#what events in gameplay has you scared

[fatuismooches]

Playable reader but they're the only one who has a second stamina bar when gliding/swimming. When the first bar runs out of stamina, Dottore automatically switches in with a line scolding them for straining themself or light-heartedly teasing them since they need to be carried now that they are tired.

He doesn't switch in when they're sprinting though, I imagine that canonically - not gameplay wise, he's just walking behind them, watching them run around. He's marvelling at how far they've come, going from bed-ridden to jumping everywhere and running circles around him.

As for climbing? There's a small chance of triggering a rare voice-line, so small that the players who found it thought it was part of an event or a side-quest.

Dottore, sighing exasperated: "Get down from there before you exhaust yourself."

Reader, grunting in strain but is still climbing: "Hold on— I think I'm almost there, I have to see what's up here. You'll catch me if I fall!"

Dottore: "And if I don't?"

Reader: "Wha— what do you mean 'if you don't...?!"

Dottore: "..."

Reader: "Dottore? Dottie—? Dot...! You're... you're still down there, right...? I can't look down..."

MY FAVORITE META CUTIE PIE COUPLE. Reader would always try to prove to Dottore that they don't need that much help anymore, which is true... to a certain extent. It's very obvious to Dottore whenever you push yourself, so while he usually prefers to lay back and carefully watch what you do, he'll always jump in when he feels it's necessary.

"Hey, I... I was fine to keep g-going..."

"Stop being foolish and listen to your doctor."

-

"Ugh... my back hurts now."

"You poor thing, shall I carry you?"

"No! I'm fine! ...I think."

AGREED!! Dottore (or another segment) is always just a few steps behind you. He's very much content to see you explore the oddities of the world (which are so very normal and boring to him, but interesting to you after being away for so long), mentally taking notes about how much you've changed and any abnormalities in your condition. He'll watch you jump up to pick some fruits for the two of you and skip back to him. He'll watch you tussle with a fishing rod and fight to reel in some fish for dinner. He loves watching you be confident in yourself just as you once were. Of course, if any danger were to appear, then he's in front of you again quicker than one can imagine. (Gameplay-wise, it's much more optimal for the player to use Dottore while running, otherwise, they'll have to deal with Reader complaining quite frequently...)

Climbing is probably the scariest part for Reader, but they can't help but want to challenge it sometimes! It's... not the easiest, but they can do it! Especially when they have Dottore in case of anything!

...Hopefully. You're well aware of Dottore's mean and sarcastic side, even if you're not the target of it the most often. Unfortunately, sometimes he uses it to scare you out of potentially dangerous situations for your body. It's for your own good, I promise.

[tainbocuailnge]

just really sucks that fgo is not a good game. there's never anything to do in fgo. there's a pretty hard plateau on how far player power scales within the gameplay system even accounting for blatant powercreep in servants so there's a pretty hard limit on what they can do to keep fights interesting too. new chapters don't actually pose any significant new challenges or goals outside just getting to read the story because your power plateaus so hard so they need to lock events behind story completion to get people to bother at all. the only thing to do outside events is farm and the only thing to do during events is farm because there's almost no content that actually employs your full roster and even less of it is permanently available to replay.

if you put granblue down for a few months you can pick back up where you left off and there will be new goals to work towards and anything you missed will come back around sooner or later. if you put fgo down for a few months there won't really be anything new to do save perhaps a new main story chapter to do your one-time completion of but you'll have missed several event stories that you'll never get another chance to read ingame. if arknights is having downtime and you don't feel like just dumping ap to farm you can go fuck around in its multiple alternate gamemodes or you can cook funny challenge clears of various bossfights or whatever because almost every single map in the game is permanently available to replay whenever. if fgo is having downtime and you're caught up on the story all there is to do is farm. and because it's been this way for years every endgame player has piles and piles of resources already so they keep having to invent new ludicrous resource sinks to keep those players busy.

in several ways it feels like fgo is just running into the limits of its own approaching 10 years old system and that's why they're struggling to figure out how to keep a sense of progression in the game. stuff like lv120 grail cap or the OC class networks being these huge resource sinks for minimal stat gains feel like they're scared to expand player powerlevel too much because at a base level there's just so much rng involved in the combat that any stat increase has the potential to spiral immensely. but they also just keep making absolutely baffling decisions especially regarding content availability. in fgo if you start playing the game because you were enticed by the bodacious bikini babes on the summer banners you won't ever actually get to play the event they feature in because it's locked behind catching up with the entire main story and will never be available again past its initial runtime. this cannot be a good business model. fgo fans can't read but at this point you can hardly even blame them when the game won't let them read.

[thissupposedcrime]

Zolu in One Piece Video Games

I put 65+ hours into One Piece Odyssey, a game in which the Strawhats are robbed of their powers and must relive memories of key events/battles (Alabasta/Crocodile, Dressrosa/Doflamingo, etc.) to earn them back. Post timeskip/pre-WCI so no Jinbe on the crew.

Zolu are wild in it, so enjoy the highlights. 

Their general nonsense:

When they reunite early in the game, Luffy/Zoro greet each other first/only despite the whole crew being there

Shared brain cell of agreeing that “Charging through a marine outpost sounds like fun”

Don't communicate with words in battle and somehow both know what to do in Alabasta when their memories 'change'

During a fight with Aokiji in Water 7, Luffy is frozen solid, and only Sanji and Zoro can bring him back to the Merry. Zoro flawlessly navigates through the entire city and even points out what directions they must go in, much to Sanji’s surprise. 

AKA the only time Zoro knows directions is when Luffy needs him most

While Luffy is injured and a conflict with the marines starts, Zoro takes the lead because “my crew is frozen” 

Towards the end of the level, Zoro has a unique reaction (no one else does individually) when Luffy can’t beat Lucci and is the only strawhat to realize the Lucci in their memories is stronger

Once Luffy wins, Zoro’s unique dialogue is, again, “Seriously, you almost scared me back there.”

When going to Marineford memories, Zoro is the only one to comfort/check in with Luffy, asking if he’s alright/ready to do this. Luffy responds ‘yeah’ - and in that section, Zoro is the only person Luffy speaks to

Clicking on other crewmates just has them speaking, not Luffy responding to them

Similarly, post-Marineford, Zoro is the one to respond to Luffy’s “I’m glad everyone’s okay” with a ‘yeah’, because they don’t need to talk about it further.

In multiple situations, Luffy and Zoro are the only ones to realize an enemy is tracking them or ”not right” and will check with the other about it- “Did you notice?/Yup, they’re getting closer”

Since they’re usually placed together in cut scenes, Zoro is almost always the first crewmate ‘shown’ reacting to Luffy and often has minor, unique dialogue just for him

Zoro whines/demands to Luffy that he wants to fight in the coliseum in Dressrosa this time. 

“I don’t want to, but if Luffy says so.”

At the game's ending, Zoro places himself in front of an injured Luffy to protect him (and had done that through the game)

“We’re more about the future than the past now, right Luffy?” “Right!” (their final lines are together).

Their unique ‘battle’/gameplay conversations are a riot:

They talk about killing specific monsters because they’re hungry

Zoro spots a swordsman and wants to fight them/Luffy cheers him on

Are very happy to keep fighting when the other ‘pushes’ an opponent into their area of battle (Nami is not!)

Zoro claims Luffy shouldn’t have to fight certain weak enemies and that he’s already about to beat them, even though Luffy complains he wants to fight too!

When they finish a battle, Zoro will sometimes reference the Baratie vow and that he’ll become a master swordsman, concludig with “Got a problem with that King of the Pirates?” as Luffy laughs and says "Nope!"

"You're in MY captain's way. Time to move it or lose it!"

Odyssey is focused on the whole crew and the island mystery they’re solving, but there was so much heart between everyone (Sanji saves Usopp, Robin affectionately calls Nami their reliable navigator). It was very obvious how much these two rely on each other and that Zoro isn’t just the swordsman but the first mate

[cinnamonroll-anon]

Hi! If it's okay to ask/request, could you do TFA Decepticons and Autobots, of your choice with Human Reader? Can be romantic/platonic

Reader's a fan of fnaf-related, from games, books, lores, movie, etc…

A/n: Absolutely Anon, thank you for the request! Sorry for any grammatical errors or making the characters to OOC. Sorry for any misinterpretation of the prompt anon, these can be seen as platonic or romantic (sorry for not including the fnaf movie, i haven't seen it and it wouldn't do justice to write about it, but I'll definitely go back and write the headcanon after i watch it)

TFA Autobots/Decepticons x GN!Fnaf Fan Reader (Platonic/Romantic)

Optimus

At first he would think it was based off of real events, in which you've had to remind him they're not. It's just a videogame

I think he'll find it odd how you could be so interested in something entirely fictional (he's not judging tho, man is a history nerd and he knows it) he may be just a bit concerned in the beginning

But it all shifted when you mentioned the books

That peaked his interest and you give some recommendations on the first ones to read. Obviously reminding him that what happens in the books doesn't happen in the games

I feel like he's a night owl and will definitely be reading them late at night. Sometimes you even join in and it becomes a fun little geeking out session, especially when he has so many questions and you're happy to answer

Ironically more into the horror aspect of fnaf (especially in some of the books because damn, messed up shit do be happening) and he's eating it all up fr (rip matpat mpreg that he read because, you little shit, you'd definitely tell him about it. Man was beyond flabbergasted and also learned about the theory side of fnaf) (definitely one was to make an impression 💀)

I think he's definitely more of a casual fan of fnaf

Bumblebee

Probably the most open to learning about your interests, especially fnaf

He thought it would be something simple like the video games he's played while on earth, boy was he wrong

You've got him hooked on the lore, it confused him at first but you guided him through the most confusing bits, like not canon works like the books, security breach, the peak of the fandom etc.

You guy's definitely watched "An Undeniably Canon Five Nights at Freddy's Timeline" and he was definitely hollering while watching it with you and it helped him understand the lore just a bit better (bonus that y'all watched it like a movie night!)

In absolute awe of the Fnaf songs, each one is a banger

He'll definitely ramble about it with you if it's your hyperfixation and he's always happy to learn more about what makes you happy

Bulkhead

More reluctant on it especially because it's in the horror genre and i don't think he takes it too well

He understands the idea and how it can be interesting but you might need to leave out agony and renment, might frighten him too much

Please don't show him the VHS tapes, that'll certainly scare the color off of him

He listens to the songs and thinks the community is very creative

Definatly likes the more cute and wholesome side of fnaf

Overall he's open to you but be mindful of his heart, he's a softie

Prowl

I feel like he may be the hardest one to introduce to but it's not your fault, it's bumblebee's (He's bothered prowl with videogames and stuff before)

But i think he'd give you a chance, seeing that he cares alot about you and this means alot to you

I think he'd be more intrigued with the horror mechanics of the game, learning how a mix of jumbled sounds and scenes could scare someone

He'd be down to play it/ watch you play it/ watch gameplays

He definitely jumps ip from the jumpscares. In his defense he was caught off guard

Overall he'd be supportive, listening to you explain the convoluted story and all the details

He'd remember just about everything you tell him. It's how he shows he cares, actively listening and remembering things you like

He'd find it cute how you like fnaf so much, reminds him of how focused and happy nature makes him

Ratchet

He at first waves you off, saying that he's to busy or tired to care

But this guy's got a soft spot for you

So he might not take the deep dive into fnaf, but he definitely listens to you

He'll let you ramble while he's working on something. Sometimes you feel like you're being overbearing and stop talking, he notices of course, "I'm still listening, this William guy sure is a piece of work"

He remembers everything you tell him, so you find yourself over the moon when he remembers some reference you said like a month ago

Finds himself pleasantly surprised that it's more interesting than just a horror game, but i feel like he'll deny that (but watch him ask what else happened)

Blurr

He probably is taking this more seriously than what he needs to, but you appreciate it

"So you're telling me that the sorrow he felt for losing his youngest son led him down a desperate path that ended up killing his own daughter on accident, but by then he was so broken he killed Henry's daughter, while also pushing away his eldest son, which would lead up into Micheal vengefully chasing down his father until Henry managed to trap everyone and put an end to Williams torment on all his victims and family?" He'd practically babble almost incoherently fast

Yeah that's practically it

He'd definitely like the more theoretical parts of Fnaf like how William had gotten away with it that long, why they didn't find the body's, etc.(he's practically a police officer as well, this is all up in his alley)

He's a quick learner and basically devours everything you show him, both invested and interested to learn why you love it so much

He found his answer and a hyperfixation!

Megatron

Being on earth for as long as he has, just collecting dust and not being able to go anywhere is pretty crushing... And boring

He'd listen to you ramble on the premise that he's so utterly bored that he'd listen to just about anything

He'd be on the edge of his seat waiting to hear what happens next, he'd be interested if you also showed him just about everything

He'd grow used to it and doesn't sincerely care what anyone else thinks, letting you ramble and just enjoy yourself

He'd be lying if he didn't say he enjoyed that time together

He'll let you sit on his shoulder and just go off

He's basically unfazed by it but enjoying it

Starscream

Probably freaks him out ngl but he'd shake it off under the impression that he couldn't be afraid of such a silly human story

Oh boy wait until he hears about the spring lock failure

But as much as it would freak him out man is invested to know everything

He'd jump up and scream at the jump scares when watching the gameplay. Every. Time.

He'd be in a love-hate relationship with fnaf, loving the complexity but hating the horror aspects

Honestly you rambling about it helps ease him into it, you're calming and so happy when you talk about it

Black Arachnia

Might not be as interested in the beginning, halfheartedly listening until you mention Springtrap

He reminds her of herself, an abomination both organic and technology. Both painful experiences and the agony of never being what they once were

She ends up enjoying listening to you explain how agony and remnant works. It's reminds her of her experiments to return herself to normal

She'd listen to you as she works, using your voice as a way to ground herself as she works

Definitely shocked at the family drama, but she loves the tea

Overall happy to be able to have one more thing to talk to you about.

Blitzwing

He's having a field day

"Such interesting methods of disposing the bodies- Yeah, what a cold hearted killer- Oh! Killer like the music!"

His three sides are all equally interested in it, job well done!

One is analyzing the crime aspects, one is taking the story at face value, and of course the other one is just as/ if not more ecstatic about it

He loves it and loves learning more about it and rambling with you

Will listen to a Fnaf playlist with you happily, especially because it reminds him of you

Idk but something tells me he'd laugh at the jumpscares, thinks the suspense is funny

Lugnut

He's surprised you fan remember so much about Fnaf. Like theres just so much

I feel like he'd boast about how much you know. "Look at the genius before you, they know more about this subject than anyone!"

He's super supportive

He'd drop just about anything he's doing to give you his full undivided attention

If you sometimes forget that you've already told him something and say it again you're doing him a solid. He doesn't have the best memory but hes enthusiastic!

He's proud of you and isn't afraid to show it, as you shouldn't be afraid to share of what you like with him

Shockwave

Man has been working on the clock for ages. I feel like when he'd listen to you introduce him to fnaf he was honestly so overworked and stressed that he just needed a distraction

And indeed it was a distraction

If you're the type to go into long rants for hours, sign him up

Definitely asking questions and just actively indulging with you

It's honestly adorable

If anyone asks what you're doing at his desk, he'll just shoo them off saying that you're a key part of his work

He's interested, hooked and loving it

Show him the music and that's a new guilty pleasure for him. He listens to them while he works quietly, never thought he'd enjoy it so much

Definitely eager to learn about everything; books, games, you name it, he wants to know

Loves spending more time with you, especially bonding over your interest!

Back to Nav

[ikamigami]

Okay.. so I'm doing it.. y'all hate me for this theory but here it comes 🙈

So I think that Sun is actually a Wither Storm Dragon.. this is his true form.. (someone in the comments to this post said that Creator actually made Sun like that to be able to defeat Astrals)

I'm not kidding you when I say that I had a theory that Sun will change into a Wither Storm because this is his true form.. and I posted this theory on Discord.. but sadly I was dumb and I didn't take any screenshots so only those who was at that time with me on Discord know what I'm talking about..

I don't remember if people like it or not.. but I remember that other theory (not mine) became quite popular on Discord - Sun will turn into a monster just like in Steven Universe.. and his family will help him etc.

I thought that it's not the worst idea because I thought that it fit with how Sun perceives himself.. as a monster..

Anyway people thought that Sun will snap and turn into a monster but his family will help him and we'll get a happy ending..

But then Sun turned into a Dragon and people started saying that Sun will snap and turn into a Dragon-monster..

And let me tell you that Sun's answer about who's he afraid the most reminded me of these things.. these theories..

Because Sun said that he's afraid of Wither Storm.. a Wither Storm from their dimension.. like I get it he's scared because Wither Storm means the end of the world so it's reasonable why he's afraid..

But don't you find it a bit suspicious.. a bit ominous.. when Sun also said that he doesn't like his new "wither shards" abilities.. and also considering that we now learned that Wither Storms are actually Dragons and that they a different thing from positive and negative energy..

And let me repeat that for you.. we learned that Wither Storms are actually Dragons and Sun is somehow connected to Wither Storms..

And what did that say in this post?

"But then Sun turned into a Dragon.."

Sun turned into a Dragon..

By New Moon and Solar..

Back then it was an accident.. but Solar was using a specific word.. "test".. he wanted to test something with portal..

But what if now Nexus will kidnap Sun and Solar will join him (not because he'd do that normally but because Dark Sun has plans for him and we don't know what exactly he meant by that) and they will test Sun's "wither shards" abilities.. and his connection to Wither Storm.. and then Sun will transform into a Wither Storm Dragon..

And let me tell you more.. what if "Sun become a Dragon" episode is a foreshadowing of events?

Because in that episode both Solar and New Moon were oddly more mean and uncaring towards Sun (and this is why this episode was pissing me off so much xbnsndnx)

And Solar told New Moon to look after Sun to "make sure he doesn't kill himself".. yes, the way Solar said that was odd af.. even everyone on Discord server agreed with me on that.. because Solar could say "make sure that he won't get himself killed".. but he said "make sure he doesn't kill himself".. WHAT ?

And later I realized the weird thumbnail for Banban's gameplay "Sun's mental breakdown"..

Why they all look like that? And why they even here in the first place?

And later we had this thumbnail for Uno compilation..

I talked about the meaning of each dead character in the thumbnail and how Sun perceives each of these characters.. to say it simply it reflects his guilt regarding these characters and specific things/events related to each character.. (I can go into more detail later if someone would like me to ^^)

But anyway.. I still remember hallucination of BM saying to Sun that he'll see others.. what others.. and it was after he saw hallucination of Old Moon.. so HBM couldn't mean HOM.. so what others they meant.. WHAT ?

He meant that Sun will hallucinate other characters.. but because we didn't see that happening yet.. it means that it'll happen..

So now I'll get back to my theory: so Nexus kidnaps Sun (Solar either already joined him or will join him later) and he tries to find wither shards with Sun's "help" but later he becomes interested in connection that Sun has with Wither Storm because why he isn't affected by wither shards but others are? And he begans testing Sun.. and Sun turns into a Wither Storm Dragon..

And then Sun will have a mental breakdown and he'll hallucinate.. and he'll try to kill himself.. most probably by jumping into his own mana pool..

But if we'd like more angst Sun can also break something in Wither Storm Dragon form on accident because he's confused etc and it'll be Dazzle cause Nexus will also kidnap her to force Sun to be compliant.. and then Sun will have a mental breakdown and he'll hallucinate and "realize" that he's a monster and he'll try to kill himself..

But because I doubt that Sun as Wither Storm Dragon could die even in mana pool.. he'll survive but he'll be in a magic coma and Nexus will take his body out but his body will be back to normal.. and Nexus will held Sun's dead body and then he'll remember Eclipse's words and BOOM !

Sun dies because of Nexus' actions :)

Update: it can also be like someone said that Sun will die in Moon's arms because well Eclipse saw Moon and not Nexus..

And it'll be because of Astrals.. but I'm not so sure about that one.. but maybe it'll be that Astrals will appear and try to kill either Sun or Nexus or both.. and Sun will shield Nexus with his own body and die..

Nexus will be standing paralyzed and Moon will rush to Sun and he'll hold him in his arms in his last moments.. and then Nexus will remember Eclipse's words..

Idk when Moon will fight Nexus maybe after Sun's death..

And also I forgot that it'll most definitely happen during October takeover or at the end of it :)

[hopeymchope]

I HOPW YOU ENJOY IT I LOVE THAT GAME

I'M HONESTLY WORRIED BECAUSE IT'S SO INSANELY HYPED LOL

Plus I'm worried about playing FF7 for... many other reasons that I'm now going to ramble about at EXCESSIVE LENGTH.

UNPOPULAR OPINIONS START!

FIRST: It's been, what, 27 years since this thing came out? And I've probably played a lot of stuff that took whatever FF7 did that was so groundbreaking and iterated/improved on it already, y'know? I doubt this game can ever be the earth-shattering experience it was for people of that initial release period.

SECOND: In my own opinion, the worst-aged generation of gaming (outside of the very first one) has to be the N64/PS1/Saturn gen, a.k.a. "fifth-gen." Pixel art from the older retro systems is kind of timeless-looking to me, and 2D game mechanics got locked down pretty quickly for the main titles of the day. Plus and the sixth-and-later generations still look fine and hold up on some level—by seventh-gen, we were already in HD! But fifth-gen polygonal graphics and pre-rendered assets are just... WOOF.

Get a load of those overworld character models in FF7 — they ain't got no alibi. And that's to say nothing of how awkward things typically were while we were first figuring out how to transition into 3D. Camera controls/angles, save structures, etc... it's all a fit fumbly.

So yeah, I don't have a lot of nostalgia/fondness for this gen, personally. My favorite games from this time period are typically the ones that dared to stick to 2D: Symphony of the Night, Mega Man X5, etc. And the exceptions are usually best experienced via latter-day ports that made big quality of life improvements or visual enhancements. I adore Ocarina of Time... but I'd definitely recommend that anyone new to it play the 3DS version.

THIRD: I ALSO don't like random battles. I know they're an RPG staple for many old-school titles, but like... I strongly prefer being able to see the enemy on the overworld before I enter the battle screen. Or at LEAST being able to tell where I can walk to either avoid or trigger potential random battles ala Pokemon games. I'd GREATLY prefer to not be jump-scared by a random battle every few steps. And although the modern FF7 ports have a trigger to supposedly turn off the random battles, it (A) doesn't seem to work half the time, and (B) using it will just leave me under-leveled in the long run.

And ALL OF THAT is why, for a long time, I waited for the FF7 remake. I figured that'd probably be my best introduction to the story and characters—bringing them to a new generation with a new presentation. But when the remake finally arrived, it wasn't a remake at all. Not only is the gameplay radically different, but even the story is heavily based in how it diverges from the original! Familiarity with the original game appears to be highly recommended.

And so... here I am.

I've only been playing FF7 for a couple nights now. Tuesday night was day one. And so far? I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I didn't already know in the story — I thought that cultural osmosis from years of Remake/Rebirth trailers and general gaming YouTube channels and overall gaming chatter would have spoiled every single story beat already. Certainly, the most famous event/twist in the game is something that was spoiled EVERYWHERE for years and years. But right now—having just swung away from a huge explosion on a big old crane-hook—I'm like "Huh, I didn't know that'd happen" pretty regularly!

Plus a general "Huh, I didn't know the overarching evil in this game was corporate capitalism." That last part has certainly aged like a fine wine. :)

[h0jos-f4vorite-t3stsubject]

After watching gameplay of the rebirth demo up until the Nibel fire event, I have so much to say and I apologize how deranged I'll sound. (This is long I'm sorry)

Firstly: ASGDKFGSLDOAHDKHD *unholy crying screaming breaking walls*

Secondly: I love Sephiroth, I love him so much I'm one of those annoying mfers that believes I'm married to him. It's just objectively true and no one can tell me otherwise I can fix him. This was the first time I was actually, genuinely, 100% scared of him. His fall from grace, his breakdown, the pure rage and sadness and betrayl was so palpable and so real. The 180 he did from a respectable and heroic man to a bloodthirsty monster devoid of all sympathy was just so good.

3: the remake trilogy has an iron grip on my heart with its devotion to bringing realism and emotion to the once unvoiced, pixelated polygons of the 90s. The way they made "Cloud" act like Zack, with his voice lines and mannerism is just so nice, and how it glitches with Cloud's actual memories of what he experienced going back home (going to his mom's, going through Tifa's house, crawling towards his mom's burning house. And can I just say, what a dick Sephiroth can be. "Run, Cloud. You have to leave. You have to live." Those were his mother's words in her final moments. And Sephiroth taunted Cloud with them in remake.

D: the little details and reworking of old details is just amazing. Seph finally being pissed and fed up with Gast as he's the one that started the project that created him. The flashes of my favorite and most hated old man Hojo during the breakdown sequence as that is Sephiroth's primary abuser. The text in the books he reads having details blacked out, which makes me think that pushed Sephiroth even more to the point of him not knowing Lucrecia was his mother. Because her name was blacked out. I suspect Hojo did this, either thinking in advance about Sephiroth finding those books or sending people out to hide the details months or weeks before he was shipped out.

Bonus: the trailers for rebirth has me on edge. Cloud attacking Tifa? Aerith not dying? Zack still alive in parallel timeline? Why does Marlene know what will happen to Aerith? Why does the man that made my username the way it is keep popping up more and more? What's Hojo's involvement in the story? Are we finally going to save Aerith? I have theories and predictions.

Bonus 1: I really hope we don't save Aerith. I love her, but literally she had to die. The entire game was created with the message of loss and love, how much time are you spending with those you care about before they eventually pass on. Aerith's death was a sudden and sad one, but at the end of the game it was ultimately her and her influence in the lifestream that saved the planet (and I firmly believe that!! In the original game, Holy did what it could, but Meteor was stronger. The lifestream had to spawn and push it back, and it was stronger because of Aerith, her face showing up at the end of the game has me believing that. Literally she had to die or else the planet would die). Taking something as essential and plot driven as her death, while it'll be a twist, it ruins the message of the game of spending what little time you have left with your loved ones. I'd actually be more happy if Aerith was saved and then she turns and goes "What have you done? This wasn't supposed to happen. You shouldn't have saved me. You doomed us all."

Bonus 2: if the theory of the Sephiroth at the end of remake being a Sephiroth that is hyper aware of the timeline and trying to help us (the whole "Seven Seconds" thing being him warning Cloud of what to look out for), I have a strong feeling he might be on our side. Why else would he have his own playable section in the rebirth demo with his own character equip animations? Yes, I know he was playable in the og 7, but he wasn't as playable as this. Og didn't have the synergy mechanic either. Why does Cloud or "Cloud" have synergy with Sephiroth if it's just going to be wasted on one section of the game? I hope Sephiroth officially joins our party and becomes a whole playable endgame character.

Bonus 3: Hojo. The man, the trashy, the worst thing that has ever happened to the story of 7. His constant grip on the narrative so far has me thinking that we might actually get to see him at his peak. He's the center of everything, the fall of Sephiroth, the death of Vincent, the tragedy of Lucrecia, the start of the death of Zack. Hojo being aware of the whispers from remake, him seeing Sephiroth on his monitor, him laughing when Jenova's body was stolen, his little line in the rebirth trailer "This is the beginning of the end". Hojo knows something we don't and might be a more powerful villain because he's either planned ahead or worked in the details of this new timeline bullshit. Plus, with the intergrade dlc and its ties with deepground, I think Hojo will have a much MUCH bigger part to play with the remake trilogy and just maybe a Dirge of Cerberus remake. I can't wait to see how they build up my favorite lab rat.

[digitalsatyr23]

Why I like Sekiro so much

Sometimes I think about how different Sekiro is compared to the From Software games made before and after it. I remember playing through it multiple times in order to get the platinum trophy and did my last run without the protective charm and the bell rung. It was an experience. Even four years later, I wish From Software made more games like it. Not necessarily in terms of gameplay, but in terms of story. (Continue reading if you like my ramblings)

Sekiro has the distinct advantage of having several story cutscenes and a playable character that isn’t just a blank slate. Wolf is fairly tame in terms of characterization (at least on the surface), but who he is and his relationship with those around him is far more interesting than your typical Souls game protagonist imo, and this is best expressed through another character (arguably the most important) in Sekiro - Isshin Ashina.

Isshin led a rebellion in order to free his people from those who had taken the land from them many years ago, and worked alongside many of the characters you meet throughout the game, including Owl, Lady Butterfly, GYOUBU MASATAKA ONIWAAAAA, and the Sculptor. When he slew General Tamura and claimed victory, he kept the general’s spear as a trophy until he later gifted it to Gyoubu (though we later see his sword saint incarnation use it in battle). He also was the one that prevented the Sculptor from becoming Shura by cutting off the Sculptor’s arm. My understanding is that when everything was said and done, Isshin just kicked it in the land of Ashina and watched over his people both directly and indirectly. Of course, the Central Forces later come a knocking to take over Ashina, which is what causes the events of the game to unfold.

By the time the game takes place, Isshin is old as hell and is succumbing to disease. Despite this, the Interior Ministry (a division of Central Forces) is still scared shitless of the guy and doesn’t find the nerve to press their final attack until they know damn certain that Isshin has breathed his last. For those who may not understand why, consider this video where you get to see what would have happened if the Interior Forces tried taking Isshin on mere hours before his death. Even though he is going to die, he continues roaming around Ashina and fighting the good fight because that’s just the kind of person he is. And while it may not be fully obvious in the beginning, he’s actually on Wolf’s side for almost the entire game, because he’s opposed to his grandson’s plan to use the rejuvenating water and Kuro’s blood, so Isshin sends Emma to help you out.

Now regarding how this connects back to Wolf... Wolf was orphaned during the events of the Ashina rebellion, and his family was very likely killed due to the conflict. Wolf was picked up by Owl and given his name, and went on to be trained by Owl and others (such as Lady Butterfly). Later, Wolf was appointed as the shinobi meant to guard the divine heir, Kuro. Kuro himself was part of the Hirata Clan, a branching house of Ashina, which is important to note considering Owl went on to secretly side with the Central Forces and attack the Hirata Estate using bandits. Owl pretended to die and charged Wolf with recovering Kuro, which led to Wolf fighting his old mentor, Lady Butterfly (who was Owl’s co-conspirator). If you played through those memories, you know the rest. Wolf defeats Lady Butterfly, but then Owl stabs Wolf in the back, leading to Kuro making the pact with Wolf, and the rest is largely a mystery because Wolf lost his memory of that night. Seemingly without purpose, Wolf lives in isolation and is considered a traitor by Ashina as they believed he was related to the attack on the Hirata estate (again, because Owl is a backstabbing piece of shit). It isn’t until a letter is given to Wolf by Emma telling him that Kuro yet lives and is in need of rescue once more that Wolf springs to life and you take control of him.

With all that out of the way, let’s consider the game’s story and the events so far. Wolf was orphaned as a result of Isshin trying to free his people from oppression, taken in by one of Isshin’s then allies Owl, trained by another of Isshin’s allies, Lady Butterfly, only for Wolf to later be betrayed by both Owl and Lady Butterfly, and then later called to action by Isshin and Emma to save one of his grandsons (Kuro) from another one of his grandsons (Genichiro), which requires you to be an absolute menace to both the Central Forces and Ashina Forces on your way to Kuro throughout the game. After you lose an arm in your first fight with Genichiro, you’re later brought to an old temple where you meet Emma and the Sculptor proper, who both aid you in your quest. Do you see how all of these characters are so nicely interconnected?

Now compare that to Dark Souls. I like Dark Souls. I have played and beaten it probably a dozen times, trying out different builds, routes, factions, and all that fun stuff. The story of Dark Souls isn’t bad per say, but consider who you are. You’re a nameless undead, one of many in the asylum by the time Oscar shows up and starts freeing the other undead. The person who went on to reach the First Flame could have been anyone. I know that’s the point, but just remember that you’re a nameless nobody that no one knows or believes in (until you meet decent people like Solaire and Andre of course) and your role in the lives of the other people you meet is largely incidental. This pattern continues through many of the souls games and even in Elden Ring where you once again play an almighty nobody who no one even knows and in some cases actively makes fun of and/or looks down on you. That’s fiiiiine I guess? And it’s not like Sekiro’s story is perfect or anything either, but it just feels like it has so much more going on with it, and even though the story is much smaller in scale, the stakes feel a lot higher. The boss fights also felt more engaging, too, because again, you have a history with almost every person you cross swords with. Every time you fight someone important, there is a damn good reason for you doing it, and not just because you walked into the wrong room at the wrong time.

I don’t know if this is considered official or not, but so much in Sekiro pointed towards this I accept it as canon. Isshin clearly sees Wolf as a part of his family. Isshin kinda has this tendency to adopt and take people under his wing because he understands how important it is to have someone there for you in trying times, and boy howdy does the land of Ashina know trying times. In many ways, Isshin is more of a foster father to Wolf than Owl ever was, and you feel this as you bump into him throughout the game, whether hanging out with him and sharing sake or finding Isshin when he’s in the middle of his “rat” extermination (when he’s the Tengu of Ashina, Isshin’s super hero persona as far as I’m concerned). You fight a ton of dudes on both sides of the conflict, largely because you were seen as a traitor by most of Ashina, and of course Genichiro wanting to stop you so he can enact his plans with Kuro, and this results in you killing a lot of people that were on Isshin’s side as you progress, but Isshin doesn’t begrudge you. Not really. He knows why you’re there and why you did what you had to since everyone is trying to put you in the dirt anyway. The only time Isshin opposes you is if you go the Shura route and kill Emma.

The Shura route always gets me when I think about it. Imagine how hurt Isshin must have felt seeing Wolf fall so far. Again, Isshin was mere hours from death by the time you fight him in that boss fight. Prior to that, you could have been chilling with him, sharing sake, and hearing him regale you with stories about the good ol’ days as Isshin tries to enjoy what little time he has left. Now he has to put you down because you’ve crossed a line you can never return from, the same way he helped his friend the Sculptor so many years ago. And the thing is, Isshin isn’t even strictly surprised. Wolf always had the potential to become Shura, and Isshin notices a glimmer of that in Wolf as he shares a couple drinks with him. Here’s the conversation you have with him when you give him monkey booze.

Wolf: I have something for you.

Isshin: Ah, Sekiro! You know me well. Why, if this isn't monkey booze! Hahh! So this is what it's like to breathe fire! Do you know what other name this sake goes by?

Wolf: I don't.

Isshin: You don't? They call it Shura's Wine. Shura's Wine. That's right! You know your stuff. Don't tell me you've been treating someone else to this. I killed one once, long ago...  Shura... Or something very much like it.

Wolf: What is Shura, exactly?

Isshin: Those who go on killing will eventually become Shura. They don't even remember why...  Simply enraptured... They kill solely for the joy it brings them. I saw it in your eyes, too. The shadow of Shura.

Wolf: .........

Isshin: Or at least, I thought I did.

Wolf: .........

Isshin: However, it appears I was mistaken. If Shura were to appear, I would have cut it down myself. (laughs)

And then of course what he says after you defeat Emma.

Isshin: Sekiro... You were a most unkind and inauspicious man... But for some reason I could not bring myself to hate you. It seems... I must cut you down before you fall to Shura.

Do you see the look in this man’s eye? He sees you as family. He trusted you. He aided you every step of the way along your journey, and now that you’ve betrayed that trust and are about to become an actual literal demon, he’s going to stop you. Despite the feelings he may have towards you, he knows that he cannot hesitate for even a moment, because hesitation is defeat.

I wouldn’t consider the Shura ending to be canon but there’s something so painful and beautiful about it. Even Kuro is in denial about what you’ve become, despite the dead bodies littering the floor around you. Sekiro has a ton of great moments like this that will stay with me for a long, long time. Even though I love From Software’s newest game, Elden Ring, the lack of moments like this sting real bad. There are so many characters you should have been able to interact with at some point before their fight, but for some reason you’re denied this. Think about Mohg, think about Malenia, or Rykard, or Hoarah Loux. It’s even possible for you to have a history with Hoarah Loux prior to the game if you choose the Hero starting class because it implies you were part of the same tribe, but this has no effect on the actual game’s story. Regardless, the lack of history and lack of connection to the various important figures in Elden Ring’s story just makes most of it ring hollow for me.

And that’s why I remember Sekiro so fondly. It stands out among From Software’s other recent titles because of its approach to its characters, story, and how interconnected everything is. I’m not asking for a Sekiro 2: Shadows Die Thrice. I’m just saying that maybe From Software should give Sekiro’s approach to story another go.

[sweetsummercourier]

I finished Tears of the Kingdom, so here are my thoughts

I recently finished Tears of the Kingdom and wow... wow! The game was beautiful all the way through. As such, I'd like to talk about my experience and thoughts.

DISCLAIMER: this post contains spoilers for the game. Read at your own risk.

Additionally, please don't take my opinions too seriously. I'm just someone on the internet. You don't have to agree or disagree but please be respectful.

Without further ado...

Overview:

Tears of the Kingdom is a beautiful game. Absolutely beautiful, from the designs to the scores to the gameplay. All of it, beautiful.

That being said, it took some adjusting. I missed having the convenience of our elemental and bomb arrows, I missed not having to pay for every time I wanted armor upgraded, and I missed not having to fight against the RNG to get items I needed for upgraded armor. The map did have some changes that took getting used to, and some of my favorite ingredient/monster part hunting spots were no longer there, so that sucked.

But it fits the story, I find. I like how the weapons changed due to the Upheaval (though I'm a bit confused as to how bows aren't decayed), how the monsters evolved and the new monsters that came, and how the Great Fairies function — we learned in Breath of the Wild that rupees gave them power, and I found that it made more sense to pay for the upgrades instead of just a one time payment.

That being said, while TOTK takes place some time after the events of BOTW, there were some things that left me feeling empty. What happened to all the guardians? The Divine Beasts? The Sheikah towers and the shrines? The Sheikah Slate? It just seems weird to me that they would just vanish without an explanation... especially the Beasts.

On top of that, I missed the Champions. I was thrilled to see that Mipha was still a big part of Zora's Domain and with Sidon's plotline, and I love her water gardens, but I was so scared when I didn't see her statue at first.

But to continue, while it makes sense for the Zora to keep Mipha very much alive considering how beloved she is, it felt strange that the other three weren't mentioned at all. Teba has a Great Eagle Bow, and Tulin can create gusts of wind, but no concrete to homage to Revali. Riju had dual Scimitar of the Seven, which Urbosa wielded, but she's not mentioned. Heck, Yonobo is the grandchild of Daruk (source is the Creating a Champion artbook), yet Daruk's Protection has disappeared and he's not mentioned at all.

Don't get me wrong, I understand why they wouldn't be prominent. TOTK is not BOTW, and the Champions and Divine Beasts are no longer the center focus. Still, it feels weird that they were expunged entirely. At least we have those cool helms!

Regional Phenomenon Questline:

I'm going to break this down the way I completed them... which was in the exact same way as I did in BOTW! Why not, it was fun. And also, the first region will allow me to address a big elephant in the room...

Zora's Domain and the Water Temple

Zora's Domain was the first region I completed in both games, and I was so happy to be back. I love the score in the Domain, I just find it so soothing... and it's the home of my favorite fish people!

I found it super goofy that Bazz was trapped under sludge. Like sir, you didn't see that falling? You didn't look up? At least he was ok in the end. King Dorephan being alive gave me a lot of relief. Don't get me wrong, in the trailers I was stoked to see Sidon as king, but what happened to his big ol' dad? I also love his new outfit after he gives his son the crown. Also, I love how to reveal the new statue of Sidon and Link, you have to clean it and then boom — Link riding Sidon statue.

Can I just say I love Sidon's new attire? It looks so good on him. I love the little navy blue addition to his ascots and I'm very happy to see they kept the whistle. Sidon is a big comfort character of mine, so reuniting with him first was like chicken soup for the soul. I also love the water manipulation ability. It's a very cool ability to have and it's very fitting for the Zora (naturally). A little sad he doesn't dual wield spears like he had in AOC, but regardless, he's great. He's great. I love Sidon. He's a card.

Now, with the Water Temple, I found it just a bit underwhelming. It's beautifully designed, don't get me wrong, and I love his ancestor and how Sidon gets his secret stone on his glove and he gives Link his vow (I don't ship Sidlink but that was fruity). But what I found underwhelming was the boss. Compared to the others, having the goofy Mucktorok felt a little... hmm... it was a fun fight, however! I did have fun! For my, compared to Waterblight Ganon from BOTW and the Scourges in the other temples, to me, it felt a little subpar.

Now I've addressed this before but now that I've played through and can make a better statement than my previous one a lot better... let's talk about Yona.

I like her! She's super cute! I have grown attached to her style and her character, and she has such a sweet little theme. My only big issue with her is, I find her to be one dimensional. Now, I'm not attacking her or hating on her. I think Yona as a character has an immense amount of potential, the writing for her is just... a little bland. The romantic subplot with her and Sidon and her story feels lackluster. I think, if they wanted to show Sidon's fear of losing someone else, someone he loves, I have the perfect man for the job — King Dorephan. Dorephan is his father, and the last remaining family Sidon has left. With Dorephan actually injured, I find it would make more sense for that subplot to be about their father-son bond. Maybe after finding out Dorephan is injured and in hiding, Sidon goes to find his father and it's Dorephan who tells him to be strong and to help link. In my opinion, that's more plausible.

Back to my original thought, I wish Yona had more development as a character. It's very clear she means a lot to Sidon and vice versa, but I wish there was more instead of her just being thrown in. If she's his dearest friend since childhood, I would have loved to have heard more about her in BOTW. I just want to know more about her. I want to see more character in her. And yes, to address the whole marriage debate — yes, Sidon saw her as a sister, and yes his feelings "became difficult to quantify." Feelings are changing all the time. In my opinion, it feels weird to someone who considers another family to suddenly fall in love with them. But that's just me.

To the Sidona shippers: y'all rock. While I personally don't ship Sidona, I support y'all. I am in love with all the artwork and writing I have found of them, and the way I look at it, it's more art of Sidon I get to enjoy. This is a Yona hate free zone, I will not entertain Yona hate.

To the other shippers, Sidlink and all: it's canon, we cannot change it. But! AUs exist. Headcanons exist. Heck, if Yona bothers you that much, ignore her all together. Nothing is going to stop you from shipping Sidlink and Sidon with ocs, so please be positive and keep doing what you're doing. I myself will continue making art and writing of my oc/canon ship with Sidon and my OC, because that's what makes me happy. I have some art and stories of them I plan to share, and I really hope you like them too :)))

Rito Village and the Wind Temple

Now, back on track after my tangent about Yona. The Rito Village was the second location I tackled and oh my god, I got a kick out of the kids running the village. I love how they tried to help keep the town in order while the adults were trying to find the source of the blizzard and gather supplies.

I was super relieved to find Teba alright, I know we were all afraid that he was dead or something considering he wasn't in the trailer. But I love Teba very much, and I was thrilled to see him again.

Tulin is PRECIOUS. My little nephew. I love how he looks fully-fledged, and he's such a sweet li'l rascal... and the fact his quiver has his parents' feathers on there, it is such a cute gesture.

Quick aside, I love Penn, but I MISS KASS... where did he go... I miss hearing his accordion.

The Wind Temple, I find, was the most challenging to get to. I remember stacking three Zonai springs together at one point just to get to where I needed to go because for the life of me I could not get that one floating rock. I loved the bouncy sails on the ships. It gave me the kinda vibes a bouncy castle does.

The temple being the Stormwind Arc and not an actual building was delicious. A very nice touch. That being said, I love how different all the temples are: we have one in the sky that's actually a temple, the other is a flying ship, there's a temple in the depths, and then one on good ol' terra firma.

I LOVE the design of Colgera. Granted, I did do the temple at night, so it did scare me just a bit. It was a lot of fun to fight, and the cutscene of the sky becoming clear with Teba on Revali's Landing was perfect. It was a very sweet scene to add, when Tulin received his father's bow, the Great Eagle Bow, and the scarf as a nod to Revali. I wish the bow Teba made for me had the scarf...

Goron City and the Fire Temple

I personally miss that region flowing with lava. I felt it really drove home how hot the mountain is and the environment the Goron lived in, but it's much easier to traverse and it's nice to see there's still lava in the deeper caves.

I adore Yunobo, and seeing him become rude made me so sad. That's not my boy! I wanted my boy back! Making me fight him was not cool! He's such a good, kind character that it legit made me so sad to see him possessed by that mask.

I'll admit... I cheated the Fire Temple. I love the music score in that temple, and I had a lot of fun there, but I'll be the first to admit that I did not care for the mine cart system. I just climbed to where I needed to go. I'm sorry, that system really confused me and my ADHD was having none of it. So I figured I'd just cut to the chase and just climb.

I really like how the checkpoints were gongs, and having Yunobo barrel into them was very reminiscent of how we had to launch him to drive off Vah Rudania in BOTW.

The boss for the temple, left me feeling a little underwhelmed like the Mucktorok. Just break Marbled Gohma's legs and then beat the shit out of it. I can't say it wasn't entertaining though use Yunobo like that as if we were bowling.

The fist bump for the vow was such a quirky touch for Yunobo. I love it. It was really so sweet. And I love seeing Yunobo's resolve to become a stronger individual. His character growth from being a timid Goron in BOTW to now, I'm so proud of him. I feel like a proud mom.

Gerudo Town and the Lightning Temple

The gibdos absolutely terrified me. I ran into them not realizing the were there on my first time going to Gerudo town and I did not think to use elemental anything so when my most powerful weapons didn't make a dent, I panicked. Though admittedly, the moth gibdo wings are very pretty... still terrifying. I'm just glad we didn't have redeads.

Riju is SO pretty. I love her new hairstyle. At first I really missed her long hair, but she rocks her new short style. I've always loved Riju, and her reintroduction.

The Lightning Temple had to be one of, if not my favorite temple. I found it had the most difficult puzzles for me to solve, and I enjoyed that. I found I was using my brain a lot more for that temple than the others... and I died in a lot of stupid ways because sometimes the most obvious solution isn't that clear to me.

As someone who is very afraid of bugs, Queen Gibdo did not do it for me. She very much gave me the heebie jeebies... but it was nice to watch the sandstorm fade away from the Gerudo desert, for Riju to return to the throne room in the town, and for the Gerudo to leave the emergency shelter and return to their daily lives.

Overall the Regional Phenomenal questline was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed myself.

The Dragon's Tears Questline:

This fucked me up. Learning about Zelda's time in the past leading up to her becoming the Light Dragon actually made me cry. It was fun to discover the geoglyphs and have them become a permanent part of the map, but oof... my heart.

I cried when Sonia died, and it hurt so much when there was the scene of Rauru at her grave. All of it was just heart wrenching, especially Zelda became a dragon after Mineru "died" and found shelter in the Purah Pad. When Zelda screamed for Link to "protect them all" as her eyes changed... oof... ruin me.

Crisis at Hyrule Castle and the Sixth Sage:

I think it was pretty obvious for me that the Zelda we had been seeing wasn't really Zelda. Running around Hyrule Castle in an attempt to reach her, only to fight monster forces was not a very pleasant affair, and the Phantom Ganon fights were also a bit of a pain, albeit fun nontheless.

I loved how the Sages came to Link's aid in the end. It made the game feel a lot less lonely. It made me very happy to see them there protecting Link. It really gave you a sense of how much they care about him, and what he means to them.

Finding the Sixth Sage was a lot of running around that I made much more difficult because I forgot the mask when I found it, so I had to go all the way back to get it, and I didn't realize I had to put the mask in the construct, so cut to me spending an hour trying to get the limbs for the robot when the depots weren't activated yet... oops.

I absolutely adore Mineru. She is so pretty, and I love her voice. I love how her character ties in the past and present, and how she fits so well in the story. And riding her construct was a lot of fun... the boss fight for her secret stone took me a hot minute to figure out... I'm a bit slow on the uptake sometime, so when I pushed the Ganon-controlled construct into the electric fence, I was legit surprised that that was what I was supposed to do.

Defeating Ganondorf:

First off, I would like to say I miscalculated how thick the pillar was on the way down into the Depths from Hyrule castle and I shattered Link's body on the side of it the first time I dove down. It was honestly really funny. It also was a strange disconnect at first as I made my way down to Ganon, because I did not realize how DEEP underground Zelda and Link went to even find this formerly dehydrated prune to begin with.

I was... SO happy and excited that I got to fight alongside the other Sages before going to fight Ganon. It felt so euphoric, like the culmination of all our efforts was coming to fruition and we were all finally comrades in arms. It felt way more personal than the fight with Calamity Ganon in BOTW.

Being separated from them made me so sad. It felt really helpless, watching Link being trapped in the cave while the others fought. Like no don't leave me!

But the final fight, from the beginning to the end, was STELLAR. For the Sages to rejoin us and we fight him all together?! Yes please! Granted his second form's extended life bar def gave me Dark Souls vibes, which is one of my favorite franchises (including Bloodborne) so that was fitting. Though watching my friends be thrown to the side had me scared there for a second.

Watching him become the Demon Dragon, as an individual who recently graduated with a degree in animation with a specialty in effects, was so tasty. And to watch it emerge from beneath Hyrule castle... I can only imagine what it felt like to watch it like that... and for the clearly much smaller Light Dragon come to rescue us... chills. Literal chills. The score for that cutscene was perfect. And for Link, in the face of dragon, to draw the Master Sword like no big deal? Incredible.

Fighting the Demon Dragon alongside the Light Dragon, and to watch it be destroyed was incredible. And for Link to receive his arm back and Zelda returning to normal, for Link to finally grab Zelda's hand and hold her as they fell into the water only to carry her out again... I'm a huge Zelink fan, so that made my heart soar.

The Ending:

The ending itself was beautiful. I was so moved when the current Sages gave the same pledge to Zelda as their ancestors had to Rauru, and I legit cried when Mineru moved on to the afterlife. It was sentimental, and beautiful. I don't think I could have asked for a better ending.

Final Thoughts:

This game... was stunning. It was everything I could have asked for in a sequel to Breath of the Wild. And sure, there are plenty of things to nitpick about, but I had such a positive experience, I'm not even going to bother with all of that.

It was a thrilling and fresh experience, and I enjoyed myself very much.

With that being said, I know we're all looking for DLC and another game. In my personal opinion, I think Tears of the Kingdom did a very good job of wrapping up this story. I'm all down for DLC, but I personally think BOTW and TOTK doesn't need a third game. I think the story these two games portrayed, from the story of the Champions and Calamity Ganon to the climax of defeating Ganon and saving Hyrule, is completed with the conclusion of TOTK.

Of course, that's all up for Nintendo, but I am satisfied with this. I'm very happy. I could not ask for more.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading! I appreciate you sticking it out with my silly little ramblings. I really hope you all enjoy Tears of the Kingdom as much as I did, and I am always down for discussions and stuff in regards to this!

Just a little reminder: I'm just one person on the internet. Please be respectful of my opinions!

And with all that, in mind, I hope you all have a wonderful day. And now, to play both games all over again.

Courier out.

[inkwellwrites]

I dont have any fancy introduction to this post uhh. hi hello greetings. Might as well put the "writes" in my name to good enough use and finally share personal little hcs about one of my Favorites: Burt Curtis

-Very lax and chill. Not exactly hesitant to talk about shitty people behind their backs though

-Not an overly social person. If you need to find him, the best chance you have is in his workspace/room regardless of what time it is

-^ seeing him outside his room may as well be comparable to seeing sasquatch out in the wild

-The kind of person to have a diet that consists of Monster and ramen and nothing else. Although, he does go out to eat other things. Gotta have some kind of balanced diet

-Probably more expressive through text than he is verbally

-Will often doodle and make small comics on the job when he isn't busy since he really doesn't do much besides sit around during his work hours. He has a drawing tablet for when he's off the clock

-He does Twitch streams as a side job. No reason behind it I just thought it was funny. Those streams consist of either chatting, gameplay or drawing sessions 

-On top of picking up small hobbies to pass the time, he's learned to play bass guitar and drums well enough. He's currently learning alto saxophone, but mostly to play meme songs

-Is the kind of guy to allow spiders to crawl all over him. They're his friends so it's ok

-Has a gaming chair and separate gaming monitor. Yeah

-References memes a lot irl and will not elaborate if you don't get them

-Not a huge fan of people yelling at him. This is kind of seen in the game but it felt important enough to mention again lol

-Does not have a single formal fashion bone in his body. Can and will show up to an event in a jacket and sweats with some kind of goofy lettering on them (his favorite pair being green sweats that say "Yeah Baby" on the side). Reginald gets a little pissed off at it but at the end of the day he admires how adamant Burt is and lets him slide too many times to count. Also, Burt just kinda sits around in a room during work hours anyways...

-Likes Reginald a lot. Partially because Burt thinks it's funny when Reg looks like he's about to bite off a chunk of drywall when he says he forgot to wear something formal. But it's fine they still respect one another

-RHM though. Burt's kinda scared of that guy. Even more so in paths where he has those cybernetics. Don't want a repeat of that Holey Cap situation now, huh?

-Hard to tell if he's mad at someone unless he has a weapon clearly pulled out, but honestly, it's difficult to get him too worked up to the point he would get physical

-Him and Sven's dynamic is basically just "Would you still hang with me if I was a worm?" "What"

-Speaking of, he's closest to Sven when comparing him to everyone else. When Sven's not doing anything, he'll just barge into Burt's room when he isn't streaming or working and start ranting. Burt doesn't mind that

-Also learning a little bit of Swedish from Sven

-His sense of humor is strange. At times you may get him to mildly breathe out of his nose but it's only when the planets truly align you will get him to double over in tears from laughing

-Would eat heaps of ketchup out of a bottle if paid to do so

-Will never tell you how he got his headphones through his top hat

-Has a headphone collection. Loves them to death

Uhhhhh that's Burt. Goodbye

[ciaossu-imagines]

Thank you. So this request was inspired by my favourite YouTubers playing Poppy Playtime (a horror game). How do you think Bandō would be playing horror games? Like would he get really into the story and events? Would he be scared easily? Anything like that and more.

C

Oh, this is a really fun request! I really loved this one and thinking about it and I hope you'll enjoy where my thoughts on are this!

So, we're really going to approach this in two ways. I do like to think of Bandou as someone who either YouTubes his game-throughs with a digital avatar in place of his actual face or as someone who is big on streaming on Twitch, probably with the same set-up, showing something other than his face while still providing his audio feed through the game. We do see he does have some self-worth and self-esteem issues and I really think getting followers and views and such, finding that online gaming community and getting support or admiration within it really is something that makes him feel important and good.

When it comes to horror games, I do think Bandou won't stream them until he's played through them at least once on his own, without anyone watching. He won't admit it on his stream, he'll act like it's his first play-through, but he doesn't want to seem 'weak' or 'wimpy' if he does get scared by the game. He thinks he looks cooler and gets more 'cred' online if, when he streams, he's able to play it cool and doing a run of the game beforehand by himself is the only way for him to really keep that cool.

I do see Bandou getting really into the game when he does play anything with any sort of storyline to it, to the point where he kind of zones in and forgets anything exists outside of the game. It doesn't really matter the genre of game, if it has a storyline or some type of gameplay mechanism that's complicated enough to demand his attention, he's focusing only on that and the world just fades away. He'll play through hunger, through needing to pee, through thirst, until he reaches a point he can allow himself a break, just because that's how into the game he gets.

Needless to say, if he's zoned into a horror based game, it becomes all that exists for him. He gets really creeped out by anything kind of psychologically horrific. He's tense, his whole body on edge, if the game is any good, just in the set-up and the waiting and the anticipation of what's to come. He's really on the edge of his seat - blood pressure is up, he's jumpy even before the real horror starts.

Bandou definitely screams a little and does jump almost out of his skin at the actual jump scares and he swears a blue streak as he furiously mashes the buttons of the controller.

He's also insistent, at least to himself because again, he won't allow himself to stream anything really fresh, that he needs to be able to beat the game before he allows himself to stream it, because it's not cool to lose. I will say, he gets real rage during these horror games, because he's already so on edge, whenever he does lose or gets killed and has to restart. Sometimes it will get bad enough for him to physically have to get up, leave the apartment, and go do something else because he would probably toss the controller, or at the worst, the actual gaming system against the wall in his frustration.

Now, when he does beat the game and knows all the things that are going to happen, that's when he'll allow himself to stream it. He's going to provide colourful, sometimes very full of cursing because Bandou can have a filthy mouth when he really relaxes fully, commentary throughout the whole game. He's really focusing in on the actual gameplay and story-line and the technical stuff while streaming, giving his honest opinions on it, and he really comes off as someone who doesn't get at all scared or creeped out by horror games. However, as mentioned, that's definitely all a charade, but it's the public persona he really wants to project out there.

If he's playing coop with his friends from HOMRA on his streaming channel of choice, the other boys will definitely call him out on how nonchalant he is about everything and there will be a fair amount of ribbing from them, all in good humour, but that's about the only time during streams of horror games that Bandou would really lose his cool. They all know he will when teased and it's part of why they do it, because they find it amusing when he does.

[goopi-e]

Finally got a semblance of free time to play the Recently Released Videogame! No plot discussions happen in this post, I just gush about the little things.

My experience is, uh. Suboptimal. I am grateful my laptop can emulate Switch at all, but when your average FPS is around 5, only gets as high as 12 and has a tendency to go into decimals or freeze, fast-paced combat gets hard.

Despite that, the gameplay is fun! All the abilities are such a blast, and compliment one another nicely: for example, I cheesed one part of a certain shrine by Ultrahanding a platform in one place in the air for a bit, then effectively Stasising it with Recall, then Ascending on top of that still-Recalled platform, and then getting additional height by shield-jumping on a shield fused with a spring. Just for funsies. The intended solution was to essentially shield-surf on a short straight rail.

God I love fusing springs to shields. Revali who. My Bomb Flower count is criminally low, as I haven't figured a way to dupe them w/o exploding, and I don't have consistent source of rockets yet, but the springs are relatively early-game and do their job pretty well!

You know what I love even more than that? Glitches :^). And they're finally easy enough for me, a total noob, to perform. I only duped materials so far, timing a frame-perfect weapon dupe on my suboptimal setup sounds hard... but I wanna try and transfer the legendary MsgNotFound one of these days. I was so lucky to find a diamond in one of the caves tho!

Did you know that the shrine lobby (a tiny area seen through the entry portal) can serve as a cover for your campfire during rainy weather? It made more sense in BоTW, as Shеikah shrines were more material, but beggars can't be choosers.

So far my playthrough fits the "feral Lonk" stereotype. Towns are laggy, so I mostly wander around the wilderness aimlessly. The overall plan is to grind the full second stamina wheel + activate a few towers, then go get the Heart Container from the Great Plateau quest, get the Master Sword, grind shrines for hearts and only then hit a couple of dungeons. After that, joining the Yıga is a must. I'm not even sure I'll be able to fight the dungeon bosses or G-man with how hard even the basic combat currently is, so my only hope is to be able to tank through damage.

I wanted to get the Lobster Tunic so badly, but the guys at Lurеlin keep kicking my ass :^(.

Sadly, it seems you cannot skip the first memory. The puddles just aren't anywhere inside the geoglyphs.

Fujibаyashi-san loves to put the "temporary equipment loss moment" in all of the series entries done under him (except MC), and in TоTK alone there's soooo many. It's a whole shrine subset now, not to mention the dedicated pantsless quest in the gazette storyline. Wonder how's the Еvеntide doing these days - judging by a chasm, it doesn't seem like a similar event will take place here.

Speaking of chasms on the islands... Remember the PH-themed archipelago in the wetlands? There's a chasm on Mercay island. You know. The island where the Temple of The Ocean King is located. Something about the way BоTW/TоTK genuinely appreciates DS games feels very vindicating. First Monster Cake being a chancellor's favourite dessert, then the Phantom armor being one of the most OP sets, and now this chasm.

I saw Flowerblight :з.

Ang got owned by the Floormasters Gloom Hands once. Not touching them with a sturdy-stick-stick before I get s'more hearts, I know what comes after.

The guy with the sign! Such a cute concept, and the rewards are always so generous!

Depths are weird. The flora is super cool, and the landscape is twisted to a degree that merely figuring out how to get from point A to point B becomes a nontrivial challenge. Collecting Poes is fun, and I love getting the uncorrupted weapons from the ghosts of the past. Everything else scares me shitless. Mostly

Catching a Star fragment mid-air feels downright magical. I know they were probably coded with exactly that method of aquisition in mind, but it always feels like such a lucky catch.

Saw Nауdra once. Got the scale. Fused it to a spear. Now the spear looks like a comically large spoon, and I can't keep a straight face when this thing pops across half a screen, so I never equip it, but don't unfuse it either out of respect for the comedy aspect. The only funnier weapon that I've got so far is the honeycomb boomerang I got from a monster camp (the idea is genius, and I have honeycombs to maybe recreate it later), which is currently fused to a surprisingly high-damage Boko arm.

Yeah, I'm not unfusing my comically large Nауdra spon until I get a camera and take a selfie with it.

I always feel bad when fighting the apple-collecting Bokos. They have tiny Boko baskets on their backs :^(. They're just little guys :^(.

PORTABLE COOKING POTS. AND MULTIPLE TRAVEL MEDALLIONS THAT AREN'T LOCKED BY A DLC. YES.

Purаh is the prettiest woman to grace this world.

[kyndaris]

The Nature of a Thing

Ever since I was young, there were two things that captured my imagination. The first were stories that mostly revolved around the hero’s journey. It could be from books or games, but the idea of saving the world always encouraged me to be the best version of myself. The second, of course, was mythology. Greek, Norse and Egyptian were the main three that caught my eye. I was obsessed about stories revolving the gods, demi-gods and whatever shenanigans they might have gotten themselves into. Many of these are already known by the wider world and through emphasis in popular culture: the drunken adventures of Loki and Thor, the murder of Osiris by the envious Seth, or Heracles and his twelve labours.

What I didn’t realise was that many of the character I looked up to played into very stereotypical archetypes. After attending selective high school and learning about tropes in high school, as well as watching copious amounts of video essays on YouTube, I like to think I’m now a dab hand at pointing at a character on screen and rattling off their attributes. This is, after all, their ‘nature.’ It doesn’t matter if they’re reluctant heroes at the start or attractive anti-heroes, in the end, the end of their story was dictated by them. And the journey that they go on has very predictable beats. The self-doubt that creeps in, the mentor that steps in to bolster their confidence...

Tell me, how many of you, dear readers, can hear the word ‘Japanese role-playing game (JRPG)’ and not know that the game will have the main protagonist start off in some small rural village doing something as innocent as rescuing a cat up in a tree before slaying the cruel god of the world right as the credits roll?

Form and settings can change, but the nature remains the same.

And this is the very thing that is explored in God of War: Ragnarok. One that is excellently brought to light when Kratos and Freya visit the Nords and realise that prophesy is merely the understanding of the moving parts of the world.

But we’ll get back to that later.

Years have passed since the events of the first game. Atreus has grown up into a curious teenager, eager to find his own place in the world and chafing at the direction his father sees for him. True, he doesn’t always make the right decision, but he’s learning. Kratos, on the other hand, feels like he’s been stuck in a rut since the revelations at Jotunheim. He has seen the patterns and fears for the safety of his son. During the long years of Fimbulwinter, he has prepared his son to live without him but, it is clear as the game progresses, Kratos is also scared of leaving his son alone. A typical parent fear, if you think about it, when children have grown up and want to leave the nest.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected Kratos to be such a protective parent when it came to his son, having seen his rage dictate most of his actions in the Greek era of games and his more stoic and standoffish approach in the first game. But while he does make the occasional misstep, it’s clear that Kratos loves his son dearly and wants only the very best for Atreus. 

Besides, you have to also love the fact that Mimir also essentially serves as a second father to Atreus. What with his stories and the occasional pearls of wisdom that he drops. A far different approach to what Kratos brings to the table.

And so, from a simple hunting trip out in Midgard, where they are attacked by a still vengeful Freya, Kratos and Atreus are soon roped into a quest to stop the end of days: Ragnarok and rail against fate. Or, at least, that’s what they initially assume. As the game goes on, and prophecies are unveiled, their quest becomes one to stop the machinations of Odin, the All-Father. In comparison to the first game, it’s a bit more complex with a lot of moving parts. In fact, rather than keeping the game solely focused on Kratos, the game also puts gameplay focus on Atreus as he tries to find a way to keep his father safe and forge his own path.

It all plays well with the theme of letting go of one’s preconceptions. And, when it comes to parenting, allowing your children the agency to make their own choices and mistakes rather than dictating them at every turn. Something Kratos initially struggles with but learns to accept after his trip with the Norns.

And, just like last time, there are no cuts when it comes to the camera. While this did make transitions between scenes more difficult to manage, somehow the team of Santa Monica managed to pull it off. Even if it was a little awkward at times - such as with the dream sequences, and the change in perspective from Kratos to Atreus and vice versa. I mean, let’s be honest, I couldn’t have been the only one that thought Atreus placing his knife on a barrel, only for Kratos to pick up the exact same knife was a little strange, right? Nor did I much like how the walls and bedding had to be placed behind Kratos as he transitioned from a dream with Faye to being back in his soft bed. 

It was like seeing the magic behind the scenes rather than being pulled into the story.

Still, I have to commend Santa Monica for committing to their artistic vision. Even as I was frustrated at the fact that half the time, the camera was solely focused on Kratos and his reactions whilst other character flitted in and out of the scenes from behind or entered just out of view of the camera. What’s worse was that there were no footsteps or acknowledgement of the other character until they stepped into view.

I know Kratos is unflappable but he merely grunted when Hildisvini came up from behind in Muspelheim to say that he was taking Mimir with him to Niflheim.

This might have been an issue in the combat but thankfully companions are able to provide ample warning, allowing for frequent blind dodging on my part, as well as the occasional use of the block button. From a combat perspective, I did feel like the Ragnarok was a lot more fluid than the previous game. It helps that Kratos begins the game equipped with both the Blades of Chaos and the Leviathan Axe. But the Spartan Rage ability was also a lot more versatile. Yes, Kratos can still unleash it to pummel an enemy into oblivion and regain health but he is also able to simply use it solely to heal and in an all-out attack.

Unfortunately, during the intervening years of Fimbulwinter, Kratos also somehow lost the armour he previous had and the skills he had acquired over the course of the last game. Why? Who knows. But hit skill tree was woefully empty and all my maxed out armour pieces were missing. Kratos did provide a semi-explanation but I don’t feel like it was adequate.

So many hours...wasted...

Still, I felt like the sets in Ragnarok were better able to cater to my play style. In fact, it’s probably the only reason why I was able to nab the platinum for this game. Yes, you read that correctly, dear reader. Another platinum has been claimed! And that was because this game was much more forgivable than its predecessor. You gotta love armour perks that heal you!

The one other thing that irked me about the game was how wooden characters would be when it wasn’t a cutscene. During my treks through Yggdrasil or the other realms, Kratos, Mimir, Freya and Atreus would occasionally banter. But when I looked back at my companions, the dead-eye stare I received back was perturbing to say the least.

Other than that, I very much enjoyed my time with Ragnarok and the story it wanted to tell. As well as the philosophy many of our protagonists had in terms of fate and prophecy. After all, this wasn’t so much a battle about free will and determinism so much as it was the choices one makes can dictate the path we walk in a bid to ‘be better.’ 

And while Kratos, Atreus and Freya understood that assignment, Odin - who was adamant about knowing what the future might bring so he could change it to his benefits and be in control - was ultimately unable to acknowledge that he could make a choice to end the vicious cycle he found himself in. During the final battle, he highlighted that fact with his dialogue, exclaiming that he “didn’t have a a choice.” Funny how the person who wants the most control is always the one that seems to have the least of it or claims that his failures are not the result of their own actions but those that had been put upon them.

After all, he didn’t have to kill Thor.

He could have chosen to give up his quest for knowledge and lived a happy life with his sons.

Could have stepped down from being the All-Father.

But he chose none of these alternatives.

So, I suppose if there’s one good thing about Odin, it’s the fact that he’s tenacious. And really really really good at deflecting personal fault and blame.

Music-wise, the game was excellent. Bear McCreary is talented at creating evocative pieces that sell the story beats. Did it deserve to win the Game Award for Best Music? Honestly, I’m going to have to say that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was robbed. 

What about Best Narrative? To be fair, A Plague Tale Requiem’s ending pulled at my heartstrings more. That was a story about a girl and her brother trying to live out their best lives and hoping to find a cure to his condition. The problems they faced might not have been supernatural Gods but their battle was so much more personal and heartfelt - and more in line with the 2018 version of God of War. 

Still, God of War Ragnarok is still up there as one of the best games that came out in 2022. And when you play quite a bit of the smaller titles, rather than just big budget releases, that dig into elements of the human condition, 2022 was a pretty good year for video game releases.

Overall, I’m sad that we didn’t get the story of Loki turning into a horse to distract a stallion and coming back after 9 months with the 8-legged Sleipnir, but I’ll take what I can get. I do hope that if there is another God of War game, it’ll follow Atreus and see his wanderings across the realms of myth and legends. Hopefully we, the players, can join him as he looks to uncover more hidden giants. Preferably in Celtic folkore. It would certainly be a better choice than Egypt - a mythology that’s already been done to death in popular culture.

That, or the franchise can take us somewhere completely different.

Can you imagine: Kratos against Sun Wukong? I wonder how that might work. 

P.S. LOVED that Deborah Ann Woll was in this. I didn't quite recognise her voice but seeing Faye's model, I was like: isn't that? AND I WAS RIGHT!

[ihvcmplnts]

I hate the direction Poppy Playtime has gone in the past year. (Part 1)

Does anyone else hate the direction Poppy Playtime has taken this past year? and also not excited for Chapter 3? It really hurts me as I LOVED the first two Chapters! they felt really unique and special! I rarely get into new things, and when I do it's never as strongly as this!! So this may end up a little long, but I'd really appreciate it if people read this and understand the way I feel about this! (Especially you, MOBgames/MobEntertainment!)

Before I get into this, I have to admit that I'm terrible at writing, so this may be a little messy, but I'll try my best. Right, so there are many things I adored about Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 & Chapter 2. We'll start with one of the things shared between both Chapters: Gameplay.

The gameplay in both Chapters is basically like this: Start Chapter -> do puzzles -> encounter living Toy -> do more puzzles -> encounter Toy again -> Toy chases you -> Toy dies -> End of Chapter.

I LOVE this formula! it works really well and is what the core of the game is: A cute, colourful & sometimes creepy puzzle game! (Too many games try to play up the horror aspect. the fact that these Chapters are cute, colourful puzzle games first, and creepy second, is something I really liked, as I'm personally not a fan of games trying to be "scary". games that try to be scary almost never are, and the thing with things that ARE scary? scares fade over time. creepy things though? those tend to stay creepy and linger in the mind for a long time! so yeah, creepy is miles better than scary!)

Next is the story. One thing I've noticed with many games over the years, is they try too hard to make a complex story. it always ends up feeling like things are forced in purely for "lOrE" and getting theorists to talk about it. this just completely ruins the story. see FNAF as an example. originally the plot was just "Man wearing yellow rabbit suit kills kids and stuffs their bodies in Animatronic suits, causing the children's souls to haunt said suits" nothing too complex here. very easy to understand. this was good. I liked FNAF a lot between 1 and SL. I think SL tied up the story perfectly. after that though, things started to change. now we're at a point where theres books that are apparently somewhat tied to the games? and games made after SL just don't fit in with the story previously told. it just seems very confusing to me and honestly puts me off the series. its just too complex at this point, so much so that I have zero desire to get back into the series. people just need to remember: simple is best! now back on topic: Poppy Playtime's story.

Poppy Playtime's story in the first two Chapters is simple. obviously there are two parts to this, so on to the first part: The Player's story - The Player, a former Playtime Co. employee, recieves a tape, and a note that states that the other employees, who disappeared in the factory 10 years ago, are actually still at the factory somewhere, but no-one has been able to find them. so the Player decides to go to the factory to investigate.

The second part - The Toys story: Toy Company finds a way to make living toys through the use of poppy flowers. minus Poppy herself, who seems to act more human, possibly due to being older and picking up on human behaviours, the living toys are like animals. Playtime Co. tries to teach, train & tame the toys. some, like Huggy Wuggy, are tame from the start, and some, such as Mommy Long Legs, are mostly tame, but also need a bit of training. then there are others who are more like wild animals that cannot be tamed. with the events currently taking place, many of the Toys, having been abandoned for 10 years, have reverted back into wild animals due to lack of socialisation and food. they're forced to eat their own kind in order to survive.

(Just a note I'd like to add is that one of my favourite things about Poppy Playtime is that the world inside Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 feels plausible. everything in those two feel like things that could happen in real life. The Toys being created, and the Toys themselves, with the way they act and the way they move. it's so good!!)

The second part of the story is facinating to me! a story of creating life that doesn't naturally exist, and the process of teaching them about the world they're in, and the roles they're given. it's SO unique and refreshing! the Toys being real, living beings, and not just a bunch of humans or human souls trapped inside a body that's not theirs was AMAZING!! Humans actually being the monsters in games is WAY too common, and honestly extremely boring. definitely a trope I am absolutely sick of. I know many others feel the same. genuine monsters are just SO much better! (more on this later)

Next thing I'd like to mention, which will be short: The look of the games.

I LOVE the look of both Chapter 1 (OG) & Chapter 2!! they look unique and have an amazing aesthetic. from these, you can easily tell what game you're looking at! cartoony, with a bit of realism. I've never liked realism myself, but the cartoony style with a hint of realism seen here really works!! its just a shame they ruined Chapter 1 a bit with the update they put out a few months back.

I also LOVE the Toy Factory setting!! normally factories in games are really ugly and unappealing, but Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 managed to make a factory that is adorable and colourful!! seeing the character art and colours everywhere makes it so appealing! with those and other things like the way the pipes on the walls look, and just how cartoony it all looks, including the machines seen in both chapters, the factory itself looks like a giant toy! it's wonderful and magical and I cannot praise it enough!

Now I'm going to focus on the things I liked about both Chapters individually.

Chapter 1: Short, to the point. a great intro for the game. Huggy may have had little screentime, but what he had was perfect. he was basically "tutorial monster", which really worked for him. his role has been fulfilled. overall, just a nice little experience. 10/10 experience for the original Steam version.

Chapter 2: A longer, more story-driven Chapter. All of the Toys in this one were great in the roles they were given, but of course Mommy Long Legs stood out. I absolutely LOVE Mommy!! her playful, childlike personality was always so fun, and she's utterly adorable!! I love that she talks! it made her so much more interesting, really adds to the cuteness of her character, and is the sole reason why she was also a bit creepy. The minigames of this Chapter were great fun! and the green hand is cool! I miss the red one though. :( red and blue go better than blue and green! anyway - Chapter 2 really is amazing, and basically took what we had in Chapter 1 & made it so, SO much better!! 10/10!! honestly, Mommy alone makes Chapter 2 deserve a 10/10 score! she's THAT amazing!! (I also LOVE that Mommy is the baby of the living toys!! it's so cute! I hope it stays that way as being the youngest really suits her!! she's very cutesy, has a somewhat child-like personality & way of speaking, and is the smallest of the bigger toys, so its perfect! I like to imagine she's like a little sister to other toys like Huggy & PJ! and I think there's enough reason to think she may have been close to those two in particular, especially Huggy, which I really like as those three are my favourites! Huggy, Mommy & PJ were the original Playtime Trio too. I miss that group so bad!! I'd love to see merch of just those 3 together! a blanket would be the best thing!!)

Next: Toy Designs The designs of the main cast of toys (Huggy, Mommy, PJ, Bunzo, Poppy, Kissy, Candy, CatBee, Bron & Boogie) are all great in that their designs actually look like toys that could exist in real life! Huggy, Mommy, PJ & Bunzo are easily the stand-outs. they're the ones I think look most plausible, and most interesting. Mommy's design is by far the best! super cute & pretty. she's absolutely a toy I would've LOVED to have when I was a kid. she and PJ feel very nostalgic to me as they actually do look like the sort of toys that were about from my childhood! I haven't got anything more to say about Huggy or Bunzo, but they're just great designs! I also don't have anything else to say about the other main toys - Candy, CatBee, Poppy, Kissy, Bron & Boogie. again, just great designs! Candy in particular I have a soft spot for. she's cute!

I will say though: Huggy's & Mommy's designs were totally butchered in Project: Playtime. Ugly and no longer look plausible as actual toys. (same for Bunzo's design at the end of the Easter comic, and now Kissy & Poppy.) not sure why they ruined them so bad in that game. they should've left them alone! I was REALLY hoping they didn't use them again, especially not in the main game. The person who made the redesigned models completely missed the point of the characters: they're meant to look plausible as actual toys, be cute, and in some cases a bit uncanny. also the inspiration for certain characters is lost in the redesigns. The GrabPack also looks bad. more on all this later. probably in a separate post.

I keep hoping they'll change them back to their original designs in the spinoff, (and now the main game) as it is one of the major reasons I've been completely put off of ever playing it. because they look so horrible!! actually, there's a LOT about Project: Playtime I don't like. Its actually the reason Poppy Playtime started to go downhill for me, due to it making so many changes, retcons and just not making sense. I'll get to that in a bit. first though: The Chapter 1 update.

My main issue with the update is it made the game too dark, which really ruins the experience. how can a game be enjoyed properly when you can't even see anything? it just completely changes & ruins the atmosphere, which is sad. I have other more minor complaints about the update, but I won't bother with those here.

I REALLY hope they don't update Chapter 2. or at the very least, visually. I understand if they want to add subtitles like Chapter 1, but Chapter 2, just like the original version of Chapter 1, is perfect as it is. I'd be so devastated and heartbroken to see Chapter 2 ruined. It's very important to me.

also, I really hope they bring back OG Chapter 1 someday.

I'm probably forgetting something, but for now I think I'm done with the stuff I loved & liked. now onto all the crap that I feel is ruining the game, starting with what started the decline: Project: Playtime.

Project: Playtime, as previously stated, is definitely what started the massive decline in the series. it made so many awful, unnecessary changes & retcons to the main game. I'm surprise I haven't seen as many people as I thought I would talking about all the issues it (and Chapter 3) introduced. here's a list of the changes & retcons made in this game:

1.The living Mommy being made before her toy. So she only had a matter of days to bond with the other living toys, the ones that she was so attached to? and the staff only tried to train her for a few days before deciding to move her elsewhere so they could condition her into tolerating & looking after or guiding kids with the hope it MAY calm her down? such a stupid retcon that makes no sense. I figured they'd at least try working on her behaviour for a couple of years, or heck, even just a few months, before trying this method! also I'm pretty sure its impossible to create toys, and send them to stores in less than a month. (If anyone is confused: Mommy's toy came out 2nd of February, 1991. this means that with Project's retcon, which states the living Mommy was also created in 1991, was made somewhere between 1st January 1991 to 1st of February 1991. it just doesn't work!!)

2.While on the subject, Mommy's personality. part of her profile in Project states "Mommy is best described as a spider-like psychotic murderer who kills for fun." I have multiple problems with this.

To start, I don't see how she's spider-like. Sure, there are some references, but her design is clearly human, and her personality is more cat-like with the way she watches & plays with the player.

Next, how is Mommy psychotic? sure, it was obvious in Chapter 2 that Mommy is mentally ill, the way she behaves and speaks feel like a young adult, who acts very child-like. but looking at what I can see from a quick search of psychosis, most of the symptoms don't seem to match. I thought her illness was either because her handler(or whatever they call the person/people who takes care of her) didn't treat her very well, (which, along with being taken away from the toys she loved, also caused her to hate humans) or just a random, made up illness that would never be explained.

Also, it called her a murderer. how is she a murderer? as far as we're aware, she's only killed Bunzo and some of the Mini Huggies, which could be justified. bear in mind the main game establishes two things: 1.The toys are starving due to a lack of food, and 2.There appears to be multiple different sides, or groups, amongst the toys. Mommy could've made a deal with Bunzo & the Mini Huggies where she'd spare them and find food elsewhere if they killed the player, or maybe they'd share the player's corpse, as I'm sure it would be plenty for all of them. as they failed, and she was starving, she could've chosen to eat them, so of course killed them. in regards to "sides", it seems to me that there are at least two or three different sides that the toys are on. Huggy & Mommy seem to be on the same side, as there's quite a lot out there that suggests the two are close, and also that they both seem to dislike Poppy. Poppy herself seems to be on her own side, though it wouldn't surprise me if she was secretly working with the Prototype. speaking of which, Prototype seems to also have his own little group. but again, wouldn't surprise me if Poppy's on his side. people wonder why Mommy didn't kill PJ. there are multiple possibilities, though the ones I think apply: He's too big for her to kill as he's much larger than her. he could also have been part of her group, and her friend. It also could just be that she didn't get time or was too focused on finding the player, but I doubt that. I think its possible that Mommy could've killed Bunzo & the Mini Huggies because they were of a different group, though I find that unlikely as they live where she lives, and she set the Mini Huggies free. It could've just been pure rage, but even if that was A reason, I think food is probably the main reason she killed them. I wouldn't call her a murderer for that. It was simply survival.

It also says she kills for fun….. No she doesn't. In Chapter 2 she clearly doesn't want to personally kill the player, as she has them play games with other toys in the hopes that one of them kills the player instead. it was only when she was out of options that she went after the player herself. It's true that she threatened to kill the player during her intro scene, but I'm sure that was purely to scare the player into playing her games. So yes, she DID want the player dead, and she may have wanted to watch it happen, but she still didn't want to actually do the killing herself! and to be honest, even if Mommy DID decide to kill the player herself instead of having other toys try first, I still wouldn't say she's a murderer, or that she kills for fun. We know the player was a member of staff as Mommy recognised them. Mommy hates the staff. if she was actually treated poorly, and I bet she was, especially with her "conditioning", killing the Player would both feel like vengeance for how she was treated, and give her food to eat. So yeah, Project's info is false. I really don't know why they wrote it that way.

I won't delve too much into it here, but I also don't like the nonsense abilities made up for the characters in the game. The Steam page also lists how the characters play incorrectly, but that's a topic for a different post.

Other things I don't like are: 1.The change in art-style. I can't pinpoint exactly why it looks so different, but it looks bland and ugly. though at least it still looks cartoony, so I'll give it credit for that.

2.The locations. they don't make sense and do not fit in the world. though I don't think they were meant to be canon, which is good, but I think creators should take care with spin-offs in making sure they fit in with their main series.

3.Boxy Boo. I think his design is bad. he doesn't look like a toy Playtime Co. would make, and doesn't look plausible. He just doesn't fit into the world. he also lacks the "cute" look of the other toys. his name is also awful, but just "Boxy" would've been fine. He honestly just feels like a rip-off of both Huggy (combo of eyes, sharp teeth, furry.) and Mommy. (stretchy, even if done differently.)

I also HATE his fleshy mouth. He's a toy! why is his mouth fleshy?? I could say more, but I'll leave it there. I may delve more into his design in another post.

This game is also the thing that introduced two things to the series: 1.The Bigger Bodies Initiative (BBI for short) & 2.The possibility that some of the living Toys are made using human parts. some people also think that its suggesting that the Toys are actually not just made from humans, but ARE the humans they're made from. PLEASE NO. (more on this in a bit.)

The first of the two, the BBI, is just so silly to me. I hate the name. it sounds stupid. and the whole need for a special title for certain bigger toys, when there was no need for the smaller toys or previous bigger toys doesn't make sense. also the game suggests that Boxy was the first living Toy created, but that doesn't make sense either. Prototype was suggested to be the first of something due to his name. I have an idea of what it is, but I'll be saving that for later. Next, its heavily implied that Poppy is the first ever living Toy. why another "first"? what else could he be the first of? the only thing I can think of is he's the first that used human parts. though the game seems to have retconned Huggy & Mommy into BBI experiments too, which I do NOT like.

This leads me into the next one: that some Toys are made using human parts.

I HATE this!! it's SO unoriginal and boring. it was far more interesting with them all being created using only poppy flowers! (and I'd assume lab created blood. though it could also be the poppy flowers mixed with some sort of water to make it look & function like blood)

The whole "The Toys are humans" thing is even worse!! it doesn't make sense and it completely ruins the characters and the plot!! it also completely removes any creepiness from the games! how is it even the slightest bit creepy if the Toys are just a bunch of people?? pretty much everything given in the first two chapters basically said that the Toys were exactly as they're presented: Living Toys. stuff outside the game also heavily suggested this. If the Ch1 & Ch2 Toys are people now, it's definitely a massive (and awful) retcon! one that, again, makes NO sense whatsoever! The Toys being simply just living toys trying to adapt to and navigate a world they weren't naturally made for is so much more interesting! I'll be talking more about this in a bit as I'll be talking about all the evidence for both sides.

Actually, I'm going to make a part 2 of this post to go over other things in more detail. I've spent hours writing this out and I'm so tired. so I'll leave it here for now, but I'll try to get part 2 up soon. I'd love to post it today, but I think its more likely to be within a couple of days or so. maybe longer. we'll see. anyway, if anyone had read all this, thank you! if anyone does read this and agrees with anything I've said here, please feel free to add your own thoughts on what you agree with as it's always nice hearing from others who share opinions. :) or alternatively, make your own post about your thoughts on the series! or both!

Just quickly going to add: I'm VERY disappointed in the Console version of Chapter 1. I was hoping for a normal port of the OG Steam version with the Steam picture for the console menu icon. this version doesn't look very good and the icon used for it is hideous!! bring back the iconic steam picture you cowards!!

I also have much to add about Chapter 3 aswell, such as:

1.The Smiling Critters have a bad design (why 8 identical designs with minor differences though??) and also don't fit in. (Especially the bigger ones)

2.How ugly the game and characters look.

3.The new hands are bad and again, don't fit in.

4.The fact that CatNap seems to be confirmed to be a human, which is a massive retcon for the series.

Also a couple of other things related to both Ch3 & Project:

1.How MOB have clearly lost sight of what Poppy Playtime was meant to be & what made it so special.

2.How MOB clearly doesn't care about pleasing actual fans and are only trying to pander to haters, and their clique of Discord users/Partners In Crime members/a particular set of theorists.

I've probably forgotten something, but I tried my best. I wish I could've posted this months ago (and also in complete form) but things kept getting in the way. Any questions? feel free to ask. bye for now.

[galaxyofhair]

There is no Zelda Timeline

So, first of all--I get it, sort of a spicy way to start off the post but give me some time to explain what I mean:

I recently started seeing some lore videos pop up for TOTK, and I am enjoying them so far as they concern the events specific to TOTK and BOTW--but inevitably there are more and more videos beginning to theorize how TOTK impacts and fits into the larger Zelda Timeline published in the Hyrule Historia

So I used to write articles about Legend of Zelda that explored all of the different important themes and the philosophy behind it’s design in preparation for what was essentially a super-powered fanfiction sequel idea that I had. I had planned to write out my idea and then present it to the world on this gaming journalism site I was writing for.

Without getting too far into the details of that great hubris which has cursed my life--one of the things that I learned from researching the development of LoZ is this: 

So like, you know how every game in the Zelda series, with a few exceptions, feels largely disconnected from every other game? I assume we all do because it’s like, one of the main struggles of the series for the fans is the collective cognitive dissonance we all share as we try to cobble these games together into a single continuity. We WANT--and I do mean WE, myself included--to believe that these stories can all exist together to create a larger, more interesting connective narrative.

The alternative sucks too, but it’s been a long time since I’ve heard somebody put actual words to this rather than dancing around it: The alternative is that every new game of a new style is disconnected, and we really just let Nintendo reboot this series like 10 different times like it’s fucking Final Fantasy.

Aonuma has said a bunch of similar, but somewhat contradictory things on the subject. In an interview in 2017 he said,

“We published a book with the timeline, but we definitely got comments from users saying, ‘Is this really accurate? I think this should be this way. It’s different.’ And history is always kind of imaginative. It’s left to the person who writes the book. So that’s how we approach it as well. It’s not necessarily that we come up with a game and think, ‘Oh, this is where it fits in the timeline.’ Honestly, lately, we’re kind of scared to say exactly where things are in the timeline for that reason. But we like to leave things to the imagination most of the time.”

http://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-on-its-approach-to-the-zelda-timeline-understands-fans-appreciation-for-it/

This interview would clearly indicate that they just don’t think about the timeline because these games are designed with the gameplay first, the immediate story second, and the larger timeline doesn’t even make onto the list of concerns until the game is already out.

However, to throw some cold water on that thought train, Aonuma later gave a slightly different answer: “When we start to work on a new Zelda, we of course think about all this timeline stuff. Nintendo has a lot of IPs today. And Shigeru Miyamoto asks that we do our best to keep the timeline coherent. So we do it. But honestly, when we start to think of a new Zelda, respecting the timeline is a constraint for us. We would like to be free to imagine whatever we want without having to worry about the timeline. Being able to create while still keeping Zelda's essence, and bring new things to the table. Except now when we think of a new idea, we have to wonder "OK, but where does it fit in the timeline ?" and it instantly becomes very complicated ! And sometimes, we can't do these new ideas because it wouldn't fit in the timeline ! So, for the creative teams, it's an hindrance. Yeah, we published a timeline in a book but among our staff, we would like to be able to stop thinking about it...”

Keep in mind, this quote was translated from French by this Reddit post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/truezelda/comments/6rtbh7/aonuma_on_how_they_view_the_timeline_when_making/

While Aonuma is definitely expressing some frustration and even a hint of disdain for the timeline, it does clearly indicate that they’re thinking about it. This was also in 2017.

On the one hand, it is clear that the Timeline was a subject of debate inside Nintendo for a time: They published the Hyrule Historia and gave the timeline an official stamp, they published Skyward Sword and attempted to give the series an origin story, they made BOTW and filled it with references and items from older games.

But is this really a studio thinking about their series as a large interconnected universe, or is it just fan service and another rebooted game? I’ll admit, this is the part of the post where the proof ends and my opinion begins: I don’t think they actually think about the timeline when they make these games. TOTK is filled with plenty of details that seem to prove they could barely stand having to design around BOTW’s story.

While Skyward Sword proved to be a... semi-effective prequel to the series, making it plausible that games like OoT, MM, WW, and TP might all be connected--but it too suffered from some odd inconsistencies. Are we ever going to acknowledge the mirror Hyrule? Lorule? The Twilight Realm? Are Zora and Rito still related?

But TOTK then turns around and retells most of that story--retelling Ganondorf’s origin story, the origin of the sky islands--it just doesn’t fit. TOTK literally cannot exist in the same timeline as SS because it would imply the Ganondorf existed as the demon king before Demise started the cycle of reincarnation (for Ganon and Ganondorf).

And I don’t have a source for this but Aonuma’s answer to where BOTW lies on the timeline has changed once or two from “YOU decide!” to “IDK, on all of them I guess?”

I do love these games, but I’m at the point where I feel like Nintendo has won, just wearing us down--there is no Zelda timeline, the timeline published in the Hyrule Historia was just a bit of fan service--and then the immediate next game that they did rebooted the series AGAIN. Right now the timeline, loosely, is BOTW ---> TOTK.

I don’t want to come out here trying to assassinate the Legend of Zelda series---but I do want folks to give it a hard look and ask yourselves: How long can Nintendo keep rebooting this series before it finally dies? How long before they accept that they need a continuity to keep fans interested? Do fans of the series even want continuity?

I eventually abandoned my fanfiction project after coming to the realization that Zelda is a mirrored puddle, the width of a lake. It can fool you into believing that great beasts must swim in the depths below--but dip your finger in and an inch down you touch concrete.

I think about the story I wanted to write once in a while---and lately I’ve been working on adapting it into an original project. I think I’m still a fan of the Zelda series, even if it does frustrate me. I think eventually, something will have to give---though for the moment I won’t bother speculating what.

[dankovskaya]

hey I saw you like my post about getting re2… I have it and re/re0, how would you prioritize the other games I should get? thanks 🙏

Ohhhh wonderful question and it depends heavily on which kind of gameplay experience you enjoy..... If you like the feel of re2make you'll probably like re3make too. A lot of people weren't happy with it and it isn't Really a replacement for the original re3 in the way that re2make is pretty damn close to re2 so I would recommend not paying full price for it if you are interested in playing it so wait for a sale or something lmao. Otherwise chronologically the next game you could reasonably play is re4 which is. A good game but a lot more action oriented and doesn't really try to scare you as much as previous games. It's also long as hell (or at least it feels that way in my memory Lmfao) BUT if you like the action side more than the horror side and especially if you like Leon re4 is probably your best bet. (Re6 is also the most true "action game" in the franchise and has the most comfortable and streamlined combat but it's also painfully fucking long and abuses quick time events and is way more fun co-op with a friend than single player Lol. It's the most hated mainline game for a reason but I personally like it a lot for nostalgia reasons.)

If you DO prioritize the horror aspect and enjoy the original REmake and re2make and want the game to scare you you can honestly skip straight to re7 and re8. The sort of in-between space is the revelations 1+2 side-series which are kind of a midpoint between both extremes of the franchise (though the first one is much more of an action game if I recall). And if you like Jill and/or Claire that's where they are. Oh there's also Code Veronica X which is the last of the original formula of re games similar to REmake/re0 but I don't actually know what all that's playable on cause I haven't tried to play it myself. That's also a Claire game. This is so rambly I have no idea if this answers your question well but this is my resident evil shpiel I guess 😭