#i just hope the dlc was free and available to everyone

[darkdragon768]

I may dislike, hate even, quite a lot in this game but my god, this final battle might be my favorite, beating even the Twilight Princess one. I just love the dragons so muchhhh.

Anyway, I, in general, like the bosses in totk way Way WAY more than in botw. I'm sorry but I just fucking hate the Blights with everything I own. They suck so so bad.

Well, but for now I'm enjoying the credits.

And for a last time:

Glory to Master Kohga

Should I replay totk as in a celebration of today?

[satoshi-mochida]

Final Fantasy XVI – two paid DLCs and PC version in development; free update now available

Gematsu Source

Square Enix has released a free update for Final Fantasy XVI, which adds a weapon-skin feature, Onion Sword weapon, and new outfits for Clive, Jill, Torgal, and other characters, as well as announced that both a PC version and two paid downloadable contents are currently in development, with more information to come before the end of 2023.

The news came via Square Enix’s “Voices from Valisthea” panel at PAX West 2023 in Seattle, which featured the English voice cast of Final Fantasy XVI. Producer Naoki Yoshida shared the announcements in a video message at the end of the panel.

The full message is as follows:

Hello, everyone. This is Naoki Yoshida, producer for Final Fantasy XVI. It’s been just over two months since the game’s release, and we’ve received an enormous amount of feedback from players around the world. The development team and I have also been watching your streams and videos, paying special attention to what everyone thinks of Final Fantasy XVI. We put our all into creating this game, so it’s a real joy to see so many different reactions. And so as an expression of our sincerest gratitude, we are releasing a free update available for download… today! There are two main parts to this update. Firstly, we’re adding a weapon skin feature. This will allow you to change the appearance of Clive’s weapon to that of any other blade in your possession, while keeping the stats of the currently equipped weapon. The second part of the update will introduce an alternate outfit for not only Clive, but also for Jill, Torgal, Ambrosia, and Joshua. You will be able to toggle between the default and additional option at any time, playing with whichever you prefer. This free update will be available to download a few hours after this panel finishes, gradually going live around the world. Once you apply the update, you’ll be able to use these new features immediately. I hope you’ll make use of these two new skin-change features as you continue to explore and enjoy every last corner of Valisthea. Additionally, for those who’ll be playing Final Fantasy XVI for the first time, we’ve taken this opportunity to add in some other minor changes based on user feedback such as new controller layouts and more. So if you’ve yet to experience Final Fantasy XVI, I really encourage you to pick it up once you get your hands on a PlayStation 5. As I mentioned earlier, we’ve seen so many opinions and reactions from our community of Final Fantasy XVI players. But one thing that came through particularly strongly was how people wanted to see more of Valisthea’s story and spend more time with her inhabitants. To accommodate, the development team has started work on two installments of paid downloadable content. Finally, while Final Fantasy XVI was released as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, we are aware that many of you have been asking for a PC version. So, allow me to take this opportunity to officially announced that development on a PC version is curently underway. I hope to be able to give you more information on both the upcoming downloadable content and the PC version before the end of the year, so please stay tuned. This has been Naoki Yoshida, producer for Final Fantasy XVI. Thank you so much for joining us today for this panel with Koji and our wonderful voice cast. We’ll continue doing what we can to maintain the excitement and momentum for Final Fantasy XVI, and we hope you’ll stick with us along the ride. Goodbye for now!

Final Fantasy XVI is available now for PlayStation 5.

Watch a new trailer and the full PAX West 2023 panel below.

Free Update Trailer

Warning: Contains spoilers.

English

Japanese

“Voices from Valisthea" PAX West 2023 Panel Archive

[doubleddenden]

Okay so I'm thinking about how the Pokémon Day Presents is 20 minutes. I'm usually pessimistic about these because last time it was mobile game garbage with like a minute of okay stuff.

But here's what's guaranteed:

Scarlet and Violet DLC teaser or equivalent. Everyone that's played knows why so there's no point going further

What's most likely coming:

RBY, MAYBE Green for US I doubt it; GSC, and at the least RSE for NSO. I'd say FRLG too but they may opt to ignore it since LGPE exists on Switch. Either way, it's most likely the case due to the Nintendo Direct that announced Gameboy and GBA games but only showed the Pokémon TCG game for then. The trailer for the Presentation also previewed the old school sprites, the RBY intro, the RBG balloons- we know they like nostalgia, it's coming. Couple the GBA games with the events and the fact that 3ds will be closing shop next month, they pretty much are guaranteed to make it available.

PMD- something is being announced. My bet is on an Explorers remake since they recently dropped the OG remake. We know something is up due to the copyright being on the website code showing Spike Chunsoft 1993 to 2023, and unless they're suddenly going to drop Donphan Rompa and have Pikachu have to figure out which of his classmates killed Butterfree, that pretty much just points to PMD.

That alone should comprise at least 15 minutes. We could probably toss in a minute or 2 to casually remind everyone to download all the Pokestuff they can on the 3ds before the end time comes (so basically Bank- which will be free- and the SM demo for Ash Greninja).

Other than this that leaves a little wiggle room. A minute or 5 is guaranteed to be nostalgia bait and probably a montage of photos from the hashtag campaign they did for Twitter recently.

The only thing left I could guess would maybe be the usual rock cast at Pokémon Sleep, but only because it had a recent stir a couple of months back for... I think trademark, I might be wrong, but it was definitely a small behind the scenes ripple.

As always, I'll be praying for some reminder that Colosseum and XD existed. Won't happen because there's just not enough time. But I'll still hope for a third party studio to bring it back some day- and it'd fit since the GBA games will come back.

But anyway, why don't I have fun with a prediction of what the SV dlc will probably look like:

1. Hexagon legendary revealed, basically a piece of it exists in all Terra Orbs and its basically been soft fusion this whole time. Full form probably has something to do with a world turtle, 2 forms: ancient and future, dragon /Psychic type

2. New uniforms. Not full customization, but probably some special uniform for exploring deeper into Area Zero or some extra variants on the uniforms- maybe even straight up copies of Arven, Nemona, Team Star, and Clavell's uniform variants.

3. Probably mostly going to be artwork, couple of new characters locked to versions, and probably the professor OPPOSITE to the one we worked with- aka Arven's parent that bailed shortly after his birth- showing up suddenly.

4. 2 parts most likely, maybe a third if they really want to milk this. Hexagon is one part. The "Imagined" Pokémon the other (the Johto Beasts and Unovan Swords hybrids). Potential third is up in the air. One location is probably deeeeeeper into AZ and sort of a Hollow World (kinda like Halo 4). The other most likely that chunk on the north east of Paldea. My next guess would be islands way off the coast since apparently Paldea's oceans just go on forever, according to a recent Boundary Break video on SV- Essentially plenty of space for it.

5. More Paradox Pokémon. If I were a betting man- and I do enjoy gacha- I'd wager either paradoxes for Kanto starters OR Sinnoh starters since they basically got left in the rain for new forms. Probably Kanto because they love jacking Charizard off and Ohmori can't go one game without giving his favorite special privileges. But if they ever wanted to drop Gorochu, it's now or never. Probably an ancient pokemon with either a future counterpart or Eevee or Meowth gets a future counterpart.

6. a forgotten Pokémon gets a new form and evolution akin to Slowbro. Betting on Oddish or Poliwag, or generally a Pokémon with a split evolution so they can milk it like Slowbro in Isle of Armor and Slowking in Crown Tundra.

7. Called something like "Azure Ocean" or "Topaz Tunnel" or "Quartz Quarry"- keeping up with fancy color names.

Of course I could be entirely wrong, none of any of the above happens, and it's just something very, very minor.

[linuxgamenews]

Discover the Massive New Kingdoms Update for Darkest Dungeon II

Kingdoms game update is due to hit Darkest Dungeon II on Linux and Steam Deck via Windows PC. Thanks to the talented team behind developer Red Hook Studios. Currently available with a discount on Steam and Humble Store. This is some exciting new in the world of Darkest Dungeon II and the upcoming update. Red Hook Studios is bringing something massive your way. They released details of a brand-new campaign game mode, Kingdoms. It's also going to be free. And since it's also Steam Deck Verified and runs well on Linux via Proton, this is another win. Now, what's the Kingdoms mode all about, you ask? In this mode, you're not just fighting off your typical monsters; you're facing a monstrous threat that's aiming to wipe out the entire Kingdom. Your mission? Beat the clock and destroy this threat before it's too late. But fear not, since you won't be going into battle unprepared. You'll be journeying across the Kingdom, gathering resources, and battling evil at every turn. And it's also not just about leveling up your heroes; you'll be upgrading the Inns where you take refuge. Think of it like building your fortress to withstand the onslaught. Now, this isn't just a standalone mode. You can dive into it separately from the main game's Confessions mode. So, whether you're a seasoned hero or a newcomer to the darkest of dungeons, there's something for everyone.

Darkest Dungeon II - Kingdoms Announcement Trailer

And let's not forget about the new monster factions you'll be facing: The Coven, Beastmen, and Crimson Courtiers. Each brings its own flavor of terror to the table, so get ready for some intense encounters. But Red Hook Studios isn't stopping there. They're throwing in a bunch of other extra's in Kingdoms. With five campaigns in Confessions mode, each with its own boss and mechanics, you'll have your hands full. Plus, there are twelve heroes to choose from, and if you're craving even more, you can get the Duelist and the Crusader via The Binding Blade DLC. Discounted now on Steam and Humble Store. Currently priced at $8.99 USD / £7.65 / 8,77€. And let's talk about the progression. The Altar of Hope is your hub for all things meta-game, where you'll be plotting your next move and leveling up your squad. Oh, and did I mention the achievements? With over 70 of them on Steam and EGS, there's plenty to keep you busy. Feeling adventurous? Why not spice things up with some companion pets or challenge yourself with the Radiant and Infernal Flame items for that extra dose of difficulty? So, mark your calendars, the Kingdoms update is slated to launch later this year. Red Hook Studios is pulling out all the stops to make Darkest Dungeon II the ultimate dungeon-crawling experience, and I, for one, can't wait to see what's in store. If you don't own the title, it's still available with a 33% discount on Steam and Humble Store. Playable on Linux and Steam Deck (verified) via Windows PC. Dropping the price to $26.79 USD / £22.44 / 26,12€.

[jcmarchi]

Game Awards Winner Sea Of Stars Surpasses 4 Million Players Since Launch

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/game-awards-winner-sea-of-stars-surpasses-4-million-players-since-launch/

Game Awards Winner Sea Of Stars Surpasses 4 Million Players Since Launch

Sea of Stars took home the award for Best Independent Game at The Game Awards 2023 earlier this month and now, developer Sabotage Studio has revealed the RPG has surpassed 4 million players since launch. Sea of Stars is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC, launching back in August, and is free to subscribers on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, as well as PlayStation Plus’ Extra and Premium subscribers. 

Alongside Sea of Stars’ TGAs win, Sabotage took home the Best Indie Game award at the Golden Joysticks and was recognized by the British Academy Film and Television Awards as one of the best games from 2023. 

[embedded content]

“Sea of Stars is the game of my dreams, and seeing its quest resonate so strongly with players and critics means the world to everyone at Sabotage,” studio co-founder and Sea of Stars game director Thierry Boulanger writes in a press release. “The team behind this game is the most talented and dedicated group I could have ever hoped to create Sea of Stars with, and I’m again reminded of their brilliance as we progress with creating Sea of Stars’ upcoming DLC, Throes of the Watchmaker. 

“For fans to have recognized our adventure in such an incredibly prosperous year for RPGs alongside new arrivals from the genre’s biggest franchises, we simply just cannot thank you enough for supporting us, and we can’t wait to show you what’s next for Sea of Stars.” 

In other Sea of Stars news, the game’s soundtrack, which features guest tracks from famed Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda, is now available on streaming platforms. It contains all day, night, and pirate versions of songs in Sea of Stars. 

The complete original soundtrack for Sea of Stars is now available on streaming platforms!

The 3-discs OST features all Day, Night & Pirate versions of songs, along with guest tracks from composer Yasunori Mitsuda 🎶

Spotify: https://t.co/JLJ82xTX5g Apple Music:… pic.twitter.com/iUCyU5uIXO

— Sea of Stars (@seaofstarsgame) December 1, 2023

For more, read Game Informer’s Sea of Stars review, and then read our cover story about Sea of Stars from earlier this year. 

Are you one of the 4 million Sea of Stars players? Let us know in the comments below!

[bahamutgames]

AFTERTHOUGHTS - ROUNDUP ROUND 7

September 2023

Happy October! I'm a little late here because I had to take a health break from being online for a few days. But I'm back now! It's getting colder outside, and Halloween (my favorite holiday!) is right around the corner!

Also... hello new followers! This blog has basically been a ghost town since I started it but unexpectedly, some gifsets I made last month REALLY took off! So now I've got almost 50 followers. Usually I wouldn't do so much preamble on a roundup post but I feel the need to explain myself a little bit. This is what this blog is mostly for, posting my thoughts and opinions on games I played recently. To keep them neatly organized and also not clogging up everyone's feeds. I understand this is NOT what most of you followed for, so feel free to unfollow if you like. If not, I hope you enjoy what I have to say!

As with EVERYTHING I share here, these are not reviews. This is just word vomit from me sharing my thoughts on games. Nothing I say should be taken as fact, and if anything I talk about is interesting to you, you should absolutely play it and form your own opinion!

That's that on that, let's tackle the September games!

Rayman Origins (November 15, 2011) - PS3

Hey! Look! I beat my first Rayman game! Similarly to BB, I actually got this game years ago, but never managed to beat it at the time. But with the Rayman Mario + Rabbids DLC out (which I still haven't bought lol BUT I WANT TO REAL BAD!) I figured it was time to finally take the plunge into this series! And I LOVED it! I was having such a killer time with it! Super gorgeous visuals, AMAZING music (I love how goofy it is the lum song was stuck in my head forever afterwards lol), genuinely funny plot, very fun gameplay, the works. But... Partway through the game, suddenly the whole plot changes and you're no longer dealing with demons? And then you have to go through all the worlds a second time and fight a final boss that has nothing to do with the story? Only to then afterwards be told to go through AGAIN and collect almost all the electoons so you can fight the ACTUAL final boss in a super long, super brutal level that's just a long string of memorization. It felt like the second half of the game was made by a different team, it just didn't feel nearly as good and it kinda killed the game for me in the end. I did enjoy the first half a lot though, so I will absolutely check out some of the 3D Rayman games soon, but I might steer clear of Legends atm.

One thing I have to say though: dude the Nymphs are SO hot! Like, they are SO fine it's actually insane. A lot of games will make horny character designs and flaunt them constantly and they're just okay. But no, Rayman Origins earned it. I'm so thirsty for them, that character designer deserves a raise. ANYWAY-

Mortal Kombat 11 (April 23, 2019) - Xbox One

And here we go with my first gamepass game of the month lol. My sister was very kind and gave me a month for my birthday, and one of the first things I beat was a simple arcade run of MK11! MK is a series I actually have an odd amount of history with, but it's also a series I just never really got into. But I did find myself watching the 11 story mode, and I'll try it out whenever it comes into my path. So, here we are. I played as Scorpion, who tends to be my favorite especially whenever Reptile isn't available, and just did a run of the Arcade ladder. I had a good time with it! I'm always impressed with how simple it is despite how edgy it is. And I think being able to make your own custom movesets is super cool (mine mostly just consisted of his classic moves cause they're all I know lol.) Game looks great, has some really gorgeous stages, again, considering how edgy it is, and I thought the final boss was really neat. My only complaints come from the lootbox stuff, I know you can unlock everything for free but I really hate when games put all the customization options behind random chance rather than just putting it in a shop where I can pick and choose what I want. Injustice 2 did the same thing, but thankfully in MK it looks like you don't have to pay for anything. Neat time other than that though.

Gyromite (August 13, 1985) - NES

Next up is a game I didn't technically "beat" since it has like 99 levels. But I did play through the first few levels out of curiosity and I actually enjoyed it so much I wanted to give it a shout out! Gyromite is actually one of the NES games made to work with ROB from Super Smash Bros. Brawl (they made the NES after that game came out). And I wanted to see if I could emulate ROB... I could not. But I already had Gyromite downloaded so I decided to play it myself, and I gotta say. I think it's more fun by yourself with 2 controllers! You play as a scientist trying to get all the bombs without getting touched, and you use the second controller to lift and raise gates to help bridge gaps or stop enemies. Also, you can collect carrots to distract enemies. It's really basic but it's actually a SUPER fun game that I think deserves more love! If you haven't tried it, I do think it's a neat little experience that really deserves to be on NSO.

Dracula X (July 21, 1995) - SNES

Hey, my second Castlevania game! And uh... man idk I did not like this nearly as much as Super Castlevania 4 lol. Idk what the consensus on this is, I know fans consider it to be a non canon stripped down version of a much better game. But I figured I could play this in a night, and I was right! Also, I'm no good at Metroidvanias so I figured I'd play the platformer. And yeah, this game kinda sucks. Feels super clunky to play, has some bizarre enemy placements that make the game almost impossible at some scenes. And generally, outside of some nice sprites and the always BANGING Castlevania music, it's just kinda boring. The only real praise I can sing (outside of the super good music) is that the Wolfman totally kicks ass! He was so cool and genuinely the best boss fight in the game. So while I wasn't really into it, I know that if I had played the REAL game this was based on, it would probably have been a lot better.

Venba (July 31, 2023) - PC

Next up is another Gamepass game! I wanted to play Venba since I first saw it because it just looked really nice and cute! And that's exactly how I'd describe it now that I've played it! It's a very nice story about an immigrant mother, her relationship with her husband, her child, and the food she cooks. And so each level consists of you trying to cook a meal with your mother's cookbook, which has become really messed up over the years. Each level is a puzzle where you try to figure out the right way to cook, and see how it brings the family together. I really had a great time with it! These simple and cute games are always a blast to play and a nice breath of fresh air. And it actually made me pretty emotional. Obviously it's not the same experience at all cause I'm white but it did seriously make me think about my relationship with my mother who also came to America for similar reasons. The game actually almost made me cry lol, but more importantly, it made me hungry! I might have to try cooking some stuff they showed in it! Biriyani in particular really caught my interest as something that just looks CRAZY tasty. And hey, maybe I'll ask my mom to help me make some Romanian food too haha.

Outside of that, the music is really nice, I think most of it is licensed? Or at least is lyrical music performed for the game and it's great. And I particularly loved the art style, which no outlines and a more spraypaint looking brush. It's incredibly unique looking! And Venba herself is SO cute, she's so fine. I love her. I want her to be happy. If you're looking for a nice, short game to play through for an easy and relaxed experience, I can't recommend Venba enough!

Metroid: Zero Mission (February 9, 2004) - Gameboy Advance

Remember when I said I didn't like Metroidvanias a game or two ago? Well, sometimes you gotta step out of your comfort zone. I've only beaten 2 games in the genre before, Ori and Radical Rescue. Ori was good and RR was... neat. But I've never beaten a single metroid in my life until now! I chose Zero Mission for a few reasons, but two big ones are that it's a remake of the first game. And the second is that I actually did play and enjoy this one in the past. But clearly I did not get very far cause I didn't remember SHIT lmao. I planned on playing this side by side with a walkthrough, but I'll admit I actually had a faster and way more fun time just genuinely using the maps the game gave me and just running around. It's fun to figure it out and get upgrades and be like "OH I can do that thing now!" it's like a collectathon lol. The music is nice, the sprites are KILLER (I'm a huge GBA sucker after all).

But of particular interest. Dude. Oh my god. The Zero Suit scene. Holy shit. It's so scary! I was seriously screaming during it! It does such a good job of building tension and just making the situation so scary and dire, and then jump scaring you when the space pirates actually go through doors and climb through vents. It was seriously so bone chilling. But then getting the full power suit and running back through the ship and seeing all the space pirates cower in fear at your might, even hiding in the places you had to hide before? Genuinely brilliant. It was so exhilarating and got such a good reaction out of me. I absolutely ADORED this game! Idk if I'll play many more Metroidvanias past this but damn am I glad I gave this one a go!

Punch-Out!! (May 18, 2009) - Wii

And last, and least! Punch-Out!! Another game series I've never beaten any games in before! I could have played the NES one which probably would've been shorter, but again for a few reasons I decided on the Wii one. It's the newest, seems to be the most popular(?), and also was new when I was a lot younger so I have some nostalgia for when it was coming out. So I played it and uh... Yeah I really did not enjoy this game at all. I know this series is SUPER beloved with tons of fans but I just do not get the appeal. Tons of memorization, the characters are all kinda ugly and also yeah it's kinda racist, boring gameplay. Idk I just was not really into it. Full disclosure, it is a bit of a skill issue. I could not beat Soda Popinsky so I had to use an infinite Star Punch cheat lol. Everyone else I beat legit or at least did the first round and then cheated (I only did this for the characters after Soda, when I stopped caring). But not, him I could not do.

It's not all doom and gloom though. I do think the music is also pretty good in it. And I do have to give the game some props, everyone who comes from another region does legit speak their native language I believe. Which fucking rules actually. And I guess it gave us Little Mac in Smash Bros. Who is fun. But idk, yeah I just wasn't really into this. Oh well, different strokes for different folks. At least I played it!

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: April 13th, 2021

And we’re back again with more replies so soon, haha. Thank you for the asks!

Your game literally saved me this hell ass year. Thank you so much for the most perfect piece of art I've ever laid eyes on 😫 ... Do you guys have a rough idea when step 3 DLC will be released? I hope I'm not coming off as rude. I just really really love your game.

I’m sorry for the late reply on this! You might’ve already seen the answer by now, but the Step 3 DLC is coming out on the 16th. We’re almost there :D

This may be a silly question but did Jeremy's parents ever find out that Pran had lied about his age and if so, when/how? :3

Pran came clean to them after a couple of years, when he felt secure enough that it wouldn’t ruin the relationship. The Kings were a little embarrassed, the dad more than the mom, but they’re quite good at brushing past those kind of mistakes so it was all water under the bridge pretty fast.

hi! i know you’ve answered a question about alterations in the our life moments by playing them in different orders, but i was wondering if there was a canon order that the moments for each step happen in? i figure with such a customizable game the “canon” timeline for the moments is whatever order the player completes them in, for example in step 1, i like playing the runaway moment pretty early, since cove trying to run away early in summer makes more sense to me personally. thanks!

Yeah, there’s no canon order we’d insist on. Whatever you like can be the official route for you! And that’s a neat way to look at that event.

What if your character isn’t that into physical contact but still wants to be in a relationship with Cove? Would he be offended if you shy away or something along those lines?

He wouldn’t be. Cove knows how hard that can be and is very understanding. If you set his initiative to low, the game always checks to make sure if you want to be touched or not rather than assuming that you do. And if you do choose that you don’t want to, there’s no stress or drama about it. Cove will just say that’s okay!

Hellu! First off, I want to thank you all for such a wonderful game, it's been the best feel-good game I've ever stumbled upon and I can't express enough how much it has meant to me. Second, I've seen lots of people having trouble with making Cove confess before MC which makes me wonder if people will have the same problem in the dlc when you can propose to him. Is it possible to post a guide for that as well when it no longer could count as a spoiler? Again, thanks for such a beautiful game <3

I’m really happy you had such a nice time with it c:. We’ll answer questions about it on tumblr/in the discord if they come up and, if need be, we’ll find somewhere to upload a guide.

Do we get steam key from buying dlc on itch io?

I’m afraid not. That’d be unfair to those who get it on Steam. Plus, Steam isn’t super cool with giving out thousands of keys to be handed out for free on other sites anymore. They can refuse to give us the keys if they feel we’re trying to take advantage of their system.

hi! so if we reject cove's confession in step 3, can we still have MC and cove get together in step 4?

You can confess to him, yeah. But Cove won’t ever try confessing again if the MC turns him down in Step 3.

What if MC acts like someone Cove doesn't like, like Lizzie or Baxter lol

You can’t do what Lizzie or Baxter does to make Cove dislike them. You can play the game and try, but it doesn’t work out. The MC is just too compatible with Cove if you’re fond/crush/love, haha.

Hi! I absolutely love your game, I love the characters they’re all so amazing, thank you for the game haha

I was wondering if you would get the NSFW DLC no matter what Patreon level you were at, or if you would could get it at any level? :)

&

What pateron tier do we need to get the 18+ content for Our Life? It's my new favourite game, keep up the good work!

It will eventually be available at the $5 tier and anything above that! Glad you both like OL ^^

On a scale from 1 (being the worst) to 10, how well do the XOXO jerk squad including JB handle horror?

JB: 8

Everett: 5

Nate: 4

Shiloh: 10

Bae: 10

Jeremy: 8 for non-gore horror, 2 for gory horror

Pran: 9

hello!! i was wondering if any of the boys from the Jerksquad would ever wear a skirt/dress?

None of them wear skirts/dresses out of personal preference. But if there was some kind of reason where they had to do it, none would be that bothered.

How does the jerk squad feel about Christmas? 

Everett: He fucking loves it. That’s the best time of year.

Nate: Commercialized nonsense.

Shiloh: It’s wonderful! So he claims.

Bae: He likes it quite a bit, but only for the joy it brings children/family. He thinks that’s sweet but is too mature to be whipped up into a festive fervor himself.

Jeremy: It’s awful.

Pran: He hates it.

does cove have any pet allergies? yes I know this is a little weirdly specific

He doesn’t! The lucky boy isn’t allergic to any animal.

Very important question: Would Lee and a musical-theatre loving MC run around belting Into The Unknown from Frozen 2? Because I feel that they would 

Probably, haha.

This might seem like a dumb question, so I’m sorry, but with the Derek DLC are we gonna get to hang out with him in person instead of just calling him in step 3? 

The Derek DLC adds events in Step 2 and Step 4. It’s part of his story that you don’t really get to be around him in Step 3. But you don’t need to apologize for wondering!

hello! i'd like to ask if it's possible to play the android version of the game with the dlcs after buying the dlcs from steam. i wasn't expecting my android version to have my dlcs since i bought them from steam, but it had my step 2 dlc for some reason. is this a glitch or does the apk actually detect what dlcs you already have on your pc? if so, how come i don't have the step 1 dlc appearing on android? thanks!

That is some kind of glitch. It isn’t possible for the Android DLCs to be unlocked by having them on PC. Maybe in one of the old builds we accidentally didn’t lock the Step 2 DLC properly. Sorry for the confusion!

Does Derek and Baxter have canon sexualities? Will Derek still flirts with the MC regardless of their gender?

They’re both pansexual and can like the MC regardless of what gender they have.

I was wondering if Miranda had a crush on Cove in Step 3? I'm not sure why, but I got those vibes from her?

She thinks of him only as a friend. Cove isn’t her type, haha.

This is probably a dumb hope, but I hope Cliff find someone he loves after Cove is grown up and everything. Or at the very least he has someone he's very close with after Cove leaves. 

That’s a really sweet thought to have. Cliff stays single, but he’s graysexual and not-particularly romantically inclined. He only dated when he was really young ‘cause that’s what everyone did. Family and friend relationships are more important to him, and he has plenty of that in his life ^^.

Heya! I was curious if there might be a nickname system in N&F? I kind of pull an Elizabeth when I play and choose a different variation of a name like having Rosie in step one and changing it to Rose in step two, then maybe Rosetta in step three for example, but it also feels a little bit odd being scolded using my nickname hehe. That's all I was wondering about, thank you for your time and the wonderful games!

We are hoping to include the option to go by a nickname in Our Life: Now & Forever. But nothing has been programmed yet, so we can’t 100% guarantee it, haha.

Just curious, what would Liz's and Cove's relationship be if MC wasn't around? I feel like they wouldn't get along as well as they do now, especially during the first and second step 

They’d definitely have a lot of friction growing up and they’d likely avoid each other as much as possible. Once they were both older, I imagine they’d be decent neighbor acquaintances. But they still wouldn’t be nearly as close as they are with the MC bringing Cove into things.

What do the customizable eyes look like in the game? Do they look as they are in the creating avatar section? Or do they look different when actually playing the game?

That’s up to you! The doll is just meant to be a general idea. You can apply it to your imagined MC as much or as little as you prefer.

Did Cove go through a "phase" during his adolescence? I don't really wanna headcanon it so I wonder if there's anything (cringy) canon since we missed out on the ages of 14-17 hahaha

Not really, aha. 14-17 Cove is pretty recognizable to his 13 and 18 year old self.

Hello! I'm sorry to bother you, especially with all the messages you get. I was just wondering if the religious wedding venue was exclusive to a church or if there will be different religions of weddings? Also, I love this VN so much, it's so well written and every character is so amazing, thank you for making such a beautiful game.

The church is treated as a historic building rather than anything actively religious, but it’s not the only option like that. There’s a historic synagogue and stuff too! And that’s really nice of you to say <3.

How differently would it play out If MC told their moms about the 20$ deal back when it happened? 

They wouldn’t have been happy and would’ve been far more skeptical of Cliff, aha. But they wouldn’t want to keep Cove away from the MC, so it wouldn’t have been too different in the long run.  

Hello may I ask what Cove's favorite fudge/ice cream flavor would be? Its alright if its not answered 

He appreciates them all, but his top favorites would be the fruit flavored ones and the ones with nuts.

Hi! I really wanted to make mc's house in a game and tried really hard to figure out the floor plan, but I wondered if you have the floor plan of the mc's house so that i can try again with more accuracy?

Thank you a lot for this game, i loved it a lot! (my first play took me 8 hours lol)

I’m really sorry, we don’t have anything like that. But at least you can headcanon that what you did is correct and nothing can prove it wrong, haha.

Hello,I recently started playing lake of voices (I put it off for a long while since I’m usually not very good with horror) and I’m really happy I did!I’m a big fan of your games in general and lake of voices was absolutely great as well.I loved the characters and the dark setting of it,I adored the beautiful art and music and the story was great too,sometimes unsettling and sometimes very sweet.My favorite Route in the game was definitely Lu,I liked his character and was really shocked and distraught by his Route at least two times.I didn’t see the plot twist(s) coming at all!

Besides these ramblings I’ve also wanted to ask if you still remember how to get the lower two CGs on page 5?I seem to always miss them and would appreciate any help.Anyways I hope I wasn’t too much of a bother and I wish the devs a great day!:)

Thank you for all the kind words <3. You get those DLCs by going through the end of the Guide’s character path. You can use the guides on Steam to help you find it/reach the end!

—– —– —– —–

Thank you again for all of these questions :D

We released a new FAQ! It answers common questions and we’ll keep adding more to it. Please check there before sending an ask. FAQ   Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog

[triforce-princess]

well, i finally 100% completed hyrule warriors age of calamity in its entirety, including post game content, so i’m finally going to write a full review. beware this review will contain every spoiler imaginable so please do not click the read more if you haven’t finished the game yet and don’t want to be spoiled!

tl,dr; this game is a lot of fun despite some of its shortcomings and it’s really nice to see characters get the development they needed in breath of the wild. also a huge improvement gameplay-wise from the first game. if you’re a fan of breath of the wild it’s worth a try, just don’t expect breath of the wild style of gameplay! and if you’re a fan of the original hyrule warriors, you are going to love this a lot. ok now to get into the details. this is extremely long;

about the gameplay; it took me a while to fully adjust to the new controls and mechanics, but once i finally understood it it was so much fun. i originally wasn’t crazy about the sheikah slate runes since it was difficult at first to remember that a. i had that ability, and b. when the proper time to use it was. but when it finally clicked for me it brought a whole new interesting layer to the gameplay that challenged my memory in a fun way. it took me even longer to learn what the use of the rods were but those were great in a pinch once i figured it out. i also loved the flurry rush mechanic since dodging is a pretty important aspect of the gameplay. all these new layers added to this gameplay makes me wonder how i ever put up with the original hyrule warriors gameplay lol. something i wasn’t entirely crazy about was the wall jumping and paraglider stuff? i never really found it useful and it always just became a problem when i was trying to dodge and i’d be confused about why my character was slowly flying around at critical moments.

the camera in this game was pretty frustrating. with the more organic map & lots of tight spaces (which i’ll get more into later), the camera would get stuck a lot and you’d be unable to really see what’s going on and it got pretty frustrating at times. i wish there were some way they could fix that but i’m not sure what they could do without having the camera go out of bounds & show the edges of the map. maybe they could’ve made some of the objects that are in the middle not be things the camera get stuck on though.

i also felt like there were too many special effects going on with some enemies and attacks, sometimes it would cover up large parts of the screen & you wouldn’t be able to see what you were fighting and that was pretty stressful (i found myself frequently yelling “i can’t see!!” when i’d defeat a guardian or something in a room with lots of other enemies. this only became an issue in the later parts of the game though.

now about the maps, i do love how much more organic and natural they are. it’s a big upgrade from the original which had a lot of wide corridors leading into square rooms which were allied/enemy basses. but unfortunately, this causes issues with navigation and the camera getting stuck (like i mentioned before). i had a lot of problems where the map was too natural and i was confused about why i was getting stuck on level geometry when it looked like i could walk through there. i think the breath of the wild style makes this confusing too because you can’t really undo a thousand hours of being able to walk through nearly everything. but also it was just really unclear what was a wall and what wasn’t sometimes. i was surprised i actually had to zoom in on the mini map and look at that to move around at times. definitely an ambitious aspect of the game & i appreciate the effort and detail, but i don’t know if it works that great for this style of gameplay. i also don’t know why they bothered putting so many small details on the ground if they’re just going to pop in so close to the camera. it was kind of awkward when you cleared out all the enemies & were traveling to another location and it was the only noticable thing on screen.

speaking of ambitious, we can’t ignore this game’s framerate issues. it’s the first thing on everyone’s minds when talking about this game. most of the time, it was pretty acceptable. but they definitely pushed this game farther than the switch can go and it shows. i really appreciate the love they put into making this game as detailed as they did, but i don’t know if it was worth it in the long run. there’s only a couple times i can think of where the framerates got absolutely unacceptable, and it always seemed to be when there was a lot of electricity and enemies on screen at the same time. it happened once during the final vah naboris mission and another time where there were a ton of electric lizalfos all shooting electricity at once at the same time you have to fight an electric lynel. but, i’m not the kind of gamer that loses my shit over dropped framerates, i grew up with the n64 & have had to put up with poor early emulation many times in my life so framerates don’t really phase me until it just gets unplayable.

wasn’t crazy about how many late game missions were just boss rushes, but that’s pretty standard hyrule warriors fare. at least it was more fair in this game where most of the time you only had to fight one boss at a time and the next boss wouldn’t spawn in until you beat the first one, so there was no risk of accidentally aggro-ing a boss in another part of the map & have an unfair fight on your hands like in the first game. it was pretty anti-climactic how the seemingly final mission which had the highest recommended level was just another boss rush, and not even the hardest one (it was just a bunch of regular malice bosses in a row).

bit of a side note but i didn’t like having to grind for materials and find koroks for 100%. the koroks weren’t nearly as bad as breath of the wild though, thank god.

i’m pretty disappointed that some content that’s clearly in the game isn’t unlocked in the base game, it’s looking pretty likely that they’ll add it as dlc later & pretend it’s new content to make the game relevant again...i’ve always firmly believed dlc should be extra content that’s added in later. hopefully they’ll add some really cool stuff as dlc alongside the stuff that’s in the game & it won’t be so disappointing. there’s two characters i was sure would be unlocked as playable characters (sooga and astor) but i found it weird that you don’t get them in the post game and instead you get to play as the egg guardian (terrako) and calamity ganon???? talk about subverting expectations. also really frustrated to learn that zelda’s royal dress isn’t available in the base game but its in the files & is just missing one body part?? really hope that’s just a free update and not like, paid dlc. kind of dumb that they didn’t give the devs one extra day to model feet on the character.

about the story; the story starts out really strong i feel, i loved seeing characters get the development they didn’t get in breath of the wild and this game’s story makes breath of the wild’s story feel even more incomplete than it did before this game came out. and actually seeing the story play out in chronological order in real time without link having amnesia gave the story so much more feeling and connection. this is probably my favorite aspect of this game because i was always so disappointed with how disconnected you feel in breath of the wild because of the way the story is told. and it does so much of a better job illustrating link and zelda’s feelings. i’m probably the single most difficult person to convince when it comes to link and zelda being in a relationship or having feelings for eachother and i thought this was quite possibly the best master sword scene in any zelda game;

in previous games link has always had to prove his courage in a variety of trials spread across the land and to me its really boring, especially after how many times its been done. the thing that gets me about this scene is the master sword deems him worthy because of his desire to protect zelda even when he’s been beaten down & disarmed. that was a really beautiful moment to me & i’m glad they wrote the scene this way.

speaking of being worthy of power because you want to protect someone, i wasn’t really that crazy of zelda unlocking her power just because she loves link but honestly this game illustrated it in a much better way & i’m more down with it now. i loved this shot how it really captured what she was feeling;

it’s also in general awesome to see the champions in action, both in gameplay and in cutscenes. i remember being in awe the first time i got to play as urbosa. it feels like we finally really got to know them and how powerful they really were, instead of breath of the wild just telling us they were cool & we just had to believe it.

now for the part i know people say this game is shit because of; the time travel aspect. yeah, it’s a little silly and nonsensical, but honestly, it was kind of fun. and i don’t get how a time travel plot is somehow weird for the zelda series. the most critically acclaimed game of this series, ocarina of time, is entirely revolved around a time travel plot & the heroes would not have won if it weren’t for time travel in that game. yeah, it’s goofy, but this series is known for its nonsensical aspects & plotholes. there’s always some kind of unexplainable magic in this series that solves problems. i don’t think that makes this game shit. plus i was kind of starstruck when i first got to play as sidon lol. i was thinking to myself, man, who would’ve known 3 years later we’d get to play as sidon! crazy! none of the champion descendants were really my favorite to play as but it was still cool to see them & play as them.

something i didn’t understand was why kohga and the yiga clan joined zelda’s cause? i feel like a vital scene got cut. i don’t get why he’d join even when astor betrayed him, considering his group’s ambitions and how many times they tried to kill zelda. and where’d sooga go? the scene of astor betraying them kind of implied he was going to die but we never got confirmation of that, and he even shows up in a post game mission as an ally (no cutscene, just one line of dialogue during gameplay)

as for the ending, i guess it was alright? astor was a really lazily written villain and i just did not care for him at all. kinda don’t even care that we don’t get to play as him (yet, probably). calamity ganon’s design in this game was terrible. and i guess it would’ve been hard to make it work, but no beast ganon? just felt a little to easy to wrap up. despite this i guess it was nice to see hyrule get a happier ending even if it was a bit nonsensical at times. also this is just a bit of a personal thing for me but i liked seeing  hyrule before it was destroyed. it always bums me out when you find a locaiton in game that’s been destroyed & you can only think about what it mightve looked like before. this is something that’s bummed me out since wind waker (was always disappointed you don’t get to see what greatfish isle is like!!) and breath of the wild gave me so much disappointment in that aspect lol.

one final thought but it was odd to me how many lines revali got & how often he interacted with link lol. was weird to see him slowly warm up to link a little towards the end (but of course he’s still a little mean...). no other character acknowledges link as much as revali. this scene confused me the most??

there were so many other people revali could’ve spoken to. he barely even acknowledges teba who was the one who specifically came to his aid!! and the way link looks at him with big puppy eyes?? link barely makes a facial expression at anyone else! and how revali expresses gratitude for the first time in his life after looking at link’s stupid cute anime face and smiles (but he turns around because he would be too ashamed to smile at link i guess)

anyway that’s it, i finally got out all my thoughts about this game. this went on way longer than i intended and i’m sorry if you read the whole thing & it took forever lol. this game is fun, get it.

[af1899]

FEH - Okay, I.S. actually did me a favor

(Link to video | Official thread at Twitter)

So... the New Heroes are from Fire Emblem: Three Houses and let me say, I couldn't be more relieved than I'm now with how easy an skip this is. 🤡🤡🤡

This is because I pulled for Sigurd+Deirdre yesterday and I'm literally broke to pull for anyone, the good consensus would've been to wait for the trailer yeah, but I was hoping I could pick the Duo this time since I adore them and they're still limited units I wanted so badly to get, but nope, that'll wait another year sadly since I should be saving for Halloween Kagero, Mia and Myrrh; and it seems a bad call to try any further than what I did.

Anyway, feel free to read what I think right below (free of spoilers from DLC/FE3H).

While I'm happy this is an easy skip banner despite the very useful fodder that comes with it and potentially sparkable, I'm still kind of displeased with the choice, since there's been quite some persistence with this game's banners this year, but I won't get upset specially since there's a good side to that and there's no point to get salty I think.

However, it continues to be weird how I.S. seems to make a blind eye out the fact Mythic Heroes were originally meant to be god-like beings (we got a bunch of them like Naga, Ashera, etc. but some don't really seem to make sense like the OCs) and we literally got our second God as a regular New Hero... still feels strange even though I know I.S. can break patterns as they make them in such an unpredictable way, they're also infamous for their inconsistency. 🤡

What's more... seriously? No demote? I almost think Hapi would be it before I saw her kit and we never get demotes with Fallen Heroes banners or {Choose your Legends}.

And that assist on Yuri is kind of terrifying.

But otherwise, great fodder here with good spark value and nothing too broken or game breaking, Hapi might come as a shock with all that effectiveness but it's nothing new.

What I can also say of good, is that they've chosen the characters from the [Cindered Shadows] DLC for some variety and they're popular... this DLC includes the Ashen Wolves group (comprised of Yuri, Constance, Hapi and Balthus)... I actually barely could play the base game a little some time before the DLC was a thing through preliminary emulation in Yuzu, so I know next to nothing about those people other than just a little key info from the wiki and them being popular (specially Yuri), but everyone in the group made it to Fire Emblem Heroes in one update, with Balthus beign the "straight to 3★/4★ demote" who we can also get for free at 5★ through a log-in prize, which is nice even if you won't work on him as you can get his 5★ fodder, hopefully it'll be worth it. So good choices on the banner itself, but it could've waited some more time in favor for games like Awakening which haven't gotten a New Heroes banner in a long time.

One thing in any case... Balthus has this:

I don't recognize this weapon but it could very well be a preference one, I don't dare take guesses since I'm minimizing what content I can see from the game if it spoils details from the plot or any side story. But if it ends up being inheritable, I hope it'll be good.

As for our [Grand Hero Battle] unit, it'll be Aelfric, he's going to be available starting this 18th... seems he makes sense to be here since apparently he suggested the creation of the Ashen Wolves group but he also had other roles... but that's about all I dare to read in the Wiki, don't think I'll make of him a project either, but we'll see with what he has on his base kit. 🤔

Anyway, congrats to whoever was waiting for the Ashen Wolves and I hope you can get any of them soon, or whatever fodder you're excited to get. I'm skipping but I'll free pull on blue hoping for free [A/R Far Trace 3] for my Legendary Lilina, otherwise colorless since I could get [C Duel Infantry 4] for Sara or red I guess, in case I can somehow get any of the other two remaining fodder units.

[not-iscariot]

This was really hard but if you’re interested in my reasoning then scroll below...

Favorite game of all time: Dragon Age Inquisition

For a lot of the answers I wanted to give Big Brain Answers, but thinking through all the games I’ve ever played... I don’t have the hours on any other game like I do this one. I have my own issues with the franchise and some of the decisions that get made but hot damn does a good RPG Fantasy series do it for me. I’ve never played another game that genuinely feels different and unique every playthrough, the world is so big and the ability to feel like a bunch of different versions of the Inquisitor are some of the reasons I find the game so fun to replay. I’ve played 3 games through to completion, 2 with the Trespasser DLC, and 1 where I played every DLC available. I’m currently on another playthrough right now... so based on my attachment and hour log I would say this is my favorite game of all time.

Best Story: Mass Effect 3

This was also really hard because there are a lot of games where I loved the story. I think it’s really hard to end a series and I honestly liked the ending of Mass Effect although not everyone is a fan. The choice-consequence ramifications in this game are pretty brutal and it’s rewarding to see the conclusion of so many of the companions’ arcs. The first time I finished this game I was sobbing which showed how much investment I had in the story and the characters, especially Shepard. I think there are a lot of interesting larger ideas explored in the series like collective consciousness through the Geth as well as the tension between synthetic and organic, which I found myself thinking about a lot when reading Emergent Strategy. 

Favorite Art Style: The Wolf Among Us

RIP Telltale. I liked a lot of their games, but WAU is where I feel the style really hit it’s stride. It worked super well with the fantasy/detective story. I’m sad they never got to finish the game. 

“I’ll finish it some day”: Zelda: Breath of the Wild

BotW is a really amazing game but I have never in my life finished a Zelda game. I want to finish it bad but I sucked literal ass at the boss fights. I also struggle hard with games that have huge open worlds when there isn’t a story really driving me through objectives and missions. Some people love the freedom, I tend to get bored quickly. I dropped the game because I didn’t have time to play it so when I feel up to it again I’m starting from the beginning.

Big Personal Impact: Dragon Age 2

This game made me realize I was bi and helped me come out. That’s pretty much all there is to it. By far my favorite companion set, I hope for future games they take more cross impact between companion characters because that was seriously lacking in Inquisition.

Best Combat: Spider-man 

Super fun combat that you personalize to your fighting style. When I was hitting my best in terms of combos it felt super cool. Just a really strong game gameplay-wise. 

You like, but everyone else hates: Beyond: Two Souls

I don’t know if everyone hates it but when I talk about it I hear a lot of groans... this is definitely one of my favorite games to play with someone else and I think it’s super engaging to play with people who aren’t really into video games. It’s easy enough for them to get into with a decent story and decent twist reveals. 

You hate, but everyone likes: Fallout Franchise

I’ve tried so hard to get into these games. I own most of them but I have never been able to finish one. Fallout 4 was super buggy and I couldn’t get through some of the critical fights. I wanted to be into it but it just didn’t do it for me.

Underrated: Jedi Fallen Order

I don’t think it’s that underrated but I had a friend tell me it was “just Dark Souls with lightsabers” and I thought that was an unfair assessment. The Jedi gameplay is really fun and the boss fights are hard but so worth it to keep trying until you get through them. Also, as a Star Wars nerd, I liked this offshoot exploration of the Jedi. 

Overrated: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

OK I bought this game having never played a Witcher game or engaged with really any Witcher content and I thought, based off the amazing reviews, that wouldn’t be a problem but I could not get through it. I just didn’t understand what the heck was going on or get attached to any of the characters. I went back and bought the first two games on sale, although the first is so frustrating because you have to obsessively save so that you don’t lose progress. I’m open to changing my mind down the road but I just didn’t get into it.

“Why do I like this?”: Grand Theft Auto V

I bought this at the beginning of quarantine last year as a long game to have that would take me ages to complete so I wouldn’t lose my mind. It’s the only GTA game I’ve ever played and I got super into it even though it’s like... GTA. Truly just THAT video game stereotype, you know?

Game you always go back to: Borderlands 2

I’ve played the other Borderlands games but this is definitely my favorite. Just a decent game to playthrough either on your own or with other people. I like the drop-in, drop-out story play through you can do with people.

That atmosphere...: Stardew Valley

Pretty self-explanatory. I wish I lived there. I want what they have...

Bad Day Cure: The Uncharted Franchise

Decent story and story arcs. Good gameplay to zone out to. I like the characters. This was the first set of games I played on my PS4 and it was during a blizzard. Super replayable.

Favorite Protagonist: Hades (Zagreus)

I almost said Dragon Age 2 for Hawke but because Hawke’s personality really depends on the player (I exclusively do humorous) I didn’t feel that counted for strong protag writing. Zagreus rocks. Bi king. He’s sensitive and caring and tough and funny. His arc is so wholesome... my childhood trauma definitely projected heavy onto this game.

After Work Game: Left 4 Dead 2

This was the first game I ever bought on Steam back in 2012 to play with my online friends from deviantArt... that’s how old this game is for me. I’ve clocked almost 400 hours and it’s definitely my go-to comfort/tune out game. I literally play this game to self soothe when I have anxiety... I’m so used to it and familiar with the gameplay that it doesn’t stress me out at all. 

Biggest Letdown: Mass Effect Andromeda

After ME series I was honestly fine where Shepard’s story ended and I was down for another protag and offshoot story but... the game sucked. The combat was fun and it wasn’t unplayable but ME was so good that this game just didn’t live up to the standard. The companions are just not as interesting or engaging, it was buggy and animated weird as hell, and I couldn’t give a fuck about Ryder honestly...

“Back in the day” game: Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire

Curling up on the couch or in my room on my Gameboy Advanced SP in red collecting pokémon... these were the DAYS. 

“Not the best but having fun”: Fire Emblem Franchise

Three Houses is definitely my favorite and the only other that I liked out of the few I’ve played was Awakening. I think the games are decent and fun, Three Houses was definitely the strongest in terms of side characters and story, but there are still issues like... how romancing works. Claude is so bisexual it’s actually alarming... 

Criminally Overlooked: Mirror’s Edge

This series had potential to become such a cool franchise but it stopped after Catalyst. I was so invested in the world they created and it was just very... whatever Watchdogs was trying to do but I didn’t like as much. Some really awesome gameplay, just a lot of parkour and running.

Depressing Game: The Walking Dead 

This game and the subsequent ones I just feel so bad for Clementine, this poor girl cannot win. I never finished the last season because I lost track of what Telltale ended up doing, but now I know they finished it so I gotta get back in there. Yeah I cried at the end of this first game.

Favorite ACTIVE Franchise: Dragon Age

So many issues with the series but... it’s likely if they’ve announced a new one I’ve already pre-ordered. I’m very invested and hope Dragon Age 4 is as good if not better than Inquisition...

Not usually my thing but...: Red Dead Redemption 2

Not at all a game I would usually get based of how it was advertised and explained to me as well as the usual crowd who’s into it but... I really loved it. I said this before that I’m not great with super large maps and free reign but RDR2 is one of the few exceptions. I would spend hours just running around and hunting. I started playing it in quarantine and lord... it was so nice to just roam around this huge, beautiful map and feel like I was hanging out outdoors. It also made it shitty to be stuck outdoors because all I wanted to do after I finished was go on a cross-country road trip. Still very much a like... manly man game. But I don’t mind that.

Anyways that’s my two cents. Here’s the blank:

[alric-usami]

Pokémon Sword & Shield; Crown Tundra DLC (Thoughts)

After months of finally waiting Nintendo has blessed us in the Pokemon community with a release announcement for Pokemon Sword’s and Pokemon Shield’s Crown Tundra DLC

If you haven’t seen the video and want to keep yourself spoiler free consider this your ✨ spoiler warning! ✨

If you haven’t seen the video and want to learn more just click on the link below to watch! There’s this freaking awesome animated music video at the end that I really recommend! 😁

At first glance the video doesn’t tell us much new information that we didn’t already know. We got see more of the Crown Tundra’s beautiful landscape, quick cutscenes of the Legendary Bird’s Galarian Forms, Slowking’s full design reveal, and we got to see a couple new Pokemon that will make a return! Like my boy Dragonite! 😤👀

I’ll try to keep my thoughts brief as there isn’t really too much to talk about and I’ll break down my thoughts with each topic.

Let’s do this!

Galarian Slowking

After the original teaser of the DLCs as a whole, Pokemon showcased part of the designs for Galarian Slowbro and Galarian Slowking, which got some of the community very much excited.

While we were able to obtain Galarian Slowbro in the Isle of Armor, showcasing its unique design and moves, we now look forward to seeing what this new Galarian Slowking that will be featured in the Crown Tundra can do.

I’ve never really had a chance to or the initiative to use a Slowking before in any way, but I think this looks cool. It has a mysterious, shaman-like vibe further exemplified by its purples and pink colorations and its single green gem. It’s always cool to appreciate a ‘new look’ in a Pokemon with these regional forms.

It’s now a Poison/Psychic and has the ‘Curious Medicine’ ability which, if I read that correctly, nullifies the effects of an ally Pokémon’s status drops. So, if your Pokemon gets hit with Intimidate, Galarian Slowking’s Curious Medicine will change that -1 Attack back to a neutral 0. From the looks of it, this will be a real advantageous ability to use in double battles currently popular.

Furthermore, it gets a cool new move called ‘Eerie Spell’, a powerful move that both inflicts damage and reduces the opponent’s last used move by 3 PP. All I can say is that this Pokemon has a high probability of appearing often in online battles, so ready yourselves for it!

I think it’s awesome that Pokemon is now targeting Status and Hacks within battles this generation. Introduction of Pokémon and moves that target these specific mechanics really heighten the unpredictability of your opponent (unless you’re me XD) to create new battle experiences where any fun combination of moves and battle styles are possible. Even previous Pokemon not normally brought to online battles often are making appearances.

What do you think about this new Galarian Slowking? Would you add it to your team?

Landscape

I want to take a quick moment and appreciate the landscape that the Crown Tundra will offer. It’s a beautiful snowy mountains where we’ll go on expeditions, the amazing , but there’s also color to it, particularly with that giant pink tree we often see in the trailers revolving around it.

It’s hard to say what this beautiful tree and it’s fruitful bounty will be used for, maybe for Galarian Slowbro’s evolutionary method or have to do with the Legendary Bird’s Lore but thats just speculation in my part. I really think it’s nice to appreciate a landmark that a lot of players will probably go and admire.

But my favorite part about this is the temple, or castle in the snowy mountains here!

For some reason, while the design is not the same by any means, my first thought when I saw this was that it somewhat reminded me of the Lengend of Zelda’s Temple of Time a little! Haha 😄

Regardless of what it may bring, I’m sure we’ll have a good time simply exploring the whole place alongside our walking pokemon.

Galarian Star Tournament

This is one of the features I’m very excited for!

You’ll be able to partner off with gym leaders, rivals, and all around people you’ve met around your journey to participate in multi battles against other famous trainers you’ve encountered in your journey! 🤩

You’ll face against teams involving Nessa and Milo, Leon and Hop, Mustard and Klara or Avery (Depending on tour version) among many more in these coming tag battles!

I’m hoping this one has online connectivity, if it hasn’t been confirmed, so I can tackle these battles alongside my friends! I’m sure these’ll be super intense!

Rounding off my Thoughts

I realize that there isn’t much to say from what we already know and overall, I personally, was satisfied. Or more like my anxiousness for this DLC’s release is somewhat appeased at the moment 😝

The release date for the Crown Tundra is coming in October 22 of this year, and while I wish we had a bit more to go on I think we can expect pretty good things from this installment.

While I’m still not too keen on having every legendary Pokémon available in one place, it’s fair to acknowledge that because of Max Raid Battles these legendary Pokémon won’t be as easy to catch as before (not that they ever were to begin with). And many players who like these amazing Pokémon, whether for their design, battle prowess, memories etc., will get a chance to hopefully obtain these powerful mons on their teams. It’ll be interesting at least to see their following/walking animations XD

Sadly, there wasn’t any lore revealed either for the Legendary Bird’s or the Regis aside from what’s already been given ;-;. BUT! I think the mystery allures me to them even more and I can’t wait to find out about it •_•

There’s more good news though! If you’re a fan of special cap Pikachus that were previously distributed in Gen 7, then you have the chance to get them again for your Pokémon Sword and Shield games! They’ll be holding distributions for them throughout the coming weeks!

You can get your first one, Original Kanto Cap Pikachu, by imputing the code P1KACHUGET in Mystery Gift for your games!

That’s all for now everyone! ✌🏼

What are your hopes and thoughts for this DLC? What Pokémon do you hope to encounter alongside the already revealed ones?

[rafespeaks]

Pokémon Sword and Shield, From the Eyes of a Veteran (Critique)

I want to preface this by saying I have been playing Pokemon since before I can remember. It has been a staple of my childhood since day one and is an incredibly important franchise to me. I have nothing but love for it, and I wish the franchise success and a long life far into the future. That being said... I have some big issues with this latest generation. Big enough that I’m writing out my thoughts for everyone to see for the first time.

As a note, I am not a competitive player, nor do I think I ever will be. I don’t have the patience or technical mind to focus on all the finite mechanics and breed the statistical ‘very-best’ Pokemon out there. As such, I will not be focusing on those aspects (or at least not nearly as heavily as others might).

Now, let’s begin.

As a starting point, let’s start where Nintendo always does when introducing a new region and generation

The Pokémon

Every new generation of Pokemon comes with brand-new creatures for everyone to love. However, some generations just have... more than others. The original games had 151 Pokemon total to catch, collect, and love. And from there, more were added. Here’s the count:

Johto: 100 Hoenn: 135 Sinnoh: 107 Unova: 156 Kalos: 72 Alola: 88 Galar: 81

This is not accounting for the new Pokemon introduced in Galar’s DLC, as that has yet to come out, or old Pokemon that were given a Mega Evolution or regional variant. Kalos added 30 Mega Evolutions, plus an additional 20 from ORAS. Alola added 18 regional variants, and Galar added 13 of their own (not counting the DLC Slowpoke) plus 24 Gigantimax forms (25 if you count Flapple & Appletun as separate, and 26 with Melmetal).

Numbers-wise, Galar did... okay. Not great. But okay. It still passed up Kalos, at the very least, which was a huge point of contention among fans when gen 6 came out. However, if I had to sum up my feelings towards the new Pokemon I could do it easily with one phrase: they’re very ‘hit-or-miss’. And while new Pokemon that I don’t care for tend to grow on me over time, there’s just one problem with that. They can’t grow on me if I don’t ever see them.

Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with old Pokemon being in the new games. In fact that’s something I love! But when you want the players to connect with the new being introduced, you have to give them a chance to do so.

This was the first region in what felt like ages where I went in without a plan of what I wanted on my team. Typically, I go with a simple, easy-to-follow formula. Grass, Fire, and Water take up three slots. Add in a Flying-type, as Water and Flying were highly important for transportation in earlier games. And for coverage, the last two spots go to Electric and Ground or Rock. Anything else, I try to cover for with getting as many dual-types as possible. Simple. Effective. Tried and true.

However, after choosing Scorbunny as my starter, I encountered a problem. There are only two Grass-types to choose from, and neither are particularly good for my strategy. Eldegoss, which I ended up going with, is a pure Grass-type and can ONLY learn Grass-type damaging attacks, unless you want to track down the single Bug-type TR it can learn, or use one of the few compatible Normal-type TMs/TRs.

The second Grass-type is Applin. And while both evolutions have better type coverage, there are still problems. One, Applin on its own is pretty bad. The only moves it knows when caught fresh from the wild are Withdraw and Astonish. While that isn’t too horrible in and of itself, the fact that its evolutionary item can only be obtained near the end of the game makes it a horrible choice. Since I was about to take on Nessa and had no access to this item, I was forced to either choose Eldegoss or something from a previous generation. And since I was trying to use all-new Pokemon, Eldegoss it was. (Though on the upside, I realized it had plenty of potential to be a competitive wall.) Now, if you are intent on getting a Flapple or Appletun, you can persevere and evolve one. Now you have your grass dragon! Great! Except... its level-up moveset is pretty bad to begin with... You will have to dedicate a lot of time to training or hunting down TMs and TRs to make up for this seemingly MASSIVE oversight.

This is just one example, of course. And while coverage isn’t particularly BAD considering all the old Pokemon included, it could be much better.

Continuing on from this topic is another that has had a lot of fans, including me, up in arms.

The Pokédex

Dexit.

Nearly 900 Pokemon, cut SEVERELY down to 400. It’s unprecedented. It’s unfair to the fans of cut Pokemon, completionists, and old players waiting on transferring all their partners from previous games. Frankly, it sucks. And I think every Pokemon fan can agree, no matter the reason.

While some similar things to this have happened before, it has never been this bad. Unova did it right - the only Pokemon available to the player through the main story of Black and White were the newly introduced ones. After defeating the Elite Four, finishing the game, and the credits are done rolling however, all previous Pokemon were welcome in the region once more. Alola didn’t exclude any older Pokemon, but for the first time in any Pokemon game, we did not get a National ‘Dex. Even so, the Pokemon unavailable natively in Alola were still transferable and usable in the new generation. And while it was a bit disappointing not to get any new entries for some old favorites, it was understandable. Coming up with new world lore is hard work!

Nintendo said that all these Pokemon were cut due to time constraints and limitations with the memory. Unfortunately, these are issues that could be fixed easily, which just... weren’t. Sword and Shield could have gone the same route that Zelda: Breath of the Wild did and simply extended production time. As Shigeru Miyamoto once said, “A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad.” And it shows in Sword and Shield in so many ways.

The memory limitations is, honestly, just a bad lie in my personal opinion. This opinion is only proven to me by the DLC reintroducing over 200 Pokemon from prior games. It’s not that Nintendo couldn’t - it’s that they didn’t give themselves the time. I had hoped for free updates in the future to remedy this, and that’s what’s happening. But not in a good way. (They also cut a plethora of Pokemon moves, which was also heavily disappointing, but the loss there couldn’t be felt nearly as much as over half of the total Pokemon being straight-up unavailable. Every one of those is someone’s favorite!)

Even if the memory WAS an issue, there are so many things that were, ultimately, unnecessary to me that they could have done without. But I’ll get to that in a minute.

Dexit aside, there’s another issue that needs to be addressed with the Pokedex that I’ve touched on already - distribution of Pokemon. There’s just... way too many, way too fast, and not enough of the new Galar Pokemon to go around. I am a Player who takes the famous tagline ‘gotta catch ‘em all’ fairly seriously. As I progress through the game, I am always compelled to search for every Pokemon on a route and catch, at the very least, the basic form of that Pokemon. While I haven’t managed to complete the Pokedex on my own or build a Living ‘Dex yet, those are both major goals I have.

However, shortly after first stepping into the Wild Area, I was overwhelmed. Too many Pokemon were coming my way, with too many variations in weather meaning it would take ages to catch all the Pokemon available to me in a route before moving forward in the story. While the Wild Area is a marvel, fun to explore, and an amazing way to experience Pokemon, it’s all just too much to throw at you in one huge chunk. Plus, there’s one very annoying, very artificial limitation that just feels completely out of place in a game that traditionally has had nothing quite like this. The Pokemon-catching level cap.

Now, level caps have been talked about among fans of the series, especially those that would like a sort of ‘hard mode’. This is not what they were talking about. Level caps have been used in previous games to prevent a player from transferring or trading overpowered Pokemon to the game and breezing through it as fast as possible. If you don’t have enough badges, the Pokemon will not listen to you, and you’ll be out of luck until you progress. Fans have suggested extending this level cap to all Pokemon, so that potentially even your starter will refuse to listen once it’s too strong. Personally, I wouldn’t enjoy such a change. But that’s why it’s only really suggested for a hard mode.

The way this level cap was implemented, however, was just... bad... I understand why it was done, but it can be put into practice SO much easier with one simple fix - utilizing Routes like previous generations did and closing off the higher-level areas to the player until they have progressed appropriately.

And that brings me to my next talking point.

Routes VS the Wild Area

Pokemon routes have always been included in every game, from the very beginning. They are the segue between towns, holding new Pokemon for you to battle and catch, the majority of free items to be found across the world, and a good few trainers to pit your team against once you’ve gotten past the first little chunk of story. To put it simply, routes are necessary. Without them, all the different towns would be one huge city, and specifically in Sword and Shield, there would be nowhere but the Wild Area to catch Pokemon.

That being said, the routes throughout Galar are... pretty tiny. I’d even say pitiful. What’s more, it seems that most of them have a short, straight path forward that discourages exploration and bettering yourself through battles with wild Pokemon and trainers. Sure, there’s the occasional arbitrary blockade that will force you to take the long way around, but once that’s done with, there’s nothing else to keep your interest. Glimwood Tangle in particular made me realize how far back they cut the routes. There was so much potential to make a sprawling forest out of it, and they just... didn’t. It was tiny. I wanted more, but they left it lacking in so much.

There’s an easy solution to this - making the Routes into mini Wild Areas. And, to accommodate all these huge routes, CUT BACK THE WILD AREA. Trust me - it needs to be smaller. This fixes the Pokemon distribution, the level cap issues, and the tiny routes all in one fell swoop. Instead of having one massive area with a bunch of sub-areas, have each route be bigger, with two to three sub-areas. The balance will make it much more impressive in the long run.

Speaking of balance, let’s talk about how this affected the pacing of the game. Even when I was taking my time, it felt like I was always rushing, rushing, rushing on to the next town.  Not to mention, there are far too many options in the story to let you skip over backtracking through a route you’ve already been through. I’ve just finished taking on Milo. I blink. I’m standing in the Pokemon center the next town over, prepping for Nessa’s gym. I just defeated Bea. I blink. Now I’m about to take on Opal. The only time I got a little time to breathe was when I had to travel through the Wild Area to get to the next town. And then it was all just so expansive that I... didn’t want to go back to the story. There were items everywhere. There were Pokemon to catch. I wasn’t done here - I had to explore. I had to find everything. Do all I could. Because that’s what you do in a route, right? You explore and find all the goodies to help you on your journey. So what comes after...?

The Towns

While the towns are gorgeous and each have their own charm, they all feel... almost empty.

Compare to previous games, and it’s obvious to see. Many buildings don’t allow you to go inside and explore. There is a distinct lack of NPCs. And the ‘big’ cities are decidedly small as a result.

Just take a look at Castelia City and Lumiose City. Both are huge, compared to the rest of the locations in the games. They have many buildings, many NPCs to fill them... People needed a map to avoid getting lost in Lumiose! Even in cities that are smaller scale-wise, such as in Alola, they never feel empty. There are plenty of places to go, people to talk to, and things to explore or interact with. You find new things all the time.

Meanwhile in Galar, the only things that seem to give the towns any purpose are the Pokemon gyms. And that is a massive shame. Especially when in prior games, there have been places I will make my way to, just to sit there and take in every little detail of the location, or where I’ll talk to every NPC and soak up all the lore. I go back to murals and statues and unique buildings. I go back to puzzles and the homes of legendary Pokemon. I go back to enjoy the things I’ve seen in a new light and reminisce about my journey. But in Galar... there seems to be very little to reminisce about.

The Story

This is the biggest disappointment for me. If all the rest of the game were awful, as long as the story is good, I can overlook it. As long as the story is good, I can enjoy any game. 

This story was not good.

As far as Pokemon stories go, they aren’t all complex, nuanced narratives. In the first games, you fight Team Rocket, who are just in it for the money. In Johto, it’s the same thing, with the addition of a rival that has a touching change of heart in the end. Things get a bit bigger in Hoenn, where the world-ending plots officially start in the form of weather crises caused by Team Aqua and Team Magma. In Sinnoh, the entire universe is threatened when Team Galactic aims to remake the world in their image. In Unova, the morals of you and the rest of the Pokemon world are called into question by PETA-- I mean Team Plasma. In Kalos... rich people want to kill the unworthy poor...? Yeah, I didn’t really get that story much either. And in Alola, you deal with alternate dimension aliens running amok. Safe to say things got quite a bit bigger as time went on.

Now we’re in Galar. Something’s going to happen. Something always happens. But when? How?

We get hints about the Darkest Day. Dynamaxing is still very new and not much is known about it. Sonia is looking into the legendary hero(s) that stopped the Darkest Day. But where’s the evil team? What’s their motivation? Where’s the action? The buildup?? Bede mentions he’s collecting Wishing Stars. Why??? We get to Hammerlocke and learn that the Wishing Stars are for the Chairman. But again, why? He mentions a problem has been bothering Rose concerning all Galar, but it’s such a brief moment that it’s easily dismissed. Where’s the action, or the stakes? Nothing has happened yet except we’re being pushed through the gym challenge as fast as possible.

Fourth gym. No sign of any real trouble yet. Except that jerk Bede just vandalized an ancient mural, just because... he wanted to? Yeah, he’s trying to find Wishing Stars, but literally NO ONE told him to make a spectacle of himself and ruin a piece of history in the process. We’re getting more hints about the past and Galar’s history, but nothing solid on what we’re supposed to be doing. Besides the gyms. EVERYTHING is about the gyms... Oh, and apparently Oleana is the one who asked Bede to collect Wishing Stars. Whatever. What does that have to do with anything?

Five gyms in now, and... Ka-BOOM!

FINALLY!!! Some ACTION!!! Something’s happening at the Power Plant, and Sonia’s detecting a Power Spot! Alright, let’s go! I’m finally going to be able to DO something! I’ll finally be able to see what’s going on and--

“You should leave the investigation on the quaking to the adults. Head to Circhester and get that Gym Badge!”

... What... No! No, I refuse! There must be something to see, even if it’s just Sonia, Leon, and the Chairman standing around after things have already been sorted out. I can talk to them and get a little dialogue on what’s going on! Except they aren’t anywhere to be found. No one around the gym, no one by the Power Plant door, nothing.

Sixth gym. More lore. Seventh gym. Heading out towards Raihan and BOOM! Trouble on Route 9! Leon’s here! NPC says I should go help! Heck yes, I will! It’s about time I got some action out here, it’s almost the end of the game!

Run outside, there’s Leon! And... he dismisses you. Again. Says ‘nope, I’ve got this, gym gym gym, see you!’

No way am I taking that laying down. I’m right on his heels - I should at least be able to see him battling or something, right? But no. In the seconds it takes to run after him, Leon has beaten the threat, he’s gone, and now Hop is waving a news article about the debacle in your face, complete with picture! How the hell did all that happen so fast?! It takes time to write something like that up, never mind the time it must have taken to battle the Dynamaxed Pokemon that Leon faced!

The game is almost over, and what little action you could have seen has been blocked from you because you are a child. And I understand, from a moral perspective, that this is what any sane adult would say to a child. But from a story perspective it is a horribly bad writing choice. It gives you a little taste of the story, a tiny hint at what’s going on, and yanks any real explanation away from you until the very end, where you’re floored by everything happening all at once. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Finally, Professor Magnolia mentions that the issue the Chairman is worried about is the future of Galar’s energy. But... why? We have seen no hints of a problem with that throughout the entire game. No mention of shortages. Nothing about global warming or sustainability. It seems there’s exactly zero reason for anyone to worry, much less turn this into a huge issue that needs to be addressed. It’s one thing if a crisis is there and people are ignoring it. It’s another matter entirely if there is no crisis whatsoever to be seen, even if you look for it. And even if there was any sort of issue, Leon once again tells you to do nothing. Nothing at all. 

Eighth gym. On to the Championships. Blah blah, tiny snow route, nothing even remotely close to a Victory Road... In Wyndon now. Still bubcus about an evil team or anything that you can actually DO something about. The Semifinals happen. Leon goes missing.

Suddenly, you’re thrown into a situation you know nothing about to save this miserable dope. And when you get to him... he doesn’t even need any saving! He’s just having a pleasant chat with this jerk! Drag his butt out of there, then the Finals happen. Now you’re gearing up to face Leon himself. Only to be stopped by Rose SUMMONING ARMAGEDDON TO SOLVE A NONEXISTENT ENERGY CRISIS HE SEEMINGLY MADE UP.........

It makes no sense whatsoever. And unlike in Unova, where the interruption to your Elite Four challenge made sense, these TWO interruptions did not. Leon even promised to help Rose after he finished his Championship match against you! Why couldn’t Rose wait a single day? Or even a few hours? ... I digress.

Anyway, Rose awakens Eternatus, who is the source of Dynamax energy. (Necrozma & Totem Pokemon vibes much?) Leon goes up to capture it, just as Rose planned, and gets his butt kicked, not as planned. Meanwhile, the player and Hop made themselves useful for once, went to find the Sword and Shield from legend, and used them to call Zacian and Zamazenta. Together, all four of you defeat Eternatus! Yaaay for yooouuu!!!

...

Oh. And you finally have that Championship battle. Get that win squared away. Finally, but also way too soon, the credits role.

Perhaps I may have been a bit harsh about the story. But with very little to make up for it, I feel justified in everything I’ve said here. But I’m still not done. After all, a story can’t have no one helping the protagonist along. Or hindering them. Severely.

The Characters

Unfortunately, many of the characters were just as bad as the story. However, for the most part, it doesn’t entirely seem like their fault. There just wasn’t enough time spent on them, or the writers handled them poorly.

Let’s start from the beginning.

Hop

He’s a friendly rival. Okay, I can get behind that. But he’s also very self-absorbed throughout the entire story. Why are you even friends with him? He doesn’t once talk to you about anything other than how he’s going to be the next Champion. He cheers you on occasionally, but it’s always overshadowed by him harping on the same things over and over again - his brother is The Best and he will defeat him to become The New Best.

Many people say Hop is very much like Hau. I say that’s an insult to Hau. Hau is a laid-back free spirit who’s only goal starting out is to have fun with his Pokemon. He supports you and gives you items along the way because that’s just his nature. He’s a true friend. And when things get a bit tougher, he realizes he needs to step up and take things seriously if he wants to protect the ones he cares about. So he does.

In my opinion, Hop is more like Green in his approach to you, except a bit more friendly. In fact... I’d say he’s MOST like the Diamond/Pearl/Platinum rival, Barry. They’re both braggarts, self-absorbed, and constantly, casually putting you down even though you’re clearly better than them. Long story short, Hop is infinitely annoying like Barry is annoying. I was shocked at myself for how eager I was to beat Hop evey time, and how uncaring I was when Bede crushed his spirit. Hop’s mopiness and woe-is-me attitude felt very forced, especially since he was always smiling and still constantly talked about how he was going to beat you and Leon both.

Not to mention how his story ultimately ended... But I’ll get to that a little later.

Leon

For as annoying as Hop is, Leon is ten times worse. I can see where Hop got all those self-absorbed tendencies. He strikes a dumb pose every five seconds, goes on about how great and undefeated he is, constantly basks in the attention of his fans... Not an ounce of humility or humbleness in this man. Not to mention, he pretty much abandoned Sonia during their journey together. I couldn’t wait to ruin his whole career. But if there’s one positive thing I can say about him, it’s that his team is legitimately tough. Mostly that demon Charizard.

Sonia

She’s nice enough, and it’s pretty neat to see her on her journey to becoming a full-fledged Professor. But her progression to that ultimate payoff seems pretty rushed, probably because the rest of the story is rushed. Also, she consults with you about many of the legends she digs up, and the dialogue choices ultimately mean YOU are drawing the conclusions while SHE just agrees with them. By all rights, I should be the Professor in this game! 

Marnie

Honestly, I don’t have a strong reaction about Marnie either way. She just seems a bit subdued, we don’t see her very much, and there’s no real character arc that we get to see her go through. She’s the same as when we first saw her, only now she knows she’s not going to be the Champion, because you are. 

Bede

He’s a little jerk. And honestly? I love little jerks. But only if they’re done right.

Green was a jerk rival that was done right. He didn’t see the error of his ways throughout the entire game. However, come the Johto arc, he is now a gym leader, realizes he was treating his Pokemon poorly, and it’s implied he regrets his harshness towards Red.

Silver was another done right. He was a jerk from the very start, and a thief to boot. He hated you, and Team Rocket, and... all the world really. But as the game progressed, he came to realize that he needed to be kind. And by the end of the game, he has a Crobat. While his abrasive personality is still there, he respects you, and realizes you were right.

Bede, on the other hand, was pushed through the plot. First, he was working his hardest for the sake of the Chairman. Then when he was forsaken, hurt, and lost for a purpose... he wasn’t allowed to find his way himself. Instead, Opal snatched him away and demanded that he become the next Fairy-type gym leader. She even went so far as to force him to change his type preference! What happened to Gothorita and Duosion?! (Don’t get me wrong, I love Opal as a character. She’s probably my favorite out of everyone. But still...)

Bede should have come into his own by his own choice. And since he didn’t, the change seems like it... wasn’t a change at all. He’s still harsh towards you and others, and the respect he says he has for you seems insincere.

Piers

Unlike the rest of the gym leaders, Piers takes a slightly more active role in the plot once the ball FINALLY gets rolling. So I figured I’d talk about him, too. Piers seems... a lot like Nanu. Like A LOT. And that doesn’t really seem to fit with his rocker look or job. He just seems depressed and like he doesn’t want to be here. At least he’s a fairly responsible brother, always making sure Marnie is safe. I never did get past that hair though... Never liked it. But I seem to be in the minority there.

Oleana

She’s just... She seems like a Rose-obsessed Lusamine, instead of Ultra Beast-obsessed. Except her manipulation of children is more subtle. Honestly, I can see her being a formidable villain, and actually a much bigger threat than Rose. If only she was given the opportunity to actually DO more things through the game.

Chairman Rose

Rose is... Well, he doesn’t feel like a villain, if that makes any sense? He’s too placid. Mild. Calm. There’s no anger or any kind of intense emotion. Even when he’s disappointed in Bede, I don’t really... believe it. It’s like he ordered an ice cream and realized it doesn’t come with sprinkles. “Oh. That’s very slightly disappointing. But it’s still ice cream so it doesn’t really matter. It’s fine.” Even if you want to do a villain without strong emotions, there are other ways to do it.

Cyrus, jokingly referred to as having depression by the Pokemon fanbase, is a big example of this. He is very non-expressive, with a flat, almost scary look. He always talks analytically, and philosophically. He even openly scorns emotions. But when he does finally get a bit more heated and unhinged towards the end of the game, it’s a serious business. He feels dangerous.

Rose, on the other hand... doesn’t. He has all this supposed passion for Galar and its future. So much so that he’s willing to risk putting people and Pokemon in imminent danger to fix this energy crisis he seems to have made up... So then where is that passion? Where is his anger and frustration towards Leon? Where is his desperation?

It seems to me that the only energy deficit in Galar is in Rose’s behavior.

We’ve covered a lot now, but still not everything. My main gripes are over, but like every Pokemon game, there’s just a bit more.

The Post-Game

Now the main plot is over, and you’re free to do as you please all across the region. Train up your Pokemon and catch newly available ones, explore places you didn’t go deeper in during the story, get a little extra tidbit of story sometimes... And to its credit, this game did deliver a decent post-game story to follow.

You saved the region. You met the legendary Pokemon. Now you have the Master Ball and it’s implied you can go off and get your featured legendary doggo. Fantastic! But once you make your way into the Slumbering Weald... these guys show up. Oh, and Hop is there moping. And Sonia shows up too, for some reason.

But these guys... These guys were arrogant little jerks from the beginning. And it makes sense once you learn they’re a part of Galar’s royal family - the descendants of the people who supposedly stopped the Darkest Day from happening and saved the region. Of course, now everyone knows that’s not true, and they’re pissed about what this means for them. Their family isn’t anything special. They aren’t anything special. Their status and positions have been taken away and given to Pokemon! It’s insulting to them! (Though they still have a loyal following.)

So what do they do? Pumping Zacian & Zamazenta full of Dynamax energy and causing them to wreak havoc will absolutely turn the people of Galar against them! And the cost? Eh, they don’t much care. As long as the legendary Pokemon look bad and they’re able to retain their status.

Of course, their plan backfires, and in true benevolent legendary fashion, the one legendary they do manage to overload with power does its absolute best to avoid hurting anyone. It’s a touching little story to go on. And what’s more? It actually makes sense! In fact, I would have greatly preferred this story as the main one focused on, rather than the hot garbage we got with Chairman Rose! My only gripe regarding the new story is how ridiculous these two princes are... Really Gamefreak? Swordward and Shieldbert? And that hair?? Do you have no subtlety anymore?

But as for wrapping up the old story... things still fall a bit flat. After the legendaries are calm again and you have your version’s pup, you go after Hop. And he is accepted by the other legendary in the duo. Considering everything he went through to try and get the sword/shield back just now, as well as his concern for and efforts to calm down the legendary, it’s understandable. He’s proven himself in their eyes. But then... he goes and decides to become Sonia’s assistant and work towards being a professor.

How did that happen? Why did it happen? There was no buildup in the slightest before this decision, and it seems very out of character for someone like Hop. He’s not technically minded. While he takes a mild interest in the legends of his home region (who wouldn’t when they’re that fun?), he doesn’t seem interested in doing any actual research. And now that he actually owns a legendary Pokemon, you would expect him to double down on his rivalry with you or at least aspire to do something more... heroic? Exciting? Why would a legendary Pokemon want to hang around when you’re not going to be utilizing them at all?

This extra little story is over very fast. Not only that, but everything you do pertaining to the story is done without having to struggle through a route or many other additional challenges. (Hey, a lot like the main story. Lack of travel/drawn-out struggle leads to pacing issues.)

Additionally, there are no new places to explore after the main story. Which really, REALLY sucks. Every Pokemon game has had more to see afterwards. Kanto had Cerulean Cave. Johto had an entire additional region, plus Mt Silver. Hoenn had lots of legendary Pokemon homes open up to you, plus the Battle Frontier in Emerald. Sinnoh had the entire Battle Zone. Unova had several towns and routes blocked off. Kalos had it’s own last town as well as a couple places you could go for legendaries, like Mewtwo. And Alola had an entire half of Poni Island. Galar has... nothing... Everywhere you can go in Galar, you will have access to before the Championship battle with Leon is over. And that’s a crying shame. They seem to be trying to remedy this with the DLC coming out, but that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms. I’ll get into that later. First, there still something else I want to talk about...

Dynamaxing and Gigantimaxing

I get why this exists. I really do. Every single region has something that shakes up the way battles are done. Whether it’s more technical, statistic-based changes or something much more obvious. Hold items, double battles, tag battles, triple and rotation battles, Mega Evolving, Z moves, blah blah blah. We all know about that stuff, right? Each of the newer regions has some gimmick to go along with it. This is the Galar version. But unfortunately... when they implemented this change, they decided to get rid of the much-beloved Mega Evolutions entirely.

Now I could understand why they would do this with Z-moves. Dynamaxing is essentially the same thing, with the addition of more HP and the flashy, massive size of Pokemon to go along with it. Though it is disappointing, it’s not really a net loss.

But Mega Evolutions on the other hand... Those were something special.

Mega Evolution could have, potentially, coexisted with Dynamaxing. All it is is making the Pokemon bigger after all, right? A bigger Mega Evolution is doable.

But then the Gigantimax Pokemon come in... and thing start to make less sense. Basically, they made more Mega Evolutions, but named them something different. Why couldn’t they simply be more Megas? People LOVE Mega Evolution Pokemon! No one would have been mad at this! Except the people who, rightfully, say Charizard gets far too much attention. Three Mega Evolutions is a bit much.

But even then, if you’re so insistent on Gigantimax Pokemon being a separate beast entirely, then there’s STILL a way you can make Mega Evolution work in tandem with the new system.

Simply make Gigantimaxed Pokemon a Dynamaxed form of a Mega Evolution.

Okay, I know that was a mouthful and possible hard to wrap your head around, but imagine with me: You’re in a battle. You Mega Evolve your Pokemon. It’s stronger now. But you’re also in the position where you can Dynamax. You do so, and... instead of getting a bigger Mega, your Pokemon changes form a second time. So for example, let’s say you have a Charizard. Mega Evolve it. It is now a Charizard X/Y. Now Dynamax it. It is now the unholy lava abomination you see when you battle Leon. If you had not Mega Evolved beforehand, then it would have grown into a normal, everyday Charizard, But Bigger. 

This also takes away a completely arbitrary restriction - that not every Pokemon of a species can Gigantimax. I’m sure everyone knows by now, but let’s go over it again.

You have an Alcremie. You raised it from a Milcery, evolved it with your favorite Sweet, into your favorite flavor, whatever. Maybe it’s one of the strongest contributors to your team. But when you Dynamax it, it does nothing but get bigger. Then you see Opal’s Alcremie and wonder - how can I get my baby to do that? Is there a special item it needs to hold, or some other requirement?

Nope. Your Alcremie just isn’t good enough. It will never Gigantimax, because it was never capable of doing so in the first place.

With Mega Evolution, there is no limitation. You simply need to give your Pokemon the matching Mega Stone for its species and it can Mega Evolve, simple as that. you don’t need to find that certain special creature, when you already have a perfectly good teammate you’re attached to.

What’s more, Mega Evolution could be performed any time, anywhere, in any battle. Dynamaxing and Gigantimaxing is extremely limited to the Power Spots. Keeping Mega Evolution in would have lessened the disappointment of not being able to use the new mechanic casually. This was something that was heavily advertised when the game was first released, and to find out it’s so limited... I think it left a bad taste in a lot of fans’ mouths.

The DLC

Now... on to this... I’ve touched on this before, and I’m sure everyone can tell.

I am not happy.

First, the financial aspect. If you are going to charge $30 for a two-part expansion, make it apply to both game versions. This may not mean much to casual players, since they likely bought only one copy of the game. But to people who bought both, or share the two copies with family, this is a massive slap in the face. You would have to pay double, for the same content, so both versions are updated. That is a low, low blow.

Now, the Pokemon. I’m glad they are introducing new Pokemon (most of which seem to be Galarian forms or new Gigantimax forms), but there seems to be little reason why they held off releasing them in the first place. Legendaries, I understand. Others, not so much. And the over-two-hundred Pokemon that are being reintroduced isn’t something that should get a pat on the back. They’re fixing their own mistake. They shot themselves in the foot and now they’re trying to say “Oh look! We’re improving things! This bloody hole is going to be healed now! How great are we?” The only saving grace to this for me is that the Pokemon being reintroduced will be available to everyone (to transfer or trade over) via the free update mentioned before. And even then, there are still Pokemon missing!

The new areas now. While we have seen snippets by now, there has been nothing really definitive to go on. These new areas will be in the style of the Wild Area - that much has been made clear. But that makes me exceedingly nervous. Will they be empty, devoid of NPCs? What will there be to do? Just how big are these areas? If they are, in fact, exactly like the Wild Area... I am going to be deeply disappointed. Aside from battling/catching wild Pokemon and gathering items, there is very, very little to do in the existing Wild Area. But at the same time, if the area the DLC gives us is too small, everything will feel sparse and rushed, just like the story of the game.

Speaking of story, we aren’t really given anything meaningful about the DLC’s story, either. We were vaguely told that the two separate locations will be focused on the themes of ‘Growth’ and ‘Exploration’, and we were introduced to a small handful of characters that will be central to the story, but that’s about it. You’re training in the Isle of Armor, and you’ve been enlisted to explore the Crown Tundra. That’s all we know. Literally anything could happen. And that, again, makes me very nervous.

Gamefreak have said these DLC are supposed to take the place of the story changes a third game would make. But in this instance, I seriously believe Sword and Shield would have benefited from a second pass. Much like Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon had the “Good Ending” over Sun and Moon, I think a follow-up game could have amended a lot of the issues I’ve laid out. Though I couldn’t say if Gamefreak would have actually committed...

The biggest thing to me here is that... this is not necessary. At all. I feel as though these new locations, as well as the new stories, should have been included from the get-go in the base game. For free. Of course, if the scope of these stories is on par with the main storylines of Pokemon games, I can understand. But if it’s much smaller... I just can’t condone this.

It is a blatant cash grab. One that I can find no excuse for whatsoever. This game, and most everything that has come of it, has been such a dumpster fire that it has drained my love of Pokemon and left me with nothing but anger and a deep, dark disappointment. Gamefreak can do better. Nintendo can do better. I know they can. And I am willing to wait for good content.

They’re just not willing to give their fanbase the time to make that happen.

And speaking of blatant cash grabs...

Pokemon Home 

Pokemon fans have been wanting a cloud-based Pokemon storage system for years. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. But compared to Pokemon Bank’s YEARLY fee of $4.99, Pokemon Home’s premium fee for the same amount of time is quite shocking at $15.99 a pop. 

So what in the world went wrong here? Why is that price justified? While others have tried to explain it away by listing off all the different features, I say it’s not justified at all. And I’ll detail why below.

You see these graphs? Both of these contain all the points I need to make. And I’ll explain exactly why.

I’ll start from the top of the list and move down.

Transferring Pokemon is only available if you pay money for it. That means that if you want to get the additional Pokemon returning with the DLC releases, you either have to pay for the DLC or you have to pay for Pokemon Home. While transfer between games used to be free, that changed when Pokemon Bank was released. And while many people were understandably upset, the low price and additional storage space that Bank provided was enough for me to accept the change. Pokemon Home, on the other hand, doesn’t deliver enough for its price. It doubles the storage capacity Pokemon Bank had, and it introduces Room Trades. Which, honestly... don’t sound very appealing.

The number of Pokemon that can be deposited for free is... thirty. A single measly box worth. This may be enough for some people, but this, plus the box space in a copy of Sword/Shield, is not even enough to make a Living ‘Dex (if you want to include every different form of Pokemon. Otherwise it’s just barely enough). Not that you could make a Living ‘Dex anyway, with so many Pokemon still cut out. But back to the box capacity. For transferring only, this number might have been okay. But for storage purposes, this is only half a percent of the 6,000 potential Pokemon you could store if you paid up. Not even 1%. It’s 0.5%. It’s outrageous.

Wonder Trades, GTS trades, and Room Trades I’ll do together. For these features, I have little problem with the way they’re set up. The additional slots for trading are actually useful, and it makes sense to put them behind a paywall. This, I would be willing to pay for. Just not pay so much. Especially when this feature was taken out of the base game in the first place. Since the GTS was first introduced in Gen 4 (Sinnoh), it has been a staple of the game and a vital tool for completing the Pokedex, especially if you have no one to trade with in person. Many people were surprised and upset to find that the only trading function left in the base Sword & Shield games was the Surprise Trade, which is essentially Wonder Trade with a new name. However, while it is a little reassuring to have these features free to use, there is still a major limitation. It can only be done on the mobile phone version of Home.

This is something that has never existed before. You have never needed any device other than your gaming console. And to not have trades available in the Switch version as well is completely absurd. How do they expect children to use this? While tablets and smartphones have become more and more common, I doubt the vast majority of children have a device that is purely their own. They will have to nag their parents to download the app, and then further pester them each time they want to trade. Why not have that a part of the Switch version in the first place? It would be much more streamlined. I understand the practicality of having a Home app - I really do. It makes moving from Go to Home easier, I’m sure, and you now have added mobile usage when your Switch is out of range of an internet connection. But blocking features from the Switch makes no sense whatsoever.

Continuing on to the Judge function. Again, this was a feature that was removed from the main game. Not only that, but this time it is locked completely behind the paywall. When this feature came out just last generation, many competitive breeders were ecstatic. They no longer had to jump through hoops to determine that there was a Perfect IV baby in the hundreds, sometimes thousands of eggs they just hatched - they could see it right on the screen. And as a casual player, it was cool to see how many breedjects I ended up with. But it seems Gamefreak gave us a taste of a very good thing, then yanked it away, like candy from a baby.

On to the second chart. I already talked about the trading limitations, so I’ll skip over that. And it makes sense that moving Pokemon from the Switch games would be Switch Home exclusive, in addition to receiving Battle Points. There is nothing on your phone that can make use of BP. However, there are more phone restrictions that make no sense. Why can’t you receive Mystery Gifts or check Battle Data/News on the Switch? It’s certainly capable of it. Mystery Gifts in particular are another frustrating problem on par with the trading issue. The other two features I wouldn’t mind being mobile exclusive.

All in all, Pokemon Home is another hot mess for Gamefreak and Nintendo.

Conclusion

I know I’ve been rough on this new generation. Arceus knows I was pretty brutal, especially where the story was concerned. But that’s only because I know they can do better. Up until this point, we’ve been given some games that were downright masterpieces. I am highly disappointed in the creators, and I hope with all my heart they listen to their fans and do better going forward. Even if that means we have to wait a little longer.

What’s more, I seriously hope they don’t continue to financially extort their market. Charging this much for something so rushed and poorly executed is an insult. And if it continues... I’m afraid of where the Pokemon franchise may be headed.

That’s all. I’m sorry if I stepped on some toes here, but these are all my honest opinions. I hope that some of these things have validated others’ feelings, too, and perhaps that people look at some of these issues in a new light.

PS, I’m sorry for any abrupt tonal shift that might be seen between the “Characters” and “Post-Game” sections. I had to stop writing to go to bed, but then I didn’t get around to finishing until nearly a month later.

[shenanigumi]

Where do you play this game? Can it be played on phone? Do you have to pay?

Hey there! Let me just take this opportunity real quick to reassure everyone that yes, I’m still alive and healthy, though you wouldn’t know it from this blog given how little I’ve posted. I’m once again trying to pick up my own pieces and keep going, but I’m sure we all know that kind of thing has been difficult lately.

Anyway, I’m assuming by “this game” you mean Hakuōki, since that’s most of what this blog is about, but the answer is more complicated than you’d expect. (Short answer: yes to both your latter questions.) There are many different versions of the core game called Hakuōki, with different features depending on the platform. Unfortunately, yes, you do need to pay for each of them. The English localized versions I know off the top of my head—apart from the actual original sans any bonus content, which I don’t think is even available on a current system anymore—are as follows:

Stories of the Shinsengumi (PS3): my favorite and the best value imo. Includes a number of side stories and DLC, some of which is free.

Memories of the Shinsengumi (3DS): contains the core game and some extras that are redundant if you have SotS, so I’d only suggest getting this if you specifically have a 3DS and not a PS3.

Hakuōki (mobile, spelled “Hakuoki” in the app store): I’m not 100% sure about Androids, but I know this is an app on iOS. It’s an extremely expensive app, but it’s better value if you buy the whole thing up-front and not route by route later, and you get the entire core game plus six bits of bonus content you can’t play anywhere else.

Warriors of the Shinsengumi (PSP, available on PS Vita): a cheap, little-known knockoff of Samurai Warriors that ultimately has nothing to do with Hakuōki and is a crowd-fighting game rather than a visual novel, but it’s got an amazing soundtrack and some of the snappiest banter I’ve seen in official translations.

Kyoto Winds + Edo Blossoms (PS Vita; Steam): a revamp of the original game featuring some new characters and six more routes than the original, but the tradeoffs include being split into two games you have to buy and shoddy translation work. I’d honestly advise getting into the series before you buy these ones.

Hope that helped! Let me know if you do end up getting into it, because it’s honestly an underrated game and fandom.

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers (March 3rd, 2021)

Here’s our latest batch of anon ask answers! Thanks for waiting for them.

Will there be a 'Our Life' game for each season? Please say we're getting a winter one! 

As of right now we’re only planning on making two, summer and fall. They take quite a while to finish and we’re not sure where we’ll be when the second OL is truly wrapped up. But it’s not impossible we can do a third. Though, four Our Life games is probably not super likely, honestly, aha. Maybe the third game, if we make one, could be switch between winter and spring or something.

What engine/engines do you use to make your games? 

We use Renpy for all our projects!

For version 1.2 of OL, did you make any changes to the DLC? If so, could you post a changelog detailing what exactly (or at least a general overview)? If it's not too much trouble, could you also elaborate on the bugs/errors you fixed in the base game? 

There aren’t really any changes to the DLCs, except for the voiced name DLC getting an expansion. We fixed very few small typos and added a couple extra lines. Unfortunately, we don’t have a list of exactly what all the little fixes were.

I've been playing OL and I love the characters! As soon as Baxter showed up, I knew I wanted to learn more about him! Would you consider adding him as a prospective LI in the future? 

Yep, Baxter (and Derek) will be getting his own romance story as an optional DLC late in 2021! Glad you like him.

Hellooo! First off I'm a huge fan of the game and can't stop playing it. However, I was wondering about how much domestic life with Cove we'll get to see in step 4. Meaning the time before the wedding and the time after. In my game Cove and I talked about having children and I was hoping that would be an option in step 4. Either way, I cannot wait for the release and I send my best to everyone working on the production :) thanks! 

I’m sorry, there’s no children or scenes after the two are married. There’s sort of endless possibilities for what that future could be like, so we unfortunately can’t depict it. You only get scenes before they’re married and, if you get the wedding DLC, you can see the day they get married. It ends there, though. But thank you for the well-wishes!

Hello! I was just wondering, so step 4 is going to be similiar to the prologue/epilogue scenes of the game. Is the Wedding DLC going to be one long scene too or will that have moments? (I love the game by the way, its ruined all other visual novels for me in the most wonderful way <3 ) 

Yeah, Step 4 and the wedding DLC will be like the prologues/summer ended parts of the game. There won’t be separate Moments you can play in any order. I’m really happy you like the game so much!

You said that the OL MC's birthday can't be in summer, but what if you headcanoned it to be? 

You can headcanon it as being in summer! There just aren’t birthday events in the game even if you do know your MC was born in summer. We had to leave those out, since some people might not want their MC to be born in summer and then they’d miss out on extra birthday scenes because of it. It wouldn’t have been fair.

Hello!😺 I absolutely love your game!😻 I can't wait for DLS with Derek and Baxter. And I wonder if Baxter could have seen Cove and MC at the party during their first failed dance? Or is Baxter only paying attention to who he's dancing with, or is he not dancing with anyone at the soiree at all then? 

Baxter isn’t really paying attention to the couples on the floor. He’s just cruising the outskirts for someone available to dance with him. So he doesn’t get any memories of the MC or Cove at that party if the two just dance with each other. It’s great to hear you like the game!

time-wise/step-wise when does the nsfw dlc take place? 

It’s not super strict in terms of an exact of weeks/months, but generally it’s sometime not long after the end of Step 3.

Heya! I'm currently obsessed with Our Life (I played through the entire game on Valentine's Day, hahaha– ha... hah), and I have one silly question: if I start playing Step 3 with the less... "romantically inclined" interest levels (Fond & Disinterest), is there still a chance of getting a romantic ending with Cove? Can Cove and the MC realize "they're the one for me" in just one summer? Or... are confessions off the table completely unless at least at Crush level? Thank you in advance! 

So happy you’re having fun with it! In OL1 deciding that Cove is your friend means he’s truly only a friend. You can’t decide you have a crush partway through. But we are considering doing things differently in future games.

hey i have some questions about our life

a) is there a way to be friends with that mean bowlcut kid or is he always... like tha

b. what is coves ethnicity?

A. He is always like that, haha. At least as a kid, he does grow up to be different~

B. Cove’s mom Kyra is white, but Cliff’s race doesn’t come up and players are able to headcanon it. So Cove is half white and half whatever you prefer Cliff to be. 

how do you get to the two mc cut-in scenes from the new update?

&

Hiii! I'm doing another playthrough (it's only like my 100th time playing through the entire game) after the 1.2 update, and I was wondering how to get the new art? I also really love all the new stuff, thank you for working so hard and creating such a wonderful game :)

You can check our our CG guide on Steam for that! Thank you for the kind words.

Sorry to bother you, but I have a question about the Patreon moment. Will there be initiative settings there too? And if there aren't, will the MC lead the whole thing or will Cove lead at certain points too? Thank you~ 

There will still be flexibly in what you’re comfortable with and whether you want Cove to automatically do things or for choices to always be involved :]. And you don’t need to apologize!

Hello!! I wanted to ask a couple of questions about Our Life:

1. Will we able to buy all the DLC via Steam or will there be some of them only available in Patreon? Just to know if I should create a Patreon user XD

2. Will Our Life: Now and Forever be about the current MC, Cove and the other characters or will it be a game with a New MC, new romantic options and new characters?

1. There will be a Patreon-only NSFW bonus Moment. But all the normal planned DLCs will release on Steam.

2. Our Life: Now & Forever is about new characters- new MC, new family, new LI, etc.

just some small bug I noticed: even if you didn't ask Cove to dance, if he asks you at the Soiree in Step 2 later and you say yes to dancing, the MC acts like they got to dance with Cove again even if it was the first time. 

Thank you for the report on that! We thought it was fixed, but I guess it didn’t work.

I was messing around with the new update and I noticed that all the hands in the firefly CGs have the same skin tone regardless of what you put in, (with the exception of the really dark skin color) is this a glitch or something? 

The skin tones aren’t the same. It’s just because they’re out at night with only fireflies for light that it makes each image look dark and therefore similar. But if you line them up together it’s clear how there are changes in every option.

How long did it take to plan out and write the story for OL? Not including the programming, art stuff, or the DLC chapters, I mean just planning and writing the base game story alone. The base game story seems hefty as is, and then on top of that there's the changes to scenes depending on MC's and Cove's personalities and relationship, I'm curious how long that took 

It took basically the full development time, aha. I’m someone who doesn’t fully outline a project before start and instead continues to come up with stuff as a project progresses. There were new parts to the story being created right up to near the launch. So, starting in 2016 or so to later 2020, with some breaks/hold-ups throughout that time.

Hello! I'm really, really enjoying Our Life: Beginning and Always, it was the kind of sweet, wholesome content I needed during these past months. I had a quick question, will you be making any female characters for the MC to romance? In this game or any others like it? I'm a lesbian and I'd love to have a female love interest with such well written romance as yours! Thank you so much. 

Thank you for the nice comment! Our Life: Beginnings & Always won’t have a female LI since we didn’t want to treat other gender options as second fiddle to the male lead. But we have just started full production on Our Life: Now & Forever, which will have a starring female LI! There’s a silhouette glimpse of her Step 1 self here~

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Thanks everyone for sending the questions :D

FAQ   If you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Bl

[robsgamesdesign]

Civilization VI: Where It Stands. Where It’s Going?

This is a bit of a different post for me, and this blog, but as a lover of the industry, I also have opinions about the news and happenings in the world of games, so maybe there will be more posts like this.

If you know me, you know that I love Sid Meier’s Civilisation VI, so while I’m a little biased, here’s what I think about it, where it currently stands and it’s future!

Where it currently stands

Civilization VI has a new September game update which of course brings bug fixes, balance updates and a new battle royale game mode (Red Death) all for free, for everyone!

Some of the biggest changes in the update are to improve coastal cities and Great Admirals, the great people that unlock great abilities for the player!

As you may imagine, this is a great opportunity for my naval orientated map that I have been creating, Global War-ming as it spices up the gameplay opourtunities.

Red death

This is something no one saw coming but after seeing it on the stream, seems to work really well! A free game mode for everyone who owns the base game, so no DLC is needed to play this.

The game mode flips everything that you traditionally think about Civ, on its head, the game mode is fast paced, dynamic and competitive.

Players have to protect a settler unit that cannot settle cities as they ordinarily do, these serve as the players life, if it is captured the players defeated.

As the game continues, players scour the map, collecting units for their army.

As with all battle royale mode, players avoid a growing “danger” area that kills units, the shrinking “safe” area, increases urgency and causing engagements between the players.

The last player standing is the winner and their settler, transported into space onto a better, less apocalyptic world.

It looks super fun and a killer game mode the games been missing slightly.

Where is Civ going?

As you maybe aware, Civ VI is currently available on PC, Nintendo Switch and iOS. However, currently the PC version is the only version with all the DLC Expansions available to it.

I am truly excited about the future for Civilization VI, as Firaxis has announced that they’re working with Aspyr who are developing the mobile ports to bring all DLC to all Platforms by 2020.

While this next bit is purely my opinion and speculation. I believe that Civilization VI is the best rendition of the game in the series so far and only getting better with constant updates and development, I hope that it continues for a long time!

I hope that this will turn into a multi-platform cross-play experience rather than simply another game in the series, that will be superseded by Civ 7 eventually. Obviously it’ll get to a stage that it’ll probably have to happen. But the games in a really good phase at the moment, it can only grow.

My main complaint is the expenses, it puts players off and even personally, I’m not looking forward to buying the DLC (as I have base game on iOS) again for other platforms. If Civ VI continues to grow and adapt, why not offer a subscription for players to get everything everywhere? Just a thought? Or even a cheaper price if a players already purchased the content elsewhere? The 2K account already manages cloud saves, is it too much of a stretch? Maybe.

With the Play by cloud mode introduced with Gathering Storm which allows you to play an online multiplayer game as and when they want. Instead of grouping a bunch of friend/ opponents/ victims? together in 1 lobby at the same time for the length of time a Civ game can run 6-10+ hours at the same time which is quite tricky!

Instead the game is “hosted” in the cloud and players take their turn when it’s available to them. This dynamic game mode would really lend itself to a multi platform cross play experience. Imagine playing a multiplayer game with some friends traditionally for 4+ hours, you get pretty far into the game, but life interferes, people have to eat, others want to go do something else in life. It happens, but all players want to continue, simply not at that moment. With play by cloud you can switch the game over to this none simultaneous mode and pick up turns as and when you can. imagine; with this on mobile platforms, the games could continue a lot more fluidly!

Your mileage may vary with play by cloud though. It seems that larger games with more players, run a lot slower, something Civ games don’t need. Especially when a single player doesn’t take their turn for a while, it can happen for the best of us.

Sorry for my rant but it’s a dream, for a Civ player, lover and fan, but what do you think, would you be interested in a subscription that gave you Civ VI and all content across all available platforms? Lemme know in the comments!

[swapauanon]

Re:Mind Predictions

Having watched both trailers, here’s what I think is going to happen in KH3!Re:Mind.

The scene where Sora and Kairi are holding hands is actually at the START of the DLC, before Sora goes back in time, with Sora freaking out when he realizes that he can’t take Kairi back with him, Chirithy gives the explanation (he already used up all his strength undoing the first defeat of the Guardians), then adds that the only way to stop Kairi from disappearing would be to sacrifice Naminé, something Kairi isn’t willing to do (with Sora feeling guilty for even being tempted to accept that trade). Naminé (who hasn’t accepted the Replica because she’s looking for Repliku), comes up with the idea for Sora to go back in time, reasoning that since he’s already dying, that using the Power of Waking to alter the past can’t possibly cause him any more harm. At this point, gameplay starts.

The Final World serves as the hub for the bossfights, Sora can only talk to Chirithy, but can’t customize his moveset, equipment, or abilities. Much like Reverse/Rebirth, you’re at the mercy of whatever the game decides to give you.

Sora leaves his body behind to pass through the only available portal, but accidentally goes too far back. Here we have the “character switching” tutorial, where he jumps from his past self’s body to Aqua, at which point we get the “Darqua Tide” cutscene right before Aqua gets swept up. Character swapping works just like Keyblade swapping in the base game. Sora returns to the Final World, and decides that, as soon as his past self rewrites reality, he’ll try and pass on his memories with the power of waking.

From this point forward, the two Sora’s are essentially two different characters, so I’ll call our Sora “Future!Sora” and past Sora “New!Sora”.

Future!Sora’s attempt to inform New!Sora leads to him accidentally linking up with the Lingering Will. The player gets to control the Lingering Will briefly, but the battle is interrupted by the rest of the Organization, who destroy the Lingering Will in hopes of crushing Terra once and for all. While Sora’s about to depart, he notices Terranort’s Guardian absorb the Lingering Will, explaining how Terra was able to fight back later.

At this point, Sora can go back to any of the previous battles (he just won’t see any cutscenes this time through), but two more portals appear. Examining them reveals which hearts Sora is traveling to.

In the Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene battle, Future!Sora’s interference causes New!Sora to get caught instead of Mickey, so the player is forced to use Mickey Mouse until Luxord is defeated. Luxord straight up tells Mickey to pass the “Wild Card” on to Sora, while implying that he’s aware of Future!Sora’s presence. Otherwise, no real story changes outside of Future!Sora learning about Strelitzia and Lauriam when he hops over to Marluxia, and the Dandelions when he hops over to Larxene. Mickey is attacked by Vexen after New!Sora leaves, but is destroyed, with his last words implying that his reasons for rejoining the heroes are far more selfish than he let on in canon.

In the Dark Riku and Xigbar battle, Future!Sora simply talks Repliku into taking shelter inside either his or Riku’s heart. When Sora hops over to Xigbar, he witnesses his earlier conversation with Luxord, and learns about Luxu. After New!Sora leaves, Riku is attacked by Demyx, who wants to use the Replica for unknown purposes, reasoning that Ansem’s apprentices can always make more, leading to Repliku realizing that his attempted sacrifice would have been pointless because Sora and Riku both left the Replica unguarded in the original timeline, meaning Naminé would’ve never gotten it. After this battle, Repliku becomes an NPC Sora can talk to in the Final World, though he’s unable to directly assist Sora in battle.

In both of these battles, Future!Sora nudges New!Sora’s heart, with visions of Kairi’s death. After they’re both cleared Sora worries about how little he was able to change, but two more portals open.

One of these portals leads to the Saix and Xion battle. Kairi and Lea have to defeat Xion in order to stop her from healing Saix, at which point New!Sora arrives and stops Xemnas from capturing Kairi, with Xion regaining control of herself from Xehanort and Roxas hoping in to help New!Sora and Kairi escape. Additionally, Future!Sora witnesses HOW Xion was recruited. Saix is defeated, with no real changes except for maybe a glance at Subject X.

Terranort and Vanitas play more or less identically to canon, except Eraqus intervenes due to New!Sora’s absence (and passes on to the afterlife after the fact), and Future!Sora witnesses some of Vanitas’ memories and realizes that he didn’t choose to help Xehanort so much as give up on resisting him, regretting that he was unable to save him from Xehanort and kicking himself for letting Xehanort get away in the future.

Upon returning to the Final World, Future!Sora has one last chance to save as one more portal appears. Instead of establishing who’s hearts Sora’s linking with, Sora simply comments on it being the final battle, and that he’ll know whether or not his mission was a success after this point.

Kairi replaces Mickey in the Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort battle. Their death scenes are replaced by flashes of memory. Future!Sora gets his first glimpse of the MoM after Young Xehanort’s defeat, and learns that the MoM had let Xehanort read a copy of the Book of Prophecies after his Mark of Mastery Exam.

What follows is Sora, Riku, and Kairi teaming up with Mickey to battle Master Xehanort. Master Xehanort just uses his battle quotes from the final clash with him in the base game. Master Xehanort is killed, but his heart remains and calls the Replicas. What follows is New!Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Guardians of Light versus the twelve Replica Xehanorts. After that battle, the Replicas fuse into a single Replica wielding all 13 of the Keys, making one last attempt on Kairi’s life only for Sora to intervene. What follows is Kairi and New!Sora fighting against Master Xehanort together.

Now, Xehanort either dies here, with Sora using the X-blade to seal Kingdom Hearts or possesses New!Sora in order to forge the X-blade out of his 13 Keys. I’m hoping for the latter because then we get Soranort.

Kairi and Soranort clash, but as soon as Soranort gets down to 1 HP, Sora’s portrait appears next to Kairi’s, indicating that the player can control Sora again. Doing this ends the boss fight as Future!Sora rips Xehanort’s heart out of New!Sora ala Repliku tearing out Dark Riku’s heart, and then shatters Xehanort’s heart in order to force him to pass on to the afterlife.

As everyone celebrates their casualty free victory, Future!Sora, the boy we’ve followed for all these years, ceases to exist with a smile on his face. Why? He can’t exist anymore because New!Sora never went back in time.

After the credits role, we get Riku talking to the Radiant Garden restoration committee about New!Sora’s disappearance. New!Sora, meanwhile, meets Yozora in a dark part of the Final World, with Repliku’s specter appearing next to him, revealing that the Riku from the Secret Ending was actually Repliku this whole time. In the Keyblade Graveyard, Luxord’s original self traps Luxu in a card on the MoM’s orders, and the Master of Masters slices the card in two with his Keyblade to punish Luxu for defying his orders. The extended Secret Ending shows Luxu fighting Sora as Repliku clashes with an unknown opponent. The only clear detail is that they’re wielding the Kingdom Key D.