#also. metroidvania games rule

[kuromi-hoemie]

okok i got my day planned out then 🫡 go get a chicken sandwich breakfast, watch the untamed, get crossfaded, whenever i "want" to stop watching the untamed clean and then keep playing ori. perhaps keep reading at some point, but ori is Really nice as an experience.

[maxwellatoms]

What kind of video games do you like to play Mr. Atoms?

So many! Assuming there's time. These days there's generally not, so I've been bingeing Vampire Survivors in half-hour doses.

Above is a gif from Noita, my top game of the pandemic. It's an old-school "Metroidvania", but every pixel is simulated and you're a witch who can manipulate her spells (and thereby the world) in a seemingly infinite number of ways. Here, I've built magical "buzzsaws" around myself, which blinded me to the shadow amoeba. In Noita, almost every death is due to hubris, and I think I love that pendulum swing. If you're lucky and skilled, you can become a walking whirlwind of destruction, but you're always your own worst enemy. Bonus: You can turn your vomit into rats.

I'm currently on a break in the midst of my Baldur's Gate 3 run, with a party consisting of my BG2 character's daughter, Karlatch, Lazelle, and Shadowheart. Ladies' Night!

I'm also playing a bit of Shadows of Doubt. I'm not sure it'll hold up long-term, but it's got a lot of potential.

I don't really limit myself by genre or platform, but I'd say that I primarily play indie PC games. The games in my Steam library that I keep going back to again and again?

Cities: Skylines: A chill City Building Simulator. Lots of fun mods.

Darkest Dungeon: This thing is a classic strategy game IMO.

Death Road to Canada: A light, fast Project Zomboid. Dogs with guns!

Dwarf Fortress: For me, it's the ultimate fantasy sim. I love it so much. Looking forward to Adventure Mode finally appearing on Steam.

Project Zomboid: The ultimate lonely 2D zombie apocalypse survival game. Or non-survival game, I suppose.

Total War: Warhammer: For when I'm in a strategy-y mood. Like a lot of people, I'm a bit soured on the modern DLC scene, so I'm still waiting on #3 even though I'm a Chaos stan.

Not on Steam? I do play some Star Citizen from time to time. I backed it a decade ago. I used to joke that it was the game I was going to retire into, but more and more that's looking less and less like a joke. Still, it's made some good progress in the last couple of years and I'm hopeful that repair and engineering turn out to be fun.

The game I'm looking forward to most would be the next Elder Scrolls. I know it's still a ways off. Ever since my Nereverine landed in Morrowind with the intention of becoming a just and righteous cleric and instead found herself an unwitting villain and colonizer, I fell in love with the Elder Scrolls and it's deep, gray lore. It is (for me) a great way to really get into a character's head. Roleplaying... go figure.

Since Morrowind (and a backtrack into Daggerfall), I only allow myself one canon playthrough. My rule is to "let it ride", so that aside from death, if I screw up or if something unexpected happens I don't save-scum. All of my characters are related, either by quest or bloodline. I already know that my next character will be Aventus Aretino (the kid you catch summoning the Dark Brotherhood). My Skyrim character (above) had adopted him and then left him in the hands of a vampire, so I should be covered even if there's a big time jump. Now I just have to wait six more years for the game. And then maybe two for mods. God I'm so old.

I need to spend more time with Dave the Diver.

Anything current I'm missing out on?

[prokopetz]

On the topic of the Halloween tropes post, I could think of at least one example of most of those tropes, but I don't play enough indie horror games to get ALL of them.

Got some relevant recommendations? Spooky Season doesn't end 'til January!

(With reference to this post here.)

Sure, with the caveat that I'm not going to specify which of the cited metanarative horror tropes appear in each example – that would be spoiling things, after all. I'm also going to skip anything super widely reviewed and focus on the more obscure stuff, so no giving me a hard time for leaving out Doki Doki Literature Club. =P

Discover My Body is at the top of this list for alphabetical reasons, but it's also a great one to kick things off with. It's a narrative point and click game where you play as a medical intern observing a volunteer as their body is slowly consumed by a fungus. Packs an amazing quantity of body horror into a very short playing time. Free to play.

eversion is one of those games where everything looks cheerful and then surprise it's really a horror game. Sort of a precision puzzle-platformer, though light on the "precision" and heavy on the "puzzle" – most of the challenge comes down to routing, not execution.

The Fall is a point-and-click adventure game masquerading as a light metroidvania, in which you play as the onboard AI of suit of powered armour, tasked with getting your incapacitated pilot to safety. At the time of this posting, it's 80% off for the next 12 hours thanks to the Steam Hallowe'en sale.

Lily's Well is, I'm going to warn you right up front, one of those "awful shit happens to a cute little girl" games. It's handled in a mostly text-based, fate-to-black fashion, though, without any of the leering that often characterises the genre. It's about a girl who's been left alone and told not to leave the house; she, of course, does not listen.

NaissanceE is a first-person exploration title of the "you wake up in some alien ruins and need to find your way out" variety. Mostly a walking sim with some puzzle elements. Free to play.

Ossuary is a surreal quasi-RPG set in purgatory, in which the gameplay is built around inventory puzzles based on gathering and equipping various sins (which are apparently physical objects). Nonlinear and kind of obtuse – don't be afraid to consult a guide.

Perfect Vermin is a gory, low-bit first person action game where you're tasked with identifying shapeshifting monsters that impersonate furniture and killing them with a sledgehammer. If the aesthetic of this one grabs you, you should also check out the developer's prior title, Swallow the Sea; both are free to play.

Please, Don't Touch Anything is sort of pushing the definition of "horror game", but my post, my rules. As the title suggests, it's a locked-room exploration game where you're presented with a mysterious control panel and sternly advised not to touch it.

Stray Cat Crossing is what you might get if you took one of those super-artsy psychological horror JRPGs and took out all the combat, leaving only the exploration and puzzle-solving elements. Content warnings for child injury (including eye trauma) and death.

The Swapper is a twin-stick puzzle game whose central mechanic involves the use of a gun which can create copies of yourself and "swap" your consciousness among them. In spite of the visuals, the horror is almost entirely psychological rather than visceral.

They Breathe is a linear survival game about a frog exploring a flooded forest. Short, minimalist, and unreasonably effective at communicating a narrative with no narration whatsoever.

We Know the Devil is a branching-path visual novel about a trio of kids at a Christian summer camp being forced to participate in a bizarre ritual where they're left alone in a cabin overnight to confront the Devil. Strong themes of religious abuse, in case that wasn't clear!

(Widely reviewed games that I considered but ultimately left off in order to avoid loading down the list with stuff you've likely already heard of include Axiom Verge, the aforementioned Doki Doki Literature Club, INSIDE, Omori, OneShot, Oxenfree, Return of the Obra Dinn, and Yume Nikki. If I've guessed wrong and any of these have escaped your radar, definitely check them out as well.)

EDIT: As a reminder for everyone trying to add their own recs, if you include off-site links in a reblog, Tumblr automatically hides it from the notes pane and nobody but you can see it. Drop those titles without links if you want your recs to be seen by anyone who isn't you or me!

[ijsthee]

Hi friends, here are some lesser known/underrated games I want more people to play, including steam links! (many of these are also on other platforms, steam is just easiest to link)

tldr: heres the list on backloggd with the same comments

Outer Wilds (exploration, puzzle, mystery) - not by any means an underrated or even unknown game, but a game I simply have to recommend to anyone, any time. My favourite game ever. Genuinely imo one of the best games ever made. Anyone will tell you not to look up anything about this game (and theyre right, uncovering every part of this game IS the game) but I recommend if you really get stuck or frustrated, play with a friend or ask someone who has played it for a nudge!

Tunic (zelda-like, souls-like, adventure, puzzle) - an homage to retro gaming that I am slightly too young to fully understand.. and still one of my favourite games! A simple (but charming) zelda-like with souls-like elements on the surface, an intricate mind-breaking puzzle game at its core! Highly recommend if you like games that you have to keep physical notes for

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (puzzle, mystery) - Puzzles puzzles puzzles! One big mystery puzzle game dripping with atmosphere and intrigue, a non-linear story that will pull you in and puzzles that youll be thinking about for hours after exiting the game. its a crime that this game seems to be slept on for now

In Stars and Time (rpg, story-driven) - the story-driven time-loop RPG that tumblr needs. WILL make you cry. the characters are at the heart and core of this game and they are AMAZING. Extremely trans story also

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (visual novel, mystery, story-driven) - so listen i know Ace Attorney is not niche by any means. But it feel like either people dont really know about this game or havent given it a shot yet. Well I'm here to say if you have any interest in Ace Attorney, these games are some of the best the whole franchise has to offer. The story is intriguing and interconnected in ways the best Ace Attorney stories are, the main cast are charming as hell, the music is amazing, they are by far the best looking 3D Ace Attorney games of the franchise, etc. If youre familiar with ace attorney i dont need to sell you on the whole murder mystery bit, i just need to emphasize that this is some of the best mystery writing in the whole SERIES

Chants of Sennaar (puzzle, language) - puzzle game where you gradually learn the languages of various peoples by context and logic! Not only is the language and puzzle aspect of this game really well done, it also has a really nice theme and beautiful art style

Hypnospace Outlaw (puzzle, 1990's internet) - play as a moderator on an alternative universe's 90's internet, put your detective skills to use in order to find those pesky users breaking the rules! or spend hours digging through peoples pages to learn wtf ''frostpunk'' is and what happened at ''coolfest'', y'know, like the internet

Nine Sols (metroidvania, souls-like, action/combat) - can be described as a ''sekiro inspired souls-like metroidvania'', if buzzwords do anything for you. If not I will mention that it has a beautiful art style, incredibly satisfying (tough, but fair) parry-focused combat, and intriguing lore and story. Its good!

[lazuliquetzal]

Tell me your thoughts about gameplay and story integration in video games :3

(THANKS ILY TOO!)

Video games are a super interesting medium because it's all about leveraging player behavior and choice. A lot of game design fundamentals are about giving the player freedom, or the illusion of freedom. The game maker sets the rules, and the player organically develops behaviors and strategies within those rules. If you want the player to act a certain way, you have to encourage them to act in that way. (Watch one of the bazillion analysis videos on Super Mario Bros. World 1-1 sometime.)

In games there are ways to punish a player (death, losing progress, jumpscares, etc) and there are ways to reward a player (score go up, unlock new thing, get more power, etc). Story can be part of that, and it can go beyond "play well = good end, play poorly = bad end."

I think, if you're going to use a video game to tell your story, you should really take advantage of it, you know? Flex the medium. Leverage the inherent immersion that comes with the player Interacting With The Game. Inscryption and Undertale are So Video Game that you can't adapt it to a different medium without significant rework. They are video games because they have to be video games. That doesn't make them automatically good, but a good storyteller would choose the medium that works best with their story and that confidence just oozes out, in a good way.

You don't even have to get all 4th wall meta with your video game plot. In Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the main Gimmick is that you have a time-traveling dagger. You can use it to make combat sequences easier, you can use it to solve puzzles, but it's also integral to the entire experience. The time travel sets up the framed narrative, which pays homage to the literature that serves as the game's inspiration. The central conflict is resolved with the time travel mechanic. In gameplay, you make mistakes, experience consequences in battle, learn and do things correctly the next time around, which is the Prince's entire character arc. Even basic game mechanics are part of the story -- when you save, you get "tips and tricks!" in the form of visions that will help you solve puzzles, but some of those visions are plot-relevant. The menu itself has flavor dialogue that is part of the narrative frame and is also hilarious.

Some other examples: Papers, Please! explores bureaucracy as a tool of dehumanization under authoritarian governements, and the gameplay is all fine print and form-filling and menus. In GOW 2018, there are enemies that have elemental weaknesses, so you end up having to switch weapons. (This is a really common thing to do: new area w/ new enemies requires new weapon.) You unlock the Blades of Chaos so that you can enter Helheim. The Blades also have a backstory, and using them means something in Kratos's character arc, it's a whole Thing. In metroidvanias, you unlock new abilities so you can access new parts of the story and find things you missed the first time around -- really good for worldbuilding and creating a sense of depth to a location (the world of Blasphemous comes to mind). Majora's Mask gives you anxiety.

A buddy once asked if I thought a good plot could carry a crappy game, and my answer is no. You can't absorb the story if the primary mode of interacting with the story is unplayable. If the gameplay is detracting from the story, then you should make a movie or write a novel. Video games are experiences: gameplay should serve story, story should serve gameplay. *Tetris: Effect Voice* it's all connected!

I just enjoy it when stories are told in mediums that suit them best. It's satisfying! It's fun! Makes my brain go :D

[deisie]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤ‿︵˓ ʚ♡ɞ ˓ ︵ ͜

ㅤ ݂ ͘ ౨ৎ Still we share a moment .ᐟ ⟢ ۫

ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Is this not a sign?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ︶ ͡ ۫ ˓ ʚ♡ɞ ˒ ۫ ͡ ︶

[Sideblog for my little alter, Deisi. She is 6 years old. One rule: BE NORMAL. Deisi loves attention and will be happy to get any asks or messages from anyone but you need to keep in mind that even though I might be bodily a young adult, Deisi is a syskid. You need to talk to her like you would a real 6 year old. I will also be monitoring anything sent her way to make sure it's an appropriate interaction. I will be putting brackets like this to indicate whether its daisy or me (The Nervous System, Nerv for short) so its clear. I'm sure you can tell by the typing style though lol.]

/) /)

(｡•ㅅ•｡)〝₎₎ 𓊆:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅𓊇 ✦₊ ˊ˗

. .╭∪─∪────────── ✦ ⁺.

. .┊ ◟🐈‍⬛ ﹫ HELLO HII !! im Deisi (her excellency) !!

. .┊﹒🌑 𐐪 im a little alter in @lupvium 's system!! im abt 6!

. .┊ꜝꜝ 🖤﹒im the coolest and smartest evererr . and i can be trusted with explosives and knives and such. you should let me blow up the world i mean uhhh whattt

. .┊ ⨳♟️゛you can talk to me anytime !! ask abt my day!! ask what i drew today! i loveee attention hehe

╰───────────── ✦ ⁺.

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣ ‧₊˚✧

╰─ - ̗̀✎ My Favorite... ♠️

୨୧┇Animal: kitties !! theyre my favourite ever. i love cats and my own cat Isabella more than anythingggg shes my little baby shes so mean sometimes but its ok she is not very smart .

୨୧┇Game: Celeste and Hollow Knight !! i love 2d platformers and metroidvanias sooo so much . i wish nervous would let me play more but i only get a few hours everyday coz hes a meanie.

୨୧┇Alter: Nervousss !!! hes my systems co-host and lead gatekeeper and hes also my little assistant! hes always looking after me and making sure im okay and hes soo nice to me onlg hehe. hes a meanie to everyone else and only smiles at me coz well im just awesome like that. he calls me little missy and young lady :3c

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣ ‧₊˚✧

╰─ - ̗̀✎ Interests & More! ♣️

୨୧┇plushies, dolls, puppets! other toys like that!! figurines, and all that stuff!

୨୧┇drawinggg !! i love drawing so so much and its my fave pass time right up there with playing viddy games.

୨୧┇chococat !!! he just like me fr fr

୨୧┇games! i like metroidvanias and 2d platformers like Celeste and Hollow Knight (my special interest !! ask me abt hollow knight !) like i said before !! i also like rouge-likes like hades and cult of the lamb but nervous says theyre too violent for me :(( boohoo

୨୧┇dont tell nervous but i love mischief too...!! i act up on purpose to rile him up sometimes hehe :3c <- WHO SAID THAT

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣ ‧₊˚✧

♡•`.°𓊔°.` ,, Bye bye !!! i hope we can be friends :> im looking forward to meeting you !! Remember to do something fun today, okay?? ♡♡

[stuffman-main]

brief summary of all games bought/acquired during steam sales

death stranding - qwop with a billion dollar budget. this game is simultaneously dogshit and an utter masterpiece. kojima is a genius and should be given unlimited funding at all times.

roadwarden - randomly gifted from the same grab bag (thanks oarfish!) but i wasn't enjoying this one. essentially a "you play a level 1 peasant dying of dysentery" vn, a subgenre of fantasy i don't particularly care for.

crystal project - this game is half ff5 and half minecraft parkour and i know that doesn't sound amazing, but it is.

core keeper - about ten hours into this but decided i didn't like it enough to continue. it's a game that's similar to the least entertaining parts of terraria (i.e. digging in random directions for ore).

tactics ogre - fft is a clone of this game, so obviously, it rules.

chained echoes - i lost interest in this one pretty early, i didn't like the characters, and full heals between every battle sounds convenient until you realize that means they don't give you any resources to dump to kill annoying enemies. your damage output is always the same. also, the dev appears to have a preoccupation with trolling the player.

artificial dream in arcadia - just started this, seems rad.

flipwitch - very mediocre metroidvania porn game with a lot of fetch quests. nice to look at, at least.

[forlorn-plushie]

Mediabread: Ender Lilies

This game rules, the art fucks, the upgrades are all fun, almost every weapon seems to have a use case... it's just the sort of "Challenging But Fair" that's perfect. Several bosses I've had to come back to another day, 20-40 attempts, having fun the whole time.

There's multiple endings, one is a fake-out and the third says "go recheck the map" as is metroidvania tradition. The map, in service of this, marks unused exits and incomplete rooms. If you've played normally, you probably have mostly clear rooms, so it's not bad at all to go clean up. This is great even before the ending - if I ever didn't know where to go, I just checked the exits I couldn't remember being impassable.

For people who are Very Good At Games it's probably on the easier side - the dodge is extremely invincible and the parry is very generous. More games do this please and thank you.

Once I've fought a foe a couple times, if I try to parry something, I can usually get it. If I try to dodge and I'm not stuck in an animation, I can pretty much always do it. This is how it should be. The challenge is learning the timings, not executing perfectly.

The music is also stellar, with most of the game having beautiful string arrangements (I don't music. there's definitely a better term.), and then the last area makes me want to crawl out of my skin. On purpose! And it did it without making me want to stop playing. Expertly done!

Gorgeous! Touching story! 9/10, this is up there near Hollow Knight so if you're waiting for Silksong, go play Ender Lilies. There's a sequel in Early Access (Ender Magnolia) that I'm 100% gonna play when it hits full release.

[italeteller]

If you're dissappointed at Pokemon ScaVio's performance and are in the mood for an indie monster catching game, allow me to shill for my favorite game in a while: Monster Sanctuary

Monster Sanctuary is, like I said, an indie monster catching game made by moi rai games. It's on Steam (where it's currently having a 66% discount offer), XBOX, PS4 and Nintendo Switch. You play the silent protagonist role of a newly minted monster keeper, with access to one of four starters

-There were 101 monsters, but the free DLC expansion added 10 more so the final game has 111 different monsters to catch and train

-The battle system is nothing like pokemon. While you still have a 6 monster party, the battles are all 3v3. The battle system is thus geared to making the most out of your team, with passives to help each other, and a combo system that makes the second and third move hit harder, so the order in which you attack becomes important

-There is no speed stat. You choose which monster goes first, second and third, then the enemy does the same. PVP has some extra rules to ensure fairer fights, but let's not worry about that now

-After each fight you get a star rating, depending on a bunch of in-battle factors. Each monster has a drop table of their own, and the better your star rating, the more loot you get from them

-There are 4 elemental types: fire, water, wind and earth, plus melee, magic, neutral and debuff. Each monster in the game is weak and resistant to one of these, but they don't have a type of their own, so it's not like pokemon, where a water type is weak to grass and lightning. Luckily, the game outright tells you your and your enemy's weaknesses and resistances at the beginning of the battle, plus it also tells you when a move will be weak or strong so you don't have to learn everything

-Speaking of moves, each monster has their own unique skill tree, with active moves (offensive, heals, buffs, debuffs, etc), passives and stat increases

while plenty of monsters share plenty of skills, the trees are made in such a way that no two monsters feel the same. Each time you level up, you gain one skill point, to be spent unlocking a new skill. Each monster only goes up to level 42, so you can't actually fully unlock the whole tree, but there's an item that resets the tree that's pretty easy to get, so you can experiment to your heart's content to see which build suits your playstyle better. You can also get multiple copies of each monster to try different builds, if that's what you like

-In addition to the skill trees, each monster can be equipped with 1 weapon item, up to 3 accessory items and up to 4 food items. These modify your stats and can give you passives, to add another layer of customization. Don't worry if it sounds overwhelming on paper, the game is really gentle and makes sure to ease you into all the systems slowly and carefully, so you won't be swamped by all the things you can do all at once

-By the way, there are no pokeballs here. You kill the monsters you encounter, and you get an egg drop from them, which you can instantly hatch into a copy of the monster you just killed. No breeding, no running around hatching eggs, just instantly getting what you wanted. The downside is, the eggs don't have a 100% drop rate. Good star ratings improve the chance of egg drops, and tbh I've never heard of anybody who couldn't get all the mons, so don't worry about it. You might have to grind a little, but it's genuinely not that bad

-There are no random encounters. The monsters walk on the overworld and will fight you if you make physical contact with them. You can jump over them (yes, you can jump) to avoid fights if you want, and later you gain access to several monsters with a skill that allows you to bypass fights entirely

-Yes, monsters have exploration skills. This game has a metroidvania side to it, with each monster having a skill that allows you to sort obstacles. Better jumps, elemental strikes, breaking walls, swimming, etc. As you progress and explore more of the world you will get access to more skills that will unlock more rewards, your standard metroidvania formula. You can freely swap between companion monsters to use whichever skill you need at the moment. Your companion monster will walk or fly alongside you while you're not fighting, so if you've got a fave you can have them by your side the whole game

-You're not limited to 6 monsters. Your fighting party only allows 6, but you can keep every single monster you catch on reserve to swap in whenever you want. They won't get exp from battles unless they're on the main party, but you can use their exploration skills whenever you want. I finished the game and the DLC expansion and I have around 200 monsters total

-There are boss monsters and you can also fight other keepers, though you'll spend most of the game fighting regular monsters. Still, shit can get pretty challenging, so don't lower your guard

-There's New Game+ options, and three different challenge modes. You can stack all three challenges together if you're feeling daring. Oh yeah, and you can like a dozen different save files

So yeah, I love this game, I put over 90 hours in it just for the sheer joy of playing, and while it does have it's downsides (the character customization is shameful tbh, and the story is ok but nothing to write home about), it's damn fun and I wish it were more popular

So yeah, if you end up buying it DM me about it. There's also a discord where the devs hang out so you won't be lacking outside help

[satoshi-mochida]

Metroidvania game Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune launches July 26 for PS5, PC - Gematsu

Metroidvania game Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune will leave Early Access and launch for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG on July 26, developer IceSitruuna announced.

Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune first launched in Early Access for PC on December 15, 2022.

Here is an overview of the game, via IceSitruuna:

About

Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune is a genuine Metroidvania game. Compared to our last work, Tower Hunter: Erza’s Trial, Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune has fuller stories, content, monsters, more exquisite scenes, smoother actions, and a more diversified, personalized cultivation system. We’ll do our best to make the game construction more thorough and stable. Also, we’ll add more featured experience, gameplay, and content in future updates. Two years ago, Erza obtained the legendary hunter license and became a rising star in the imperial force. Under the rule of the wise and able emperor, the empire grows steadily. As one of the core forces in the expansion, Erza has won many military exploits. In this fantasy world of swords and magic, Erza will lead an exploration team and start an epic adventure. She will fight unknown monsters and solve mysteries of the world. Why would the fiend become a hair clip? You’ll find the answer in the game.

Key Features

Classic side-scrolling levels with steadier, smoother gameplay. Jump and dash can interrupt other actions’ recovery to get smoother responses.

During your exploration in the game world, you may find secret passages between the two main areas or accidentally enter unknown chambers with hidden stories.

Improved cartoon rendering makes the characters more lifelike.

Real beat ’em up combat system. Enemies have more ways to act after hit.

You’ll depend more on tactics when it comes to BOSS fights—learn their routines and act swiftly. Seize the chance to hit while keeping a distance. With the character change and support system, Erza won’t be fighting alone.

2.5D exquisite scenes will surely make an impression on you. The ultimate skills are made in 3D, which enables cool shows that 2D can’t do.

With a more diversified, personalized cultivation system, you can choose your favorite way to raise characters and find more possibilities.

Watch a new trailer below.

Release Date Trailer

[sunbeamstress]

I was curious, have you mentioned anything regarding what IDOL is about/how it will play? I love seeing all the animations and visuals you've posted, they're very organic and rad!

oof ask a tough one! my gameplay vision has changed a lot in the past year, but what remains the same is that it needs to be a very weird game

gameplay features mostly set in stone:

- tools-based metroidvania exploration: most passages in the world of Ninesilver are blocked behind defunct machinery - the protagonist learns to reverse engineer old tech so that she can replace emergency batteries, repair airlocks, etc, opening more of the environment to exploration. this machinery system will actually be functional, with simulated power grids and internally consistent rules, so that you can also sabotage things and set up traps

- turn-based combat with instakills and environmental destruction: combat resolves on a round-by-round basis. each round is a game of making important, meaningful positioning/distance choices (stay afar to harass with your gun? move in close to try to catch a bullet/missile?). one crucial component of this is smashing up buildings and things to funnel your opponents exactly where you want them. expect this gameplan to change a LOT

- reverse boss battles: boss battles are a narrative experience where you play the boss and fight yourself. i'm doing this for lore reasons (your character knows what's going on but she is a closed book, especially to you, the player), but also because i don't think I've ever seen this done before?

this might all end up not being very fun, but the nice thing about making a game that costs you no money and that also exists purely as an art project is that you can make silly choices based on vibes

[mynextgames-blog]

An attempt on creating my own gaming superhero universe!

Superhero genre was a huge part of my childhood. There was no day without watching some Batman show or reading comics. I was so absorbed in those series that I could recite any line, from any episode and at exact accurate timestamp. I think saying that I wouldn't be the same person as I am now without "Batman: Beyond" is not so far from the truth.

But even though I love DC's universe with my full heart, there was always something I wished was made differently. Some characters' traits, plots, villains, settings - all of those were just little nuances, but in general I felt like there was still so much unused potential.

That's how I started thinking about "doing it better". Doing it even more... dark. First sketches were drawn and a few crumpled sheets of paper further my main character was slowly coming to life. His name - Hank Bukowski. But he just goes by Hank. Or... Mayfly. He is a recovering alcoholic, who in a moment of weakness, suffers a relapse. In his young years Hank was an illegal street wrestler, but those times are over. One day he lost everything - money, friends, his family. He lost himself in gallons of alcohol and suddenly realised, that he came in possesion of the unique superpower - time-travelling. That's when he decided to start his life again and give it a meaning.

But a superhero wouldn't be himself without his nemesis. The most dangerous man in the world, a mastermind, someone who can go inside other man's mind and use his inner demons to destroy him from the inside. A true master of chaos. Meet... the Unraveler. He's the leader of the biggest group of criminals that some time ago ruled this city. Unfortunately, thanks to Hank's help, all of them are currently locked up in Metro City Asylum. But those days are coming to an end. The Unraveler is planning his revange and wants to examine Hank's ability, which was the only thing able to stop his perfect plans and illusion shows.

The criminals crew is still getting bigger. Right now the most interesting ones are definitely gangster Sammy the Fish, Bloody Mary and Krupp, being more bulky version of Iron Man. Each of them has its own backstory and iconic skills, which... I can't tell you about right now, because that's too much for just one post.

There is also someone (or should I say... SOMETHING?) drastically more powerful, than any of the characters can imagine. A living incarnation of pure evil and darkness. The true bad omen and destroyer of worlds. Can Hank manage to save the world from the greatest enemy ever seen, or will he lost himself on the rollecoaster of demons and fears?

There's still so much I want to talk about and I promise to keep you informed about my new ideas! All of what you just read will become a video game called "Hank: Drowning On Dry Land". This will be something between a metroidvania, an adventure game and a puzzle solving experience with comic aesthetics. Gameplay will also be enriched with many time-travelling skills and horror elements! You'll also have to avoid your past iterations, as every time jump will basically make a copy of yourself in the same timeline, putting it at risk of collapsing.

I think I can say that none of the fans of series such as Batman, Disco Elisium, Watchmen or even Sexy Brutale should be disappointed. I'm still working on this epic opening animation inspired by an intro from Batman: Beyond series with an original rock song and I definitely can see the light at the end of this long road.

If you'd like to see my job and support me on this journey, here's the link to the Steam page of the game, where you can wishlist it. If you're here just for my concepts and you think they are cool - leave a like or a comment, your opinion means a whole world to me! Let's get through this journey together and make something cool :)

store.steampowered.com/app/1937880/Hank_Drowning_On_Dry_Land/?utm_source=tumblr

[eternalwritess]

Hey, I'm that anon that was matched with Charlie a while back (the one with the soy sauce packets). I was wondering if you could match me with one of the Helluva Boss characters?

It's the same info as before \/

I'm a bisexual aroace (If you've heard of "demiromantic"; that's how I experience romantic attraction). I use he/it/they pronouns.

I'm an INFP, though I have gotten ISTP sometimes. I usually keep to myself around strangers, and my first words to people that I'm not introduced by friends are usually just work-related with a bit of small talk (even in fandom spaces, surprisingly). Once I get comfortable around people, I tend to let my childish nature and antics shine through, and once I consider you a friend, it's hard to ever fully shake me off. My friends sometimes call me an "old grandpa", with the way I know a lot of random psychology and biology facts, and the way I fumble with new technology, slang, and texting acronyms. My love of non-fiction and my adherence to grammar rules certainly doesn't help. Simultaneously, they (lovingly) call a 12-year-old boy, with the way I don't hesitate to pull out a "your mom" or "that's what she said" to the conversation and with the way that I almost exclusively watch animated movies and shows over live action ones. I carry with me 15 packets of soy sauce in fish-shaped sachets in my (several) pockets. Why? Because I think it's funny, and the confusion I bring to those around me with my soy collection gives me a sense of joy. (I do other things of a similar calibre, but I wanted to name an example) Despite all of this, I tend to gravitate towards the "Mom Friend" archetype. I carry with me a lot of people pleasing tendencies (I get a lot of anxiety around not upsetting others), and that translates to making sure that the people around me are happy. I also tend to fill a "Therapist Friend" role because of this fact, my psychology facts, and how intuitive I can be at times. I tend to isolate myself, whether by physically or mentally leaving the room, when I feel upset, and I don't really like talking about negative experiences I have unless those experiences have been resolved.

On a brighter note, I consider myself quite the creative person. I draw a lot, though I usually only draw other characters instead of my own OCs. I have a discord server that I use to jot down either: a) my opinion of a certain media b) images/reactions I find funny/relatable c) infodumps about AUs or crossovers that I've made I don't really write, so I consider "c)" to be the next best thing. I also love music. I listen to mostly indie music, with a couple of generic queer bands thrown in there and a couple of musicals' and video games' OSTs. I play the violin and the trombone, so I may be biased in saying that I love jazz (really doesn't help the "old man" allegations, but who cares). In terms of non-creative hobbies, I love reading. Although I find myself drawn to the odd science non-fiction book, my heart lies in fantasy and mystery novels (this does include webtoons, manga, and webnovels, though I don't read those as much). On the same vein, I love video games (where else would I get those OSTs?). I tend to like story-rich games that are either turn-based (think Undertale) or no combat (think Slime Rancher), though if the mechanics aren't too overwhelming, metroidvanias are nice (think Hollow Knight). The last main hobby is food. If I didn't give you "mad scientist" vibes, let me tell you, I "Victor Frankenstein" my way through every meal, when time permits. I mostly mix and match what I'd think taste good together based on what I was craving at the time. I'd also say that, apart from Quality Time, I show affection best through giving foods that I've made. It works in reverse, too, where I get pleasantly happy when people I know well offer food to me. There was this one time I was bickering with some friends and one of them held a packet of chips to my face, and I tell you, the way I immediately shut up the second I saw it... I was almost embarrassed by how well that worked...

I'm really sensitive to a lot of textures, and the biggest ones are stickers (and anything sticky in that way) and wet things (think water fountains splashing water unexpectedly, fruit juices spraying on my face when I cut them too harshly, even stepping on wet floorboards without socks can set it off). Clothing/carpet with short hairs send literal shivers down my spine, but only when I touch them with my fingers/feet. I don't like kissing (at all.), so I normally stick with nuzzling. Hugs and spooning (both with people I'm comfortable around) are okay, however.

I don't really have any pet peeves, other than just blatant disrespect of basic boundaries as well as these boundaries in particular.

I hope you have a good and well-rested day :)

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙…

𝓜𝓸𝔁𝔁𝓲𝓮!

Honestly the first person that came to mind for you is Moxxie

The way you two met is that he probably say you trying to mediate between an argument with a few others it started getting a little... dicey so he decided to step in before you got hurt

Yeah so those guys are now dead-

He made sure that you were okay immediately afterwards

"Are you okay? Some people in Hell are just so unreasonable,"

After that he offered to walk you somewhere safe (at first he offered to your house but then started stumbling seeing how weird it sounded since you both just met)

He tried getting you talk on the way asking you small questions here and there trying to get to know you more since he found the way you handled the situation between the two guys amazing

"So what do you like to do for fun?"

Once you let your guard down he really fell in love with you

He absolutely adored your more childish nature and it would push him out of his boundaries just a little more

You and him would absolutely bond over not understanding the internet. You would both try to learn it and Blitz (idk how to do the o thing) would try to 'help' you guys (just make fun of you)

He would randomly asking you questions loving your random psychology and biology facts. He admires your will to learn and finds it as one of the most attractive things about you

"Do you know what this is?"

Whenever you pull out a 'your mom' joke he finds it slightly immature and doesn't get it all of the time but Blitz likes it and will encourage you on it

Either way though he finds your sense of humor quite nice compared to Blitz's

He doesn't know why you have the soy sauce packets... its a mystery to him

"May I ask... why?"

You and him probably read series's of books together like honestly I wouldn't doubt it. Its one of the many things you do together

Whenever you get upset and leave the room he gets concerned and will try to give you space but might end up following you and trying to comfort you. But if he sees that you just really want to be alone he'll leave you and apologize

He'll then grab some of your favorite stuff for you and surprise you with it trying to make sure that you're alright

"I know you're having a bad time so... I grabbed a few things for you"

He encourages you to be creative all of the time constantly buying you drawing supplies and praising your work. He hangs it up everywhere... and makes sure that everyone knows that you did it and that its the best artwork in the seven rings

While you and him might not have the same music tastes he loves you anyways and will end up writing songs for you

"I made a little something for you..."

Whenever he hears you play the violin or trombone he swoons and will start hugging you and nuzzling you whenever you're done

Sometimes you both play duets together and afterwards he'll always praise you saying how well you did

Whenever he sees you mix and match food he gets confused and will give you the weirdest little look ever as if he's questioning his life decisions...

But besides that he'll just give you an awkward thumbs up

:Thumps up:

He gets you food... like all of the time. He loves gift giving if you can't tell by now-

Whenever there's a texture that you don't like and it comes into contact with you he'll help you get it off always

He always follows your boundaries no matter what <3

It took him a while to open up to you about his past and he didn't share all of it... but you comforted him through it

[tsunflowers]

my thoughts on main riders as gamers, heisei to present

godai: not really a gamer but will play a mario party or something if people have it. pretty good at various arcade games, pinball, pachinko, etc

shouichi: good at rhythm games. likes farming sims although he says it's not as satisfying as gardening irl. he likes to decorate his house and farm. probably has maxed out hearts with all the non-romanceable housewife npcs

shinji: loves gaming, is very bad at it. he doesn't own a console so he never has time to practice

takumi: I wanted to say I didn't think takkun would be a gamer but then I remembered he has depression. probably goes into a haze where he sinks hours of his life into an rpg and doesn't come up for air

kenzaki: absolutely a gamer but kind of a normal guy type gamer. if there's no guns or cars he's not interested. I think he's the type to main a fighting game character he's not very good at just bc he loves the character so much

hibiki: no interest, no skill. unless it's taiko no tatsujin

tendou: not really interested, only plays games with juka and hiyori. you will be astounded if you see him and hiyori playing ddr together bc I know she is a mid 2000s scene kid who lives for the ddr machine in her heart

ryoutarou: I dont think ryoutarou owns a console or has any friends so he's stuck with either arcade or phone games. I can see him idly playing candy crush and getting really far

wataru: gamer alert. lots of rhythm games, stuff like the sims and zoo tycoon, and picks rpgs based on character designs. he plays a lot of dating sims but he thinks they'll teach him how to interact with people and doesn't realize no one in a dating sim has ever been normal

tsukasa: I feel like he's naturally good at every game he's ever played but if he plays with the rest of the squad they team up against him and he loses for once

shoutarou: not really a gamer. he probably makes excuses about how he would prefer to be reading a book, on paper, bc he was born in the wrong century, but he mostly just doesn't have the hand-eye coordination for it

philip: loves games but often misunderstands them in weird ways. like when you hear about a guy who beat a game but he never realized you could equip different weapons so he just played with the starter weapon for the entire game. that's philip. if he played one of the recent fes he would map out the most advantageous marriages though

eiji: probably just an idle phone game guy, i don't see him as a gamer. offers intentionally stupid advice to ankh when ankh is gaming just to make him mad

gentarou: obviously a gamer. does try to befriend enemies that can't be befriended and has to be talked out of it. safer to play games that are less combat oriented with him. I also think he doesn't really play game on his own but likes to play party games or sit and watch kengo or tomoko game

haruto: probably not a gamer. I think he's really good at carnival and arcade games though. like if a game is supposed to be unwinnable by design this guy can walk in and win in one try and he just says "it's magic"

kouta: he'll play smash or mario kart but he's not really a gamer. I don't know if he'd be good at ddr or not bc it's not really like dancing

shinnosuke: I think he's the type to have one game or one series he's really interested in so when people try to get him into something else he's like "no thanks I already play a video game"

takeru: I think he is a gamer but decidedly casual. he loved undertale

haruka and jin: not gamers

emu: emu's gaming habits are explored in canon

sento: definitely a gamer, probably loves older rpgs and metroidvanias. the type of guy to try to exploit cheats and make up rules for himself to make the game more challenging, eg nuzlockes

sougo: plays games but always makes the worst and most evil decisions bc "it's faster" and it's like sougo. the game all but told you flat out that this was the morally wrong thing to do and here you are

aruto: certainly a gamer but fairly casual. probably deeply into one rpg series and can just spout off trivia about it

touma: i dont know that guy

ikki: plays fifa

ace: ace's gaming habits are also canonical

[linuxgamenews]

Unveiling Primal Planet: A Metroidvania Game Worth Checking Out

Primal Planet is a new metroidvania game that's due to make its way onto Linux and Windows PC. The exceptional talent of solo developer Seethingswarm deserves our gratitude. Due to evolve on to Steam next year. Today, I'm diving into something different – Primal Planet. This solo-developed title is a thrilling mix of exploration and survival, and it's due to release in 2025. It's part of the Dinos vs. Robots Fest on Steam, and the first trailer just got released. Trust me, it's a metroidvania you'll want to check out. But first, let's talk about native support:

I use Godot to develop Primal Planet, but it's totally do-able.

This title is being crafted using the versatile Godot engine. With a bit of collaboration from the Linux community for testing, Seethingswarm can export the title. So, it's not just possible, it's due to happen. The game takes place in a world where dinosaurs rule, and ancient mysteries are just waiting to be uncovered. That's Primal Planet for you. It's a story-driven adventure where the visuals do all the talking – no need for words. The creator, Seethingswarm, has a real love for dinosaurs and alien enigmas, and this project is a labour of love that brings these elements together. It's about delivering a story that packs an emotional punch, inspired by epic tales like Star Wars.

Primal Planet - Official Reveal Trailer

Now, let's talk about what you'll be doing. Your role is a cave dweller, fighting tooth and nail to protect your family. Trying to also survive a T-Rex attack and unravel a story that perfectly marries the wildness of a prehistoric world with sci-fi elements. You'll need to craft tools, weapons, and healing mixtures to stay alive and upgrade your skills. All due to face the challenges of this Primal Planet. Exploration is a big part of the experience. You'll venture through different biomes, each with its unique set of challenges and secrets. And the dinosaurs? They're incredibly realistic, each adapted to its setting in amazing detail. Primal Planet combat is a mix of brains and brawn. You've got to be smart with your tactics, using crafted weapons, traps, and stealth. Due to get the upper hand against both regular and boss enemies. And there's also local co-op mode. You can team up with a friend, with the second player controlling a quick sinosauropteryx. It's all about teamwork to solve puzzles, tackle obstacles, and beat the dinos. So, are you ready to join the dinovania group and dive into the secrets of Primal Planet? This is not just a metroidvania game; it's an experience that promises adventure, challenge and a whole lot of dino-action. Due to making its way onto Linux and Windows PC. So be sure to Wishlist it on Steam.

[fezfries]

Im fez :3

I mostly like cartoons and metroidvania games

Check out my carrd and strawpage!!!

Also for any art posts ill be using the tag #fezzart

Also see here for art request information!!