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Disney's revival era: an Alternate Timeline

A bit of a weird idea; I wanted to write an alternate universe where the Disney revival era made different choices with their films, and whether or not it paid off for them. I'm starting with "The Princess and the Frog" since I consider it the start of the era more than "Bolt."

(Edit: I've since made posts about remaking the renaissance and post-renaissance eras, but since those came out before the revival era, they don't exist in the same AU. Maybe I'll tweak this post so they do.)

The Princess and the Frog--In this timeline, Disney catches onto the "If we put 'princess' in the title, it'll reduce our box office" thing faster and changes the title to "Frogs." This outrages the black community, who also criticizes Disney for making the two leads frogs for most of the film. This results in a story overhaul, with the story being renamed "Cursed," and Tiana no longer turns into a frog when kissing Naveen, but she does gain the ability to speak to animals. This version of the film doesn't reveal his identity until the end, with Naveen going by Lawrence and the human "Naveen" we see is actually Lawrence working with Dr. Facilier to scam Lottie as well as woo Tiana to give them back Naveen. Naveen himself cannot discuss the curse, and must promise to help Tiana when he becomes human again by kissing a princess. Naveen's treatment as a frog also draws parallels to the treatment of people of color at the time, since Naveen is depowered here.The film ends up making about $400 million and still getting Disney out of their creative slump, as well as Ne-Yo's "Never Knew I Needed" being an actual song in the film (because it's so good and so underrated). "Tiana" becomes a Disney+ series that helps to promote the platform when it first debuts. It also got a Broadway adaptation in 2013, with Anika Noni Rose reprising her role when it debuted.

Tangled--In this timeline, Glen Keane's seminar on the benefits of 2D and 3D tilts favor in 2D's way, and he persuades Disney executives David Stainton and Dick Cook to make it by making the art style fuller akin to the Rococo paintings the film was inspired by (check out Lisa Keane's concept art for it). Kristen Chenoweth is kept on as Rapunzel, making some discourse on the internet later on when it was revealed Idina Menzel also auditioned for the role. The movie also finalizes Bastion instead of making Flynn Rider, due to concern that he'd be too similar to Naveen, and Beneditch Cumberbatch is cast as him (apparently he was supposed to be British, so I kinda jumped on this opportunity). "You are my Forever" and it's reprise are never cut here, and the movie also utilizes the darker original concept (no idea what it was; I heard about it and it sounds intriguing), with fans and critics likening it to "Mulan," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and "Pocahontas" for it's tone. The film makes about the same amount of money the original did, and makes Disney reconsider retiring 2D. The success inspires a Broadway production MUCH earlier, which makes many report that it's at home with Disney's renaissance adaptations on Broadway (with Mandy Moore making her stage debut as Rapunzel), and a TV series (with tighter writing) on Disney+ in 2019, which also helps bring in subscribers with "Tiana."

Winnie the Pooh--I wouldn't change much, other than the fact that it got promoted more and made about $200 or $300 million at the box office, prompting Disney to make "Goodbye Christopher Robin" a bit earlier.

Wreck It Ralph--Similar to "Tangled," WIR goes through the "2D or 3D" discussion, with 2D winning out in order to give it a retro vibe and appeal to a wider audience, taking inspiration from 90s video games and TV series. Critical response likens it to Pixar, and praises Disney for a particularly successful original film, making Disney open to more original stories in the future.

Frozen--Disney can't hold back the 3D desire any longer, and believes that the winter atmosphere makes "Frozen" the ideal film to showcase it. The Norwegian influence is more obvious and accurate here (versus a more vague Scandinavian influence like in the OG timeline) and they keep Elsa and Anna as sisters while still making Elsa the villain, though redeeming her at the end by using the mirror from the original fairy tale to explain her villainy. Here, Anna accidentally ruins Elsa's coronation (as originally stated in the wiki during the film's development), and when Elsa flees, she returns, more powerful than ever, to ruin Anna's coronation, making an ice palace out of the Kingdom of Arendelle and trapping Anna, just as Elsa felt trapped. Elsa also has two looks: her blue skin and dark hair when she uses her powers, and white skin/hair when she doesn't, though by the end, it's shown that the hair/skin color can mix and match (black hair with white skin and blue skin with white hair being fan-favorites, I'm sure). Hans isn't a twist villain, and Kristoff's design draws comparisons to Bastion, and the producers lean into the theory that they're long-lost brothers. Hans has much less brothers, instead it just being five, and his journey in the story is essentially the opposite of Anna's, where he wants to be distant from his family. By the end, Elsa does let Anna keep the throne--and the citizens understandably agree. The film still becomes the phenomenon it did IRL, and it POSSIBLY leads to Disney discussing a sequel much sooner.

Big Hero 6--The film has some significant changes: Fred and Wasabi are of partial Japanese heritage, (with the film attracting attention for having a predominately Asian cast, and Honey Lemon might have some Chinese ancestry mixed with her Latin roots; plus "My Hero Academia" debuting the same year in Japan helps boost both in popularity), Gogo is a convicted felon on parole to mirror her comic counterpart, head of story Paul Briggs and co-writer Robert L. Baird reading the entire run of the series, and inspiration is taken from X-Men and Teen Titans for the show, with Wasabi, Fred, and Gogo being superpowered individuals (Fred's draconic powers, Wasasbi's qi manipulation, Gogo's superspeed) while Hiro and Honey Lemon are human nerds. Yokai is also more present, with the plot twist of his identity being revealed earlier. It's also noted that Yokai took inspiration from Amon from season 1 of "The Legend of Korra," which has earned both praise and criticism for what some consider copycating. Baymax is Hiro's creation like in the comics, and Tadashi dies a little later in the film for more dramatic effect (the longer you know someone, the more it hurts). It's production goes smoothly, and it's moved up to a Spring release to better coincide with "Frozen" and it's success with it's message of sisterly love. The directors also advocate for it to be 2D, but Disney making $1 billion with "Frozen" makes them hesitant to do so, so they reach a compromise, making the film a hybrid style (somehow developing the tech earlier). This art style, combined with the superhero craze and positive reviews, pushes the film to make $1 billion, or something close to it.

Zootopia--The decision to make the film about a dystopian future where predators are oppressed ends up being the final cut. The film ends up being a bigger sleeper hit than the OG version, since it received controversy in certain countries for the USA making what was perceived to be a propaganda film about human rights and a jab at those specific nations. Of course, the controversy only heightens interest in the film, though Disney tries to smooth this over by clarifying that it wasn't meant to be a propaganda film, though some criticize them for not speaking up for oppressed people in said countries. The 3D art style is kept the same.

Moana--This version makes a few changes: "Moana" takes place in a specific land, (though I personally haven't decided if it's set in Samoa or Tahiti), Moana is a grown adult by this point and has a couple brothers, but not as many as in the concept art, and Maui isn't portrayed as obese and is more athletic, with Dwayne Johnson and Jason Mamoa's figures being a primary inspiration. Moana also practices wayfinding and navigating the seas under Tala's supervision before she goes to find Maui. Moana isn't as headstrong about seafaring; she still wants to do it, but her mother tells her the story of her father much earlier in order to quell her, and her own accident makes her more hesitant. Maui also isn't a catalyst for all the bad events of the film; Te Fiti's heart is instead taken by selfish seafarers, with the overall message of the film mirroring a love for nature and others. There is also a bit of flirting between Moana and Maui, but the crew wants Moana to focus on her self-finding journey (plus Auli'i is still 14 while Dwayne is 44, so they wanted to avoid controversy), so nothing is concrete. Originally it had the "2D or 3D" crisis, but reached a reverse-"Tangled" situation, now being made as predominantly 3D with 2D watercolor elements. Dinah Jane (who auditioned for Moana IRL) sings the commercial version of "How Far I'll Go" instead of Alessia Cara. It meets the same financial success, with some saying that Moana took all the positive qualities of Ariel and Pocahontas without being held back by her predecessors' flaws. The film also gets a Broadway adaptation, being seen as a standout for it's diversity on the stage, as well as postponing news of a remake and resulting in the sequel being greenlit earlier rather than a show being considered in the interim.

Ralph Breaks the Internet--No major notes, but the references do heighten the Disney princess films and ignite conversations about whether or not critics have treated them unfairly. The film was also argued to be hybrid or 3D animation, but the concern of disconnect made them keep it 2D. It makes about the same in box office.

Frozen II--POSSIBLY released earlier if Disney didn't wait 3 years to greenlight a sequel (I'd put it at 2017 if they decided IMMEDIATELY to make a sequel), but Disney didn't make the mistake of using super young kids for test audiences, and production is MUCH smoother. As such, the more serious aspects of the film are kept, and Hans joins the gang here. The Northuldra are more characters than plot devices, and are diverse in terms of phenotype and genotypes; originally Disney had them mirror Indigenous Americans, but in my version, their Sami influence made some members of the tribe also have European features. Queen Iduna comes from these European members (I feel like that's easier to believe than her coming from the members who appear more Native American), and Elsa doesn't stop living in Arendelle, traveling instead. Agnar and Iduna get their flashbacks to show their relationship, as well as reducing Agnar's criticism as a terrible father. Plus there are FOUR songs marketed: "Lost in the Woods" is made more theatrical than rock-influenced (not that I hated it; it just wasn't right for this film), while edited versions of "Show Yourself" and "The Next Right Thing" (ie an Anna and Elsa duet of "Show Yourself" and lyrics that suggest Anna has been separated from the group in TNRT rather than suggesting the loss of certain characters) are exhibited to be the award contenders. Of course, "Into the Unknown" is still an exec favorite, with "Show Yourself" being a last-minute submission to awards. The film earns significant praise and is still a phenomenon, albeit less of an underrated one. The success of this film leads to the Broadway show being retooled in order to include some elements of the plot and the Northuldra, as well as making about $1.5 billion at the box office thanks to more positive reviews than the OG timeline "Frozen 2" and COVID not being a factor if it was released in 2017.

Raya and the Last Dragon--Right off the bat, the film again goes through the "2D or 3D" question, with 2D winning out, particularly thanks to Scott Watanabe's concept art (not shown here; this is Ryan Lang's). Rather than an amalgamation of Southeast Asia, Kumandra is a land made of five lands inspired by distinct cultures. Raya is the daughter of an emperor influenced by the Vietnamese empire, and the guardian of the dragon gem. Raya originally seeks to restore her land and the others as one nation of unity when the gem is broken and stolen, but recognizes the new nations as independent after realizing that her land (nicknamed "Heart" mockingly by the other regions) may have been too oblivious to the suffering of other people. This film is a musical, and while Kelly Marie Tran still plays Raya's speaking voice, the film takes inspiration from "Tarzan" and "The Lion King: The Gift" by having songs placed over the scenes rather than the characters singing themselves, representing their thoughts. Sisu also comes off a lot more serious and wise, being a mother-like figure to Raya rather than a sister. The voice cast better reflects the SEA culture, and a tighter world/message allows for better word of mouth--plus it's amazing music makes it an instant classic. The diversity and positive reception actually puts it's box office at similar figures to "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train."

Encanto--Mostly the same, except tighter in story. Antonio, Isabella and Luisa spend more time with Mirabel throughout the film to emphasize the family bonds (rather than just Mirabel with Alma and rushing through her relationships with everyone else), and we see more insight into Pepa and Julieta's dynamic. The film makes a bit more money given that it's a phenomenon, but COVID keeps it from doing anything too record-breaking, sadly. "Raya" and "Encanto" being released in the same year to massive success is marked as a legendary year for diversity in Hollywood. It still remains a 3D film.

Strange World--Overhaul, overhaul, overhaul. The story and visuals are more ambitious, and is more science-fantasy than sci-fi. Firstly, the film goes for the hybrid style of animation, since it fits sci-fi genre (or sci-fan in this take) so well, and Ethan is older and is almost the main character instead of his dad (I wanted to make him the main character, but a Disney protagonist in their 40s is pretty rare). The main cast are humanoid aliens that take influence from comic books and anime, mainly the Kree, Tamaraneans, and the Saiyans, with the main theme being rejuvenation and family, essentially a cross between "Moana" "Atlantis," and "Encanto," (with a touch of Fox's "Avatar") with Avalonia's culture being influenced from lesser-known European and Afro-Asiatic cultures. The Clade family works as mercenaries hired by a mysterious benefactor to destroy a rebel group that seeks to threaten Avalonia--but when the truth comes out, they may find themselves rogues in order to save their world. Disney actually promotes this movie like CRAZY due to COVID, and it makes around $300 million, with praise going for it's plot being unique among Disney films. Disney's sequel fever is a bit altered due to this (ie Zootopia 2 being released in spring of 2025 instead of fall, mirroring the first film's release date).

Wish--Disney utilizes MANY original concepts, such as human Star (who's the son of Magnifico and Amaya here), while Amaya is the evil queen from the get-go, and Magnifico struggles between good and evil due to his trauma. Asha's friend group is more prominent, and she's a much more shy and reserved protagonist. Asha's design is influenced by the Mowry sisters, who both have their own past with Disney. Disney uses the Anderson-Lopez team for the music since they already were working on a Spain-inspired film for Disney (not sure if Julia is entirely to blame for the music, though, and should their use in "Wish" affect their work with the "Frozen" franchise? Julia still sings the end credits song, though). The filmmakers EXTENSIVELY watch classic and modern Disney films, as well as "Enchanted" (because duh), and try to use abandoned concepts from other Disney films to use for "Wish." They opt to make the film 2D with 3D elements (ie magic and effects) to acknowledge Disney's history. The film achieves over $600 in box office, and Asha is inducted into the Disney princess line, as well as the movie earning praise for it's depth and tackling of complex themes such as wishes, dreams, and loss, including how what you want and what you need aren't synonymous. Currently undergoing a stage adaptation, something Disney wanted to keep under wraps but was eager to announce to carry over the 100 years celebration.

Moana 2--In this universe, Disney announces "Moana 2" in 2020 rather than announcing it as a show, and Lin-Manuel Miranda is invited back to the team (he does "Mufasa," too). One of Moana's brothers takes up responsibilities while she's away, while another joins her and Maui on their quest. However, Moana ventures beyond to find the island connecting the people who became disconnected hundreds of years ago, but the trio are not enough to defeat Nalo, nor are they able to appeal to him emotionally, since he is naturally a tempermental god who sees humans as dangerous, thus why he separated the lands following Te Fiti becoming Te Ka. The team washes up on a faraway island, which Moana attributes to the ocean (though it's later be revealed to be Matangi's influence), and Moana finds that she has come upon one of the other disconnected lands. She convinces one of them to join her in her quest to raise the island beneath Nalo's storm, and she travels to a couple other islands in a similar fashion (even meeting a love interest along the way), making it similar to "Raya and the Last Dragon," which had some influence since it was still in production when "Moana 2" started. The other islands are influenced by Micronesia and Melanesia in order to create a stark contrast to the Polynesian influences with Motunui, and Nalo sends Matangi to try and cause friction between the islands to keep them separate, though it's noted that as more of a trickster goddess, her allegiance is ambivalent, craving entertainment but still remaining logical. There was also a plan to kill off Moana's brother in order to traumatize her, but instead it was reworked so that he seemingly drowns during the final battle against Nalo, but it is revealed that Matangi likes Moana enough to save her brother. The film, having had PROPER production time and development, earns a much warmer critical and audience reception, with the film making $1 billion.

I know this is a bit of an odd post, and I'm sure others would have more creative ideas on an alternate timeline, but I wanted to utilize what we had. Perhaps I'll come back and edit this to include scrapped Disney movies.

[project-lumen]

Hi, Red Spring anon here again (I couldn't think of a better name lol) :-D I have come with some ramblings and a few questions bec I am too curious for my own good.

So, I have come to the conclusion that since Red Spring was not mentioned in your guys' response (:0 you guys responded! woah - me) I am going to assume that it might (!) happen. I hope. If not, then I guess I'll sit in my room staring into the distance while the kazoo cover of "My Heart Will Go On" (from the Titanic movie, which I still have not seen yet, lol) plays loudly (/j). If you're doing it tho (or plan on maybe doing it, this blog has been up for, like, a week so far, I don't expect y'all to have your entire plot ready yet lol) don't tell me! I want the surprise when I (1:) play the game, or when I (2:) get to help with the game (hopefully) and thereby spoil myself.

But! Martren confirmed!!!! He's so underappreciated it's so sad </3

Also, having Scar as your favorite is very real. He's just so icon

Just saw the art guide earlier today and I am stoked! Especially for the SL style, that's a really cool take on it! Also LL being retro/90s vibes we love to see it

I took a glimpse at the lore post earlier (Lore(tm) <3 my beloved) and *ooooh I am interested*. I also had the funny thought earlier that since there are a bunch of Watcher Apprentices watching the games through the other players, does that mean our wonderful WC just keeps ending up with the winners of each season? Because if so, that's really funny. WC either has extreme mc energy or is unreasonably lucky and either way it's hilarious.

Right, questions. That's what this blog is for but *man ranting about how happy your guys' response made me is also a very appealing idea*.

So, y'know that one Instagram thingy of Jimmy praying to the Watchers? Will that be in the game (or can we influence Jimmy in some way)? I just think it'd be a cool thing to have in the story, like a brief peek into the mind of 1 Jimmy Solidarity. Or just whatever he's praying about, I guess. Idk how praying to the op eldritch beings works. If not, weeeell it just happened off camera and that's why it's not in the game, clearly, because I am definitely, 100% a game dev, I'm the secret one and I steal your internet speeds (/j).

Also, on Porl because I had an idea. So, she goes all insane and stuff in cannon, but can we potentially have the divorce squad *not* be the divorce squad? Can we have Pearl and Scott and Tilly (and Pearl's other 50 million doggos) as a happy little family? Can we somehow ruin the divorce squad even more? They're just so fun and messed up, I love them.

Also, kind of a joke question but also kind of not (i'd be funny if this was treated with 100% gravity for no reason), can we definitively prove that Etho is washed up? Can we disprove this? Can we at least make him pay child support for his children (/j)???

Also (I will find a better word to use someday I swear), I am excited for the snails. I don't know how it's gonna work but I'm excited nonetheless. I also read this fic where everyone was *really* sleep deprived because of the murder snails and I think that'd be funny to show by all of the sprites looking like they haven't slept in 48 hours, thank you for coming to my TED talk, that's literally all I have to say rn.

And, last but not least, Joel should hit Scott with his car, that's actually part of the True Ending, where Joel just drives around committing traffic violations and hitting people with his car instead of winning and then the Watchers come down from Watcher Land or wherever they live (i forgot the name but Watcher Land sounds like an amusement park so it's staying) and so Joel hits them with his car too trust me this is how he wins Life(tm).

Thank you for listening to my ramblings, have a nice day/night/evening/morning, and drink water and eat some food plz take care of yourself (that goes to all of you).

This is really long, sorry! - Red Spring Anon (i will come up with a better name soon, promise!)

Hi hello there Red Spring Anon! Nice to see you again, Arto, Pinkie and Kori here :3

First off, thank you so much for your ramblings that is what our blog is for! I think we might have to either hire you or steal your ideas/hj and you don't get to know which one is the /j part

Alright so, let's go over your points, starting with Red Spring: We can confirm that it will happen and our local Treebark expert has been brainstorming about it! We don't want to spoil too much but it'll be awesome, trust

The Art Guide was so much fun to make, and we are very glad you all liked it! :D (personally my favorite is the Wild Life style solely because I had a very clear idea of how Tango would look like :,> -Kori)

Also yeah, no, the main character energy with the WC is truly strong, maybe it is fate?

Jimmy praying to eldritch deities™️ would be pretty neat! Maybe in battle he could get a move that the next turn gives him a boost! Ooooooh, and there could be a chance that boost either doesn't happen at all or ends up being a nerf? :0 That would be a good idea to spice up battles, but out of that there could be maybe a little hidden Jimmy altar in the overworld, a funny reference to that, special cutscene and all! Just don't steal our internet pretty please :D

About the Divorce Squad, we can surely include them like a dysfunctional family instead of whatever they had going on in Double Life, all depending on your choices as a WC, we just need to take the script and try to solve it in a way that makes sense, but we will figure it out. Also about Etho, picture me this: he is a pretty mighty opponent in Third Life, we nerf him in Last Life, then nerf him more in Double Life to the point of just being support for Joel, and then in LimLife you can just one-shot him with any move and has a special move called "absent father" that makes him run away from any battle, but if you are able to defeat him, he gives you an item called "child support money" that you then give to Cleo, how's that? >:3 /j, probably

THE SNAILSSSSSS

(Might sound like a joke but my current placeholder sprites for test purposes in Unity are snails I sketched, 100% true)

We haven't gotten that far in script things, unfortunately, but bet that in the future we will have good snail mechanics :,]

And True Ending, yeah no I think you might have read our minds, Joel hits Scott with a 1970 Dodge Charger and then crashes into the void, breaking the simulation Truman Show style and messing up the continuum. Trust, that is what happens.

Thank you for sharing your ramblings Anon! Really nice to read them, you too take care and have a good day!

-Team Rocket

[satoshi-mochida]

Mecha side-scrolling shoot ’em up VISEGUNNE announced for PC - Gematsu

Stardust Vanguards developer Zanrai Interactive has announced VISEGUNNE, a side-scrolling shoot ’em up game where players pilot a soul-powered combat mecha to fight against a conspiracy that threatens the peace of space. It will be available for PC via Steam. A release date was not announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via Zanrai Interactive:

About

VISEGUNNE is a non-bullet-hell shoot ’em up where explosive action unfolds around you: cities are leveled, space colonies collapse, and orbital structures crumble catastrophically. Between missions, interact with your squad to uncover secrets about a post-apocalyptic Earth, visit shops to upgrade your arsenal, or customize your machine’s look in the garage. Each mission offers intuitive controls and scalable difficulty settings, welcoming both newcomers and seasoned veterans alike. Set in an era where the human soul is harnessed as a power source, join the DIVINITY SPACE DEFENSE CORPORATION’s elite mercenaries to confront pro-Earth terrorists threatening the fragile peace of space. With a charismatic cast of characters, a killer soundtrack, and screen-melting effects, VISEGUNNE is a thrilling modern homage to retro action games.

Story

When scientists discover evidence of the human soul, long dormant divides among the nations of Earth erupt into global war. Colonists residing off-world avoid the bloodshed, but live in fear that the planet’s conflicts might soon spill into space. With no formal military of their own, each colony resorts to employing mercenaries and privateers for their protection. The most influential of these firms is the DIVINITY SPACE DEFENSE CORPORATION, utilizing top-secret war machines capable of harnessing a user’s spirit as an endless source of energy. These SOUL-CAPABLE combat vehicles are unmatched in battle and after a century of this order, DIVINITY has grown to dominate colonial affairs, effectively quarantining Earth’s wars and its toxic politics to the planet’s surface. Earth sympathizers are routinely hunted down. But now, a new wave of pro-Earth fanatics threaten the peace of space, demanding an end to DIVINITY’s policy of segregation. Spurred on by the illegal broadcasts of an enigmatic android holy-man known as Kourosh, these dissidents have seized control of a colony and are demanding an end to DIVINITY’s blockade of the planet. As SOUL-CAPABLE pilot End Visegunne, your squad’s mission is to eliminate these terrorists, dismantle their network of co-conspirators, and return peace to the colonies.

Key Features

Traditional Non-Bullet-Hell Action – Gameplay inspired by classic horizontal shoot ’em ups.

Gorgeous Retro Visual Style – Lovingly crafted pixel art and massive set-piece explosions, with a visual style influenced by late ’80s giant robot anime.

Narrative-Driven Adventure – A unique cast of characters and story-oriented mission design tell a tale about war, power, and disinformation.

Diverse Arsenal – Over 20 different weapons to discover and upgrade, each offering game-changing strategies and attack styles. Equip Gatling cannons, grenade launchers, flamethrowers, carpet bombing units, rail-guns, shotguns, missile launchers, melee weapons, and more.

Flexible Scoring System – The DUAL MULTIPLIER chaining system incentivizes balanced weapon use and improvisation. Make a few kills then match your multipliers for a bonus.

Varied Environments – Missions range from collapsing urban orbital colonies to lush sunset forests and hostile desert wastelands.

Meticulous Detail – The game’s world has been painstakingly designed to feel alive—thrusters flare, powerless foot soldiers scurry around, aircraft dramatically swoop in from the environment, and gravity and oxygen levels can noticeably affect certain weapons.

Pumping Soundtrack – Over two hours of original music with an unapologetic old-school flair inspired by CD-ROM era action game soundtracks of the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

[demifiendrsa]

LUNAR Remastered Collection - Announcement Trailer

Japanese version

LUNAR Remastered Collection will launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam in Spring 2025. It includes remastered versions of LUNAR: Silver Star Story and LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue.

First details

The Series That Started It All When the games first released in the ’90s, LUNAR was a pioneer of its time, often credited as being one of the first JRPGs to become popular in the West. With the upcoming release of LUNAR Remastered Collection, we invite you to experience (or re-experience) this iconic title that shaped the JRPG genre. A Timeless Classic, Reimagined The remastered edition brings a host of exciting upgrades, including widescreen support, enhanced pixel art, high-definition animated cutscenes, and all-new English voice acting. Players can choose to either go old school with the original visuals or go remastered for a more modern look. Plus, a new toggle feature allows players to speed up battles, giving them more control over the pace of their adventure, while improved strategy settings make combat even more convenient. And for the first time in the series, LUNAR will be available in two additional languages: German and French, alongside English and Japanese. This image shows a party battling a Yeti. To the top right of screen, the UI denotes the battle’s speed, as the player can use L2 or R2 to speed up or slow down the clash. The Adventure Begins – LUNAR: Silver Star Story LUNAR: Silver Star Story begins in the quiet village of Burg, where a boy named Alex dreams of grand adventures inspired by the tale of Dragonmaster Dyne. Enticed by adventure and treasure, Alex and his friends set off on a quest, but with the sudden emergence of the Magic Emperor who wishes to control the world, it’s up to them to fight the rising evil and save the world from peril. This shows characters conversing with a white dragon. On-screen dialogue from the dragon states: “You may begin, children, Your future now rests squarely in your own diminutive hands.” The Legacy Continues – LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue Set 1000 years after LUNAR: Silver Star Story, LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue follows a young adventurer named Hiro, who encounters a mysterious visitor from the Blue Star while exploring an ancient tower. Named Lucia, she insists that she be taken to the ruler of their world, Goddess Althena. Together, Hiro and Lucia encounter the best of allies, the worst of enemies, and the darkest forces of destruction that threaten the whole of creation. This image shows a character hanging upside down from a rope. Flames rage on the floor below them. On-screen dialogue from the character states: “Oh no! The exit’s closing. Hurry!” the Plot Thickens The LUNAR series tells a classic tale of a young adventurer with a fluffy sidekick, who falls in love with a girl who may or may not be immortal. What begins as a light-hearted quest quickly takes a dark turn with the rise of an evil villain, subsequently placing the fate of the entire world in the hero’s hands. This timeless story, filled with dragons, swords, and treasures, is brought to life by an unforgettable cast of characters—from a young priestess who acts the perfect heiress at home but has a fiery temper, to a tragic villain who nevertheless has a flair for the dramatic. The games’ straightforward and effortless storytelling, combined with thoughtful character development, gives LUNAR its unique charm and enduring appeal. This shows characters wandering through a woodland village. Iconic Art The allure of LUNAR also lies in its amazing artwork in both the anime cutscenes and 2D pixel art. The blend of these two distinct art styles in the battles, events, and anime cutscenes made it a standout title when it first released. Even today, LUNAR‘s ’90s anime aesthetic holds up well in quality, and we’ve polished it even further for this remaster. This retro art style is a rarity nowadays, and playing this game will surely satiate your appetite for ‘90s throwbacks.

[doubleddenden]

Time for more reviews nobody asked for, this time the gen 1 protagonists and rivals.

A little caveat: I'm only reviewing them as they appear in the games they are playable in, otherwise I'd have to make a few posts just to get through Red and Blue. We're also counting Let's Go for this.

We'll start with the GRBY era for this

Let's start from the beginning. Red himself. According to the game, he's 11, but most would assign whatever age they want to him since he's just pixels on a Gameboy at this point. That would also include gender, since there's no girl character to select in gen 1- unless you're the type that really gets bothered by that kind of thing, it probably didn't affect you and you just imagined yourself as a tomboy or something.

Ken Sugimori's early styling is iconi- a beautiful water color palette masterfully done, with an art style he himself claimed to be Akira Toriyama inspired. We don't have the corporate styling just yet, so it's a really charming, retro look with blocky styling and pretty simplistic clothing. The hat, t-shirt, and jeans are a pretty simplistic attire for any kid about to good off- the vest really adds about 80% to Red's individuality with fans probably recognizing it as being similar to gen 1 Ash- fitting since Ash is based on Red. The shoes are also kinda retro and cool, but that's not quite as important imo. Small thing, I do prefer when Red is depicted with black hair rather than his brown haired counterparts. I can't really fault the design much because it is pretty early on,except maybe I'd have made the shoes black instead of white and added gloves. Still, it's an outfit I'd probably wear as a kid. 9/10

Now I'm not going to give a full review on this, but I figure it's fair to bring up Green's prototype artwork before she would eventually become the playable girl character in frlg. Gen 1 games were held together by bubblegum and a dream, so adding a girl character was probably too hard for them in the 90s- it's a shame, Green isn't dressed for adventure, but she is cute, the white gloves and white belt are a nice touch on the black dress. I think Manga Green really pulls it together with white boots instead of black flats. Still, really cute for the time, although I feel that people probably would have been over critical of her design in this day and age had she been canon. 8/10

Ah Blue, the original asshole we all know and love. Always 5 steps ahead of you, somehow catching a lot of pokemon before able to, and 1 really inconvenient battle in Sylph Co marked him as an opportunistic rival hunting you outside of caves for some reason. A smug narcissistic bastard, perfectly fitting for an 11 year old grandson of THE pokemon authority. Weirdly obsessed with smelling you later.

Design wise, you gotta love the spiky hair. It's such a cool look that screams 90s, and really adds to his "cooler than you" attitude he has, which his cocktail expression further adds to. The clothes are pretty simple, a purple long sleeve, darker pants, and really cool brown boots- and also a necklace. It's not much, but the design is pretty reminiscent of cool kids you'd see on tv shows and such. As opposed to Red's bright and varied colors, Blue has darker colors, which is another nice contrast.

As a rival, he does a pretty good job setting the foundation for what fans should come to expect. Stronger pokemon to yours- as a proper petty rival should- with the exception of his Eevee in Yellow that evolves depending on your first two battles with him, if I remember correctly, with Vaporeon being the cocky evolution he chooses if he's beaten you- aka, he doesn't see you as a threat. Weird how he ditches it in gen 2 forward, but I guess he did ditch his Raticate. Anyway, his teams are touted to be geared to handle any type- at the time, this is certainly true, although certain teams will have certain glaring weaknesses, such as a triple electric weakness if you picked Bulbasaur. His Alakazam for sure was the stuff of nightmares, especially in gen 1 when Psychics were op as hell and had no weakness you could reasonably exploit. It's no wonder he became a champion and then gym leader- fun fact, in Japan he's called Green (for some reason, blue and green get swapped in translation between Japanese and English often), and the Earth Badge is called the Green badge in Japan- isn't that hilarious? He's so full of himself even after losing the champion title that he could've gotten a new badge or renamed it, but he kept it named after himself. Anyway, a solid rival. 9/10

Onto frlg

Frlg Red became the new standard Red going forward after being introduced in the gen 3 edition of the gen 1 games. Sugimori's artstyle has evolved by leaps and bounds at this point, and we now sort of have a more modern artstyle that a lot of people consider the True tm pokemon artstyle. It is a small shame we lost the pretty water colors, but at the same time, I feel like this does look a bit more agreeable.

I think the design is solid, and unlike og Red, frlg Red is a bit more age ambiguous, which makes him an even better blank slate for any player of any age. The outfit is a bit more modernized, now untucking his pants from his shoes, and zipping up his simpler vest over a black tshirt. The hat, too, is also a bit more characterized, being more unique to him. Rather than gloves, he opts for black wristbands, which is nice for helping fill empty space and give some oomph to his look. The yellow backpack kinda clashes imo, but also kind of works- I'd want it, anyway, and even comes with the Vs Seeker pinned to it. Lastly, we have a change to his hair color- brown. I have brown hair, but honestly I'd have preferred they keep it black. All in all, this is a nice outfit and I'd probably wear a variation of it if I could. The main thing I'd change is unzipping the vest and making his hair black again. I do also need to express my appreciation for having full length pants- this is a rarity for guy protagonists as we get to the more modern era gen 7 onwards. The outfit just looks comfortable overall, nice and roomy, breathable, and something that'd fit right in in the world of Pokemon. A 9/10.

We finally have an official gen 1 girl character- 8 years later after gen 1, and also being mostly forgotten outside of Masters. "Leaf," as most people call her, would be the third girl mc added as of gen 3, and she's a nice addition imo. Like FRLG Red, her age is also left up to the player, and her design also somewhat reflects another blank slate to attach to.

The outfit is a pretty and simple one- although I will say, I probably wouldn't adventure through oceans and mountains in a mini skirt if I were a girl. Regardless of that, the red skirt and blue and black top are a cute combo and a flip of Red's colors, which is pretty creative imo. The loose socks are also a neat addition, and the white and red shoes match with her white and red pork pie hat. The black wrist bands- like Red's- help add just a little more to the design. The messenger bag is fine, again not really my favorite color, and personally speaking after using a few myself, probably not the most comfortable to lug around. The pink VS Seeker is an okay touch, but the pink does sort of clash and probably would have been better if it was either premiere ball colors, or red like her skirt. Lastly, her hair is a long and kinda frizzy brown- it's cute, I'll say that, although I think I'd have either covered it with a cap, make the hair shorter, or shortened some of the hair frizz. I wouldn't say the outfit is practical for adventuring- just a smidgen better than her gen 1 prototype- but who cares in a work of fiction as long as you look cute? I know plenty of girls that like the design- grown and young- and it is a satisfactory extension of the player. Although, some might still prefer Red for pants. Still, 9/10 on a personal note.

And now gaming's most famous douchebag returns in an updated look. Peak 2000s asshole fashion with the half popped collared shirt, choker, and smug expression. The colors for his pants and shirt flip and go darker for the top and lighter for the pants- which I like, this is an outfit I've probably worn similar to when I was a kid. The purple wristbands match with the pants and also fill empty space, the shoes are a simple black that also just work very well with the rest of the design, and- although probably not something I'd get caught dead wead wearing in public- I do like the silver and black hip bag. The outfit is trendy for the time, I appreciate the guy having pants with pockets that are also breathable and not skin tight, and it's just right amount of smug asshole. The one thing I dislike is how the art portrays Jim with orange hair rather than brown- in game, it's not so much an issue, but it does repeat over time. It'd be one thing if it was a similar hue to the brown in the og work, but this is NEON orange, not even ginger orange. Well, it at least made it accurate when I named him for my best friend and life long pokemon rival at the time.

Blue FRLG doesn't really change much personality wise other than a few lines of dialog, but his tactics do get smarter when using his revamped team and even smarter with his Johto'd up rematch team. How did he get back to the champion room? Well, when you're as strong as him, who can stop you other than the only guy to beat you before? 8/10, fix the hair and you're gold- wait, sorry, different guy.

Now, onto Let's Go, or essentially the "diet" versions of above

Let's start with the art style. The art style is completely different from any main series game while also having some gen 1 faux water colors. It's a charming art style that I think is fine for a game aimed towards younger kids instead of the traditional audience, but I'd just prefer gens 3-8 style. Art style aside, the mcs and rival for Let's Go are essentially just "diet" versions of the other MCs and rival, and tbh are inferior for the most part.

"Chase" is the replacement for Red, as Red is a standalone trainer now. He's a fine enough design with lots of great colors going for him, and his outfit definitely feels like a spring fit you'd wear. The color choices are mostly moot because you can change them, but the outfit is non changing. It's fine, gen 7 just kinda decided boys don't get full length pants anymore and we're still dealing with that 9 years later. I like the jacket, bag, and hat, and I do appreciate then giving him black hair again. But god, they made him so baby. That looks less "11" and more "7" imo, and makes me think of my nephew. It doesn't do the job previous gen mcs did by giving a blank slate to do or project how you want, instead pretty much forcing the role of baby on you. It's a 7 for me, not the worst, not the best, and again I do like the colors.

Elaine gives me vibes of my 8 year old niece by looks alone, which is spunky, energetic, and ready for whatever. Elaine sort of abandons most of what Green/Leaf had going in previous gens in favor of a more summery attire, while keeping and sort of remixing colors between Leaf and Let's Go Green. It's a cute look I could see kids wear, and I definitely dig the ponytail in the baseball cap more than Leaf's pork pie hat and messy hair. Again, a similar issue of not being able to project yourself onto the character, and appearing much younger than intended, but I think it's a nice design. Probably still prefer Leaf or Green though. 7/10

Ah Trace. The inferior Blue. I think this is the most "who?" rival of all time. I think he's a nice enough kid, but I really do not understand why we needed to replace Blue. Blue is the type of rival- RIVAL being the keyword here- that challenges you to actually do better. He irritates you just enough to give the satisfaction of beating him into the ground and taking his lunch money after he shit talks you. Trace? He's a ~~fRiEnD~~ a friendly friend that just congratulates you over the littlest thing and is more than happy to let you steam roll him. I think the best parts about him is that he took in the Cubone that Marowak left behind, abd that he has a mega Pidgeot on his champion team- otherwise he just feels like a overly sanitized Blue in an effort to appeal to WAY too sensitive audiences.

Design wise, he certainly is an all around downgrade. He does actually look 11, but those clothes are just way too sporty for a kid his age. Also, track pants in socks? Really? Come on man. The hair also just doesn't form as interesting of a silhouette as other rivals. He's just boring imo. 5/10.

Now if I were to have room to dissect later versions of the gen 1 gang- ranging from Gen 4, 7, the Let's Go variants, Masters, and any others I might be forgetting, I'd have to say that Gen 7 Red, Gen 4 Blue, and Let's Go Green are my favorite iterations of the characters. But as those aren't rivals or mcs, I will not count them towards the reviews.

Okay so the final roundup: these guys aren't quite as story heavy as some modern day counterparts, but they still for the most part lay the foundation for future gens- or as far as Trace goes, rides the coattails of his betters. Red and Blue becoming recurring trainers is still neat, and as much as I tire of the Kanto dick riding, I do love getting more chances to go toe to toe with them. Red practically trained me as a kid when I kept fighting him over and over to try and beat him. Blue has mellowed out a bit in his later years, I still love the opportunity to knock him down a few pegs. Maybe we'll see them again in their 30s in the 30th anniversary. I'd love to meet Green as her own entity again though. I didn't like lgpe, but I liked whatever tf was wrong with her there.

But as far as the designs, mcs are a decent 8/10. The two rivals... 7/10. Blue is cool, Trace is not.

Gen 2 next

[supertrainstationh]

TWITCH VOD: I play Nintendo's Only Space shooter! :D

A number of years ago, I encountered a loose cartridge in a display case at a pawn shop for a Game Boy game called "SolarStriker", that I never heard of.

Even with nothing but the cartridge art to go off of, everything about the game struck me as being, as I thought in that moment, "charmingly generic".

And without bothering to look up anything else about the game, or even testing it to see if it worked, it sat in my shoebox full of loose GameBoy cartridges for five years, always on the fringes of my attention as that "charmingly generic" looking cartridge I got at the pawn shop that I was bound to love whenever I got to playing it. Someday.

Then, by accident, I ended up stumbling across the fact that SolarStriker was a R&D1 codeveloped title with Gunpei Yokoi involved, and the only shooter of this type to be developed and published within Nintendo, unless other examples can be suggested.

I finally demonstrated it on my show recently and pulled up some period era literature about the game.

For someone like me who genuinely likes 'sensory deprivation' games like, "Space Slalom" on Sega SG 1000, "NES Pinball" and "Alleyway", "SolarStriker" is a comparative AV extravaganza, and a title that fits in that early Game Boy era where Nintendo seemed unsure of how ambitious they wanted to get with Game Boy and whether or not this was just a supercharged Game & Watch with cartridges.

I wonder if it's co-development by Inakuchi Engineering lead to some sort of copyright problems where Nintendo wasn't free to re-issue the game digitally, as from what I've seen, this game's official availability is exclusive to its original print run.

It has cool music and progressive theming with the stage backgrounds, but its also the sort of title that even "retro games" would likely find to be a snooze fest.

Game Boy was the first Nintendo system I owned in the 90's, even prior to the release of Game Boy Pocket, and I've considered myself especially interested in its early history.

For "SolarStriker" to have slipped by me all these decades, to the point where I specifically added the title to my collection, all while I had no idea of its (minor) significance, was eye-opening indeed.

------------------------------------------

MY LINKS

[🅗Twitch] [🅗TikTok] [🅗VOD Channel] [🅗 FA] [🅗Ko-fi]

[4th-make-quail]

☕ dragons

OOOOGH NONNY, YOU'VE UNLOCKED MY SECRET LOVE!!!!! i've been a dragon girlie since i was VERY young and found my first Anne McCaffrey Pern book in a charity shop! i was so obsessed with Pern, post Sonic and Redwall it (and dragons in general) was my biggest special interest! one of my prized possessions was the Dragonlover's Guide to Pern (a not very lore-accurate book but a beautiful one nonetheless) and i used to draw dragons all the time from it!

i had dragon art on my walls, postcards and prints and pics i drew myself; i have a shit ton of dragon figures - especially Myth and Magics which are very 80s-90s now, but i love them so much still (my fave is possibly the Firstborn because it's a wizard holding up a TINY BABY NEW HATCHED DRAGON!!!!), and then i have another beautiful fave which i think is a Tudor Mint Age of Dragons, but i'm not quite sure cos it's hard to track down info on them, but either way he's green and elegant and beautiful!!

you couldn't go into a british new age shop when i was growing up without there being a fantastic array of fantasy dragon figures, but i was always very fussy with them because so many are just tacky and poorly painted, and a bit ugly lmao. but anyway yes, dragons!!!! in fact that retro sff art i rbed the other day with the dragon in space gave me SO many feelings!!! LOOK AT HIM!!! SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!! HE'S GOT A JETPACK!!!!

anyway so ofc Spyro is one of my fave games (evident from my reblogs lol) and i just love dragons in any and all forms really! i love the Pernese style where they telepathically communicate, and the Temeraire style with riding them into war, and the dnd style with all the beautiful colours??? idk i just love them slgh'fgf one of my permanent rings was a lil dragon curled around but i had to take it off for my carpal tunnel op and now i can't get it back on again 😭😭😭 i keep meaning to go get it made larger actually, i need to remember to do this!!

there was a time where i would read, watch and play anything with dragons in (don't ask me how long i spent playing Drakan: the Ancient's Gate, an objectively fucking terrible ps2 game LOL, or Dragon Rage, another objectively terrible ps2 game), but these days i'm really out of the loop as to what's out there, and there doesn't seem to be as much dragon fantasy these days anyway??? if anyone has any recs send them my way (just not Eragon)!!!

[thoselethalarts]

ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕓𝕠𝕤 𝔹𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕣 - ℙ𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪

(SSR) Birthday Suit Up (Part 2): “Happy Birthday!”

(Ignihyde Dorm: Birthday Venue)

“Do you have anything that you do in your free time?”

Phobos: Mm... just usual stuff, I think. Phobos: I eat, sleep, work, eat some more, sunbathe, take a nap, play video games... Well, I guess that last daily point is more interesting than the ones before it.

“Certainly! What kind of video games do you play?”

Phobos: A little bit of everything, I guess. Though my favorite genres are usually racing games, platformers, rhythm games, and first person shooters. Phobos: More than just playing them though... I like collecting them. Especially the really old, retro, and out of print ones.

“Is there a reason you like collecting them?”

Phobos: Well... how do I put this. Phobos: I saw an article recently. It said “87% of classic games are now officially out of print”. Video games haven't even been around that long, and already almost all of the original games are completely unavailable to play. Phobos: You might ask “why?” The answer’s the most simple one… greed. Phobos: Humans are greedy creatures. They lie, cheat, and steal from each other constantly. And when they come together to create something “new” and “innovative” in the world of technology, they obsess over it and hoard it relentlessly. Phobos: The corporations that made all those old games have made it so you can’t buy them anymore on purpose. They want to hoard their achievements and drive up their value so they can sell them to you all over again for twice or thrice the original cost. Phobos: Imagine if that's how written history worked. If suddenly out of nowhere around 80-90% of all human history suddenly vanished forever, all because some corporation decided it didn’t want you to be able to read or learn anymore. Phobos: Classic literature, art history, world news. All just gone in the blink of an eye. It’s what happens when libraries burn down and cities are destroyed, yet people see no problem when video games suddenly aren’t able to be experienced anymore. Phobos: Someday all those games might be gone for good, and people like me- the collectors -we’ll be the only ones with working copies left to play. Phobos: That being said… collecting them isn’t the only thing I like to do. I’ve been getting into learning how to make my own cartridges lately. Phobos: It’s almost of an art, really… working with the old circuitry, learning how they burned the old games onto them, and even putting the plastic together feels good. Phobos: I’m starting with some of my old favorites, just to see if I can get them to work. If I can make them boot and play them to completion without any issues, then that means I can keep making more. Phobos: I’d ideally like to learn how to burn older games onto newer formats, too. Taking an older game and making it work on newer software could be a lot of fun.

“Isn’t that… illegal?”

Phobos: No. It’s only illegal if you distribute them. Phobos: I’ve already bought everything I own, and making copies of things you buy isn’t illegal as long as you’re just keeping them to yourself. Phobos: …Keep this off your written record though. If you are interested in any of the games I have, or maybe testing some of my experimental burns… I just might be able to make you a copy or two. You know, for a price.

/ To Be Continued…

[dizzygradespells]

VIDEOVERSE Accessibility Review

VIDEOVERSE by Kinmoku is a real blast from the past. Anyone who was in the online forum community from the late 90's to the early 2000's will instantly recognize this particular era of the internet. Even those of us who weren't, like myself, can still find a lot of love and nostalgia. The game is filled to the brim with references and doggo cameos! Like many visual novels, the gameplay is simplistic and easy to understand. It tells a story about online communities, both the good and the bad. The main art style looks like old-school internet pages with a simple and clean UI. Not only that, it features some fantastic animated cutscenes for a fake rpg game and animation for online video chat segments! Clearly, this is a game made with love. When it comes to accessibility, VIDEOVERSE hits the three single most important accessible features a game in this genre requires: easy-to-see visuals (high contrast between backgrounds and text), a screen reader, and the ability to change to a dyslexic-friendly font. It also has a full content warning list. The list shows every applicable content warning via broad label, but you can click on each warning to see details. These details do contain spoilers, but it's nice to see that it lets you pick.

That's the key to accessibility: the more options you have, the more accessible it is.

VIDEOVERSE's accessibility doesn't end there. The game offers subtitles for sound effects, separate volume controls (sound, music, and voice), and the ability to type your replies instead of selecting them from a list. It even gives you several different "themes" from the start so that you can pick and choose which visuals are best for you. VIDEOVERSE isn't perfect though. It falls short in a few areas. The biggest issue is with flashing graphics. One of the fake internet ads is a fairly large box that flashes every time it runs. There's no way to turn this off or avoid the ad. It's rng if the ad will pop up. But seeing as there are only a handful of these fake internet ads for the game to choose from, you WILL see it. The desk pause screen also has a subtler flash in the background, but it's large enough that it bothered me. Finally, the ending segment has a full-screen glitch effect that includes flashing. It's a shame I can't turn these off or select altered versions of the effects. Other accessibility features I'd like to see is the ability to make a custom theme from the get go. It doesn't need to be anything in-depth, but the ability to choose which background and text colors work best for the player would be golden. I'd love to see a UI adjuster as well. Though the font is by no means small, some people have smaller screens or struggle to see and require larger fonts. Another place VIDEOVERSE falls short is controls. While the controls are simple and it does have two different options for controls, I'd like to see custom keybinding. This way players can adjust as needed to specialty controllers or simply more comfortable mapping. At the end of the day, I've enjoyed my time with VIDEOVERSE. It's a cute, well-crafted game that clearly had a lot of love put into it. If you're a fan of retro games and visual novels, this one will be a delight. The accessibility options are a great start, though I'd like to see a couple extra features or some currently implemented options in a more in-depth way.

VIDEOVERSE is available on Steam and Itch.io for PC, Mac, and Linux. It currently costs $12.99, €12,79, and £10.99. Thank you, Kinmoku for providing me with a review copy!

[framelandgame]

The Music of Frameland

Let's talk about the music of Frameland today! As a game that prominently features a retro pixel art aesthetic, it was only natural for the music to reflect that as well.

Realistic-sounding instruments would feel out of place, and so we decided to adhere to the limitations of the Super Nintendo, music-wise. Listen to the first town's theme as an example:

The biggest limitation here is the 8-note polyphony. That means only 8 sounds can play at the same time, including percussion and drums!

To get that typical SNES feel, you'd also need to have the right samples. As file size was an issue in the 90s, these samples were usually very short and looped to allow for longer notes.

Also, you'd typically just have one pitch and let the system play the sample faster or slower to allow for different notes — yet another thing that gives the SNES its characteristic sound!

In order to find samples with the right ✨ vibe ✨, we found and sampled some vintage machines:

A toy piano from the late 90s

Two different synthesizers/romplers from the late 80s

Input everything into a DAW (music software) of your choice, load up your favorite sampler (we love chipsynth SFC) and off you go:

We hope you like our little excursion into the audio side of things! We can't wait to have you hear the whole soundtrack in-game.

[creative-artist-lab8]

Psst… The Best Sale Online? Audiobooks, Retro Games & Art—Up to 90% OFF!

CLICK TO GRAB

[sc-intothedarknightofthesoul]

3, 4, 11, 15 and 17 from Soul Calibur ask list?

3. What is your favourite game?

I grew up with this series, but I can confidently say that out of all the Soul Calibur games I've played thus far (or at least the major ones), Soul Calibur 6 has to be my favourite. One of my favourite things about it is that it takes the story told from the original timeline and retells it in a way that is easy to follow. Not only do we have The Main Chronicle with Kilik, Maxi and Xianghua as major characters and Libra of Soul with our own character, Grøh, and Azwel as major characters, we also have a Soul Chronicle for every character, which is something I feel the other games should've done all along, but I don't blame Project Soul for not implementing them at the time.

I'm also never gonna forget that this is the game I showed ONE cutscene (specifically that one where The Conduit aka my character gets thrown around by Azwel and Grøh fights him then pushes him off the ledge) to my friends on Discord and I found out the next day they collectively bought the game, and now it's a running gag among my group that Kasta (who was originally my internet persona before incorporating them into a fully fledged character) couldn't gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss their way out of that situation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

4. Who was the first character you played as?

I was really young when I played Soul Calibur 2 (my introduction to the series), like not even past the age of 5 young, so my memory is a bit foggy. However, I did remember my Mom playing alongside me, and we played as either Cassandra or Talim a lot...and Spawn too, since I had the Xbox version.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

11. What is your favourite mode?

Libra👏Of👏Soul👏baby!!!

A game mode that comes close has to be Chronicles of the Sword from 3.

I'm never passing up a chance to play a good story centred around a character I created.

I also spent a lot of time playing the Weapons Master mode from 2, I'm always excited to collect weapons and outfits from different regions.

It had a cute little story going on too, but I imagined it would have been a lot better if they introduced the Character Creation mechanic one instalment early.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

15. What is your favourite song?

DANCE OF THE ORACLE!

When you hear this song play, you know shit's gonna get intense real quick, and although there are other songs that show how intense things are gonna get, Dance of the Oracle is the kind of intense that feels PERSONAL, and this plays when you fight Viola in Quick Battles.

And when I heard this play in Amy's Soul Chronicle in her fight against Azwel...

Picture me pacing around the biggest room in my house like a chicken for hours repeating "oh my god" over and over again (I've been diagnosed as autistic early in my life and I am also being treated for my ADHD symptoms, so it takes a bit for me to recover fully from the intense emotions being built-up in my system, and my siblings like to tease me about looking like a chicken when I pace, but anyway).

Project Soul did not need to go THAT hard, but they did anyway and I am here for it!

It's also one of many links that connects Amy to Viola, and I loved that callback and attention to detail they implemented in Amy's story.

Honourable mention goes to any rendition of Healing Winds.

Personal favourite renditions are this:

Because I can imagine this being played in a scene where everybody's recovering from the final battle, and/or an emotional reunion or farewell happens.

And this:

Because it gives me 90s anime ending vibes (and it's funny that the series was introduced in the mid-90s, which makes it even better as I often implement the retro aesthetic in my art!)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

17: What is your favourite ending?

In general?

The Good Ending to Libra of Soul:

On it's own or on a surface level, it might not mean much.

But when you build-up to it knowing everything you've gone through in Libra of Soul, the battles you've fought and the people you've befriended, and getting to know who Grøh, the man who didn't give you a good first impression, is as a character, of course you would shed a tear or two when he turns back with that smile.

And god damn it did this man make me cry!

As for individual character endings, it's hard to say.

However, I would also say it's a tie between Ivy's ending from 4:

and Yoshimitsu's ending from 6:

I have a soft spot for characters who are willing to change themselves as people after being given a second chance at life and, for some of them, after the things they've pulled.

I'm sure there's plenty more the series has to offer, but these are the first that come to mind.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

That's all for this post! Thank you for the ask and have a lovely day/night!

[decamarks]

Hey there! First off I want to say I *adore* your art, you absolutely 1000% perfectly tap into the vibe and style of late 90's/early 00's 3D models in a way literally no one else does. I think about your art of your fake games' glitches (especially the forum post!!! it's. *perfect.*) all the time :)

And I've noticed how you're always very insightful and kind whenever you answer asks, so thank you for that!

If it's not too intrusive to ask, I was wondering how you went about finding a doctor to get your autism diagnosis? I've been pretty sure for a few years now that I'm on the spectrum, but I've never had a clue how to actually get tested/diagnosed. Especially since I'm an adult female too, and I've heard a ton about how autism is really overlooked/underdiagnosed for people like us.

But seeing that you were able to find someone who avoided all the common pitfalls and was able to actually help you made me want to reach out. I had been wanting to ask you this for a while (as you can probably tell based on what the question was haha) but I was too anxious to actually do it (still am, a bit ><). Again, feel free to ignore this part if it's too personal or you don't want to answer it for any reason!

It feels awkward to end an ask with that, so I'll bookend it with something I think you'll like: have you ever heard of trsrockin.com? It's an old fansite I used to visit religiously as a kid that talked about early Pokemon and Super Mario games and collectibles from them, as well as oddities like glitches from the aforementioned games, forgotten weird one-off SNES games, documenting fake/trick fanmade "cheats" for games, and bootleg merchandise.

It's one of if not the first public place (afaik) that MissingNo. and pals were discovered/talked about, and a little community came together to try and figure out why the glitch happened and what all the effects and variants of it were. Even you've been to trsrockin before and none of this is new info, I thought it would at least be a nice trip down memory lane :)

It's an old site that has since been taken down, and for some reason archive.org can't properly archive the full site/all its links. But luckily someone created a complete mirror of it! You can find it here: http://catfish.it.cx/trsrockin/trsrockin.com/index.html

AHH THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! ;__; you're too kind... i know i haven't posted too much of my 3d work recently, but trust me, i have a LOT more of those faux-retro aesthetics in store with the game i've been working on... >=) i'm always so so happy to see other people appreciate janky ol' 3d graphics, LMFAO

also!! i've definitely heard of trsrockin eheehee... i was a bit too young to use it when it was in its prime (and also more of a bulbapedia enthusiast), but i've perused some archived pages before! old internet forums & fansites are just the best thing in the world...

ANYWAY: regarding your question! Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm the best person to give advice about this, because I feel like I kind of got my diagnosis by chance... Essentially: I started seeing a new therapist; she suggested I might be on the spectrum, I said, "Yeah maybe IDK"; I got a referral to an evaluator—and then an incredibly expensive diagnosis after a few months of waiting and testing.

My case differs in that I didn't really suspect being on the spectrum myself. Which seems a bit silly, considering I now realize I am... observably autistic. In abundance. But it was genuinely hard to puzzle out, what with all my other problems (particularly, severe misophonia, which can be REALLY hard to differentiate from general sensory sensitivity.) So about specifically seeking out a diagnosis, I unfortunately can't give a good answer. But I'm willing to talk about the rest, on the off-chance it ends up helpful! (Under the cut at least.)

I don't like to be too open about my Issues™ online—but I got a whole lot of them, and they used to be a lot worse than they are now, so I was stuck in that perpetual "adolescent with treatment-resistant depression" purgatory for, like... my entire adolescence! Because no one knew what the hell was wrong with me. I'm barely in adulthood now, but I'm extremely thankful to be broken out of that. Both the 'treatment-resistant depression' diagnoses AND the adolescence. Being told with authority that I, indeed, have an untreated case of mega-autism—and not an irreparably broken brain whose electrical activities zap SSRIs straight out of existence—is definitely relieving. And now I can confidently say shit like 'mega-autism', so like, wins all around.

About getting a diagnosis in general: in my case, I kind of needed one, because it would be not be feasible for me to go to school/work/exist without accommodations of some kind. (The evaluation I had was, in part, just to get a psychological report of any kind, since I desperately needed supporting documentation to request accommodations anywhere.) Otherwise, I'm honestly not sure if I'd bother?

On one hand, an official diagnosis is an incredibly affirming thing to have—especially if you didn't even suspect it before; things start making a lot of sense afterwards, LOL—but on the other hand, it is a tedious and kind of humiliating process. And possibly expensive.

And then, like you mentioned, there's the problem of some doctors being biased or plainly godawful at their job/poorly designed systems ruining everything for everyone. It's probably for incompetency on those ends that a diagnosis managed to elude me for nineteen years straight. (Vividly recalling the time my school had a counselor give me an impromptu autism evaluation, in which she concluded that I "didn't seem to have autism, but would probably get along really well with autistic people." WHATEVER THAT MEANT.) But! It's not impossible to get someone who knows what they're doing! I'd love to say otherwise, but I really did just stumble into a decent doctor... There's a lot of luck involved, and man. I did not get good RNG at first. (← I'M SORRY FOR BEING A GAMER.)

I went into the evaluation doubting I had it, and heavily doubting that I'd be diagnosed, but like... Hold on let me reach across your desk and slide you the answers to the autism test. The trick is to not even try to be normal, I think. Intermittently talk about CRT monitors, and how you like learning ciphers, and Pokemon glitches—or whatever else you're into. But those specifically worked for me! "Don't mask", is what I'm saying. (Really though, I think if you're answering everything to the best of your ability, properly administered tests done by a doctor who doesn't suck should be able to diagnosis you. If they don't, then the problem is something systemic, and far beyond anything I could reasonably give advice about...)

ANYWAY! (x2) I'm honestly not sure if any of this is particularly helpful, but if you decide to pursue it, I wish you luck with getting your diagnosis!! It's definitely a bit of a hellish thing to do—but dammit, if it's worth it to you, then it's definitely worth doing.

YOUR REWARD FOR READING THIS WHOLE POST IS: "Kinesin_walking.gif"

YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHH