#I can't escape good indie games about time loops

[kala-mies]

You feel a tug on your stomach.

[colorisbyshe]

June Monthly Music: Half Way Through Edition

Music released before June 13th because WOW this month is stacked and this post is already this big this early!

Kaytranada came out with a new album--"Wasted Words (ft Thundercat)" has hilarious lyrics, "Weird (ft Durand Bernarr)" scratches an itch if you miss Azealia's vocalizations but can't listen to her for obv reasons, "Snap My Fingers (ft Pinkpantheress)" is bouncy and sweet, and "Still (ft Charlotte Day Wilson)" is a pleasant ache of a song. Not a groundbreaking album but reliable and solid.

"Drip Sweat" is my fave off that album, which is why it gets its own line. Very hypnotic, like being tugged into a dark corner at the club for some privacy.

After years away, Foster the People are back with a whole entire new sound. "Lost in Space" is... confusing at first but it kinda makes me think of Katamari Damacy... so I like it. I do not know if it's good, I am prejudiced. (Supermodel was one of my fave albums of all time.)

If you enjoy music from The Sims, yes, the game, give "Open World" by Toconoma a shot. A bit funkier, less perfect for constant looping but it's a purely instrumental song capable of invoking the same joy as booting up the game and hearing creation mode.

NGL, the singles were bangers, but I kinda feel... underwhelmed by the Charli XCX album (didn't think it was bad, just overhyped) but of the new tracks I really dug "Sympathy is a Knife," "Talk Talk," and "365." Bonus tracks are fun tho, "Springbreakers" is my fave.

Raveena's collab wiith JPEGMAFIA, "Junebug," is a sprawling river of champagne through a land of glistening sands and bubbling clouds.

"New Way Out" by Poppy is for those of you who want a song that feels like a re-imagining of Evanescence's "Going Under" by BMTH.

"Balloon in Love" by Sunmi is... cute. I love Sunmi but it's just fine. Worth a try.

"I Am the King" Fat Dog. This track FEELS like an interlude but in a way that makes you feel transient as well. Time is escaping, this song is escaping, you are escaping.

Peggy Gou released her first album and while none of it is as classic as her earlier track, "Starry Night," I do think if you like groovy dance music, "1+1=1," "All that (ft Villano Antillano), and "I Believe in Love Again" are worth checking out!

BREE RUNWAY IS BACK! "JUST LIKE THAT" IS WAY TOO SHORT BUT IF YOU LIKE MISSY ELLIOT, CHECK OUT THIS ELECTRIFYING TRACK.

"She a Wolf" Wayv. Fuck SM but this track does kinda go off. This is a song that would be fun as hell in an arena setting.

Glass Animal's "A Tear in Space" is a massive improvement over the lead single for their upcoming album. Still a step below their older stuff but if you were scared off from the last single, maybe give the a second chance.

"MPH" Doechii. High energy and it is, in fact, givin 'em cunt.

Music I vibed with this month regardless of release date:

"Good Club" Prince Club. Deep house track.

"The Feeding" Real Farmer. Punk, indie rock.

"The Bitch" Basic Element. I laugh-cry at the lyrics every time.

"Moonraker" Enth. Anime-ass song. Fun Jrock that you can imagine an anime character running through grass to.

"Opheliac" Emilie Autumn. Not for everyone but it was for me in middle school <3

"Jaded" Spiritbox. If you liked the Poppy track, come here.

"Make Love" Daft Punk. Transcendent.

NOW ITS YOUR TURN CAN SOMEONE RECOMMEND ME NON-ENGLISH MUSIC, PREFERABLY NOT KPOP (I LISTEN TO ENOUGH DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME)

Any genre works besides like... ballads... or screamo without a balancing melodic voice in the mix. Please. Anons, replies, whatever welcome

[stranger-rants]

(i don't know if this would be an interesting subtopic to you, so sorry in advance if this isn't a fic trope you vibe with and you'd rather just ignore this one, but i love your posts analyzing the different ways billy responds to his trauma and how he copes with it, so i thought i'd toss an idea at you and see if you had any thoughts. totally cool if not ofc)

i was wondering what would happen in a scenario where billy is stuck in a time loop during s3. let's say after his canon death, he wakes back up 2 or 3 weeks earlier and has to relive that span of time up until his original death and loop back again, presumably until he figures out a way to escape the mind flayer/defeat it without dying.

i don't mean this in the sense that billy has to continually pointlessly suffer and relive the worst week of his life for some lofty goal of being somehow 'worthy' of redemption, that's obviously some bullshit. time loop fuckery just happens to be one of my absolute favorite tropes and i can't get this idea out of my head. the potential for horror bc of the situation but also the double edged freedom of having a doomed social playground to play in as you try to figure out how to fix things captivates me.

in short, how do you suppose billy's already existing issues and traumas would combine in this specific scenario with the particular flavor of trauma that is 'time is looping and nothing is real and i have to relive this hell week and solve this supernatural bullshit outside of my control'?

because i have Thoughts. and a fanfic i wanna write about it. because i think a story putting billy in the very specific scenario of having to repeat the same week(s) over and over again would yield very interesting results. but of course, your mileage may vary, so i'd love to hear your thoughts, if you have any.

It's interesting to think about. It reminds me of Oxenfree, which is an indie game that has to do with time loops. It deals heavily with death and grief, and the inability to move past a specific event. I think it would be interesting if Billy were stuck in a time loop in the Upside Down, essentially, but everyone else wasn't. So, they're left with remnants of Billy trying to reach out through time. Maybe they try to communicate with him in different ways. It's like Billy is a ghost haunting them, but he's actually alive and maybe there's a way to bring him back.

There's also Deathloop which has to deal with time loops caused by a weird alien event. Another good reference is The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch, which is one of my favorite books. Weird time stuff also occurs in Dishonored II and games that involve Ragnarok like God of War Ragnarok and AC Valhalla. Each deals with time weirdness in unique interesting ways. They're also resolved in interesting ways. I know Marvel does it, too, but I think they suck and it makes me mad lmao

[novelmonger]

American Girls Premiere 2 - It makes me so happy to know that there's someone out there who's played this hidden gem from my childhood! :') I got it during the height of my interest in American Girl dolls, when I would spend countless hours just flipping through the catalogue and daydreaming about what it would be like to have some of those pretty dolls and their pretty toys. (I eventually got Samantha and then proceeded to hardly ever play with her because I knew she cost like $90 @_@) Anyway, this is a game where you can make little stage plays with the original six American Girls (and other characters from their books). There are backdrops, props, music, sound effects, and various actions you can direct the actors to do. You can record yourself doing the voices, or have the computer read what you type into a text box. It's a glorious specimen of the mid-90s - you have to switch discs to access all the content, the characters are all live actors and you can totally see a blue outline from them being recorded against a bluescreen, there are glitches galore, and the text-to-speech voices sound like they've gone through a blender. But there are endless possibilities of what you can do - and trust me, my siblings and I explored quite a few of them ;) One of these days I should see if I can emulate it somehow, just for nostalgia's sake.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Honestly, one of the most disappointing entries in the franchise for me, but that's mostly because I wanted another Ocarina of Time and it did not deliver. I liked certain things about the story, like the Twilight Realm and Link being turned into a wolf, but wanted more of that and less of those annoying kids and the assault upon the ears that is the wolf howling. It did manage to have some cool items and a really epic final battle, though! And Midna is the second-best companion in the series.

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask - I really liked this one! Totally didn't need to be on the 3DS, though XD I remember really liking the puzzles, I thought the story was particularly good, and I really liked the music. (I mean...I like the music in all of these games, but the carnival/circus-sounding vibes are really nice in this one.)

A Bird Story - Oh yay, someone has played this one! I thought for sure it wouldn't get any votes, since it's a oneshot in the middle of a somewhat obscure indie game series ^^' A cute little introduction (or supplement) to the characters and setting of Finding Paradise. Not necessary, but nice to have.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Long before Alan Wake 2 was a twinkle in the developers' eyes, this game brought the conclusion to the wonderful story of Alan Wake! I love the way this ended the story, and now I'm a little nervous as to whether Alan Wake 2 will mess up the satisfaction of this ending. In terms of gameplay, this game felt easier and not as good of a game as the original Alan Wake, especially because the nature of it is that you have to keep on going back to the beginning and replaying the same events over and over again. They manage to keep things interesting, as you discover more and more about this weird...pocket dimension? thing? But you can't escape the knowledge that you're stuck in a time loop, basically. I loved the Old Gods of Asgard song featured in it, though, and I applaud the decision to have important cutscenes be filmed live-action instead of the awful facial animation of the original game >_< Should have been that way from the beginning. Mr. Scratch is also one of the most delightfully horrible villains I've ever encountered. I think this game is a must-play for anyone who plays the first Alan Wake.

Celeste - I'm not surprised this won! Celeste is just such a solid platformer. The controls are so satisfying and responsive. It's blisteringly challenging but also surprisingly forgiving - you die a lot, but every time you die you immediately respawn at the beginning of that room/frame, so you never have to replay much to progress. The graphics are gorgeous, in a lovely pixelated style with bright colors and cute shapes and whimsical animation. The music is beautiful and so calming and/or uplifting, so even though your fingers are moving as fast as they possibly can, your heart rate stays even and I, at least, never felt panicky the way I might if the music was frenetic. Celeste is about a girl climbing a mountain, and in the process facing her mental hangups and the things that are holding her back. And everything in the game feels like it's purposely tailored to encourage you to keep going, keep trying, until you make it to the summit with her. There are so many games that feel like they hate the player, or at least are trying to keep you from progressing unless you beat it into submission. So it's really cool to play a game where you feel like the whole thing is designed to keep pushing you upward and help you overcome it.

Evoland - Aw, I was hoping this one might get more votes, but I suppose it is a pretty obscure game. It's a short and simple game that basically parodies some of the most popular franchises, like Super Mario and Final Fantasy. There are lots of references to things, some of which I'm sure I missed. My favorite thing about the game was how you sort of progress through the history of video games, in a way - you start out in a world that's black and white, with no music, and everything is 2D and very pixelated. As you continue, you gradually unlock various features like the soundtrack, colors, and eventually even 3D graphics. The story itself is pretty simple and standard for fantasy games, but it's all very cute, and I had a lot of fun with the jokes and references.

Fran Bow - Whoa, how did this obscure gem beat Twilight Princess?! :O I figured it wouldn't get very many votes, but I guess I underestimated the popularity of a stylish indie horror game like this. (It fits into an interesting subgenre of stories about a dark-haired girl with a black cat - like Coraline or May Bird.) You play as a girl who is in an insane asylum after she saw her parents being murdered. Fran is trying to get out and reunite with her black cat, Mr. Midnight. Since she suffers from mental illness and hallucinations, you can never be quite sure which of the fantastical places and people you encounter are real, and which might simply be a result of her mental illness. The hallucinations are pretty creepy, but the story the game tells is actually quite beautiful and intriguing. Aw, this is making me want to play it again!

Arbitrarily-Chosen Video Game Tournament, Round 1.13

Welcome to the Arbitrarily-Chosen Video Game Tournament, where we will find out which of the games I've played is the best game of all time!

Why? Don't ask. Just vote and reblog!

[starlalalala]

⭐ (author's commentary) for "death is not an escape" (i can't pick a part aaahhhh)

lol, I’ll just pick a part that seems to be popular! Thanks for the ask! (fic here)

Gavin had grabbed the medkit earlier. A woman with crooked glasses and kind eyes had taught him how to use it properly a hundred cycles ago and he’d always remembered how.

Claudette reference! Claudette was one of the original survivors in DbD, and associated with healing. Her perks make it easier to heal yourself and others. 

Ryan hissed as Gavin’s hand worked around his chest, the hole the hook left raw and red and bleeding. In the regular world it would be infected and Ryan would need pills and needles and antiseptics. Infection didn’t matter here -the wound would be gone in an hour, one way or another. It only mattered now because the Pig was sneaking around and Ryan needed to be able to move.

Due to the indie nature and (relatively) simplistic graphics, a lot of gore is more implied than shown. And of course, getting off the hook doesn’t change the character model. But I thought it would be interesting to include actual injuries and consequences.

“That’s as good as I can make it,” Gavin said. The sterile white bandage covering Ryan’s wound soon soaked through with small patches of blood. The corn field kept them hidden for now, but the Pig liked to hide in it, too.

The Pig’s ability, to crouch and sneak, is pretty good in the cornfields for survivors who don’t pay too much attention to where they’re going.

Somewhere a generator started. Gavin and Ryan sighed in relief, the noise telling them they were that much closer to escape and, more importantly, that the killer would be distracted for the next minute or so.

“I want to check the toolbox under the harvester,” Ryan said. “You get started on the generator.”

Gavin bit his lip and nodded. He didn’t like it, but with the Pig chasing after the other survivor it was Ryan’s best chance to find something without paying for it.

“Meet you there,” Gavin told him. More of an order, really.

Ryan smiled. “See you soon.”

The Pig wasn’t as distracted as they thought.

Gavin heard a sharp cry from the harvester and abandoned the generator without a second thought. He could practically hear Ryan calling him an idiot. Telling him to finish the job.

As if a generator was more important than Ryan.

I wanted to highlight the difference between Ryan and Gavin more here. Ryan is pragmatic and task-oriented: fix generators, find items to keep others safe, heal and rescue others so the killer has more work to do. This attitude includes himself. Gavin, on the other hand, is actually more people-oriented, checking on the other survivors and their safety often. 

There was nothing but a spray of blood covering an empty toolbox when he found the harvester. The field around him was silent. Against the Pig, that didn’t mean much.

Calling for Ryan would be pointless and dangerous. Instead, Gavin crouched and crept along the path he was certain Ryan would take. The Pig had only been around for the last few cycles. Right now, they knew the land better than she did. The nearest jungle gym would give him enough space to loop around, maybe try to hide in the corn field again–

The corn stalks parted in front of him. Gavin found himself face to face with the Pig.

For a second, they locked eyes, and Gavin would swear he saw real eyes behind the mask, human eyes, but–

Here we see some of Gavin’s reasoning and smarts. While it doesn’t work out this time, it’s due to bad luck rather than a dumb move (although Ryan would argue leaving the generator was dumb). Also a hint towards the real nature of the killers to Gavin and anyone who isn’t familiar with the games.

The Pig lunged and Gavin dived. He made it to his feet and the Pig pulled her knife from the dirt.

Gavin ran. The jungle gym was now his best bet, if he could get to a palette and loop around he could lose her, he could lose her, he just had to make it to the palette and he would live.

He felt wind against the back of his neck as the Pig swung and missed, grunting in frustration and sounding far too human.

The jungle gym rose up around him. Gavin ducked under bars covered in peeling green paint and headed for stacks of wood, one palette already overturned. That had to have been Ryan. If she was here Ryan had escaped.

Gavin leaped over the palette.

The Pig snarled in frustration but Gavin was already diving for the corn field. It was easy to become lost in the stalks. He crawled away, kept close to the ground, curled up beside an old barrel and paused. Either the Pig would find him or not, but he had to get his breath back. His lungs burned. He wouldn’t get away again.

Lithe is an in-game survivor perk that gives you a speed boost after jumping through a window or over a palette. However, it also leads to the exhaustion status effect. Also Gavin starting to feel a bit of indifference, just a bit.

When Gavin was still alive after two minutes, he snuck back towards the generator, keeping himself low.

Ryan was there.

“Oh, God,” Gavin whispered.

Ryan looked awful. His hair was matted across his forehead with blood. His side was bleeding sluggishly between his fingers. And he had that fucking thing on his head, the reverse bear trap or whatever the other survivors had dubbed it.

Saw’s most iconic trap, and the Pig’s other ability. The reverse bear trap is more to slow down the game than kill people, but it’s very satisfying if you can get it to work out.

“Ryan,” Gavin said and Ryan’s head whipped towards him. He tried to speak but of course all he could manage were grunts, and Gavin shushed him, afraid of any movement that might set off the trap. He knew they worked on timers. He couldn’t help with it.

“We need to get that thing off of you,” Gavin insisted but Ryan shook his head, pointing to the generator.

“Ryan, no. It’ll start the timer–” Ryan rolled his eyes. Gestured to the generator again, then to the thing on his face. Do it. We have time.

“Fine,” Gavin huffed, and pushed the medkit towards him. “Just use that, okay?”

The reverse bear trap activates when a generator is completed. Ryan is pragmatic, and Gavin is worried. Another sign of their different priorities. The first paragraph also gives some indication of Gavin’s importance to Ryan - Ryan is usually not worried about other survivors, but he’s terrified for Gavin.

They both got out that round. Another survivor escaped as well, and the fourth was alive when they ran into the mist where they would soon find another campfire, another hell.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Ryan demanded. He’d been upset all map, only holding it in because the Pig was too quiet and raised voices could end them both. Now they were safe. Now they could argue.

“You screamed, Ryan, what was I supposed to–”

“You were supposed to wait,” Ryan yelled, the mist muffling it, making the sound echo back to them so Gavin could hear the way his voice cracked again and again. “You were supposed to wait at the generator. When I got back and you weren’t there, I–”

“I couldn’t just leave you–”

Lips crashed against his and Gavin responded, too many close calls and too much tension clashing into teeth and lips.

The kiss! The only one they ever share, at least as survivors. And it’s not super great. I wanted to make it tense and sudden, driven less by affection and more by fear. It sort of highlights the question of whether or not they would truly have a relationship if it weren’t for the trials, and that Ryan is relying at Gavin at this point.

Ryan pulled away. Gavin blinked, mouth open, not sure what to say.

“I can take care of myself, Gavin,” he said. He wouldn’t quite meet Gavin’s eyes. “And I’ve got you to patch me up. I told you I’d be fine and I was. Trust me, please.”

Gavin shook his head but the pleading tone broke him.

“Fine,” he whispered. “But I’m not going to do nothing, Ryan, not when I can see you getting chased, or getting caught.”

Ryan sighed, his breath too hot in the cold of the mist. “I know, Gavin. I know.”

They both know each others’ priorities and Ryan can’t expect him to change. Again, Ryan is relying on Gavin for stability and as a constant. It may also give him something to protect, since Ryan has been there for a while and accepted the possibility of his own death in the trials. Gavin meanwhile won’t stop looking at Ryan as a person who shouldn’t have to go through this, and deserves to be helped.

They didn’t talk about the kiss.

Ryan and Gavin both know the situation they’re in. Later, Gavin wonders if they could’ve had a relationship outside of the trials, but starting one there -where they can’t be sure their feelings are driven by more than fear and a need for human contact- wouldn’t be possible. I think it fits with the tone of the fic -the uncertainty of their relationship, and the impact of their environment.

I hope this bit was okay, thanks for the ask!