#or new 2d animation as a bonus

[marciabrady]

also, needless to say but all of ariel's poses are taken directly from her original film in ralph breaks the internet

there's the obvious ones like the parallels below

but literally every single pose in the below scene is an exact walkthrough of ariel caps from the first movie

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

So.... Stock image

https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/11430941-halloween-black-silhouette-repeating-border

[Referencing this post!]

Yuuup, that’s pretty much the same thing as what we see in the PV… 😅 Same shapes, same pattern order, everything.

Upon further research, it seems this isn’t even the first instance of this stock asset being used by Disney. It was also used for a limited edition Sally-inspired perfume called Rag Doll. I believe it was sold at Hot Topic back in 2013:

It’s a little saddening seeing TWST use stock images instead of like… you know, new assets 💦 This is following a somewhat disappointing trend of TWST animated PVs going down in quality and budget, especially over the years. For example, for the anniversaries:

2021 - 2 minutes long; all students included in highly individualized limited event outfits and movement is dynamic.

2022 - 1 minute long; all students and even staff are included but in standard uniforms, noticeable drop in art and animation quality (for example, look at Kalim and Silver in the flight scene). Animation itself is framed like Yuu is taking pictures of everyone—but really, it’s a convenient excuse to hold on static shots of the photos instead of actually animating them.

2023 - 1 minute and ~40 seconds; only the third years in their school uniforms and Grim in ceremonial robes are featured. Animation appears slow and somewhat clunky. And dear god, that weird panning shot of Malleus and Lilia; that Lilia is practically traced from his live 2D model.

2024 - 1 minute and ~10 seconds; basically a glorified slideshow with fancy effects. Only the dorm leaders in their school uniforms are shown.

Then, looking at the Halloweens:

Terror is Trending - 30 seconds; All students included and dorm costumes showcased. Unique shots and framing. Even Ramshackle Ghosts (who are important in the event story) are shown.

Endless Halloween Night - 4 different versions of the same commercial (including different characters doing the voiceover work), each ~30 seconds each; all students featured. Nice lighting, fierce expressions, varied framing.

Glorious Masquerade - 1 minute and 30 seconds. Several static panning shots, but at least the colors are striking when most other things are monochrome or muted. ~20 seconds at the end dedicated to hyping up Rollo.

Stage in Playful Land - ~35 seconds. Only the 3 SSR boys are featured, with most of the animation being in their head tilts. Less than 10 seconds is dedicated to hyping up Fellow and Gidel.

This year’s event… 20 seconds using a stock image and panning up from it to the TWST logo, no new assets.

I DON’T KNOW, maybe I’m overthinking it 😭 I’m definitely not the first person to notice this though… It’s been a point of discussion in my fandom social circles.

But hey, let’s keep our heads high! It’s very possible that we’ll get a more formal animated PV in the weeks leading up to Halloween. In fact, I’m certain of it since this current PV doesn’t show new costumes or the new twisted character, as is tradition. What we see now might just be a bonus material they’re releasing to really get us excited. Plus, we’ll probably also have an ABEMA stream with more Halloween-related news ^^ Let’s look forward to that!

[marsoid]

Hi Mars! I really like your work and I especially love your comics ~ they each have the perfect amount of intense and gay af moments, which are important qualities that I look for in the webcomics that I read! 🤣☺️

Another thing that I love about Long Exposure and Ride or Die is how cinematic they are, and that particular aspect is truly a testament to your talents as an artist!

My question for you is have you ever thought about what either comic would be like if they were adapted for film or television, and would you want them to be live-action or animated?

AHHH OHH GOOD QUESTION

if Long Exposure were live action, i'd want it to feel like this:

very moody lol. think Chronicle, Short Term 12, King Jack (all of which were inspirations)

if Ride or Die were live action, i'd want it to feel like this:

dramatic and dark (neon noir?) but with big moments and action highlighted by intense color. and a mix of practical effects and cgi for the horror elements. thinking like, Drive, Baby Driver, Watchmen (tv show), Bullet Train, and Candyman (2021).

NOW, IF THEY WERE ANIMATED....

surprising no one lmfao i would love if ROD or LE looked anything like spiderverse!! it's a big style inspo for the ROD comic as well

to add onto that, ENTERGALACTIC is another spiderverse-esque styled movie that i love the look of. if you like spiderverse i recommend it btw, esp if you're looking for something more adult oriented

there aren't a ton of cgi animated movies/shows i like the looks of admittedly, so that list kind of ends with spiderverse and entergalactic. BUT!! in terms of 2D animation, captain laserhawk would probably be the first thing i point to for animation inspiration if ROD or LE were to be TV/movies. i'm a new big fan of bobbypills animation.

for ROD specifically, i love the animation (esp the car animation) in Chiaki's Journey, a series by the Line Animation studio. it's BEAUTIFUL!!! i'd absolutely die happy if an animated ROD looked anything like it

special bonus shout out to this love death and robots episode directed by Robert Valley (who's also behind Motorcity)... I don't know if a full LE/ROD series/movie would fit in this style, but i DO LOVE IT SO MUCH so i thought it was worth mentioning lol

anyway yeah dreamy sigh!!!

[jovial-thunder]

Pre-alpha Lancer Tactics changelog

(cross-posting the full gif changelog here because folks seemed to like it last time I did)

We're aiming for getting the first public alpha for backers by the end of this month! Carpenter and I scoped out mechanics that can wait until after the alpha (e.g. grappling, hiding) in favor of tying up the hundred loose threads that are needed for something that approaches a playable game. So this is mostly a big ol changelog of an update from doing that.

But I also gave a talent talk at a local Portland Indie Game Squad event about engine architecture! It'll sound familiar if you've been reading these updates; I laid out the basic idea for this talk almost a year ago, back in the June 2023 update.

We've also signed contracts & had a kickoff meeting with our writers to start on the campaigns. While I've enjoyed like a year of engine-work, it'll be so so nice to start getting to tell stories. Data structures don't mean anything beyond how they affect humans & other life.

New Content

Implemented flying as a status; unit counts as +3 spaces above the current ground level and ignores terrain and elevation extra movement costs. Added hover + takeoff/land animations.

Gave deployables the ability to have 3D meshes instead of 2D sprites; we'll probably use this mostly when the deployable in question is climbable.

Related, I fixed a bug where after terrain destruction, all units recheck the ground height under them so they'll move down if the ground is shot out from under them. When the Jerichos do that, they say "oh heck, the ground is taller! I better move up to stand on it!" — not realizing that the taller ground they're seeing came from themselves.

Fixed by locking some units' rendering to the ground level; this means no stacking climbable things, which is a call I'm comfortable making. We ain't making minecraft here (I whisper to myself, gazing at the bottom of my tea mug). 

Block sizes are currently 1x1x0.5 — half as tall as they are wide. Since that was a size I pulled out of nowhere for convenience, we did some art tests for different block heights and camera angles. TLDR that size works great and we're leaving it.

Added Cone AOE pattern, courtesy of an algorithm NMcCoy sent me that guarantees the correct number of tiles are picked at the correct distance from the origin.

pick your aim angle

for each distance step N of your cone, make a list ("ring") of all the cells at that distance from your origin

sort those cells by angular distance from your aim angle, and include the N closest cells in that ring in the cone's area

Here's a gif they made of it in Bitsy:

Units face where you're planning on moving/targeting them.

Got Walking Armory's Shock option working. Added subtle (too subtle, now that I look at it) electricity effect.

Other things we've added but I don't have gifs for or failed to upload. You'll have to trust me. :)

disengage action

overcharge action

Improved Armament core bonus

basic mine explosion fx

explosion fx on character dying

Increase map elevation cap to 10. It's nice but definitely is risky with increasing the voxel space, gonna have to keep an eye on performance.

Added Structured + Stress event and the associated popups. Also added meltdown status (and hidden countdown), but there's not animation for this yet so your guy just abruptly disappears and leaves huge crater.

UI Improvements

Rearranged the portrait maker. Auto-expand the color picker so you don't have to keep clicking into a submenu.

Added topdown camera mode by pressing R for handling getting mechs out of tight spaces.

The action tooltips have been bothering me for a while; they extend up and cover prime play-area real estate in the center of the screen. So I redesigned them to be shorter and have a max height by putting long descriptions in a scrollable box. This sounds simple, but the redesign, pulling in all the correct data for the tags, and wiring up the tooltips took like seven hours. Game dev is hard, yo.

Put the unit inspect popups in lockable tooltips + added a bunch of tooltips to them.

Implemented the rest of Carpenter's cool hex-y action and end turn readout. I'm a big fan of whenever we can make the game look more like a game and less like a website (though he balances out my impulse for that for the sake of legibility).

Added a JANKY talent/frame picker. I swear we have designs for a better one, but sometimes you gotta just get it working. Also seen briefly here are basic level up/down and HASE buttons.

Other no-picture things:

Negated the map-scaling effect that happens when the window resizes to prevent bad pixel scaling of mechs at different resolutions; making the window bigger now just lets you see more play area instead of making things bigger.

WIP Objectives Bullets panel to give the current sitrep info

Wired up a buncha tooltips throughout the character sheet.

Under the Hood

Serialization: can save/load games! This is the payoff for sticking with that engine architecture I've been going on about. I had to add a serialization function to everything in the center layer which took a while, but it was fairly straightforward work with few curveballs.

Finished replacement of the kit/unit/reinforcement group/sitrep pickers with a new standardized system that can pull from stock data and user-saved data.

Updated to Godot 4.2.2; the game (and editor) has been crashing on exit for a LONG time and for the life of me I couldn't track down why, but this minor update in Godot completely fixed the bug. I still have no idea what was happening, but it's so cool to be working in an engine that's this active bugfixing-wise! 

Other Bugfixes

Pulled straight from the internal changelog, no edits for public parseability:

calculate cover for fliers correctly

no overwatch when outside of vertical threat

fixed skirmisher triggering for each attack in an AOE

fixed jumpjets boost-available detection

fixed mines not triggering when you step right on top of them // at a different elevation but still adjacent

weapon mods not a valid target for destruction

made camera pan less jumpy and adjust to the terrain height

better Buff name/desc localization

Fixed compcon planner letting you both boost and attack with one quick action.

Fix displayed movement points not updating

Prevent wrecks from going prone

fix berserkers not moving if they were exactly one tile away

hex mine uses deployer's save target instead of 0

restrict weapon mod selection if you don't have the SP to pay

fix deployable previews not going away

fix impaired not showing up in the unit inspector (its status code is 0 so there was a check that was like "looks like there's no status here")

fix skirmisher letting you move to a tile that should cost two movement if it's only one space away

fix hit percent calculation

fix rangefinder grid shader corner issues (this was like a full day to rewrite the shader to be better)

Teleporting costs the max(spaces traveled, elevation change) instead of always 1

So um, yeah, that's my talk, any questions? (I had a professor once tell us to never end a talk like this, so now of course it's the phrase that first comes to mind whenever I end a talk)

[alexxncl]

‼️NIGHTBRINGER LESSON 46 SPOILERS‼️

masterlist | all lessons | season 3 | lesson 45.1 | lesson 45.2 | lesson 47

i'll probaboy be moving my baby sister into college when this queues up 🥲 sob sob

slight lesson 76 spoilers

we love to see more of a lighthearted lesson

ah yes, siblings 🫶🏽 levi is me, i am levi

i also love the fact that luci, mams, levi, and simeon are all working together to help mammon

it's clear how much they all adore him even if they're shitheads sometimes (read: most of the time)

anyone else having war flashbacks to cocytus? no? just me? kay.

see now they're just making up words bc what are we talking about 😭 also love how they didn't bother to make a 2D CG picture for it bc it's never gonna be mentioned in another lesson after this point

...i'd have to kms

imagine every step you take leads to a blood curdling scream...everybody's dying idc

"dear, sweet henry 1.0" my ASS

homeboy didn't even remember you when y'all were trapped in that made and had to get charmed by asmo 😭

...unless that was his way of telling levi to make new friends, just like the way he left levi in the anime bc levi had no friends outside of henry

but i also wanna see the full extent of mammon's power 🧍🏾 the devs need to stop giving us cut scenes every time my man steps up to fight a monster

that's hilarious actually

imagine some lower level demon actually ended up getting eaten bc they couldn't beat the monsters and the "research" was all in vain

leave it to me to read too far into things 🤞🏽

example x of mammon being lucifer's favorite and most trusted brother

regardless of how dumb mammon thinks a task is, he'll do his best to get it done as perfectly as possible if it means keeping up a good image for lucifer or making lucifer happy. lucifer knows this despite rarely, if ever, admitting it to himself, mammon, or anyone else, and that's why he trusts mammon with serious shit when the situation calls for it

granted, the speech mammon is giving probably wasn't orchestrated by lucifer, but the way it goes still reflects on him and diavolo, and mammon knows better than to make his big brother and the future demon king look bad in front of who knows how many people

MAMMON SIMPS HOW WE FEELING????

they absolutely would've fucked backstage if he wasn't up next for his speech /srs

they fucked in the back of class and they'd do it again BOP BOP

also mammon's speech being "get off your lazy asses and go touch grass" was easily the best idol about this lesson. 10/10 writing

about the first screenshot, why is nobody in-game verbally commenting on simeon wearing his angelic clothes ??? didn't he stop wearing them as soon as he fell from grace in the og timeline ?????

or maybe this is a result of too many time soup shenanigans. maybe his body can't tell if he's human or still an angel

but it's clear that everyone's noticed something's off with simeon even if they haven't said anything to him verbally, which is why luke was so hellbent on mc asking simeon if he was okay. but nobody's outright saying anything bc this mf will deny any and every concern thrown at him with a smile on his face. he won't even tell mc what's going on, so lucifer had to step in

ending the hard bonus chapter like this was VILE but in the best way possible

[kimberlyannharts]

Ultraman: Rising!

Sure we all know the Power Rangers reboot has been passed on at Netflix but instead we have this hot new piece of toku instead: Ultraman: Rising! And I finally got the chance to check it out last night.

I know Ultraman is one of the big toku/kaiju genre staples but it's never really been on my radar of things to watch. I'm not sure why! I guess Super Sentai/Power Rangers just has more of the it factor that appeals to me. So because of that I really have no context to the story besides it's a guy who can turn into a giant silver superhero that beats up kaiju.........or maybe it's an alien who looks like a human and the silver superhero is his true form? or maybe the human and the silver superhero are two separate beings that share the same body? idk. It's probably all three of those things depending on the series. But this film was marketed as a standalone that new fans could enjoy AND....the big one.....it's ANIMATED, so I felt more inclined to check it out.

And it was really really good!! I enjoyed it a lot!

Spoiler-ish thoughts on the film below:

= Let's get this out of the way: the biggest draw to this was the animation and art direction, and yeah, it slaps. The textures and stylization (always love 2D painted effect animation on explosions and things) and lighting were a full-course meal and the scenes where they focused on Ultraman's shining eyes staring through a window or computer screen were just SO striking. To the point where I feel that if I got around to watching the actual live-action Ultraman, it might feel a little underwhelming in comparison. Oops

= It does kind of fall in the cliches of the "selfish guy learns maturity by having to be a father" plot (with bonus "son is estranged from his dad and mom is missing but they work to improve their relationship" sprinkled in) which makes me appreciate The Return even more (sorry, I'm still Returnpilled) but it's still charming and I can hope if we get more movies they give a little more focus to Ami and Emiko (speaking of which, I know they weren't doing a romance this movie, but Ami having a daughter and the movie being about Ken raising a daughter? oh you know it's happening and I'm here for this because they're both so hot)

= I think Ken is also a better example of the "showboating egotistical hero who learns to mature" than most because the movie isn't afraid to show him vulnerable even before his character development. I was genuinely surprised at that scene where he starts crying out of the stress of balancing his baseball career and figuring out Emi

= Apparently there was some discussion that the movie didn't bring up Ultraman's origins which, as someone who knows next to nothing about Ultraman, that didn't really bother me? Obviously I can still give more benefit of the doubt than people who don't know much about the tokusatsu/kaiju genre to begin with, but even so, I was still pretty down with the concept of "this guy has the ability to turn into a giant silver superpowered man and passed the ability down to his son" - and I think in the age of superhero blockbusters in general the idea isn't that farfetched that it requires more explanation. In any case it's a bit of a moot point since future movies are clearly going to talk about Ultras and their origins more, based on the stinger.

= Is Emi a clear kid-appeal character meant to be shown off in marketing and merchandising because of how squishy and cute she is? Yes. Is she just so fucking squishy and cute and my newest baby child? YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES. I am not immune to monster baby. I think it helps that I always found the old monster screeches cute and applying them to a baby babbling was kinda genius in its execution. And I'm glad they kind of got the obligatory "haha babies poop and are smelly and gross" jokes out of the way early (yeah they had the whole "acid reflux" thing in the second act but I've seen way worse in other media)

= The subtitles calling Sato's Ultra form "Ultradad" and his Ultra mustache were both really funny

= Obviously I knew Ken wasn't going to die when he threw himself on Dr. Onda's mech (btw the mech was sexy) but I definitely expected a little more than just a busted arm with how they were building up how the blast would have "destroyed them all" kdjkfdj maybe they cut to after he had recovered a bit. Though in general I'm not quite sure of how durable Ultraman is

= Kind of a milf. reblog

[journalsouppe]

Here's one of my favorite spreads-- Professor Layton and the Curious Village!! I absolutely love this game and cannot wait to play the sequels!

Writing typed below!

Rating: 8.5/10 Played: Spring 2023 Port: HD mobile (iPad) Favorite? Y Replayable? Y Recommend? Y Series: Professor Layton

Comments:

That tower is insane

Omg I love the memopad, I feel like I'm on Blues Clues

I love the mystery surrounding the tower

omg are we building a robot dog?? -> yes <3 Hot Dog

Omg crash box match puzzle!! ... WHAT THE FUCK

Layton: ew this bottle is so gross. Luke stick your hand in there

What if we were germs in a glass jar and we held hands

Layton you better have Luke on a leash or smth he better not get kidnapped oh my god I am so stressed

Luke is softie for animals T^T <3

A WORM'S DREAM

STACHENSCARFEN omfg not the ace attorney name

veil of night my beloved <3

that old man is BOOKING IT

matthew is the only real one

love the chess puzzles

gorgeous grave statue

these inn items??? T-T

sewer time

Luke: don't worry professor! No one would ever dream of stealing the Layton mobile

Layton: .... Just what do you mean by that Luke

THE FERRIS WHEEL???

Omg layton in a crown

I like how all the tower puzzles are difficult

don't like the creepy lady

is everyone a robot??

YEA A LOGIC PUZZLE

the flying spike ball is insane

He just built the sail??

The ending was SO SWEET T^T

Game Dev Notes:

Beautiful animated scenes

iconic and calming music

stunning 2d art (character and environment)

great range of puzzle difficulty

interactive background and collectibles

different rewards for finishing puzzles

recap questions to see if you were paying attention to the details

great interweaving of puzzles into the story

interesting overall mystery

ability to explore both before the end and after (& gold layton if you solve everything)

Summary:

I absolutely love this game. It's so charming and sweet with a fun story surrounding puzzles. I love the characters and I love their little quips. I love the range of puzzles and how some of them have historical context. It's such a simple concept that was executed very well. Although the story isn't ground breaking, it was still really fun and shocking. It reminds me a lot of an ACD Sherlock story as it's just another one of Layton and Luke's wacky adventures. It is also set up in the perfect way to allow both sequels and prequels (which is what did happen lol). There's a ton of added replayability such as bonus puzzles, finding every furniture piece and arrangements, finding the charms, etc. It's so interactive and doesn't punish the player at all. This is an amazing puzzle game and there's no shame to not knowing the puzzle answers. You don't get full points if you mess up but that's fine as the picarats don't affect main story gameplay. I am so exccited to see how the sequels expand on the characters, especially Flora! She seems like a very unique character and I am so excited to see more of her. I am also just so happy to finally experience the beautiful music I have been listening to for years in the game. The music is so incredible and charming, it makes me want to find a nice, small European town to explore. What a great game and I am excited for what's next! Hopefully in time for the New World of Steam!

All of the stickers I got from Daiso. If you are interested in the materials I use you can check out my pinned post in my blog!

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Season: Shift

I love it when the animation artstyle and medium shifts so much. It's always a delight to see. So I thought: "Hm, why not combine it with my current hyperfixation? I don't like the animation, after all." and decided to design a whole season of Miraculous based around just that. If you're wondering where in the timeline it is, I made it up and so it's ambiguously after season 5 but some details are off. Either way, the plot is that a new group of villains that want to summon an eldritch god to Miraculous Paris in hopes that said god will create a utopia. They do this by warping reality, thereby causing the art/medium shift (or Shift, as it's just called), in hopes that the god will be able to enter, and if that doesn't work one of the members will just take some of the energy used to distort reality in the first place to become a powerful villain of the week and yoink the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses to make a wish to allow the god in. The two heroes are bound to pop up after the shift happens. Here's the episode list:

1. Introduction & setup

2. Ladybug and Chat Noir meet and fight the villains for the first time

3. Shift: Prototype (Less of a true shift and more of a modification to Miraculous' CG)

4. Shift: Scrumptious (Chowder)

5. Shift: Pixelated (The SNES, specifically!)

6. Shift: Abstract (Flash-animated)

7. Shift: Anthropo (Everyone's a furry!)

8. Shift: Fantasy (Animation based off of CDI games and weird Soviet cartoons)

9. Shift: Puppet (Mostly muppets, but there are some outliers. Juleka is the sole human as according to muppet law.)

10 & 11. Shift: Cartoony

12. Shift: Playful (Everyone is turned into toys and the world becomes arts and crafts)

13. Shift: Hyperrealistic (Live-action, most of the voice actors portray their characters)

14. Shift: Polygonal (Miraculous 64!)

15. Shift: Paper (Not like Paper Mario. It's... interesting.)

16. Shift: Western (2D animesque, albeit more Trigger than PV)

17. Shift: Swap (What's organic is mechanical and what's mechanical is organic)

18. Shift: Crude (Also contains Shift: Crude 2)

19. Shift: Mystery (Based off of 2000s action cartoons)

20 & 21. Shift: Clay

22 & 23. Shift: Celestial (Steven Universe with some Kirby aspects)

24. Shift: Flashback (Based off of the 2D flash-animated webisodes)

25 & 26. End of the World (Contains previous shifts and even some bonus extra shifts!)

[demifiendrsa]

Sonic X Shadow Generations - Summer Game Fest Trailer

Sonic X Shadow Generations will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam, Epic Games Store) on October 25, 2024 for $49.99.

Title logo

Key visual

Screenshots

Latest details

Editions

Sonic X Shadow Generations‘ Digital Deluxe Edition allows fans to play the game three days early and includes additional iconic music tracks from previous Sonic and Shadow games, a Terios skin based on Shadow’s original concept, behind-the-scenes art, an additional level and Shadow Skin, and more! Sonic fans can also pre-order the Digital Standard or Deluxe editions of Sonic X Shadow Generations ahead of launch to receive a legacy skin for Sonic, based on his look from Sonic Adventure! Players who pre-order the Physical Day One Edition will receive Gerald Robotnik’s Journal, a 28-page logbook chronicling Gerald’s innermost thoughts and drawings while he created Shadow the Hedgehog and the Ark Space Station, in addition to the legacy skin for Sonic.

Please see below for more details on each offering:

Digital Standard Edition ($49.99 USD)

Base game (digital)

Bonus PlayStation exclusive: Extended Prologue animations with deleted scenes

Pre-order bonus: Sonic Adventure Skin

Physical Day One Edition ($49.99 USD)

Base game (physical only)

Bonus PlayStation exclusive: Extended Prologue animations with deleted scenes

Pre-order bonus: Sonic Adventure Skin and Gerald Robotnik’s Journal (28 pages)

Digital Deluxe Edition ($59.99 USD)

Base game (digital only)

Bonus PlayStation exclusive: Extended Prologue animations with deleted scenes

Pre-order bonus: Sonic Adventure Skin

Digital Deluxe Season Pass

Play the game three days early

An additional character skin and level for Shadow (releasing Holiday 2024)

Terios Skin

Extra BGM Pack

Digital Art Book + Soundtrack

Skill Points (Sonic Generations)

About

Play as Shadow in a brand-new story campaign featuring never-before-seen abilities that prove why he’s known as the Ultimate Life Form! Speed through iconic stages from Shadow’s history, discover hidden secrets in an expansive hub world, and unlock new powers to take on Black Doom and save the world.

Sonic X Shadow Generations also includes a complete remaster of the highly acclaimed Sonic Generations, a time-traveling adventure featuring a greatest-hits collection of 3D and 2D Sonic stages, now with upgraded visuals and new bonus content.

Key Features

The Return of Shadow – In this new standalone campaign, Shadow’s nemesis, Black Doom, has reemerged and threatens to take over the world once again. Shadow must journey into his past, confront his painful memories, and unlock new dark powers to save the world.

Shadow Evolved – Harness Shadow’s new Doom Powers to battle hordes of enemies and tackle platforming challenges like never before. Surf on water, fly over obstacles, and stop time with the return of Chaos Control!

A Journey Through Time and Dimensions – Relive signature levels from Shadow’s previous adventures and accelerate through mind-bending stages in both 3D and 2D, warped by Black Doom’s influence as Shadow works to piece together the timeline and thwart his evil plans.

Explore the New White Space – Stretch your legs in an all-new hub world inspired by the open-zone gameplay of Sonic Frontiers™. As Shadow gains new powers, he can explore further and uncover the secrets hidden throughout!

The Best of Both Worlds, Remastered – Spin dash through a greatest-hits collection of 3D and 2D versions of iconic stages from past Sonic games, now with updated visuals and reworked cinematics.

New Collectibles, Bonus Content, and More! – Rescue Chao hiding in every level, rack up the highest pinball score in the Casino Nights Zone, and check out the museum for behind-the-scenes art, music, and more!

[satoshi-mochida]

Clock Tower ‘Port+’ announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC

Gematsu Source

Publishers WayForward and Limited Run Games have announced an enhanced version of Super Famicom survival horror game Clock Tower for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC (Steam). It will launch in early 2024 with support for English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, and Spanish language support.

Here is an overview of the game, via WayForward:

About

This enhanced version of the original 16-bit Clock Tower marks the first time this terrifying initial adventure in the popular horror series will officially be translated and released in North America and Europe.

Originally released on Super Famicom in 1995 in Japan, Clock Tower traps players in the haunting confines of the Barrows family manor, where they’ll be pursued by Scissorman, a murderous, shears-wielding psychopath. As teenage orphan Jennifer Simpson, players will use a point-and-click interface to explore the mansion and search every disturbing corner to find items, reveal secrets, and discover ways to survive Scissorman’s assaults. Without any offensive capabilities, Jennifer must rely on her wits and resourcefulness if she has any hope of escaping with her life and earning one of the game’s multiple endings. A tense atmosphere, chilling sound effects, detailed 2D animations, and randomized elements to maximize replayability demonstrate why Clock Tower is considered a groundbreaking pioneer in the survival-horror genre.

Harnessing the power of Limited Run Games’ Carbon Engine, this new edition of Clock Tower retains the authentic gameplay, graphics, and sound of the original version while also adding modern features and enhancements. These include a new vocal theme song performed by Mary McGlynn (Silent Hill series), a new animated opening, motion-comic cutscenes before and after the game, a bonus art gallery, border artwork, save states, multiple language options, and more.

Clock Tower will be published digitally in North America and Europe by WayForward, followed by a physical version that will be offered on select platforms by Limited Run Games. Further details, including information on the physical preorder window, will be announced at a later date. For the latest news, please visit www.wayforward.com and www.limitedrungames.com, and follow @wayforward and @limitedrungames on social media.

Key Features

A survival-horror classic, officially translated and brought out of Japan for the first time.

Run, hide, and survive as you attempt to evade the psychotic Scissorman.

Atmospheric 2D art, detailed animations, and haunting sound effects.

Multiple endings and randomized gameplay elements maximize replayability (and jump scares).

New animated opening, motion-comic cutscenes, and vocal theme song performed by Mary McGlynn.

Art gallery, save states, and other modern enhancements.

Watch the announcement trailer below. View a set of screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

[pidgefudge]

SO. i have listened to @gooboogy 's wonderful green album. and i wrote down my thoughts on each song. and now i am putting them here!!

"thoughts" being actually somewhat coherent comments that devolve into What Would This Be In A Video Game because this is me we're working with after all

and you reading this. yes you. go listen to it

verdant: oooough blorpy,,,, very cool i like. good beat it's quite foot tappable. also the name itself might be a new vocal stim. verdant. vvvverrrrrdant.

halls: much noises!! the instrumence in this scratch my brain in a good way. feels a bit like im 7 years old watchinf my brother play 2d mario stages and reimagining the music

agua: oooohh arpeggio action and a SICK beat. once again the Noises are lovely. big fan of all 3 so far but this one in particular methinks. however i have many more songs to go (!!)

doot doot: very fun i also like this one a lot :3 and coming to you from my one-track autistic mind: this album would be a fantastic game soundtrack

side note i know im writing less for some of these but thats bc im experiencing them in shapes and colors more than expressable words. trust me they're stirring the brain stew

going for a walk: i know the title is about a walk but im envisioning this as the soundtrack to a sort of road trip montage animation thing. specifically my road trip with family from san francisco to la. oh yes this ending is us finally getting to the hotel and me flopping onto the bed

forward: im liking the melody here a lot <33 this album is making me want to boot up lmms again and try my hand at original music,,, ive only ever attempted remixes (i tried to do aquarium park from sonic colors a few years ago and gave up but now i kinda wanna go back to it,,, i wonder if i was cooking) ok yes back to the actual song whoops this one is soo cool one of my faves so far

snag: i like these opening chords!! i dont know what you actually call them but the like. buildup parts?? you know?? those bits??? big fan OOH and a uh. build down (lol) bit too! also liking the sparkly chimey instrumence

blazen: OHHH YESSS this would be the theme for my favorite antagonist in the hypothetical game that i am apparently going to be referencing multiple times (dimentio and mr L came to mind immediately) absolutely jamming

beep boop: fuck yeah man it sure does OH SPOOKY NOTES OH OH COOL BEAT ASWELL i am in for a fun time this is. also the theme of my favorite antagonist. but the battle theme i think. oh hell yeah the orchestra hits. yes yes definitely battle theme. sorry for putting all these in a vgm context shfjdkfkssghf i just listen to a lot of it so thats how my brain parses instrumentals

hunt: strimgs :3 wohhh this is so cool. buzzy in a good way. golden brown triangles and other spiky shapes. that's kinda meaningless to anyone but me but. oh nice more Noises always love the Noises

overwhelm: theme for when i have a project due the next day and am swamped with other homework shdjdksfjdh

VERDANT!: once more with gusto!! loving the faster tempo. constellationy crystally instrument is particularly pleasing. oooughh so gooddddd

creepin': spacey!! im watching a crew set out in their little shuttle, oblivious to the horrors awaiting them on their station

envy: this is a boss fight that's emotionally heavy for the protagonists. perhaps fighting a former friend or mentor or team member

whomp whomp: quite a tricksy track!! some sort of haunted place,,,, maybe the place where the previous battle takes place. maybe it's actually a ghost (especially if the protagonist had some role in their death and feels crushing guilt) (bonus points if the ghost openly expresses resentment for the protag)

gromulous: the word ever. final boss' lair for sureee. yeah this song sure is gromulous. idk how else to describe it you hit the nail on the head

largemouth: oooh a bit silly but also cool guy. im thinking some sort of underground secret society/lab thing they have to infiltrate that's hiding a Sinister Secret (the big plot twist of the game) doesn't even have to physically be underground it could be a moon base situation. maybe i should just make this whole thing into a scifi space rpg

a way out: i can see this as the final boss music and as you get further in the fight it ramps up. i know i already assigned songs to the main antagonist but shhhhh. (or i can always pull a super paper mario in terms of antagonists)

under over: oh!! i love this one!! hometown theme. chill and familiar but still upbeat rather than sleepy. and it has a very strong nostalgia factor,,,,, in love with this song it might be my favorite. but there are still 3 more so!

float: this beginning is very cool im loving the vibe. dire dire docks but make it just after sunset and watch the ocean come alive with bioluminescent lights and fish raves. i guess it isnt a space game anymore. or maybe dream sequence beach episode?? WOAHHH OCEAN MAGICANT i might be cooking with this one Hold On. yesyesyes ok some sort of trip/dream where theyre shrunk down marinauts (whatever ocean prefix) as opposed to astronauts and exploring a cool coral reef/ocean floor area and talking to the sea life and woahhhhhh this would look gorgeous in pixel art. tbh this one could be in its own game considering how vivid the imagery is

outside: post-final-boss world returning to normal/person being rescued or uncorrupted/whatever magical thing happening. very fond of the bird chirps too <33 OH MUSIC BOX SOUNDS i also adore this one. i think the ending of this game is kinda bittersweet. we saved the world/person/whatever but At A Cost. this is sooooo pretty. would also transition well into credits

Green: and roll credits!! this would be the kind of credits theme i sway in my seat and contemplate the game to. the entire album is fantastic and these last few especially have been so lovely

[danganronpa-shipping-galore]

✨Danganronpa "As a Ship" New & Improved Edition #6 ✨

(WARNING: This post discusses the topic of drugging at some point, which may be disturbing or triggering for some readers. Proceed with caution.)

Canon Fueled Facts:

They don't interact at all in canon.

Bonus material:

In UTDP, Teruteru compliments Hifumi's 2D erotic work saying it would be exciting to read, and brings him easy-to-digest foods for pulling all nighters. Hifumi asks in shock if Teruteru is his wife, prompting Teruteru to question if Hifumi is not interested in boys' love and expressing his surprise. Hifumi becomes horrified, asking why Teruteru would think that about him, but then enjoys the food prepared for him.

In DRS, their first interaction sees Hifumi having a discussion with Teruteru about manga and how cooking and food can play a part in some and how he could lend him some of his favorites including erotic works, which piques Teruteru's curiousity. Teruteru says he would gladly lend a hand and accept the position of eroticism supervisor, but Hifumi says that it's *his* role.

Their second interaction is during Hifumi's swimsuit event when Teruteru is in wonder of the sight of Hifumi's Princess Piggles swimming trunks. At first Hifumi mistakes it for Teruteru being in wonder of his body, saying that not even the great connoisseur of eros can withstand the appeal of his body. Teruteru says that his body is nothing new but his swimming trunks is a work of art. Hifumi compliments Teruteru's taste, proudly shows it off saying that it's one of a kind and of his own creation. When Celeste comes by and Teruteru goes along with her name-calling, Hifumi acts in disgust. When Teruteru says he thought Hifumi would have his back, Hifumi says that two dimensions is where he draws the line. When they are off to get things for Celeste, Teruteru remarks that he and Celeste have a strange relationship, giving him a cookie (due to Teruteru's FTE and other events in bonus modes, it's possible that the cookie contains some kind of drug in it.) When Hifumi explains it, Teruteru gets out of his answer that he seems to be getting something from it, Hifumi laments that putting it that way makes him feel flustered and uncomfortable. Teruteru says delightfully that he's never heard him talk about anyone that way before.

Headcanons:

Teruteru always makes sure that Hifumi is well-fed, and recoils when he finds out all the "low quality slop" he usually eats

Not many people respect Hifumi for what he does, but Teruteru is one of the few people who does. He even helps him out with ideas for his upcoming work and watches his favorite anime with him.

They are not afraid to read erotic material together that Hifumi worked on.

Teruteru acts like he is outgoing and charming, but deep down he is an awkward dorky person just like Hifumi, making their love life awkward and dorky.

They are the only people who truly understand one another.

Beneficial Similarities:

Their passion for erotic subjects could also easily translate into any possible relationship they could have.

They are both creative and driven in their own rights.

Complementary strengths:

Teruteru could get Hifumi out of his shell and explore more possibilities. To encourage Hifumi to do so, he often uses good food/beverages as bait.

Hifumi could further introduce Teruteru to the world of fictional creativity and encourage him to see the world from a more intuitive lens.

Main Struggles:

They are both faint hearted when confronted with stressful situations, so it would likely be hard initially for them to commit to their true feelings and a relationship.

Teruteru's flirting with many people could bother Hifumi, which could also cause problems to fully commit to a relationship.

It's strongly implied that Teruteru sometimes puts drugs in his food to get people feeling *really* good, which is a very unsafe thing to do and not suitable for any kind of healthy relationship. *IMPORTANT NOTE:* The only way for these two to have any sort of healthy romantic relationship (this applies to anyone being paired with Teruteru), is if Teruteru is portrayed in an AU setting where he does not act on his sexual advances without consent, or if he gets serious help and realizes the severity of his inappropriate behavior.

Expressing their love:

Their way of flirting would likely be referencing characters or objects (mostly food), and making innuendos.

Hifumi would express his love in creative ways. Such as writing poetry, making him a character and/or love interest in his works, or thinking up a story *for* him.

Teruteru would always provide Hifumi with what he wants or needs.

Tropes:

Friends to Lovers

The Underdogs

[saturdaymournings]

DS tour :)

Hiiiiiiii y’all :) I’m finally making this after putting it off for ages! It’s not going to be completely coherent and I don’t care because I’m making it purely for the pleasure of myself and bestie jay xiaomiao on spacehey <2

I have a New Nintendo 2DS XL in white and orange. I’ve had it since September of 2017, making it almost seven years old! It’s held up really well in my opinion, especially seeing as it has been thoroughly abused and enjoyed by me since the age of 11. A particular incident springs to mind that occurred on a school trip— I dropped the damn ds on the floor and it slid around the aisle of the coach I was on until we stopped Dx

This is the top and bottom half of my ds. As you can see she has been stickered to fuck, I have no shame and if you’re going to be like bitches on Reddit and start bitching about it getting all sticky then I’ll have to inform you that 1) you are like bitches on Reddit. Embarrassing for u and 2) I have used alcohol wipes to get gunk off of this fucker a concerning amount of times before and I’ll fucking do it again. Isn’t she beautiful tho don’t we think so

This is my splash screen I just think it’s a vibe don’t u. It is a good reminder to see this pop up every time I open my ds

This is my theme it’s Miku admittedly I’m not big into the miku I like to listen to like three of the songs, simp over kaito and play the 3ds game that’s about it but the theme is cute and it plays one of the three songs I really like

Some examples of my games!!! I originally took pictures of every single game but it was too many files for tumble to handle lol. The games I’m currently like super duper playing are Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (fan translation), miitopia and animal crossing new leaf! Casually tho I will occasionally pick up tomodachi life, project mirai dx and ofc I do my daily wordle on the ds lol.

My Bluetooth headphones broke a while back so I was exclusively listening to music on my disc Walkman, but I managed to get an mp3 player on my ds and now I can use this for all my music! It’s very handy and it works with the clam shell hingey thing shut :) plus because I have the rainbow light mod I can look at the rainbow light while my music is playing it’s kinda silly but it makes me happy idk if the reason is goofy lol. Also admire my sick ass taste in music!!!! You WISH you had as good taste in ska as me

I also have an mp4 player chock full of Dan and Phil and Shelbizleee videos for on the go which is fun especially seeing as I can no longer get YouTube working on my ds because they fucked up the app and the other app and the website :( thirdtube works for a lot of people but not me unforch

I also do most of my drawing on my ds nowadays purely for 1) the gimmick and 2) the chunky glitter pens that I hacked into swapdoodle. It’s nice to be able to do more drawing for fun again because I totally fell off last year and it’s good to enjoy things

BONUS: archive of our own is more than functional on the 3ds browser. It is a thoroughly enjoyable experience to use it on my ds! Purely for research purposes I have also found Pornhub is difficult to navigate but ultimately useable. And for once I haven’t actually been utilising this feature I literally just get curious. Rare lack of perversion from silly girl we ball <2

anyways tysm for reading this! Jay tysm especially for allowing this to happen in the first place, you rock 🎸 peace

[86stagram]

🧀🐹💨brb 🙋‍♀️(Kunsei-ham's servant) Fresh fruits hamster (?)

My Pretty series life started with PriPara! I started watching anime first, and later started playing that game. subtitle from that time is '2014-2015 3rd live February' ; I remember getting the 'Valentine Zukyun skirt' 💖

I was familiar with PriPara than with Pretty Rhythm, but when there run I frequently used the QR codes from 'Fashionable items for use in PriPara : 1450'! I still keep both that & 2DS at home🏯 (2DS? You wanna know why? It's just little easier to scan QR codes on the 2DS than on the 3DS... and inexpensive)

The charm of clothing is what got me interested in Pretty Rhythm✨ But I didn't have much opportunity, I was very busy at the time...😢

I finished watching 'Rainbow Live' & began watch 'Dear My Future' in April! that's feel me so real & authentic anime...😭🙏(Tears of emotion and gratitude) ... some Japanese otaku use like 'real' or 'authentic' as a compliment, haha

Finally got around to watching DMF 11! There’s still a lot haha Sho... Someone Japanese said... 'ショウさん器が小(ショウ)さん' hahaha, yabai...🤣 He is small-minded. that's his one of charm. maybe🙄

and... I need to watch 'KinPri' because come the new movie in summer! I'm interested in that but I don't know past story yet. But I heard it's interesting! I haven't even finished watching all episode of the Pretty series yet, but I'm looking forward!

↓🎀Roni-ish coord (What do you think?)

Awww...

Bankrupt RONI... It's been 4 years and more since, but I still find painful emotions💔 Oh, RONI, with the brand's sleep, my PriPara dreams go to far way😭 I really hope they bring back the collaboration items from that time in adpara... no, no matter how much I wish, there are things which won't come true!

RONI's spirit lives in my heart, and I find joy in seeing Prizmmy☆'s members adorned in that designs at bonus footage👚👗🧥 kawaii✨

I'm planning to watch the DMF extras later because they're only on Blu-ray BOX. (Luckily, my family has that! Usually, I watch on streaming service. It's convenient, isn't it? Umm... That's it🐌😉)

🧡🐹🧡🐹🧡🐹🧡🐹🧡🐹🧡

( í Y ì )Gah! there are almost no SS of me wearing RONI at that time

I'm jealous!( í Y ì ) You guys have so many pic left

In case you were wondering, they are my friends(´Y｀) 🖤Xey 💜Suu 💚Refrain 🤎Netero!!! -with 3 exclamation marks

Netero!!!, her name means that 'go to sleep'💤 Her performance is incredible enough to knock out💤 : That's a setup for her character. and other name is meaningless. Umm... maybe

btw, the person who wrote this has many OCs. I've never seen anyone with more OCs than her. How many does she have❔❔❔🐹Let me see, maybe 60 over

~🎉~🎀~🔑~🐹~✨~🩰~💭

I will try challenge day by day!(日々精進) See you later!

[sortanonymous]

The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe is so darn good!!!

It's a shame that the overseas release of this show (which, yes, is from the Gumball staff) has been such a hot mess because it is such a fun time even just two episodes in! It has such a fun cast of characters between the main duo (WE MUST STAN BERT!) and the many one-off characters, the humor is absolutely hilarious, and there's a genuine heart and intrigue to the show and it's world that make it that much more of a great adventure! (Seriously, the second episode made me emotionally invested in the well-being of a giant chicken monster. What have the people at this studio been on for the past 12½ years and where can I find it?) The best way I can describe it is that it feels like just tiny drops of Gumball's tone and 2D character design style (which should be obvious), Monty Python and the Holy Grail's spoofing of fantasy tropes, and even Over the Garden Wall's variety in settings (okay, maybe not much like that last one at all in any other way, but I digress). Such a great start for a show that I will definitely be keeping track of, even if I wish it didn't air new episodes so freaking early. (Seriously, does Cartoon Network even want to have a hit show anymore?)

In fact, the weird and sad thing about CN being at death's door and having so few new shows is that the ones I have gotten off my lazy butt to see have still been so good, between this and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal (I know it was slapped onto adult swim at the 11th hour, but that's a CN show and you won't convince me otherwise, although I'm kinda glad [as] is taking it in if for no other reason than them not being allergic to Blu-Rays and decent scheduling). Admittedly Zaslav being Zaslav does worry me about both shows' futures, but hey, Unicorn at least has the armor of technically being aired as a show on the seemingly safer [adult swim] and the credentials of a legendary creator who wants to do three more seasons, while Ivandoe is apparently already at like Season 3 or something in Italy so at least I already know there's plenty more to come. Regardless of studio locations (or countries) and the company's fragile state, there's still magic left in Cartoon Network, and I really hope these two great shows are not the last we see of it.

Anyways check out new episodes Saturday mornings at 9 ET on Cartoon Network! Considering how good this show is and how bad CN is at marketing it, I have no shame playing the shill here.

Also apparently if an ex-animator is to be believed, Gumball Season 7 is coming out mid-to-late 2024 while the movie is on hold and I have no clue what to think. The way they'll handle that cliffhanger has just looked muddier by the day since it aired, but hopefully the show itself will still be as good we expected because wow I've missed peak Gumball! (Bonus points if it's actually as good as Seasons 2, 3, and suprisingly 6, instead of the kinda disappointing Seasons 4 and 5 although that's all a rabbit hole for another day.)

[flowertab]

How about that new NWoS trailer?!

The following will consist of an overly long series of disjointed fangirl thoughts/ramblings.

First of all this game is beautiful. And it looks and feels like a true Layton game, which is the most we can possibly ask for! That feeling of curious surroundings, weird and wonderful buildings, a town where you want to explore every cranny…the developers had previously expressed doubt about creating a Laytonesque setting in America, but they succeeded.

I was so pleased to see that the classic screen by screen, ‘point and click’ dynamic is still in place! It looks like they’re embracing what makes Layton distinct without feeling the need to shake everything up. Bonus points for including the hint coin in the lamppost; sure to make any Layton fan feel right at home! Even Luke’s comment about the gears making him dizzy brings back memories of Unwound Future. One of my favorite new touches is how Layton and Luke are visible in the foreground as the scene is examined, it looks so dynamic and expresses the scale of their surroundings! It reminds me of the rare occasions in the games that you would actually see them outside of dialogue/events (like when they’re standing by the canal outside of town in Curious Village).

Speaking of Layton and Luke, they’re both looking great!! It just tickles me to see them in a fresh look but still very much themselves. Luke has definitely grown up, and his face shape is less round, but eyes are bigger/more animesque? It just gives him this very eager, bright-eyed look, and he does seem ready to take on anything! Since our only look at him so far from the previous teaser was more of an intense moment, it’s great to see his cheerful personality shining through. Even Layton comments that he seems to be having a splendid time, and who can blame him? He’s just having the time of his life to be at the professor’s side again! (On a random side note, Luke’s satchel seems to be missing. Does he not carry it anymore? Will he be taking on more action and it would’ve gotten in the way?)

Not only are Layton and Luke voiced throughout the trailer, but even the NPC guy is! This is pretty unusual. I wonder if there will be a lot more voicing in this game compared to the others, or if it’s just for the sake of the trailer’s flow. I also wonder if we’ll have a lot of little cutscenes like when the duo is approaching the correct door. The 3D animation looks much smoother (and less unintentionally humorous/distracting) than it did on the 3ds! That being said, I’m still holding out for the iconic 2D scenes to come back!!

The music is pleasant, and definitely reminiscent of Torrido, which makes sense as it’s also a Western American town (I think). And is that our new puzzle theme? I quite like it; the “music box” backdrop reminds me of Last Specter, while the rich instrumentation makes it stand out compared to the others. (I’ve heard it compared to PL vs AA multiple times though, so while I don’t remember that theme enough to say, I’m assuming that’s true!) I really like when that lilting harmonica (?) kicks in. I do, however, await the return of the iconic chunky accordion. The puzzle itself seems like exactly my favorite type, deduction/process of elimination. How cool to see the memo and everything being utilized right on top of the scene! It reminds you that the two are really solving a puzzle right in front of them. I wonder how this puzzle might change in the final game, as they’ve already shown the answer…oh, and let’s take a moment to appreciate that glorious solving animation! I recall two-person animations being a feature of the crossover that I really liked, and it only makes sense when the puzzle was solved by working together. Just seeing those two as a team again makes me so happy!!

This is more on the random side but…Eggmuffin? I mean, Eggmuffin? Is that really his name?? I had a hard time taking it seriously every time they said it. It sounds like one of those names that would be changed in localization—but then, if any series can get away with using something so silly until we just accept it and stop finding it weird, it’s probably this one. I have also heard it speculated that it may be an alias, though why he would want to be called this is beyond me.

All that aside, there’s just something about this game that already feels nostalgic to me, even while being so fresh and unexplored. I can only think that’s simply because it is a Layton game in every sense of the word. For a longtime fan who hasn’t experienced that anew in roughly ten years, it’s like coming home.

…and that is the only reason I can stand waiting until 2025! Oh dear, I hope they overestimated to play it safe, especially since reportedly the puzzles are all finished and production is moving smoothly. But, in the end, if it is truly the Laytonesque adventure it looks to be, it will be worth the wait—and I thank the development team for caring enough to not to rush it. I’ve waited this long.

(looks like I’ll be playing through the series again to help hold me over throughout next year! Layton fans, let’s hold fast! We’re in this together!)