#murder mystery simulator! event | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wito-chan-bla-bla · 1 year

Text

(I do not know what came over me, but okay). I was looking at the concepts for the yandere simulator and thought… and what about the endings?

I mean… Ayano can't just walk up to senpai at the end of the game and say, "Hi, dude! For ten weeks, strange things happened to the girls you talked to, and people at school disappeared, but now I'm here to say that you are the love of my life. MARRY ME OR I'LL MARRY YOU TO MY KNIFE!.."

Even if it was a normal dialogue, it's still weird. The girls around senpai may appear again, and Ayano is too worried to approach him. She hadn't talked to him in weeks, why would he love her? The boy is already stressed, and here again someone is trying to approach him!

So what? Eternal murders?

So I thought about what Ayano might have… different endings based on how she treated her rivals and senpai.

Let Ayano prepare the ground for conquering senpai's heart from the very beginning of the game! She's watching him, isn't she? So she knows what things he likes. Let Ayano give him gifts for ten weeks, leave delicious things in his locker, cook food for him, secretly send him messages and generally do everything to get his heart!.. (That is, to be a secret admirer). Or does nothing.

Based on Ayano's behavior, I suggest several endings, because I have nothing to do.

If Ayano killed most of her rivals and did not give gifts to senpai

~If Ayano kills a lot and doesn't bring senpai some goodies, then she will get a "neutral ending" as a result.~

"S-so you're saying you... want to get to know me... better? Sorry, I… I doubt I'll ever be able to make a new friend. All the girls I talked to either mysteriously disappeared somewhere or were found dead… I think I'm cursed. I don't want anything as terrible to happen to anyone in this school as happened to them. So… Don't ever come near me again"

"N-no… senpai… I can't leave you after all I've done for you! I struggled so much, only for you to refuse me this way?! Those damned girls have prevented me even now! I think… To be happy, I have to follow in my mother's footsteps."

"Oh, I... understand. I'm sorry, I won't bother you anymore."

When senpai returns home late at night, someone suddenly attacks him from behind. He is turned off with the help of medication, and he wakes up in some kind of dungeon, his eyes are closed, his body is tied to a chair by someone. A nervous giggle is heard from the darkness, as well as a familiar voice: "You didn't think that some rumors would stop me, did you?"

Ayano got her senpai. But they will never be as happy as they could be.

If Ayano killed most of her rivals, but gave gifts to senpai

~If Ayano kills rivals and brings goodies to senpai, then she gets a "bad ending"~

"So it's you who sent me this letter? What did you want to talk about?"

"I want to confess to you, senpai. I've been your secret admirer for the past few weeks. I didn't know how to approach you, so I left things in your closet, on your desk and next to you that I thought you might like. I hope you enjoyed my gifts."

"Did I like the gifts? How could I focus on them when people around me were dying or disappearing without a trace?! And… how did you find out what I like if we never talked? Have you been following me?! And I heard that similar events took place several decades ago, when she fell in love with a boy… You know… can't be connected to this story, right?.."

"I always knew you were smart, senpai. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why I fell in love with you. But now there is no point in all this"

"W-what do you mean? I'm not going to accept someone's feelings when my friends are dead! W-wait… Wait, what are you doing? D-Don't come near me! DON'T COME NEAR ME!..

Ayano had no choice but to kidnap her senpai and bring him to her basement. Senpai, who quickly guessed the situation, could only hope for salvation from outside. But all the people who could help him were destroyed by Ayano. Senpai will never love Ayano as much as she would like. Senpai could only hope that he would lose his mind quickly and not feel any pain…

If Ayano made friends with most of the rivals (or removed them without taking their lives) and did not care about senpai in any way

~In this case, Ayano gets a "neutral end"~

"Hey, aren't you a friend of my friends? I'd like to talk to you."

"S-senpai? Is he inviting me under the sakura tree? I must go with him immediately!"

"I heard that you helped all my friends a lot… they often talk about you when we cross paths with each other. I wanted to thank you for taking care of them and giving them the help I couldn't give them! Perhaps there is something I can do to repay you for all your efforts?"

"There's nothing special I'd like to ask for, but… Senpai, I heard that the fall festival will be held at the school soon. You want… come with me?"

"Oh, of course! We could go with our whole big group and have a good time! I think we can agree on when and at what time we are going. And now I'm sorry, I have to go."

Ayano turned around and followed her senpai with her eyes. She didn't know if she could win his love, especially when he was surrounded by so many girls, but just the thought that she could become his friend filled her with love… and determination.

If Ayano made friends with most of the competitors and took care of senpai

~She will also list her rival friends and what she has learned from them. The more such friends Ayano has, the more plausible her confession looks to senpai. And this is how our "good end" has finally come!~

"It was you who asked me to meet under the sakura tree. If anything… what do you want to tell me?"

“Yeah… Senpai, as soon as I saw you, I realized that I wanted to get to know you better. I decided to get to know the people around you to understand how I can attract your attention.

Osana-san told me a lot about your childhood and about what things you like.

Amai-san taught me how to cook the sweets that you like the most.

Kizana-san told me what works of literature you like, based on which films were made, she taught me to be confident and helped me find strength… to stand in front of you.

Oka-san told me what your favorite horror stories are, what horror movies you like… she also suggested that I summon a demon so that he could protect you from all troubles.

Asu-san told me what kinds of sports you like, and also helped me become stronger.

Muja-san told me how to take care of your health, and also advised a store where I could buy some warm clothes for you in the cold season.

Mida-sensei… well, she helped me better… allocate time and… understand myself?..

Osoro-san taught me how to fight and defend myself as well... as you, senpai.

Hanako-chan shared with me many of your hobbies, and also helped me to better understand you and your lifestyle.

Megami-san helped me make a schedule for the day and taught me not to be distracted by unnecessary things, so I had more time to please you… senpai.

My - our - friends have helped me a lot. They helped to make a lot of gifts, which you talked about later to the whole school. I just want you to know… I've been your secret admirer all this time"

"Y-you… are you serious now? I've been trying for ten weeks to figure out who it was, and it turned out to be… you! I'm so glad it wasn't some creepy stalker or something! Ayano-chan… thank you for making almost every day brighter. If it wasn't for you, I would hardly be able to enjoy my school days."

"Senpai, I'm happy to see such a beautiful smile on your face… And I only dream that you will make me as happy as… me. I love you, senpai. I love you more than anything in the world"

No more words were said. Ayano and senpai shared their first kiss under a cherry blossom tree, whose petals slowly fell on their heads, as if blessing their relationship with their touches.

Senpai doesn't need to know that his friends were just used to find out more information about him. From now on, senpai will live a happy and fulfilling life… the same as Ayano. He will be with Ayano forever, and now that the lovers have kissed each other, even a thousand girls will not be able to separate them.

After a while, Ayano brought her senpai home to meet his parents. Ayano's mom gave them both a kind and proud smile, saying only one thing: "I'm proud of you, daughter. You did everything much better than I taught you."

Senpai didn't quite understand what the woman meant. But he doesn't need to. Now that he found himself in Ayano's loving arms voluntarily, he doesn't have to worry about anything.

He will be happy with her… all their eternity.

If Ayano has a low reputation and she took care of senpai

~In this case, Ayano gets a "bad ending"~

"Who could have called me here?.. Oh, it's you! I'm sorry, I must have the wrong place… I'm leaving right now!"

"S-stop, senpai! You've come where you're supposed to. I wrote you this note. We need to talk."

"I don't think we have anything to talk about. Listen, I don't have much time, so there's something important you don't want to say…"

"All those gifts that you received… I was the one who sent them. I was your secret admirer."

"You? Wait… YOU?! I refuse to believe it! Someone like you couldn't do such good things for me."

"But it was me. I did it for you and only for you. I want you to feel my love in this way."

"I can't admit your love. People have been saying for a long time that you've done things that I personally don't like. I can't start dating someone who's as weird as you."

"N-no, senpai, wait! I lost my reputation because I was trying to get to your heart! Please, senpai, don't leave me after everything I've done!.."

The next day, Ayano did not come to school, as well as in the following days. The students started whispering that it was all because of her reputation. In a mystical way, senpai, who had been communicating with Ayano before, suddenly disappeared.

Ayano could have kidnapped senpai, but he knew what kind of person she was. Senpai will never love her the way she wants.

If Ayano has a low reputation, she killed most of the rivals and took care of senpai.

~Another "bad ending"~

"Why did someone call me to this place now when everything is restless? Oh, it's you! I'll leave here, I think…"

"Wait, senpai. We need to talk. It's about those gifts you've been receiving all this time. This… I was your secret admirer."

"You, was it YOU all the time?! W-wait, it couldn't have been you! We didn't even really communicate, and all the gifts seemed to have been created especially for me!.. Did you find out what I like by following me?! People around said you were weird, but I didn't think you were that weird!..and… and all my friends… I heard the students say that you walk around the school with a gun! You know… you couldn't have killed them, could you? Why are you silent?! Answer me, answer me now! N-no! Don't come near me! Put that syringe away! W-what are you going to do with?!."

Ayano could kidnap senpai, but she would never get his love. She can only drive him crazy or die herself, because senpai, whom she has fallen in love with, will never accept her true feelings.

If Ayano has a low reputation, tooks care of senpai and made friends with most of her rivals

~Here Ayano also lists how each opponent helped her. This is a "good-neutral ending"~

"So, did you call me under the sakura tree?.. I hear you're a friend of my friends, but I'm not sure we should be here. I mean… If someone sees us together, I'll be in trouble. No offense."

"Yes, of course, senpai. I won't keep you long. The thing is, I am… I was the one who sent you all these gifts. I wanted to get to know you better, but I was afraid to approach you. Then my reputation began to decline, and I wasn't sure if you would be ready to talk to me. I decided to learn more about you from your friends. They really helped me to understand what kind of person you are… Listing which opponent helped Yandere-chan. And that's why I wanted to ask… maybe you'd like to come with me to… a date? Even though people are talking about me?"

"This… really unexpected news. I would never have thought it was you who sent all these gifts. Thank you! I think… if my friends think you're a good person, then the rumors are just lying! I'd love to go on a date with you!"

Ayano couldn't be sure that her relationship with senpai would last long. People said bad things about her, and senpai could leave her at any moment. That is why, while her beloved is in her arms, she will try to do everything to bind him to her… forever.

#yandere simulator #yandere concept #yandere ending #yandere simulator rivals #yandere sim #yandere-chan #ayano aishi #ayano x senpai #ayano x taro

70 notes · View notes

queeranotkira · 5 days

Text

Death Note Killer Within Gameplay Theories (post your ideas in the comments)

What sort of gameplay do you think Death Note Killer Within will feature? Reddit has theorized that it will be Persona-esque in nature (I've never played it though personally). I doubt you’ll be playing as Light Yagami, that’s too redundant, so likely a custom character.

Maybe it'll be a visual novel format with multiple endings/routes? Or more Telltale-esque where *all* of your individual choices majorly impact the story development and events during gameplay?

Do you think the setting will still take place in the early 2000's because even the latest one-shot acknowledged it would be infinitely harder for Kira to kill in this modern digital landscape, what with search algorithms and AI and social media already profiling criminals? Although there are definitely still ways to effectively conceal your online presence, it probably wouldn't be as fun in a gameplay format. Murder mystery games (see Higurashi) are best if set in the 80's/90's/early 2000's.

Playing as Kira and killing criminals/FBI agents/cops and trying to minimize suspicion all while you navigate maintaining a façade of normalcy as a high school student? Choosing who to trust amongst your friend group and who to select as loyal followers? Figuring out who to kill and when to kill amongst your allies if there's a possibility of them betraying you or other meddling people you know? If it's people you're personally acquainted with the stakes and risks rise and you run the likelihood of being found out (like a superior version of Yandere simulator).

Creating an army of controlled "zombies" to do your bidding for 23 days or less in ways that don't shed suspicion upon you. Figuring out which ways to go about disposing of the criminals you've profiled. A suspicion meter that could be influenced by your action, inaction, and interactions and which people you choose to kill. Kira Game has trust and suspicion meters as well. A Danganronpa style debate mode where you attempt to vouch for your innocence or frame someone else.

Figuring out ways to bribe your shinigami to make him more cooperative. You run a risk of the shinigami killing you if his boredom meter exceeds a certain limit. A mode where you try to appeal to your accomplice Misa-esque girlfriend by taking her on fake dates to butter her up to you.

Trying to eliminate fellow notebook users all with the end goal of claiming L's position and power for yourself? Having other notebook users trying to usurp your position as Kira or change the public's perception of Kira's influence and goal, tarnishing his image. Having a criminal organization find out Kira's identity and target him and his family because they know the notebook is being used against them and want it for themselves?

Having a family member find out that you're Kira and the unique barriers that would pose.

Certain modes where you have to figure out how to use the Death Note to achieve a specific outlined goal.

Or like the Kira Game it could also give you the option to play as L to track down Kira? Dispatch and coordinate FBI agents? Even work alongside Wammy's House alumni and your successors to corner him? A psychological mind battle/debate mode? Also a fansevice mode when playing as L where you can select from a series of homoerotic methods to keep Kira under surveillance (including chaining him to you).

Maybe you'll have the option to play as a random student at Wammy's House if they were to become Kira. I'd personally love it if there were a route/option where you could play as Mello if he were to stumble upon the notebook. Mello wouldn’t use the notebook out of a sense of justice, but might get roped into thinking he could assist L indirectly by cleaning up scummy people. Near suspects he’s doing killings but Mello can’t kill him because of his successor status, so he has to find creative ways to conceal evidence of his doings from him before he reports it to L, all while fighting to maintain his position as second best at Wammy’s House.

Or playing as Mello directly after he leaves Wammy's House and helping him rise in the ranks as a top dog mafioso, taking down rival gangs and gaining the favor of Rod Ross using the help of the notebook. Even enlisting Matt to aid him in the process. You either play as Mello or play against him if his criminal org decides to target you and kidnap a family member. Even an option where Mello goes up against the original L, being Kira as his successor, trying to kill him to take his place.

The possibilities are endless!

#kira game #death note #death note killer within #mello #mihael keehl #l lawliet #light yagami #nate river #kira #near #killer within #new death note game

15 notes · View notes

rogueddie · 1 year

Text

Movie AU Steddie Fics

Important: READ THE TAGS! Also, leave a comment and kudos! These fics are amazing and I love them and I hope y'all do too 📼

Free Hawkins

CassieWater354, Dandyfello

It started as a simple passion project. A discovery of what was possible with simple code. Eddie had been the one to bring it up to Steve. "The AI could be like, ALIVE dude!" He explained excitedly. Steve looked on in confusion, "Like they simulate emotions and personalities and are like real people but they're code!!"

A few more hours of erratic explaining later and Steve agreed. Well, he agreed to begin with but it was nice to see Eddie so excited. Steve loved his computer science class and it didn't fail him as Eddie rang off ideas, Steve created them and Eddie made it all look good. A well-oiled machine. It was hardly near completion but with the complexity and beauty of it they realized it to test and build interest, and funds wouldn't be so bad either. It was a hit, a huge hit. They did interviews, got a lot of hype and attention and it was mostly positive feedback. Mostly.

Words : 12,015 Chapters : 10/10 Rating : Teen And Up Audiences

AO3 : x

Who's Sorry Now

BatCatMooney63

Hawkins is like any place in small town America, quaint, quiet, and full of secrets. Murders, disappearances, unsolved cases swept under the rug of normalcy for the sake of security.

But it all gets ripped away one night when Chrissy Cunningham answers the phone to find herself talking to a mysterious voice. Which sets off a chain of events that truly reveals the line between good and evil.

Words : 51,160 Chapters : 8/8 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

Asking You to Love Me

chattrekisses

Steve is a famous actor. Eddie runs a game store. After an incident involving orange juice, an unlucky romance blossoms between them. Notting Hill AU.

Words : 22,397 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : Explicit

AO3 : x

Fate's Fool

callcalliope

Sometimes true love is interrupting your own concert to chase the hot vampire watching in the audience.

Words : 1,285 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

Episode I - Something happens and I'm head over heels

vaderstheme

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Words : 6,773 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : General Audiences

AO3 : x

Saying goodbye is death by a thousand cuts.

Imnotcreativesotakethisname

After winning tickets for the R.M.S. Titanic in a very "lucky" game of poker, Edward "Eddie" Munson and his friend because third class passengers on Titanic.

Words : 18,449 Chapters : 10/10 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner

beetlesandstars, witchjeons

“It’s a feeling, a heartbeat,” Eddie murmurs one night, pressing a hand over his own heart. “Like this. Gu-gung, gu-gung.”

Steve snorts, before copying Eddie.

Tapping away, Eddie steps closer. “Don’t try so hard,” he says softly, taking Steve’s hand, moving it to rest over his own chest.

Words : 27,880 Chapters : 6/7 Rating : Explicit

AO3 : x

A Shadow Is Cast Wherever They Stand

BritChick91

“You should think more about whether you’d survive a horror movie. You never know when you might find yourself… in one.”

When the phone rings for Chrissy Cunningham in October 1996, it starts a wave of murders in the sleepy town of Hawkins. Who is Ghostface? And who is their next target?

Words : 23,713 Chapters : 9/9 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

Sincerely Yours

WickedVixen

When a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal are forced to spend a whole Saturday in detention together, there's no telling how horribly wrong the day will go. Tensions are high, especially with the added stressor of power-hungry Principal Higgins breathing down their necks. Will the teens manage to make it through the full nine hours unscathed? Will they come to resent one another, even more so than some of them already do? Or will they become unlikely acquaintances? Will new friendships be forged? Perhaps a few...more-than-friendships?

Who's to say? After all, stranger things have happened.

Words : 41,252 Chapters : 10/10 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #fic rec #ficrec

86 notes · View notes

celery-juice · 11 months

Text

The Big List Of Visual Novel Recs

I fuckin love visual novels, I see one I go 💗💗💗 All of these can be played on PC, a lot of them are free or cheap. I might miss some Trigger Warnings so you should definitely check the store pages yourself

Recently added games are in yellow :]

Dating Sims

Blooming Panic Itch.io Free - "Depressed day-in and day-out from a draining corporate job, you become invested in a fantasy webnovel and find a mysterious link to a fan server. Everyone is warm and welcoming, but four members take a special interest in you!" TW for depression

Jester Under Pressure Itch.io Free - "Diskarte, jester of the high castle, has one job: entertaining the queen. This would be easy except Queen Bahaghari has a penchant for magically exploding the heads of subjects falling below her exacting standards. Can Diskarte avoid this frightening fate?" TW for death, war, and one incident of self-harm (not shown)

Our Life: Beginning and Always Steam Itch.io Free - "A twenty-dollar bill, four summers, fifteen years, and a one of a kind life. Create an experience that’s all your own in this near-fully customizable visual novel where you grow from childhood to adulthood with the lonely boy next door."

Amarantus Steam Itch.io $17.99 - "Arik's been told two things all his life: a tyrant is ruling the country, and somebody needs to do something. Now forced to flee his house after a midnight attack, his parents captured and his house torched—maybe somebody means you. It's time to gather a party, head to the capital, and take the Lord down. Along the journey, this crew of old friends and new strangers will grow closer—or further apart—as your choices guide Arik to win friends, make enemies, play matchmaker, and break hearts."

Saint Spells Itch.io Free - "Join us in our special Valentine’s day release of Saint Spell’s very own dating simulator! In your first week of school, meet 29 magical students, practice some special spells, brew a love potion, or simply slack off…"

Best Friend Forever Steam Itch.io $19.99 - "Pat the dogs... and then their owners. Step into the world of Rainbow Bay in Best Friend Forever, a dating sim-meets-dog care sim where you pat, pamper and train your pup while you search for your own forever friend."

Speed Dating for Ghosts Steam Itch.io $6.99 - "As a lonely specter looking for love in the afterlife, you attend a speed dating event and chat up a cemetery's worth of phantoms, wraiths, and poltergeists. At the end of the spooky mixer, choose your favorite! They'll take you out to all the best haunts: old folks' homes, creepy houses with new owners... Maybe solving a murder is your idea of a good time. Or robbing a bank. Ghosts are into all sorts of things."

The Ratchelor Itch.io Website Free - "Play as The Ratchelor, an eligible single rat looking for love. You'll get to know each of our 21 lovely contestants through intimate conversation. Round after round, you will choose who to eliminate, leaving only your most compatible rat suitors. Finally, at the end of your emotional journey, you will find your rat soulmate."

Someone Stole My Lunch! Itch.io Free - "A short comedy visual novel about your lunch and a thief... both of which are hot." TW for screen shakes

Cooked with Love Itch.io Free - "Perry is, to put it nicely, a bit of a mess. So they can hardly believe their luck when their crush, Lily, agrees to go on a date with them! When the day of the date rolls around, Perry's all set: they've scrounged up some cash, and got a reservation at the nicest restaurant in town. Except... where's their wallet? With nothing left to lose but their dignity, Perry's determined to whip up a fantastic dining experience at home. Sure, they've never cooked before, but how hard could it be, right?"

Cupid Date Itch.io Free - "A short visual novel about three and a half 'love stories' starring a gay alien boy named Kale, whose matchmaking roommate Sugar is determined to help him find true love. But when Sugar's a cupid with his own agenda and all Kale's potential soulmates are under a spell, can love really be all that true?" TW for attempted suicide, depression, and mind control

Dialtown Steam $7.99 - "If you've ever wanted to romantically pursue a phone, then hot DARN, do I have just the game for you."

Hooked on You: A Dead By Daylight Dating Sim Steam $9.99 - "Welcome to Murderer’s Island. Your companions: four dead-sexy Killers who, underneath their murderous exteriors, just want a little romance. Flirt your way into their hearts, uncovering dark twists along the way. Will you find true love, forge friendships… or get hacked to death?" TW for blood, violent threats, referenced murder

Later Daters Steam Itch.io $14.99 on Steam, $15.99 on Itch - "Welcome to Ye OLDE! Your new retirement paradise. Date as an octogenarian and find somebody to love, or just get your kicks in while the getting is good. Remember, if the chairs are rockin', don’t come a-knockin." TW for mentioned death (by old age) and mentioned transphobia from family members

Pinewood Island Steam Itch.io $9.99 - "Find love, solve a murder, and prevent more death in this murder-mystery horror otome | visual novel." TW for drinking, stalking, attempted sexual assault, suicide, attempted suicide, and murder

Meeting in the Flesh Itch.io Free - "Meeting in the Flesh is a free horror/romance visual novel. You play as Vil, the resident of a strange but friendly little city, encountering various people and getting the chance to court one of three different monstrous suitors. Though the game will include some body horror imagery, the game is a romance at its core, with a focus on getting to know and growing closer to your partner. It features romantic scenes that can be toggled between a PG-13 and R rating." TW for body horror

Today, I'm Harvesting You! Itch.io Free - "Very poor and very tired of being single, you set out for your day with one goal: change both of those things, no matter the cost!!" TW for murder, chibi dismembering, organ selling

STOP BURYING ME ALIVE, BEAUTIFUL Itch.io Free - "You wake up to your girlfriend burying you alive, and she won't be convinced that you aren't dead. One of several problems, it turns out, as you find yourself dealing with rats trying to take a few early bites out of you! And just who is the girl talking to you from underground?"

Slasher U Steam Itch.io Free - "A horror-comedy dating sim RPG with full-blown sex mechanics, tons of heartwrenching romance and friendship storylines, and a wicked sick 90's theme sure to make even the most deep-fried saw dungeon aesthetics/dick jokes fans jealous."

Chill Fun

Butterfly Soup Itch.io Free - "A visual novel about gay asian girls playing baseball and falling in love." TW for ableist slurs and brief written depictions of parental physical and emotional abuse

Syrup And The Ultimate Sweet Itch.io Free - "SYRUP AND THE ULTIMATE SWEET is a visual novel made for YuriJam 2015! it's about a candy alchemist, syrup, who one day finds a candy golem in her basement workshop. where did she come from?? who the heck made her????? GO FIND OUT!! did i mention there are 10 endings because. that's right. 10 endings."

Lonely People Potion Shop Itch.io Free - "Somewhere deep inside the magical forest forgotten lies a hut, a potion shop! The creatures of the lands near and far come visit this tiny place sharing their stories, feelings, thoughts on the mystery that's about to unravel... And it's your job to pour 'em some potions!"

The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog Steam Free - "Sonic the Hedgehog...was murdered!? Get to the bottom of the mystery in this brand-new adventure!"

The Ratchelor 2 Website Free - Another season of The Ratchelor with all new characters!

I love my follower (count) Itch.io Free - "You are an Eldritch horror, summoned to the human realm. You’re soon to realize, however, that you have more in common with your followers than you thought - they, too, have a longing for The Void. The Void in their case is, however, mostly something they call ‘y2k’ and ‘retro anime aesthetics’.But oh well, every god needs clout."

Creature in the Corner Itch.io Free - "AND IT SEEMS HUNGRY. YOUR CHOICES WILL DECIDE WHAT THE CREATURE CONSUMES (HOPEFULLY NOT YOU)." TW for possibly being eaten

Sad Shit

He Fucked The Girl Out of Me Steam Itch.io Free - "A semi-autobiographical narrative visual novel about trauma and sex work made for the gameboy. The author explains how sex work impacted her life and changed her perception of the world. The game takes approximately 40 minutes to play from start to finish." TW for dubious consent, disassociation, transphobia from family members, sissy kink, misogyny/transmisogyny

Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk Steam Itch.io $1 - "A short story about what sort of challenges everyday little things can be. Help the girl buy milk, be the first not to disappoint her." TW for parental abuse

if not us Itch.io $7.00 - "Seven years ago, five heroes were brought together to save the world. Their success came at the cost of their leader's life; the secret behind it cost them their friendship. Now they've been summoned for a new heroic quest. if not us is about the moment when they realise everything isn't going to be okay." TW for death, including of the player character

Horror

(Don't) Open Your Eyes Itch.io Free - "A short, horror-themed Visual Novel about a midnight encounter with a mysterious being. Through conversation, you'll learn more about them, such as their journey so far, or what they think about themselves. And every now and then, it'll make a simple request out of you: to open your eyes."

Don't Toy With Me Itch.io Free - "For a long time now, Dahlia has lived by herself in the Dollhouse with only the stuffed rabbit Wisker for company. One day the owner of the toys decides to present her with a new companion, a sad clown puppet named Huxley. She's delighted for the company but, as the owner soon realizes, it's not so simple to introduce a new friend to the household." TW for manipulation, emotional abuse, murder, violence, body horror with non-human characters

Therapy with Dr. Albert Krueger Itch.io Free - "Has work been feeling more tiring than usual? Your mood, confusing and uneasy? Losing the confidence to speak up when you want to? Then it sounds like you need our newly patented ★DREAM THERAPY★!" TW for jumpscares, loud noises, disturbing and flashing images, implied violence, and cartoon gore

Find Love or Die Trying Steam Itch.io Free - "It's the premiere of our new dating show, where ending up single... means ending up dead! Not sure why you'd sign up for this, but now that you're here, you've got 7 days to get one of the lovely ladies on your tropical island getaway to fall in love in with you. If she's willing to put a ring on it, you're both free to leave. If not... well, it's in the name of the show!" TW for manipulation

Creature in the Corner Itch.io Free - "AND IT SEEMS HUNGRY. YOUR CHOICES WILL DECIDE WHAT THE CREATURE CONSUMES (HOPEFULLY NOT YOU)." TW for possibly being eaten

#visual novel #video games #pc games #visual novel recs #video game recommendations #dating sim #indie visual novel #indie games #itch.io #steam games #steam

21 notes · View notes

officecyborg · 21 days

Text

OK so I picked up a mystery game called The Painscreek Killings because it was on sale for $5. The page bills it as “realistic” unlike other walking simulators which made me 🙄 but I was curious about it, was having a pretty good time investigating. But some events made me suspicious about what the actual genre was, so I looked up some reviews and MAN I’m glad I did because holy misleading marketing, Batman!

(Not going to give away the solution/murderer or anything bc I don’t even know it, but some indirect spoilery details about the type of ending it has that I wish I’d known)

OK so first of all there’s a ghost. I would not describe that as “realistic”, and while it’s not able to hurt you, there is definitely a light jumpscare angle in how this is introduced.

Second of all—and here’s the part that made my jaw drop. So this game is like Paradise Killer, in that you can quit investigating at any time and declare your conclusion. However, if you investigate everything there is a definitive correct answer. The thing is, when you find this definitive evidence, you are abruptly thrown into a chase sequence with the killer where you have an HP bar and can die. I cannot emphasize enough that there are no other NPCs in this game. Nada. Zip. The town is conveniently abandoned, and it’s a cold case. There’s definitely a feeling of paranoia as you’re investigating, and at least one cat scare I’ve encountered where you wonder if there’s someone else in the building, but there are no people! This is not telegraphed! I don’t know how the ending actually is, still going to play it because I’m enjoying myself, but calling it adventure/puzzle/mystery when a lot of us who play that genre have really shit hand-eye coordination is like… that’s relevant information? Sorry about your twist but I would like to have known this going in 😭

4 notes · View notes

tobiasdrake · 11 months

Text

A Comparative Look at First Cases

Okay, before moving on to 3-2, I want to take a moment to go over the First Cases. I feel like I should break this down into categories to make it simpler.

Okay, let's start with the motives. Motives are a lot of fun. They can be captivating and mysterious, with overarching effects that may not be clear at first glance but ultimately compel the murder.

I need to clarify that we're talking about capital-M Motives provided by Monokuma and not necessarily the specific, individual rationale for murder that the killer interpreted from it. That will come up when we talk about killers.

Best Motive: 2-1 - The Missing Past Sometimes simpler can be better than overcomplex, and that makes 1-1's Motive fairly strong. "Your loved ones are in danger; That sucks." Straight to the point. Who will be driven to murder by this?

But 2-1's Motive manages to take that simple Motive and mold it into someting that's intriguingly esoteric. Taking the grand reveal from 1-6 and frontloading it into 2-1's Motive disguises its true menace. It keeps the sequel plot moving without having to retread too much, while still delivering a rationale for murder that nonetheless ends up being every bit as hard-cutting and personal as 1-1's.

Worst Motive: 3-1 - The First Blood Perk I already went on a tirade over this but suffice it to say, the First Blood Perk is one of the most interest-terminating Motives in Danganronpa. A good Motive should make you wonder which character's particular psychology is going to interact with the Motive in a way that moves them to murder. This Motive just makes you wonder how they're going to cop out of it.

Ah, but what's a Motive without the rest of the events leading up to the case? Hanging out, being sociable, and trying to defeat the Mastermind. Let's talk about best build-up.

Best Build-Up: 3-1 - A Plan to Thwart the Mastermind All three build-ups center around two major things: Learning about the Killing Game and our fellow players, and getting to know the character who's about to betray us in a big way: Sayaka, Nagito, and Kaede.

Of the three journeys these sets of characters undergo together, Kaede and Shuichi's plan to undermine (and, secretly, assassinate) the Mastermind is immediately investment-grabbing. And while you can spot signs of Kaede's impending plot if you're observant enough, it's not quite as obvious as Sayaka's meltdown and plot to frame Makoto.

Worst Build-Up: 2-1 - Entering the Neo World Program To be honest, this was a toss-up between 1-1 and 2-1. The time we spend getting to know Nagito hits a lot harder given how much more important of a character he's going to be than Sayaka.

But the clincher for me was actually the opening minutes of the game. One of DR2's biggest reveals is that we're in a simulation, but they front-load the game with a lot of Matrix effects that give away the trick immediately as you begin playing it. The opening minutes are the disappointing 11037 clue of DR2, but made worse for being too obvious about a major endgame reveal.

Best Blackened: 3-1 - Kaede Akamatsu Okay, I know I've spent multiple posts complaining about this and it still does piss me off from the perspective of overarching game design choice. But given how intricate and fascinating her murder is and the way it plays so hard on established character traits and relationships, I'd be remiss not to acknowledge her here.

The best murders are the ones that are rooted in characters. That stem entirely from the way the character's identity, personality, and relationship to other characters interacts with the provided Motive. You should always come away from the killer's identity reveal feeling like it not only was this person, but that it could never have been anyone else. It was always going to be them.

Kaede's well-conceived but poorly-aimed plan to kill the Mastermind is a perfect example of a masterfully executed interplay of personality, motive, means, and opportunity coming together in a way that feels true to character and heartbreaking to discover.

Worst Blackened: 1-1 - Leon Kuwata

It's hard to choose between Teruteru and Leon here, because they're in a similar boat. Teruteru has an interesting motive for his involvement, but one that doesn't get examined until the very end in a bid for last-second sympathy. Saving the killer's interesting character traits for FTEs and a last-second revelation is a recurring problem in Danganronpa.

Conversely, Leon doesn't have much motive at all. He's a strong candidate for least developed character in Danganronpa. He was selected more or less arbitrarily by Sayaka to be her intended victim and then killer. He is so utterly divorced from the events of the crime that she had to scrawl his name on the wall for the sake of creating any reason in the world to suspect him. The only reason he's even here is because he thought she was hot. Which also doesn't get examined much outside his FTEs.

But between the two, I feel like Teruteru has more going for him. His fear for his mom makes for a stronger motive, even if we don't find out about it until the very end. He's only slightly better developed than Leon, but his integral role as team chef also plays into the mystery a bit more strongly than Leon "can chuck things through the grate" Kuwata's did.

Leon is Danganronpa's first attempt at writing a killer. And while his switcheroo with Sayaka is interesting, it nonetheless shows.

Best Victim: 1-1 - Sayaka Maizono This is another one that's very hard to call. Sayaka and Imposter Byakuya are both strong contenders for best victim.

As characters, all three first victims coast on external expectations that you carry into the game with you. Expectations of a Maya Fey type character, expectations of Byakuya Togami, expectations of an Ultimate ??? mystery.

What puts Sayaka above Imposter for me is that ultimately, Imposter never feels like more than an archetype. He's the leader, he's brave, he's valiant, he's selfless... He's, honestly, unlike his namesake in the way he takes charge and cares for others. But he lacks any sort of personal connections to the other characters. When he dies, his cause of death is simply "being too heroic".

Sayaka is more interesting because her character writing is deeply personal. We spend a lot of time not only developing who she is but her relationship to protagonist Makoto. She compares more to Kaede than to Imposter or Rantaro, because we get to watch her make an emotional journey over the course of the setup.

When Byakuya turns up dead, he dies fulfilling both his archetypal identity as the heroic leader and his horror role as the Horror Ace who must be killed in order for the story to begin. But when Sayaka turns up dead, it's a genuine twist... Whether you "knew" she was going to commit a murder or not, it's still shocking to see her show up as a victim.

For the short time we had these characters, Sayaka feels like she managed to do more to concoct an interesting character journey than Imposter or Rantaro did, and that's why I have to give this point to her.

Worst Victim: 3-1 - Rantaro Amami Rantaro's the other major candidate for least developed character in Danganronpa. There are things there to enjoy if you're willing to put in the work to find them but, for the most part, he's just. Sort of. There.

He's a nice guy surrounded by a lot of question marks, some of which will be explained far later in the game and others that won't be explained until post-game bonus modes. Wreathed in similar secrecy to Imposter, but lacking Imposter's captivating exterior intrigue. Rantaro has the energy of a random person who accidentally wandered onto the set and now everyone else has to roll with it.

He has a cool character design and he's nice, but he isn't here to stay and he's written like it. The others have complex and fascinating over-the-top characteristics and Rantaro is nearby, smiling politely. He likes bread.

In a similar fashion to how Nagito was a dark reflection of Makoto, Rantaro is. Like. Hajime, if he wasn't written to be an important character of any kind. You can become invested in him if you put in the work to do so but there are tons of other characters who are right there.

Meanwhile, his involvement in his own death is "Wrong place at the wrong time. Whoopsy-doodle."

Best Use of Other Characters: 3-1 - Miu, Gonta, and Shuichi (plus Kaito's mob) This is an easy win for 3-1. A Danganronpa game features a lot of characters, and the more involved they get to be in the crime both before and after the body is found, the better. 1-1 and 3-1 both offer Makoto and Shuichi a key role of adjacency, making them unsuspecting accomplices while the crime is being concocted and carried out. But between them, Shuichi has a more proactive and complex relationship to the crime taking place, while Makoto's simply a patsy.

On top of that, we have Gonta for a false lead suspect, plus the whole complicating factor of Kaito's mob forming right next door to the crime - one member of whom would become the victim.

And we have Miu, who is intricately woven into the case. Miu created the cameras and knows key information about them that becomes important to the case. She also builds a sky-camera drone which becomes supremely important to unraveling the mystery. None of this could have happened without her; Either the setup of the crime or the resolution of the mystery. V3 uses its large cast to great effect here.

Worst Use of Other Characters: 2-1 - Nagito, Peko, and Ibuki. Plus Mahiru and Mikan's investigative skills.

Nagito is an extremely back-and-forth character. Sometimes he's fascinating and other times he's a cackling ball of plot contrivance, doing ridiculous things for ridiculous reasons and getting away with it because plot contrivance is literally his Talent.

2-1 may be Nagito at his weakest. Though the drawing of straws is a fun bit, Nagito contriving 85% of the mystery and pulling it off through sheer Luck Powers for the sake of setting up Teruteru for the remaining 15% feels forced. Nagito's involvement feels like the personification of "Writer's hand moving pieces into place."

Like, the trick with the blackout seems like it'd be difficult to pull off without any testing but Nagito has luck powers so it doesn't matter. The timing of everything going down seems unlikely but Nagito has luck powers so it doesn't matter. Every over-complex detail was perfectly planned 100% by Nagito and it all went exactly according to plan, because it could only go exactly according to plan, because Nagito has luck powers preventing any unexpected complications from ever arising.

This is a toxic influence on a mystery (though it makes 2-5 fascinating). Mysteries are actually more interesting when they don't go exactly according to one brilliant mastermind's flawless foresight.

Aside from Nagito, we have... Peko being in the bathroom. An entire subplot is dedicated to the mystery of Peko's extended bathroom visit. This is a character who will be revealed to be a deadly assassin next chapter, and her sole contribution to the story prior to that point is a joke about diarrhea embarrassment.

That leaves us with Ibuki, Mikan, and Mahiru who play key roles in the investigation. Ibuki has exact photographic memory of every person who spoke during the blackout (which also feels a bit like plot contrivance), Mahiru's photographs provide critical evidence (that's fine, no notes), and Mikan... Mikan's autopsy is useful (that's good) and also the running joke about her tripping into compromising positions is critical evidence (okay, game).

2-1 suffers from a bad case of 4-D Chess Mastermind syndrome and is more interested in poking fun and ogling its cast than it is in having them do interesting things rooted in their characters and personalities that contribute to the story in interesting ways.

Best Mystery: 2-1 - The Table Stabbing 2-1 and 3-1 have a lot of moving parts. The mechanism of Kaede's trap is complicated, but not so complicated that you can't see how it worked - or, at least, was intended to work. The same is true of Shuichi's own plot to capture the Mastermind, which runs adjacent to and interweaves through Kaede's.

Like Nagito, Teruteru, and Imposter, there are multiple conflicting agendas running through Shuichi, Kaede, and Rantaro's collision - though with the intriguing and emotionally gripping complication that they all wanted the same thing. Meanwhile, 3-1 does not run afoul of All According to Keikaku the way 2-1 does.

If you don't know, on sight, who killed Rantaro? Then 3-1 can be a shocking mystery to try and solve, as no possible candidate seems to fit the bill. But if you do know? Then. Well. It's a lot like 1-1, spinning your wheels and waiting for the game to catch up. Worse, if you happen to be too observant and catch things that they don't want you thinking about until 3-6, 3-1 can be pull-your-hair-out frustrating as the game gaslights you about details that are plain in front of your eyes.

2-1's mystery isn't quite as captivating as 3-1's, but it doesn't suffer from these drawbacks either. It's less likely to have been spoiled for you by hanging out with the key figures while they were setting it all up. There's still a bit of bullshit in how it's carried out, but ultimately it simply presents a clever mystery and asks you to investigate and solve it.

Worst Mystery: 1-1 - Murder in Makoto's Shower 1-1 was the first case in the series, and you can tell. While getting to watch Sayaka undergo her emotional journey and developing her crime alongside Makoto is interesting, it does give away many of the details that are going to be Huge Reveals later down the line.

By the time her body is found, you're already 95% of the way to solving the mystery. And she wrote the remaining 5% on the wall for you to find.

Kaede and Shuichi took a lot of notes from Sayaka and Makoto on how to do something like this without flat-out explaining the plan to the audience as they go along. Though I do think that sometimes simpler cases are better than complex ones, 1-1 suffers tremendously from being too obvious about key details, leaving little to discover during investigation.

So, where does that leave the Case 1s? Tallying up their scores, we have:

DRV3: 13 points DR2: 12 points DR1: 11 points

Neck and neck in quality but V3 takes a slim lead. Featuring the strongest build-up portion, best Blackened, and best use of Side Characters, V3 edges out the competition with careful, creative, and entertaining use of its cast as a whole.

DR2 thrives on its plot details, with a great Motive and the most well-constructed mystery to spin out of the events, but suffers from poor use of its characters as well as a middling killer and victim.

While DR1 coasts by on the strength of the Sayaka twist, having a harder time establishing itself than the sequels that followed in its footsteps and learned from its mistakes.

#danganronpa #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #danganronpa 2 goodbye despair #danganronpa v3 #comparative look at danganronpa cases

8 notes · View notes

princess-serah · 1 year

Text

I'd like to take a moment to vent about the Mimic

It was dumb when it was Afton, but it's almost even dumber that it's the Mimic instead. The entire area and design are there to build up the idea that it is Afton again, with the cut Afton voice lines, it being the Pizzeria Simulator location where Afton last was, the suit clearly having body parts and human teeth, and the whole thing being bathed in purple light in reference to purple guy.

It would be stupid for it to be Afton, however, because the last game set up a new antagonist in the form of Glitchtrap, and the two games before that were about nailing home how absolutely dead Afton was and how there was no coming back from his eternal torment.

It seems that this was only properly realised after the fact and so course correction was attempted to try and come up with an alternative explanation. What I think they probably should have done would be to have it be Glitchtrap inhabiting the ruined body of Glamrock Bonnie, since a point is made of his being absent from the lineup and the various similarities between the new Afton and the glamrock endos. To explain the human remains you could even go back to the classic horror stylings of FNAF 1 where haunted things exude bodily fluids and such.

Instead however, it was decided that Burntrap was actually a fancy new never seen before animatronic which learned to copy Afton's murdering. This is silly considering how heavy handed the links to it being Afton again are and how little it makes Burntrap any more than tenuously connected to Afton in any way, with Glitchtrap at least having the existing link of being a digital virus of Afton's murderous tendencies. Now Burntrap looks like Springtrap because I guess it liked the aesthetic, and the human body parts are explained by having the robot teeth look like human teeth for some reason. Burntrap can control the Glamrocks not because of mysterious ghost powers as was implied, but for no reason at all.

As a result of this change, particularly because of the shafting of Vanny, the previously set up new villain of Glitchtrap has effectively nothing at all to do with Security Breach, creating a horrendously disjointed story since nothing is followed up on except Vanny in a very underwhelming manner.

In the end, I find it deeply meta that Steel Wool's new villain is, canonically, something that saw the previous game events and reckoned it could just do it all again with no setup.

#fnaf #fnaf ruin dlc #rant #fnaf security breach #fnaf help wanted #fnaf ruin #burntrap #glitchtrap #the mimic #steel wool studios #how are they all so bad at this

8 notes · View notes

wyntersecret-a · 10 months

Text

!! Murder mystery simulator is on my event list ! If anyone else wants to include muses for it comment who you would like added! Here is the roster so far - CLICK

I will also be rolling a new bachelor simulator round for Mister Landon Bartholomew Wynter for a future event!

#tales from the underground! ooc #choose ur own misadventure! events

3 notes · View notes

rawwkfingers · 9 months

Text

The Deadly Assassin

I've always found it both very funny and also extremely fitting for the show that one of the most iconic landmark serials of the entire Classic era has such a lame name

Introducing the 13 regeneration limit, the Matrix, our first real in-depth look at Time Lord society, I think it's fair to say this one serial is second only to The Daleks in terms of how much it's shaped the lore of Doctor Who.

Unfortunately, like a lot of these extremely iconic serials of the past, I kind of didn't like it? Or rather, I enjoyed it but I don't think it met the expectations the plot sets up

The first half was great, though I wish it'd been more clear that the Doctor wasn't the one who shot the President in the first episode. But the intrigue of finally getting to learn more about the Time Lords is just too irresistible to not get enraptured with. And a murder mystery where the Doctor has to prove they were framed is such a perfect set up to explore their culture! Who knows what wild and weird things he'll uncover, what advances in technology he'll technobabble about, how these god-like beings who can control time itself spend their days. Sure, in that first episode and a half they did seem to just, be humans, with no mention of regeneration outside of a plastic surgery joke and a cheesy reporter, but we still have two whole episodes to go to see more

Aaaand then we spend essentially two entire episodes worth of runtime in a simulated reality that looked exactly like Earth where the Doctor plays out a Most Dangerous Game scenario??? And not even with the actual Master, but just his lackey whose surprise reveal was painfully obvious

Dont get me wrong, I am a sucker for a MDG plot, but this was not the time or place for that. There's the inherent mysticism of the fact that this took place within the Matrix, sure, but ultimately that was an entire episode and change devoted to scenes that could have happened with any bad guy, on any planet

And the way the Time Lords were depicted was just plain disappointing. In their previous appearances, they've always seemed all-powerful. Whether its the time-stop shenanigans from War Games, their ability to breach the Doctor's timeline in Three Doctors, or forcing the Doctor to land on Skaro in Genesis, they've always been Above Humanity.

Here, if you changed some things around this could have just been modern-day British nobility

Which has always been the point, I get that. The Time Lords and their archaic obsession with non-interference has always been meant to be an allegory for British politics and the conservatism inherent in it. But at the very least, have there be a spark of what makes them so interesting! You can do the whole "lying about events for a more politically palatable outcome" and the power struggles while still having them be the space wizards they're meant to be

Having the Doctor and the Master be literally the only ones who can understand Time Lord science was just such a baffling decision, and having the Time Lords straight up not know what the Eye of Harmony was made no sense at all.

On a plot level, the serial was good but I just cant help feeling extremely disappointed that our first deep dive into Gallifrey was, this

#rawwk on #classic who watch #the deadly assassin

2 notes · View notes

enigmaincrimson · 1 year

Text

Small updates to Vannessa's little party plan.

Combine the beach and murder mystery ideas to make it a beach themed murder mystery party.

Costumes are optional.

In order to be fair for everyone (and reduce possible incidents as well as spoilers), nobody will be playing parts outside of investigators if they want to.

Outside of fancy little things like climate control, ambient noise, simulated wind, scents, etc... She's sort of rigged up a layered "experience system".

At the base level, every object meant to have permanence is a physical object. As in, even if everything else doesn't work, there's at least something. (Considering it's mostly props and decorations, she's probably going to need help with this from her friends.)

Layered on top of these objects are holographic projections in order to alter the object's appearances to better fit the setting. (Like... making the fake trees look like real trees blowing in the wind, flowing water, etc.)

And... on top of that, with the objects that are less permanent or just need that extra touch of realism and substance, she's managed to cobble together hard light projectors for that particular task. (These will not be used on objects meant to be permanent like say... tables and chairs.)

The idea is that even if one part of the setup fails, there's something to hold up the experience.

The parts of the characters in the event will be played by simulated NPCs that were generated for the purpose. I doubt she'd actually show them playing out different plots and developing their parts, but once deployed, they'll handle the actual murder mystery plot... and enable an interactive experience.

So... in any case, she'll have to get her friends to help plan out the refreshments, snacks, etc... as well as put the decorations together for that more personal touch.

#muse musings

2 notes · View notes

bagadew · 2 years

Text

The Great Ace Attorney Playthrough: The Adventure of the Runaway Room (Part 2a)

Last Time: We stuck it to the Jury and snatched victory back from the jaws of defeat… only for things to start going wrong after an overcharging Beppo set our passenger theory up in flames! However, all was not lost! By simply calling Mr McGilded to the stand we were able to find out that we were right! …And that’s when the smoke bomb went off and I disappeared for a year…

Wow guys, it’s been a long time huh! Just over a year in-fact according to my notes. We’ve probably all learnt some things about ourselves during this time, for instance I’ve learnt that my kidney’s cant absorbed magnesium properly... which explains a lot. It turns out that your body and mind actually need vital salts to do a lot of things. Things like having the energy and brain capacity to play a lawyer simulator (to pick an example at random).

I’m now full of magnesium supplements, but while I’m getting back onto form and working out how much to take a day, I think I’ll be posting these once a week rather than my old schedule of: as soon as I can rattle them out. This way I won’t burn myself out!

Anyway, enough rambling on, let's play some Ace Attorney!

God it’s good to be back! I would say that I hope I’ve not lost my gameplaying skills, but looking at how many people I’ve falsely accused, I don’t think I had any.

Now, where were we… oh that’s right, evacuated from the courtroom because our client’s probably a murderer!

(I mean as I said, I’ve shot wrong before, so hopefully I’ve shot wrong again.)

What I really need to do though is talk to Mr McGilded. I’ve jumped the gun enough times this game I’d be happy to chalk my suspicions up to that...

So, we didn’t get that much time out of the courtroom, which begs the question: why drop the smoke grenade at all? There’s not enough time to ‘find’ more evidence, and from what I could see he didn’t try and make a run for it. So what’s it done other than raise a big red flag over his head?

I’ve got a hunch...

Ah. I think I know why the smoke grenade was let off now. And I’ll be honest it really doesn’t help in convincing me that Mr McGilded’s innocent.

We’d needed to produce the mysterious third party if we were going to get Mr McGilded off the hook. If Mr McGilded arranged for them to cause a scene and try and flee, they’d not only be found, but they’d have as good as confessed to the murder.

Yep, it’s the mysterious third party.

Yeah, there are a lot of things I want to ask him about too.

Oh, apparently he’s been summoned to the prosecutor's office.

Fucking typical, even out of the courtroom Barok still manages to be a massive inconvenience.

Also, what’s he doing there without me, his lawyer, anyway?

Wait, the third party’s in there too!

Again I feel like I, his defense attorney, should really be a part of this.

I have a terrible feeling she was bribed to be here...

I mean let’s face it, if anyone’s going to be susceptible to bribes it’s going to be the starving child who’s dependent on money to get her next meal.

Is it the fact that our client clearly singled for what happened?

Because I’ll be honest Susato, that's what’s troubling me!

Ah no, it’s the fact the money for the passengers is all accounted for now we know about Beppo’s swindling ways.

I’m guessing she was a stowaway then, hiding in that space under the seat.

Either way, we’re not going to know what the hell is going on until the prosecution decides to throw us a bone.

Ah well, let’s go see what the hell is going on in there...

She could definitely fit in the space under the seat. She looks about Mr McGilded’s height too, and she’s wearing a hat.

So she might have military connections then.

She’s not saying anything...

Her face is hidden, so I can’t work out if she’s just keeping her mouth shut, or if she’s too scared to speak.

Yes, speak Mr McGilded, and please make what you have to say good enough to convince me I’ve gone on another wild goose chase.

Please do.

So apparently, it connects to the events of the murder.

(Yes Ryunosuke, call them out on their bullshit.)

Anyways, Mr McGilded fell asleep at the back of the omnibus, before being woken up by a thud and a scream. Opening his eyes, he found Mr Mason collapsed on the floor, so he popped him back on his seat and saw that the scream had come from a child, curled up and hidden away.

...

Well there’s a lot to unpack here.

Like why was Mr McGilded’s reaction to WAKING UP TO A BODY to calmly pop it back in its seat.

And was the kid curled up in on the seat, or was she under it?

Also why is there no blood on the floor?

You know what, let’s start with this baffling reaction to a corpse.

Yeah that’s the right reaction.

Not when there’s been a murder! When there’s been a murder, it’s just tampering with the scene of the crime!

I can’t believe I’m with Barok on this one… I feel like I’ve reached a new low…

Remember when I addressed my dear client, whose case I (Ryunosuke) needed to win in order to be allowed to practice law? I said: Please prove me wrong, because I think you might have committed murder…

Well he’s currently doing the opposite of that…

Ok, this might be interesting. He’s talking about finding out the ‘whys and wherefores’ before trying call someone. I wonder if he thought there was something more going on than: someone with little regard for human life wants Mr McGilded out of the way.

My mistake! He’s just talking about the terrified 15 year old who was probably under the seat!

(Yep, definitely under the seat.)

Don’t worry Susato, I’ve already done it!

I’m sorry, YOU SAT HER NEXT TO A CORPSE!?!

That’s the right reaction!

I fail to see what this has to do with you sitting a kid next to a still bleeding dead body! She was already hiding underneath a gore free seat! Why not use that one?!?

Anyway, putting aside my outrage and focusing on the case at hand: Mr McGilded then heard Mr Furst scream, because he’d looked down to see the scene we spent the last cross examination picking at. Like we guessed, it seems that he saw our teenage stowaway sitting next to the victim, rather than Mr Mason, while Mr McGilded was sat in the seat at the back, out of sight.

Well that clears everything up! …except for the fact that stowaway girl still hasn’t said anything.

We’re only minutes into the second part of this case, and I’ve still got a nasty feeling about Mr McGilded I just can’t shake.

(Editor's note: Oh my god I can send things from my switch to my iPad, this is going to save me SO MUCH WORK! Anyway, these are all screenshots of my own gameplay now.)

I don’t think any of us did Ryunosuke. I thought I’d be getting a cheery romp of a third case to lift my spirits before things got serious… but that doesn’t look like it’ll going to happen does it.

(Also we might have to convict another terrified child!)

Ok, that was quite funny!

Hmm, Susato’s talking about investigating the omnibus again. I think I’ve pressed everything we should need clarifying on so maybe I actually need to. Besides, I haven’t seen the insides in forever, and while I’ve re-read my other live-blogging posts as a refresher, it’s probably a good idea to reacquaint myself with the evidence.

Ok, hold up… was that there before? I’m pretty sure the floor was spotless… but did I just not notice?

Like, I’m not a particularly observant person so perhaps… but something really doesn’t seem right here…

Yep, it’s new.

Oh shit. This was the reasons for the smoke bomb wasn’t it?

It wouldn’t have been enough to just have the kid bolt and be caught suspiciously. Mr McGilded needed the courtroom to be evacuated so the kid he’s controlling (or maybe even he himself) could tamper with the evidence.

Because it’s bad Ryunosuke…

Oh crap, he’s cleaned out the compartment too.

Why though? There already seemed to be space in there for the child to fold themselves. Unless there’s something incriminating in there? Maybe that button from the victim’s jacket was in there after all?

Well, there’s bugger all we can do now, so let’s just fall back on the Ace Attorney trick of pressing everything we can...

Ok, we don’t seem to have got much out of the pressing, except to get Mr McGilded to clearly state that the omnibus was empty when he got on. I feel like we already knew that, but nevertheless, I’m sure his certainty will come back to help us later.

Yes, let's move on and get to the good stuff!

Hern name is Gina Lestrade! A Sherlock Holmes name! If I remember rightly Lestrade’s was detective. I wonder if that’s the path Gina here will be on? Or maybe she’s connected to Herlock in some way?

Didn’t Sherlock Holmes have an urchin gang that helped him out sometimes? Maybe she does something similar for our Herlock?

Nope! She’s a pickpocket! Still, I suppose that doesn’t rule the second option out.

This does explain why she’s quite so good at holding her tongue though, especially in the face of the law.

(Also, it is very funny to watch her blank the Judge)

SHE’S GOT A GUN!!!

SHE SHOT THE JUDGE WITH A BATHBOMB!!!

Editor’s Note: Look my screenshots aren’t all going to be winners, OK?

AND SHE’S DISAPPEARED!!!

THIS IS AMAZING!!!

Oh no, she’s not done a runner, she’s just showing off!

Style Ryunosuke!

F them up Gina!

I love her!

Look, Kazuma’s dead, Hosonaga’s gone back to Japan, and I have no idea where Herlock is… Gina do you want this friendship bracelet I’ve made?

It doesn’t hurt people much Ryunosuke!

Oh my god she stole it from Herlock!

These hijinks have gone on for too long, the Judge seems to say. Go back to facing hard truths and probably defending the wicked, he seems to say.

Well fine! But I’m not going to enjoy it… except I will definitely do that…

(See, Gina gets me!)

So, it looks like the omnibuses were something of a regular haunt for Gina. Though apparently this time she got nothing from her efforts. I wonder if that’s because Mr McGilded was on top of her seat the whole time so she couldn’t get out?

Also, it was pitched black inside, and the sound of the body hitting the deck was loud enough and sudden enough to make her involuntarily scream.

To be honest, as much as I love Gina, I’m not sure I believe that the noise of someone falling out of their seat would be enough to startle her. Perhaps she saw the crime being committed? But then either she’s lying about not being able to see anything, or she must have been able to lift the seat when he hit the floor (ergo, Mr McGilded wasn’t sat on it).

Either way my suspicion of Mr McGilded is definitely growing, and his smug, confident face up there isn’t exactly filling me with confidence.

Come on Mangus, this is it! Endear me to you and show me literally anything that makes me feel better about defending you!

He’s not throwing her under the omnibus like I expected… and he’s actually using facts and reason to show her innocence.

Maybe there’s hope for my (Ryunosuke’s) future after all!

Aaaand we’re looking at the compartment he almost certainly cleared out…

I still come back to asking why though.

Like I feel like Gina could curl herself into that space, and we couldn’t find any evidence among the stuff that was there.

God I want to believe this. The problem is that I just don’t anymore. I really hope that this is just me crying wolf again, and that I’m going to have another beloved character I have to apologies to… but I really don’t think I am…

Also, if he is guilty where does that leave Ryunosuke?

He’s either going to have to let a guilty man who buys his way through life go free, probably convicting another innocent person in the process (I’d love to avoid another Adrian Andrews situation if I can)… or he’s going to have to find another bargain that will let him continue practicing law.

And he’s a Japanese immigrant, they aren’t just going to hand him one on a silver platter. Even if he is the main character, he’d probably end up stuck under someone’s thumb (Strongheart perhaps), or having to look for some back-door way in.

Either way it’s not going to be great for him.

Anyway, we’ve convinced Juror Number 1 to change his verdict!

I mean given that a slight breeze changes this man’s standing, it’s nothing really to write home about…

But still. One step closer to victory!

Wait, she’s changing as well! But doesn’t that mean…

Six for Six!

SIX FOR SIX!

SIX FOR SIX!!

VIIIIICCCCCTTTOOOOOOOORRRYYYYYYYYY!!!

(Well apart from the fact that there are still about a mile of questions, the killers still at large, and we feel nowhere near done…)

Leg SLAM!

Ok Barok let’s hear it.

Look Barok, if you’re going to say he’s a cad, we already know that…

Also, to be frank you’re the last person who should be calling people out on that.

Ok, so he’s also noticed the mysterious case of the missing luggage.

I would be mad, but frankly I knew this was coming when I opened the omnibus and saw it had been tampered with.

So right now, frankly, I just want to find out what the hell this is all about!

I mean we’ve come to the same conclusion; I’ll give him that much.

And to think, only last session he was barely able to follow our chat about the bloody gloves!

Now how do I answer this?

On one hand, I’ve played enough Ace Attorney to know that, ultimately, attempting to: conceal, mask, alter or hide from the truth, doesn’t end well. Especially when you’re a lawyer. It’s a bad time.

On the other hand, I (Ryunosuke) am a defence attorney. It’s my duty to defend my client in the best I can… but is the best way to lie though?

So, directly contradicting Barok is out, and anyway, if it comes down to my word against his… and let’s be honest here, I (Ryunosuke), the Japanese immigrant, am not going to win that one. I’ll just paint myself in a bad way and make everyone even more against me than they already are.

Maybe I could say I didn’t look though?

It’s less of a lie than flat out denying it (can they prove I did), and I wouldn’t be going directly against Judges favorite Barok, or my client…

I did look though…

Also, it’ll make me look incompetent.

… plus, I don’t think it’s a good idea and I don’t think we should do it…

Would Ryunosuke feel the same though?

I mean I am playing as him, so I’d like to act as he would.

Actually I just remembered the last case, and I think that he would. I also think that, unlike me he wouldn’t have hesitated as much.

Let’s do it!

Oh dear, Mr McGilded isn’t happy. Perhaps we can style this out enough for him to convince Strongheart he should give us a job anyway?

(She said hopefully)

And Barok’s, amazingly, not happy either.

Ok Ryunosuke, here’s your time to talk about truth!

Uhh… let’s try and inspire a bit more confidence Ryunosuke…

Yeah alright, that’ll do it!

Barok finds it interesting. I think that means we passed.

Mr McGilded however…

Yeah...

You know I thought the same thing myself.

(God I hope I haven’t screwed this up…)

He’s putting the squeeze on us!

Ryunosuke, you beautiful individual, there is SO MUCH THAT IS NOT RIGHT!

Oh Juror Number 5’s going to clear this up. I can’t believe he’s actually pulling his weight for once!

I mean, he was swindling his customers, and you’re clearly drinking in court… all I’m saying is I wouldn’t put much faith in the responsibility of your coach company.

Oh, and he’s changed his verdict to guilty!

Wonderful!

(I don’t even know if I’m being sarcastic now or not)

And there goes Juror Number 3 as well, closely followed by Number 4!

Oh, how quickly these people turn!

And Ryunosuke is as fed up with them as I am!

Yeah, yeah Barok. We know. We dug ourselves away from victory and snatched defeat from it’s jaws. Let’s just get on with it shall we!

The right thing? …Maybe?

I mean I think we helped. Quite a lot actually.

Anyway, back to cross examination.

So, Gina says that after she heard the thud, the seat above her lightened up because Mr McGilded had got up sit Mr Mason on the seat opposite. Apparently she knows that’s what happened because she immediately lifted the seat up a little so she could have a peak. (Or a ‘butcher’s’ if you're speaking in Cockney Rhyming Slang!)

Unfortunately for her, her ‘butcher’s’ meant that Mr McGilded could spot her and dragged her out into the open.

She’s also saying that she cleared out the coach gear and crammed it in there before the omnibus set off. Which is clearly a lie because we saw it there earlier. But evidence is everything and we have no proof.

Also poor Ryunosuke is really struggling to keep up with the Cockney Rhyming Slang. Something deliberately designed to make it difficult for anyone not in the know to follow what you were saying.

Like he is literally doing everything in a second language, and now the person opposite him is literally peppering her sentences with criminal code. I’m struggling to remember what some of these words mean and I am Cockney, I live in London, I studied this at school!

What I’m trying to say is: Hang in their buddy! I believe in you!

(I am finding it quite funny though that reading Gina’s Cockney Accent is starting to make the Cockney notes of my accent bob back up to the surface. I mostly grew out of it when I was a kid, so it’s really weird reading a fictional person’s dialogue can spike it up!)

Anyway, Gina seems to be claustrophobic, which raises the question of why she was in there at all, especially if she was squeezed in there amongst the rope and brushes and all that. She says that it’s out of necessity, so maybe that’s all there is to it. Still, it might be something it’s worth remembering.

Yeah… it definitely seems like I should remember it…

Anyway so let’s get back to how our dear client, Mr McGilded, dragged this child out of her hiding place, sat her next to a corpse, and then-THE CARRIAGE LURCHED THE CORPSE ON TOP OF HER!?!

OH GOD!

That’s it! Gina I’m taking you into care! Please come and sit next to me and my other child Sebastian. He’s a good kid, please don’t pick on him.

Anyway, we’ve now accounted for the bloodied hands Mr Furst and Mr Fairplay saw from the roof. They must have looked down while she was being interrogated by Mr McGilded.

Well that was nice of him wasn’t it!

And I’m sure you came along today, armed with a smoke bomb you dropped on his signal, because you wanted to pay him back for his kindness!

(If you can’t tell, I’m not buying it.)

I think it’s this whole damn affair Ryunosuke.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure Gina talking about small, cramped spaces made Mr McGilded over there swallow a lung, so let’s hop on top of that.

Sure you do.

Look, you clearly don’t relate to her enough to not use her. Which you are definitely doing. Like literally right now.

Yeah, this is exactly what he was trying on with us earlier.

(And Gina isn’t at all acting like she’s being steered.)

I’m going to be honest with you Ryunosuke, whatever she says will be 100% in Mr McGilded’s favour and probably contrived.

Look at him standing smugly next to her… prick.

I’ll be honest with you, I (me) have no idea what about her probably contrived statement is useful to us. But my god I’ve played enough Ace Attorneys to know the answer here!

GET THEIR ASS RYUNOSUKE!

(Catch me, trying to look like I haven’t been doing that since we got here.)

Well let’s press the new statement while I try and work out what it’s about.

I’VE GOT IT!

GINA SHOULD HAVE HEARD THE DOOR OPENING WHEN MR MASON BORDED!

But if she didn’t, and we can get her to confirm this, then the only option is that he got onboard with Mr McGilded!

Which both suggests that Mr McGilded purposely met with the victim, and means that, what with Gina also saying he got on alone, there’s a massive contradiction in her testimony.

Basically she’s definitely lied about something.

Get off my tailcoats van Zieks!

Anyway, now to simply present a picture of Mr Mason and I’m sure I can trust Ryunosuke to explain the rest.

GET THERE ASSESS RYUNOSUKE! (I knew I could count on you.)

Thank you for that obvious lie Mr McGilded, it has now been stated before the court and will come back to bite you in the ass promptly.

Well then, he should have said something before now shouldn’t he? Rather than expecting the defense to do the prosecutions job for him.

Wow that’s a silent rain of guilty there!

Editor’s note: and basically unscreenshotable, however I do it!

… I feel like Juror Number 6 has seen and done some shit in her time…

CAN IT JUROR NUMBER 1!

THANK YOU SUSATO I CAN SEE THAT!

SHUT UP BAROK!

Ok Ryunosuke, only Juror Number 2 is left. Frankly it’s a miracle she hasn’t changed her verdict already. Given that she is almost certainly going this way, I suggest we get ready to demand another summation examination so we can sway these thickle fucks back!

(Pluss it means we get to push the Prosecution Shut Up button.)

Ok, I’m pretty sure Mr McGilded just said something racist, so he’s still finding ways to limbo under that low bar I keep readjusting for him.

Also Juror Number 3 is back licking his knife again, while saying concerning things about loving carnage. So that’s also happening now…

Well Juror Number 2 looks like she’s about to unsurprisingly change her stance to guilty, and frankly this time I don’t blame them. Mr McGilded’s own defence just fired cannonballs through this credibility.

Oh, ok! Ryunosuke seems to think we can win this back before we get to summation time.

Fair enough I suppose, we were barley granted the first one.

Shut up Mr McGilded, can’t you see that I (Ryunosuke) am trying to wiggle you away from death now! Like fair enough it was me who put you there in the first place, but even so you need me to keep talking.

(Side not though, I find it curious that Mr McGilded doesn’t want me to pursue this line of enquiry even though the horse has well and truly bolted. Does he have some trick that will only work if they don’t know he got on with Mr Mason? Or does Gina’s lie actually revile more that I though?)

We stop her! Nice one Ryunosuke!

Ok!

Wait, none of these options are ‘he came in with Mr McGilded’?

Well I guess Mr Mason and Gina could have entered the cabin together? He didn’t look very well off and he was in debt, so perhaps the two of them were in cahoots? Like Mr Mason pays the money and then Gina immediately lifts it back again?

Ok I’ll go for the first one!

MOCKED AND PENALISED!!!

Fine then! Let’s try another one!

Let’s see, I’ve crawled all over every inch of that cabin and I don’t think there was a secret way in. So maybe the point I’m supposed to be getting at is that he was already dead?

Perhaps it was him, not Gina who was under the seat? That might actually explain why Mr McGilded had the contents removed, perhaps he was worried it had traces of body on them, and perhaps he was right and that’s where we’ll find the missing button!

Ok number 3 it is!

THEY’RE LAUGHING ME OUT OF TOWN!

(And also penalising me again, so now I only have three lives left!)

Ok, we’ll say there was another way in then.

I’ll be honest Ryunosuke you’re on your own with this one. I have no idea what your plan is.

ARE ALL THESE ANSWERS SOMEHOW WRONG?!?

Oh no, something new’s happening!

OH COME ON! WHY MEEEEE!

Ok, let’s just relax and think this through.

We know it can’t be the door because the door never opened. We also know that it was the only door in the cabin’s four walls. Perhaps my under seat theory could come into that, but that’s not really a way into the cabin. In fact the only distinctive thing on this drawing that looks vaguely entrance like is the skylight.

I might be wrong, but for some reason I was under the impression that it couldn’t open?

Ah well, it’s literally the only idea I’ve got right now so I might as well go for it!

SUCCESS!

Ooh, actually that’s a good point. I did think the sound of someone falling to the floor wouldn’t be enough to make someone like Gina scream, but the sound of a body falling through the roof is another matter entirely.

Oh yeah, they would have…

Well, I guess we should call them up as witnesses again. Maybe we’ll find something in their statements that’ll open up a new possibility?

(Though I can’t imagine what that could be)

I don’t like this…

Ok, is this whole thing just a way for Mr McGilded to get rid of two clients who weren’t able to pay up, while being able to make himself out to look like the victim?

They came back to the stand!

AND MR FURST IS READY TO THROW DOWN!

GET HIS ASS MR FURST!

LOOK AT RYUNOSUKE’S FACE! THIS IS AMAZING!

Mr McGilded is loving this, and to be fair he isn’t the only one!

LET THEM SPEAK!

I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Jack the Ripper here. Dark times everybody.

SHUT UP JUROR NUMBER 1!

Ok, so this is something all the jury want. Well good, they’re finally taking their roll seriously.

Oh, neat voice acting!

Tes-ti-fy! Tes-ti-fy! Tes-ti-fy!

(Quick Ryunosuke, try and look like we weren’t also chanting)

Anyways, let's get cross examining!

Ok, so their statement (as I understand it), is that they were the only two people up on the roof deck, and definitely would have noticed if someone else had been there. They had absolutely no reason to kill Mr Mason, the skylight was shut the entire time they were there and they couldn’t have opened it. Also, they want proof.

Ignoring the request for proof for the moment, I could see them possibly missing Mr Mason if he was laying down on the seat in front. It was dark when they got on, and they would have been preoccupied with how cold it was up there… also the longer they spend up there the more I begin to feel that there’s some sort of romantic spark between the two of them. I’m definitely not going to bring that before the jury because they have already proven themselves to be true products of Victorian London, but I can’t be the only one who think that… right?

As for the proof they requested, I’ve got nothing and I’m probably going to have to guess wildly before the day is out.

Juror Number 4 still pulling her weight I see.

Also, I’m pretty sure she’s not said anything hateful while she’s been up there, so my offer for a breakaway court still stands. We can gossip about the nature of the witness's relationship there if you’d like, but none of the others are allowed to come.

Anyway, my own feelings aside, Barok has apparently looked into them and they definitely didn’t know each other before today.

Much like Phoenix had to be beaten up, accused of murder and nearly killed to learn to not go with Murderers into a private room and tell them you have evidence against you; it’s taking a man like Mr McGilded to teach Ryunosuke what it is to be manipulated and played like a fiddle. It’s harsh, but really, it’s something Mr I’LL BE MY OWN DEFENCE ATTORNEY needs to learn.

(Nothing to add here, I just enjoy this image)

Ooh, Ryunosuke’s on the same theory that I am! Truly our hearts beat as one.

I mean, I’m not sure that rules out the factor of darkness, but I suppose sleep is a good point to rule out.

That’s London Baby!

GET HIS ASS MR FURST!!!

It is interesting that they knocked on the door though. I wonder if they saw Mr Mason inside?

They did!

YEAH GET HIM!!! I’M RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!

(Damn I wanted to see Mr Furst fully snap)

Not the one I know.

Well, Mr McGilded coughed up another lung at this statement, and while I’m hesitant to give him any more speaking room I probably should so he can inevitably trip himself up over his own words.

Ok, not the best start…

Don’t rise to it you idiot!

Well, there you go Mr Fairplay. Wel done, you just gave yourself a motive.

Yeah, what do you want to do with our single helpful witness?

Don’t come for him and his bad hats!

Yeah, he’s only an apprentice! I’m sure he’ll get better with time!

>:(

Yeah, the customers like it probably! It’s modern probably!

Wait what

Oh god, he has one of his hats!

I just thought he wasn’t doing to well so he’d patched it up himself!

(… Maybe Mr Furst should consider a new like of work after all…)

Oh Mr Furst, your shining transparency and shining beacon of truth has come back to hit you in the face!

Up until two minutes ago I couldn’t picture Mr Furst being physically capable of quarrelling, but now that I’ve seen his dukes I’m a little more willing to believe it. (I don’t though, obviously.)

Well at least he’s stopped talking now…

Yeah, worrying isn’t it.

Wait, is the latch on the outside?!

I’m pretty sure, now I’m looking for it, I can see it right there!

(Is the out of context ace attorney blog still around? Because if so this is gold dust for it.)

… Mr Furst… why are you telling us this?

It sure is.

… again Mr Furst... I don’t think we need to know this...

I’m not really sure to be honest.

Oh thank god there is a point!

Well I think the problem here is that he was on the inside of the cabin, whereas (and I just went in to check), the latch looking thing is only on the outside. I.e. it can’t be opened from within.

Ok, I think I’ve pressed everything now, and from what Susato just said and Mr Fairplay’s demand for proof, I’m guessing I should be presenting evidence.

The only things I can think of though are the Ledger, which connects Mr Fairplay to the crime, and the Omnibus itself. I still can’t open the skylight, so I’ll go with the Ledger first.

Aaand be penalized for it!

Now I have literally one life left, so it’s probably an idea to make sure I’ve saved now before I try the omnibus… aaand it’s a good thing I did because I was just penalised again!

Well let’s return to the last save and not do that then. Side note though, it’s a nice touch how all the Jurors have their own spoken Guilty!

Right, I have literally no idea what to do now, so I’m going to scrabble around with the evidence for a bit, and probably get guilty a bunch until something happens. Because that’s not very interesting to write or read, I think I’ll end this write up here for now and pick the next one up once I’ve figured it out. Till next time everybody!

#tgaa #tgaa spoilers #the great ace attorney #the adventure of the runaway room #ace attorney #ryunosuke naruhodo #susato mikotoba #barok van zieks #gina lestrade #magnus mcgilded #bruce fairplay #lay d furst

13 notes · View notes

captainfightingflower · 1 year

Text

Why You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream’s Escape the Simulations fall flat and is mediocre at best (and how they did the concept better in the same game).

You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream, especially it’s special episode dubbed “Escape the Simulations” is a fan favorite, yet “favorite” does not mean “objectively good”, which ETS is not.

It’s not bad to like ETS, and you’re allowed to like it, i’m not saying you shouldn’t, or that you’re stupid if you genuinely enjoy it. I’m here to explain to you why, by it’s execution and delivery, how it fails, and how a single voice line from the same game completely outdoes what ETS attempted to accomplish.

Spoilers for You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream’s Escape the Simulations below Keep reading:

The episode having a random chance to show up hurts it’s impact and just causes players distress.

It was revealed in a Reddit AMA that it was decided that making Escape the Simulations a part of the same special episode pool as Fraiser Frenzy or Featuring Jimmy Fallon that has a chance to appear every 1/69 times You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream is played was the better option over it happening if you played enough games of You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream in succession because more players would get to experience it.

This was an awful decision, honestly. You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream’s Escape the Simulations would have benefited FAR more if it was kept to something that only occurred if you played YDKJ: FS several times in a row, as the ending line claiming that you’re also stuck, along with Cookie, would have hit so much harder if you had to play it multiple times in a row without breaks. Making you realize that, in a way, Creepy Voice is right, instead of it coming off a cheesy villainy!

You could even improve it further by doing it Trivia Murder Party 2 Escape Room style, where once you trigger Escape the Simulations: it won’t trigger again unless you reinstall the game. Giving it an ominous feeling that you weren’t suppose to witness it at all and solving the issue of it stressing out players who experienced it previously.

Speaking of stressing out players: there has been several accounts of players who can’t play YDKJ: FS without tensing up, anxious that question 4 will be that question. If the game you’re playing is a game that is built to be played multiple times over has an event that causes players to get so stressed out that they can’t play your game anymore: then there’s a problem with the event!

Fun fact: YDKJ: FS was the first Jackbox Game game i’ve ever played (if you’re curious, the first question i got was the Polydactyly meme format one), so there’s a chance that ETS could’ve been my FIRST EVER experience with Jackbox Games as a whole! It’s no mystery that ETS is for the fans who like the lore, but Jackbox Games’ fanbase is largely casual players who don’t know it even has lore!

Imagine how many families wanted to try out YDKJ: FS, only to be confused at why the host is in a cube and the lady is threatening him very ominously when all they wanted was to play trivia, turning them off from the game, or even the YDKJ franchise entirely, assuming that’s what the game was usually like.

It benefits no one and only lessens the impact of Escape the Simulations to have it just occasionally happen 1/69 games if another special episode isn’t picked.

The acting does not instigate any fear or urgency.

When trying to convince your audience that the character they care about is in danger: it’s crucial that the character SOUNDS like they are in danger. In Trivia Murder Party 2: Phil did an amazing job making Schmitty sound genuinely terrified and listening to the lines alone genuinely feels like someone is being held a gunpoint to read them.

You might say “Well maybe Tom just can’t act distressed as well as Phil can.”, and i raise you the time Schmitty decided to pull a prank on Cookie by tricking him into thinking Old Man killed himself right in front of him: Cookie sounded GENUENLY in distress during his little prank, which proves that Tom IS able to make Cookie sound like he’s distressed, meaning that this choice to make Cookie unnaturally calm when his life is threatened is ether bad voice directing, or intentional.

binjpipe being “big evil corporation is bad” is the writers picking low-hanging fruit when they own a ladder.

Binjpipe being obviously bad and having the twist being that they are obviously bad does not make for a good twist, and the writers have the ability to make infinitely more creative twists!

Binjpipe would have been more interesting if instead of it being an obviously evil company, it spoofed brands that intentionally advertise themselves strangely. Because while generic adds come and go from your brain pretty easily, strange ads like Little Baby’s Ice Cream stick with you, resulting in much better advertisements!

If binjpipe’s whole shtick was to market themselves as being very clearly evil, when in reality they aren’t, would make for some genuinely effective in-universe advertising! And, if you want: you could even say that Escape the Simulations is just a massive marketing stunt to get more people talking about binjpipe (which if that’s the case, then it clearly worked and would explain Cookie just not being as freaked out as he should be). It’s already canonically implied that they are financially struggling and that they are REALLY bad at marketing themselves, so it wouldn’t be to crazy to assume they’d pull something like that, and it would make for a better, infinitely more creative twist overall if it were true!

Why should we treat Truth Talk 23/7 as a credible source NOW?

Truth Talk 23/7 (despite it reducing Nate Shapiro into a conspiracy nut) is a radio-styled show that shows up occasionally after games of YDKJ: FS. Clearly a spoof on conspiracy radio shows, due to him asking callers if they are sheep or weasels (or a pair of cargo shorts) or him going through his neighbors mail & garbage (which you might say is just a reference to the Funky Trash question type, which it is, but Nate Shapiro never was in a game that DID the Funky Trash question type, so he’s just dumpster diving for the hell of it) which is highly illegal by the way to go through people’s mail.

So when Nate goes on spiels on how not to go by the dates dictated by Big Calendar or how he is the voice of reason in a world that no longer exists: we shouldn’t to take him seriously. But suddenly, when he’s talking about binjpipe: he’s credible???

You guys just suddenly believe this tinfoil hat wearing paranoid nutjob, who has been doing nothing but rattling off conspiracy theories, that binjpipe’s terms of service is written in blood or that he got sent ancient Sumerian scrolls that translate to “binjpipe: Consumer of worlds”?! That’s like...typical conspiracy nonsense! Like how Disney is run by the devil, or that Pepsi flipped reads out “is dead”.

“But Cookie was gone for several packs!” So what?

Schmitty was gone for several packs too, yet nobody asked where he was! Even when it was revealed he was kidnapped this whole time: some of y’all still believe that he was just acting and not actually in danger! “But didn’t Schmitty appear in Full Stream?” Yeah, and his program is streaming old YDKJ commercials: his voice lines could have been very easily pre-recorded before his kidnapping, as shows take a while to get greenlit IRL.

Not to mention [REDACTED] is a freelance writer for binjpipe, could it be so hard to believe that he forced Schmitty to record those lines too? I mean the whole program by concept doesn't feel like something Schmitty would wanna do if you check his past characterization. But that's a hot take for another post.

But when Cookie was gone: everyone was all “Where’s Cookie? When’s Cookie coming back? Is Cookie okay?”, dude could have just taken a vacation! Wouldn’t be the first time he’s taken a vacation. Him being absent for a couple of packs means Jack! Not to mention Tom needs to take breaks too, he can’t just voice Cookie in every pack, that would kill his voice long-term.

“The binjpipe part was a joke” and the missed potential of Creepy Voice.

At the end of You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream’s second trailer, when Creepy Voice states that The Jackbox Party Pack 5 is only on binjpipe, Cookie states that the binjpipe part is a joke, Creepy Voice questions this and Cookie reinstates that it is, which causes Creepy Voice to sound genuinely hurt by this as they question it again, resulting in Cookie yelling that it is.

This added dimension to Creepy Voice, if implemented in ETS, could’ve added a layer of tragedy to their character instead of just “spokesperson to evil corporation is just a mouthpiece for the evil corporation's evil”. If Creepy Voice was also trapped along with Cookie, or was living a giant lie, and reset right before they reset Cookie: then it would make their claim that we’re also trapped feel so much more saddening and make Creepy Voice so much more empathetic and humanized, as well as separate them from binjpipe the company and gave them a distinct character of their own.

Also, Creepy Voice should’ve been a co-host. “But isn’t Creepy Voice a co-host already?” Well no, Creepy Voice doesn’t alternate between Cookie through the game like other co-hosts do, and them hosting a question type doesn’t mean anything since side-characters like Milan or Old Man also have their own question types. They are a side character like Helen or Mavis, it’s just the fact that they are really the ONLY recurring side character in YDKJ: FS that makes them feel like they are a co-host.

If Creepy Voice did host alongside Cookie, not only would it mark them as the first female-presenting character to host in the YDKJ series: but it would also make people feel more attached to them if they bounced off each other more, or if Creepy Voice occasionally insulted you for getting questions wrong. Which would make ETS feel so much more like a betrayal and hence more impactful.

Lore heavy episodes aren’t Jackbox Games' strong suit, and never will be.

Jackbox Games, especially back during it’s Jellyvision days, always thrives on cumulative lore building, where individual voice lines add up and snap together into very detailed characters. That’s how the original 5 YDKJ hosts manage to feel like actual people instead of just fictional characters! This results in accessible lore that does not feel intrusive for the styles of game Jackbox Games creates, which are ether trivia or party games.

Due to the fact that these are party games: they do NOT lend themselves to lore heavy episodes, which includes You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream. Every time they attempt to do a lore heavy episode: it just falls flat and does nothing but confuse casual players. It’s just pandering to the hardcore fans, pandering that fundamentally does not work for the styles of games they create. Remember: these are casual party games at their core: not detailed story-driven epics where you expect them to lore dump on you.

Yet, what if i told you that there IS a better handled version of Escape the Simulations, one styled just like their typical cumulative lore right in this very game?

The better “Escape the Simulations” present in You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream.

One of the possible introductions Cookie Masterson can do when you start a game is one where he states that he has been trapped in the game for decades and that he misses his family. On it’s own it seems like another quirky intro in a sea of quirky intros, yet that’s where Jackbox’s signature cumulative lore kicks in.

In You Don’t Know Jack Vol.6: The Lost Gold, when first booting up the game: it’s established that The Captain, the game’s sign-in host, got trapped inside YDKJ: TLG while looking for Jack’s Gold, cursed to be the game’s sign-in host until someone raises the flag to free him, yet because players will want to keep playing: he gets recaptured after a run-in with a gorilla.

Now, decades means that at least 2 decades had passed, and since it has been shown that time between installments is the same in universe as it is IRL (unless stated otherwise), we can compair the game’s release dates.

The first game he appeared in was You Don’t Know Jack Vol.1, which came out in 1995, The Jackbox Party Pack 5 came out in 2018, that’s over 20 years apart, making it at least two decades.

Cookie was a sign-in host in that game.

This reveal, unlike Escape the Simulations, feels EARNED, like those 23 years built up to this single voice line. The writers knew what they were doing with this line, and the amount of horror it brings while making perfect sense with previously established lore cannot be understated.

It sucks that this brilliant voice line is overshadowed by the underwhelming Escape the Simulations, while ETS tries too hard to add unnecessary tension that doesn't work within the confines of a trivia game; this voice line doesn't overstay it's welcome, allowing it to be dismissed by casual players, but giving just enough information for diehards to take notice. Yet that's just how the cookie crumbles.

Now that is my long winded rant about You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream’s Escape the Simulations and how it’s flawed, apparently it’s been retconned in The Jackbox Party Pack 9, and good riddance! It was an awful episode that inadvertently causes war flashbacks to people whenever the word "Content" is spoken in conversation.

But apparently, there was yet another binjpipe focused episode in there, if people spamming the fanart tag with "Binjpipe hungers" as soon as the patch (which Jackbox experimenting with the "release now, patch later" moto is ALSO another hot take for another post) released.

Honestly, Jackbox should take binjpipe out back and shot and only dangle it's corpse as a cheeky background reference instead of trying to be serious with a joke streaming service! I could go deeper, like how the ETS could have made for a killer ARG if tied in the game more with the website (yet with their attempt at the Weapons Drawn. "ARG" which was just a treasure hunt since they broke the first rule of an ARG which is "Don't say it's an ARG", i'm glad they didn't.), or how i would write Creepy Voice as a co-host, but this hot take is getting a bit too hot for the kitchen.

What are your opinions on You Don't Know Jack: Full Stream's Escape the Simulations? Do you disagree and think it's objectively a good special episode? If so, what makes it good objectively? Do you agree with my take, but not one of my reasons, or have another reason as to why it doesn't work? Or do you have your own ideas on how to improve Escape the Simulations? Or is it just conceptually a failure and cannot be saved? Let me know, i'd love to have a civil discussion about this! Anyways, thanks for listening to my Talking Points.

#Fighting Flower's hot takes #Jackbox Games #You Don't Know Jack: Full Stream #Escape the Simulations #discussion #long post #spoilers

3 notes · View notes