow so much better, I don’t know how to explain it but going through them is so much smoother than other games and I can’t pinpoint why. The cell shaded style is adorable too and Link actually has a family in this one so automatic +10000 points in every category alr

* Ocarina of Time

* 8 in story, 6 in gameplay, 6 in dungeons, obviously Ocarina of time is a classic for a whole bunch of people, and I may just be saying this because the wii virtual console controls sucked ass, but for me this game is probably the hardest out of all the major 3D’s, the dungeons were hard (especially the water temple, what a surprise) but challenge is never bad, and the reward factor once you finally get past all the puzzles and bosses and whatnot is so fun to see. I will say though the shell blades in the water temple kicked my ass so watch out for that

* Majoras mask

* 7 in story, 5 in gameplay, 7 in dungeons. Now,,, Majoras mask is a good game, but as someone who gets very stressed around time mechanics in general I can say that this game is one big never ending feeling of dread, which is great for building atmosphere and everything,,, but I got so stressed out in the last dungeon that I havent finished the game yet. So take that however you want, but if you get stressed out easily with games like this you may wanna take a step back

* Now last but not least, Breath of the Wild!

* 10 in story, 8 in gameplay, 2 in dungeons. Now you might say hold on a second, there are dungeons in breath of the wild! The divine beasts certainly count, don’t they? I say meh, they’re too short and the blights are pushovers, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t a blast to play through, they just don’t count as dungeons to me. But what Breath if the wild may lack in dungeons, it certainly makes up for it in story, gameplay, and just plain atmosphere. The exploration we see is more than anyone had ever hoped, and there’s just so much to grow on with the plot of 100 years prior, this one is a 10/10 for me 100% a must play for the switch

* And thats the end of my very long winded review of all the major 3d Zelda games! Hope I helped anon, feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!

[greeds]

HIIII I'm the video game anon!!! ah it just rained here yesterday heheh <3. I can do pc and I would be willing to invest in a console but it would take me some time to buy it :( but I would love some recs for consoles because I'm totally clueless.

I would love to play any game as long as it isn't solely about fighting like fortnite? but maybe I would play it too if you say it's good. I trust you. I'm basically a blank slate rn, but I love adventure games. I never played video games.Thank you for answering!!! 🥰 - c (my name)

hi c!!!!! ok lets go

GAMES ON PC

night in the woods: masterpiece.

spiritfarer: a cozy management game about dying (and grief)

undertale: masterpiece.

rime: another beautiful game about grief

portal 1 + 2: masterpiece!!!! SOOO FUNNY

horizon zero dawn: the fighting is SO fun! i love exploring the world and uncovering the secrets of the past. when all the pieces fall into place itll knock the wind out of you

yakuza series: you play as an ex-yakuza who adopts a child and beats people up, not because he wants to but bc they wont leave him and his daughter alone

skyrim: despite the memes its a very fun game to play NDNDKKDDKD

GAMES ON THE PS4

uncharted series: i LOVE the characters and how real their relationships feel, and the places you travel to in search of treasure are breathtaking

JOURNEY: I CANT BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION JOURNEY. if you want beauty if you want catharsis. play journey. the art the music the narrative.......the tears i shed every time i play it my goodness

the last of us: its the zombie post-apocalypse! just dont play the sequel lol

the last guardian: puzzle game! a little boy befriends an injured creature and together they travel to where they need to go

final fantasy vii remake (or just the original): you play as a mean blond twink with a bigass sword and frequent headaches who gets dragged into a found family and fighting to save the dying planet!

final fantasy xv: the story is a goddamn mess and makes no sense but the characters. the bros.......you will feel emotions whether you want to or not

LEGEND OF ZELDA SERIES MY BELOVED (here i will give you the list in order of when they came out and what consoles they are available on. i wont include console versions before the wii, but for the most part the big titles have been ported to or remastered in HD for the more recent consoles)*

a link to the past: wii u and switch

ocarina of time:** wii u and 3ds

majoras mask: wii u and 3ds

wind waker: wii u (HD)

twilight princess: wii/wii u (HD)

skyward sword: wii/wii u, and coming to switch (HD) this month!

breath of the wild: wii u and switch!

*if you are considering buying a nintendo console (the wii u seems like the best choice atm, given how many titles are available on it), i suggest you wait just a bit longer! some people who work in the gaming industry are fairly certain that nintendo will port wind waker HD and twilight princess HD to the switch by the end of this year, meaning it may soon be possible to have all the games on the latest console!!!!!!!!!!

**in . my opinion. OOT is a bit overrated dbkdnflekdsnfkskdon but the game still presents many themes that have continually been used in later LOZ titles

you can also try to play these LOZ games on pc using an emulator, but im not the best person to be asking how to do that sndmdnkfkdkd

EDIT I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO GIVE YOU OTHER SWITCH TITLES AKDKDKDKDN:

ace attorney trilogy: i never expected a game about lawyers to be so much fun its so good!!!

luigis mansion: u play as luigi a man who is terrified of ghosts who explores haunted mansions mamma mia!!!!

pikmin 3 deluxe: my little men. my soldiers who go off to war every day. they have flowers on their head and they like to be thrown what more can i say

super mario odyssey: WAHOO!

mario games!!!! any mario game!!!!!! you can play them with siblings or friends!!!!!

[mysterious-prophetess]

Skyward Sword HD Final Thoughts

So, I beat Skyward Sword for the first time.

The motion controls of its initial release made it impossible for me to beat before. I could never block with the shield when I needed to when it came to Ghirahim’s fight. That’s right I got stuck on Ghirahim JUST before Demise.

While combat will remain, to me, Skyward Sword’s weakest link (pun not intended), the rest of the game is a solid entry into the franchise.

It also had the first Link and Zelda I actually had emotions for. 

These kids actually felt like people. Their story was one I still enjoy.

The Button Controls don’t fix the combat at all, but it sure helped when it came to shield bashes for me. Plus, now I actually cannot play the game with its motion controls as something happened to my right arm in the ten years between its initial release and this re-release with repetitive motions causing me pain if I’m not careful.

So, the button controls for me are an adaptive necessity. 

I had forgotten how short a game Skyward Sword was (if you don’t go and do the mini-games but even if you do it’s not too much longer). 

You can explore it, to a point but for the first time I collected all the Goddess Cubes and tried to get all the Gratitude crystals but my game glitched. 

One of the loose Skyloft crystals never generated (or counted when I picked it up) because I retraced where the loose ones are multiple times and never found that 80th crystal. IDK if anyone else is having this issue but that’s something I ran into. 

Occasionally there was some minor clipping when I was using the bug net (especially its big upgrade) but over all the game behaved itself for the most part aside from that Gratitude Crystal Glitch. 

So, would I recommend this game? 

I would, actually. 

No matter how much I swore at this game that I hated it, I kept playing because the story of Skyward Sword is its best element. Second and third place are the beautiful visuals and the music. 

Dead last are, and always will be for me, the controls because too much of the gimmicky motion control stuff was baked into this game. 

We get it, the Wii-motion plus can do a lot of nifty stuff. 

I will never like motion controls. Ever. I just feel there’s enough else in Skyward Sword to overcome the motion-control based gameplay in it, which takes a lot since this is a game, the controls should be the most important aspect.

Button Only mode will help improve the experience for people like me who hate motions controls and/or physically cannot use motion controls.

So Tl:Dr—Despite being the re-heated 25th Anniversary Celebration game for the 35th, Skyward Sword still holds up decently well.