#very different vibe despite how similar the gameplay is

[squidlawyer]

I love splatoon 3 but I was playing 2 earlier and like, sure it was dead as hell, but it was so fun when I could get a match and it made me kinda sad 3 missed/skipped so many small details,,,

[muffinrecord]

Also I'm a little harsh on Magia Record's storyline being a little... soft? On the hostilities between characters. But I also understand why things are resolved the way they are.

Magia Record is ultimately a story about characters coming together and saving each other. It's baked into the gameplay-- the connect was a big feature that even made its way into the anime.

You can tell the vibe of the game just by comparing it to the anime in fact. In the anime, a ton of characters die. Iroha is unable to save Kuroe, Mifuyu and Momoko have to die as penance in exchange for saving the ones they mislead, Homura fails to save Madoka (and possibly other PMMM original characters) and rewinds time, Ui dies, Touka dies, Nemu dies. Alina dies. Alina's interactions with Karin amount to mostly fan teasing. We see magical girls in the background who are working together against Walpy, but Kanagi is barely present, which means she doesn't have her moments of grouping up with Yachiyo (and all that represents for the east versus west conflicts).

In the anime, the girls fail.

In the game, they succeed. Characters like Mifuyu, who lead others astray, try to kill themselves for redemption but are prevented from doing so because her friends love her and want her to stay with them. Kanagi gets to work with Yachiyo, showing that they have bonds and similarities beyond their differences. Momoko's group never fractures and joins the Wings of Magius, so their friendship continues to keep them propped up and saved. Kuroe is introduced late in the game but she obviously survives and learns to live on. Homura gets to save Madoka and stay her Glasses self, continuing to deepen her friendships with the rest of the gang. Ui, Touka, and Nemu get to be friends again. Touka and Nemu are put on trial but still get to work to try and save humanity. Alina fails to kill people and has Karin more prominently present to remind you of her softer sides, Nemu fails to get herself killed, and blah blah blah, you get my point. This isn't even getting into arc 2, where characters start off very hostile to everyone but smooth at towards the end.

I've got my own personal dislikes of how conflict ends in Magia Record sometimes-- I feel like it takes the easy way out and ignores more interesting routes. I think ending a story so that everyone gets along can be boring and lazy sometimes.

At the same time, I do respect the writing direction for it. I think there's value in saying that everyone (or damn near everyone) can be saved, that people ultimately want to help each other. People want to connect with other people. Friendship can save all. Your friend might be going down a dark path but you can save them through the power of subtextual yuri companionship, compassion, and understanding.

Like, it's a fantasy because you shouldn't be burning yourself to help others, but also fantasy isn't always bad. Sometimes it's nice to have stories where things work out for the better.

I do think though this is why the darker stories in the game really stand out as fan-favorites. Glasses Homura failing to save Kuro is such a gut punch because it feels like that should be impossible in the world of Magia Record, where you can march into a cult and make the leaders into good guys again. Mikoto's pain and suffering stands out because Hanna is never coming back and Mikoto isn't going to get better again. Ryo and Ikumi stay dead. Jun stays dead. Sakuya stays dead. They don't come back.

I'd wager that one reason the story "Girls in the Hood" and its follow up "Dependence Blue" are so popular (besides good writing) is because the fantasy fails and has painfully realistic outcomes in it. Jun isn't able to prevent Mitsune from contracting, despite trying her best to show that you don't need magic to be strong. The two struggle with communicating with each other, despite how much they care for one another. And Jun dies without their feelings being resolved. In a story where so many characters get happy endings (or learn to accept their circumstances), stories like this stick out and have a painful resonance.

I'm meandering again, but yeah. I wish Magia Record was more brave with its writing and that it wouldn't chicken out on pursing conflict at the expense of making characters unlikeable, but I also feel like that wasn't what it wanted to do either. We can say that it's because they wanted to keep their characters as loveable as possible given that it's a gacha and they need to market it to you, but it's also just a storytelling direction that they preferred at the end of the day. I don't have a link but I remember hearing that the writers wanted to keep the game light, that they didn't want people to log in and feel miserable playing a phone game (I could be very badly remembering this).

And you know what, sometimes that kind of cozy friendship-defies-all was very comforting. I dunno. Yeah.

[amerricanartwork]

Hi! I just wondered if you've played Hollow Knight based off how much you like Rain World. I'd be interested in any thoughts you had on it. :)

Thanks for the ask! No, I have not yet played Hollow Knight, BUT my interest in the game has been piqued! However I still have to see if the gameplay itself seems up my alley, or get invested enough in the characters that I want to discover more than I've already found out (and I have spoiled quite a lot for myself) before I actually decide to buy the game.

Regardless, from what I do know it does seem like an interesting story, albeit one far more tragic than Rain World's in my opinion. The characters I've seen are also pretty cool, both in design and personality. In fact, it was some ship fanart I found a few weeks ago that got me interested in diving deeper into the game once I realized it was where the featured characters were from, especially since one of the characters I had remembered hearing about before.

Here's a little sketch of some characters I was thinking about and whom I've been meaning to draw for a bit! Hornet because she's very Shaped™, Quirrel because from what I've seen he's quite wholesome, and Tiso because he was the first character I heard about and I think he's kinda silly!

Also, some more comparing/contrasting thoughts about the game below:

Firstly, I like how the premise of Kollow Knight involves anthropomorphic insects! It's something I never realized until recently despite being aware of HK for at least a few years, but I usually tend to take interest in stories starring non-humanoid creatures, so it's a plus! I also enjoy the more gothic/Victorian-looking magical high fantasy aesthetic, though it's pretty different from Rain World, which I'd consider far more sci-fi and specbio-esque in its aesthetic.

Now to get into themes, so far Hollow Knight seems to share Rain World's theme of lost/dead civilizations, which is also a very interesting premise to me! However, HK seems to have a greater focus on interacting with the people of its dying civilization and as such you get far more definitive knowledge about what happened to cause it to collapse. The player character seems to take on more of a classic epic hero role, because from what I've heard about the lore and endings, they end up directly influencing the fate of Hallownest, even potentially destroying or defeating the force that caused its ruin. The visuals have this very dark, cool tint overall to sell that gloomy, mournful vibe, and the structures, while presumably old, are still mostly smooth, ornate, and not super deteriorated, with these castle or manor-like appearances more similar to real-life buildings or things in other high fantasy works. Then, the orchestral music I've heard alongside all of these elements really creates this impression in me that it's aesthetic and overall concept is more akin to a high fantasy epic tale, albeit a rather tragic one.

Meanwhile, Rain World seem to have the player take more of an anthropologist role, observing and trying to piece together the story of vast remnants of its dead civilization, which seem alien and impossibly complex because so much of the history they're from has been lost to time. One of the core themes is being very small compared to these long abandoned structures, to really sell the idea that this history is so much older and more intricate than you'll ever know. The colors of Rain World are often warmer, which can be associated with old things, and the structures are far more weathered and broken down, with the only living survivors of the people who made them being the iterators, whom we only get to hear directly from two of. Combined with the focus on simulating an ecosystem, the more directly religious ideas within, the themes of natural cycles and an entire civilization evolving, changing, and ultimately disappearing over deep time, and the overall alien, sci-fi industrial designs of the architexture and strange creature designs that look like things out of "Of Rust and Humus" or some other alien speculative biology worldbuilding project make RW fit well in with that genre of fiction in my opinion.

Sorry if I seem like I kinda took a sudden shift there, but I wanted to talk about this contrast in artistic aesthetics and story genres for a moment because the "lasting impression" an art piece creates something I've recently concluded is pretty important overall in works of art, at least for mine!

But anyway, I hope these thoughts were satisfying for now! Thanks again for the ask!

[smolsix]

-blows dust off this blog-

So

Little Nightmares III, huh???

I was trying to avoid being excited about it because no solid release date and 2024 could be a few months from now or a year from now and Idk how long I can handle being so fuckin hyped for this game YEEHAW

BUT I CAN'T, I KEEP THINKING ABT THE GAME AAHAHHGAGA

so here are my thoughts, if you wanted to know

FIRST OF ALL, i am so glad that after we saw LTNM II we thought it'd be co-op but it was just an AI, that we finally get co-op! AND ONLINE TOO, i spent the first day worried it'd be shared screen same room situation since i wasn't trying to get my hopes up but then I realised I can just.. google it.. AND IT IS!!! ONLINE!! IDK WHO I AM GONNA PLAY IT W FIRST AAAAAAAA

anyways, you can definitely tell it's a new studio working on this game, the world feels mostly the same but the character designs themselves are definitely stylistically similar, but not the same. With Six especially, the MC designs were very simplistic and realistic but used colour (or for Mono, a single design quirk being the bag) to stand out against their backgrounds and against the enemies which are largely neutral colours. But these new ones feel... "over designed"? On their own they definitely aren't, but in comparison to Mono, Six, Seven, and even NPCs like the flashlight girl, they have a lot more going on (especially the little wrench kid, Idk which one is Alone and which one is Low yet btw OOP)

Despite it being a new studio and you can tell, new puzzles and environments, they're still doing their best to have the OGs vibes and whatnot to feel familiar, namely in the trailer they bring back the fuses, and the additional gameplay video there's a short scene with an environment with all the shelves you can find in LTNM 1s gnome section (the one with the cart that is affected by the Maws swaying).

But regardless, it still feels different enough my brain is still nervous about it. I also feel In A Way about Tarsier having LTNM II explode and their franchise getting the attention it deserves, only to have it stuck with Bandai and now it's going to likely explode again and they aren't involved. Idk how anyone on that team feels about it, but if it were me omg.

Also the only boss we've seen so far (i hope they add more and i def want some to be a surprise so im not gonna assume this is the only one for now) feels... out of place? it has the design qualities of a LTNM boss, but the size of it makes it more of a spectacle than a warped/corruption of an adult. All the previous bosses fit in their environment, we are the small ones and they are scaled to the world around them. This is the first time, outside monster Six who imo is a bit of an outlier anyways due to her circumstances, we're getting a boss who is this huge and doesn't even fit their own environment. I hope we get a lore reason for this in some way, because currently the boss doesn't have the same vibe as the others and it's throwing me off a bit. Don't get me wrong, it'll be terrifying, but looking at the picture as a whole they are sort of out of place for me rn. I don't hate the bitch either, I'm not gonna be like omg get rid of it or change it, but it does strike me as odd seeing it for now.

And yes the tall man is too tall for a lot of things, but he's not THAT big. He's more like yer tall guy who hits his head off doorways, which happens irl anyways LMAO

Little Nightmares primarily tries to capture the feeling of being a small child and how everything is big and scary, but a doll that huge is out of the realm of reality set up for us already. It's gone from scary corrupted animal to godzilla, if that makes sense.

OH AND THE MIRRORS ARE VERY LTNM COMICS OF THEM TEE HEE < 3

[heloflor]

A bunch of thoughts after the Showtime transformations trailer. This was supposed to be about the Cowgirl and Ninja one but then I got inactive for a while and another trailer dropped, so this post is about both.

Btw for those wanting to see more than the trailers, the descriptions for the Showtime trailers of Nintendo Japan, Nintendo of America and Nintendo France/Italy all have a link that leads to different sites, each with their own footage (the French and Italian ones are similar). I believe the youtube channel GamesXplain is also trying to group all the footage. It does spoil more things though.

Anyways, thoughts under the cut (around 3.2k words):

- Screaming biting clawing feeling insane I’M SO EXCITED FOR THIS GAME!!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER MONTH FOR IT?!

- Very relieved they didn’t change anything other than the box art (not that they would have had the time to since the game is coming out this march, though the icon on the switch home menu will sadly probably be changed to the new art).

- Favorite design overall has to be Dashing Thief Peach. I adore the vibes going on with this costume! I’m also a big fan of Swordfighter (love the “fictional version of the Renaissance-era West-Europe” aesthetic), Figure Skater (the costume is so pretty!), Mermaid (also incredibly pretty, tho it’s funny how mermaid being the only one with her usual haircut makes her look almost weird compared to the other transformations), and Kung Fu (I especially like the color scheme).

I also really like Cowgirl Peach, though with that new trailer it’s going down a bit (she has an attitude I really like, it’s very unique for a character like Peach but there’s a level of playfulness to it that makes it work well, or maybe it’s the knowledge she’s acting, idk. And for some reason the Pow//ser shipper in me is very happy about Cowgirl Peach having horns on her hat).

- Least favorite is Mighty Peach. I want to say it’s because the design is too “basic” but in reality I think it’s just that I’m completely indifferent to Superheroes so this one just does nothing for me. I mean Detective Peach has a basic design and I’m giving it a pass since it’s a reference, which I’m pretty sure Mighty Peach is as well. So yeah, I think it has less to do with the design itself and more with it being a superhero transformation. The “stereotypical superhero run” she does is hilarious tho (from the french/italian websites).

I’m also not a big fan of Patissiere Peach, I think it’s the check pattern of her dress that I just don’t find appealing.

I also originally thought that I didn’t like Ninja Peach but in reality it’s one specific render that I dislike, the one where her scarf covers her mouth. I have no idea why I don’t like this render in particular but yeah, outside of it I do like Ninja Peach.

- Gameplay wise, Dashing Thief and Ninja Peach seem to be the most interesting (yes I like platforming, the stealth elements look really interesting too). Cowgirl Peach also looks really cool with a few diverse ideas. I’m pretty curious about what the Detective Peach segment will fully be about as well. Same for Figure Skater Peach, I’m very intrigued by it.

- Least favorite gameplay wise will probably be Patissiere Peach since I’m not really into that kind of games, with second being Swordfighter Peach due to how straightforwards and repetitive it looks. I also want to say I’m not sure how I feel about Mighty Peach’s gameplay, but again I think it’s just the superhero aesthetic I’m not into (I swear I don’t hate superheroes, I just don’t vibe with it, I also don’t like the “chosen one” trope which probably doesn’t help).

- Funnily enough, despite not finding the Patissiere segment all that interesting, I’m surprised there are no new minigame-centric costumes. Considering the original trailer gave us two action-oriented costumes (Kung-Fu and Swordfighter) and two minigames-oriented ones (Detective and Patissiere), I expected another two or three minigames ones. Like even Figure Skater is about beating up bad guys, and Mermaid Peach is more about exploring than music (ngl I expected a musical show at some point and Mermaid Peach would have been the perfect choice for it. Wdym Kingdom Hearts 2 did it and it sucked?).

That being said I’m still happy with what we got bc my main “fear” about there being too many action-oriented roles is with the possibility of the gameplay feeling too repetitive from one play to another. But from the looks of it, every play still remains unique, with each having their own way to beat up the sour bunch, so it’s all good!

On that note, Figure Skater Peach defeating enemies by dancing with them is the most Peach thing ever and low-key makes me wish the other action-oriented costumes also had unusual fighting styles (which might also be why as mentioned later I’m hoping for a magical girl finale).

- And since I mentioned repetitive gameplay, I’m glad they went with Mermaid instead of Pirate as some theorized, since with the Swordfighter transformation already being a thing, having a pirate one would have gotten repetitive.

- Also, despite not being a fan of Patissiere Peach, I’m still very happy that they gave Peach a baking-related transformation, considering how often her making cakes gets brought up in the mainline games. It’s a really sweet way to embrace and expand on such a recurring element.

- Thinking about it, Ninja Peach is pretty funny in concept. All those years of sneaking around Bowser’s Castle (or her own castle when Bowser takes it over) to send letters and items to Mario are finally paying off!

- In general all the transformations can be justified. Patissiere? She’s been into baking for years. Swordfighter? Doesn’t at least one Olympics game has a fencing minigame? Cowgirl? She’s been in enough sports to justify the use of a lasso, and at least one Olympics game has horse-riding. Ninja? Sneaking around is nothing new to her, same for platforming. Detective? She’s a smart person, of course she can do it. Kung Fu? Isn’t there a martial arts category in one of the Olympics games, meaning that even if it’s obviously not the same sport with the same techniques, it still justifies her ability to learn another sport that centers around physical fighting?

- Continuing on with the new transformations: Figure Skater? It’s in the Olympic Games. Dashing Thief? It seems to center around platforming so it’s nothing new to her. Mighty/Superhero? While unsure if it’s an actual attack the blast from her arms reminds me of the guns from the Rabbids games, and even outside of that the sport games can again justify her punching things. Mermaid? She 100% would, and if you want to dig deeper Superstar Saga claims her voice to be special.

- The more info and costumes we get about this game, the more it seems the internet understands why Bowser feels the way he does, which I find to be very funny.

- On that note, I’m incredibly happy to see not only how much Nintendo is promoting this game but also how positive the reception has been so far. Peach deserves her first fully original game to be a commercial success!

- There’s probably something to be said about how “games made for girls” (with the exception of indie games) usually suck with little effort put into them and how Showtime in comparison is a breath of fresh air that’s even able to include elements like dressing up while still taking their female audience seriously and giving them a high-quality product, but I don’t know enough about the topic to really say something meaningful about it.

- As someone who headcanons Peach as a Toad whose gem is what gives her human appearance, the fact each of her costumes (except Mighty) keep said gem makes me very happy.

- I’m curious what the final boss is going to be. Will we have a long level as some medley using all costumes one after the other? Will it be a brand new costume? Will it be normal Peach using Stella? Personally I’d love for the final boss to have a unique costume (*cough* Magical Girl *cough*), though I could also see the normal Peach one to allow Stella to punch Grape for ruining her theater, though the latter would kinda go against the point of the game being about theater and the costumes/acting. But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

- On that note, while I would go “the game ends with Grape dying bc Nintendo had killed their villains in RPGs many times”, I could also see something along the lines of Luigi’s Mansion 3 where at the end everyone lives and explains that all they wanted was to be included in the play, including Grape. So the game would end with Stella letting Grape and the Sour Bunch become actors as long as they stop doing shit like that and help cleaning up the mess.

Considering how kind of a person Peach is, an ending like that could work, and again it’s been done before with Luigi’s Mansion 3. Plus I’m pretty sure I saw a yt comment pointing out that as far as we know Peach is helping for the sake of helping, which is kind of true (unless it turns out her Toads get kidnapped). So far, it seems Peach has no personal stakes in this, unlike Mario going on adventures to save her or Pauline or prevent Bowser from taking over Kingdoms, and Luigi fighting the Boos to save his brother. So if she does have no personal stakes, it’s even more fitting with her unending kindness.

Granted I could also see the game ending with the Sour Bunch being defeated, or the Sour Bunch apologizing while Grape dies or is shunned from the group just like how King Boo is fully defeated in Mansion 3 and it’s the other ghosts who turn out to be nice.

- And since I keep comparing it to Luigi’s Mansion, does Luigi do the “thank you so much for playing my game” at the end of it? No bc if he does I want Peach to do so as well (on a related note I miss the characters saying “Nintendo” at the beginning of the DS games :( The Animal Crossing one was freaky I loved it)

- I’m curious how many segments we will play as “normal” Peach compared to the costume segments. Looking at the trailers and websites, my theory is that the first play (which seems to be Swordfighter) will have a fairly long segment with Normal Peach as tutorial before the transformation, while the other plays will have like one room/zone/screen with Normal Peach to set the tone and then immediately throw you into the transformation in the next room. Unless they throw some dialogues or puzzles at the beginning of each show to have Normal Peach stick around longer.

- Speaking of Normal Peach her little dancing animation when helping one of the theater people from the american website is absolutely adorable. I also love her idle animation.

- And since I’m talking websites, random observations but from the looks of it we will get a small cutscene both as Peach transforms and at the end of each segment. We can see it on the french/italian websites with Patissiere Peach giving a wink or the part from the trailer with Dashing Thief Peach paragliding in front of the moon, like she just escaped the place she stole from.

- On that note, I’m also curious what the coins will allow you to buy. More health? Something like Luigi’s Mansion 3 where you can buy a bone to stay alive? Some random collectibles?

- The voice will definitely take some time to get used to but I’m fine with it! I wouldn’t even call her new voice deep, it’s just a regular woman’s voice. Mario 64 gives her a “lower” voice than usual and it works very well.

Plus, Patissiere and possibly Figure Skater Peach use her usual higher pitch. “Normal” Peach also has her standard voice. So it does seem like this isn’t a permanent change, it’s just Peach being a good actor and changing her register to fit the character she’s playing as.

So while it will feel weird due to it being different, it’s a choice I can get behind (It might also feel weird due to Wonder keeping her high-pitched voice and even making it higher than usual at times, like when she gets a wonder seed; on that note Wonder is likely more proof that the change isn’t permanent; crazy how quick people are to forget this very recent game when freaking out about how Showtime might “change” Peach).

Gotta say I was surprised to hear Mermaid Peach having a deeper voice, but it’s also very fitting for a “siren” character to have this type of voice. It’s also funny that what is arguably the one overly-feminine costume is also the one with the deepest voice (her Figure Skater and Patissiere designs are also incredibly feminine but mermaids/sirens tend to be almost-exclusively women in stories and folklore).

Last minute addition since a few people were able to try out the game yesterday and put up some footage: the one negative thing I can say about her voice is that Normal Peach sounds very soft and quiet. I’m completely fine with her “Peach time” line and the noises she makes when using the ribbon, but other than that her “show time” and “let’s go” when entering a level on top of her cheering when unlocking something are all surprisingly lacking in enthusiasm.

It’s especially obvious when compared to the extended gameplay for Patissiere Peach who has a very cheerful and energetic tone. Now you could say Figure Skater Peach also has a softer tone but considering she’s acting and given the “serene” look on one of her promotional renders, it works. That’s also why I have nothing negative to say about her energy in the other costumes, she’s acting so it works. Then again given Patissiere is also a role I guess you could argue that her usual cheerfulness is actually her acting when being a Princess. 🤷‍♂️

(I’m actually surprised I wrote this much about the voice since, like I said, I’m fine with the changes. Like I’m looking at this part and going “I literally don’t care about it why is this so long???”. Tho I think it has to do with a mix of seeing other people focusing on it so I want to give my opinion, on top of some lingering worries of what Nintendo is going to do with Peach’s character in the years to come what with the mo//vie potentially influencing them; but yeah if it wasn’t for that worry I wouldn’t bat an eye about her voice being different.

This is actually a feeling I have about this game as a whole. Had the mo//vie either not come out or written Peach properly, I would be head over heels for Showtime without any apprehension since nothing about that game indicates a change in character.

But as it stands, part of me can’t help but be wary of what future games after Showtime will do with her, especially when looking at how much she smirks and her Cowgirl transformation on top of the deeper voice, all of which I would be completely fine with had the mo//vie not portrayed her the way it did. The box art change doesn’t help either.

Another reason I’m “blaming” the mo//vie for it is bc making that comparison post made me realize just how much I like Peach’s character. So no mo//vie with a bad portrayal, no comparison post, no realization, no concerns. And yes, having such worries over some random fictional character due to one portrayal out of fifty is both very dumb and very frustrating, I’m very much aware of that.)

- On a more negative note, I was originally 50/50 on the Kung Fu box art change (like her being more expressive, dislike the use of Mo//vie Peach’s facial features) and after seeing how expressive her game model is in that trailer and the new renders, I’m now fully against the box art change. They literally could have used the face she does in her kicking animation during the Kung Fu transformation from the get go, instead of putting a barely-emotive one and replacing it with a different character!

(And for the center one, if they wanted Peach to have a confident smirk on the box art, why not introduce Cowgirl Peach in the very first trailer and then have her on the box? Just saying)

- Not sure why but her eyebrows in particular bother me when looking at the box art changes. I’ve got two theories though:

1. I’m just used to how her face looks in the games so it being different makes it look weird. Especially since I have no issues with her having longer eyebrows when the rest of her face stays the same like in the Adventures Co//mic, some Stri//kers renders, some of the Showtime renders or even her in-game model for some transformations (tbh the difference in-game is so ridiculously small that complaining about it would be stupid, like that’s even more nitpicky than nitpicking). Or maybe it’s just the knowledge that the new art was based on the mo//vie, idk.

2. Considering the eyebrows didn’t bother me in the mo//vie but do in the box art, it might be due to people talking about how much more expressive the new art is, and eyebrows are heavily used when it comes to characters expressions so it’s easy to point the finger at them.

- Talking about all this actually makes me wonder if the box art change might have influenced some of the promotional renders, most notably the Cowgirl and Mighty “attacking” ones. But looking at how their eyebrows are drawn compared to the new Kung fu one, it doesn’t seem like it. Plus, the Kung Fu one was changed due to being on the cover. Then again, maybe there was in fact some influence, who knows.

- On that note, there’s something ironic about Cowgirl Peach, aka the costume based on the US, being the one whose facial expressions in the renders have a cockiness that could fit Mo//vie Peach very well, Mo//vie Peach being an original character from an US movie.

- With that said I’ve seen people complain about her dress being more like the mo//vie and I just don’t understand where this is coming from, including after going back to look at the mo//vie design. The most change I can think of is the bust part having visible stitches, but I see it the same way I see Mario in Odyssey having much more detailed overalls. Plus, the shoulder and “outside of stitches” parts in the mo//vie version are a darker shade of pink (at least it is in the wiki render), which isn’t the case in Showtime unless I’m missing something.

So yeah, I don’t see it. Had they added golden embroidery around her gem I would’ve understood the complains, but as it stands all they did was put one more detail on the dress, along with making the fabric more visible in general. Smash Bros have done more with it. Look I’m the first to agree Mo//vie Peach is a terrible adaptation and I don’t want her anywhere near the games, but there’s a difference between genuine complains and complaining for the sake of complaining.

- Oh yeah and I’m not buying the new joy cons. This shit is expensive and I already got working ones. Unless they put some art on it rather than just being one color, bc as it stands “it’s a joy con but pink!” isn’t enough to convince me to buy.

[azerothtravel]

What are your favourite questing zones? Even the stuff that’s been removed by now

That's a tough question! I had to think about it for a while since there's so much to sift through. I'll do one from each expansion just 'cuz this is gonna be long enough. I think overall...

Western Plaguelands (Vanilla version). Gathering the Scourge Stones for the Argent Dawn. Meeting Chromie for the first time. The big fight with the lich. Having to be so strategic getting to and away from those cauldrons. Fordring family drama. Most of vanilla had this really nice feel of just wandering around getting into trouble, but WP had a like "now it's serious" vibe that was really fun.

Netherstorm. Man, I loved Netherstorm. The biospheres, the cursed Kirin Tor village, Socrethar, the netherdrake area, the BE's mana pumps, the whole place felt like the wildest thing that had ever been in WoW to that point. Dr. Boom! All that crazy stuff up on the north with the Consortium. It was a ride.

Borean Tundra. It's really hard to pick from Wrath, but I just loved the intro experience. Investigating the destroyed Horde camp, meeting the tuskarr, that gnomish airfield, using tanks for the first time, the assault on the necropolis, and of course Saurfang's big hero turn in that one quest. So much cool stuff. A great way to get an expac started.

Twilight Highlands. The world PVP elements really stick out to me from this zone. I spent so much time in the dwarf vs. orc conflict. But also founding the Horde base there, the Krazzworks was absurd, getting our first gross look at the Old Gods stuff that was coming in the final raid, the Gob Squad, Alextrasza Vs. Deathwing... It was a cool zone.

The Dread Wastes. I loved leveling in Pandaria so much. It felt like a return to the wandering adventurer vibe of vanilla, now with stronger storylines. But the entire Klaxxi storyline was such a weird surprise. That zone was so bizarre, so unexpected. Waking the Paragons, finding that fishing village, my big homie Kovok... I had a lot of fun in that crazy place. Naturally they betrayed me, but what else could I expect?

Frostfire Ridge. Kind of similar to Borean Tundra, I guess, just a very memorable intro experience. Starting your garrison, meeting Thrall's family, and all the drama therein. The first time you assault Bladespire Fortress, seeing Thrall unleash the elements, climbing that chain... That was fun. And despite the results on this list so far, I've always really, really loved snowy zones, so there's that too. Also: I spent hours and hours and hours in vanilla climbing every mountain I could, just to see what was up there. The answer was almost always "nothing." But WoD, and Frostfire more specifically, was the first time they started hiding cool items and little events in random spots for me to go find while exploring. Finally, a reward for my wandering! So that really sticks out, too.

Suramar. This may be controversial, but Legion is my least favorite expansion. Gameplay-wise, it was great, don't get me wrong. Artifact weapons were cool and all. But it had a combination of the most absurd, lazy retcons they have literally ever done (How are have all these civilizations been living on these islands for 10000 years if Gul'dan raised them from the bottom of the sea 30 years ago?????) and some really annoying zones. Val'sharah is my all-time least favorite zone, I felt like I constantly got lost or couldn't get where I wanted to go from where I was. But then came Suramar. The Nightbourne are stupid, literally the exact same thing as the blood elves ("Oh, no, we're another race of arcane loving elves with a well of power who're addicted to magic and whose once-noble leader has thrown in with the Burning Legion, totally different!"), but damn if I didn't get totally absorbed in the revolution storyline in the city. Helping Thalyssera recover, finding like-minded people, basically spending the whole zone doing espionage and terrorism against a corrupt government in what was, at that point, the most expansive city in the game... It was fun, I can't lie. That daily challenge with the lil withered army. The masquerade. The winery. The zoo part??? It was a really different experience.

Zuldazar. Leveling sure was weird in BfA, huh? Each side getting 3 zones and all. And, like, despite my obvious Horde preference, I feel like the Alliance got the cooler ones (Stormsong Valley and Drustvar in particular). On the Horde side, tho, Zuldazar was pretty good. Finally, a look at a troll civilization still at full power, lush environments, dinosaurs, conspiracies, creepy temples, it had a lot going for it, and was really pretty, too.

Maldraxxus. Gotta give it up for my hometown, baybeeeee! I was not excited to choose the Necrolords in Shadowlands. They just didn't seem as interesting as the others, and I've never had much affinity for the undead, and they kinda looked like just the undead place. But the whole lore kit of them being the army of the afterlife, and me being a warrior and all, and then I find out Draka's there, and I'm an orc? No choice. But imagine my surprise when Necrolord turns out the be the absolute most fun Convenant, no question, and their zone turns out to be full of weird, wild experiences, a really compelling storyline, and the most lore characters per capita of any zone (Mograine! Lady Vashj! Mankrik's wife!!). I had a great time running around that zone for not just the leveling experience, but the whole expansion.

Azure Span. Maybe too early to call, but Dragonflight has no zones I don't like. This is unheard of in the history of WoW. I think I like Ohn'ahran Plains the least, but I like all of 'em! But I think Azure Span wins. For one thing, snowy zones. For another thing, the glorious return of the tuskarr, who I have loved since Wrath and badly wish was a playable race (Gormorash has only had "of Iskarra" as his title since I got it. Come back for soup!). Plus, a bit of justice for Sindragosa, Kalec's storyline in the zone is remarkably touching, the Kirin Tor stuff is weird and frequently funny, the Rannan and Lathos storyline hits pretty hard... Even surrounded by really memorable zones, it feels the most memorable.

Well, I guess that's my very long answer! I hope it was interesting! Honestly, it coulda been like twice as long, there's so many zones that I think of fondly, but this seems like plenty. Thanks for asking!

[lightmotif139]

Video game compare and contrast time!

Another World vs. INSIDE

Ok so I just played the classic 1991 game Another World (also known as Out of This World), and it reminded me a LOT of the 2016 game INSIDE which I played about a year ago -- so much that I'm guessing the creators of INSIDE must have taken some inspiration from Another World.

Apparently I really love whatever type of game this is! And I just felt like doing a compare and contrast of the two games.

SIMILARITIES:

Minimalist gameplay style: 2d action-puzzle platformer with just a few basic controls.

No stats, points, levels, meters, inventories, or other interfaces of any kind.

Fairly short but not too short; can be completed in a few play sessions.

Little to no music, just very effective ambient sounds.

Aesthetically beautiful, with a strong sense of setting, mood, and the feel of the environments.

A protagonist who's surprisingly lifelike, despite not even having facial expressions.

Manages to tell a really immersive story without any dialogue.

The story is open to interpretation, but clear enough to make you WANT to interpret it.

A lot of variety in the puzzles; every stage is different and you wonder what will come next.

Does a good job of building tension and drama.

Lots of narrow escapes.

Trial-and-error gameplay where you're going to die a LOT, but you always get to try again, and it's kind of part of the point to discover how many crazy ways you can die.

A lot of creative worldbuilding that's just ambiguous enough to let you know there's even more going on that you don't see.

A dramatic, surprising, and open ending.

DIFFERENCES:

INSIDE is dark and depressing, heavily dystopian, and maybe-sort-of horror depending on how you define horror. It's really beautiful in its own way, but it also made me cry (and not in a happy way). The deaths are also more realistic and might bother some people, especially since the protagonist is a child. The ending is a lot more sad (and strange).

Another World is an upbeat and colorful sci-fi action adventure. It does have a few survival-horror elements (i.e. everything on the planet wants to kill you), but not in a way that's depressing or disturbing. It's also less realistic and a little more wacky; I wouldn't call it silly but it's got much more of a fun vibe. The ending is not 100% happy but not too sad either, and definitely hopeful.

INSIDE is the sort of story that lends itself toward symbolic and metaphorical interpretations.

Another World is more of just a fun story to take at face value. (Although I'm sure you could still find metaphors in it if you want to, and knowing me I probably will sooner or later. 😂)

INSIDE relies heavily on stealth; the protagonist is small and helpless and the game does an excellent job of making you feel that.

Another World has some stealth elements, but you're also able to fight. You get a weapon and learn how to use it (and it's a very cool one).

While both games are primarily linear storylines, INSIDE has an alternate path with a secret ending.

Another World is one storyline with one ending (but it's engaging enough that I didn't find this to be a problem!)

In INSIDE your character is very alone in his quest (well, except for one possible event, but I won't spoil).

In Another World you make a friend and you get to rescue each other!

Conclusion: If you've played either one of these games, and you liked the gameplay style and story presentation method, I recommend you try the other because you will probably like it too! But if you played one and liked it for the vibe, you might or might not like the other, because the two vibes are very different. Either way, I would consider both games to be masterpieces.

[laiosynth]

initial thoughts after my first MK1 playthrough:

(disclaimer that i didn't actually play the game, i watched a full no commentary playthrough on youtube!!)

i fucking love this game so much holllly SHIT- expect sosososo much MK1 posting from now on. i will be on brainrot for a WHILE.

i have so many thoughts and observations and feelings, from the story to the characters to the gameplay.

all of my silly words will be below this cut

(SPOILER WARNING !!!!)

| V

my fav characters are these, in no particular order:

johnny cage

kenshi takahashi

raiden

mileena

syzoth

shang tsung

baraka

liu kang

kuai liang

smoke

sindel

ashrah

my least favs are these:

quan chi

rain

bi-han

thoughts on specific characters, if i have them:

JOHNNY:

he's literally so audhd. so silly <33

his spinterest is definitely film and acting

he's so very much transgender to me.

reiterating, reading his character as neurodivergent/aspec gives him so much depth that i love

(hes my fav btw. just so everyone knows.)

MILEENA:

sososo pretty <3

CANON LESBIAN I LOVE IT SO MUCH

so very badass. slays so hard

she's the kind of character i just love on instinct. i have no words about her. just so much love

SHANG TSUNG:

i hated him at first but his flamboyant and unintentionally silly ways entranced me

my only note is that he would look so much better covered in blood and dirt and slightly beat up. i would pay to see that.

he is so silly and flamboyant that i cannot take him seriously. he's the kind of guy i hold like a disobedient kitten and show you and say "look at my dog"

LIU KANG:

no notes. phenomenal

the type of character i would show you and say "this is my favorite. he is very sweet and well-behaved."

just a good guy. i want him to be my uncle. he has very good uncle vibes for some reason.

QUAN CHI:

ugly as shit. next question

how did sindel fall for this guy he's like. a carbon copy of those evil timeline destroying monks in dr strange. the two are no different.

not even silly to make up for being criminally ugly. can't believe this.

BI-HAN

i knew he was fake from the beginning. just saying.

RAIDEN

beautiful sweet country boy. perfect in every way. no notes. next.

my thoughts on the story and worldbuilding:

this game absolutely blew me away with the level of detail and intricacies- i've never been so immersed in a game before. it really felt like i was brought into the story right next to the characters, and everything felt real and tangible in so many ways. outworld felt like a real, tangible place i could visit if i wanted to, thanks to the careful additions and placement of every last piece of detail, down to the costumes and cultures and worlds.

i loved the political world-building we got throughout the whole thing, down to the cultures, the peoples, their biases, their afflictions. the virus, the conflicts behind the scenes, everything- it was so fucking cool.

so many of the twists i did NOT see coming, i think because of the incredibly careful world-building- we never got clear, obvious exposition. it all came through the story itself, the beats and events, and that was sosososo fucking cool. i., ksdjgfkajshgef

the gameplay:

the story and the gameplay just blend/lead right into each other seamlessly, and it's so. LK:JEFG HLQW$UG ITS SO FUCKING COOL.

the fact that all the characters connected to sindel had similar movesets and animations, showing how they clearly learned from each other, there's a clear connection there.

there was also some connection i didn't quite understand between a bunch of characters who had this one move where they. barf blood on your face?? which was baffling but also, despite me not fulling understanding WHAT connection there is, i know there is one, which is what's important.

there are a LOT of instances of this in the game, where characters with connections to each other will show it in how they fight. it's so fucking cool to me and such. KLJG FLQ FKLJGQW ITS SO COOOOOL KJGF ARGGGHHGHG

summary:

im so fucking insane. i will be doing more MK posting soon. thank yuou for your time.

[kyndaris]

Pokemon Beta: The Real Treasures were all the Friends we Made Along the Way

Following on from what felt like such a huge leap forward in terms of what Pokemon could be, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet felt like taking two steps back. This was especially true when it came to gameplay, performance and quality of options. And while the story provided players with an illusion of choice, it was clear form the start that they would all converge to a central point and thus remain a very much guided experience with a singular ending despite its protests of openness. 

Worse, one could not rush to the very end with a paltry team of Level 5 Pokemon and hope to take on the big bad right from the very start. Breath of the Wild, this was not. And therein lay Scarlet and Violet’s greatest strength as well as its greatest weakness when it came to linear storytelling.

It should be known that I usually play the first game in every new release. That means, Red, Gold (although in terms of the Johto, I was more enthralled of Lugia, so Silver it was for me), Ruby, X, Sun and Sword. However, this time round, I played Violet instead as the concept of fighting future Pokemon just seemed much more enticing.

The game started out as most Pokemon games do with the protagonist starting off in their small humble town that doesn’t even sport a Pokemon Centre. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the conceit is that it’s your first day of school after moving to Paldea. As you come down the stairs, having dressed in your version specific uniform, there is a knock at the door. Director Clavell serves somewhat in the role of the professors of old, introducing the player characters to the world of Pokemon and even giving players the option to choose one of the three starters to begin their journey in earnest: Sprigatitto, Fuecoco and Quaxly.

Suffice it to say, I picked the fire crocodile.

And as I stepped out of my casita (with its Encanto vibes), I was sent straight into a battle with new rival: Nemona (who lived down the street in a palatial mansion and several wait staff to attend to her every need). Nemona was a a rival that I very much liked. She was a breath of fresh air from the excitable Hau and the almost forgettable Hop. Fearless and always eager for a battle, she was also used sparingly through the game. So, even as I was going from gym to gym, gathering badges, Nemona wasn’t entirely forced down my throat. Yes, there were a few battles here and there but it wasn’t constant. AND she was pretty helpful in those first few hours - teaching players how to catch Pokemon before leading us to the Academy at Mesagoza. Although she was of little aid when my character fell down a cliff and found the mythical Miraidon.

Still, the fact that I now had a legendary HM slave in my arsenal was nothing to sniff up. I even cleaned up all the different Pokemon that were immediately available in and around Los Platos and whatever else that could be found in the area.

By the time I finally made it to Uva Academy to begin my education, even my Fuecoco had evolved into a Crocalor.

At the Academy, I was then introduced to a plethora of new characters, each unique in their own way. From Team Star and Penny to the teachers. One of my favourite teachers was Ms Tyme and her very first trick-question that wasn’t entirely based on maths but on actual game mechanics. I also loved Salvatore and Saguaro. As for Professor Hassel, there was something about his design that reminded me either of a Pokemon or a character of another game. Initially, I thought his design was similar to Isabelle from Animal Crossing but the more I looked at the two of them, the similarities began to fade away.

Someone, anyone, help me identify who this dragon-user Elite Four Professor looks like!

Once I was introduced properly to the school, and after maybe a week or two of in-game time had passed in quick succession as part of the story, Director Clavell announced what we had all been waiting for: the Treasure Hunt. And suddenly Paldea opened itself up for proper exploration with its ‘three storylines.’ Which, as I’ve stated above does get funnelled into one story where the player characters along with the allies they made throughout each storyline work together to save the world in a fairly cliche Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) story.

Still, I really liked getting to understand the motivation and backstory behind Team Star. In fact, it was probably my favourite ‘storyline’ that got explored. As for the gym badges and the hunt for the Herba Mystica - they very much leaned into traditional Pokemon tropes that only lent a little to the characterisation of Nemona and Arven and were just gimmicky ways to improve Miraidon or proceed down the tried and true path of becoming a Pokemon Master.

The only downside to the whole game was the fact that GameFreak, once again, refused to implement any form of ACTUAL voice acting. Unfortunately for me, whilst I wouldn’t have minded voicing all the characters like I did with The Great Ace Attorney, I caught a cold/ flu/ possibly COVID at the start of the new year. Which left me with a horrid cough that threatened to take away my voice on multiple occasions and refused to go away. Nevertheless, it could not stop me from giving Nemona a very questionable Spanish accent and voicing a few of the cinematic cutscenes.

WHY ARE THERE CINEMATIC CUTSCENES WHEN YOU DON’T INCORPORATE ANY VOICE ACTING?

Honestly, it boggles my mind to know that GameFreak has moved to 3D sprites with MOVING mouth flaps and they still don’t feel the urge to add voices to pivotal scenes.

But maybe that was beyond the skills of the developers? After all, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet had many things wrong with it when it to performance. In fact, it’s the Cooperajah in the room. Because even though I started my Pokemon journey almost two months after the most ardent fans, I still found myself struggling with dips in frame rate and the long load times when it came to Pokemon boxes. Then, of course, there was the strange motion of non-playable characters (NPCs) that were no further than ten metres away. 

Some have pointed to the hardware of the Switch for the poor performance of the game. Which I honestly do not believe to be true. Why? Well, even though the Switch is pretty old, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which I played in mid-2022, also sported a huge world to explore with an enviable draw distance and I didn’t encounter as many issues as I did in Pokemon Violet.

The lack of optimisation and performance issues for Pokemon Violet was enough to be grating. And yet I pushed on. For, despite the fact that the game crashed on me three to four times during the entire duration of my playthrough, I was still able to to find a semblance of  fun and joy in the game.

And complete my Pokedex with the help of a few friends.

Admittedly, the lack of quality of life options in the game was also a letdown. Especially when it came to its ‘Let’s Go’ mode. While some of the mechanics were explained in the lessons at the Academy, these were usually after the third badge. Which meant that a player could have conceivably grinded a Pokemon to their evolution level via the R or ZR button but not have it evolve. 

While moves could be ‘remembered’ on the fly, there was no option to simply allow a Pokemon to evolve once it reached the conditions needed. An oversight in my opinion when it came to the ‘Let’s Go’ feature of the game.

Even fast travel was poorly explained with the Flying Cabs. And the fact that you could lock the map by pressing down on the right analog stick. Which could have all been done through a few additional tutorial boxes.

Now to the Pokemon in question. A lot of the new additions felt quite gimmicky in terms of gameplay. That isn’t to say that they were bad but none of them truly stood out except the Tinkatink evolution line. Smoliv was cute, true, but Arboliva wasn’t as majestic as I could have hoped. 

Although, I’m sure professional Pokemon battlers will find use for them regardless. For me, though, I ended up keeping the composition of my previous Pokemon teams with the only addition being the starter I had chosen: Skeledirge, Gyarados, Lucario, Garchomp, Luxray and Grimmsnarl. I like my heavy hitters! There’s nothing wrong with that!

Overall, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are a bit of a mess. And not in the good way. Did I still manage to enjoy myself? Yes. But it was at the expense of Pokemon’s good name and reputation. Although, from what I’ve heard, it’s been an issue for quite a while now. 

Will it mean that the next game will be a slower purchase? Possibly.

I’m not going to pay top dollar for a broken and unfinished game. It might be endearing the first time but it should not be acceptable. Especially when even the patches purported to fix it don’t seem to do much at all.

And so, it feels like a beta that is trying to dominate and be an alpha. But failing hard at it. Just stick to your own beta! No omega is going to ever want to be with you! 

[mekatrio]

ok last part.... Franziska Post

as ive gone over in prev post, the overarching message of this game was abt the importance of trust between the defense and prosecution, and how both parties need to cooperate and trust one another to create fair and just trials. w this in mind, franziska's role in the story was to illustrate the absence of this trust. neither wright nor franziska trusted one another throughout their shared cases, and bc of this, the truth was jeopardized each time, nearly resulting in an unlawful verdicts. of course, this isnt unique to franziska, all the prosecutors we've face in the past had mistrusted us as well. but what sets her apart from the other prosecutors, and what makes her sooo interesting to me, is that while shes similar to her predecessors, she isnt all the way there.

like what immediately sets her apart, besides the aesthetics and traits of being an 18 year old girl, is that unlike her predecessors, she actually acknowledges us. from the moment we first meet her, she recognizes our feats (destroying the perfect records of two esteemed prosecutors), and vows to take us down. this is so different from edgeworth, who looked down on us for majority of aa1 before dipping, and von karma, who took it to the extreme and didnt even recognize wright or maya's faces. unlike these two, franziska actually acknowledged who we are and what we've done. and this is significant bc to trust the opposing party (defense or prosecution), you must first recognize their capabilities. by swearing to take revenge on wright, by acknowledging what we hv done, franziska is already a step removed away from her predecessors.

and this next point is more of a vibe based observation (bc im not at the point yet where im gonna sift thru each dialogue and case), but the vibe i got from franziska was that she wasnt as ruthless of a prosecutor compared to the others. and what i mean by 'ruthless', is she didnt resort to cheap tricks as often. tricks like edgeworth's updated autopsy report, or von karma's careful control of his witnesses, the court battles with her were rather lacking in these. yes she raided acro's room and later told andrews to keep quiet, but both of these instances were her being influenced by edgeworth and her father respectively. while this may make her seem like a 'weaker' prosecutor, it actually just makes her a more honest prosecutor, a more just and fair one. also (and im aware this was done for gameplay's sake, but to me this would be an instance of story and gameplay working hand in hand), unlike edgeworth and von karma, no trial with franziska have ever gone over to the third day.

so already, despite being von karma's and edgeworth's sucessor, she is very different from them with the way tht she actually acknowledges the capabilities of her defense, and the way she goes about with her methods. and then case 4 happens... at first i was pretty annoyed tht she kinda got shoved aside so we could get some yaoi.. so i was so surprised and pleased that her character got to conclude wonderfully despite not being the prosecutor! her saving the day by coming in with the decisive evidence is like one of the best if not The best part of that entire case, just such an amazing timing and setup and everything.. and how it says so much about her to do that, like did she know who this evidence was for? that this is for the defense rather than the prosecution, or did she think it was for the prosecution? or does she believe in justice after all and just wanted to unveil the truth? what an infinitely amazing and complex character..!!!

and to see her frustration after the trial, her disbelief when edgeworth explains how he came to be able to trust wright, her throwing her whip down the same way edgeworth thought to resign in the last case of aa1.. and then the post-credits scene.... T_T i wasnt expecting that at all. i love that scene so so much.. for her to put herself down for not measuring up to her father and edgeworth.. but as ive gone over, the way von karma was and the way tht edgeworth used to be, was not admirable at all. by being distinct from them, shes already halfway out of their shadows and on her way to being a better prosecutor than the both of them. and its so interesting how similar she is to edgeworth, how she leaves too, the same way edgeworth had up and left in the end of aa1. and for edgeworth to give her whip back and for them both to grow out of von karma's shadow forever GRAHHHHH Its so good. i wasnt expecting to like her this much

[tracinginwardinvestigation]

Play #6: The Magic Circle of Just Dance

I know in my latest essay I said that I would stop talking about “Stupid Media” for the time being, but my recent renewed obsession with Just Dance makes me think it would be a fun to talk about the silliness of playing a dancing video game; nice change from all that talk about video game narrative lately.

Most people have probably heard about Just Dance, Ubisoft’s dancing video game series that is famously known for its continuous release on the Wii even when Wii U and Nintendo Switch already made Wii obsolete; Just Dance 2020 in particular was the final Wii game that was released physically in North America. Its gameplay is as simple as it gets: the player dances to the choreography on screen, earning points by performing the correct moves. The song list is generally made up of a mixture of classic songs as well as modern ones, and aesthetic-wise, the game’s choreography videos are very colorful and energetic. It is a fairly simple formula, but it works well enough that the series has continued releasing new entries yearly. Due to its casual nature, I am not surprised that conversation about the series rarely occurs in gaming discussion; I suppose that as the game gets released yearly with the same old formula and all, not much more can be said about the series’ evolution in gaming design (outside of upgraded visuals and more complex dancing moves). But despite all of that repetitiveness, Just Dance continues to be a fun part of my life for nearly a decade now, and so I think it would be fun to examine why it is fun to me. The simplest answer is that it is just fun to dance to colorful music videos! But after some thinking, I think there are a few more reasons to that, which I can chart it up to the power of playing inside a magic circle.

One of the ideas that comes to my mind right now is Theorizing Stupid Media’s concept of bodily stupid. In the chapter “The Stupid as Ludonarrative Dissonance”, the book mentions that one of Pokemon GO’s appeal might be explained by the way it forces players to move their body weirdly: “One of the things that Pokémon GO illustrates is that the stupid is not singularly located in the media referent, but rather in the reception of the body. The way that we respond to watching other bodies (mindlessly) twist, tumble, fall, relent to gravity, or confront the concrete realities of space, geography, architecture”. But more importantly, such bodily stupid often evokes a desirable reaction: “it is the uncontrolled flailing body in a Pokémon GO fail that elicits a different affective response—laughter”. Such laughter, I think, is one of the reasons I’m drawn to Just Dance to this day.

As much as I love Just Dance, I have to admit that most of the choreographies are not designed to elicit a sense of professional dancing, at least not the kind of acceptable forms of public dancing like salsa, ballroom, and hip hop, in part because of the series’ casual vibe. As the series is supposed to appeal to all ages, the choreographies in general are often repetitive and simplistic. Back when Harmonix's Dance Central was still a thing, people often compared its complex dance choreographies to Just Dance’s as a way to make fun of the latter’s simplicity. Nevertheless, the series’ casualness is also what makes it perfect to play at a party! I still remember how these games were often a blast at my parties; there were laughter from my friends who flailed around, trying to match up to the choreography, as well as from those who just had fun watching the players fumble badly. Those joys occurred through the bodily stupid produced by the game. In a way, even though we laughed at each other’s clumsy movements, it was not with the intention of making fun of them, but more so in the shared joy of playing. I wonder if this is a similar principle behind party games that involve body movement like Twister?

In a way, Just Dance’s great strength is its casual approach to dancing, from its vibrant visuals to ease of use. Even people who are unfamiliar with gaming can easily play the game by themselves; all they need to know is how to open the game, select a song, and dance to it. Moreover, no matter how badly the player performs, the game’s positive vibe doesn’t berate them for failing, but encourages them to try again. In game studies terms, I could say that the playful atmosphere of the series forms a magic circle for people to dance to their heart's content without being made fun of; a safe space to explore the joy in dancing even if you are not good at it (me!). It is funny to compare dancing to Just Dance to the idea of live-action role playing (larp for short), but I think Stenros and MacDonald’s quote that describes the joy of larping also applies to playing Just Dance: “They are beautiful to do, but not necessarily interesting to watch”. Yeah, I may fail to dance well, but it is the attempt to dance to my heart’s content that makes Just Dance fun for me! It is this kind of joy that makes me return to the series, solo or with friends, for nearly a decade now.

Thinking about Just Dance as a magic circle also gives me some thoughts about the values of the circle itself. After all, Just Dance is the kind of game that technically can work even without the medium; one can simply play a YouTube video of the game and dance to it. But such imitating typically lacks the value of immersing into the magic circle and respecting the game’s rules. By following the game’s immersion rule—I have to move my entire body even if the game only tracks my hand movement through “larping” tools such as a joy-con or my phone—I enter into a safe space that allows me to dance badly without getting made fun of. I suppose, the value of playing inside a magic circle is that it allows one to safely explore a concept that is outside of their comfort zone without getting berated. Without a magic circle, playing is simply imitating, an act that is often frowned upon in societal rule. There is still a lot more to look into about the powers of dancing and the rules of magic circle, but I will stop this essay for now. I can say for sure that I don’t see myself losing my love toward Just Dance series any sooner (well, maybe if they increase Just Dance Now’s subscription costs…)

P/S: Stefanie Heinzmann’s Diggin' In The Dirt is such a great motivational song to dance to every time I ever feel down.

[tealenko]

mShenko appreciation post...

So... I usually (ejem... better said always, if I'm being honest XD) choose femShep in Mass Effect.

Long story short, I like to play characters in my own gender... Kinda helps a lot with the immersion, despite the fact that I look nothing like my main Shep. And, in the wise words of my brother: "If I'm gonna have to stare at an ass for hours of gameplay, I prefer it to be a woman's ass" (Nothing against men ass' on my part though... I mean, I'm a Kaidan stan 😳😳😳 but I'm week when it comes to females curves ehehehehehe sue me XD)

Anyways... Butt thing aside, I always play femShep. And the same femShep, Mio Shepard. Because I got the fanfic writer disease back when I was like 13 years old and I haven't found the cure yet, so... All I play, write and draw (because I didn't have enough obsessions already lol) related to the main ME trilogy is about my main shep and Kaidan.

I swear I'm about to make my point, stay with me for a little longer XD

Thing is, with the launch of MELE, I decided to see the mShenko romance for the first time (yep, first time... I imagine you can already tell, but I'm that kind of person that once she likes a game, she plays it a 1000 times but always in the exact same way and making the same choices in every single run).

So here we are, a year later, and here's the post about it 😅😅😅

As I told you before, I tend to focus on fShenko. I love the Shenko fandom as a whole, but from what I've seen and from the people I follow, fShenko is in need of more help, support and content than mShenko (I may be wrong here... but the moment your femshep likes dudes people tends to scream at you why you shouldn't be with Kaidan and my mission in life is to always be there to reply that idgaf about how many aliens they think I should bang XD)

Said all that, mShenko.

It's fucking awesome.

Period.

Like... Truly amazing.

Mesmerizing.

(sorry... I had to XD)

I may be biased here, because Kaidan's arc with his sexuality is very similar to my own, but, the whole "At the end of the day, I'd love you no matter what gender you were" is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my whole life.

I was also very surprised by the amount of differences there were between both romances... Both of them top tier. And, against all my expectations, I can comfortably say that they are equally good. So if you love Kaidan and you've only seen one side, I really recommend you to check the other (learn from my mistakes ehehehehe although I think I've enjoyed mShenko 10 times more than I would have before making a few discoveries about myself... so I'm kinda happy it took me so long. Now it feels more special to me <;3)

fShenko has all the young, pure~ish, forbidden, cute and heart-racing vibes in ME1 *chef's kiss* and then (after a bit of angst) you have the mature, long-lasting, I'd die for you romance that we all deserve.

mShenko, on the other hand, is more Kaidan focused in my opinion, which I truly like, and his realization of what is love (🎵) and what Shepard really means for him, which I find extremely cute and beautiful.

And I'll admit, I'm the first to complain about Bioware (perks of being a forever resident of the shenko vortex) but I have to congratulate them on the way they wrote mShenko in ME3.

I really thought it would be ultra cringy and forced, because that kind of evolution is not the easiest to write, but I was sooooooo wrong and I'm sooooooo glad that I was. So yay~ to Bioware on this one!

So, yup... I wanted to do a quick post and here we are now, an hour later ehehehehehe 😅😅

Anyways, and to wrap this up, just sharing an opinion (or ten) here... I was just thinking about it today and I felt like writing a post about it (there's always room for more Kaidan appreciation posts <3).

If you ever wanna talk with me about our beautiful canadian marshmallow pm me, tag me, etc. If you respectfully disagree, feel free to tell me how you feel about all of this in a comment. And if you disrespectfully disagree (I don't think that's a term that exists but I'm gonna use it anyways XD) feel free to ignore me and go on with your life, it's not that difficult.

That's all, I think...

Hope you have a lovely day/night.

Imma go to bed and read some fanfics before I fall asleep.

bye bye!!

~~tea

[cricket-boyy]

Just gonna ramble a bit about what my ideal Digimon game would be like.

It would definitely need to be a jrpg but not a monster collector. I feel like the comparisons to pokemon are the main reason for why that's the go to concept for a Digimon game. But whereas pokemon's thing is "gotta catch em all", Digimon's is something different. The core point of Digimon has from the very start been the bond between digimon and their partners. Therefore to stay true to that theme in a videogame would to me mean a focus on narrative, where instead of playing as a blank slate silent protagonist you'd control a fully fleshed out character. I would also want the partner digimon to be a proper character in their own right (personally I'd love Veemon who evolves into the Veedramon line). You could still have a choice of who your partner would be like in the Cyber Sleuths but then they'd all just be written as the same character. Only the model and names would change.

I believe Digimon would lend itself well to being a traditional story driven jrpg with set party members. Now if you really need monster collecting in there, I'd have it as a slapped on side thing and have the story be about needing to build an army to revolt against the villain who's a ruler of some sort. I'd definitely write a Digimon story with heavy anti-capitalist themes. But I think ultimately the story should have a simple plot and be mostly character focused. Characters get isekai'd to the digital world, get partnered up with their digimon, explore, a problem is presented (ie bad guy is doing bad things), they solve it, shit gets fucked, more bad guys, stakes are raised, maybe go back to the real world cuz villains go there, solve that, get back to the digital world cuz gotta take care of the big bad, the end.

Dialogue choices and branching paths would be cool but not necessary. Maybe a social link type mechanic that unlocks side quests or something. I wouldn't wanna tie evolutions to those though. One of many things that was disappointing about Survive was that evolutions past champion were these missable side things. Evolution scenes should be hype pop-off character developing moments but taking them out of the main story and having the writing be flimsy and just bad (I mean all of the writing in Survive is bad), ruins one the most fun parts of Digimon. They didn't even have voice acting.

Gameplay-wise I'd take heavy inspiration from SMTV, at least with the exploration. Open world is a recipe for disaster, so multiple open levels is the way to go. I'd also love to see environments in the digital world that we don't usually get to see like a big city. Exploring jungles, deserts, ruins and then going to a huge busy city could be a great moment.

Combat should have some kind of a gimmick. I'm often disappointed by turn-based combat systems due to them being too simplistic to me. I have a bunch of ideas I'm not gonna list here, but something that encourages you to use all of the tools available and keeps you on your toes. The last thing I want is just using your strongest attacks over and over, and the only strategy to keep in mind is some rock-paper-scissors weakness system.

Also the vibes should be Y2K heavy. I'm talking trance and prog house music, late 90's-early 00's style fits on the main characters.

When it comes to videogames the Digimon franchise has so much to offer, which is why it's so sad to me to not see that potential realized. The Cyber Sleuths are difficult to go back to cuz they don't respect your time, Survive is a badly written visual novel, and I doubt whatever comes next will quench my thirst for a Digimon game that I could love. It's great to see how much effort they're putting into the card game, I just wish Bandai would take a chance and put a similar amount of effort (and money) into a videogame. I mean the Cyber Sleuths, despite not being very good, got a lot of attention on them for being better than what had come before, having a bit more mainstream appeal and good old fashioned word of mouth. Imagine how a game that's on the level of, say Shin Megami Tensei V (but with a better story pls) could do.

So yeah, here's hoping one day a Digimon game can rock my socks off.

[thatgamefromthatad]

Seen these ads? (Obey Me! Review)

This is a visual novel/otome/gacha card RPG game with the same characters and themes as featured in the ads.

As stated in many of the ads this game centers around seven demon brother love interests (as well as some other potential love interests) although the game has a lot of plot elements other than just romance. Most of the ads that I’ve seen feature real art that appears in the game one way or another, and the ads tend to be focused more on the characters and theme in general rather than specific gameplay. Of the ads that do appear to show gameplay, most of the time it’s not really what you’ll see in the game but still follows fairly close to the actual game (for example, the “kiss, free, whip” ad on the top left doesn’t show real gameplay, but you can kiss or whip that character. But that specific art comes from a gacha card I believe and isn’t what you see when you do the kissing and whipping).

A few notes before I get into the full review:

I’m a lesbian, so I’m definitely not the target audience for this game, but I always try to be objective and open-minded when playing any game I’m not the target audience for (other examples I’ve reviewed in the past are Moments, which was also primarily targeted toward women who are attracted to men, Immortal Taoists, which involved a genre I had never heard of before and really had no interest in, Time Princess, which also wasn’t my favorite genre but was still a great game, and various Genius Inc. visual novels, which are targeted more toward high-school age boys as far as I can tell).

Speaking of lesbians, this game weirdly censors the word “lesbians” but not any other LGBTQ+ terms (that don’t include the word “sexual”) as far as I can tell; I decided it was enough of a one-off thing that it wouldn’t factor a huge amount in my overall review of the game, but I think it’s still something to take note of and not let off the hook since it definitely shows bias and can be offensive to players.

This game is rated 12+ on the Apple App Store, and I was pretty harsh on Crush Crush for being rated that way because I thought it crossed the line with some of its sexually suggestive content. I kept that in mind while playing this one, and personally I don’t think it crossed the line in the same way, at least not from what I’ve played so far; although it does have sexually suggestive content (most often when interacting with the character Asmodeus, who is literally known in the game as the “Avatar of Lust”), it’s much more occasional through tidbits of dialog as opposed to in Crush Crush where it involved a whole section of the game and was more interactive in nature. I would definitely still cringe at the thought of a 12-year-old reading some of this dialog, but I think it fits fairly within the App Store descriptors of “Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity” and “Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes.”

Last note - there is a character in this game (Luke) who has the appearance and demeanor of a small child who you can interact with in a similar way to the other love interest characters, which concerned me for obvious reasons. I looked more into this, specifically reading into all of the different dialog options involving this character, and his responses never seem to be more than platonic, which is good. He still blushes when you give him gifts and stuff, which is kind of awkward, and it seems weird to throw a kid character into an otome game, but all considered I wouldn’t say the game is promoting anything inappropriate (unlike one of the Genius VNs that clearly involved relationships between an adult and minors).

Sorry I know that’s a lot of notes and disclaimers but I just wanted to that all out of the way as general concerns anyone might have trying this game or reading this review!

Without further ado, read my full review below:

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(I’m trying a new color-coding system to help highlight some of the main points of my review if you don’t want to read my entire essay word-for-word lol. Pink is a positive aspect of the game, red is a negative aspect/criticism and purple is not necessarily positive or negative but just something I wanted to highlight.)

😈 Is the game actually fun? Yes! Just in terms of production value, this game is top notch: the art and character designs are very appealing, the transitions between characters’ poses and facial expressions during VN scenes are actually animated (which looks much smoother and more natural than switching between still images), the voice acting is great (although the VN scenes aren’t fully voice acted, some parts like phone calls are and the characters say different phrases during scenes and battles as well)(Note: all the voice acting is Japanese), and the music is FANTASTIC and perfectly sets the vibe throughout the game.

The best parts of this game in my opinion are the different personalities of the characters and the overall plot; although some of the characters’ personalities can be a bit one-note at times (for example, one character’s entire personality that I’ve seen so far is that he likes to eat and is always hungry), the characters each have their own charm and play off each other well. I found myself getting invested in each of the characters’ desires and goals throughout the story, even the characters I didn’t particularly like. The story is also chock full of humor which is always fun, and the whole world and backstory built around this game (the “Devildom” setting and the idea of an exchange student program with angels, humans and demons) are also unique and impressive.

I really enjoyed the multiple modes of storytelling i.e. how the VN chapters are supplemented with text messages and phone calls from characters and an Instagram spoof with additional side stories to unlock. I know this isn’t a new thing in mobile games (even Gardenscapes and Homescapes do it to an extent lol) but add the compelling characters and overall production value on top and it’s a really enjoyable experience. Since the home screen of the game is set up like it’s your phone, with the different parts of the game represented as “apps,” the game kind of creates a feeling like you’re really living in this world with these characters where you can freely scroll through their Instagram feeds and check the messages you get from them on your own time. The shop where you can buy items and premium currency is called Akuzon (an Amazon spoof) and the place where all your gacha cards are is called “contacts,” which further adds to the immersive effect.

The “dating” part of the game is pretty cute although I haven’t gotten super far so I’m not sure of the full scope of the romantic interactions. From what I can tell, in addition to the dialog, blushy faces and bedroom eyes you get from characters when you give them gifts and touch different parts of their body (above the belt lol), when you raise your intimacy level with them you get additional phone calls and messages from them (I haven’t played a lot of otome games but I think that’s how a lot of them go). I wasn’t that invested in this part of the game but I think there’s some strategy that goes with using the right combination of gifts and touches to maximize intimacy boosts and get certain dialog, which adds a whole other aspect of gameplay in addition to the main game. I also noticed that occasionally your choices throughout the VN chapters will give you a small intimacy boost with a certain character; I kind of wish this was even more integrated since most of the time I felt like no matter what I chose it didn’t make any difference in my relationship with characters. Also, I don’t think there’s a way to “officially” date a specific character, it’s more about raising the intimacy level to earn more interactions but it doesn’t actually affect the main plot.

As far as the main mode of progressing through the game, which is winning “dance battles” with teams from your gacha collection, this part of the game has its own positive qualities such as the cute chibi forms of the characters that appear on screen and the fact that some of the special attacks show a little anime clip of the character (of course it’s less exciting when you see the same clip every battle but I still thought it was a nice touch). I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a rhythm aspect as the “dance battle” name would imply, and your main interaction during the battle itself is basically just tapping hearts that pop up and tapping the characters when their attacks are ready, but you also have the option to skip that whole interactive sequence and just get a result based on your team’s stats, so there’s not much to complain about there (especially since the battles are sort of a side note compared to the storytelling aspect of the game despite being the main element of RPG-based gameplay that allows you to progress). If you are interested in the RPG aspects, there’s plenty of that to work with (building teams, balancing attributes, managing resources/rewards to level up cards and progress through skill trees of sorts, all that good stuff) although you’re limited to an extent by how difficult it is to get a lot of gacha draws without paying real money. It’s even harder to be able to focus on both strategy and character relationships while playing for free when the same scarce currency is used for both gacha draws and gifts.

👿 Is this a free game or a “free game”? Despite what I just said, I would still consider it a free game - you can gradually save up some of premium currency the game gives out through tasks in order to pay for more gacha draws and other items, and as far as I can tell you can access the main story and the other parts of the game without hitting a paywall. I only got to the fourth chapter so far though so don’t take this assessment as gospel. Like with a lot of other freemium games you might feel pressured to pay (especially when you run out of gifts to give your lover boys, which was the biggest downer for me, or if you’re obsessed with wanting to collect a lot of cards or get a specific card) but since you don’t actually need to pay to progress I still consider it free.

There’s also an energy system where you hit a wall and have to wait if you run out, but I never ran out because of the huge amount of energy the game dumps on you when you first start, and it seems like there are a bunch of other ways to get extra energy as well. There also aren’t pop-up or watch-to-earn ads in this game that I saw.

💀 Features

Main visual novel scenes and storyline (the visual novel scenes come between dance battle stages and there are a few short side routes that branch off but still one main route as far as I can tell, I don’t think your dialog choices really make a different except for in how the characters react to you immediately afterward. Still the main storyline in itself is fun to follow and it’s fun to get different reactions out of the characters based on what you say)

Dance battles (I’m not fully knowledgeable about the minutia of the RPG system at play here but in general the outcome of the battle will depend on the level, rank and attributes of your cards compared against the difficulty and attributes of the stage you’re playing. There also “memory cards” that can be assigned to support your team and expendable temporary boosters called “glow sticks” that boost your stats for one battle. During the battle itself you tap hearts that appear to earn extra points and you can tap your characters when their power is charged up to “attack” your opponent and use special skills. There are guides online that go deeper into stats and strategies and such if you’re interested. Different stages have different rewards for completion and you can quick complete levels you’ve already beaten to mine resources you need)

Gacha mechanic and cards (the gacha area of this game is called “Nightmare” and there are a few different pools along with event pools each with their own odds and sets of cards you can get. For the default pools you get free draws periodically and I believe you get one free draw for each event pool IIRC. You also get a bunch of vouchers for draws when you first start the game which got me handful of SSRs and a couple URs to build a couple of solid teams right off the bat. In addition to drawing directly from gacha pools you can get some cards by collecting card pieces as rewards from stages and events until you have enough to get the actual card. Each card has its own set of stats/attributes, can be leveled up and has a skill tree of sorts that can be progressed through with resources mined through beating stages, although it’s more of an attribute tree than a skill tree since most of the branches just add points onto one of your card’s attributes. Some cards, the rarer ones, have special skills that can be used in battle)

One-on-one characters interactions and intimacy i.e. the “dating” part (there are two ways this occurs: 1) you can set a specific character to your home screen that allows you to enter into an interaction with them, with a refresh period in between interactions 2) the main way, which is through “surprise guests” after dance battles. These surprise guests show up frequently but not always, and they’re always one of the three team members you used in battle, selected randomly. For each one-on-one interaction you can do three actions - either give a gift, touch the character or ignore the character. Sometimes the character will also offer you a high five which counts as an action if you oblige. Different characters have different favorite gifts and touching different parts of the body can get a different reaction depending on the character and your level of intimacy I believe. Your intimacy level with a character increases depending on the combination of actions you perform, and sometimes the character also gives you gifts back like more energy or resources. There are guides for this online as well)

Text messages and phone calls (text messages are the main mode of storytelling outside of the main VN scenes - you get messages from characters or multiple characters in group chats that you respond to with preset messages or stickers similar to how you make choices during the VN parts. Some of the text messages correspond with the main plot as you progress, ex. A character texts you to be in a certain place at a certain time and next VN scene is of you two meeting at that place. I think other text messages also come up when you reach certain intimacy levels with characters. There are certain group messages that you don’t respond to where you’re basically spying on a group chat among characters and just get to see what everyone’s saying. In addition to written messages and emoji stickers characters will also sometimes send pictures. Phone calls are fully voice-acted dialog you have with another character and they seem to pop up when you reach certain intimacy levels - I’ve only gotten ones so far with the two characters I have the highest intimacy with)

Instagram spoof/“Devilgram” (Devilgram is an in-game photo sharing social media app similar to Instagram and the photos on there correspond to gacha cards. When you acquire the gacha card that corresponds to a Devilgram post you unlock a side story, but you also need keys to unlock further scenes from that story, which can be gradually earned through completing tasks and such)

To Do tasks (completing tasks on your To Do is the main way to earn premium currency in the game along with other rewards and resources. There are daily tasks, overall tasks and tasks specific to each character. Examples of tasks are completing a certain stage or number of stages, beating a stage using a team that includes a certain character or reaching a certain intimacy level with a character. There are also beginner missions when you start the game that I think stay available until you complete all of them)

Events (there are sometimes side story events called “pop quizzes” and gacha events that are available for a limited time, or sometimes an event has both a corresponding pop quiz and gacha pool. The pop quizzes are separate chapters with their own dance battles and VN scenes, and the battles will come with reward points that you can spend on different prizes. Sometimes there are unique cards you can only get from an event. Other minor types of events include log-in bonus events and events where you can get special types of gifts for your love interests. There’s also a feature where you can “time-travel” back to old events at some cost but I haven’t explored this much)

Jobs (you can assign characters to passively complete jobs that earn you a small amount of non-premium currency over time and also increases your intimacy with the assigned characters by a small amount)

Customization (you can unlock avatars of different characters to use for your profile and set the name you want characters to refer to you by throughout the game. You can also change the outfit of your homescreen character, change the homescreen wallpaper and change the homescreen background music by making purchases in the Akuzon shop or acquiring certain gacha cards)

⚖️ Ad Honesty Rating: 4/5 (just from the ads I’ve seen, especially the ones that appear to be running currently, there don’t seem to be blatantly fake ads and the ads show real art and do well conveying the theme and characters in the game. However some of the ads are misleading about the actual mechanics of gameplay and may also lead you to believe there are actual romance routes with the characters which is not really the case)

⭐️ Overall Rating: 5/5 (I definitely didn’t want to give this game a great rating just because it’s super popular on Tumblr but I can definitely see why it’s so popular. There are lots of things to do, the characters are very lovable, it’s funny, the art is great, the music is great and the lore and overall vibe are compelling and unique. It’s a high-quality game with a good story and I’ll probably keep playing it)

▶️ Ad Example:

▶️ Gameplay Examples:

Dance Battles

Surprise Guest

If you got through this review bless your heart ❤️ Special thanks to @human-watching-ads-from-devildom which is where I was able to view some of the ads since I was having trouble finding them elsewhere online and viewing some of them on the Facebook ad library.

Follow me for more reviews of those free mobile games you’re always getting ads for! Thanks for reading! 🥳

[nautilusopus]

as someone who's only played FFXIV and looking into getting into the rest of the series, is VII a good game to start with? If not, do you have a recommendation of one that might be? I'm not sure what would be the best jumping in point to the more traditional games, though I am no stranger to RPGs.

That's actually a good question. Obviously I'm biased here but yeah, VII is definitely a solid place to start, in terms of difficulty level, tone. I would also recommend V or IX, since I'm of the opinion that V has the best gameplay in the Final Fantasy series hands down and also is a good introduction to gameplay elements that hold constant more or less across every game, and IX has a lot more "classic FF" flavour of the earlier games but updated with better game mechanics (my first FF was IV and as much as everyone likes to rag on VI and VII, if any game has aged badly it's that one).

So, brief rundown:

VII: Best writing hands down, and it should come as a surprise to no one but I'll die on that hill. Like... fuck dude. Some of the most nuanced character writing I've seen in maybe anything, so much thought put into the world and the themes and how the characters interact with them, genuinely clever plot twist with extremely subtle implementation that only gets better on a second playthrough (if you somehow haven't had it spoiled for you after following my blog for this long lol). The materia system also allows for a lot of player freedom and cool combinations enabling all sorts of different abilities, and it encourages you to get creative with what you can do by linking different kinds. Biggest downsides include the fact that it has some really unintuitive and frankly not fun minigames you briefly encounter, and that it's not especially difficult, which can be a little disappointing at times About the only boss I ever had real trouble with was the Missing Number (which will beat your ass if you don't know what you're doing), so while you CAN come up with cool materia combinations, overlevelling and mashing "attack" is also a viable strategy.

V: Best gameplay across the board. Fun battles, good pacing, doesn't make me do any goddamn motherfucking snowboarding. The job system also allows for a lot of player freedom and strategy, and was eventually lifted more or less wholesale for X-2 (only now it's SEXY~). The story isn't particularly deep, but it's not really trying to be, and what is there is genuinely heartfelt. It's definitely got a stronger emphasis on comedy and is one of the more lighthearted entries in the series. If you're looking to get seriously fucked up on some primo storytelling you'll probably be disappointed, but V isn't trying to be that, and if you just want a fun romp you'll probably really love this one.

IX: Despite the chibi art style this one also has a heavier focus on serious character moments the way VII does, and has almost this weird melancholy vibe to it sometimes that I really enjoy. Also visibly a lot of sincerity put into the plot and characters, and a lot of strong theming as well. Biggest downside of this one is that writing-wise it kinda peters out towards the end. The gameplay on this one is very solid and understandable and fun, but it's a bit more limited in what you can do due to everyone's "jobs" being fixed, and coupled with the lack of the weird Rashomon-esque thing VII had going on it doesn't have the same kind of replay value as VII or V. Still, just a really fucking excellent entry. People compare it to Wind Waker a lot and I think that's fairly apt, both because tonally and art-wise it's pretty similar, and because due to said art style people shat on it so hard when it came out, and it wasn't until much later that it was vindicated by history on account of it being good.

If you're coming in from XIV, I'd say IX is your best starting point, since it shares a lot of the same bones.

Also VI fans are gonna kill me if I don't mention VI so VI is also good and sort of a midway point tone-wise between V and VII, look I'm sorry guys I haven't played VI in years I don't remember anything aside from the fact that I vaguely remember enjoying it please don't yell at me

[emersonfreepress]

okay so is there content that you had planned for the ROs and story in general but then scrapped cause there wasn’t a good place in the story to stick it in? and if so, can you share what it was? 👀 👀 👀

yes, definitely. *rubs hands together* oh man, you done asked THE question today xD I can't wait to get into this 😁

Academics. I almost decided to have classes and grades be a minor part of gameplay, but the more time I spent designing it the more I realized I wanted nothing to do with it 😂 I haven’t really enjoyed academic gameplay in other interactive fiction because I 1) hate having to choose between studying and interacting with awesome characters, 2) have terrible short term memory, and 3) hate school in general!! So instead I just opted to have the MC be really good at school, point blank period so I could focus on social drama and relationships instead! 😆

Physical skills. I spent literal months crafting the catering scene around setting up stats for stamina/endurance, dexterity, and strength instead of just magnetism, confidence, and persuasion. They had their own backstories with the MC’s parents being overly invested sports parents instead and I think the background choices were like... martial arts, gymnastics, and track? But yeah, I ended up scrapping it all because I was spending hours on research about those individual sports so I could integrate them into the MC’s narrative organically but like... when I tried to think of what use they would be in the actual story, I came up blank. Best decision yet, esp since it means a lot less coding!

Skin tone customization. For one, I noticed that a lot of my favorite IFs don’t offer that customization and it hasn’t impacted my experience at all. For two, I originally realized I might as well not implement it since I am striving real hard not to introduce any customization that won’t actually be mentioned in interesting or meaningful ways in-story. I don’t think it’s really all that common for real life friends (esp in high school?) to comment or compliment each other’s skin and like... when it comes from someone who doesn’t share a similar complexion or ethnic background, that type of commentary gets... d i c e y. So then I wanted to be sensitive to that but what’s the pay-off? An RO mentioning how they love your skin tone once? Awkward sentences with the MC referring to their own skin color? Idk, just wasn’t vibing with it. I’m open to revisiting it in beta or something but for now it’s scrapped.

Singing, Rapping, and Gaming as Hobbies/Talents. I feel bad about scrapping these, honestly 😂 They’re great and I really wanted to incorporate them but it just came down to already having a lot of stuff to code. Plus, I know I can write the Hobbies/Talents I stuck with far better. And for Book 2 purposes, as well!

Leo. as @sourandflightypeaches ​​ asked me about a long while ago, I had to scrap an entire RO 😢 His name is Leo, he was the nephew of wealthy west African diplomats residing in Emerson, and I love him dearly! His backstory was largely based on my mother’s childhood and the circumstances she lived through after immigrating to America. and... ok, i’m about to go on one hell of a tangent so buckle up and bear with me if you can 😅

my intention with this story, aside from writing things that I personally enjoy (graphic violence, spooky woods, social drama, romance, conspiracies 😚), is to explore greed, wealth, and how the ways people and families interact with those two things influence young people and who they grow up to be. here i go sounding pretentious af 😝 and here’s where I apply a cut for those who want to preserve a little mystery to the main characters!

With Gabe, we’ve got someone who grew up with very little stability or financial security but who has found unscrupulous methods to gain status and money, with both noble and selfish motivations.

Kile has some of that childhood experience in common with Gabe, having been in the foster care system since infancy, but they lucked out when they were adopted into massive wealth by a caring, loving couple—a couple that uses their wealth and privilege to be far more lenient and protective of Kile than is actually reasonable or responsible.

Jack comes from a prestigious wealthy family on his dad’s side who he loves dearly but there’s no getting around the fact that they love him back as much as they despise his working class mom.

Jessie is a spoiled sweet heiress (being the baby of her family and the only girl) and while she lives blissfully ignorant of the harmful source and impact of her father's income and career, she bears the weight of the expectation to fulfill very traditional gender roles, including her behavior and appearance, but also extending to her career and life plans.

Rain's wealth led to them growing up sheltered and isolated but also extremely accommodated, giving them maximum freedom and opportunity to discover and develop their personal talents and interests. However, they have almost no positive relationship with their parents who have essentially decided to give up on a kid that couldn't be exactly the accessory they tried to mold them to be—both in terms of their identity and personality.

Rupan/Rohan, at their very core, rejects everything about conformity, self-importance, and excessive luxury—which means they have never, ever truly fit in with their peers. Going full non-conformist, however, has resulted in them becoming alienated from much of their family, as well, despite them all loving each other very much. Their history with false friends and betrayals has led them to over-indulge in their vices and reckless behavior to compensate for that isolation. Sometimes, they just get in over their head and many times, they know better. Every time, it's just that the feeling of finally belonging is utterly intoxicating.

Vivian/Vincent has two extremely successful parents who didn't inherit but instead built up their wealth and they aspire to be just like them, to a degree that is well and truly unhealthy. Their mother specifically is an over-achiever and applies mountainous pressure for them to follow in her footsteps, especially academically. Vi is completely capable of achieving what their mom expects of them, but they were already an extremely sensitive perfectionist so this has made them intensely critical of themself. This is a large part of why they are such a rigid, no-nonsense person and that in turn has made them one of the most disliked people among their peers—which is a huge personal failure to them since their father is a very well-liked and socially successful person in town.

And the Emersons are peak privilege: inherent high social status, brains, looks, charisma, athleticism, and massive wealth. They could never have been anything less than extremely popular, just by virtue of their last name and the nature of the town's social dynamics and politics. And they do enjoy that privilege (esp Curt lol). However, it should go without saying that being so high profile, even (or maybe especially) just in the isolated scope of your hometown, isn't always a boon. Their family's and their own perceived failings are widely discussed and privately mocked and/or celebrated. Real friends are scarce while fake ones and snakes are plentiful. Plus their dad is a gigantic dickhead who sees his kids as extensions of his own status and reputation and not much else. Public shortcomings make for an unbearable time at home and the world outside the estate is at once overly accommodating, full of assumptions, and even subtly hostile at times—all unrelated to their own actions or character.

And with the MC, I think the narrative will make it clear there are several ways that story can go. You start off with irresponsible parents that have lost their wealth due to their own mismanagement and material ambitions—how that affects any individual MC should differ based on choices and consequences!

So why bring any of that up when I was supposed to be talking about my cut OC? 😂😂

Leo was going to be the unwelcome recent addition to his uncle’s household, the son of a brother his aunt hates for (petty af) Reasons, and she took that resentment out on him directly by restricting his access to nearly every aspect of the family's wealth. Especially material goods and living conditions. He was basically treated like the help, tasked with playing nanny for his many younger cousins and burdened with doing the homework and providing academic cover for his dumb as rocks cousin in the same grade as you all. To sum it up, he was basically a victim of trafficking at the hands of his own family with his uncle out of town enough to feign ignorance to how bad his wife was treating his nephew and his aunt going out of her way to keep him busy, at home, and isolated. This is sadly a super common form of trafficking in Francophone African cultures (although I don't think most people view it as trafficking. and I’m sure the same is true of other cultures but I don’t want to speak outside of my purview). And like I mentioned above, it’s how my own mom's (and idek how many cousins') child/teenhood went.

It’s a perspective on modern wealth, privilege and greed that I really, really wanted to tell. I am confident in saying it hasn't been explored in interactive fiction yet (though correct me—and direct me 👀—if I'm wrong) and out of all the wealth/greed explorations I came up with, it's the one I have the closest personal ties to and the strongest feelings about. The characters and plans I had for it were detailed and I'm proud of them but at the end of the day... I just couldn't find a place for Leo in the story at large.

Leo was, in fact, the last main character I came up with, when I had already designed and fleshed out the larger story and started crafting the timeline of major events. I think the worst thing I could have done for a story and perspective that I care about this much is shove it into a plot that didn't have room for it at the very base level, regardless of how well the character or his story is written. Shoe-horned characters always stick out. I didn’t want to disservice Leo by having him be the character that did nothing or could be removed from the main plot without affecting it at all, y’know? That’s so much worse than just forgoing the indulgence, imo :((

ugh.... Leooooo 😭 I'm so sorry bb, I failed youuu 😥