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tedturneriscrazy · 1 year ago

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I have now completed Sea of Stars, including collecting all the Rainbow Conches and unlocking the true ending. Here are some assorted thoughts about it (spoiler warning for those who haven't finished it):

I like how the game encourages you to use everything at your disposal, which includes skills and healing items. The MP recovery with basic attacks combined with live mana is a good stopgap for when you're tapped out, and allows you to develop a sort of rhythm to combat. Recovery items are also relatively easy to get between the recipes and abundant ingredients, including the best ones in the game.

The Lock system offers a great deal of complexity and strategy to combat, and encourages you to use pretty much all skills and party members to the fullest

The combo system is great and offers a wide variety of techniques and abilities that helps keep the combat fresh and exciting. The fact that it clearly harkens back to Chrono Trigger doesn't hurt, either. (Just an FYI, I will likely be making a lot of comparisons to CT, because a) it's inevitable given it's a direct inspiration and even brought on Yasunori Mitsuda to compose a few tracks, and b) it's my favorite game, so yeah)

That said, I feel like each of the party members could have had two additional base skills to vary the combat a bit more outside of the combo system. Speaking of which, I kinda wish there were 3-way combos, as well. Just imagine what they could have pulled off with those...

On another critical note, there's a curious lack of status effects, which I felt might have added some nice flavor. I feel like this was mostly replaced by the Lock system, and odds are incorporating status effects might break the flow of the game. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing stuff like poison or sleep or whatever. This might just be a personal taste thing, as I'm sure plenty of people are glad that this was omitted.

The folks at Sabotage managed two incredible character feats imo: They managed to create a character who is widely beloved both in- and out-of-universe without going overboard (Garl), and they were able to have a character who is literally a cyborg ninja pirate without it being silly or cringeworthy, and in fact is one of the more serious and narratively dense characters in the game (Seraï)

In fact, I would say most of the characters are quite memorable and likeable, and it's easy to become attached and invested in their arcs. The main exceptions are, unfortunately, Valere and Zale, who I think suffer a bit from generic main character syndrome and being tied to a Chosen One narrative. Also, B'st comes in a tad late into the game for him to have much impact, and his whole trait of having a strong will kinda falls flat when not much time is given to his backstory or development. That said, these are relatively minor gripes on my part, and I definitely don't dislike any of them.

The soundtrack is fantastic, naturally. Standout tracks for me include Encounter Elite (boss battle) and Mountain Trail, though plenty of other tracks are also great.

I was able to recognize the Chrono Trigger-inspired narrative elements (time manipulation, post-apocalyptic future world, going back to a moment in time to swap out a major character to save them from death), and it made me happy to encounter these.

The art direction and character design are immaculate. To put it in as few words as possible, everything is appropriately appealing and appalling as is called for.

Overall, I enjoyed this game immensely, and it kept me occupied for a good long while. I would highly recommend picking it up for your platform of choice. If I were to give it a numerical score, I'd say 9/10.

#sea of stars #game review #oops this turned into a full-blown review lmao

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theadventuresofgarlandodra · 2 years ago

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The Adventures of Garl and Odra Manyboots- Hush Little Baby

Prev.

Lydia held her breath as Rillana walked into the room. The queen was as straight faced as she usually was, there was no telling what was going through her mind. That was an admirable quality in a leader, but right now it made Lydia want to strangle her.

“Well!?”

Rillana paused for a moment longer before a smile spread across her face and she nodded. “It took,” she said.

For a second, the world stopped. Lydia had memories flash before her eyes- meeting the Queen for the first time as she was summoned into the royal’s court. Their several years of courting. How the queen would disguise herself so they could enjoy each other’s company in public without a flock of bodyguards. The day Rillana presented Lydia with a poem that took nearly ten minutes to read before presenting Lydia with a tiara made of black pearls and diamonds- the official proclamation of a queen’s love. Their wedding, which was a celebration nearly a month long. How every day was filled with a lifetime of love.

And now, they’d have something just for them.

The world finally moved again and Lydia squealed before pulling Rillana in a tight embrace. Rillana laughed quietly as she wrapped her arms around Lydia, resting her face on Lydia’s shoulder. They said nothing, only sobbing and laughing as they enjoyed this joy.

Lydia rested her hand on her wife’s mostly flat belly. There was a slight difference, but not enough to be noticeable unless you were touching. “So, is it the gargoyle’s?” she asked.

Rillana nodded, wiping her eye. “Oh goddess, I’m such a mess right now. Yes, it is Garl’s. I’ve already sent for the most experienced healers to help me. It’ll likely have to be a cutting birth- I can’t imagine birthing a literal stone that’s bigger than my head.”

Lydia shuddered. “Oh no, definitely not. Come, lie down, you need to rest,” she said as she gently pushed her wife towards the bed.

“This is not the first time I’ve been pregnant, my most beloved,” Rillana protested, but she didn’t resist lying down. “But I am a bit tired, I’ll admit. Another sign I’m expecting again, although this is the first time I’m carrying a child for us.”

It was truly the perfect situation, Lydia thought as she lied down next to her wife. Garl was a lover and leave-her type, odds are he’d never return to this part of the Underdark now that his task was complete. Without any tie to one of Rillana’s husbands, the child would be raised by Lydia instead of one of them. Not that Lydia didn’t love Rillana’s other children, Rillana was a loving mother and her elder children strove to reach her level of greatness. But they each had a father, a father who adored them. Lydia was more of an aunt. But this child… this one would get to be raised by Lydia and Rillana.

Not to mention this got Rillana’s shoe in the door with the nearby gargoyle nest. As a whole, gargoyles kept to themselves, rarely interacting with the world. Garl was an aberration in that way, which Rillana immediately noticed and decided she was going to use. With a gargoyle a part of the royal family, the nearby nest would feel a need to open up conversation with Rillana. No possible way was the child not going to learn of their own culture, of their ancient traditions and The God of Stone.

Not saying that Rillana wouldn’t love them like the rest of her children, but in a royal family, it was chess. Every pawn you had on the board, which not only included both Rillana and Lydia but their family was well, had a purpose to serve. And in this case, a gargoyle child was a very unique and useful pawn.

The door creaked open and Rillana’s husband Molvayas peeked his head in the door. “Permission to enter? I heard rumors of good news,” he said.

Rillana sat up and gestured the shy drow lord in. “Enter, Molvayas. Yes, this news is wonderful- I have become pregnant after my visitation with the visiting gargoyle adventurer,” she said.

“Oh!” Molvayas blinked a few times before he smiled. “That’s wonderful! I hope that you’ll have a daughter that is as regal as you!”

Rillana chuckled and looked down at Lydia. “What do you think? Girl or boy?” she asked.

“I have a feeling it’ll be a boy. I can’t explain it, but I feel this will be a boy,” Lydia said as she sat up. “You don’t have to be so coy about it, Molvayas- your daughter is still the heiress to the North Queen’s throne.”

“I would never think so pettily about such wonderful news,” Molvayas mock gasped before he grinned. “Nevertheless, congratulations to you both. Lydia will take care of the child?”

Lydia nodded, her chest fluttering with pride. Rillana, however, cocked her head to the side. “Come on now, I know you’re not just congratulating me on being with child, I just had my last one barely forty years ago. What is it, Molvayas?” she asked.

“You’re too good at reading me,” Molvayas sighed before he pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s… Keverin.”

Oh goddess. Lydia groaned preemptively and Rillana didn’t even bother to call her out. “What did our son do now?” Rillana asked with her jaw clenched.

Molvayas didn’t say anything, only approaching the royal bed and handing Rillana a folded piece of paper before going to his knees. Rillana opened it and her eyes scanned the written words before she swore and lit the paper on fire with her fingertips.

“What’s wrong, Rillana?” Lydia asked. “Did he get into another fight?”

“Worse.” Rillana squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her fingers to her temples. “Apparently, the visit from Odra and her companions has inspired him. He’s going up above the ground… to become a bloody adventurer.”

Lydia’s jaw dropped. “No! He did not! He’s barely ninety-eight, he’s not old enough!” she said.

“I’m well aware of how old he is, but apparently he’s under the impression he’s able to do it.” Rillana took a deep breath before reopening her eyes. “I’m too tired for this. Molvayas, please tell me he’s not left the Underdark.”

“He has, unfortunately. I’m already preparing a retinue of guards to coax him back home… but my queen, I believe this could be for his benefit. If I may speak freely?” Molvayas glanced up for a moment before returning his gaze solidly to the floor.

Rillana twisted her mouth but she nodded curtly.

“Thank you, my queen. I know we both adore Keverin. But he’s strong willed, independent, and more stubborn than the longest day of the year. Being down here has been boring him for years. It’s why he gets in so much trouble,” Molvayas started counting off on his fingers. “The gambling ring, the card playing, the cheating at the cards, the fights he gets into, it’s all because he feels like he has nothing to do. Perhaps a taste of the world outside the safety of the palace will give him some sense, and once he comes home, he’ll have calmed down and will grow for the better.”

Rillana paused to consider this, tapping her fingers on her thigh as she mulled it over in her mind.

“… As long as his guards catch up to him and he doesn’t leave them behind, then I will allow this. Did he bring his goggles? I don’t want his eyes getting sunburnt.”

“He brought the goggles, yes.”

“And he packed well? Plenty of clothing? He grabbed his daggers?”

“Rillana, he’s ninety-eight, not thirty-eight.”

Rillana lightly smacked Molvayas on the head. “What did you call me?” she threatened.

“Sorry, my queen.” Judging by his grin, Molvayas was not sorry in the least.

Rillana shook her finger at him. “You know the rules. Queen first, Rillana only when I say you can call me Rillana. I’m sorry, he’s just… he’s so young still, and I recognize some of my twin sister’s spirit in him. He’s trouble.”

“He’ll come back a better man for it, I promise it,” Molvayas rubbed the top of his head where he’d been smacked. “And I’m sorry, I’ll be punished properly later… can I have K’yorl do it? You need to rest, being with child and all.”

“You think you can make demands now, after breaking the rules?” Rillana smirked. “But sure, K’yorl may punish you… after Nimbasir does.”

Molvayas’ grin dropped. “My queen, last time he handled the punishment, I couldn’t sit down for a week!” he complained.

“And you loved it. Now shoo. I want to rest.”

Molvayas skittered out of the room after bowing his face to the ground, and Lydia shook her head once the door slammed behind him.

“I can’t believe they willingly sign up for this game.”

Rillana laughed as she laid back down. “Lydia, the reason they married me was for the game. The minute they want it to stop, all they have to do is say so,” she said.

That was true. Lydia remembered the time Gardek had called off the game, the Duergar looked fearful for speaking out of turn. But Rillana immediately undid his bondage, told everyone to leave the room, and the next time Lydia saw him he was wrapped in a warm quilt and Rillana was stroking his beard and kissing the top of his head in a truly gentle way.

She might have only been in love with Lydia, but Rillana loved her husbands too.

End of Volume 2

Volume Three- Coming Soon <3

#writeblr #writers of tumblr #fantasy stories #short fantasy stories #fantasy comedy #dnd homebrew #goblins #short stories #spilled ink #the adventures of garl and odra manyboots

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makemeimmortalwithahug · 5 months ago

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Garles my beloved <3 he's so confused, he'll get there eventually

Not every Charles is the same... what's he saying in the other languages?

#Iarles is hysterical #save dead boy detectives #dead boy detectives #dbda #charles rowland #payneland #edwin payne #dubbing

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mildangzwon · 6 years ago

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MY THIRD BTS FESTA!!!!!!!!!!

HEYA'#LL oh god i actually can't believe that i'm celebrating my third bts festa this year. I am v v v v v happy that the relationship with my boys is getting stronger and i am much thanful to have them in my life.

To every Army out there that will see this post, wether it is your first, second, third or numerous counts of you celebrating the festa with bts, i hope you enjoy this year and the following years with our beloved boys. I hope you guys wont stop supporting and loving this journey we have with them.

Again, all the love and support for my co-army, especially my beloved ph army, and to the boys in my heart, bts, let's hold our hands together, tightly and let's fly high.

Just a cute lil message from me, ya garl, it's me jo!! Love y'all!!!!!

#army #bts #festa #btsfesta #pharmy #armys #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #together #fly #festa2019 #love

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msunitedstatesjames · 2 months ago

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Ranking the RPG style games I played in 2024:

Just a note, I'm ranking based mostly on my enjoyment, and this ranking is not meant to be an actual statement of their respective quality. I enjoyed every single one of these games regardless of their ranking, and I played through their complete stories and most or all side quests. Also, as you'll see, this was just a stellar year of RPG gaming for me, so really the worst I can say about any of these games is that they're just good.

9. Greedfall

I made the big mistake of playing this right after finishing Baldur's Gate 3. No RPG was going to compare well to that. Greedfall certainly had an interesting world and story, and I liked the diplomatic aspects of it. Greedfall does attempt to have an interesting companion system by letting you grow your relationship with companions and choose one to romance, though it's really quite a shallow relationship you have even compared to other games from around the same time or earlier. The thing that really bothered me most about the game is the repetition. Environments are almost identical everywhere you go, and the combat gets repetitive after a while too. However, if I remember, this game was made by a fairly small studio with limited resources, so it's actually an impressive achievement in that sense.

8. Mass Effect 1

Don't kill me, internet, but ME1 didn't impress me all that much. I think the best thing about it is the thing that really held the series together from game to game: the characters. The companions are mostly great, even in ME1. It introduces some of the most iconic characters of the series like Garrus (my beloved), Wrex, and Liara. The romances always felt a little lacking and awkward to me in this game, but maybe I was just bitter that you couldn't romance Garrus yet. The combat and leveling up system were still not perfected, and exploring the planets often felt kind of clunky and grindy. But overall, it introduced us to one of the most iconic video game protagonists of modern gaming, and it set the base for the rest of the series, so I can't complain too much.

7. Octopath Traveler II

So, I went into this one with no knowledge of the first one. Now, I fully intend to go back and play it. This game had a lot going for it. You get to know the characters so well through their stories, and somehow the huge variety of tones from story to story made it more engaging instead of jarring. Going from really dark and depressing tales to lighthearted and hopeful ones was actually a lot of fun. I loved the way you got to see where each character was on the map and pick which order to meet them in. The art and visuals were gorgeous, the bosses were awesome, the storytelling was effective, and the different abilities of the characters were fun to use. My only real complaint is that the combat did start to feel repetitive after so many hours of gameplay, often fighting similar enemies. Overall, it was one of my favorite games this year, even if it didn't make it to the top of my RPG list.

6. Sea of Stars

I would die for Garl, that's all that needs to be said, right? I technically played over half of this one in 2023. I put it on pause when BG3 came out and only came back to it months later. I'm glad I did. This was really just a beautiful game. The scenery was beautiful, the attacks and ultimates were beautiful, the character models were beautiful. The story was fun in a classic JRPG style. There were certainly dark moments, but it was overall a hopeful game, which I personally appreciate, and there were several times the humor really knocked it out of the park. The characters certainly could have had more depth, but in this style game I didn't genuinely feel like that was a problem. Like many games in this genre, the combat did become repetitive at times. But this game made me do one thing almost no game does. After finishing the main quest it motivated me to get back in there and finish up the few dangling loose ends that I left behind. And boy was it worth it.

5. Mass Effect 3

Even though I didn't play Mass Effect until this year, I've been a gamer all my life, and I remember the outrage around ME3 when it came out. And some of that I understand. The ending left something to be desired, there were plot holes, many things just felt too convienient, and, of course, Kai Leng. Still, in my opinion, this series has always been built on the back of it's characters, and few if any games have let you build such long lasting and meaningful relationships with the companions. I guess I might have been angry if I romanced someone other than Garrus, but getting to build on that relationship (and the friendships) from game to game was amazing. And I can't discount the fact that ME3 contains perhaps the greatest piece of DLC of all time, The Citadel DLC. So in the end, maybe it all balances out.

4. Dragon Age: The Veilguard

I don't care what anybody says, I loved this game. I genuinely liked all the companions, which (unpopular opinion) is more than I can say for some of the previous Dragon Age games. I found the combat really fun, but I always think playing as a mage is a good time. The Spellblade specialization was a great time, and I liked that mages in this game have the option to get up close and personal, which combats one of the biggest issues with mage gameplay in many RPG games. I didn't think the villains were anything to write home about, but the same could be said for Inquisition. I thought the game made interesting additions to the lore of the world as well. I've seen some complaints about voice acting which is just baffling to me because I thought the acting was stellar. And of course, my beloved Emmrich is going right up there with my favorite Dragon Age companions. He was such a well acted, animated, and written character, and he was a great, fresh take on necromancers. It was interesting playing this in the same year as the ME games because honestly it often played like it was an ME game, but I love them, so no complaints about that here.

3. Mass Effect 2

Most people in the RPG community seem to agree that this is an iconic game. I loved the character focused missions, though at first it took some adjusting. I had to realize that the characters WERE much of the plot. This was perhaps the first game I've played where you get to keep more than just 1 or 2 characters from game to game, and it was probably the only game I'd played where you got to carry over a romantic interest from game to game. Playing the ME games right in a row really allowed me to properly experience the improvements in everything from combat to traversal to character arcs. In any other year, this probably could have been my top game.

2. Disco Elysium

I slept on this game for far too long. I'd heard how weird it was, and while I like a little weird I thought it might be too much for me. But it was on sale and I was still in the post BG3 funk. When I started it, I still didn't think I would like it. But I quickly got invested in the mystery and in the fabulous characters of Harry and Kim, and it was over all too soon. I absolutely loved the attribute/skills system in this game. It genuinely felt like some of the best I've seen, and not only was it a cool and story relevant system, but it legitimately affected the way you played the game and reacted to different situations. The voice acting was equally amazing. The art style worked perfectly with the tone and the setting. It was uncanny and absurd, it was timely and serious, it was heartwarming, it was tense, it was devastating, it did everything so well. Even the music was perfect. My only complaint is that I stupidly played this on Switch, and crashing was a huge issue for me throughout the game. Don't repeat my mistake unless you have no other option.

1.Baldur's Gate 3

Little needs to be said about what makes BG3 great. Sometimes less is more. The character interactions and relationships are among the best I've ever experienced, the acting and animations were top notch, the sheer variety of role playing choices and endings were absolutely the best I've experienced, and this is the rare game that I plan on playing more than once.

Honorable Mentions (Games that are only sort of RPGs)

Stray Gods

If you look at the official title of this game, it has "Roleplaying" right in there. Still, I would say this is RPG-lite. You do make decisions that affect your ending, you do interact with characters, and there are even romance options. On the other hand, you don't really have choices in regards to customization or building your protagonist, there's no skill/level up system that I remember, and there really isn't any fredom of exploration or side quests, so in many ways it didn't feel like a full RPG. More than anything it feels like a visual novel (which is not a complaint). It was a great game. I loved the protagonist. The songs were fun, and getting to change the tone and content of the music was an awesome concept.

Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

I loved this game. I don't know why I hear so little about it. Much like the other Witcher games, it forces you to make really difficult choices over and over again, often with no real right answer. Meve was a fantastic protagonist, and most of her companions were memorable and interesting. Your choices do ultimately affect the ending and often have basic resource related consequences, but while the actual combat always felt life and death it pretty much never had real consequences. You're often told, "don't fight these guys, we don't have the troops," but you always win and rarely lose troops anyway. Still, it was a great game, and I played for over 60 hours. This one doesn't fully fit into the RPG category for me just because it's primarily a deck builder, but it does have a lot of other RPG traits. It has world exploration, fun companions, and you can level up your army through building your deck. If you haven't played it and you're a Witcher fan, take this as your cue to remedy that.

#baldurs gate 3 #Mass effect #disco elysium #Mass effect 2 #Mass effect 3 #dragon age the veilguard #Greedfall #Stray gods #thronebreaker #sea of stars #octopath traveler 2 #video games #Rpgs #Bioware

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eldritchwhoresideshow · 10 months ago

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"I told you once, you son of a creep, you're nothing but a fucking loser" -garl my one true beloved

If y'all could drop one F-bomb in Sea of Stars where would you put it?

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zkitty8 · 2 months ago

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ALSO Garl my beloved. he's like the missing link between Steven Universe and Senshi

started playing Sea of Stars and I'm liking it so far. kinda gives me Golden Sun vibes. and Chrono Trigger. and a little bit of Mario and Luigi with the timed hits (that moonmerang attack reminds me of using the koopa shell lmao)

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miikarin · 1 year ago

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Adventure/Platforming

Ranking on image (with links to game page): Sea of Stars, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Messenger, Cuphead, KarmaZoo, Pizza Possum