#Video Game Esoterica

[posthumanwanderings]

“It’s a cover-based shooter for people who hate cover-based shooters. It’s a fighting game, except players use guns. It’s a shooter, except you only fight one other person at a time. It’s incredibly fast-paced, but also unusually strategic for a stand-up arcade game. It’s 2 Spicy“ [read more]

[spatulahat]

Going through my Cyberpunk 2077 Screenshots Folder Part 30 (Seeing red)

[penwrythe]

Thinking about the Demiurge phone man...

[junkworldusa]

Favorite podcasts/YouTube stuff to watch?

I liked your list of SF stuff from a bit ago so now I'm curious about other media

thank you for the Q! i love making lists.

my favorite podcasts to actively listen to are Wizards vs. Lesbians and Hardcore History, but if i need background noise for work/chores it's almost always We Hate Movies. i also really enjoy Just King Things but i'm all caught up :( i wish there were 20 more dark tower books...... *monkey's paw curls*

YouTube recs in no particular order:

David Bull does traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking, his channel is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in carving, printing, art history, etc. he's also a wonderful storyteller

Dr Justin Sledge is by far the greatest source on YT for historical esoterica. he is NOT concerned with metaphysics he's just gonna lay out the research. videos are (obviously) well-researched, well-edited, and he has an understated sense of humor :]

Jimmy McGee does game reviews but that description feels like i'm underselling it. he's very, very thoughtful. his Rain World video is one of my favorites, he lets game footage play for minutes on end without commentary. there's almost a documentary feel to it

Josh Johnson is...a stand-up comedian. his sets are very low-key & conversational, he talks about whatever's in the headlines, and it feels more like your naturally funny friend is explaining something to you rather than a guy doing an act. the spontaneity has a lot of charm to it. it's hard to explain!!! try his video on Diddy if you can handle the subject matter

Simon Roper does videos on linguistics, history, consciousness, etc. his accent reconstruction videos are a particular favorite

Zhade Lang does intricate, satisfying, weird fibercraft videos. like, high-concept fibercraft videos. i don't think any other knitting/crochet channel is on her level rn

and if you're "into" video essays you already know about Jenny Nicholson but i have to plug her Patreon, it's only $2 a month and there's hours and hours of bonus vids on there, including TWO multi-hour Evermore follow-up vids. picture me rubbing my hands together like a little fly

and lastly, Jeff Bezos Rowing Boat by Bobby Fingers

[yermes]

The worlds in the shitter, we are reclaiming our magic 🍷

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Pick a meme

123

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Disclaimer: please take what I say with a grain of salt and not as the gospel. I just want to share some ideas of practicing and giving advice using the medium as often as I can with school, work, and my own personal studies and practice. But I am working on sharing my notes soon so that will be exciting! Liking and sharing does a lot 🥰

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Socials: My Socials **☾**

My written blog+ tumblr+ tarot /bookstagram

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The cards

VIII of Cups ☕️

Well, time for some good old fashioned escapism?! Why do we read, pray, play video games, watch television, or live any of the other pleasures of life when the world has taken a turn? To escape. Its okay to turn off the news and to light the candles at 300am to summon demons for fun realistically, is it worst than whats happening now? (im joking) we are going through an era of overwhelming disappointment, we feel abandonment as the wealth gap grows and the people in power show their little care of the working class. Magic has always been a tool of the working class because divine principle values not of worldly possessions only that of the will to pursue higher knowledge. It is more likely for a camel to pass through an eye of the needle that a wealthy person reach heaven. The divine has no place for those who would sacrifice human goodness for material gains and so much material gains it subjects the people around them to misery. Magic for you is a tool for when we have nothing else we can rise in our own way.

Queen of Swords ☀️

This is forreal a new hot girl era. Like what most modern esoterica would state, apathy in the working is a virtue for when you lust for results you only manifest more lust for results. We must not wish for we can only take, we are building out independence as magicians and as people. Its the era to grow using our perception and criticism of the world around us, for a magician any act is to change, to make. When we realize the world around us has not changed the world has shifted far from progress so we must excite change ourselves, we must create the world and environment we can hope to live in. Being critical, learning of the world around you adds to your magic. Magic and science hold hands in a marriage they only add to each other and never take away. Be fair, learn, put in the effort to understand yourself, your skills, your own personal morals and values and be the change you were hoping for.

Queen of pents 🌙

What is the divine feminine? The divine feminine is dual, both a dark and commanding energy but it could also be nurturing. While we cannot reject the darker more divine aspects of the divine feminine and we embrace all parts as one I believe you should explore more nurturing aspects. Its important to note, that the divine feminine nurtures but never coddles. Lock in pookie, build your base, build your coin, save everything you can and build every skill you possibly can. We only add to ourselves we never take away. We comfort ourselves in our failures and successes. Welcome shadow work into your life to progress, do rituals to keep your intentions in check. Be aware of whats best for you and your current action at the moment, we are in the business of bettering ourselves for we can’t help anyone if we cannot help ourselves.

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Extras:

Story/vent:

School starts next week

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[marcusbrutus]

2025 Resolutions (in no particular order)

DRAW MORE. I want to up my art production, despite having severe art block. It is a never-ending cycle. I want to at least sketch once a day, ideally more but I won't force myself. I don't wanna get burnt out.

MAINTAIN DUOLINGO STREAK. Currently I have a streak in Japanese at 391. I want to maintain that streak all through the year. I also want to practice Japanese more and at least get to where I can read basic text. Ideally, I will also commit more to immersion.

WATCH NEW SHOWS. I have a bad habit of not watching anything new. I like watching youtube slop, and I like rewatching shows I've already seen. New shows are scary. I want to watch more. SPECIFICALLY: I want to finish Attack on Titan, start (and ideally finish) One Piece, and watch Transformers Prime. I don't know why it's so hard to start new shows for me, but it can be physically painful to force myself to do something I'm not sure I want to do. Honestly, it's a miracle I even watched BCS in the first place, let alone finished it. You think Corvo just *happens* to watch and finish a show like that? It was HIM. JIMMY.

REDUCE SCREENTIME BY 2 HOURS. I mean this specifically on my phone. Screentime for video games doesn't count because I consider it a hobby, and obviously it won't count for digital art. When I'm on my phone, I find myself mindlessly scrolling. I've been considering getting a flip phone, but there is just so much on my phone that I need to function (maps, google, etc - can't even think of them all) that I don't know if it's possible.

PRACTICE MEDITATION / INTUITION / SPIRITUALITY. This is difficult because it requires time, patience, and discipline. Ideally, I want to meditate at least 20 minutes a day. I want to work on my intuition, and I want to get more into esoterica/spirituality. I would like to get more into spirit/deity work, which is also difficult because it requires time, patience, discipline, AND belief, which as a major skeptic I struggle with LOL.

[falciesystemessays]

it's kinda fascinating, when fire emblem echoes was in its hype phases and even upon release i remember feeling like it was this return to the Old Days. it's a remake of the second ever fire emblem game from the famicom days, and its advertisement explicitly distanced itself from the then recent fe fates. but when i think about what fe echoes was actually doing, it's not really nostalgic for any one period of fire emblem so much as just enamored with the vague concept of "classic fire emblem."

there's a lot of specific design decisions in echoes that are incomprehensible if the goal is to be faithful to fire emblem gaiden. the support conversation system is implemented specifically like the gba era, despite supports not being a thing at all in the famicom originals. i'm not saying having supports in a gaiden remake is bad, it's a great idea actually! but doing it gba-style where you start the conversations on the battlefield rather than between battles is completely anachronistic. the only reason you would do it like that is to feel more like "the good old days."

it's same thing with the ui. fire emblem these days tends to have combat forecasts that show the damage, accuracy, and crit rate of the move you're about to make. the stuff you actually need. echoes has this ui too, but for some reason defaults to the more "advanced" ui that shows the user's attack and the target's defense as separate stats. why? what does it add, making me subtract the defense from the attack? this is a purely semiotic gambit, meant to harken back to the super famicom era when that's how they did it. but fire emblem gaiden didn't have combat forecasts to begin with, at least not until after the combat started!

there's plenty more examples of anachronisms i could give, but they all amount to the same thing: nostalgia baiting for a past that is idealized but non-specific. an amalgam of symbols meant to convey "we hear you, fates was a mistake, and we're bringing fe back to what it should be." and the thing is, it worked! it worked on me when it came out, and it worked on my friends who at the time hated fates as much as i did! the game took on meaning not just as a game that was good, but as a representation of a narrative.

and that narrative ended up clouding our judgements. to prove that, i want to talk about a friend of mine, discussing echoes' randomness.

now, for context, fire emblem is one of many turn-based games that secretly massage their probabilities under the hood. this makes 90% feel more like 90% to people who don't know better, because in general people are just really fucking bad at understanding randomness. i will come to defense of this system for many reasons, but the one big weakness is that dedicated players eventually find out and lose their trust in the system forever. game designer (and known workplace abuser) jennifer scheurle has compared game design to a magic trick in this respect, and the biggest hitch to that is that very few people actually want to know how the trick is pulled off.

here's the thing, though. when echoes came out, this true-blue fire emblem oldhead told me "it's so relieving how this game doesn't lie to you like fates does." now this is very funny in that kind of bitter way, because fates and echoes use the exact same rng system, that uses the true value below 50% and uses a weaker weighting above it. this friend accidentally fabricated a mechanic, because they were treating the game as an embodiment of everything in the series they thought they loved.

now this is, honestly, a pretty lightweight example. the values being expressed here are about a sense of mechanical purism more than anything else, and every fire emblem fan i've met has some bullshit take on mechanical esoterica, including me. where this gets dangerous is when a game's symbolic meaning goes further than mild fandom squabbles.

i started thinking about this topic while watching youtuber shaun's video "Stellar Blade: The Fake Outrage". this video talks about how a korean nier automata clone became a symbol in the culture war. these losers had already constructed narratives around how this game was a stalwart defender in the war against woke, simply for having a scantily clad woman and never bothering to appeal to anyone but straight men. they didn't give a shit about the game as a game, just as a symbol for a concept. and i think it's worth looking out for that in ourselves, when we're looking at games not as works of art, but as sets of signifiers. these games deserve better than to be subsumed into the narratives we make for ourselves.

[aizengomenvt]

Meet Aizen Gomen, The demon possessed Fallen Savior of humanity in the land of Esoterica.

Follow Aizen's journey through this dark fantasy visual novel game, where the audience helps him to navigates the blessed rewards, treacherous punishments and uncovers arcane secrets to gather the resources necessary for a dire resurrection. Each video peels back layers of Aizen's torment, revealing a protagonist torn between his quest for redemption and the sinister forces compelling him deeper into darkness.

Discover a game where every step forward challenges Aizen's resolve and morality, blurring the lines between hero and reluctant villain. As Aizen confronts his inner demons and external foes, the game immerses players in a gripping tale of sacrifice, betrayal, and the quest for salvation.

Will Aizen succumb to the darkness that beckons, or will he defy fate and find a path to redemption amidst the shadows? Embark on a journey where the boundaries between heroism and villainy blur in the quest for a lost friend and shattered sanity.

*The first of 3 playable stories with 48 different paths in the game "Tales of Esoterica" still in development.

Art by doublecudw on Vgen

[multi-muse-transect]

V in Mortal Kombat interactions.

@aggravateddurian

Duplicate

V: If you’re me from the future, please tell me I get Johnny out of my head.

V: It’s gonna come at a price.

V: So is Jackie alive in your universe?

V: Who's Jackie?

V: So where are you from? Haywood, Badlands or Charter Hill?

V: Haywood.

Raiden

V: It’s gonna take more than just fancy fighting moves to survive NC.

Raiden: Don't judge a book by its cover V.

V: Fuck, it’s so hard to fight without combat implants!

Raiden: You must get used to a life without crutches, only then can you overcome the city itself.

V: You don’t happen to know who’s the Zen Master now do you?

Raiden: Why he’s a teacher in the Wushi Academy!

V: You’re gonna love the esoterica.

Raiden: You should show me sometime.

Raiden: Such a bleak future you live in…

V: It has its perks.

Raiden: It’s horrible that people would do things to themselves to survive such an insane city.

V: The city ends up getting them regardless.

Johnny Cage

V: Told you Alex was the best.

Johnny: The best? She is leading woman material!

V: Johnny and Solomon are actors in this universe?

Johnny: You’re talking about Keanu and Idris right?

V: No, you’re not making my life into a movie.

Johnny: Maybe a video game can work?

Johnny: So you mind telling me how brain dances work?

V: You need to chrome the fuck up first.

Johnny: Adam Smasher sounds like a lame ass name.

V: Why don't you say that to his face when you see him?

Scorpion

V: You remind me of this one guy-he was a bodyguard.

Scorpion: I wish to meet him one day then.

V: Fuck me, what kind of implants cause those?

Scorpion: Technology isn't required to learn magic.

Scorpion: You're getting more and more skilled without your combat implants.

V: It took sometime but I'm getting there.

Scorpion: Arasaka's evil must be stopped!

V: They'll learn to fear the reaper when we raid it.

Sub Zero

V: I've met plenty of gonks like you in NC. All dead in a ditch

Sub Zero: Then I will be the first to survive.

V: You just sold out your clan by working for Arasaka!

Sub Zero: A small price to pay for salvation.

Sub Zero: Adam Smasher has proven himself to be a valuable ally!

V: Don't come crying to me when he bites you in the ass!

Sub Zero: With Arasaka's tech, I will create an unstoppable army of cyber-Lin Kuei!

V: Not on my watch!

Kung Lao

V: Careful, that attitude won't get anywhere in NC.

Kung: Cybernetic thugs don't scare me.

V: A hat? Seriously!?

Kung: Don't underestimate it V.

Kung: Is Panam available for today?

V: As if she'd go out with you.

Kung: I heard about the story of David Martinez. I've had the same experience like that...

V: You should take it to heart.

Sindel

V: This isn't my first time meeting a ruler.

Sindel: Oh? Do tell...

V: Jesus Christ, what kind of chrome makes you do THAT?

Sindel: Please, I don't need machines in my body.

Sindel: Do you do this often? Asking rulers out for dinner?

V: I learned it from a gig in Dogtown.

Sindel: Our magic will help cure your condition.

V: Let's hope it doesn't turn the other guy into pixie dust first.

Shang Tsung

V: Tell me where So Mi is or you end up eating lead.

Shang: You still care about her despite everything?

V: I've known many backstabbing assholes in NC. You're not special.

Shang: But I am built different compared to them.

Shang: I assure you, my magic will make sure that Silverhand will be gone.

V: I'm not selling my principals out to a wizard!

Shang: I wonder if I will have Silverhand's soul when I take it from your body.

V: One-try it asshole and two-I don't think that's how it works.

Shao Kahn

V: I almost mistook you for an Animals member.

Shao: Do you mock me mercenary!?

V: Not my first I've fight someone big with a hammer.

Shao: Then they must've died in the most humiliating way possible!

Shao: I am not afraid of a dying mercenary!

V: You will be.

Shao: All legends fade.

V: Not mine, it will never fade away!

Reiko

V: You're seriously coming at me with a spear and shurikens?

Reiko: Unlike you-I don't need machines under my skin.

V: Many gonks like you die because of loyalty.

Reiko: Then they have died honorably!

Reiko: You aren't afraid of death. Good!

V: I pass by it all the time.

Reiko: You spared Khameleon. So weak and disgusting! Mercy is disgusting!

V: Your devotion to the roided maniac is way more disgusting.

Tanya

V (if female V): You know anything I can get for Judy?

Tanya: I recommend the flowers of the royal garden.

V: My world can use more people like you.

Tanya: Maybe there is. Perhaps you weren't looking enough.

Tanya: I don't trust Reed.

V: Good, don't!

Tanya: Takemura is so blinded by loyalty.

V: That's Goro for you.

Kitana

V: You sound...familiar.

Kitana: I don't even know who you are.

V: Fuck me, I need one of those!

Kitana: First you must learn to train with them.

Kitana: I can't believe the Mox's care about money instead of caring for others.

V: Tell me about it.

Kitana: Thank you for telling me about Hansen.

V: You're welcome princess.

Li Mei

V: I think I know a detective who would love to have you as a partner.

Li Mei: Do tell Earthrealmer...

V: If the cops acted like you then NC would have zero crime.

Li Mei: Perhaps I should teach them.

Li Mei: So much corruption in your city, I'm surprise it's still standing.

V: You can thank the mega-corps that semi-run it.

Li Mei: 6th Street are nothing but barbarians parading as protectors.

V: Lofty patriotic bullshit is all they spew out of their mouths.

Kenshi

V: Fought a guy just like you. Hunted Tigers.

Kenshi: Was he just as skilled as me?

V: You're gonna love Jotaro Shobo since you kill yakuza a lot.

Kenshi: Really? Tell me where he is...

Kenshi: Your blades are advanced but not advanced as sento.

V: No shit. None of them can summon a ghost!

Kenshi: I would love to duel Oda one day.

V: I don't think that's a smart idea...

Ashrah

V: No one is good or bad where I come from...except for Maelstrom.

Ashrah: They are beyond redemption.

V: I know a guy who needs someone like you, he's FIA.

Ashrah: I know he has a good heart but is clouded by devotion.

Ashrah: So Mi is safe with me.

V: Tell her I said hi.

Ashrah: Regina Jones heart is so pure yet full of darkness.

V: Really? She doesn't seem to have a bad bone in her.

Smoke

V: What the hell kinda name is Smoke?

Smoke: One that you will respect.

V: Thanks for taking care of 6th Street for me.

Smoke: They're nothing but savages.

Smoke: The Aldecaldos have such a beautiful culture.

V: Wanna join them one day?

Smoke: Wakako looks like she's taken a liking to me.

V: Odd, she doesn't like anyone.

Geras

V: So..how does my story end?

Geras: Your future is very...hard to tell.

V: You're a Samurai fan?

Geras: I was watching their concerts very recently.

Geras: I suggest you should side with So Mi.

V: Why is that?

Geras: I have met another who travels to other timelines.

V: Ciri? Yeah, she does that.

Liu Kang

V: I can tell you didn't create my timeline.

Liu Kang: I would never create such depravity.

V: Shit, I'm sure Viktor would love you on the boxing club.

Liu Kang: I’ll visit one day.

Liu Kang: In one timeline, you and So Mi are together.

V: That...that's kinda beautiful.

Liu Kang: I have something that will help your ailment.

V: Really? It won't fry my nerves right?

[posthumanwanderings]

Sega's Masterpiece! Scud Race! SEGA's Model 3 Arcade Racing Game and the Alpha Dreamcast Version

[gravemushrooms]

Tag ppl you wanna know betteeer

Tagged by: @missmassacre

Last song: not songs per se but: Ryuji Takeuchi / Essential Memories EP Part III / Sonoran District; Orbital / In Sides / Dŵr Budr (this has some singing but it's nonsense backwards words); Polygon Window / Surfing on Sine Waves / Polygon Window (it's Aphex Twin, also featured on Warp Records Artificial Intelligence)

Favorite color: i end up back at pink-purple but you'd never know from looking at me

Currently watching:

antiquities/religion MythVision Podcast (mostly critical studies of ancient christianity or related topics) Crecganford (a lot of proto-indo-european th.) Religion for Breakfast Gnostic Informant ESOTERICA (Dr. Justin Sledge) James Tabor Ancient Architects History for GRANITE World of Antiquity Archaeology Now Antiquity for All Crowhag Ancient Americas Jackson Crawford (Old Norse) Lady of the Library Let's Talk Religion toldinstone Simon Roper (English language over time + other topics) Sally Pointer (neolithic fibers + textiles)

experimental archaeology Primitive Technology (with subtitles) Roland Warzecha scholagladiatoria (Matt Easton) Tod's Workshop Malcolm P.L.

urbanism Not Just Bikes Stewart Hicks CityNerd Kirsten Dirksen (not really urbanism but houses, permaculture, DIY)

technology Asianometry

skepticism potholer54 (climate) Mick West AronRa (anti-creationism)

crank bigfoot Bob Gymlan i like to watch a lot of weird crank stuff but this is maybe the only one i think other people could find entertaining

self-actualization (?) Bitsii in Inaka

video game industry Timothy Cain

half a-press memes pannenkoek2012

Last movie: director's cut of The Little Shop of Horrors that has the apocalyptic ending. apparently i haven't really watched a movie since 2019

Currently reading: @eyeofpsyche recommended some books about Jung (Jung - The Key Ideas by Ruth Snowden and The Essential Jung by John Beebe but lately i've been swamped with work + school. earlier this year i was reading Big Dead Place because Antarctica is strange and miserable and Malleus Maleficarum to better understand a Euro-medieval/early modern notion of the supernatural. i skimmed through a bunch of Ekirch's At Day's Close - Night in Times Past for a course over the summer

Sweet/spicy/savory: food isn't really a thing for me. ask me when i have more money

Relationship status: the person i talk to the most online is someone that i don't even use words with

Current obsessions: i had a week where i was looking at weird things to do with Windows 3 and trying out linux distros in a virtual machine

Last googled: i was trying to find a magazine cover from the early/mid 90s that depicted a man wearing unusual shoes in a photo-realistic style and it was intended to illustrate how developments in digital image manipulation had made the notion of "the camera never lies" obsolete

Currently working on: lab report busywork for a microbio course, or i spent nearly all day setting up a biochemistry lab which involved making a lot of 1% solutions of a variety of amino acids

anyone that follows me that wants to do this feel free to have a go at it

[hellhoundmaggie]

Tag ask game!

I got tagged by: @georgiedoesntfloat Thank you!

Last song you listened to: Intentionally? "The Mothman Song (Believe in the Power of the Mothman!)" by The Paranormal Song Warrior. It's just so silly and delightful!

Unintentionally? The classical piece from this Simpsons meme video. Shazam tells me it's the overture from La gazza ladra.

Last movie you watched: Disney's Beauty and the Beast. It's a comfort movie for me!

Currently watching: Legend of Korra, ESOTERICA, Atun-Shei Films, Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime

Other things I've watched this year: Netflix's John Wayne Gacy Tapes, a little bit of Friday the 13th Part VII (the first one with Kane Hodder), a bunch of YouTube video essays, whatever my spouse feels like watching

Currently reading: My friend's unpublished manuscript!

Currently listening to: The trans antifascist superheroine you've never heard of . by Thought Slime

Currently working on: Knitting a hat, shopping for Christmas presents, planning an Avatar Legends TTRPG campaign, learning about demonology, procrastinating on writing

Current obsession: My Scarlet Hollow fandom has led me to dabble in Western esotericism. I just ordered a fancy copy of Johann Wier's Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, a 16th-century text that was meant to parody demonological books but ended up being a big influence on sincere demonology and magical practice down to this very day. It's going to teach me about 69 (nice) demons and how to summon them!

Tagging if you'd like to! : @crestoflames , @shanklinthestabpossum, @marshvlovestv, @maytheratseatureyes, @thedeafprophet, @the-defiant-heiress, @nimbexy, @tangled-wires-and-a-dead-heart

[basementstalker]

Once a day is really impressive haha! Ngl I'm kind of an addict to just scrolling mindlessly at times, kinds like scrolling on pinterest. What are some of your favorite topics? (Like yandere or darling qualities?)

Well, I suppose it's more that I do my best to only come on here once a day. I have another account that I scroll more on, but the content I follow there is completely different. I tend to feel useless if I'm online too much- have to always be "productive" you know? Whatever that means.

Topics I enjoy? Stories of any format (unfiction, songs, books, video games, etc) with the genre tending towards horror. I enjoy discussing character motivation. Plants, nature, architecture, art, philosophy, and esoterica are all fun to talk about. Although I only really discuss things with my sibling- I don't trust others enough to share my thoughts on most things. I suppose the Internet is another place I feel slightly more comfortable sharing things, giving the anonymity of it all.

Yandere and darling qualities are fun to discuss as well, though a little arbitrary in the end since people are so varied. I don't entirely understand the darling label (other than it means you're interested in a yandere partner- which could be for so many reasons, not to mention the kind of yandere you're interested in). I'm glad it's given people the chance to form a sort of community though.

[theflowergardensys]

Introduction

We are the Flower Garden system, named after our love of gardening and our many color/plant-related identities. Collective name: Fleur Pronouns: She/her by default, but we might ask you to use different ones depending on who is fronting. No masc terms please, even bro/dude. Boundaries: No DNI, but we block freely. NSFW accounts are free to interact, but we probably won't reblog anything from you onto this account. DM for our NSFW account but don't expect us to trust you enough immediately to share it.

Interests: Digital art and animation, music production, game development, esoterica, gardening, being the best person i can be, forming a network of supportive relationships, providing a kind and nonjudgmental space, mental illness and neurodivergency, space and astrophysics, computers and programming, playing creative video games, fighting for a world worth living in for ourselves and others, queer expression of identity.

We are extremely determined and resilient. We hope to meet those who are mutual in many of these things. We may play games, chat and support eachother, and share various activities with eachother. The way we type can be quite robotic, but if you get to know us we are very expressive. Disabled, neurodivergent, and very queer. We treat everyone with kindness, but will not put up with harassment. "Do no harm but take no crap."

if you partake in callout culture, or tell people to kill themselves, we probably won't like you.

[unwantedmagazine]

A Celebration of Interactive Experience, with yeucc

By Staff Editor flyday (D3tectiveBailey)

This article is part of the “Cut the Cameras” review series where newsroom staff critique interactive experiences and creative esoterica. CtC reviews are handled with care, seriousness, and consideration.

(Caption: A thumbnail video for “NOKORi 残り” one of the yeuc_c’s main games.)

ROBLOX—As far as exciting and engaging Roblox experiences go, yeucc’s (yeuc_c) games astounded me in ways I never thought possible. With a sci-fi angle, unique storytelling devices and a distinct aesthetic, the sheer joy of creative expression bleeds through in every project. There’s a distinct narrative being told through yeucc’s games, which I am predisposed to enjoying even before beginning to revisit the mysterious laboratories and bunkers that litter yeucc’s narrative universe. A surface skim of the type of content yeucc had to showcase may evoke general expectations, but when you engage with yeucc’s experiences, you get something better than you could ever imagine.

From the beginning stages of waking up in mysterious, foreign, subterranean laboratories and hidden bunkers away from the mistakes of humanity to the very ends of each experience, yeucc’s games stand strong. An exploration game can be better planned than executed. At NOKORi, exploration and interactivity are the focus—and these focuses are executed well. The goal is to navigate—and eventually escape from—a mysterious, foreign, subterranean laboratory filled with various dangers, a plethora of mysteries, and an exciting array of puzzles. At its core, each of the yeucc games—while incorporating engaging puzzles and investigative design—are surreal, unforgettable, and novel exploration experiences. A tone of dread, mystery, and an ominous foreboding feeling that something is truly wrong permeates deep into the player experience. The lighting design (and lack of lighting in dark corridors) in the NOKORi and Bunker games speak to this intent.

You are a player, and the task at hand? Survive. Other priorities vary between NOKORi and Bunker.

The attention to detail, the focus on interactivity, and the visual environments created are nothing short of stunning. The diversity in architecture, interior design, and visual layout in each game speaks to the dedication to design that the developer and his team had towards creating a truly immersive experience. The games ease players into various mechanics and introduce them to a diverse array of spatial reasoning puzzles that exercise the players’ problem-solving mind. Finding solutions to progress through these games require an explorative mind and an analytical attitude. From cramped office spaces to expansive testing chambers, the diversity and effectiveness of the yeucc design style is distinct and inspiring. 

I was particularly astounded by the engaging and interactive experience of playing yeucc’s newest game. Bunker is a masterclass in building an exploration game. Where I wanted to see hints at storytelling, Bunker pulled through. Where I wanted to see interactivity, puzzles, and problem-solving, Bunker showed up. I was continually amazed at how expansive the map of Bunker is—and I await in anticipation for what yeucc and co. have next for us players.

(Caption: A screencap for the MMIS recording of the joint investigation into Happy Country.)

I remember being new to the Myth Community and becoming an Inspector through the MMIS Inspectors & Analysts program for Advanced Investigators back in March, 2020. After being assigned my role, I was put on the yeucc beat. It’s without question that yeucc’s games are incredibly sentimental to me—having investigated and analyzed these games nearly three years ago—back when they were part of the “Happy Country” storyline. 

The experience of investigating Happy Country was incredibly exciting—one of the best entrances into the investigative community. In his former capacity as a myth, yeucc was incredibly welcoming and kind to the investigators assigned to his games. Happy Country was rich with storytelling—I remember back when our most pertinent concerns were regarding the NOKORi facility’s “Eccles Syndrome” bug and uncovering the conspiracies that make up the governance of yeuccsylvania.

Most of the yeucc games originated as myth games. Though the developer no longer identifies as a myth, the strong storytelling talent shines through the reimagined and remastered versions of his games.

The only place where some of the yeucc games falter is generally with fine-tuning errors like the occasional soft-locks, inconsistent textures or tangents, z-clipping, or other quality-control related aberrations. Despite all of this—and in comparison to other games of his style—yeucc’s games are confidently creative, powerfully maximalist, and detail oriented in a way that exceeds all expectations. The improvements that yeucc and the development team have made are no clearer than the spectacular transitions between NOKORi and Bunker—the latter of which is still in development. We would love to see more of the storytelling and lore bleed from the original storyline through yeucc’s newer games, and we believe the continued development of Bunker will showcase this to us. From bunker explorations to laboratory escapes, playing yeucc’s games is an engaging, exciting, and visually stunning experience and I can’t wait for what’s next.

Verdict

yeucc’s original games and storyline benefited from the quirkiness, mystique, and abstract narrative aided by mysterious games and horror elements. The new generation of yeucc games show up stronger, turning a quirky and mysterious storyline and its horror-filled games into a powerful and engaging experience of exploration, discovery, and problem-solving. Brought to life by vivid, maximalist visual design and brilliant scripting, the yeucc games of today leave you feeling intrigued, fulfilled, and fully hooked. The puzzles in the new games bring challenge without frustration, tied in with a healthy balance of expansiveness that never leaves a player feeling trapped or impeded. yeucc and his development team pull out all the stops to deliver an awe-inspiring experience. NOKORi put in place the mystery, mechanics, and style needed to launch a player into the Bunker experience. From underground laboratories to expansive subterranean bunkers to avoid the fate of humanity, yeucc’s games are an unforgettable marvel of creative expression.

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Flyday (D3tectiveBailey) is a staff editor and game developer with the Unwanted Magazine. Flyday runs point on the magazine’s “Cut the Cameras” review project.

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Blog of independent video game developer and digital media artist Matt Sephton. Featuring vintage Macintosh, game development, digital artwork, Japanese esoterica, video game reviews, hacks and tips, and much more.