#alt-frequencies

[iloveabunchofgames]

#JakeReviewsItch

Alt-Frequencies

by Plug In Digital, Accidental Queens

Price (US): $4.99

Included In: Bundle for Ukraine

Genre: Interactive Fiction, Puzzle

Pitch: Pitch.

My expectations: From the developers of A Normal Lost Phone? You have my attention.

Review:

The first plot point you’re likely to encounter in Alt-Frequencies is that the nation will vote on the time loop at the end of the week. The second comes in the form of a blinding light and a radio repeating itself.

My big complaint about A Normal Lost Phone was that displaying a content warning on the first screen of the game, while necessary, spoiled everything for those without content sensitivities. Alt-Frequency also has a content warning on its first screen, which it hides by default. Small change; huge improvement.

I’ll not say another word about the narrative, except that they’ve nailed it. Alt-Frequencies is worth playing for the story alone.

Yet it’s the game part that appeals to me most: Record a snippet from the radio (that is, a single text box) and call in to another station to play the recording. Finding the needle in the red-herring stack can be a challenge, but once you get it, you’ll wonder how you ever missed it.

Each radio loop is just a few minutes long, with the option to skip forward one text box, so listening to / reading the full broadcast of every station isn’t asking much, besides which, getting to know the characters, their shows, and the music the play is entertaining enough that I was also happy to take a break from the mission and just listen. It’s the best part of Grand Theft Auto with a dash of Her Story. Short, unique, intriguing—check it out.

+ A miraculous fusion of text and audio, contemporary politics and science-fiction, tragedy and comedy, and puzzle solving and storytelling. + Character-driven writing that uses believable people with believable responses to impossible events to say something real. + Some natural, believable acting. + A simple logic puzzle made better through winning presentation and mechanics.

– The in-universe tutorial goes out of its way to explain that this is a special radio with special powers that must be calibrated. It's a dumb way to start. Everyone who's old enough to have used a radio has recorded something off a radio, and call-in radio stations have always been popular. These things do not need sci-fi explanations. Dumb! – Toys around with one additional mechanic, but never commits to it. There's a lot more to this game's ideas, and it's a shame they didn't take full advantage. – Having the right idea but getting the execution slightly wrong can lead to a lot of frustration. – Some not-so-natural, not-so-believable acting. Some embarrassing typos, too. Indie developers, I have experience as a director, frequently working with amateur actors, and I was a bug tester and copy editor at Nintendo for years. I'm available for hire. Lots of people with my skills are available for hire. We are always worth the cost.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🤍 Bottom Line: Alt-Frequencies is a short game built on a fresh concept and righteous political anger. Play it. (It's available on everything. Judging by the controls, iOS and Android were probably the target platforms, but I think you'll get just as much out of it no matter how you play. Itch has the lowest MSRP, but it's often on sale for stupidly cheap on PC and elsewhere.)

#JakeReviewsTwitch is a series of daily game reviews. You can learn more here. You can also browse past reviews...

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[splashink-games]

A Note On... Alt-Frequencies

Alt-Frequencies is an audio puzzle game about being stuck in a time loop.

This game was a gamble. for me, I mean. I was intrigued by the concept of the game being audio based, but I didn't know how good it would be.

it was pretty good.

I loved the personality of each radio host. and as an extension, the voice acting quality was insane. we can hear each character has things going on, things that they're hoping to achieve. listening to the banter they have was enjoyable. the worldbuilding in the game was great. there was a world outside of our radio.

but the real mystery of the game was enjoyable too. the whole government conspiracy thing about how everyone was already in a time loop was curious and it hooked me.

however, the ending was spoiled. chapters 4 and 5 were pretty meh. too much time passes in-story that you have no effect on, no matter what choices you made. I can tell that it was rushed. or at least, restricted. it was unfulfilling. no fault to the devs though, cause I understand how narrative design can be.

Alt-Frequencies was good in theory, almost good in execution.

as always, enjoy gaming!

[xycuro-illuminati]

I finally sat down and did a ref of Andrew Murdock Smith, the bitter exes stuntdevil clone son. Big thanks to my friends redfingrs and cowumbo-uwu for helping me fix up the design and finalize it.

DO NOT TAG AS M/CU

More info and art under cut

Andrew came from a shitpost What If idea of George obtaining the piece of the criminal cowboy DD suit that Johnny ghost rider damaged that contained Matt's blood and dead skin cells to create a clone son with his and Matt's DNA. The guy has connections and was able to obtain drugs specifically made to trick Matt's powers, why would he NOT know a scientist that can clone people. Made it into a way less-shitposty idea where George did that not only to get revenge on Matt but to have a true Stunt Master successor.

Andrew was made physically and mentally a grown adult in his mid-late 20's, but George still raised him for a bit. He tricks Andrew into believing that his other father, Daredevil, was a megalomaniac that was too dangerous to be around and that he needed to be put down, despite the news showing him as a hero. George showed Andrew "how Daredevil really is" with evidence of Matt's criminal cowboy days and even the shadowlands incident. He also convinced Andrew that he should the one to replace Matt as Daredevil while also being a Stunt Master successor. Eventually, Andrew got sick and tired of George because George sucks so bad as a parent, so he ran off to start his mercenary life. With enough training, he gained the name Infrared and goes after Daredevil. However, Andrew found out that DD had trained another vigilante before named Blindspot. So he decides to go after Sam first just to test him and get an idea of what to expect from fighting Matt. Andrew shows up randomly to challenge Sam many times until one fight led to Sam putting the pieces together.

After that particular exchange, Andrew finally goes after Matt. Sam had trouble finding/contacting Matt to ask questions, but Andrew got to Matt first. As explained in one of my late night ramble posts, Andrew had this idea of Matt in his head, expecting him to be arrogant, cruel, and downright malicious. The Daredevil that George described aligned more with how Matt acted during his criminal cowboy days, so Andrew was fully expecting that. He wasn't expecting Daredevil who refused to fight back after learning the truth, and wanted to help him instead. That shattered Andrew's world view and made him leave.

Later on, he comes around and tolerates Matt and his attempts at being a parent. As for Sam, they act like rivals. Sam can't stand his ass and wants to beat the shit out of him for all the trouble/injuries he's caused and Andrew just likes to annoy him and fights him for fun. Horrid stuntdevil offspring.

Andrew uses a kusarigama bc he thought it was similar to batons but sharper (and I thought it would look cool leave me alone). He also uses pistols and other types of guns, but mostly for his merc work rather than his I'm-going-to-fight-vigilantes-for-fun work.

Also I'll maybe draw his motorcycle in the future, idk, I imagine it's something like this:

[nedlittle]

[alt]

posting this by popular request by the mashole discord for all your hawk girl summer needs

[onewhoturns]

A-Z Challenge GAME 1

Based on poll results, A is gonna be the first game, and this challenge can include games I’ve started but haven’t finished, as well as games I haven’t tried yet.

Here's the game options I'm looking at for my first playthrough, to start some time this week (no time frame for the challenge, cause I have a job and that does kinda stop me from playing several games on the clock - though not all games, some games work great at work). Descriptions of the options (ft trailers and tags) below the cut.

1. Acolyte (2022)

"Acolyte is a narrative ARG/Detective game that gives you your own Acolyte; a digital assistant you can talk to freely with unlimited dialogue options. Just like a real conversation." Steam tags: detective, interactive fiction, investigation, conversation, mystery, story rich, puzzle

2. Alt-Frequencies (2019)

"An audio mystery set in a time loop. Record, rewind time and broadcast snippets of radio shows to expose radio hosts, conspiracy theorists and politicians." Steam tags: indie, politics, interactive fiction, experimental, investigation, detective, narration

3. Afterparty (2020) (I've played this through once before, but not on steam, so no achievements have unlocked yet)

"In Afterparty, you are Milo and Lola, recently deceased best buds who suddenly find themselves staring down an eternity in Hell. But there's a loophole: outdrink Satan and he'll grant you re-entry to Earth." Steam tags: indie, supernatural, narrative, comedy, adventure, choices matter, story rich, atmospheric

4. A Musical Story (2022) (I have 37/54 achievements after 2hrs of play, hltb estimates an average 6.5hrs completionist)

"‘A Musical Story’ is a rhythm game set against a 70s backdrop. Explore the memories of Gabriel, a young man trying to come to terms with his situation through the connections to his musical memory." Steam tags: rhythm, music, adventure, story rich, casual, cute, colorful

5. Astrologaster (2019) (I have 2/25 achievements after 2hrs of play, hltb estimates an average 6.5hrs completionist)

"Astrologaster is a comedy game set in Shakespeare’s London. Play as 'Doctor' Simon Forman and treat his patients using astrology. A story-driven adventure based on a truly ridiculous story." Steam tags: comedy, funny, story rich, interactive fiction, choose your own adventure, visual novel

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

Music video to 2018 single "Only Way" by Puebla, Mexico-based coldwave act Frequence Noir

[myimaginaryradio]

What's The Frequency, Kenneth? - R.E.M. - 1994

[an-onyx]

A great hope has crossed the earth.  A great hope has crossed my fear.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

In Brazil Senate, former Bolsonaro ministers come back with a vengeance

Four of Jair Bolsonaro’s former cabinet ministers will get a new job in the Senate, official poll results showed this Sunday.

Damares Alves, Marcos Pontes, Sergio Moro, and Tereza Cristina were elected for eight-year terms in the Senate, which holds three seats for each state.

Mr. Moro is the most famous of the bunch. The former judge, who was the biggest star of the Car Wash investigation, served as Justice Minister under Bolsonaro for slightly more than a year. He resigned in April 2020 after accusing the president of political interference in Federal Police investigations.

Damares Alves served as Family and Human Rights minister, a platform she mostly used to push far-right causes. She personally worked to delay Covid vaccination programs for children.

Tereza Cristina and Marcos Pontes served as Agriculture and Science and Technology ministers, respectively.

Continue reading.

[iloveabunchofgames]

March 2023 Game Awards

#JakeReviewsItch Game of the Month Archives

You know how this works: Every day, I review an Itch.io game, and on the first day of each month, I give prestigious awards to the previous month's games. There is no reason we need to acknowledge that I've been on hiatus for more than two weeks. We can just pretend that everything is normal. This month's award categories come courtesy of Steve Kim, whose Tweet was the first hit when I Googled, "1 like = 1 game". Thanks, Steve! He also has a long-abandoned Tumblog, which is pretty fun if you want some silly goofs about things that were happening on Giant Bomb 5+ years ago.

March's Games:

Akurra 🖤 Akuto: Showdown / Akuto: Mad World 🖤 The Alabaster Donut Farm 🖤 Alfal's Grove 🖤 Alien Life Lab 🖤 All Haze Eve 🖤 All You Can Eat 🖤 Alone With You 🖤 Alt-Frequencies 🖤 Ambidangerous 🖤 Amelie 🖤 Amethyst Hearth 🖤 An Airport Game 🖤 An American Werewolf In LA 🖤 An Outcry, prologue 🖤 Anarcute 🖤 And All Would Cry Beware! 🖤 And Yet It Moves 🖤 Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe 🖤 Animal Lover 🖤 Annwn: the Otherworld 🖤 Anodyne 🖤 Anomalies 🖤 Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story 🖤 Antecrypt⚡ 🖤 Antistatic 🖤 The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human 🖤 Arachnopunk

1 - Very first video game. Akkura

Ah, the first of March 2023. Who could the forget the day I played the mostly decent demo of a Sokoban game?

2 - Your favorite character. The cute cute cutey l'il aminals from Anarcute

Bunnies and froggies and foxies and even platypuses! They're all cuuuuuuute, and they cheerfully work together to topple fascism!

3 - A game that is underrated. Animal Lover

I went back and forth quite a bit before settling on Animal Lover's score. It's currently the highest-rated 3/5, but maybe it should have been a low 4/5.

4 - Your guilty pleasure game. Anomalies

There were quite a few big, worthwhile games in March; games that take a lot of time and effort to review fairly. Anomalies is a procedural generation toy that turns a bunch of numbers into a random mess of polygons. It took very little time and effort to review, and I feel guilty about how much pleasure I got from that.

5 - Game character you feel you are most like (or wish you were). The Angry Video Game Nerd from Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe

The character I wish I were? No. The character I feel most like? He chooses to play bad games and complains about it on the Internet. Hello.

6 - Most annoying character. Right Stick from Ambidangerous

Trying to play both characters in a two-player co-op game on one controller? "Annoying" is putting it mildly.

7 - Favorite game couple. A man and his diner from All You Can Eat

In a month with a number of solid dating sims, none touched me quite as much as the story of a man who'd spent ten years living in a diner to get the most out of an all-you-can-eat coupon. It's a love story for the ages.

8 - Best soundtrack. Anarcute

Its infectiously poppy sound fits the look and feel of the game perfectly, but I'm listening to it now, removed from the game, and this is working, too. It's music that's suitable for writing, dancing, or smashing the state. I must remember to bump these tunes in my headphones next time I go Rollerblading.

9 - Saddest game scene. Putting it together in Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story

A moment that will come to different players at different times, so I won't go into any more detail. I'm still feeling it, weeks later.

10 - Best gameplay. Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe

Originality is great. You know what else is great? Mega Man. Castlevania. Contra. If you're going to steal, steal from the best. AVGN does just that, and it's a blast to play.

11 - Gaming system of choice. Steam

In mid-March, I wrote about my beef with Steam. Here's the link, though you can safely skip it. I don't believe I made my point very well at all. In a nutshell, I think Valve's monopoly over computer games stinks. For all its frustrating issues, though, Steam's controller support is an invaluable tool.

12 - A game everyone should play. All You Can Eat

All You Can Eat is what indie games are all about. It takes one idea—What if an adventure game were presented as a newspaper comic strip?—and turns it into a funny little thing that takes, like, half an hour to complete. Short, simple, and totally ingenious.

13 - A game you've played more than five times. Alien Life Lab

I've played through Alien Life Lab twice, which is close to five times.

14 - Current (or most recent) gaming wallpaper. Anarcute

I used care about the background on my computer, but some time in the last decade, Windows gave me the default scuba diver image, and then I changed it to an image of my choosing, and then it reverted to scuba again, and after two or three times, I just gave up.

I'm pretty sure my last desktop wallpaper was a picture of Synergy, the hologram computer that allowed Jerrica Benton to become Jem. What would everyone think if I gave up on writing about video games and turned this into a full-time Jem fan site? Anyway, Anarcute is cute. I don't think I have to explain this.

15 - Post a screenshot from the game you're playing right now. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl

"Has anyone ever successfully copied Super Smash Bros.?" I asked in my Antistatic review. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl answers that question: Yeah. I guess?

16 - Game with the best cut scenes. Alone With You

You'll see them 10,000 times, each, and get sick of them long before that, but there's no denying that this game's a looker.

17 - Favorite antagonist. Conservative politics and corporate overreach from Alt-Frequencies

If only such powers were confined to sci-fi video games.

18 - Favorite protagonist. Laura from Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story

The entire game is built around empathy for a stranger who's lost her phone, and it succeeds. I don't love Laura. I don't hate Laura. I don't want to be Laura. I understand Laura, and that is powerful.

19 - Picture of a game setting you wish you lived in. The level based on the Crossfire commercial from Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe

You'll get caught up in it!

20 - Favorite genre. Let's treat this as an excuse to talk about how much interactive fiction I played in March

Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story and Alt-Frequencies easily top the list, both of which are discussed elsewhere in these awards. If you haven't gotten the message yet, allow me to be direct: Play them. Now. Animal Lover is sweet, funny, and well-written. It's not at all what I expected from a dating sim about people who have been cursed to spend eternity as animals, only returning to human form when a clumsy, anxious young woman gives them a kiss. Amelie is a bit shallow and underdeveloped. The plot is unoriginal, it seems visually incomplete, and calling this fiction "interactive" stretches that word's definition to its limit. In spite of all that, I actually had an okay time with it. Amethyst Hearth is a cheesy Christmas rom-com turned visual novel by way of RPG Maker, and also the love interest is a robot. It's such a bizarre novelty that I couldn't help but give it a passing score. My review of An Outcry, prelude was so negative the game got pulled from Itch.io, and yet, it's stuck in my mind more than most of this month's games. "Kekekaykaykikikoo" and "they got a visit of terrific birdness" are powerful phrases. And finally, there's Arcade Spirits, a dating sim that takes place in an alternate-near-future video game arcade. I was severely messed up by a bad antidepressant prescription toward the end of the month. Is that the reason I didn't like this game? I don't think so. I could revisit it and update my review with new, sober opinions, but that period was a miserable experience, and I'd rather leave it in the past.

21 - Game with the best story. Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story

These categories are a little heavy on story, no?

22 - A game sequel which disappointed you. Akuto: Showdown

It's a bummer that it stripped features from Akuto: Mad World. It's cool that it focused on one mode and made it better. The best part is that you get both games for the price of one on Itch.

23 - Game you think had the best graphics or art style. Anarcute

No, but really, where is the merch? These characters need to be toys. And key chains. And erasers. They need to be printed on shirts and folders and... Just put them on everything. Who do I need to call to set up a meeting with Sanrio?

24 - Favorite classic game. Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe

AVGN contains remasters of two games that are, themselves, homages to classic games.

25 - A game you plan on playing. There Swings a Skull

And if that goes well, I might have a date with An Outcry. Oh, plus the hundreds (thousands?) of games that are already sitting in my Itch library.

26 - Best voice acting. Alt-Frequencies

Alt-Frequencies is played by switching between radio stations, recording and playing back snippets of speech. It wouldn't work without quality acting. I don't get the impression this game had the budget for top-tier vocal talent, which makes its accomplishments even more impressive.

27 - Most epic scene ever. Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe

28 - Favorite game developer. Accidental Queens

I will follow the developers of A Normal Lost Phone, Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story, and Alt-Frequencies wherever they want to take me. The Lost Phone games follow the same format, telling worthy stories in a lightly interactive but effectively non-linear format. Then Alt-Frequencies comes along, trading the phone interface for a time-looping, call-in radio sim, and that's brilliant, too. I can't wait to see this team continue to stretch and grow.

29 - A game you thought you wouldn't like, but ended up loving. Alien Life Lab

It's so janky. It seems bad. Maybe it is bad. I've played through the whole thing twice and loved it both times. I don't understand.

30 - Your favorite game of all time. Donkey Kong

This has nothing to do with the Itch games I reviewed in March. I've just always loved playing Donkey Kong on a proper arcade cabinet.

Thirty categories, and I didn't find a single place to mention Antecrypt⚡. Let that be my parting thought. Antecrypt⚡: It's worthy of mention.

[tgapa]

Man its really sad playing a game with good visual design interesting world building SPECTACULAR voice acting and direction and an interesting premise that just doesn't get a chance to breathe or build around its great roots :( it was like rolling down a hill and straight into a brick wall

[alucardsinep]

every fuckin day i log on and press the wrong key combination to reblog things

[xycuro-illuminati]

Sorry couldn't come up with any dialogue

DO NOT TAG AS M/CU

[kaycode1999]

For anyone who might be saying Bee is out of character in the trailer let me remind you of the batshit insane things he's done in the movies and TV shows

Drove up to the dealership parking lot as Sam was looking at cars and threw his door into the car next to him

blasted a frequency that shattered the glass on every other car in the vicinity scaring Bobby Bolivia enough to let them take it for $4000

Tried to wingman Sam by stalling his engine and pulling over to the side of the road while playing sexual healing

Chased Sam up onto the walkway while he was riding a bike

Threw a hissy fit about being called a crappy camero and scanned a newer model

Essentially relieved himself all over agent Simmons because he was rude

Drove to where Sam was at college and drove up onto a bush in front of the frat house where Sam was at the party before blaring the car alarm

Started going through different songs about how the “ girl” who got in with Sam was bad news and Sam was on the verge of being assaulted or cheating

Slammed what he thought was a human girls head into the dashboard before spraying what Im assuming is coolant on her because she insinuated she was going to get Sam to cheat on Mikayla

Threw himself out of a plane and used a dead Decepticon to soften his fall

Accidentally destroyed a major portion of Charlie’s house

Smeared egg all over the car of Charlie's bully before punching the roof and jumping on it crushing the car

Ran into a tree at high speed because he turned off his lights

Joined illegal street racing

Fought a modified human and lost

Used a random truck like a scooter to go after knockout because he lost his T-Cog and ended up going over a cliff

Drove off a ship and blasted a Decepticon ship in mid air

Did the dirty dancing chair thing in a paramount commercial https://youtu.be/QWRkBv4zJpU?si=6DUH2Zcpr2BXjA5T (I linked the commercial because it has me dying laughing every time)

Joined an underground bot fighting ring to find Grimlock

Shot the tape for never gonna give you up out of his cassette player the second it started playing nearly taking Charlie’s head off

Angrily did donuts in front of the stinger prototype

Forced his steering wheel into Shanes's face when he called Bee’s alt-mode uncool

Got so angry when the stinger commercial called him old and ugly he kicked down the prototype

Is generally the most conspicuous bot to exist and is very bad at doing the blending-in thing given he's an Autobot scout

I’ll add more if I think of them but Bumblebee is just a tiny feral gremlin and I love him so very much. Each iteration of him is perfect

[toytle]

i don’t have a cat or a speedster, so the next best thing is projecting my fever onto hal so that at least one of us can have the comfort of barry’s healing frequencies. doctor’s orders

[alt text, ID + non-blurry versions below cut]

IMAGE ID:

1) Halbarry fanart of a sick Hal holding Barry for comfort. Hal’s face is red and slick with sweat and snot, scrunched in a self-pitying expression. He’s holding Barry to his chest while Barry vibrates as if purring. Barry has a sweet, close-eyed grin across his face as he touches Hal’s hand on his chest supportively. They’re sitting on a bed, the background colored in vibrant greens and lined in red.

2) Fanart of Halbarry as cats. Hal is a fluffy brown cat and Barry is a sleek yellow tabby, both referencing their respective human/hero designs in their fur patterns. A miserable-looking kitty Hal holds a purring Barry for comfort. Barry’s head is tucked underneath Hal’s chin, the tip of his tail supportively curled around Hal’s. They’re lying on a cat bed, the background colored in vibrant greens and lined in red.

3) Text ID: The frequency of cat purring has been shown to fall between 25 and 140 Hz. The same frequency has been shown to aid in the healing of broken bones, joint and tendon repair, and wound healing. A study by Dr Clinton Rubin and his team showed that bones of older sheep started showing signs of repair after being exposed to 30 Hz of vibrations for 20 minutes, five days a week. Similarly, in humans, vibrational therapy with a frequency between 10-50Hz has been found to not only benefit bone repair but also strengthen tendons and joints. In fact, vibration therapy uses whole-body vibration to enhance physical health and overall well-being. Cats' purrs are believed to have similar effects on the human body.

4) Halbarry fanart of a sick Hal holding Barry for comfort, alternate version without Barry’s blurred lines.

5) Fanart of Halbarry as cats, alternate version without Barry’s blurred lines.

[sorrow--wolf]

Feeding the goodest boi the best part of the (c)hex mix. (And I refuse to hear otherwise)

Alt colors~⬇️

Now that I'm all caught up, I'm actually going to lower the frequency of posts to just 1 per week instead of 4 or even 2 like it was before. There's just a lot of personal and larger projects I want to work on right now (and I wanna have more time for hobbies outside of art, lol)