Reviews for September-October 2018

I've got six games to review for you from just two months! Yes, they are short games.

Agatha Knife:
Games with libraries filled with silly book titles you can read = fantastic. I'd like to start with that. So that I can put off trying to quickly describe this experience... *ahem* The protagonist is a young girl who love animals & also loves to eat meat. She's the town butcher, & reaches a moral quandary as the animals obviously don't like being killed but she doesn't want to stop killing them. The business is struggling & so is her conscience, when she is presented with an idea to solve all of her problems: start a religion, of course. You can finish the game in a handful of hours, but it is quite a ride full of puzzles, problems, topics from alcoholism to zoos, & quite an interesting sense of humor. The challenge level felt just right to me, sparking my imagination with various ideas to try & making me work for the solutions, without making me scowl & turn to Google for help. The art is adorable, & I always smiled when Agatha was running. There's a lot of reference jokes for all you nerds of various sorts. There is also definitely blood. The achievements are fun, & I really liked the mechanic where you get a little bit of money that basically serves as a free pass for ONE puzzle if you're at your wit's end, sort of a free pass to use at your choice of critical moment. I found the final portion of the game particularly rewarding. I wouldn't call it a must-play, but it's certainly fascinating, & deserves more attention than I feel it has received. Really looking forward to trying out MechaNika, a game featuring Agatha's best friend & assuredly more dark humor.

Crescent Bay:
This "short experimental detective thriller" was super promising & looks great. I had fun opening it up, getting immersed in the story & ideas, poking at the mechanics... & then I got annoyed & watched a Let's Play. There's just enough that's not quite made clear enough. A primary example: much of the game revolves around combining words into groups which should describe what happened as you've observed from the crime scene. I was firmly under the impression that each word grouping would be three words, because you're faced with three blanks. Turns out, sometimes you just use two words together. On top of this, there's no clear indication of when you're made a correct word grouping-- so you can toss out a bunch of trial & error, empty your brain of all possible ideas, & you close out of that menu in frustration, only to THEN see something happen as unlocked by your efforts. You don't even know what you did right. Overall it ends up feeling like a demo for a bigger better game in progress, & since I got this for free & then just watched someone else finish it, it was worth that bit of investment. But probably wouldn't be worth much more than that. Nice style, though.

NORTH:
Mmmmmm. I so wanted to love this. I bought this on Switch during a sale right after I'd played Bury Me, My Love, & was so hyped to have my heart explored by another refugee-centric tale. You can get NORTH for free/donation here, & it is intended to be played in one sitting of about an hour, so I'd certainly say it wouldn't hurt you to try. I immediately was captivated by the visuals (sort of a neon minimalist dystopia vibe), & spent a few sittings happily exploring, but then I ran into the same problem that apparently many people have with the Switch version, which is a total inability to finish what's basically your first big task. I took to the internet enough to discover I wasn't alone in my struggle, then tried it again. I poked around online enough to ensure I knew what/where/why/how I was supposed to complete it, then tried it again. Then I gave up & watched a Let's Play. *sigh* It's a really fascinating game, & I know I would have enjoyed the weird unsettling trials if I could have just managed to pass through that one bit. Give it a try if you like exploring strange environments & attempting to survive on very little direction. (& get it for PC.)

THOR.N:
This made me happy. A very short "job simulator" that plays like a first-person clicker game, it feels kind of like if GLaDOS was in charge of civilization. It's pretty, pleasant, & then over too soon. I want to play it again, & I don't want to want to play it again. It's great.

Sprout:
Free games are rad, if for nothing else than exposing your brain to new things! Sprout is sweet & cute, though very simple. Reaching the end felt more like an inevitability than a goal, & though it doesn't feel like it has much more plot than a screensaver, it's soothing. Would recommend as a balm for anxiety or other emotion gone wild. Free!

Stories Untold:
Do you like to feel hopeless dread flow constantly over your heart? Then this is the game for you! It's a masterful blend of text adventure, point & click, puzzle, horror, & narrative. It gives you That Good Video Game Stress without actually frustrating your progress at any point. One of the most unique games I've played, while also reminding me of many other things (Stranger Things, DDLC, Men in Black, Portal, Oxenfree, there's a lot going on). A beautiful thoughtful few hours well spent. I definitely needed help a couple times. (I suggest you at least have handy a way to keep notes; you're welcome.) You will struggle, despair, & probably love every bit of it. I thought the pacing & chapters very well done! A lot of scattered pieces that come together to be very rewarding. Apparently there's even a demo available, so that's super rad. The third chapter was my favorite.

Reviews for June-August 2018

I've sure been finishing short games while taking my time on longer ones! Let's pretend I've been doing that on purpose instead of just feeling flighty!

Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, & The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist:
Sometimes you play a short game & wish it had been longer. This is one of those. A delightful concept, but this only left me wanting more. It's certainly great for being free, but I'd almost rather have skipped the freebie & gone straight to a much bigger experience in this realm. I'd pay for it. Oh well. Safe to say I'd recommend checking this out-- don't learn any more about it than you absolutely have to to download it though.

Thimbleweed Park:
So good. Soooooo good. If you ever liked ol' point & click adventure games, you gotta check this out. I mean, I myself never considered it a favorite form of game, but I like the retro vibe. The controls take some getting used to, if you don't mostly rely on the touchscreen, but it's not awful (just use the touchscreen 90% of the time like I did). There's a lot of fun stuff going on with this, amazing writing, humor EVERYWHERE, fun puzzles, beautiful art. Not for everyone though-- if you hate, say, "backtracking" or reading a lot of things, well you're gonna have a bad time. You'll be like "why did Valerie recommend this telephone simulator game" & you'll have only yourself to blame because I just warned you. But if I say "there's an entire library of books that you can read the titles of each & every single spine" & that excites you, please, get yourself this game asap.

To the Moon:
I expected a bit more from this, honestly, because I know so many folk who loved it so much. Everyone is supposed to love it & cry, & I just didn't get that level of attachment (or perhaps I simply attached too much to not-the-intended-character?). That said, I'm so glad I played through it. Definitely a great take on a love story, & another topic that is dear to my heart but I don't want to give away. I am SO anti-spoilers in my reviews, you guys, sorry if that makes things super vague sometimes! You trust my judgement though, right? If you like games that are short stories with interesting facets & moral issues, totally check this one out. The music is lovely & you will experience emotions. Great for when you're stressed out & want to escape to some digital problems instead of dwelling on your own. One of those games that isn't exactly "fun", but worthwhile. Play it & then argue with me about feelings.

Bury me, my Love:
Maybe I'm a sucker for games disguised as conversations. You put this game on your phone, & suddenly you're a Syrian dude whose wife departs for Europe & safety. It has a nice compromise between "real time" & all-at-once (though the latter is offered as an option) where it could be a few minutes or a few hours before you get a notification of a "text" from your fleeing loved one, & it doesn't punish you for not getting to it quickly, which is great. In some parts, it feels a bit too edutainment or forced, not really how a husband & wife would interact, but overall it's very engaging. It has to set context for you somehow, & it does pretty well. Sending/receiving photos was my favorite part, & it uses music in a nice usually-subtle way. This game had me scared, worried, stressed out, angry, curious, relieved, & overjoyed. I wouldn't say it's a must-play, but it's a great way to open your heart & mind to the plight of so many.

Emily is Away:
An instant messaging simulator that is TOO REAL. It's perfect in its sights, sounds, & social anxiety. So much fun to be had in picking your profile image, changing your font/background colors at a moment's whim, & thinking of every friend you've ever lost. A wild journey of coming of age, being an inevitably shitty teen, struggling & failing at anything that matters... oh, & it's free! Don't you just want to rush off & try it right now? I'm glad it exists, I really do like it, but also ow my heart. The timing in my own life feels a bit raw, I probably would have enjoyed it more without the context of recent personal events, but it's probably going to make you think & feel things no matter your history with online friendships.

Reviews for April-May 2018

Hi friends! Ready for more rambling? I SURE AM. We've got Switch, 3DS, & PC all represented here today. Mostly shorter cheaper games than what may be usually on your radar.

Frederic: Resurrection of Music & Frederic 2: Evil Strikes Back:
I like music games, but what I REALLY like is when they've got you actually pretending to play an instrument instead of just doing whatever at the right timing. Which is why I hadn't pulled the trigger on a rhythm game for the Switch before I spotted these on sale on while I was having a particularly rough day. Plus, instead of being generic tunes or the usual fare of such games, these are certainly distinct. The first game is all Frederic Chopin songs rearranged to mimic various regional music styles around the world. For some reason, the second game decides to mix things up by using all original songs, which sort of have a classical vibe but also parody the styles of various famous musicians-- an interesting choice, & I can't say the songs weren't enjoyable but it does take a bit of the heart out of the experience. Both games are brief, with the second game falling short again here, with less songs in the story mode & no unlockable bonus tracks like the first one boasts. Other than those key (ha, KEY) differences, the games are much the same, which is a good thing! The plot & cut scenes are amusing, the art is charming, & tickling the digital ivory is enjoyable. Instead of dropping you out of a song you're playing poorly, as the Rock Band & Guitar Hero games do, you always get to finish the song even if you fail to play well enough to move on to the next track, & this is a nice touch to help you get a feel for those tough parts with less frustration. There were no songs I hated, & the arrangement of your play against the music was in fact generally better than I've found in other rhythm games. There's only so much you can do to really copy the feel of playing a complex song over into just a few buttons, & I get pretty annoyed when it's done poorly. Speaking of buttons... you can play these games in any Switch set-up, but it does really shine when you use the touchscreen! Particularly if you've sat at a piano much before, it's quite satisfying to work out which keys to hit with which fingers just like with a real piece. (Or just poke with the index finger the whole time. I do either depending on my mood. No previous piano experience is required!) My biggest complaint, for both games, is that the screen gets a bit cluttered sometimes so it's hard to see which notes are coming up. If you're doing well, you get golden combo notes floating around which you can tap for bonus points, you get adjectives giving you praise, & you get special attack prompts sometimes, & I just wish they would be confined to a separate portion of the screen away from the indications of what I'm meant to be playing. Even so, I'd still recommend picking up one or both of these titles; they're still good value for the price. I took lots of screenshots, & certainly anticipate returning to play the harder difficulties or even just chill out with many replays of my favorites of the tunes. I did want a rhythm game for my Switch, & I'm glad I picked these! Frederic as a character is so much fun, & the whimsy woven through all of it makes it stand out. Also, I kind of want to cosplay as Frederic now.

Puzzle Agent 2:
Speaking of fun yet short whimsical games where the sequel is much the same as its predecessor... here we have another case where you really might as well grab them both up if they seem at all appealing! Agent Tethers picks up where he left off, returning to try to unravel more of the mysteries he discovered in the first game, with many of the locations & characters from the first game plus some interesting new bits. A few of the puzzles seem much less of the sort where if you just put enough time & thought into it it'll become clear... some I never would have guessed without a walkthrough's help, & some seemed more about trial & error than actual brainpower. This is hard to avoid when cranking out games of this sort, & was very forgivable as I was more focused on the overall experience than on each individual challenge. So uh, yeah, not a lot to say. A good sequel. I'm glad these games exist. Very approachable, yet rewarding. (If you didn't read my review of the first game... basically it's solid Professor Layton-esque gameplay with a story both amusing & interesting.)

Oxenfree:
*places hands in lap, stares at wall for three minutes* I have to say, I think this is going to go down as one of my favorite video games EVER. It's "just" a narrative experience, y'know, a choose-your-own-adventure almost; I'll warn you straight away about that. You pick conversation options, you walk around, you tune a radio. But wow, what an adventure in storytelling. The visuals, music, sounds, even voice acting are all great. Night in the Woods drew me in by making me think about how I did/didn't relate to everyone in its town, which is cool, but Oxenfree does a better job of just dropping me into the protagonist's shoes. You play as Alex (a GIRL, btw), & your choices influence everyone around you. Admittedly, getting through the game once doesn't take all that long, but you feel it, & then you want to play it over & over again. It is absolutely worth playing multiple times, which I wouldn't promise about just any game. So uh, don't play it if a really cool story sounds boring, but oh my please play it if you want to live a life besides your own for a while. You may notice I've said nearly nothing about what to expect from the plot, & that's on purpose. If you really do just want more info, I'll hide some spoilery stuff below! Details that may help explain why I like it so much, & maybe they'll win you over too. Y'know what, I may even stick to mostly stuff that's pretty much in the trailer. (Don't even go watch the trailer if you trust my judgement.) Just highlight, maybe copy/paste somewhere else, whatever, here you go:
Okay, if you're sure! Oxenfree has some of my favorite storytelling elements: boys & girls as just friends, family relationships (I'm a SUCKER for brother+sister stuff), paranormal activity, FREAKIN' TIME LOOPS YESSSSSSSS, glitches as environmental storytelling, not necessarily a "happy ending", stories within stories, did I mention time loops?? The whole radio element is fantastic, I'm a big fan of how they put that mechanic to work. There's some really creepy bits, but it's like, the kind that makes you think instead of lose sleep. This is a story about grief, regret, perspective, anger, the past, the future, how we all influence each other... it's just beautiful & captivating. I usually get really tired of stories about teenagers, but this one is just BIGGER than most. 

Witch & Hero II:
If you've been around me a while, you've probably already had me tell you to at least try the Witch & Hero demo on 3DS. If you haven't, well, consider this your time. The first & second games each have a trailer & great free demo in your 3DS eshop! (I still need to get the third game. But I bet it's just as good.) They're a little hard to describe... but if you like simple yet chaotic retro-styled lighthearted play with rpg elements (in this case I mean you purchase equipment upgrades & get stronger as you gain xp), you're in for a treat. Easy to learn, I've enjoyed passing these games around to people who don't necessarily play many video games. The monster designs are A+. I don't talk out loud to many games, but I do when I play these (exclamations like "shark shark SHARK SHARKSHARKSHARK" or "don't you daaaaaaare touch her" are most common). Easy to jump in & out, perfectly suited to the 3DS, & way too cheap. My go-to recommendations when I hear anyone just got a 3DS. Even if you don't get super into it & feel driven to beat it, it's a good option to keep around on your system.

Reviews for Jan-Mar 2018

It's winter, I hate being cold, the pot holes are everywhere, & I'm working out treatment for my recently-diagnosed mood disorder. It's a great time to pour myself into video games.

Confess My Love:
This is just the thing for when you need a distraction. It's free on Steam, & only takes a couple hours to complete! You play as this clueless guy who has decided it's time to declare his adoration to his beloved. It all takes place in a classroom, & the mechanics are super simple; you move, you choose dialogue options, there's a timer that adds a new dimension of possibilities, there's a few things in the room you can examine & interact with in a few cases. There's not really any "winning" to the game, the fun is in trying all of the different ways things can turn out. A walkthrough detailing all of the achievements is available, & I recommend using it as a tool to make sure you get every bit out of the game (once you've exhausted everything you think to do on your own, if there are achievements left over). Better some spoilers as you go than entirely missing chunks of the experience. The movement is a bit clunky, but the game isn't big enough for that to be too frustrating, & the music is quite charming. Not the thing you're looking for if you want challenge & adventure, but great for when you just want something new to unfold & stick in your brain.

Puzzle Agent:
This game was quite a ride! A short ride, but densely layered with charm. It's very Professor Layton, as far as gameplay, so if you know anything about those games then you know exactly what you're in for: a lot of wandering about, solving puzzles, & talking to people. It's well done, with a lot of personality. I wish I had more to say about it, but it is really short & I don't want to spoil any of it. I just would recommend checking it out, especially if you can grab it on sale. It doesn't offer much replay value, but you can draw the experience out a bit-- it's easy to pick up & put down, & the sort of game you can play while enjoying a nice mug of tea & petting a bird. (I'm pretty into that type of game right now.) Better than expected. I have the sequel & am excited to get around to it at some point...

OneShot:
OH BOY. This one is going to go down as a favorite in my book. One of those games you keep thinking about when you're not playing it & after you've finished it, & you definitely listen to the soundtrack a lot for the rest of forever. OneShot is freakin' gorgeous. I feel like more people should be talking about this game more often. It's all about the story & solving puzzles, with fantastic presentation. Did I mention it's freakin' gorgeous? Easy to navigate, enough challenge to keep you engaged, a nice variety of things to solve, some of the best characters ever, a world nicely fleshed out. It's even got fast travel, which is handy. It has some lovely emotional moments, without taking itself too seriously-- it also has some really great humor, including one of the best puns ever. The pacing is good. I'm trying to think of something bad to say about it, but just keep thinking of things I like. I got frustrated a couple of times, but in that nice "this puzzle is giving me a hard time" way, never so stuck that I wanted to quit or anything. I don't know, maybe plenty of people would get bored, declare it just another game where you wander around & figure out how to wander farther. But. If you like wandering & figuring. I promise. It is worth not even just OneShot but in fact TwoShots.

Night in the Woods:
This game had been pretty hyped up for me. I know multiple people who name it among their favorite games of all time. So I'd had it on my Steam wishlist for a while, then I heard it was coming to Switch, so I decided to make it one of my very first Switch games! I figured even if I didn't love it, it'd be worth knowing what people were talking about. It did not leave me disappointed. The conversations are like real conversations, the people are like real people, the places are like real places. The problems are even like real problems. This game is particularly not going to be everyone's cup of tea, as it is nearly entirely just walking around & talking to people. But it's pretty much the best game of its type, probably. It is absolutely beautiful-- I know I just talked about how great OneShot looks, so uh, I'm nervous you won't take my opinion of Night in the Woods' visuals seriously right now, but I really did just happen to finish two of the world's most good-lookin' games right in a row. I'm really pleased I went with the Switch version, because I took a bazillion screencaps. It has some really great touches that I would love to talk about but don't want to spoil. If you want to live out some really interesting times in a small town, there are friendships & adventures waiting for you in Night in the Woods. You'll have a variety of emotions, you'll crave pizza & tacos, you'll wish the soundtrack was on Spotify. Also, important note: you get to play bass guitar.

A Year of Finishing Video Games

It has been a pretty popular tradition, at least in my social circles (&/or if you go on Goodreads) to set a reading goal each year. Usually just a number of books you want to finish, but one can mix it up. I like reading, & have tried out an assortment of reading goals for myself, but at around this time last year... I just really didn't feel like it. Nothing appealed. I don't always respond well to pressure, even arbitrary pressure, & I had no motive to challenge my reading habits in any way.
In fact, not having any plans for my reading for the year did cause some shifts in my reading, in nice relaxed ways! Mainly, I've further explored ebooks & embraced their strengths. I've found a couple series & reading lists I want to work through, & it's nice to feel that I can do so freely, at my own pace, without sacrificing any expectation I set for myself before I found these avenues I want to pursue. I read what I want to read, when I want to read, with no preset regard for page number or topic, & it has helped restore a real love of reading for its own sake. I've quit reading some books, with less cares than ever before. I've snatched up whole stacks of stuff from the library, without feeling like I absolutely have to like or finish everything. Also Libby is great, & everyone should try using it, by the way.

In place of a reading goal, I found myself mindful of my pile of video games I've started & never completed, & decided that finishing some of those would be a worthy ambition. Most of my gaming time at that point was going toward either replaying familiar tales or games that don't ever end (Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Rock Band, Animal Crossing, Dr. Mario...) so I figured I could put those aside for a while, put that time into my other games, & it'd be quite simple. Turns out, it wasn't as simple as I'd thought! Most of my started-but-not-finished collection remains exactly as it was, as I tried a surprising amount of entirely new-to-me games. Oops. But would I have been as open to trying these new things, without having an aim of putting aside my usual staples? Probably not, let's be honest. I now have a whole new appreciation for giving things a try, challenging myself & broadening my experiences. I also am way more into the value of the story & experience of games as a whole, as I determine to see a game from start to finish, instead of that thing where I play enough to "get a feel" for a game & then go back to whichever more familiar game feels right for my stick-in-the-mud moods. This really pulled me out of a rut (or several ruts), & I am grateful. If I'd actually kept to my strictest original intent, I admittedly would have been spending almost all of my gaming time on turn-based rpgs, & just because I really like those doesn't mean that's all I should play. I learned a lot about what I actually like in my video games, by stepping out of my well-worn boxes. (I prize charming visuals & music more than I had thought. I am delighted when my games turn out to be about friendship. Give me puns & choices, & we'll have a winner. I like to be made to think more than I care to have my skill challenged.) I got to be surprised by games again, & that's a joy I had forgotten. Playing different games opened more conversations with friends, which is super valuable! I follow so many people on twitter who mostly talk about games, & I manage to rarely talk with them about games; what is up with that? It was a blast to tweet about new things & get feedback. Also, it felt good for my brain to have these very specific goals of things to accomplish, & rewarding. I spent less time on goofy little phone games; those can be neat, but overall not as fulfilling in any way.

Here's review-ish ramblings about each game I finished...

Pokemon Sun:
This was more fun & more disappointing than I expected, in assorted areas. After being so very fond of X, which was my first main Pokemon game since Gold(!), it was perhaps going to be hard for Sun to make an impact on me. The setting & characters were worth the experience, though the main plot was... odd. I enjoyed seeing the new pokemon, but I didn't feel driven to catch 'em all. The format for interacting with other actual humans does NOT seem well done. It was cluttered & weird & I just wanted to go back to X's beautiful straightforward menus & Wonder Trade all day. Maybe some people are more into the add-ons like z moves & bean islands & whatever you were supposed to do with your "plaza" thing, but I'm just... not. Maybe this "meh" review means I shouldn't be so excited for the upcoming main Pokemon game for Switch, but I TOTALLY AM. SIGN ME UP.

Undertale:
This game is one of the finest storytelling experiences one could ever encounter, quite possibly. Everything about it fits together in a way to bring out the beauty of all of it. It benefits greatly from being played all the way through, & thus was a lovely fit with my goal. Yet actually trying to finish this game was a bit of a roller coaster for me; there were technical & other difficulties, then I put it aside for an embarrassingly long time when I hit a battle that was harder than I could handle, & I finally had to ask for tips. BUT IT WAS ALL WORTH IT. Talking about the game with friends is as much fun as the game itself, & the game itself is a blast. I wouldn't shut up about it for a while, my phone background is a frame from a webcomic inspired by it, my google music is full of remixes of its songs, I made a drawing & a cross stitch, I coaxed a friend to play it & let me watch him play parts, asdfghjkl. It's kinda ridiculous how into this game I was/am/thereisnoescape/ithaschangedmybrainforever/sendhelp. Anyway, uh, actual game review talk... I totally get people who play a bit of it & then just quit. If you aren't grabbed by it, & start looking for the negative, you'll find it. People get bored of the battle system. This is not a game for people looking for big & flashy. But if you're looking for something to savor, this may be the perfect game for you. You can sip your tea while you examine every little thing in the librarby, reheat your tea while you gather courage to try a fight again, try to not snort your tea out your nose sometimes... & you will feel rewarded for your time. There's a lot to discover, a lot to consider, & a lot of unexpected little twists. The characters are all so neat, everything looks fantastic, & the music is amazing. I have no complaints about this game at all, actually, though one may need to seek advice a time or two. Nothing wrong with that. I'm really glad this was part of my Finish Games Adventure, & would totally recommend it.

Miitopia:
I expected to like this game. But then I liked it even more than I expected to like it. It's another one that is best savored, & if you aren't going to look for the joy then it's going to get old real fast. It is surprisingly more vast than it at first appears, but yes, everything about it could easily be called repetitive. You can probably tell from the demo if it's going to be your style or not-- if you like the demo at all, you should certainly get the full game! I cast my friends as my actual team, & I'd mostly leave the designated designs plopped from the internet for assorted npcs (swapping out ugly ones or characters I didn't recognize for whatever was the first one I did like), & that went a long way toward the charm of the game, but I really did also enjoy the pure inherent design of it. The monsters are truly fantastic, the music & plot & story & characters & content that stretch on forever are all wonderful. I look forward to picking it up again sometime to max out levels, get medals, & just enjoy the daily quests. This could even be a good game for people who were into Animal Crossing but put it down or are looking for a change of pace, in the sense that you can check in each day for those new little tasks to do, after you beat the main story. If you like to unlock achievements, it has a ton of "medals" that will take you plenty of time. I also want to say that the bite-sized levels make it such a great game to carry around, really suitable to the 3DS' portability & sleep mode. I played bits of Miitopia just about everywhere I went. I also definitely did some very long gaming sessions with it as well, so uh, it's just a lovely versatile thing, if you're okay with basically doing the same thing over & over. The discovery of it is enchanting, you can take lots of screencaps & throw them all over twitter, you can play it when you're sick. It's a really neat usage of the exact strengths of the 3DS, in my opinion. If I was going to make any complaint, there's one particular mechanic I wish worked differently but it only comes up a couple of times, plus overall the game could have afforded to be more challenging. But I respect it for exactly what it is, & the amount of joy I've had from it was more than worth the price. Looking forward to seeing what the future may hold for anything similar!

Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale:
This game REALLY impressed me. All I knew about it at first was that it had fighting but also farming. I was curious, so I put it on my wishlist, & then I received it for my birthday. Looking at the manual gave me pretty high hopes. It had not just farming, but also mining & bug-catching. The battles were turn-based, with movement & special character-specific skills. The characters seemed promising. Did it sound too good to be true? Were my hopes to be heartlessly dashed? I mean, there's so much that could go wrong there. There could be a clunky inventory system, required farming/mining/bug-catching, poor controls, a dull story... turns out, all I didn't really like about this game was the music/voices & the lack of human diversity. Everything else was so well balanced! The pacing was nice, the writing was cute, I really liked the optional "dungeons", the characters really were precious, the fights were easy to navigate without being boring, you can change the difficulty at any time, the maps are not too big or too small or too straight or too convoluted, there are side quests, there are girls to befriend, there's fast travel, I usually don't like crafting in my video games but this was very low-key & not mandatory crafting, it doesn't take itself too seriously but it isn't lazy... if you like turn-based rpgs, I'd really suggest you find this one! Not everything about it is perfect, but there's nothing about it that made me want to put it down. Which is saying something. Since most of my backlog has consisted of turn-based rpgs that I started but then put down. (Don't let the farming/befriending/mining/bug-catching stuff turn you away from it, if that's not your kind of thing. It's seriously optional, & very low intensity even if you do embrace those facets-- there's no penalty if you don't collect your crops right away or anything like that!)

Life is Strange (Chapter 1):
Then I played this mess. Oh my. It's, uh, a neat concept, with nice music. There you go. Ugh, I don't know man, I had heard such good things. I think mostly my social circles like the story? Which must get better later? I can respect that. But I really didn't like the protagonist, or like, anyone you were actually supposed to like, & it all felt rather forced to me. Your little plot points were trying to be so urgent & serious, but you're also obviously supposed to poke around. I usually like to poke around & savor, which is part of why I like, y'know, Undertale & Miitopia, but the perspective of this teenager really ruined that for me. She's awful. Trying to be interested in this high school drama is awful. The choices they gave you were awful. You're in someone else's room, I don't want to poke around their stuff! That's rude! I for sure don't want to *spoiler spoiler rant rant*... Yeah. I don't care for a game giving me choices when none of the choices seem reasonable. I didn't relate to anyone on any level, the things I began to care about weren't things I could pursue, I don't understand why it seems to have nearly universal appeal among the people I know who have tried it. Very glad I didn't pay money for this experience. Won't pay money for any further chapters. I'd maybe read it if it was a book (but maybe not if it's first-person narrative). All this did was make me miss the Rockett series-- now that's how you make an interesting game about being a girl in school sticking her nose in everywhere she can. Purple Moon, come back, we need you. Bring me more Ruben.

Fantasy Life:
Oh boy. I loved this game at first. Then I got very frustrated, over something that I learned (much) later how it was supposed to work, but not knowing was such a drag. I will continue to judge it relentlessly for that fault, because nothing about it gave me any hint of how it was meant to go. I AM BITTER. (If you want more details... You complete tasks to earn points toward mastering jobs. I couldn't get to the places I was supposed to go to complete the tasks. *angry flailing* That's when I put the game down, & only months later picked it up for this goal of purely focusing on finishing the story, though I had originally so wanted to explore various jobs. I didn't understand how you could get any enjoyment from the jobs mechanic, if there was what seemed only a very tiny window of opportunity to actually do the tasks. How was that supposed to work?? Well, in fact, you only can't go those places while you're in a "chapter"-- basically while you're pursuing the plot. There are breaks in the plot, & that is when you can wander freely & pursue whatever you want, before triggering the story moving forward. THAT SEEMS FREAKIN' NEEDLESSLY RESTRICTING. I had never seen anything like that done before, I still can't think of a good actual reason to make a game that way, & I only found out it works that way by accident while I was looking up something else about the game that wasn't very clear. SO YES I CONTINUE TO JUDGE IT.) Return to PopoloCrois is pretty much what I wanted Fantasy Life to be, just with a few less jobs. The battles in Fantasy Life are... not great. So if you're more motivated by a good challenge than by fulfilling quests, this is very likely not going to be your jam-- there's not much at all going on as far as various tactics to attempt in a battle, you can pretty much gauge quickly if you will or will not make it past a baddie, & all you can do to increase your odds is level up. The maps are pretty okay considered on their own, but there were several times I straight up forgot how to get to where I was meant to go next, & the big overworld map is one of those that is useless for actually discerning what areas you can access from where. There are a freakin' billion side quests (from just about any npc you can find, totally separate from the job-mastering side quests), which can be great, but when you're already frustrated at the game it's a drag. Knowing what I know now, & with it allowing for post-plot gameplay (thank goodness), I may pick it back up & master jobs & complete quests for every single human that makes eye contact with me. The writing was actually quite clever, I laughed aloud a good bit at the lively humor. That was the best thing about it. The music was catchy, & the art is lovely. Character customization is a nice touch. Co-op gameplay could be magnificent, & I'm a little sad to not have had the chance to try that out. I'd say if you see this game for a low price or are just straight out of charming rpgs in your life, sure, why not try it. You've read my review, so you will have a better time than I did.

Bastion:
I am super fond of the format here! Games that are quick to "beat" but have plenty of ways to customize for replay value should be way more common, in my idea of a perfect world. You choose a difficulty level (which you can change at any time [this seems to be common in these modern days, but I don't take it for granted]), & then there are ways to tweak your challenge level even further as you go. So no matter your preference or confidence, you can embrace this game. Super neat! The controls are simple enough (with helpful prompts in case you forget what you're doing, which uh, I can't deny happens to me sometimes [especially on pc, man, there's just so many buttons]), so you can dive right in-- after you spend a few minutes enjoying the main menu music, that is. The music & art are outstanding, as is the narrator dude. He'll keep you coming back. My very favorite part was a total surprise to me, I didn't know to expect such a thing... if you've played it, you probably know what I'm talking about, & if you haven't played it, I don't want to give it away. I also really enjoyed the nostalgic vibe I got from the gameplay; I don't know if they meant to remind me of ol' shoot-y NES games, blasting everything in sight, but I couldn't shake those images. Also, fyi, the soundtrack is on spotify, so you too can have it take over your world; you're welcome. I would suggest using a controller with it if you can.

Super Mario Odyssey:
This was a surprise & one of the highlights of my entire year. So grateful to have been given the chance to be Cappy & accompany a friend on this journey; I have such warm fuzzy feelings reserved for this kind of co-op experience, & it really nailed that. I haven't heard anyone else talking about playing it co-op, which is a shame! But I'm possibly in the minority, having minimal interest in playing this sort of thing single-player & maximum interest in playing co-op. Ya'll're missing out on some magic. I freakin' love co-op. Anyway... For me, this game seemed to hit a great balance of being new & fresh while avoiding being gimmicky. Everything about it was fun. Very fond of the way the game scatters little puzzle-solving encouragement everywhere. You get lots of those moments of knowing something is there for a reason, & you get to discover why. By not punishing you much when you die, it frees you up to try anything that occurs to you to try. Jump off a cliff, see if there's a ledge with hidden treasure down there. Attempt some wild jumping to cross a gap you may not be able to cross that way. Repeat that timed challenge over & over until you master it or lose interest. Even failing got to be fun. Outfits & trinkets are fun, 2d portions are fun, bonking everything repeatedly is fun, birds & dogs are fun. Everyone has great hair. There's weird forks & a giant piece of meat & hopping plant life & hectic rushing set to catchy music. Sometimes I was seriously distracted by how nice things looked, everything looks amazing. In short, give Nintendo all of your money. There's a lot of little moments that will particularly appeal to you if you have any nostalgic feelings for Mario games of the past. (I got teary-eyed a couple of times. Don't tell anyone.)

Earthbound:
I did it, you guys! I finished Earthbound! That's nice. This was my third try. Um... uh... Everything looked & sounded great, that's for sure. I enjoyed seeing how Earthbound influenced lots of other games. It had some interesting ideas. Some good dogs. That's about all of the good things I have to say, & I'm not sure I want to get into the bad things! If I say I can respect the views of people who love Earthbound, would that soften the blow? I spent most of the game thinking perhaps I would have adored it back in the day. If it had been, say, my second rpg, after SMRPG. Some of its choices are things I used to enjoy more than I do now, but then again... some of it would have bugged me at least as much. If I hadn't had the internet to consult when I got frustrated, I could have gladly Hulk-smashed everything & never looked back. (I'm looking at you, chickens.) I think perhaps the biggest weakness is... it never really made me feel invested in the characters/plot. Maybe your experience was different! But I felt like it was just random kids going from one place to another, & it really didn't pay off. You do this thing so that you can do this other thing, so you can save the world, just because you've been told you have to, & you do it with people you just met, because you're supposed to. It's a charming world, but not charming enough to make up for all of the little things that bugged me. I appreciate each person on twitter who told me it's okay if I don't love it!

Pyre:
Freakin' impressive. There is an astonishing amount of character/world/relationship depth here, especially considering the campaign mode reaches its end within 20 hours. Agonizing over some choices, I felt as invested as if it was Mass Effect 3. Bonkers, man. The biggest fault in the game as far as I'm concerned is that it didn't get me to care about the main objective of the plot, so the ending lost a bit of punch-- but how much I cared about the characters basically made up for it. If you like characters & consequences, grab this RIGHT NOW. Like Bastion, it does a lovely job of having a simple core plus many ways to mix up your experience, & has the same fantastic art/music quality. I don't know how much time I spent just looking at things & poking them, but I enjoyed every bit of it. The lantern on the side of the text box? Poke it. Big bell? Poke it. Cobwebs? Poke them every time. The half-sphere on the front of the book is one of the most impressive bits of video games visuals I have ever seen in my life. It's perfect. (Did you have a glittery bouncy ball when you were a kid? I did. The book's adornment looks exactly like that bouncy ball. I can't get over it.) I like the thing where you revisit the same locations a lot, but they look different as the game progresses. Oh yeah, the actual skill-involved parts of the game are fun too! *cough* It's like a sports game for people who may or may not like sports games. Very fun twists. When I return to this game, it will be fun to try different strategies. Letting loss be part of the experience instead of forcing a restart is SO COOL. Knowing that you can lose a match makes each outcome mean more; you could feel bad for winning sometimes, or else feel a fire in your heart considering what it would be like to lose to some of those jerks. It also encouraged you to try new things, which is pretty neat in a video game. Edge of your seat stuff throughout. I wish I saw this game getting more attention.

So there you have it! & now for some fun stats stuff:

Games I wouldn't have played at all if not for Dave: 4 out of 10. I'm making him my official unofficial gaming adviser.
Games I played that actually came out this year: 3 out of 10, which is really high for me, okay!
Games I played on pc: 4 out of 10, which is crazy to me, as I didn't even get my own pc set up until, what, February or March? After having basically avoided pc games since I was like 12? Who is this person I have become?
Games I definitely want to play more/again: 7 out of 10. Not bad!
Games that were ones I had in mind when I began this project: 5 out of 10. Sure I derailed from original intent a lot, but when considering my original goal was specifically to finish at least six games, I did pretty well!
Game I spent the most time playing this year: Return to PopoloCrois, at 57 hours! It's those side dungeons, man. (Unless you count the demo of Miitopia towards Miitopia's total playtime, which makes sense because it's basically just the first part of the game, in which case I've spent about 64 hours on Miitopia.)
Game I spent the least time playing this year (yet still finished): Life is Strange, thankfully, got that done in less than four hours. Felt like an eternity. Felt like a stupid high school girl was manipulating the flow of time & whining constantly.

Looking forward... I don't yet have a goal of any sort for next year. My collection of DS/3DS games is currently missing (except Miitopia, which was the one in the system; I'm glad to at least have that one safe), so I don't want to say that I will get back to finishing the ones that didn't get finished this year. (I'm trying to be very adult & not upset about this, & still think that they may show up, but... nothing is certain & I am kinda cranky about it.) I want to keep my current strategy of reading whatever seems fun or helpful. I do definitely intend to get a Switch, & spend more time playing games with other people (in person + long distance), so maybe that counts?

ETA: Doki Doki Literature Club!
I thought I wouldn't finish another game this year, & I certainly wasn't setting out to do so-- but here we are, with another for the list! One of my favorite things ever is when someone recommends to me a piece of media that means a lot to them personally, so when a friend said there's a short free game he wanted me to play, of course I gave it a shot. I don't want to be spoilery; this game is basically about the twists. However, the game opens with essentially trigger warnings, & if you look at the store page at all, you'll know to expect "psychological horror". So I'm calling that okay to mention, & working from there. In my case, it was also brought up in context with another game, which gave me some more idea what to expect... & yet, that didn't save me from clenching my teeth for sections of this experience. It's serious business, no matter what you are expecting. I'm not sure I'd recommend it at all, if while playing you're not going to talk with a friend who has already played it. Those conversations are good & important, & give the game valuable context. Inherently, the game is respectable, with good writing, lovely music, & lots of hidden facets. I actually enjoyed it more the second time I played through, when I could give more attention to the details & appreciate the story, without the shocks of the first time. To me, the worst part of the game was anticipating how dark it could go, & to its credit it never went some of the places my mind took me. DDLC gives you a lot to think about, whether you want to or not, & there's a lot of fun memes & art & etc out there to help you navigate your feelings about it. I'm glad that I gave it a try, & gave it a second try! But if you're not sure you want to go down a grisly road, I can't say I'd suggest it. (But I would be that person to talk with you while you play, if you'd want.) Also: Yuri seemed on the surface to be most my type, but Natsuki totally stole my heart.

Some Thoughts about Stuff & Things

So, first off, let's talk about birth control.

I know, it's weird. But it'd be great if we could talk about it like it's not weird. & that's not even my point! To get to the point, I have two tales from 2016. First off, I switched pharmacies in the summer, because we got a Meijer & they have a drive-through pharmacy window + a groovy rewards program, whilst CVS took over Target pharmacies & I've not enjoyed working with CVS. Anyway, switching pharmacies meant also switching brands, & let me tell you-- no matter how many people you ask or how long you google, it doesn't matter if everything says all of the brands are the same exact pill, your ovaries know the difference. I was off-kilter for like three months. No biggie, just like... emotional. All of the time. It was exhausting. Second tale: the one really icky day we've had so far this winter, the one where the roads were nasty & church was cancelled & driving felt like a bad idea-- that was the day my birth control should have been picked up. We didn't pick it up. I thought I'd just take some leftovers, pills I'd missed in previous months, & when I got the new pills I'd switch over no problem. It did not even occur to me to wonder if it'd be a problem that all of my leftover pills were only in my old brand... & when I got back on my new brand, I felt downright awful for a couple solid days, not just emotional but actually physically uncomfortable, & it really stressed me out because I didn't know what was wrong. It wasn't until I started feeling less miserable that it occurred to me what was probably the cause. (Oh, & those days that I was feeling rubbish = Christmas Eve & Christmas. Yeah.)

So, all of that just to say yet again a thing that I just really wish we could all absorb into our brains & get to stay there: each person has so many things going on at any given moment, man, you have no idea. There are facets upon facets. So don't judge people when it's impossible for you to know everything behind how they are acting. It's quite possible they just switched birth control brands, or slept poorly (for any number of reasons), or haven't eaten well today (for any number of reasons), or are preoccupied (for any number of reasons), or DO YOU GET IT? Our brains think they are helping by telling us that That Person is behaving That Way because of That Reason. But our brains don't have all of the information. Only trust your brain so far in these areas. Be forgiving of people.

People say things like "time heals all wounds", but they're kinda vague about it. It sounds sort of comforting, & yet... more information would be even better, right? Well. To fill things out a bit more for all of us, here's a story for you. I'm going to leave out a lot of specifics, sorrynotsorry, but basically there's this particular relationship from my childhood. I've always felt bad about it, like I should have been close to this person but I never was. I've felt guilt & shame about this ever since. You might already be thinking "kid brains, so silly, what a thing to be upset about for most of your life". & you're right. BUT you can think that, because you are an ADULT. (Okay, I'm basing that on who I know usually reads my blog, & at what age you'd have the fortitude to keep reading this post & get this far...) A few days ago, I remembered an aspect of how that person treated me back in the day. At first, I just thought "ugh, yeah, that was a bummer" & I didn't consciously give it much time in my thoughts. But a couple days after that, my brain was able to have settled information together in the background, & come back to me with the thought that nothing about the situation was my fault. I was able to recall times that I did everything I could, more than I would expect from a child, & I was shunned, spurned, what have you, by a grown person who should have done better.
DAMN.
I've been able to go from shame & guilt to feeling mighty proud of my past self. Just because I have the perspective of age & experience that I lacked previously. So, I want you to take some courage, okay? You may still have some thought patterns that are hurtful. But keep giving yourself space & time. Don't be afraid to confront things as they come up, but if you're not finding healing right now, I think it's also okay to give yourself rest if the battle isn't going differently than before. Keep doing what it takes to be nice to yourself, & next time maybe you'll find the weapons & strategies you need are there when you need them.

I've also been doing that thing where I think a LOT about friendships. Fairly common habit of mine, but man, it's so interesting to me. But there's some stuff I've been through lately. I think what it boils down to for me (friendship lesson style, ala MLP:FiM) is... giving someone a real chance means opening up sometimes even when it's not comfortable. I am BIG on real actual communication, but it is true that I myself have been prone to not speak up sometimes, when I'm not liking something someone said/did &/or I could be better treated if I'd be honest about what I need/want. I've been on the receiving end of that in painful ways a couple of times recently. People have been dismissive of me when I've genuinely just wanted to help. I've felt rejected, & blamed for not being able to read minds to know what these people really wanted from me. & who knows, man, I don't really know what's behind those situations. I won't judge them too harshly, though I was confused. But I let how I was treated make me think about how I treat the people & situations I come across. I've taken a couple of chances on speaking up & risking confrontation, where previously I might have just kept quiet & tried to make things work. So far, it's been nothing but positive-- after I take the chance of opening up about how I feel, I'm able to see it a bit more objectively & realize I'm not doing anything too crazy. I'm doing exactly what I'd want the other person to do, just stating how I really feel. & I feel more secure with these people than ever before.
In a similar vein, I've started taking people seriously when they say things like "you can talk to me if you want". That's been super cool. If context helps, for example there have been a couple times on twitter where I've gotten kinda rant-y, with various degrees of vagueness, & people have specifically messaged me to extend sympathy & an open proverbial ear. & I've used it, man, I hit those people back with stuff, stuff I hadn't planned to share with anyone. & it helped, they helped. So, give people a chance. Talk things out. You are allowed to have feelings. (In fact, you can't stop them anyway, so you might as well try various ways of dealing with them!) The more everyone learns about everyone else, the more we can all treat everyone else better.

tl;dr: be nice to people, including yourself, kthxbai

Blessings: More than a Number

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. We've all heard it. BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE. APPRECIATE THE LITTLE THINGS.

There's nothing wrong with that sentiment, at all. It can work great to distract you from a problem, help provide some perspective outside of whatever negative thing had your focus. Can't fault that!
Yet... it doesn't seem to actually instill lasting good feelings. At least when I do it, it's almost like chastising. & it feels like it needs to be Big Noble Things, y'know? At least you have your health, or your family, or a roof over your head, or live in a free country.
Those are all good things. I try to not take for granted things like my magnificent husband, supportive friends, five functional senses...

...but I want to tell you about something else I've been trying. I'm tired of limiting myself to only appreciating the big things, & that sometimes only when something else is stressing me out. & this is going to sound SO SIMPLE, SO OBVIOUS, but that's part of what I like about it. Makes it an easy mindset to adopt.

Y'know that feeling you get when you buy something special for yourself? You're thinking that you deserve this treat, & you feel all satisfied, full of warm fuzzy feelings? Because that thing is super cool. & it is YOURS NOW.
Or when someone gives you a gift? It was so nice of them to think of you, & you were so thankful for that groovy thing, it really suits your tastes & you'll always remember their generosity.
Or that memento you have from that special occasion? Photographs, art, something you made, something you found...

The point is, you can probably take a look around anywhere in your home & realize there's so much special there, once you remember why you have it.
Once you've bought something nice for yourself, it's still the same nice thing years later. The thoughtfulness that someone put into a present for you can still make you feel special. Anything you liked... keep liking it!
I know I've been guilty of buying myself a new book, or a mug, or a record, or a dinosaur plushie... & then not really giving it much thought once I get it home. Gifts & trinkets, evidences of love & good times, are everywhere in my house, & I go through my days pretty much ignoring them.

So now... I just allow myself to think for an extra moment. For example, when I sit on my couch, I'm right by a large plush lion. I saw him in Target one day, when I'd walked there from our old apartment on some errand or another. He was on clearance, & I adored him immediately, but didn't give in to the temptation to purchase him for myself. But after I was home, I kept thinking about him, he was the LAST ONE, I talked to my mom & my husband about it, & they both suggested I go back & acquire him. After all of that, why shouldn't that lion still make me happy? Sooooo many things around me have some sort of story. Those stories restore the value to things. & once I've remembered the story, there are even usually things about the inherent features of the thing that I appreciate. That lion is so soft & comfy. He's perfect for my sofa. He provides just the right amount of support, without too much stiffness. But it's not about appreciating "STUFF". It's not about hoarding things. It's about recalling why you have stuff. If you're going to hang onto something & give it a place in the finite space you have, it should be a joy to you somehow. You shouldn't have to limit your thankfulness to Big Broad Things. If you have a thing for a reason, hang on to that reason, let it make you happy. Let it make you thankful for something about your life. Let it remind you of something good about yourself. It may be just a little thing, but it's there for you.

I've noticed that there are other benefits to making this a habit, too. By noticing the good books/movies/music/games I have, I actually get back to using them, which is relaxing. I feel less tempted to spend money on more things for myself when I can immediately think of so many things I already have that are still great. I'm also more able to notice what in my house doesn't really have a purpose, so I can get rid of pointless excess. Somehow, it almost makes me less attached to just the having of things; when something has been broken or lost or ruined, I've shrugged it off, because there's so much other joy in my life. It really is more about the reason than the object, & creating the habit of mindfulness & thankfulness overall.

What do you think? Do I sound crazy? What around you is still special?