#we had to close the game right before the start of day cutscene and we JUST rescued yonny

[fullmoonfireball]

i know noone cares but please know that when i say "WAY longer than intended" i mean like... nearly 8 hours, starting around when they got home from school yesterday. WE are normal.

[weirdmarioenemies]

My Scary Mario Story (DONT READ THIS IF YOU DONT WANT TO GET SCARED)

one time when i was at the Gamestop i saw a game calld Mario Pinball Land and i was like "oh yeah i had read about this on The Super Mario Wiki" and also i watched some videos of people playing it on Youtube and so i got my grandma to buy it for me and then i went home and i put it in my DS but actually befor that we got Pizza Hut and i got a personal pan pepperoni pizza with black olivds on it because i like them even though my cousin thought it was gross that i got them on my pizza

but after that it was night time and i put it in my DS and turned it on and it started playing the cutscene that plays at the beginning. and this is where things start to get creepy ok so dont read anymore if you dont want to read something tjat will scare you okay im serious. so it strated playing the cutscene where theyre at the fair right. an Mario and Princess Peach are waiting in the line in front of the big machine and the Tode goes up to get on the thing right. well then the two things of the machine come together on the sides of him and they close together around him and hes inside...

BUT WHEN THAT HAPPENED THERE WAS ALL THIS BLOOD THAT CAME OUT AND THE SKY WENT DARK TOO AND THE TODE WAS SCREMEING BUT NOT LIKE A TODE SCREME IT WAS LIKE A NORMAL PERSON SCREME LIKE MY DAD AT FOOTBALL (i tried my best to draw how it looked like becaus i didnt have a camera when it happened)!!!!!!! but then Mario and Peach looked happy or suprised how they normaly do!! at that point i was so scared i was like "what the %#@&, dude!!!" but then it kept going and the cannon shot out the Tode and...

HE WAS A BALL OF BLOOD!!!!!!! AND WHEN HE HIT THE TARGET HE SPLATED LIKE THISAND STILL YELLING i was trying so hard not to yell so my grandma or grandpa didnt here but i was sooooo scared and so thenPeach got up on the thing and theN PEACH GOT SMASHED INTO BLOOD TOO!!!!!

and then instead of the goombas coming in and making the cannon turn and shoot at bowsers castle MARIO made the cannon shoot straight in the air!!!!!! i was like "aaaaaaaaaa what is hapeninggg!!!! o_0" and so then when he did that it made the sky have BLOOD CLOUDS and BLOOD RAIN came from them and also there was BLOOD LIGHTNING TOO i think but i cant remember

and then he was standing there on the thing and LAUGHING while he got BLOOD RAINED on!!!! and then. the title screen showed and it said….

MARIO BLOODBALL LAND AND MARIO SAID THAT IN HIS VOICE BUT IT WAS REALLY DEEP LIKE DARTH VADER. i couldnt take it any more and its embarasing but i yelled really loud and i pulled the game out as fast as i could and threw it on the floor. my grandma came in and asked what happend and i said i had a nightmare (becuase i wasnt supposed to be awake or have my DS) and so the next day i said i didnt want the game and we took it back to The Game Stop and i got Namco Museum instead

[thecollectivefixation]

POPPY PLAYTIME chapter 3: Deep Sleep

WHATS UP GUYS It’s Queen here! I know it’s been awhile but I could NOT sit still after watching a gameplay of the new POPPY PLAYTIME chapter. Let’s just say I have got a lot to talk about and some possible theories 😼

__

Alright so, chapter 2 ended with us (the protagonist) and Poppy, who we thought betrayed us, crashing the train near Playcare. Chapter 3 begins with the aftermath of the crash or perhaps just a little after it, since the cutscene starts of with us being held by catnap and then being thrown into a trash compactor which is slowly closing in on us.

[Catnap throwing us down]

Now as the chapter further progresses, we run into plenty, PLENTY of different monsters that us as the protagonist must defeat in order to progress to the next part. However, as we know from chapters 1 and 2, there is always a tape that will help us with little clues and hints of the story along the way.

Also i can’t help but talk about the DETAILS in this game like how we can see catnap constantly stalking us around the map?

[Catnap stalking us]

Oh my lord I got the shivers when i first saw him in the corner of my eye. The fact that he appears for a like a millisecond each time, NUH UH.

ALSO WHO THE HECK IS OLLIE LIKE THAT KID SOUND SUSPICIOUS AS. But oh well at least he’s helping us get through the game……….. right? 😄☝️

Alright continuing on, we had little hints and snippets of the backstory and lore in the other chapters, however we never really got the explanation of what truly happened to playtime co. And all our fellow employees along with it. I still cannot believe that the protagonist is the last surviving employee I mean what about that letter in the first chapter?

[Letter from Poppy Playtime chapter 1]

(Also another theory that It may have been a lure by the prototype.) and the fact that the only reason the protagonist survived was because they didn’t go to work ‘that’ day…. GUYS😭💪

The story starts to thicken as we learn about the smiling critters which include the oh-so terrifying creature, Catnap.

One of the tapes in this chapter tell us how Catnap’s real name is Theo, short for Theodore. Theo was actually a child at the Playtime co. ‘orphanage’ who was further named as ‘experiment #1188’ otherwise known as Catnap. We also come to learn that Theo/Catnap worships the Prototype (aka experiment 1006) and sees him as his god, his saviour. Which can be understood since Theo had a near-death experience and apparently the prototype saved him. (This was before he was turned into Catnap.)

So obviously, as the protagonist we end up defeating Catnap at the end of chapter 3, and remember how the prototype appeared to drag away the remains of Mummy long legs’ body? Well here we go again guys. After we electrocuted Catnap and he was set aflame, the prototype appeared as a sort of ‘saviour’ for Catnap.

There are many theories on this scene, about whether the Prototype was offering help, or whether he was actually planning to kill Catnap all along. But with the way Catnap was kneeling and almost sort of worshipping the prototype, it was like he was accepting death.

[Catnap kneeling before the Prototype]

We all know already that Catnap worships the prototype, as heard from the tapes and seen in one of the scenes. Including from the trailer.

[Scene from the trailer]

So this should be obvious. Catnap wanted to be made as part of the prototype, and in his final moments he still worshipped him as best he could. The prototype, after possibly collecting Huggy wuggys body, then dragging away Mummy long legs body, and now finally, Catnaps body, is perhaps using all these creatures to form himself an indestructible body, which us as the protagonist, will have to be prepared to face one day.

[The prototype dragging Mummy's body away in chapter 2]

Guys the prototype is so freaky LIKE IMAGINE SEEING A METAL SPIKY HAND SLOWLY CRAWL UP TO YOU IN REAL LIFE BYEEEEE

As an employee, we knew the experiments were taking hold. We came back 10 years after the downfall of Playtime co. Because perhaps we felt guilty? Or was it all just for the truth of what went on ‘that’ day? All these poor children were being experimented on to become live mascot creatures, and now we are after the truth of what happened and we have finally understood one important part of what truly happened.

This is when ‘The hour of Joy’ comes in.

[The hour of Joy tape]

In the end of chapter 3, Poppy feels the need to finally tell us the truth and she shows us a tape which we are inclined to watch. The tape reveals the experiments (the creatures) rampaging inside the Playtime co. Facility and killing all the employees that are present.

[Playtime co. Employees dead, sprawled around the floor]

The tape includes: Huggy Wuggy, Mummy long legs, the little smiling critter creatures, numerous Miss Delights, Kissy Missy, Boxy boo and Catnap.

The tape can be watched here.

With this tape, we learn that the experiments started a rebellion against the employees on the day ‘The Hour of Joy’ occured which was August 8th, 1995 (keep in mind that the game occurs 10 years later, now in 2005.) The rebellion was led by the Prototype, and he used the toys to lead the rebellion, making sure every employee, no matter if guilty or innocent, was to be murdered in cold blood.

Now the reveal of this tape and especially the backstory of what happened to all the employees is INSANE. My bones were quaking from how well the plot was put together and how the story turned out even more darker than we had thought. It’s crazy how all these children placed in the orphanage were used as guinea pigs for a sick experiment. There’s another theory that Poppy used to be Elliot Ludwigs (the founder and overseer of playtime co.) daughter. And the experiments started with her since she apparently passed away and Elliot wanted his daughter back so he had her be experimented on and she become the doll, Poppy.

[Poppy, the doll]

Also a theory that is circling around is that us, the protagonist, who used to work at Playtime co., was actually an important executive who had a big role in the experiments that were going on. Which is CRAZYYYY like the story is slowly getting revealed to us bit by bit as we progress through each chapter.

Anyway the game, the LORE is crazy y’all. WHAT’S MORE IS THE ENDING OF THIS CHAPTER… HELLO??? THE CLIFFHANGER. Honestly thought that Poppy was gonna betray us again BUT NUH UH. WHAT HAPPENED TO KISSY MISSY??? WHY DID IT SOUND LIKE HUGGY WUGGY WAS THERE AND oh my lord looks like we’ll have to find out, IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! DUN DUN DUN!!!!!!!!

— Queen.

[blazinginsquids]

Could it be possible that both Rachel and Max are responsible for the storm?

I’ve only recently gotten into life is strange so forgive me if this is already an established theory/concept, but what if it’s true that both Rachel and Max are responsible for the storm?

Now, I’m already aware that there’s individual theories that Rachel, or Max caused the storm. Both those theories have reasonable evidence behind them.

The most obvious is that Max caused the storm. The game starts with Max taking a photo of a butterfly, and ends with a hurricane, which is an obvious allusion to the concept of the butterfly effect, the idea that something as small as the flap of a butterfly’s wings can eventually evolve into a tornado.

Chloe’s mention of chaos theory as well as Max directly stating she caused the storm are also clear indicators meant to establish that as the audience, we’re supposed to view Max as the deciding factor as to whether the storm occurs or not. On top of this, Max doesn’t realize that rewinding time caused the storm until after it’s too late. If it wasn’t meant to happen, wouldn’t whatever higher power that granted her the powers also warn her in time?

As a Rachel Amber fan, I immediately became enamored by the theory that she caused it. Part of it is the secondary theory that Rachel has powers relating to nature/the elements, backed by the forest fire she caused, the candle flames at the Amber house intensifying as she gets angry, fire representing Rachel herself, as well as Chloe making a comment that the storm could be Rachel’s revenge for getting murdered.

Unfortunately, as much as I like the idea, I don’t believe that theory. I believe it was confirmed Rachel doesn’t have powers, and if anything, I’d say if she does, they relate to fire and not water (storm). I think the fire symbolism related more to Rachel’s personality rather than powers.

But even so, this doesn’t mean Rachel couldn’t have caused the storm. And it doesn’t mean Max did it alone, either.

Now, I have seen plenty of people say they think that Chloe was just a pawn to Rachel. While I understand the sentiment, I don’t believe it for a second. Maybe I’ll get into it separately if I feel like it, but I do truly feel as if Rachel cared about Chloe (This is important to keep in mind).

Part of the basis of the Rachel’s revenge theory is that she wanted to leave Arcadia Bay. She hated being there, and it was important to her that she escaped. Dying and being buried and effectively trapped in Arcadia Bay angered her spirit.

I think this is true. As confirmed by developers, the doe that acts as a guide for Max throughout the game is confirmed to be Rachel’s spirit. We know she’s helping Max. Chloe even says she thinks Rachel wanted them to find her body.

At the end of the game, you have to choose to sacrifice Chloe or Arcadia Bay. No matter what ending you choose, either Chloe dies, or Arcadia Bay as a whole is destroyed.

I think Rachel gave Max her powers. I think the way in which Max used them was destined, given that Max has a vision of the storm before she discovers her powers.

Rachel’s spirit was angry with Arcadia Bay, and I think, even in death, she wanted Chloe to leave it. So somehow, from the other side, she gave Max her powers, and led her in the right direction to cause the storm, leading to the infamous Bae or Bay decision.

If you choose Bae over bay, Arcadia Bay gets destroyed, forcing Chloe and Max to leave. If you choose Bay over bae, Chloe is murdered by Nathan Prescott, leading to an incredibly depressing ending cutscene of Chloe’s funeral.

I think it’s possible that Rachel intentionally gave Max her powers, and forced her hand in a decision that would either force her and Chloe to leave Arcadia Bay, or kill off Chloe, somebody Max had grown incredibly close with, possibly as a “punishment” for choosing the “wrong” choice.

This is something I’ve been thinking of for a while (1 day) and just wanted to share. I know this is completely out of pocket compared to what I usually post, but I’ve been getting really into life is strange and I think I might start posting about it frequently just because it means a lot to me. + I’m running out of fan content to consume, so I might as well add in some myself to fill up the void

[bronzedspring]

WARNING!! RDR2 SPOILERS Greetings folks! Welcome to uh... a beginners experience to RDR2 itself. I HAVE played a bit of the game (8-ish hours fiddling around grabbing the concept of the sandbox-like elements..), but I'll be here to post my daily experience on this game. Without further ado..... Log 01

alright firstly I will admit, before even starting for the day with my intents I had a look around camp. Hosea was teaching Jack to read, Abigail waving Arthur off... .. and (being the curious fool I am) decided I'd eavesdrop on this interaction.

...needless to say, I don't think they were too impressed. My first mission I took to start Chapter 2 was Uncle's mission. I was stoked to start this... cause.. VALENTINE! (but seriously why is this town so close to horseshoe overlook??? that thought was consistent in my head...). Being the goody two shoes I was I prompted to help the coach with his horse.

disaster struck me soon after.

SO I HAD TO MISSION RESET... .. not the first time I failed the first part of the mission Eventually though we did get to Valentine. The prospect of the saloon sitting right infront of me nearing this mission had me STOKED. Not to mention when exiting the general store I was convinced Arthur was drunk... (I played GTA5, I'm familiar with when Rockstar wants to throw in the being drunk feature). Alas, he wasn't. So the mission continued!

SO THEN WE FIND OUT THE GIRLS GOT THEMSELVES INTO TROUBLE.

"Did you shoot him?" no. kinda wish I did, I don't like seeing a women get disrespected like that :(

The usual went down from there as most RDR2 players probably know -- save Tilly, accidentally knive the guy Karen was having problems with... (that's intended in the game right? cause I gasped when I stabbed him) .. OH, AND THE CHASE!

No pictures I'm afraid but I can clarify, Jimmy was saved. Is that going to cost me? Probably. I mean later on in this gametime Arthur was telling Dutch about Jimmy... that's gotta hold some importance, right? Ahh... I like to be civil.

I AM SO MAD AT MYSELF FOR NOT FINDING THE HORSE OWNER. I AM SO SORRY, SO SO SO SORRY :'(((((

As I was still in Valentine after Uncle's mission, I noticed Javier was in the saloon so I went in there. Had a good giggle at the "he about to kiss that guy or punch him?" comment and did NOT hold my composure whatsoever when the bar fight itself started.

never thought I'd get so offended at getting my hat knocked off though........

IT HAPPENED TWICE! yes, I am saying after this first bit I picked up my hat, then Tommy comes in and WHERE IS MY HAT. GONE. VANISHED!!!!!! (I died to Tommy on the first go too... what an absolute loser I am to this. All because I forgot how to block......).. I passed the hurdle on the second go. Felt bad for Arthur being covered in dirt after the cutscene happened, and I nearly lost it into a giggling fit when DUTCH showed up. My thoughts were fixed on it; WHY IS DUTCH HERE?!

Now listen, after my hat got knocked the second time I waited patiently for the lore to settle and the cutscene to finish, and I made a beeline for the saloon. Wasn't leaving without my hat, no sirree...

this resulted in me finding out about Cigarette Cards! Apparently according to Google there's 144 in total. Uhh... that's another thing on my bucket list! (Alongside completing William's first task with the Harlow's, and Deborah's bone collecting task). Oh, and dumb dumb over here didn't realise my hat was back on my horse back in the camp. Pretty dumb guy if you ask me...

There were 2 "strangers" I met after this mission, both inside of Valentine; The biographer and the homeless vet.

I came across the biographer first, this guy RAVING about a gunslinger. I found the whole thing delirious considering there's a sheriff.. . ain't gunslingers like outlaws? (Talking about the fact Valentine's SHERIFF was nearby. This biographer had a lot of guts rambling on about his tales and actively wanting to track historical outlaws for this biography of his...)

i'm onto you mister. You shady fella you...

Now in my opinion, the homeless vet had me in a HEARTBEAT. Had me confused as heck at first because his dialogue startled up whilst I was behind the same house he was infront of.... I was crashing into everyone to be generous to this guy. However I found him!

Believe me, hearing about this guy had me down. The one arm caught my attention first and really, REALLY I felt for this guy. (Of course I gave him the hug, the guy needs it if you ask me...)

FINALLY I made my way back to the camp. All these prompted missions interested me, However it was Kieran who had my attention straight away. The darn O'Driscoll who was tied up? THAT GUY? A MISSION???? How can you not be sceptical of that! Dutch was going to castrate this guy. CASTRATION. CASTRATION?

Yeah, pretty big stuff. Soo... Kieran admits to an O'Driscoll camp. I was reminded of that whole 6 (was it 6?) gangs index you can find index, and generally stuff about overrunning the camp spaces. Of course I was invested... and John being up? I took full advantage of poking fun at this guy on the way there... (in my defence Jack was literally staring me down earlier today. Gotta set my priorities straight.../joke)

The ambush occurred, and uh... things went "smoothly" (that's a lie, our silent ambush went straight to charging). I was sat there questioning everything at one point because both Bill and John were scattering. WHERE ARE YOU GOING? ... .. we did it though.

The kicker where Kieran protects Arthur stabbed me good. I have the clip... "oh my god.. wait WHAT?" -- (me, today)

or this. This encapsulates my reaction just as well.

My main question though is how QUICK Kieran was to jump on and join the Van der Linde gang.. Kieran... buddy I'm starting to see why Dutch was so eager to castrate you. You my friend have got balls of steel....... I'm suspicious though. Undeniably, the guys sketchy to me.

I'll catch you round on Log 02 when it comes...... hoo boy, we're only getting started and I know it...

[revserrayyu]

2.2 Penacony thoughts [part 5]

**Major story spoilers** as we’re finished the main story here. Going to be chatting even more about Acheron and our time in the Horizon of Existence, the real final boss, as well as all cutscenes that follow, so if you haven’t finished the whole story yet, I encourage you to come back and read this all later if you wish to do so after you experience everything for yourself first.

I gotta start off by saying that I absolutely love how this scene looks. Yeah it’s upsetting to learn that Acheron’s companion here is actually dead, but all the rain falling upon that red glow is just really nice to look at. Of course Acheron is slaying as usual too. I even dig the shadowy look of this man despite his circumstances.

Is Acheron kinda of like a grim reaper of sorts? At least that’s the feeling I’m getting when she says she’s guiding lost souls. And correct me if I’m wrong, but he is the one who wanted flowers on his grave, right? He just doesn’t remember I assume? It also seems that “Acheron” is just a river and I vaguely remember Acheron mentioning one during her conversation with the “Dreammaster” inside the park.

So I guess this is what all that red text meant? It wasn’t something we should have feared but a way to guide us forward, onto the right path? That’s how I’m interpreting it. Anyways, name drop reveals that this man was actually one of the Nameless buried at Dream Flux Reef.

Soon enough we arrived at the Horizon of Existence with Acheron and I’m like 99% sure this set of questions she asks us are close to the same exact ones she spoke of when we met her inside that first dream. I wish I remembered my choices to her questions from back then, because with the game only giving us one option to choose for each question, I wonder if it’s giving us the same option we picked when we first answered her because that would be amazing.

SHE. SAID. THE. THING!!! Acheron real name confirmed!!! Even though it’s pretty much what we all expected from the very beginning, it’s great for it to finally be true and not be a total secret.

A big ol’ cutscene begins and it reminds me of how little we actually received about Boothill, like yeah he shoots that fancy relic bullet up into the sky because he’s the only Galaxy Ranger around who can do so, but he didn’t do much else? I mean I absolutely enjoyed seeing him interact with Dan Heng and everyone else but to not even get the chance to fight a battle with him seems weird after 2.1 gave us the chance to really use both Acheron and Aventurine and test our their gameplay whenever we switched to their perspectives. Same thing happened with Robin too. We walked around as her and Boothill for brief moments but that was pretty much it, making the switch seem kinda pointless to me.

I got no words for this. It’s just an incredibly beautiful screenshot of her. I’ll never get tired of seeing all that red whenever this monochrome world takes over. Makes me regret skipping her every day but next time I’ll pull her for sure.

Yet another line she told us during our first encounter with her. Also, if this is the last time we see her in the story, I’m gonna be sad.

The crew!!!! I’ll admit it does look a little silly that we’re only armed with a hat while everyone else has a reasonable weapon, but I love each one of us so much!! It felt perfect for me to have Himeko in my team during the upcoming fight too.

While I figured we were gonna be blessed with Robin’s appearance and one of her songs during the fight, can I just say that I was not expecting the assist mechanic to be the mother-forking Express?? I had joked somewhere sometime ago that if Pom-Pom were to ever become playable, that their ultimate would be running the enemy over with the train and color me surprised, because that’s pretty much what happens!!

So the final battle itself went pretty well. Took a bit more damage than before but still an easier fight overall than how Aventurine’s went for me. I knew I didn’t have to bring in our dear gambler in since the fight itself granted us shields, but his helped me just fine along with all those follow up attacks.

I think my Trailblazer managed to do pretty well too? I stressed so hard to break that 145 on speed to access that secondary buff of the Talia planar ornaments, so that’s why other stats may be a bit lacking. At least I have break effect at 197%.. is that reasonable?

Anyways, as much as I adore Serval, I had to use the train to deliver the final hit.

Pfft, ain’t no way. Sunday is really over.

Look at us protecting March, aww!

Trailblazer pulls off some last minute talk-no-jutsu to get through to Sunday’s head and with a heartfelt embrace from Robin, I think it’s time to start crying.

C’mon, look at how gorgeous this is!! Such a beautiful sunrise to witness after all the chaos is over.

Surprisingly, the credits roll again only this time it actually feels like a proper ending to the story. It even lists Acheron’s true name, yet March still remains a mystery. When will we ever learn? Who knows.

Final cutscene of the patch begins and what do you mean Argenti saved Aventurine??? When and how and why didn’t we get to witness such a moment with two of Star Rail’s most beautiful men!

Aventurine betting his own life once again.. oh dear, you never learn. Then again, it seems you never lose either so, go ahead sweetie. Go get that promotion you so rightfully deserve!

This scene also bums me out a little because I was really hoping we would actually get to see Jade arrive in game this time around, but it seems we’ll have to wait even longer. Cutting it a bit close to her release with it being in the same patch but at least she’s phase two. I’m pulling for her day one though. I don’t care what happens in the story, it won’t change my mind about her! (to be fair, I’ve seen some leaks about her gameplay and, oh my god..)

Boothill unexpectedly enters the room after knocking out the two IPC guards outside the door and we’re left with yet another cliffhanger. Definitely not as strong as a final scene as the previous two versions but no way a random name drop could match a sudden surprise death either.

And finally, that’s all for now. Penacony remains to be a story full of mysterious twists and there’s plenty more to see.. hopefully. We still have no clear idea what happened to Firefly, then there’s all those bombs Sparkle was handing out to everyone, we still have to officially meet Jade and see what she and Topaz have planned. Sunday and Robin were last seen falling from the sky so they gotta land safely and I haven’t a clue if we’ll even see Acheron again. Here’s hoping 2.3 ties up all loose ends and gives Penacony the finale it deserves!

[horizon-series-details]

“In the Flood” has two variations- The opening sequence version, and the one that plays in the credits, known as Lovisa’s version. This post here is covering Lovisa’s version specifically. I won’t be covering all of the lyrics, just the ones I’m able to fully draw something from. While upon listening for the first time, they may seem similar, it’s worth mentioning that the tracks actually parallel each other. The opening sequence version seems to be more from Aloy’s perspective, focusing on how she has the weight of the world on her shoulders and how she has to handle everything herself. On the contrary, while there is quite a bit of discussion, I personally feel that Lovisa’s version is closer to Beta’s perspective, specifically her perspective close to the end of the game.

Unlike in the opening sequence version, Lovisa’s Version starts off calmer. We’re met right away with a slower riff, unlike the one used in the opening sequence version. This riff is more somber in nature, in part due to the fact that it’s in a lower octave, and it has less going on. We’re hit with the vocals pretty early, starting off at (0:07) with “My hands are full of flowers, my ears are full of songs..” This is already a stark contrast to the opening cutscene version, as despite the somber undertones of the instrumental, the lyrics almost seem hopeful near the start. They’re far more positive, both in tone and in association. Tone wise, the lyrics are gentle, they’re light. However, the association is what’s interesting- flowers and songs are both things with generally positive associations.

(0:46) has the start of the chorus. “I am raindrops in the flood. I am emptiness, I am hope…” What’s interesting is that instead of how the chorus of the opening cutscene version has tones of doubt and uncertainty, this version is far more direct. We’re still sticking with the raindrops in the flood analogy, but it’s more accepting than anything else.

What really caught my eye though, is the last part of the chorus “Stay with me, in the flood..” so much of this track is close to a direct parallel to the opening credits version, but this line I feel is the most obvious proof of that. For reference, the opening credits version has the line “Who can take my hand in the flood?” It feels like a call for help in a sense. Comparing the two lines creates a unique parallel, as “Stay with me, in the flood” feels less like a desperate call for help, and more like a request.

At (1:28) we have “in dreams, I never left. I had courage like the beast. My eyes, they never fled. My arms would always reach.” This is one of three sets of lines that really cement my theory that this is from Beta’s perspective. These feel more like aspirations above anything else. A desire to be stronger. “My voice is not that strong, when hurricanes come running from you” comes later in this part at (1:51). It’s a comparison, one that it would make sense that Beta would make. Of course, it’s metaphorical, but the point still stands. It’s just a matter of wanting to be stronger.

Before the last chorus, at (3:11), we’re hit with what I think is one of the saddest lyrics in the track. “Should I have bent, been reshaped in your image? Is that what you want?” It’s really leaning into the comparison aspect of the last paragraph, and it actually reminds me somewhat of the argument Aloy and Beta have before going to Cauldron: GEMINI, where Beta reveals that she needs to know what her ‘defect’ is, and why she can’t be like Aloy.

Overall, the lyrical tracks in this game are just stunning. While they may be harder to analyze fully, I feel the lyrics actually allow for them to be interpreted in a variety of different ways. I hope one day, I’ll truly be able to put my thoughts into words fully, as there is so much more I could say about this one, it’s just a matter of how to say it.

[furinana]

Reviewing SMT's 30th Anniversary Event in Yokohama

In 2023 (the year of Nanashi's birthday!) I spent some months in Japan so I lucked out when they announced a Megaten concert right before my departure.

This is a compilation of thoughts from tweets and messages I sent to friends that I decided to turn into a public post for archival purposes.

Disclaimer: unless stated otherwise, none of the pictures I'm using here are mine. Most of them were taken from the event's official account.

May 6th. From Kyoto (the city I was staying) to Yokohama was approx. two hours by Shinkansen. Like how a close friend of mine says, "The thing about Japan is that you ride one train and you just become the biggest car hater immediately".

[I ended up taking an overnight bus for the back trip however, took around 7 hours. Cramped on your legs but your pockets hurt way less]

How is Yokohama at the moment? A bright sunny noon and like this user illustrated, windy as hell (my cap came off once and I had to run in the middle of the street to rescue it).

[KT Zepp Yokohama]

I arrived 4 hours before the concert's schedule so I fucked around Yokohama's cozy Chinatown for a bit, among other places I don't remember. I didn't take into account that you could arrive hours prior to the event to purchase the limited merch line and stare at concept art of mainline games in an exhibiton placed in the entrance. The merch would get sold out in a matter of minutes in the gap between the opening and when the concert would start! Don't underestimate scalpers, folks.

A beginner's mistake, this is how life teaches you to be smart.

[For every 5,000 yen you spent, you got the chance of receiving a colored bookmark of one of the protagonists. A lot of items involved abysmal luck to get. Fortunately I was able to grab what I set my eyes on in the later online raffle so things turned out fine on my end (although I'm currently having to deal with a lot of dupes much to my annoyance. But hey, I have official merch of Flynn and Nanashi now)]

Regarding the exhibition: Not a lot of stuff to comment on. They made a timeline of sorts for each mainline title (except the NES games because fuck 'em I guess) and pretty much most of it was available in official artbooks published previously. Nocturne for example, they displayed the writing process & how they sketched cutscenes and attacks prior to making them 3D etc, which was no-news if you browsed the Ayakashi Monthly book before.

[We weren't allowed to take pictures so I can only show the previews from the official account. We had to stay at a long line to look at each piece in a chronological way so it felt particularly... uncomfortable. I don't like the feeling that I might be slowing down other people so I end up rushing what was supposed to be a serene activity]

The actual exclusive never-seen-before art was regarding beta character & demons concepts from SMT4A:

[Top: Drawn from memory by me. Bottom: The "mermaid" is a reference to the Starbucks logo that interestingly, is also present in Nanashi's room (which could mean there was an intention of Nanashi's only reference of a mermaid being the logo of a cafe that wouldn't exist in-universe anymore. For those unaware, the mermaid in question is actually a siren!]

Here are the descriptions I typed on my phone right after I exited the exhibition (and would use as base for my own sketches a day later):

Chironnupu had two beta forms with the face as it is now where one walked on four legs and the other his legs faded out in a ghost-like manner. He also had a third and more distinct from his current design where he was dressed in Ainu attire on 2 legs and was smiling to the viewer (a Youkai Watch sort of vibe, very cute).

Nanashi had an unseen sketch where Doi drew him with a suspiciously big waist. Yeah, I know it's minor but I wanted to comment on how unhinged Doi is in drawing girly boys. Go off king

Cleopatra had a form where she had dark skin, dark green hair and emerald green eyes (...huh? I just realized I painted her hair with brown instead of green lmao I became fixated in making her look similar to Maria Torres from Trauma Team). Considering how some demons get color variations (such as Vishnu or Moh Shuvuu), some even getting darker skin in adaptations (take Rama in the Devil Survivor 2 anime), perhaps Cleopatra getting an alt that is closer to this beta depiction isn't an impossibility. I can dream

Vishnu-Flynn had a version where his face was the same as how Flynn normally is.

Mermaid had a form where she was supposed to resemble the Starbucks logo where her palette was red&other color (I don't remember if it was blue or green) and showed an alluring evil smile.

Now let's talk about the concert. The structure of how it went was basically alternating between the band playing remixes of soundtracks with gameplay videos on the screen and then pausing for the hosts to talk with the audience and share some free-talks with the musicians that worked on the titles.

Fans used this menorah they sold in the booth as a glow stick (the ones you see in idol events).

[Event announcers Mafia Kajita and Chiaki Matsuzawa in day 1 and 2]

At the end there was a little quiz with gameplay-specific questions, for example what a certain skill does. You had to answer with this little cardboard thing that had a Jack Frost in one side and Black Frost in the other.

Regarding the free-talks, a summary of what I was able to get (take those with a grain of salt):

Kozuka never played any Megaten before composing for the games (he thought they were too dangerous)

SJR composer played all of them

Tsukasa said the songs for the SNES games were a lot longer and better-sounding but unfortunately they had to chop off a lot

Meguro makes sound effects before making the music, finished SMT2 before starting composing but doesn't play games anymore

By the end, Kajita wishes Megaten games were released more often so events like this could happen frequently and Matsuzawa says she's a big Digital Devil Saga fan.

By the way, you could easily recognize the western fans from the audience from how louder and cheerier they were compared to the local ones. Japanese fans are the types that respect silence to a scary degree. For another example, I was able to watch The Boy and the Heron right in the opening week and nobody from the session I went to laughed or made any perceptible reaction to other viewers. The only one laughing in the entire room was my, notably, non-JPN roommate.

When the concert was nearing its end however, the hosts allowed everyone to be as loud as they wanted to thus letting the atmosphere at long last turn closer to the spirit of Megaten... chaotic.

[Going personally to the concert was a totally unique experience compared to seeing it from a screen with diluted audio. You truly had to be there to have your stomach twisting from the echoes coming from the band's instruments]

My personal favorite remixes:

SMT1's Ginza

SMT2's Disco Theme

SMT4's Boss Theme & Map theme

SMT4A's f6 Godslayer (when they showed Vishnu-Flynn on the big screen... 😳)

[myaoiboy]

Hi I saw that you answered an ask* the other day and I wanted to know if you continued with your analysis or if you could continue. I was really interested and curious to know more about it. I really wanted to know what you had to say, seriously, I could read a bible of Death Stranding reviews!

*https://www.tumblr.com/myaoiboy/739740134244794368/death-stranding-gender-talk-you-say-count-me-in?source=share

Hi! I totally can keep talking about Death Stranding forever (I know it's a very divisive game but imo on the whole the writing is like a well-oiled machine in ways that MGS just barely started to scrape askdjfh)

For the most part I haven't talked a *ton* about it at length because the series is just getting started and I feel weird making assertions that are likely to be fully subverted within a year or two. MGS has like. well, now, 25 years of shit going on. Sequels, prequels, fanon, etc., that Death Stranding...hasn't really had time to grow into yet.

I also tend to intentionally only post for dead series because the fandoms tend to be chiller lmao

Plus the fact that I got into DS right around the time that DS2 was announced, so I'm sitting here twiddling my thumbs knowing that there's about to be more content and context that I just don't have access to yet. I already feel like there's a lot more to be learned about the first game, just from the latest trailer drop.

Honestly I think the thing that really gets me with DS is that despite the borderline insanity of the setting, to me, there's a lot of dramatic irony and meta knowledge that makes DS pretty easy to follow compared to, like, any single MGS game. Maybe I'm just the exact target audience that the writing was intended for, but most of the big reveals felt less like a sucker punch and more of a dramatic swell.

Some reasons for this (please be gentle i am taking cutscene SCs from youtube videos, they're gonna look like shit):

First of all, this is basically frame 1 of being formally introduced to Amelie, we see...this lens flare. Look familiar?

...how about now?

We are introduced to her instantly with a sign of danger. A pretty one, but a sign of danger nonetheless. The fact that it's an inverted rainbow is important! It shows up around timefall because of chiral air disturbance. We don't know that yet in-game, but if you know about how light works you know that there's something Wrong(tm) about this.

A regular lens flare shouldn't be causing an inverted rainbow if it's causing one at all. I think in this cutscene Amelie's presence is causing that inverted rainbow. Throughout the game, people come up with various theories of their own to excuse her connection to the beach. Little do they know at the time how right they are...

She's also heavily backlit, which hides her features in an unsettling manner. In fact, I really can't think of anyone else that this happens to throughout the game (if anyone knows of another example PLEASE let me know!!!)

She gets pretty damn close before that rainbow disappears, but this is where I very quickly lost my initial trust in her (as the player).

I jokingly called called this her "Fox News reporter look," but it's very much constructed in a way that made me suspicious.

Let's talk about that red dress.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: Kojima fucking LOVES using color language, especially red, blue, and gold. It's been super obvious and explicit since like 2012.

The fact that we meet her wearing a red dress is not a coincidence!!! It's a great big flashing warning sign! It says "hey, this person is going to betray you! Do Not Fucking Trust!!!"

Compare Amelie's name card to Paz's from Peace Walker:

The art styles are different, but there are a couple of main throughlines. Namely, both have an emphasis on the color red, both are young (looking) women who are lying about their identities in order to ask the main character a favor. Characters vouch for them, from trusted advisors, to the main character himself in DS. And then they try to bring about armageddon.

Basically what I'm saying is that they're both the embodiment of white woman tears a wolf in sheep's clothing, if the sheep's clothing was still dripping in blood. We (characters, and maybe the players) believe that she's on our side because we want to believe she's on our side, and because other people that we ostensibly trust tell us she's on our side, while the extremely dissonant narrative and imagery of the scene are SHAKING US BY THE SHOULDERS TELLING US TO SNAP OUT OF IT.

Add to that the fact that we kind of vaguely, through that intro cutscene post-central knot explosion, know that the beach is connected to dying somehow, and that amelie seems to be on it, doing very stereotypical little girl in horror things there, like singing nursery rhymes slowly while walking into the ocean.

So we've basically been told that Amelie is Not Good, but we have to spend the game piecing together what kind of Not Good she is. The first hint is (surprise!) also in this cutscene!

I don't recall off the top of my head if I knew at the time how heavily egyptian mythology plays into DS, but I do remember this cutscene giving me a bad gut feeling about the concept of the West.

Very few Big Concepts in these games (the West, strand(s/ing), patriotism/nationalism, etc) are only symbolic of one thing. That's also true across the board in basically all art, but I feel the need to point that out in public posts because I don't want someone to eg, think that I say something means one thing, and then back that up, and then people think that means it can't mean something else! It can (and often does) mean both! and sometimes that additional meaning is super important!

Anyways, Die Hardman refers to Amelie going West. We don't really use that phrasing much, so it stuck out to me as euphemistic. Especially since we saw her after we died, and there's so much euphemism going on from the bridges team anyways. I mean, cufflinks "symbolize our connection?" Girl, you locked me to my bed with them. You drain my blood with them to turn into weapons. Call 'em what they are.

You'll even notice in the same cutscene that Amelie says "we made it to Edge Knot City" and Sam replies with "all the way to the Pacific?" Not "all the way to the west coast," or even a single question about why she was on the/his beach.

If you know anything about egyptian mythology, you might know that west is considered the direction of death and the underworld. ancient egyptians buried dead people on the west side of the nile river. Osiris, god of death and mummification, and king of the underworld, is referred to as "foremost of the westerners" among his epithets.

So the vibe that I got instantly was "Amelie is already dead, she led her team to die, and they are basically sending Sam on a suicide mission" though I didn't realize exactly how I was right at the time.

The other big thing I recall setting off my alarm bells as the game went on was the fact that nobody you meet has ever met Amelie in person. It's a very slow reveal, especially since most people seem to see online meeting and in person meeting to be mostly the same, and we're told that she set out with bridges one. That she went west. Turns out that...also wasn't literal.

I don't remember exactly when I started wondering if *sam* had ever even met her outside of the beach, but I do remember thinking that there was something off. For a little bit my guess was that she was entirely fictional, some sort of AI (pretty influenced by all the "dead person brought back by AI/hypno bullshit ngl), or maybe that Higgs could somehow disguise himself in the Beach in ways i didn't understand yet.

But I didn't feel *worse* for being able to figure things out ahead of time, I felt clever that I could piece together all the little hints and have a good idea of what was going on. It made death stranding feel more like a coherent sci fi narrative rather than a cheesy action story that's expected to follow certain strict genre conventions.

Not that I'm saying mgs or action in general are bad, but rather that imo Death Stranding feels...more mature and confident in some ways (and also isn't bogged down by 20 years of previous work. which. i don't even like my own shit from a year ago half the time, i cannot imagine having to write within the constraints you created TWO DECADES prior kjhksjfh). Maybe it's that it feels like less of a genre subversion and has more genre utilization? dunno. Now I'm thinking too much like an english major lkajshdf

But yeah anybody who wants to talk about anything totally feel free. Or if you want to give me prompts to write about. I will always be willing to talk about things for way too long on the internet. I just don't always reply quickly because I start rambling....Like This.

[maintitle]

Whenever I replay Mass Effect 3 I find myself thinking about my reaction to it at the time of release, like, a lot. Not in a negative way like most probably did, but in a self-questioning way, because I'm re-bathing myself in an experience that is both very meaningful and also confusing to this day.

I remember when ME3 came out, it was one of two games ever that I went to the midnight release of. This was right after I quite a really grueling factory job that actually had a huge hand in making my heart worse, but I say this mostly to make clear that this game was bought with the last bit of my money and it was going to be something that I put A LOT of my time into.

I was very offline while I played it. I think it's the last game I ever just got lost in and didn't come out for air for until I was done. When I started looking for peoples reactions, I was... I wouldn't say confused by the reaction, but confused by how viscerally people reacted. I remember going to bat to defend the game really, REALLY hard despite agreeing with most of what was said, if perhaps not the tone in which it was said.

It's important to note, I didn't do it out of blind loyalty to ME or Bioware or anything. I'd been very critical of DA2 (I know I know I'm sorry it was another time) a year before, so I wasn't opposed being critical.

Let me say; Ending bad. We all know it. Ending bad. Free DLC that they added to 'fix' the ending? Less bad, but bad. I'm actually not really here to talk about that though, and more here to talk about why I was SO viscerally defending the game at the time despite agreeing with the sentiment.

I want to say this first; I feel very strongly that the main game is as much a love letter to the series as the Crucible DLC was. Characters aren't forgotten, everyone gets a little time in the limelight, everything comes together and interacts with the plot very well. I think the vast majority of the returning characters are handled exceptionally well, and I do think that plays a part in my want to defend it. I firmly believe everything up to the very very end of the game is on par with previous games (except how the dialogue wheel is peeled back a lot and it uses a lot less companion cutscenes, that sucks.) and I do still feel that gets overlooked, although to a far lesser extent these days.

But I think the core of the reason I wanted to defend the game was because of how they made you feel the weight of the war. There is no part of the core experience of Mass Effect 3 that isn't heavy. Every second is filled with the grim weight of a losing war. Every side mission you do involves people losing everything or fleeing desperately. The Citadel is filled with horrified citizens and traumatized soldiers. Your companions face the visceral realization of what they could become at any time. Death happens on massive scales, you watch worlds burn, you witness close friends give their lives, you get a front row seat to the death of a child and it haunts you for the rest of the game.

It gets worse on a replay, too. You go to the Citadel, and you find the few uplifting stories you can, the ones that allow you to take a moment to breath... but knowing the rest of the game, you realize these people aren't out of the clear. You aid alien politicians and military officials only to find out their worlds burned a couple hours later. You listen to a family escape a burning colony only to arrive at a location that you later discover is a funneling system for creating and experimenting on Reapers. You hear a wonderful story about a human soldier and mother working through Asari government red tape in order to send her daughter safely to her grandparents on Thessia, and barely an hour or two after that Thessia is invaded. You bring the news of the death of an Asari woman's Krogan husband to her, and realize in the process that you introduced them to each other.

The thing Mass Effect 3 does exceptionally well is adding weight to conflict. There isn't a second of the CORE experience of the game that isn't accompanied by the horrors of war. And I think that's truly why I, admittedly foolishly, was so defensive of the game and it's detractors at the time. The common conception was that the war with the Reapers was handled poorly, and I disagree with that notion. It's only in it's final step it fails, in every other moment it pulls off an experience that truly makes you feel every second of the conflict.

[silvercaptain24]

AWUDHCUDHSH A NICKNAME?!?!?! FOR ME?!?!?!?!?!? confused excited flapping

OHHHH i totally get what you mean about getting so many choices of what to do that it always seems entertaining. there are so many more options for new players than when i started!!! (late 2020)

i respect your opinion on scaramouche so much. he truly did commit all of those atrocities, and it is totally fair to dislike him for them. and, yet, i love him so dearly. i was one of those fans that obsessed over his personality back when we only had one limited-time-event cutscene of him. i also really enjoy how his character has developed over time!!! his new design is such a treat for the eyes.

what’s your favourite nation, if you had to choose?

i love them all so much, but my fondest favourites have to be liyue, then dragonspine, then mondstadt. they’re so nostalgic for me!! i especially adore the Warmth that permeates liyue’s colour palette, especially during the sunset hour. that said, the game’s design quality has improved so much with each nation. sumeru & fontaine are so full of life and detail, it’s wonderful to see!!!

which protagonist did you choose?? i chose aether because i wanted desperately to absorb his gender into my psyche (and i DID!!!), but i *adore* lumine and the minute differences between their expressions & characterization when each protagonist is given different reactions to the same situation, such as in . the four star friendship quests? i forgot the name for them.

faruzan is such an underrated character. i love her so much.

have you played anything in ekanomiya yet??

who’s your favourite archon? i don’t think i could choose aidhdjdh, i love them all in different ways

have a good day!!!

I give everyone nicknames! I refuse to just let someone have their name as my sign off for them unless they’ve asked me to.

Ah, yeah, I only started right before school last summer… late July/early August, I think?

Ha, fair enough!/gen Couple of my moots like him too, which is fine by me.

Oh gosh, idk! I love Mondstadt, feels like home every time I go back, but also. Sumeru. Like. Come on. But also I reeeeaaallllyyt wanna go back to Inazuma and work on it soon, so. Idk 😅😂

The character hangouts! I chose Lumine, but as time as gone on I almost wish I could play as Aether too? Not because I dislike Lumine, but because I can see the personality differences and I’m curious. Also because I ABSOLUTELY HC LUMINE AS THE OLDER ONE AND LISTEN. Listen. If she was the Abyss traveler and I’d chosen Aether I’d feel that as an older sister myself. Which. Saying out loud I can’t get words to work the way I want them to for this but. Ya know?

Nope! Haven’t played there yet, I did just finish Sumeru though. Gotta do the ascension quest. And yes that’s partially because I wanna do Kaveh’s Hangout sooooooo baaadddlllllyyyyyyyy…. And Thoma’s if I can.

Hmm.

Venti with Nahida as a close second, and Zhongli close to that. Can’t say about Furina, I’ve gotten almost zero Fontaine spoilers and I’m keeping it at that, and I’m kinda neutral on Raiden? Although at some point I wanna write a fic with her and Aether having feels together about losing their older sisters.

[aetheternity]

I got to finish playing through Fontaine today! Here are my thoughts cause a while ago ya'll loved hearing me speak on things. (Spoilers under the cut obviously)

~ Lyney and Lynette 🥺 I didn't expect to love them as much as I do 😭😭 (Freminet too though I liked him as soon as I saw him) though I do find it annoying how much slack the fandom has allowed those two to get seeing as they both lied to the Traveler and put them on the spot during an important trial. Traveler thought of them as good friends and decided to support the two of them out of the kindness of their hearts because Lyney helped them out previously only to find out they'd hidden a possible trail breaking secret if Furina hadn't mentioned it they probably still wouldn't have said anything the only reason they did was because they got cornered. If we're being real Traveler could've just walked away right after that confession but they not only stayed but made sure that Lyney and Lynette would not get charged for something they had nothing to do with. Traveler doesn't have to be friends with literally any of the people they encounter and that includes Lyney and Lynette. Just cause ya'll love them doesn't mean Traveler has to as well a sad backstory doesn't make up for betrayal and in regards to people who keep bringing up Traveler being buddy buddy with Childe. Childe has A, been in the story way longer, B, Traveler knows who Childe is and despite how close ya'll think they are Traveler is wary of him too. A couple updates ago he was making sure to warn Yomiya not to put all her trust in Childe let's stop acting like Traveler loves Childe and thinks he can do no wrong in comparison to Lyney and Lynette. Traveler just knows what Childe is capable of in comparison to Lyney and Lynette who they've known for what like two days.

~ Never has an NPC's death shaken me that hard before. In any game! I literally went 😦 when that cutscene played.

~ It was so amazing getting to find evidence and pick apart details of this case then have Neuvillette explain the whole situation out in full to the audience again. I especially enjoyed the drawings of each scene from different characters perspectives.

~ Furina is my girlfailure wife and she has been placed under Venti for second favorite archon. 💕💕 She's so bratty, cute and dramatic I wanna breed her 😩

~ I was not expecting to like Neuvillette and Navia as much as I do now! Especially Navia who I adore whole heartedly now that's a girlboss.

~ Every time she started crying I wanted to hold her.

Honestly this region was perfect for me. I love mysteries and I rarely ever found myself uninterested or bored with the story like I have with every other nation. I love Navia's character, her relationship with Traveler treating them like her partner and relying on them the way she did while also keeping them safe was so so cute and sweet and if I could draw I'd draw the Traveler I picked (Aether) with Navia as partners in detective work (Sorry Heizou you've been replaced..) I can't get enough of Furina and I can't wait for her first story quest, the leaks of her playstyle and more from her. I wanna see what kinds of things she says to her people outside of the courtroom/opera house. I wanna see her more vulnerable side shine out a bit more often. I wanna hear every voiceline she has more than once. I'm normal about her.. (I spent all night thinking about how gorgeous she is..) I want her. I hope Lynette gets a hangout soon she's so cute but I do think she needs more personality outside of her brothers.

Fontaine is also so so beautiful 😍 the underwater mechanic is surprisingly not as annoying as I thought it would be to navigate though I do find it a little annoying that we can't fight using our characters skills. I get why I just don't like it. I wish we'd spent more time in the underground because it's amazing and the way it all looks is so impressive also wish we could buy food and things from the vendors down there.

I beg of Hoyo to give the Fontaine characters even half as much screen time as the Sumeru gang cause I have to say I am far more interested in all the Fontaine characters with only one patch of them then I ever have been with the Sumeru mfers.

[srhunt]

Thoughts on Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)

Shadow has been my favorite Sonic character for years. My earliest exposure to Shadow was at my local Boys & Girls Club. We had a GameCube where kids would take turns playing games. I distinctly remember watching several kids try to beat the final boss of Sonic Adventure 2, though I didn’t fully click with it at the time. My first real exposure to him was through cutscenes posted to YouTube in the early 2000s because I didn’t have a gaming console growing up. I would watch Sonic X when I was able, specifically seeking out the episodes with Shadow. When I finally got a PS2, I got Shadow the Hedgehog because, well, Shadow.

I was not great at it. I struggled a lot because of the slippery controls, flying off stages, and bombardment of bullets. I maybe got through one ending if that.

And for the longest time, that’s all I really had. I got a PS2 towards the end of its lifecycle, the PS3 was already out and I struggled to find other titles.

I had other Sonic games like Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors, Sonic and the Black Knight, but outside of party games like Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing, Shadow the Hedgehog is still the only story driven game I own where Shadow is playable*.

So, when the recent news about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic x Shadow Generations dropped, I decided to finally beat Shadow the Hedgehog after all these years.

Over the course of 4 days, I worked my way through the 8 remaining endings I had left (having completed the true hero path and the semi hero path a few years prior). And after a decade of owning the game, I beat it.

So what are my thoughts?

While I can acknowledge the game’s flaws…I still don’t hate it.

I’ve watched several videos that explain why this game is terrible, from the mechanics to the butchering of Shadow’s character. And I agree.

Chaos Controls

The game is hard to control, I recognized this even growing up, but I mainly chalked that up to “I’m bad at Sonic games”, which is also true.

Until I beat Shadow, I’d never beaten a Sonic game because I lacked the reaction time. We’ve come close, we’re at Eggmanland on Sonic Unleashed, but I had never beaten a Sonic game.

I even tried to play Radical Highway on my friend’s copy of Sonic Adventure 2, and I struggled hard with the controls.

Shadow’s controls are indeed wonky. Multiple times my homing attack would send me flying off the stage, Shadow wouldn’t aim at the enemy right in front of him, and I’d miss jumps because Shadow would stagger on the edge of a platform.

After I learned how to better manage these flaws, the game became much easier. I began to slow down my homing attacks so I wouldn’t fly away, and started jumping before the edge of the platform. This didn’t erase these problems, I still fell off the stage from time to time, but they didn’t happen as frequently. I got so good that I got A Ranks on the neutral paths for Westopolis and Prison Island.

Shadow’s air shoes make him slippery to control, but I feel like all Sonic games are slippery? Maybe that’s just me, but even with Adventure 2 and Unleashed, I felt like I was slipping and sliding all over the place. So, with Shadow, I’d slow down a bit if I felt like I was going out of control. Granted, this is still a Sonic title where speed is key, so the advice to “slow down” is not really the best if you’re going for all A Ranks.

I Think You’re the Fake Hedgehog Around Here

This is the game where Shadow gains his “Edgy Hedgie” status.

He has guns!

He says “damn”!

He hates humans for killing Maria! (Even though…that’s not what Maria wanted)

He wants to learn the truth about his past cause amnesia’s a bitch! (Even though…he already learned hakuna matata in Sonic Heroes, apparently)

Yea, I admit this game is a huge step backwards for Shadow’s development. Post-SA2 Shadow cares deeply for his closest friends, mainly Rouge and Omega, but is reserved around others. He’s a hedgehog of few words. He has respect for Sonic, a little bit of a rivalry, but it’s not to the extreme where Shadow hates him. He doesn’t hate humans, but if push comes to shove, he will defend himself if they attack him first. This side of him is well illustrated in the cutscenes for Sonic Heroes and, yes, even Sonic ‘06.

However, this is not the Shadow we see in his titular game. Shadow’s cold towards Sonic, he sounds annoyed anytime he shows up. Depending on the path you take, he becomes downright cruel. He never really talks to many of the other characters outside of the ones in cutscenes. And when he does speak to them, it just feels out of character most of the time. Shadow has a distain for humanity, commenting how they’re pathetic and he doesn’t have time to for them when the Black Arms begin destroying Westopolis.

However, there are a handful of parts where the Shadow of Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes can be seen.

Any level where Maria is your companion is a good example. Especially the cutscene before Lost Impact.

Cryptic Castle Hero, you help save Cream and Cheese, afterwards he heeds them to stay away from Doctor Eggman, showing he does care about them.

The Pure Hero path is probably the closest you get to Shadow’s true character, even though there’s still a few moments that feel off. “This is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me” is probably the most out of character line, and you’ll only hear it by doing Hero missions.

Apparently this line still relevant to Shadow, as he steals popcorn from a Chao in an official Sonic Team Racing animation.

This might be a hot take, but the Dark Path on Final Haunt didn’t feel like a sudden betrayal to me? The way Sonic talks during and after the fight makes me feel like he saw it more like a friendly competition. Especially when you compare his dialogue to the other endings where you fight Sonic.

Final Haunt Dark Path

(Before the Boss)

Sonic: “Shadow! Why are you siding with those black creatures?”

Shadow: “Siding with them? You’re joking, right? I’m just siding with whoever goes against you! This time you’re going down, Sonic!”

Sonic: “hehehe, if that’s how it’s gonna be, Shadow, then bring it on!”

(Start Boss Fight)

Sonic: “Alright. Ready to do this? Come on!”

(After the Boss)

Sonic: “…Man…I didn’t think ya had it in ya…”

Sonic’s delivery makes it feel like he’s not angry with Shadow, but that he’s impressed. At least that’s how I read it anyway. He doesn’t sound distraught or scared like he does in the Pure Dark Path, he just sounds exhausted cause Shadow put up a good fight.

Sonic even offers Shadow a “friendly competition” if you do the Hero Path in Westopolis, but Shadow declines because he’s got other priorities at the time. He still doesn’t agree with Black Doom’s mission, he just wants to take Sonic up on his earlier offer.

Regardless, this game has had a lasting effect on Shadow’s character that he’s still trying to shake off. He went from a solemn hero who cared deeply for his closest friends, to an angsty anti-hero who only cares about himself.

Thankfully, it seems like he’s starting to get back to his old self in Sonic Prime (I’ve only seen season 1 and a handful of clips from the recent seasons, haven’t been able to get caught up, so correct me if I’m wrong).

Let’s hope Sonic 3 and Sonic x Shadow Generations continue to repair the damage.

In His World, Your Choices Don’t Matter

Shadow’s gameplay has three paths you can take; Hero, Dark or Neutral, with 10 possible endings. You can mix and match these paths however you please. You can start Dark then redeem yourself, turn on your friends in an act of betrayal, or just say “nah, imma do my own thing”. This freedom of choice was a massive selling point for the game. Do you want Shadow to be a “black-hearted evil” or “brave-hearted hero”?

This freedom of choice is present in a handful of my favorite games, like Epic Mickey and Undertale.

But, Shadow fails at this “choose your own adventure” format. Yes, your choices impact which of the 10 endings you get, but none of these 10 endings are the true ending.

This is apparently left over from the Sonic Adventure-style games where you had to play everyone’s storyline to unlock the last story, where all the characters join together and fight the Final Boss.

However, this format does not work when we follow one character for the entire game.

In order to unlock the true ending, you have to complete all 10 endings. And if you’re someone like me who always goes for the good endings because being mean makes you feel bad, then this will be a hard pill to swallow.

The Last Way begins with Shadow already in possession of all 7 Chaos Emeralds, we have no idea how he got them, so basically every path you spent hours playing mean nothing. They’re not canon. Only a few parts here and there are still relevant past this point.

No matter what you did, Shadow will always turn on Black Doom, destroy the Black Comet with the Eclipse Cannon, and save the world. Which kinda negates the whole “choose your own adventure” gameplay.

Epic Mickey’s ending is also the same no matter what you do, Mickey still defeats the Blot and frees Wasteland. However, you’re still shown how your actions impacted the residents of Wasteland. For example, if you choose to paint the Clocktower boss, you see it happily playing with some Gremlins. But if you destroy it by thinning its arms, you see it lying in ruin.

Shadow’s endings are more like the ending from Clue.

The only parts that remain canon are the Chaotix story, and conversations Eggman had with Shadow on the Neutral path.

Throughout the game, the Chaotix are digging into old files. Charmy is looking for secret disks on Prison Island, Vector is looking for the notorious computer room on the ARK, and all three were hacking into Eggman’s computer before Digital Circut. The data they found contained a video message from Professor Gerald addressed to Shadow. Gerald explains the purpose of the Eclipse Cannon, and we’re shown it was recorded before Maria’s death, as she pops in at the end.

That is one revelation that enhances Sonic Adventure 2’s story, in my opinion. Professor Gerald created the Eclipse Cannon to destroy the Black Comet when it returns in 50 years, only using it against humanity after Maria was killed.

If you battle Devil Doom past the 9 minute mark (which I did a handful of times because I’m a terrible shot), Eggman will tell Shadow he lied about him being an android and that he rescued Shadow at the end of Sonic Adventure 2, and he is, in fact, the real Shadow. Which…I feel like was obvious because our Shadow had more polygons than the androids.

Also the Sonic Heroes manual straight up says that he is the real Shadow and he survived the events of Sonic Adventure 2, so…

Where There is Shadow, There Must Also Be Light

I’m the type of person who always tries to find the good, even in the worst things. So here’s some things about Shadow that I did love.

The pre-rendered cutscenes look amazing. Almost 20 years later, and they still hold up.

By the way, guess who worked on these amazing cutscenes? After watching the credits 11 times, I noticed a couple names in the credits, Jeff Fowler and Tim Miller. Not ringing any bells? Well, Fowler went on to direct the live-action Sonic movies, and Miller was a producer on them. This is their only Sonic credit outside of those movies, so I think it’s safe to say we wouldn’t have these awesome movies if it weren’t for Shadow.

The soundtrack is also great. “I Am…All of Me” is still one of my favorite Sonic and Crush 40 songs, “Never Turn Back” struck a cord with me, and the rest of the lyrical songs had me vibing while I took a breather during the credits.

It might just be because I had to replay the levels multiple times, but I’ve had a handful of those tracks stuck in my head for years. Circus Park, Sky Troops, Lava Shelter and Cosmic Fall are a few that stick out. “Vengeance is Mine” from Sonic Adventure 2 returns as the soundtrack for the 2P Battle Mode. Yes, it took me a long time to realize it was the same song. Even when Sonic games are “bad”, they never slack on the soundtrack.

Goodbye Forever, Shadow the Hedgehog

I consider Shadow the Hedgehog to be one of my guilty pleasures. I recognize there’s a lot of things that don’t work. Shadow’s character took a drastic turn that he’s still trying to recover from, the controls feel like roller skating on ice, the “choose your own adventure” gameplay forgot about the “choose your own” part, and it’s so edgy you can slice your hand open just by touching it.

But despite all of this…I still enjoy it? Even though I was annoyed and exhausted by the game, I still had fun. The good parts are still good enough that I unironically enjoy them. And the bad parts at least can get a laugh out of me with how dumb they are. “Where’s that damn FOURTH Chaos Emerald?” and “Find the Computer Room!” are classic Sonic memes.

Do I recommend beating Shadow? Oh hell no. Not unless you’re a serious Shadow stan or a masochist. I’d say play as much as you can tolerate.

*in the time since I wrote this, I got a copy of Sonic Heroes. Currently stuck on the Power Plant level with Team Dark. HOW DO I GET PAST THE LAVA??? 😭

[neriyon]

I am torn between asking Top 5 Songs and Top 5 Memories so can i ask both?

If it’s not too much? :3c

(If it’s too much I’ll pick one!)

Both is good! We'll start with songs in no particular order:

Equlibrium (Sophia's theme) One of my first favorites! I used to listen to it so much I still remember most of the lyrics by heart haha.

A Long Fall (Twinning theme) I mean, who doesn't love the party dungeon song?

Unbreakable (Fractal Continuum theme) and by extension, Order yet undeciphered (Azys Lla theme). I'm cheating and putting these out together since Unbreakable has Order yet undeciphered's leitmotif in it.

Neath Dark Waters (Amaurot overworld theme) I'm weak for that leitmotif and this one is my favorite one of the different versions.

Last one uhhhhhhh Close in the Distance. Very closely tied with Flow Together, but this was the song I liked so much that I speedran Ultima Thule fates in like two days so I could have the song playing in our house.

Then, top 5 memories. Hmm, this'll require some thinking because my memory is swiss cheese and things just fall out of there if I rattle my head around too much.

First one that comes to mind is our first run of Gubal. Our group (whm, drg and dnc) rolls in with sprouts on and all of us in cutscene. When we got out of cutscene it turned out that the tank was also finnish and declared that she "must protecc" us after asking if we were all first timers. She proceeded to be one of the best tanks I've had a plesure to heal, gave us helpful tips about mechanics and /doted all of us before leaving.

This is gonna sound a little funny but Moonfire Faire. We started playing during the 2019 one, and while we never made it to the event itself (too low level, rip), the memory of seeing the fireworks on Gridania (both on sky and a group of peeps spamming the items next to conjurer's guild haha) while doing our very first quests left a very deep mark on me. I still get really nostalgic every time the fireworks come back~

Figuring out how to do Omega unsynced with only 3 people (so we can farm by ourselves). Mostly blind, we only looked at guides after hitting mechanics we could not figure out. Up until like the last runs we kept forgetting the Omega F knockback (too focused on random chatter), or the exploding debuffs. The 10+ runs we had to do to figure out timing for tank invulns when M & F start dashing around. One of us leveling tank just for that fight (and turns out they like tanking now lol), one having to finish leveling pld bc gnb shooting themselves did not go too well when you have to have hp for the tankbusters after the invuln ends.

Endwalker boss fate farming. Sitting there for hours, getting progressively more tired and unhinged with couple hundred other people as we were so sure that yeah next hour Chi or Daivadipa would spawn. Surely next hour. It's already been 8h over the spawn timer cooldown it MUST spawn soon... right? Right??

Baby's first on launch alliance raid, Puppet's Bunker! I was so nervous haha, first time patch day alliance raid on healer? Scawwyyy. We died soooooo much lol but it was such a blast. People figuring out you could shoot eachother with the lasers, the constant "ohhhhh so that's what that does" in chat, the collective "what the fuck yoko taro?" during second phase of last boss. Now my absolute favorite content in this game is doing alliance raids right after patch so all 24 of us can be equally confused about stuff and just chill dead on the ground together.

[silver-horse]

A bit of info... if you start two romances in one day... spoilers are under the cut. Don't worry.

Anyway I managed to get a sex scene after the fifth day. Come on larian, in real life I've convinced people to sleep with me way faster.

It seems like it's random which romance triggers in the evening or maybe the one you talked to last...

Kiss animation is perfection by the way. Chef's kiss!

only mild spoilers for romance below (mostly just how it works)... but you are probably all way ahead of me lol

So Shadowheart's approval was high enough and a conversation triggered and she agreed to spend some private time together. But this happened in the morning so I did some quests otherwise cutscenes sometimes don't trigger in the evening (at least that's how it was in ea). BUT now Astarion's approval was also high enough and right before I wanted to go to sleep the coversation triggered with him as well. He also asked me for some private time and I said yes to both . LOL

Oh and that little dialogue option with Astarion where we can say "you don't have to do this just because you feel like you owe me something" 😭😭😭 so glad that option is there. It has to be said.

Anyway I went to sleep and they both had "!" above their heads. But neither had a romance scene at this point.

For Shadowheart it was the scene where her hand is hurt. And for Astarion it was the scene where he had a bear for a meal.

Then when I clicked on the bedroll a convo with Astarion triggered. Here we can reject him or go for the sex scene. (He doesn't disapprove even if you refuse here last minute.) Anyway even if I refuse him, Shadowheart romance scene doesn't happen this night, only later.

If I accept, it's the same sex scene that we had during the tiefling party. At the end he even mentions saving the tieflings even though I haven't killed a single goblin yet. LOL so that's weird. The next morning Shadowheart makes no comment like nothing happened. Seems random which character's romance starts.

If I refuse Astarion then I have to go to sleep 2 more times and shadowheart romance does start finally. So basically the third night after she promised. Or maybe it would be second night but the other character also offering sex delayes it. It's also the same scene that we had during the party in ea. So no sex with her, only the wine drinking. And her kiss scene is still shown from a distance unfortunately. Not a close up like the scene with Astarion.

UPDATE Wow I can get the Shadowheart romance scene even if Astarion wasn't turned down. Now both romances have started in my game. So I guess they won't acknowledge each other for now? ??

[shaevilux]

I was thinking about this post and you're so right. I'm gonna touch more on Rhoam, tho. Because I'm a little peeved about all the slander.

People knock on Rhoam for being a bad dad cuz he's distant and stern to little Zelda and say how Rauru is the goat (heh) for taking her in like his own daughter. Like Zelda had her real parental connection with Sonia and Rauru. But frankly that's a little reductive.

Rauru literally descended from the heavens, married a priest, started a kingdom. Man didn't really know much strife yet. There's no looming threat of calamity or prophecy yet. Things are peaceful. Things are fine. Things are great. Zelda dropped in during this time, talking about a doom that's going to happen tens of thousands of years in the future.

This sad, lost princess.

Of course any reasonable person would take her in and calm her and tell her she is fine and listen and support her.

Rhoam not being able to be this kind of figure for Zelda is tragic. Just read this poor man's journal entries:

"It has been a year and three months since her mother passed. Perhaps she is held back by heartache too deep to heal. If the Ganon prophecy wasn't looming over our heads, I would tell her to take her time... To wait until she is ready. But our situation is dire and leaves no room for weakness—even on behalf of my beloved daughter. My heart breaks for Zelda, but I must act as a king, not a father. I must order her to train relentlessly at the fountain." Pg 4.

"In truth, I understand Zelda's feelings. Painfully so. She lost her mother, her teacher, before she could learn from her. Ten pointless years of self-training, without so much as a book or note to help her find her way... Those in the castle talk behind her back. And I, her only family, scold her for her shortcomings. No wonder she wishes to hide away in her beloved relic research. I'd love nothing more than to console her... But I must stay strong. She MUST fulfill her duty, just as we all must. Even if she comes to despise me." Pg 6.

"I have been told my Zelda went to the Spring of Wisdom... This will likely be her last chance. If she is unable to awaken her power at Lanayru, all hope is truly lost. If she comes back without success, then I shall speak kindly with her. Scolding is pointless now. I forced 10 years of training on her... and after all that, it seems her power will stubbornly awaken some other way. Perhaps I should encourage her to keep researching her beloved relics. They may just lead her to answers I can't provide. For now, I sit anxiously, more a father than a king in this moment. I sit and await my daughter's return." Pg 7. (He fucking dies and never gives Zelda this bit of closure uuuugggghhhhhhh Zelda I'm so sorry Rhoam I'm so sorry)

It sucks because most people remember the cutscenes (duh it's more immersive and important) and in the cutscenes of the first game Rhoam was mostly shown as being stern and mean to babygirl Zelda, who is closed fists explaining herself to him at the verge of tears. And in contrast everyone in the first royal family of hyrule in the second game treated her with such kindness and we can see how happy she was being there with them.

Rhoam was shackled by duty. By prophecy. By the looming calamity. And from the day he named his daughter 'Zelda' he shackled her as well.

And what does Zelda do with these shackles? She tolerates them. Because she loves her father and her kingdom and knows there's a power dormant in her that can stop the calamity that she must do her best to unlock. She does this dutifully. She does all the training, she does everything that is required.

But it still doesn't unlock. So she tries other ways. She isn't just going after the 'relics' because she's scholarly and nerdy and wants to learn about them. She does it because she's pragmatic. She knows her sacred sealing power isn't present in her. She knows she might not be able to control it or even unlock it in time.

So she tries this alternative approach. The Divine Beasts, the guardians. Ancient tech that was used to prevent the calamity of their time. And she awakened the tech. And her father chose the champions for each divine beast. And they were all prepared. And it's all thanks to Zelda.

And then... Fucking tragedy again. Ganon probably learned his lesson from the last time he was thwarted and immediately went for the tech, corrupting it and turning it against the new users. Against Zelda.

It's never really stated how long this 'betrayal' took but every account points to it being almost overnight. The champions died. Rhoam died. And suddenly, suddenly Zelda unlocks her sealing magic.

I always always hate the literary trope of using tragedy to unlock a great power that could've actually stopped the tragedy from happening in the first place.

And it's no different in BOTW. I hate that Zelda had to go through all this to unlock her powers.

And then what happens next?

She's stuck in limbo (in an almost mocking parallel to Rauru in the next game with his imprisoning arm) holding Ganon back. For a hundred years.

This young woman had gone through so much only to be trapped with a calamity seeking to destroy Hyrule for a century.

Does she know her father died in the war? Does she know the champions died in battle? Would she know Link would survive in the Shrine of Resurrection?

I think she didn't. I think it all happened too fast. I think ultimately, she decided a stalemate with ganon was an agreeable outcome. I think in her mind she probably thought she failed Hyrule. When the divine beasts turned she must have been distraught. Distraught might not even cover it tbh. But at least... At least when the kingdom was brought to it's knees by the corrupted tech and was waiting for the final blow, she had the ability to ensure the final blow never came.

And oh boy I have a looot more to talk about regarding Tears of the Kingdom. But I do want to have a couple of more playthroughs of it to really formulate what I want to say. I think I'll touch up what I've said here into its own post, too.

Something something Zelda doesn't mind waiting. She waited a hundred years for Link to wake up and face the Calamity. She waited 10,000 years for Link to find her and the master sword to finally face off against Ganondorf.

She doesn't mind waiting because she knows how the story goes. She knows what kind of narrative she and Link are doomed by. She knows Link will prevail.

But she also knows the narrative isn't what she or Link want. She wants a safe Hyrule. She wants her hero knight to be free. She wants herself to be an explorer, a researcher, a scientist. Being a princess is something she's born into and therefore something she's duty-bound to. Same as Link being duty-bound to being her royal knight.

In those hundred years of waiting and those 10,000 years of waiting, she is content for Link to just... Be Link.

We all joke about how Link is goofing around Hyrule while the Calamity is looming and Zelda is waiting. About how and Ganondorf is gathering power in the depths while Zelda is missing and Link is building contraptions to bring koroks to their friends.

But this is Link. This is him when he's not duty-bound. I'm not saying he doesn't like being zelda's royal guard, but his essence isn't just that. He's just a guy who likes to go around helping people. That stable woman needs a horse and horse cart? Sure, he'll use his new powers to get her sorted out. That man fell down the well (in lego city) and needs help fixing the ladder to climb back up? Yeah, Link's on it. Oh, you need help building this town into something so, so beautiful where everyone from all walks of life can come and meld their cultures together and live in a diverse sort of harmony? Link's your man to see your vision come true.

Link loves his role in Hyrule. As a helper. A wandering hero. As a guy who roams and cooks and tames wild horses and gets rid of monsters and helps anyone and everyone even if they're obviously disguised yiga clan members.

So of course Zelda would want nothing but for him to enjoy his little wonders. This transient moment that had been carved for him to be free. Sure, there is doom looming over him and Hyrule. But he's still fulfilling his promise. He's still protecting them all in his own small way. He's still Link. Just unburdened.

And now that Zelda truly understands the fuckery of time and fate and everything, she doesn't mind waiting. She can wait as long as Link needs to be free. She will roam the skies unbothered and unthinking and in her immortal, unaware state until Link is ready. Until Link needs her.

Until then she's content with waiting.