#review i guess

[mahou-furbies]

Closing thoughts on Magia Record Scene 0

Scene 0 has finally ended! Or the translation I've been following has been completed. To those who don't know, it tells the Madoka Magica story, but the point of view of a new character Mabayu, who for some reason keeps her memory through Homura's time loops and can move while time is stopped. And since we all know how the Madoka plot goes (right?), the main story here is the mystery of Mabayu having lost her memory of why she is already a magical girl.

(spoilers)

First things first, the whole premise conflicts with what I think is one of the core points of the Madoka Magica drama, that is, how Homura had to do her thankless time looping job all alone and became increasingly isolated because of it. But here it's "revealed" that she had a buddy all along, with whom she became very close friends and who is eventually cast as the reason why Homura is able to keep going on in the first place. The whole thing considerably waters down her devotion to Madoka, when most of the story is about how she bonds with Mabayu. And then there's also the inherent awkwardness of inserting a brand new nobody to the story you already know, to whom the characters you've known for a decade become the side cast.

Then again, that is the premise, so you just have to make peace with it if you want to enjoy the story at all. And in fact I like Mabayu a lot, so I'll take it, though I'll have to consider everything a non-canon super AU (even within the canon's actual AUs). There was also the other problem though that some of the stuff was kind of fanservicey, and not in the horny way but in the superficial "let's put the whole cast in maid outfits for no particular reason" way. But I was a fan of some of it, like Nagisa being un-witched in one time loop, so fine.

I don't know how much this is about what the story actually is and how much should be blamed on me not paying enough attention, but in the end I think there's still plenty of holes in the story. Like we learned how Mabayu became a magical girl and what how her personal magic power works, but I didn't understand how her memory doesn't reset through the time loops and why she can move when Homura stops the time. Also the way she erased other characters' memories was inconsistent, she had to cut Sayaka's memory all over again in each loop, but when she cut Mami's, the effect was carried to the next loop. And I guess it was explained how the final resolution worked (duh) but I don't think I quite understood.

That's a lot of complaints but I did have a decent time with this actually, and that is because I really like Mabayu. She's the kind of character I'd really like to see more in magical girl stories: low energy, kind of lazy and self serving, passive and loner but not in an edgy way, and it was interesting to see her grow to be more heroic. She also has a lovely voice, and it turns out the same actor also did Ha-chan whose voice is also great. She also had really good dynamics with the main cast, and I especially like growing friendship between her and Homura, they had good banter with Homura being super serious all the time, and their growing friendship was touching. And she had some interesting stuff going on with Sayaka and Mami too.

And while I complained about the whole premise being about rewriting canon, I also think there were some worthwhile additions. For example in this version Mami used to recruit other girls to become magical girls with Mabayu, and the guilt from that is a major reason for her breakdown when she learns the truth about witches. On one hand I prefer the version of a seemingly strong character actually being weak and emotionally unstable, like she's been through a lot and doesn't need a more noble reason for her breakdown, but I think the Scene 0 version is also interesting.

Ultimately the ending left me somewhat sour with how inconclusive it was. Mabayu cut herself from everyone's memories (including her own), but it feels like there's a ton of stuff about her that's not resolved. Like she's still able to move during Homura's stopped time and doesn't understand why, she's still a magical girl even if she doesn't remember it, becoming friends with Mami again doesn't lead much anywhere if she's going to die to Charlotte in a few days… If the idea is the bittersweet knowledge that Mabayu made a difference in the Homura-Madoka story but nobody can remember it, it doesn't work for me since I didn't really get what her contribution was. Or I guess it was pretty clear how important Mabayu's presence was for keeping Homura sane through all the failed time loops but that was like my number one issue with the premise, so maybe I'm just incompatible with the whole story to begin with.

Still I had a good time following this as the translations came out, I was eager to see where the plot would go and watching a short video every few days didn't require that much from me. Though I do think the story was too long for its own good and especially the early loops could have been condensed.

[lux--morningstar]

So after watching Longlegs yesterday, I think I might need a rewatch, because I'm sure I missed some things, but overall I enjoyed it. The opening and polaroid scenes almost gave me a heart attack tbh, and I feel some things were left unexplained, and the end was a bit rushed imo, I was expecting more Longlegs presence too, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

Also I'm glad to know I'm not the only one lusting after Dale, I feel a bit more normal

[jokersenpai-thenavigator]

Why You Should Play: Oxenfree

*Spoilers for an 8yo game!*

Oxenfree’s story isn’t terribly complex. It takes maybe 4 - 6 hours to beat, depending on how much of the collectable content you’re aiming to grab. Game play primarily consists of walking around the island, talking to your friends, and fiddling around with your pocket radio.

But DAMN does Oxenfree do well in its execution.

The aforementioned radio, as your primary means of interacting with the island, is an amazingly implemented mechanic. You can go through the entire game, only using it for its intended purpose, and it is entirely valid.

But.

If you take the time to scroll through the radio stations in different locations - even outside of the “anomaly” areas - you’ll get little pieces of information and world building.

Music stations exist, though they only play music from the 1940’s.

Certain stations in certain places will broadcast messages in Morse code, which, coupled with the opening call signs from the anomaly stations and the freaking beats in the game’s main music track, led to an ARG back in 2016 when the game was released.

Sometimes, you’ll get clips from old interviews.

And sometimes…you’ll hear yourself. Having conversations that haven’t happened.

And that’s just the radio mechanic.

Another main gimmick of the game are time loops. You’ll occasionally get stuck in a loop, only able to escape once an old magnetic tape player appears, allowing you to break through the frequency of the loop. The time loop will visually appear on the screen as almost VHS quality static, like the world around you is physically being paused and rewound each time you make it to the edge of the loop.

The screen distorts with static, gets flipped upside down and your dialogue choices reversed, still images of nautical blueprints and old photographs flash for a brief second. In the background, seemingly innocent trees and stones will twist and distort into towering monsters, eyes glowing bright against the darkness of the island, there for only a second, leaving you to wonder if you actually saw something, or if it was just your imagination.

There are moments in the game where Alex’s reflection will speak to her, giving her advice. At the moment, the information seems…strange. Nonsensical. You tell yourself to let Jonas speak to his mom - who is dead. You tell yourself to let Michael know to stay with Clarissa - despite Michael having died years ago.

The information doesn’t make sense…until you approach the end of the game. And then you have to decide whether or not to believe your reflection, and make your choices, until at the very end of everything…after everything that you’ve experienced in your play through, everything you’ve learned…you have to tell your past self what to do. The entire time, it was you.

The game ends, your futures are set…and then, as Alex is narrating her closing statements…the audio distorts. Alex says that she has to pick up Jonas for Ren’s trip to the island. The screen gets staticky, and goes black.

And then fades in on Ren, describing the history of Edward Island.

You are on a boat.

At the beginning of the game.

And you are aware that you’ve been here before.

**Link to information on the ARG, because HOLY SHIT I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE FOR THIS!!! https://wiki.gamedetectives.net/index.php?title=Oxenfree#:~:text=The%20Morse%20code%20in%20the,to%20go%20to%20Edwards%20Island.

[ssho25]

@evercelle​ said she expected a report after I finished the game. Guess she didn’t expect me to take her seriously. Ghost Trick will be ported to Nintendo Switch this summer, so consider giving it a try! 

[apinchofm]

Omg you read the new all souls book! I haven't managed to get around to it. What did you think of it? Did you enjoy the plot? Was a good addition to the show?

How are the twins? Which characters are featured more - beside matthew & diana?

I quite liked it. I'm going to try not to give too many spoilers.

The book centers around Diana's family, which is interesting - we have some of our favourites mentioned and seen (Uncle Baldwin and Granny Ysabeau!). The twins are seven and really fun, like their personalities shine more.

There are a few new witches, including a black woman who is a witch who is 'learned on African witch traditions) and low-key an opp,

I will say, I feel like this book is very long - it could have been shorter. I do feel like I need to read it again, but to really get into the details but overall, I quite liked it.

[ritterum]

today i finished all the existing material in For All Mankind. continues to be bonkers and heavily inspiring SF in the 90s-KSR tradition. towards the end of the season i more or less got the impression that the writers were trying to drama gratia dramatis, but it was still a good story bront (and it’s gonna be hard to top the shit GoT pulled way back in the Before Days)

lev gorn and vera cherny were regulars in s3! really loved their performances in The Americans, so it was heartwarming to see them both in FAM

anyway - s2 finale: bonkers. s3 finale: way more bonkers. satisfying ending, good use of foreshadowing all around, BIG TWISTS that were hinted at several times (so it’s more of “oh shit that happened” instead of “oh... uhh i guess that happened”). and a bit of a comedic turn in the last two episodes that lent a bit of levity to the whole dramatissimo scenario

s3 is an 8.5/10 from me (-1 because the stevens kids are little shits and i dont think the writers quite knew what to do with them; -0.5 because my dude/ttes lev and vera weren’t fleshed out as much as i would have liked, but then The Americans spoiled me). FAM as a whole remains a solid 9/10

Remember, kids: guns in space is never a good idea!

[ff7-has-taken-me-over]

Let me rant for a second guys I saw Avatar Way of Water and my family’s sick of me 😂 SPOILERS BY THE WAY SO IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT DO NOT READ ON!

Also if you’re sensitive best to avoid this as well. Cause if you come after me in my comments I will have a go at you.

Visually: fuckin phenomenal. It was so pretty and smooth and it just looked amazing. It was so easy to get sucked into the world they lived in and feel for their losses cause it felt like the creatures were actual beings.

Sound: Also amazing. Bit lacklustre with some effects, I feel like some of them could have used a bit more oomph or grittiness but overall it was quite good.

Story: Pretty shit honestly. It feels like they were trying to cram too many things into the movie and they just ran out of time or budget and decided to go with the bare minimum to get small points across. Like I know what they were trying to do but it just… don’t work well. It was a lot of tiny things messily tied into an uneven bow that wasn’t very good looking.

And now the bit everyone’s been talking about. The cultural aspects.

Now I’m Māori, and when I first heard about our cultures involvement with one of the main tribes of the movie I was so excited because it looked like it had been done marginally well. But it was pretty disappointing to see them fuck it up so badly when in practice.

They literally mashed a bunch of different cultures and native customs into one incoherent mess and while I didn’t really find it insulting or anything it was still pretty disappointing and I was amused more than anything. Like what the fuck was up with the pakeha pukana’s and cheehoo’s?? 😂 god and the ‘cuz’ and ‘bro’ that was just… not nice to listen to 🤣

Also!! Also! Why did they make Cliff Curtis’ face look so broad and flat?? Like they made sure you knew the man was an islander while they made everyone else have real thin and pointed features. Which is ironic considering their natives played by well, non-natives of any kind.

Those characters were useless 😂 like what was the point of them? Again, I know what they were trying to do but holy shit they didn’t really offer much did they? They played a small part and then just stuck around cause the movie couldn’t just kill ‘em off or anything.

And the fact that half of them couldn’t even pronounce the names or words well? Come on man, where’s the effort? Even Jake did a better job and he’s supposed to be the foreigner with shit pronunciation.

😔 anyway! Is the movie a good watch overall? Not really, no. But if you’re able to just let yourself watch without concentrating on the story or other aspects of it it’s amazing to just look at. If you’re a huge visuals fan or you’re not there to actually take in the story then you’ll enjoy it. But yeah! I enjoyed looking at it and the soundtrack but that’s as far as it goes.

Oh yeah! I don’t know any kind of Sign language but can someone tell me is the sign language in the movie a legit form?? Because if so then that was a very well done form of inclusion. It wasn’t just some throw away ‘hey we did that give us credit’ it was a legit, this is part of the clan and an everyday part of their life sort of inclusion. If not then my apologies for giving credit to absolute nonsense 😂

[roachliquid]

Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood definitely feels a little bit underpolished. Difficulty scaling seems to be a bit uneven, especially with bosses, and there are a few (minor) bugs that range from harmless to mildly frustrating.

But. It is an incredibly fun game to play, and the graphics are charming as hell. The adjustment of movie material into gameplay is phenomenal - it doesn't try to be a direct adaptation, instead reinterpreting the film's details and themes into something that can stand on its own while respecting the source material.

It reminds me of the kind of movie tie-ins you'd get during the SNES era - the tangentially-related platformers or street brawlers that ranged from awful to surprisingly great. The gameplay in these kinds of games is pretty much always formulaic - or based on an existing game that everyone loves - and Renfield: BYOB is no exception, being a shameless Vampire Survivors clone, but it's a damn good one. More importantly, it scratches that itch that Vampire Survivors couldn't reach - getting to play as the monster, instead of just fighting the monsters.

I liked the Renfield film for what it tried to do, but at the end of the day it fell short. There were a lot of fun moments that had me yearning for what the movie could have been - an incredibly campy, over-the-top gorefest - but time and again it pulled its punches, never really living up to that potential.

Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood does not have that problem. It is everything the previews promise and more. 10/10 no objections.

[nedlittle]

it drives me bonkers the way people don't know how to read classic books in context anymore. i just read a review of the picture of dorian gray that said "it pains me that the homosexual subtext is just that, a subtext, rather than a fully explored part of the narrative." and now i fully want to put my head through a table. first of all, we are so lucky in the 21st century to have an entire category of books that are able to loudly and lovingly declare their queerness that we've become blind to the idea that queerness can exist in a different language than our contemporary mode of communication. second it IS a fully explored part of the narrative! dorian gray IS a textually queer story, even removed from the context of its writing. it's the story of toxic queer relationships and attraction and dangerous scandals and the intertwining of late 19th century "uranianism" and misogyny. second of all, i'm sorry that oscar wilde didn't include 15k words of graphic gay sex with ao3-style tags in his 1890 novel that was literally used to convict him of indecent behaviour. get well soon, i guess...

[ravennowithtea]

Tumblr Top 3 for 2023

Links to original posts:

Three Panel Comic - Breakfast [link]

Happy Longest Night [link]

Gale & Tara [link]

[mahou-furbies]

Closing thoughts on Petite Princess Yucie

This turned out to be an incredibly solid show after a slow start. Kudos to everyone who voted for this to be the next anime I'd watch!

The story is about five girls who compete for a wish-granting magical tiara. The early series is pretty typical kid show fare, with episodic antics where the girls do different part time jobs and learn a lesson and gather magical feel good energy by the end of the episode. But with fun characters who have interesting enough dynamics it wasn't really an issue.

I liked all of the main girls (the bombastic demon princess Glenda was my fave) and they had great designs, and it's also nice how they didn't just go for the most obvious tropes for their respective fantasy races. Like the fairy princess wears a simple crop top and shorts, uses ore and spends a lot of time being cold and rude towards the other girls. Overall I liked how there was some edge in the group dynamics so everyone wasn't just 100% friendly with everyone all the time. It was also nice how they had unique relationships among each other and not just with the main character.

Did not care for Yucie's romance with the prince with Yagami Taichi hair and Snufkincore outfit, his "playful" teasing just made him look like a jerk in my eyes. However there was a minor princess & knight flashback romance in one episode and I eat those up.

The episodic "let's gather magical energy and grow as people in order to become worthy of the tiara" stuff was fine enough, but when the show finally properly found its plot towards the end it turned really good. The true nature of the tiara and what the competition around it actually means in the first place made for a compelling mystery, and they got some really good drama out of the fact that only one of the five girls can be the winner. And in the end of course the power of friendship wins (sorry if that's a spoiler but it should be really obvious if you're old enough to be on this website).

I didn't agree with the message of every episode and the "the girls are actually 17 but look like 10" thing never stopped being kind of weird (but at least it was used as a serious plot element), but in general I can certainly recommend this show if you like the magical girl genre for the optimistic "girls use magic and grow stronger together" aspect. Shame there's not a lot of content on it on tumblr! I suppose I must be the change I want to see then.

[kazz-brekker]

legit kind of sad about the my lady jane cancellation. it just really sucks to be living in an era of television where it feels like you can't get invested in anything new and interesting without constantly fearing that it's going to get yanked away from you and unceremoniously cancelled

[squishysoltan]

I played through Sonic Frontiers

It was a pretty good game. I had fun just running around the lands and doing the challenges to unlock the maps and get the memory tokens. I’ll go a bit more into it under the read more

Each area has several portals to play mini stages (like BotW) to earn vault keys to get Chaos Emeralds, (to unlock those portals you need to beat mini-bosses to get portal keys), each portal stage gives you a key per mission part you complete.

The first area I did almost every portal and with that and the other stuff, it was a pretty solid game. The first boss was very fun and epic feeling, I had a great time.

The second through final areas however, it started to drag on a bit. I still had fun with the collecting things, but not so much the portal stuff. I happened to miss the fishing section on the first area (didn’t realise I was going to be leaving when I did) so I decided to try it first on the second area. It was painfully easy and you get SO MANY tokens for things, I was able to buy all the vault keys I needed and skipped the portal levels entirely.

The bosses on the areas were still fun, but not as fun as the first one, idk if I just got better/over leveled my character or the game is aimed for people way younger than me, but even on Hard I had no real issues beating them.

The fourth area was the worst really, it’s just an island with six towers you need to climb, and that got old by the second one.

The last area and final boss (you only get on Hard) were okay, they had a cool bullet hell mechanic that I enjoyed, but even the last boss with that felt too easy (only got hurt once even though I know for sure I got hit a few times so idk how that worked)

The story was interesting, but idk I just didn’t feel as connected to it as I felt I should have been, the final boss just kinda comes out of nowhere in the last area and so beating it didn’t feel as cathartic as if it was someone that was antagonizing you from the start.

But yeah, one of the better Sonic games I’ve played (modern ones anyway, 1-3&K, Mania, and SA 1 and 2 are far far better) and if you like Sonic at all, it’s worth a shot.

[t-hirstreview]

[christadeguchi]

“So I went into the studio. And it was very awkward, as I made sounds like 'mmm' and 'ahh'. And then I kissed my hand a whole lot. So. You think about that. You mull that over as you run around, you little horny perverts, with your little perverted roleplays. You randy bastards. You think of me.”

also:

[slitherpunk]

games i liked in 2023 (And Other)

I like games ! You know that ?! and I played a lot 2023! and I liked a lot :). They aren't in any specific order, it's just a little highlight of games that stood out to me this year. I've attempted to write a few thoughts on each so I hope take a look. I wrote playtimes for some also but that is very subjective.

-Ones that actually came out 2023-

Lunacid https://store.steampowered.com/app/1745510/Lunacid/ I think I mentioned enjoying this in 2022 but it officially released so I can say it was one of my favorite games in 2023 :3! I like to feel around this game's walls for secrets. I like the npcs that are full of hope and whimsy despite the bleakness of its world. Chill and occasionally spooky first person dungeon crawling around moody caverns and ruins varying from underground forests to vampire castles and blood lake. (Blood lake!!!! Lake of blood!!! Big creature there.) Lots of fun weapons and spells to find, I like the one that lets you turn blood into coffins.

~20 hours

Orbo's Odyssey https://feverdreamjohnny.itch.io/orbos-odyssey If you played the massively popular demo for "Peeb Adventures" by feverdreamjohnny then you know that Johnny makes some fun and funny games and this is certainly one of them. speedy and satisfying platforming! funny dracula moments! short and sweet.

~2 hours

A Walk in the Woods https://mooncaller.itch.io/a-walk-in-the-woods Quaint little GBStudio game :) Made by some friends of mine for a jam :) It's cute I like it. There's minigames where you catch bugs and birdwatch.

~30 minutes long

Undertale Yellow https://gamejolt.com/games/UndertaleYellow/136925 I've only completed the pacifist run and checked out a neutral run so far. as the title somewhat implies, this is a prequel to Undertale where you play as the fallen human who had the yellow colored soul. This Undertale fangame has a lot of charm!!! A lot of battles really feel like they could have been in the original, with quite a bit of extra flair in some circumstances.

~10 hours

vs really cool bird https://bobacupcake.itch.io/vs-really-cool-bird you know that really cool bird that rob bobacupcake made well you can fight it in undertale and it's really fun. yeah two undertale fangames. . . wat of it …

~30 minutes

Misericorde: Volume One https://xeecee.itch.io/misericorde I wont lie the main draw for me into this was cute anime nuns I sure didn't know a whole lot else about it when I dug into it. But it's (the first part of) a VN murder mystery! And I enjoyed it a whole lot. All the characters are memorable and I really enjoy how all of them have differentiating designs. The protagonist is so failgirl. She sucks so much and I love her. I'm very intrigued by the mechanics of the game's world, it clues you in near the beginning to expect something a bit supernatural/fantastical, which gives you (and later the protagonist) a curiosity about what's real and what isn't. The music is all very impressive too, with the ost reaching past 100 tracks varying through post-rock, folk, drum & bass, and others. (Remembering when the track "Scandal" played and my friends and I took a moment to be like- okay hang on this track pwns.) Big fan of its haunting locals and how the aesthetic of the game fits them well. Also the humor is a lot of fun, and I love all the moments getting to know the different characters. Very excited to see the eventual continuation of this.

~12 hours

Absolutely Perfect Specimen https://chambersoft.itch.io/absolutely-perfect-specimen It seems like a lot of people are craving toxic horror yuri lately. Here's a recommendation. It's a VN about the android maid "Pan" and the mad scientist girl who created her. Horrifying & gut wrenching & largely about having other people define you. The art and music is haunting & poignant and matches the ever increasing feeling of dread throughout. It's yuri with the chunks. Peak robotgirl horror for those who can stomach it.

~90 minutes

Wordhopper https://kokoscript.itch.io/wordhopper Very quaint word search type puzzle game for ms dos! I think its style is very slick and that's pretty impressive to see. Chill game with nice vibes and eyecandy visuals. also it was so cool to have played this and then ended up seeing the dev's booth at Vintage Computer Festival Midwest. I was like omg woah I just played this.

~bunny

Bossgame https://lilyv.itch.io/bossgame This game is yuriful as f*ck. Delightful humor and fun character dynamics! A simple-to-understand-difficult-to-master boss rush battle system that makes you satisfied to get it right, and enticing to get just a little farther if you get it wrong. There's a lot of detail and charm to this game's menus and dialogues and win screens, I remember noticing that once you beat a boss there would be some marquee text that would pass by with some prose on it. I love how it balances its silly moments with its heartfelt moments and its high octane moments. I like the character development and revelations had throughout the plot. & I like how good the protagonists are for each other :) It's very sweet. It's hype as hell. if you want some boss rush action paired well with that sweet sweet girl's love, you *will* play this game.

~5 hours

Elly's Adventure https://bikwins.itch.io/ellys-adventure Very cute and witchy!! You are the little witch girl "Elly" on an adventure to get your toys back!! Feels like a pretty authentic gameboy type experience, it takes a lot of design cues from Kirby's adventure and the like. I am a big fan of how playful it feels.

~1 hour

Nour https://store.steampowered.com/app/1141050/Nour_Play_with_Your_Food/ This was a treat for me, but I understand that not everybody is going to get it. It's a game where you play with food(and food accessories). And that's it. It knows what it was going for. I think a lot of people were expecting something else for some reason. It's a cute little toy game and I felt satisfied with my time with it.

~food

Hi-Fi Rush https://store.steampowered.com/app/1817230/HiFi_RUSH/ Do I have to say this game is super fun? It's a big one everybody probably already knows it. This game's dopey humor made me laugh a lot and I'm not afraid to admit it.

~12 hours

WHISKEY.ST2007S https://bonicle.itch.io/whiskey-st2007nes One of the last games I played in the year because it released super last minute. Does anybody else get a rush when running a shopping cart down the parking lot? This emulates that feeling. Short game where you collect whisky stones in the whisky stone dimension because you forgot to go christmas shopping until the very last minute. it rules. It's very short you can go play it right now & get a highscore.

~5 minutes

re:curse https://devpalmer.itch.io/re-curse Discovered this one near the very end of the year also. Fun little rpg maker horror/humor game about a weird scientist lady, her butch, and an evil clown computer virus that figured out how to warp reality. I got a kick out of it. and also enjoyed digging through the game's files, which was actively encouraged by the dev, which I thought was very fun.

~90 minutes

-Didn't technically get to until 2024 but released last year-

SWOLLEN TO BURSTING UNTIL I AM DISAPPEARING ON PURPOSE https://1207.itch.io/swollen-to-bursting-until-i-am-disappearing-on-purpose People love to dunk on a lot of indie rpgs for being "quirky Earthbound inspired and about depression" or whatever. Earthbound's great. If people can nail the kind of humor and absurdity it likes to pull off while also balancing difficult topics I think that deserves a high mark. SWOLLEN TO BURSTING was fun. Bizarre and charming places to explore & distressing secrets to find. I like how it blends meander-around-the-town gameplay with Yume Nikki sort of exploration and effects. Also I'm a big fan of the music. I like how it has the lofi sound which matches the early 3d look of the game.

~6 hours

HalOPE https://starbage.itch.io/halope Another for the fans of sweet little rpg maker games that have a lot of heart. HalOPE is about an incomplete little angel wondering through worlds. Each has a theme, usually to do with an emotion or feeling, and they do well at evoking that feeling as well as its antithesis. a lot of the music is very homey and charming at moments and unnerving at others, sometimes lonely, all doing well in their corresponding chapters to further the feeling of its specified theme. There are so many delightful characters and designs in this & I found myself feeling really attached to their tiny little stories. The narrative at the core of it all hit me. If I may be vulnerable, I cried a whole lot at various moments in this game. It was really cathartic. I feel very excited for people to experience this game.

~5 hours

-Favs I finally got around to that didn't come out 2023-

An Outcry https://quinnk.itch.io/an-outcry Kind of sad it took me so long to get to this one, but glad it meant I got to play the "definitive" updated version of it. Apartment wandering RPG maker horror. Bum smokes from your neighbors and use them to save the game. I wish I could unwrap a lot more of what I like about this game than I can without spoiling too much. But if I could, I'd probably go on for too long. Let me attempt to be succinct & not giving too much away. You can tell pretty early on that An Outcry is about taking action when necessary & not turning a blind eye. What it explores about player vs protagonist agency is very fascinating to me as well, and I enjoyed learning about the inspirations for why the game's narrative works the way it does. The character Anne is such a sweetie and I love her a whole lot. This game has a very tangible feeling, this apartment complex is dirty and crumby, it smells of smoke, and there's a surrounding desperation you can feel.

~5 hours

Pigments https://punkcake.itch.io/pigments Honestly I had gotten this game in a bundle and while I was playing it I hadn't looked at the name and I just kept calling it FRUIT. On call with my friends I'd be like "hey im gonna play more FRUIT". I straight up didn't read the title screen. But it's called Pigments. You play as a fruit and you try to paint the whole floor and not get sliced by buzzsaws. Fun little arcade type game.

~fruit

Bridge, October 3rd https://lowpolis.itch.io/bridge-october-3rd Very short vignette. I like it. It's what it says it is. I'm not going to overexplain.

~like a minute

-Other Games I Want To Mention-

Pseudoregalia https://store.steampowered.com/app/2365810/Pseudoregalia/ I think a lot of people might have already known this one but I felt like it was a pretty fun 3d platformer. There were a few issues I had with it (boss fight at the beginning was frustrating, and I got lost a lot [but it looks like there's been a map patch by now, so, perhaps for some that is a fix]). I enjoyed it but sure felt weird that the only accessibility option was to give the protagonist pants. What kind of joke is that?

~5 hours

Mushroom Musume https://mortallymoonstruckgames.itch.io/mushroom-musume (Disclaimer, this game is still early access, but I saw a lot of people talking about it last year. SO I will mention here?) Haven't played much of this yet, but I have enjoyed what I played so far!! As of writing I've gone through 6 playthroughs, I feel like I've hardly scratched the surface and I've been so impressed by its depth. It's very charming, you never know what sorts of fairytale shenanigans are going to happen, and it's very cool to see how your different stats will affect things. It very much plays out like a roguelike vn. Which is not the sort of thing you may expect to make much sense but it pulls this off well. Also all the mushroom girls are very cute and I love them very much. I hope the sad goopy one who had bugs in her skin rests in peace.

~mushroom

Knuckle Sandwich https://andybrophy.itch.io/knuckle-sandwich -_- Hm. Where do I start with this one. I was pretty excited for this one since the demo and kickstarter in 2018. I felt like the demo was a hell of a hook that got me curious & horrified. As time went on, it seemed to be shaping up into something really cool. turn based combat with action commands and wario-ware-type microgames?? with a banging soundtrack?? like, count me in!! Then it released and well, the gameplay, art, music all delivered. It was very fun and engaging in those aspects. But the story… oh it just devolves into disappointing nonsensical randomness. The whole hook at the beginning seemed to be completely thrown away for the wild goose chase plot that ensues, leaving you to wonder if it was ever going to be relevant again. It felt like it had no idea what it was trying to say or do. It disappointed me that a game that has so much good in so much else about it gets brought down so much for me by this plot.

~12 hours

Rhythm Doctor https://store.steampowered.com/app/774181/Rhythm_Doctor/ (Putting this one in mentions because it is early access.) I really enjoyed the act 5 release. When I first saw this game, I kind of shrugged it off, thinking "that base mechanic doesn't seem like it will last". I thought it was basically just that one ghost shooting game from Rhythm Heaven which I Hate. Well let's just say I am now seeking penitence for my previous transgressions. It's really fun. There's a lot more to it that I didn't know when I first took a look. Also, consistently amazed by people's custom levels, I had no idea that its level editor allows people to do so much in it, I look at some levels and think "This editor seems as complex as an industry standard video editor". I'm looking forward to what they're planning next, very curious how they could possibly one-up the last update.

~rhythm

El Paso Elsewhere https://strangescaffold.itch.io/el-paso-elsewhere This was really fun & funny so far but unfortunately I had been encountering an issue with a certain level where the game would crash. I reported the issue, got a response, and there has been an update since then so I think there's a possibility that it got fixed but I have not tried yet. I would like to return to this sometime but having to relearn controls midway through is always daunting to me.

~?

-Things that looked good but didn't get around to-

Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood https://store.steampowered.com/app/1340480/The_Cosmic_Wheel_Sisterhood/ Still don't know a whole lot about this. But there are witches, and I like witches.

Casette Beasts https://store.steampowered.com/app/1321440/Cassette_Beasts/ I haven't felt thrilled about Pokémon lately. I know a lot of people seemed to really enjoy this little monster-collecting-rpg. The style is appealing to me as a die-hard gen 5 fan. I started playing it but haven't set aside the dedicated time for it yet, but I'm excited to dig in more when I do.

Little Goody Two Shoes https://store.steampowered.com/app/1812370/Little_Goody_Two_Shoes/ Started watching a friend play this, and I'm certainly curious.. Some sort of horror fairytale but also there's yuri? Yum. Enjoyed the style and animation in the nightmare segments that I saw.

Venba https://store.steampowered.com/app/1491670/Venba/ I've picked this up a while ago but still haven't gotten around to it, but I'm eager to, I've heard nothing but good things.

Goodbye Volcano High https://store.steampowered.com/app/1310330/Goodbye_Volcano_High/ I think there are gay dinosaurs in a band and it's going to be the apocalypse? I have also heard nothing but good things about this.

-Things I watched friends play-

Signalis https://store.steampowered.com/app/1262350/SIGNALIS/ This was a pretty big one. You probably already know it, right? Watched a friend play this and I missed various parts but I understood a solid bit of it. hey. robotgirls are always getting put in these fucked up situations. have you noticed this? one time i got really high and cried about it. it isn't fair

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk https://store.steampowered.com/app/1353230/Bomb_Rush_Cyberfunk/ This one was also probably big enough you don't need me to sing its praises. but it looked really neat. swag.

-Various Thoughts-

Lately I've been thinking more about design and narrative. I feel like I haven't been doing as much analysis as I should be when it comes to games. I want to dissect more what games are saying and figure out meaning. Also attempt to see how the mechanics aid in that. I feel like most of my own work is pretty abstract & random. I simply make what I like. While that's fun and all, I still want to improve in a lot of ways, especially in having more of a theme or message. Figuring out how other games accomplish this is obviously a good step toward this.

If you saw games here that interest you I highly urge you to take a look, many are pretty short, and I pretty explicitly wanted to highlight some smaller titles. If you know me you know I like to uplift small games. (Save for the occasional big game, but that's rare these days) I think it's healthy for you to play and support independently developed & published works. I don't want to ramble too much this time about why that's important, but I hope that you might have found something you may enjoy here and if not then I encourage you to find small stuff that you would like. And I would like to encourage everybody to share their findings as well! Little games need our help to be seen and talked about! They don't have the budgets the big ones do for advertising, and advertising on your own is a whole ton of work. If you like something, spread the word! I'm sure the developers would very much appreciate that.