Jump to content

Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread


MisterIceTeaPeach

Recommended Posts

Guys, today has been THE DAY for me. I hope the next few days continue like this.

Party Hard Anime GIF - Party Hard Anime Party - Discover & Share GIFs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 175.5k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Shrimpy -Limited Edition-

    28861

  • Acacia Sgt

    20747

  • Saint Rubenio

    20095

  • Armagon

    16487

Let's see, with my birthday coming up and at the moment, job paychecks, gonna plan my Summer Sale purchases.

SRW 30 Expansion Pack a given, even if full price. Not for SRW... not buying it on sale...

...

Alright, suggest away, but keep in mind I may not or won't buy them all... for now at least. 

Edited by Acacia Sgt
Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Gotta get all my smashing done before they legalize sodomy laws again, I betcha it won't take longer than 2024.

*Clarence Thomas has entered the chat*

Edited by Acacia Sgt
Link to comment
Share on other sites

AAanPSAADXza.jpg

Bruh, are they actually confirming you can fight while swimming? The website does say swim and if they're just fighting on the shoreline, then that feels really weird to bring attention to.

If they actually do let you fight in the water, then that is unironically one of the greatest improvements this game has made for the series.

2 hours ago, twilitfalchion said:

and this just became Kirby May Cry

 

25 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Alright, suggest away, but keep in mind I may not or won't buy them all... for now at least. 

I hear CrossCode is a pretty neat gam-actually is that on sale rn? *checks* Oh look at that, both the game and the DLC epilogue story are on sale for good price. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Me checking the internet after being away for a day.

Fire Pizza GIF - Fire Pizza Community - Discover & Share GIFs

35 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Alright, suggest away, but keep in mind I may not or won't buy them all... for now at least. 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/367500/Dragons_Dogma_Dark_Arisen/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

 

Trying indies and out-of-my-comfort-zone stuff... I'll probably wait until the holidays or something. There's enough bigger things that interest me for this one that I don't have to delve deeper just yet. -Still going to think about those littler games though.

I guess I will join in with @Saint Rubenio's plan to shill some indies (and Obra Dinn is excellent), although admittedly most of my suggestions will likely be critically acclaimed and old enough that you have probably heard of them, but you never know. Honestly I am just looking through my steam games at this point and using it as an excuse to talk about some random indies on the list I remember liking.

 

The Beginner's Guide This one coming first makes me regret doing this in Steam's alphabetical order, but oh well. This game is famously hard to talk about, as Davey Wreden's second extremely narrative heavy walking simulator is all about the nature of videogame analysis. One of the big games critics (I forget which) back in the day said the difficulty game critics had talking about this game was a condemnation of their industry, and the best games critics of time resorted to talking about themselves for their review of this game. Although I think the Youtube channel Innuendo Studios did a good job of analyzing it by way of exploring a few notable topics of art theory, in particular semiotics, death of the author, and enunciation theory. Point being this game is a two hour piece of art, that is worth playing, but mentally draining.

 

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (and its DLC expansions Afterbirth, Afterbirth+, and Repentance) probably counts as an indie, and it is the rogue-like I have sunk the most hours into over the years. Mechanically it is a twin stick shooter, with various potential items you can find in a run being unlocked is the key part of this game's rogue-like progression. On the surface the story is a modern day retelling of the biblical binding of Isaac story, but with the game being Isaac's attempt at a daring escape down a mysterious trap door in his room, and a meta-narrative about the game being the artistic Isaac's fantasy, and the way fundamentalist Christianity kills the spirit of those who are even slightly creative. While I did get the do everything achievement up to the second DLC, I have yet to reach that point with the third as it added so much (and I waited a while to get it)

 

Celeste is a fairly intense platformer, which plays really well, it has a very fast respawn time which keeps the difficulty from getting annoying, and it also has an assist mode you can start your game with that has numerous options to let you fine tune the difficulty if it is too much for you. Also of note is that it is a discreet trans narrative, about climbing a mountain, dealing with unhealthy relationships, and transforming self loathing into something more positive, which is down right charming. Admittedly part of the last bonus level did break me to the point where I never did finished that (and in all honesty getting the golden strawberries were almost certainly out the cards for me as well), so again one could argue I haven't finished this one either...

 

FTL: Faster Than Light I could probably make a different list entirely of rogue-likes (I was really into those for a while...), so I will work on limiting the number of them I put on this list. A classic with you taking your little ship through 8 dangerous sectors upgrading yourself along the way until you can defeat the evil rebel flag ship. Mechanically it doesn't fit perfectly into a lot of mainstream genre conventions, but reminds me most of an RPG with real time battles that are pausable (reminds me of fallout's VATs a bit), but from the perspective of controlling a star ship, with the Rogue-like progression just being the unlocking of ships and layout for you to use on subsequent runs.

 

Hand of Fate Alright, last rogue-like on the list, I promise. Storywise you are playing a game with the Story Teller where your character has to face encounters based on the cards he draws, all working towards defeating whatever villainous boss is the one this story is based on. Mechanically it is an action RPG, with the rogue-like progression being the unlocking of cards you can use to create most of the storyteller's deck of encounters. I completed everything I could during early access, although I should probably revisit the full release at some point...

 

Not For Broadcast A fascinating little game about managing a TV broadcast. Mechanically it is a simulation with the idea being you have a live feed with a few second delay of a TV news broadcast, where you decide on which angles to switch to, switching to the right feed at the right times, censoring swears (and as radical politicians start taking control censor anti-governmental speech), make sure you switch to commercial breaks etc. Storywise, it is about a country being taken over by what I would describe as a British liberal (but still kinda fascist) Trump equivalent. Despite how serious that sounds it has a rather comedic tone throughout. This is another I played mostly during early access, and should get back to.

 

Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a game about an exciting family outing for a regular dad. It is a comedy physics game a la QWOP, Goat Simulator, Surgeon Simulator, etc. except it is about a regular dad, who is definitely not an octopus in disguise 😛 .

 

One Finger Death Punch An odd game made for a mouse, with right click making you attack to the right, and left click making you attack left, and boils down the most fundamental part of fighting games into its focus, timing. It has been a while since I last played it, but it is a fascinating little game to play through.

 

Papers Please A classic, as it is the game that made paperwork an engaging experience. Mechanically it is a simulation game with a lot of time management involved. Storywise you play a boarder agent in a communist country just as it opens up after a war, with tense moral questions about how much good you are willing to do, when the livelihood of you, and your family is on the line.

 

Return of the Obra Dinn...but I will let Rubenio do the shilling. Great game fun little murder mystery.

 

The Sexy Brutale  Despite the name it isn't all that sexy, but like the Obra Dinn it is a bit of a murder mystery. I guess mechanically it is a bit of a puzzle game, as it is about finding a way of preventing a murder without being seen doing so. Storywise you have been broken out of a time-loop during the masquerade ball at the Sexy Brutale casino mansion, where the guests are all being repeatedly killed by the staff. You then try to find ways to prevent each murder, but having broken out of the loop being seen where you don't belong has dire consequences, so you have to find a way to prevent each murder while remaining hidden. One thing I particularly love about this one is the way the sound design lets you hear each murder throughout the casino mansion, if you know what to listen for. There is also a meta-narrative that I wont spoil here.

 

Slayaway Camp A fun little puzzle game that uses the aesthetic of campy B-horror flicks in a charming way. In it you slide your blocky little serial killer to kill all the teens at Slayaway camp, in the fictional Slayaway Camp movie franchise, with each level being the next movie in the series, and it adds mechanical complexity at a steady pace, with nice set-pieces to end each "movie" off.

 

The Stanley Parable One of the best, and oldest of the meta-narrative heavy games, and it is the game which, for me, decisively showed that "walking simulators" were games. It started life as a half-life mod, eventually remade for a Steam release (which is the version I played), and now has a rather new "Ultra Deluxe" edition on Steam. The classic explanation for the premise is the first notable moment in the game, you come to a pair of doors, and the narrator says you take the door on the left, and the question is what do you do. It uses small binary decisions like this to explore ideas about the nature of choice in video games, and the balance between player and creator control over the narrative of videogames.

 

Thomas was Alone A well done little platformer most famous for the way it got people to care about little rectangles with this masterfully done story. You really come to know and care about the little rectangles, from the overly curious Thomas, to the cynical Chris, and even some odd balls like my favorite Claire, who discovered she has an amazing super power.

 

To the Moon Classic narrative heavy game with some light puzzle elements. The story goes backwards through the life of an old man, and at its heart is a love story as you try to grant his final wish, to go To the Moon. A classic indie game, and truth be told I could plug the whole series, but best to start with the first one.

 

Undertale In the event that you have lived most of your life under a rock, this is a really good, and really famous indie game. Its a great little JRPG which really plays with genre conventions to make for an interesting story. Admittedly I think it loses something if you aren't a fan of the genre already.

 

Vestaria Saga 1 A great little indie game by a retiree you might have heard of. A great member of the Kaga sagas, and I get the funny feeling I don't need to shill it too much on this site in particular...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

has entered the chat*

dcpride81-watching19_800wide_creditonima

Understatement much?

I take it this these decisions are going to make many people give a rat's

dcpride33-floats06_800wide_creditonimage

about the Third B' o' G'. But then I don't think being legitimate in the eyes of a majority are what they care about. -And I'll end my discussion of this very highly unpleasant hopeless matter here. 

I tried playing 30 today to fix my mood, but it only partially worked. (When does Ernie get more screentime? Top-tier character he is. I'm not sure if it is offensive that he wholeheartedly joined a female idols group during a DLC mission, but it was funny.🤣 And unusual b/c I usually would assume that feminine-looking shotas get forced against their will into pretending to be female.) Zanscare and Posaydal are boring enemies. Though the old man commander of BESPA (b/v transliteration gracefully avoids the lawsuit!) who eagerly wants to create a world filled with motorcycles, including motorcycle battleships and Mobile Suits, interjects some silly flavor.

 

2 minutes ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

I guess I will join in with @Saint Rubenio's plan to shill some indies (and Obra Dinn is excellent)

I've heard of it before, and heard its praises. Though the Game Boy-esque color scheme is distinctive. I'm fine with peaceful games, as long as they aren't particularly dark or depressing. Indie gaming has a mixed record with me (the "indie = melancholy" trope is one issue), so I'm always hesitant to get into it.

9 minutes ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (and its DLC expansions Afterbirth, Afterbirth+, and Repentance) probably counts as an indie, and it is the rogue-like I have sunk the most hours into over the years. Mechanically it is a twin stick shooter, with various potential items you can find in a run being unlocked is the key part of this game's rogue-like progression. On the surface the story is a modern day retelling of the biblical binding of Isaac story, but with the game being Isaac's attempt at a daring escape down a mysterious trap door in his room, and a meta-narrative about the game being the artistic Isaac's fantasy, and the way fundamentalist Christianity kills the spirit of those who are even slightly creative. While I did get the do everything achievement up to the second DLC, I have yet to reach that point with the third as it added so much (and I waited a while to get it)

 

Celeste is a fairly intense platformer, which plays really well, it has a very fast respawn time which keeps the difficulty from getting annoying, and it also has an assist mode you can start your game with that has numerous options to let you fine tune the difficulty if it is too much for you. Also of note is that it is a discreet trans narrative, about climbing a mountain, dealing with unhealthy relationships, and transforming self loathing into something more positive, which is down right charming. Admittedly part of the last bonus level did break me to the point where I never did finished that (and in all honesty getting the golden strawberries were almost certainly out the cards for me as well), so again one could argue I haven't finished this one either...

Celeste is a maybe with assist mode, I'm not big on challenge. Issac is probably a no-go.

As for the bolded, as I was flipping through Steam earlier, this game is on sale for $4.49 USD, normally $15.

ss_d1532f2dc0efef091fed0af034ada43ecb343

If your eyes are "WTF am I looking at?" it's easier to digest in motion watching a vid of it, if probably still "should avoid" for those prone to seizures and the like.:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/896460/Lucah_Born_of_a_Dream/

Action RPG set in a young person's nightmares. The reviews say the story is ambiguous and open to interpretation. Yet it does seem to deal with gender identity and repression, enough that Steam has tagged it LGBTQ+. Metacritic gives shows positive critic reviews.

Thanks for the suggestions BTW!😀 I'll keep them in mind.

Though flipping through the RPG and Adventure category on Steam and seeing a gazillion cheap-looking anime hetero-male titillation games, I punched in "LGBTQ+" of out curiosity in the search bar, amid a sea of yuri titles not truly deserving the tag, I found something completely unexpected and free with just $15 of DLC. If I wasn't so indecisive about purchasing video games costing less than a cheeseburger at a good dine-in restaurant, I'd grab it and the DLC in a heartbeat.

 

53 minutes ago, Armagon said:

If they actually do let you fight in the water, then that is unironically one of the greatest improvements this game has made for the series.

Too late for Riki. *Remembers seeing how easily he became a noncombatant near the water bodies of Eryth and Makna.*

Underwater combat would then be the next step. Mind, it wouldn't be that difficult to implement nor innovative, a little magic that surrounds everyone with an aura of breathable air would suffice to make it exactly like land battle except floatier. Still could enhance the wonderful worlds of XC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Though the Game Boy-esque color scheme is distinctive.

Its actually explicitly copying the quality of 80s era computer graphics (and even has different options depending if you prefer the Commodore 1084 over the Zenith ZVM 1240 or whatever...)

 

12 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I'm fine with peaceful games, as long as they aren't particularly dark or depressing. Indie gaming has a mixed record with me (the "indie = melancholy" trope is one issue), so I'm always hesitant to get into it.

Hmmmm... OK I think I will do a quick overview of what I feel are the strongest emotional beat of the thing, followed by how peaceful it is.

 

The Beginner's Guide This feels really spoilery to say, but the strongest emotion it evokes is betrayal. Otherwise peaceful in the gameplay

 

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth Kinda melancholic. Abstractly violent, as you fire tears to attack enemies that are often clearly just alternate versions of Isaac.

 

Celeste I found it rather positive and upbeat by the end, although it is about overcoming negative emotions. Not violent in the gameplay.

 

FTL: Faster Than Light It does force you to make moral choices, but I feel it mostly evokes the feelings of a fairly normal adventure story. Often violent in the gameplay, but in a way that feels rather distant.

 

Hand of Fate It is trying to capture the feeling of a cliche table top RPG, which is not what I would describe as melancholic. Kinda violent, but there is the sense that even in universe it might not be real.

 

Not For Broadcast This one really focuses on black comedy, so if you think too much about the jokes, it can get kinda depressive, but it is part of what makes it funny. Not violent in the gameplay.

 

Octodad: Dadliest Catch Light hearted and funny. Not really violent in the gameplay (beyond like bumping people).

 

One Finger Death Punch Evokes the feeling of an over the top kunfu action movie. Extreme stick figure violence.

 

Papers Please Kinda depressive. A majority of the gameplay is not violent, but there are instances where there is violence in the gameplay.

 

Return of the Obra Dinn Evokes the emotions of a murder mystery. I could see how people could view it as sad, but I find mysteries do tend to evoke a different emotion. Also I should warn you there is at least one suicide in the game. You never commit violence, but are often witnessing it.

 

The Sexy Brutale  A large portion of this hits the same sense of mystery as the Obra Dinn, but the twist meta-narrative is all about finding a way to move past guilt, although what the character feels guilt over is rather tragic... Again like Obra Dinn you aren't committing violence, but are often witnessing it.

 

Slayaway Camp It captures that goofy energy of those bad B-movie horror flicks, which I guess is like the lowest grade of black comedy, and leads to abstractly violent gameplay (I mean it is a puzzle game at heart, even if that puzzle is how your serial killer reaches the victim).

 

The Stanley Parable I find this one hard to classify, as it really depends on the ending, although melancholy is rarely one it touches upon. Not really violence in the gameplay.

 

Thomas was Alone This one is mostly upbeat, although there is an almost Jesus like moment of self-sacrifice in it that some could be viewed as kinda tragic. Nothing even resembling violence in this gameplay.

 

To the Moon It has a tragic fake-out leading into an emotional song that is famous for making people cry, so I can see people calling it melancholic. I could see how people could interpret the ending as kinda tragic too, but I found the way the flat-line blends into the ending credits song poetic and cathartic (I mean we knew the old man was on his death bed from the start, having live a long and fulfilling life...). Not really violent in the gameplay

 

Undertale The true pacifist ending is really upbeat, and positive, but if you go down the genocide route, you get what you deserve. As for violence, it is always optional.

 

Vestaria Saga 1 I get the funny feeling this will evoke the same sorta emotions as most of Kaga's game, some weird slavery moments, over the top evil cults, but a fairly normal adventure story otherwise (although who knows, I haven't hit the end yet). It is as violent as you would expect from a Fire Emblem game.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, time to start doing out of hold stuff... but still not from The Reach and The Rift. Still got some Winterhold stuff left to do, but I'll do them as I go as well. Though that's for next time.

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I tried playing 30 today to fix my mood, but it only partially worked. (When does Ernie get more screentime? Top-tier character he is. I'm not sure if it is offensive that he wholeheartedly joined a female idols group during a DLC mission, but it was funny.🤣 And unusual b/c I usually would assume that feminine-looking shotas get forced against their will into pretending to be female.) Zanscare and Posaydal are boring enemies. Though the old man commander of BESPA (b/v transliteration gracefully avoids the lawsuit!) who eagerly wants to create a world filled with motorcycles, including motorcycle battleships and Mobile Suits, interjects some silly flavor.

Oh, you've seen little yet there, haha. There's this other DLC stage... well, you'll see it.

You can count on Ernie having spotlight during his story or Rayearth's, since as you may have glimpsed already, both settings were merged into a single world for this game.

Not quite, it's actually taken from Vespa the Italian word for Wasp. Their logo even contains one. So they could've kept the V and they couldn't get a lawsuit over it since the word itself isn't copyrighted. But I'd think they still got the B/V mixed up anyway.

You might think the Adrastea battleships are silly... well, Victory Gundam doesn't hold any punches, and that's saying something when we're already talking about UC Gundam, and the Adrasteas... get their moment to "shine". If you thought the guillotine talk was bad...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amazon in my country has some good Switch games on sale right now.

Grabbed Metroid Prime for 40 € and Paper Mario Origami King for 20 €.

I will play former first since I have got really attracted by Metroidvanias recently.

 

3 hours ago, twilitfalchion said:

ok but who decided that Dedede's theme had to go so hard

His name is Yuuta Ogasawara who brought and combined the heavy guitars and saxophon to this series since Star Allies.

He is a very pleasent addition to the composer system, also is the lead composer in Forgotten Land.

He also composed Northeast Frost Street and Sword Of The Survival Guardian among others which are my favorite themes in this game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Newtype06 said:

Guys, today has been THE DAY for me. I hope the next few days continue like this.

Party Hard Anime GIF - Party Hard Anime Party - Discover & Share GIFs

Hooray!

I should sleep, but school's over so I can grind my WYBO entry! I've had the inspiration, so I just really need to get writing. Hopefully my WPM will be up from .5 today...

3 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Alright, suggest away, but keep in mind I may not or won't buy them all... for now at least. 

Well, you know what I'm going to say already regarding Yakuza 0 or Like A Dragon.

...So, as an alternative, I can suggest Tropico 6 if you're feeling like a strategy/management game.

 

6kt6Qti.png

...Twitch, why are there multiple politics streams with Speedrun tags?

Edited by Benice
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

I actually do own Into the Breach, but it's been a while since I played it. I wasn't a huge fan, but maybe I just lacked the skill to appreciate it. I'm very impressed by their business model though, good on them.

Of course, it's fair enough not to be a fan. But the fact that they've done this "give game massive expansion, completely free of cost, three-four years after the game's release" TWICE is just... Wow. My hat's off to them.

5 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

FTL: Faster Than Light I could probably make a different list entirely of rogue-likes (I was really into those for a while...), so I will work on limiting the number of them I put on this list. A classic with you taking your little ship through 8 dangerous sectors upgrading yourself along the way until you can defeat the evil rebel flag ship. Mechanically it doesn't fit perfectly into a lot of mainstream genre conventions, but reminds me most of an RPG with real time battles that are pausable (reminds me of fallout's VATs a bit), but from the perspective of controlling a star ship, with the Rogue-like progression just being the unlocking of ships and layout for you to use on subsequent runs.

FTL is awesome. Beware of giant space spiders!

Hey, since I see FTL here but not ITB... If you've not played Into The Breach, it's about to be the perfect time. The advanced edition, a massive expansion in a similar vein to FTL's advanced edition, is coming next month. If there ever was a time to get this game, it will be then!

5 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

Papers Please A classic, as it is the game that made paperwork an engaging experience. Mechanically it is a simulation game with a lot of time management involved. Storywise you play a boarder agent in a communist country just as it opens up after a war, with tense moral questions about how much good you are willing to do, when the livelihood of you, and your family is on the line.

Ahh, another one of my all time favorite videogames. I've played it to death. While I think Obra Dinn is the greater game and experience, Papers Please doesn't fall too far behind, and it has replay value. All in all, it's another game that I could spend hours shilling.

Lucas Pope is a genius. I don't think I've seen anybody that pushes the limits of this medium as much as him.

5 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

Return of the Obra Dinn...but I will let Rubenio do the shilling. Great game fun little murder mystery.

I've already done so much shilling before... What do I even have left? I've already mentioned the unparalleled gameplay-story integration, the masterful usage of the medium to tell a story that wouldn't be as remarkable or interesting if it was made on another medium that lacked the unique perks of videogames, the wonderful soundtrack, the perfect voice acting...

Maybe I've not spoken enough about the actual mystery. There's 60 people whose names and fates you must figure out, and the game never, ever holds your hand. Some characters are more obvious than others (there are three characters at the very beginning that I like to call the "tutorial three", because while there's no handholding, they're VERY easy and clearly meant to teach the player what they should look for and how to make progress by filling in fates), but even when names are dropped in conversations, it always feels natural - there's never any "I, Deid Mann, am dying of bloodloss from my knife wound, delivered to me by Heihnos Keelr" moments. In a few words, it never feels like the game is putting on a show for your benefit. You're simply intruding in the lives of these people, watching them go about their business... and their demises, more often than not.

There isn't always hard, obvious evidence for every character, and you might feel tempted to blindly guess at times. The game combats this by only confirming fates once you have three correct ones listed, but there's still some room to guess if you're certain about two other people. However, rest assured, the game gives you every clue you might need to figure everyone out. And I do mean, every clue - the way the characters dress and look, where they stand, their accents and manner of speaking, the company they keep, the things they do, the items they own, the environment around them itself... Everything can be a hint. Each memory is filled to the brim with details, and everything you see could be a potential clue in the hands of an observant player. It makes you feel like an absolute genius every time you make a connection.

I remember back when I played it the first time, I was studying that programming course. I made a point to always play a bit of Obra Dinn every night, as it clearly seemed like the kind of game where you shouldn't rush things. Each morning, as I drove to work, my mind was still on the Obra Dinn, mulling over what progress I'd made the previous night, the clues that I might've missed, coming up with ideas for things to check. It was an incredible experience that I still remember fondly to this day and lament I cannot reproduce it. There is nothing quite like Obra Dinn, and Obra Dinn itself is so masterfully crafted that it is too memorable for me to forget.

So yeah. Tl;dr: Obra dinn good.

...Damnit, I started with "what do I even have left" and then wrote paragraphs. Why does this always happen...?

5 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:

The Stanley Parable One of the best, and oldest of the meta-narrative heavy games, and it is the game which, for me, decisively showed that "walking simulators" were games. It started life as a half-life mod, eventually remade for a Steam release (which is the version I played), and now has a rather new "Ultra Deluxe" edition on Steam. The classic explanation for the premise is the first notable moment in the game, you come to a pair of doors, and the narrator says you take the door on the left, and the question is what do you do. It uses small binary decisions like this to explore ideas about the nature of choice in video games, and the balance between player and creator control over the narrative of videogames.

To the Moon Classic narrative heavy game with some light puzzle elements. The story goes backwards through the life of an old man, and at its heart is a love story as you try to grant his final wish, to go To the Moon. A classic indie game, and truth be told I could plug the whole series, but best to start with the first one.

One of these days I really gotta play these two.

4 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I've heard of it before, and heard its praises. Though the Game Boy-esque color scheme is distinctive. I'm fine with peaceful games, as long as they aren't particularly dark or depressing. Indie gaming has a mixed record with me (the "indie = melancholy" trope is one issue), so I'm always hesitant to get into it.

I will say, when it comes to the aesthetics, often times indies have pixelated, oldie graphics because they simply cannot afford more. When you're alone working on a game, lack artistic skills and can only count on the money in your own pocket, you have to cut some corners. It's something I've learned to forgive.

That being said, I do agree there's an amount of indies that go for nostalgia baiting to sell themselves. It's a far smaller portion than the amount of AAA games that are soulless cash grabs, though. For the most part, indies have to take risks, because they don't have the benefit of brand names and massive marketing to stand out. And, they don't have an army of bureaucrats with a lust for money that impede the passion of the developers, so they are allowed to take these risks also.

For an example, the one that I've mentioned just yesterday - Subset Games. Faster Than Light was Subset Games's crown jewel. It's what put their name in the radar, it's what made them successful. The natural way to make more money would've been to shit out a FTL 2. What did they do? First, they spent a few years making a free expansion for FTL which would give them no money whatsoever. They could've released the expansion as DLC, or even disguise it as a FTL 2, but they didn't. Then, they completely changed gears and released a game in an entirely different genre, which was a much riskier gambit. Then they spent more years making a free expansion for that too.

In short, these people not only care about their games, they're also allowed to. I'm sure the last thing the studio that made games like Mario Strikers Charged and Luigi's Mansion 3 wanted was to release a soulless, empty piece of shit cash grab like Mario Strikers Battle League, but the higher ups wanted money, so them's the breaks.

 

Whatever the case, nostalgia bait's very far from what Obra Dinn is. The aesthetic is really just a smart workaround to hide the fact that Pope lacked the budget for ultra-realistic 3D models. It's quite genius, to be honest. Not only does the aesthetic conceal this limitation - the visuals are so well made, that it turns what could've been a weakness into a strength. The murky, monochrome graphics fit the story like a glove. They may look headache-inducing at a glance, but they're designed well enough that this shouldn't be the case for most people, nor should they impede proper viewing of the scenes. And as you said, they are very distinctive.

Other than that, it's really not much darker than any FE. There's a lot of death, of course, but it's not something you could really call depressing. If anything, there are more displays of bravery, kindness and selfless sacrifice than there are vile villainy. Though there's some of the latter, of course. One guy in particular. I wish I could talk more about him, he might be the most hateable character in gaming.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

*Me having fun with the game*

*goes online to discuss*

fire-pizza.gif

Stuff like Claude is apparently now an extremist Edelgard and Edelgard apparently getting Kaga' and all endings being pretty shit...

I hope this isn't true lmao. 

Edited by Shrimpy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Armagon said:

AAanPSAADXza.jpg

Bruh, are they actually confirming you can fight while swimming? The website does say swim and if they're just fighting on the shoreline, then that feels really weird to bring attention to.

If they actually do let you fight in the water, then that is unironically one of the greatest improvements this game has made for the series.

This was one of the most annoying things about the A,I in the previous games, they always ran into the water if you fought near it, so this is a 10/10 improvement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Shrimpy said:

*Me having fun with the game*

*goes online to discuss*

Foolish shrimp. You should know by now that's a terrible idea.

28 minutes ago, Shrimpy said:

Stuff like Claude is apparently now an extremist

Oh, really? Hadn't heard.

Good. Maybe now he will exist in the plot. Perhaps he'll even have an arc!

Quote

Edelgard apparently getting Kaga

I mean, they ruined her design already. Is it really such a stretch to imagine they've ruined her character as well?

Edited by Saint Rubenio
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Perhaps he'll even have an arc!

He already had one, and a pretty good one at that.

And he already did exist in the plot.

One doesn't need to be a lying warmongerer or an edgy psycho to be a good character.

Edited by Shrimpy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Damnit, why am I so bad at making good decisions.

13 minutes ago, Shrimpy said:

He already had one, and a pretty good one at that.

And he already did exist in the plot.

One doesn't need to be a lying warmongerer or an edgy psycho to be a good character.

Well, fine. I'd rather not get into five pages of Fodlan arguments right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Underwater combat would then be the next step. Mind, it wouldn't be that difficult to implement nor innovative, a little magic that surrounds everyone with an aura of breathable air would suffice to make it exactly like land battle except floatier. Still could enhance the wonderful worlds of XC.

I still think that's something Xenoblade X could do with underwater Mecha.

1 hour ago, Shrimpy said:

Edelgard apparently getting Kaga

3b15330e5afdb5900ea00da63e74ea86.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I will say, when it comes to the aesthetics, often times indies have pixelated, oldie graphics because they simply cannot afford more. When you're alone working on a game, lack artistic skills and can only count on the money in your own pocket, you have to cut some corners. It's something I've learned to forgive.

I'm not against the pixellation, I understand the choice/necessity. I appreciate aesthetic variety.

2 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

In short, these people not only care about their games, they're also allowed to.

I get that, I do. I'm just always wary of indies. I don't think I can pin it on one thing.

Though me not falling head over heels for Shadow of the Colossus, the highly acclaimed pseudo-pre-indie indie-ish game, leaves me pondering how sensitive I would be to "atmospheric" experiences. I'm not sure if I'm fully capable of appreciating them. Not to say I dislike SotC, it was fine, but I felt like I was sorta forcing myself to be "into" it at times -I knew everything about that game before I started playing it however, that might've detracted from the experience. Yet, I might be able to find a counterexample somewhere in my catalog of played games.

I know AAA =/ perfect, though I suppose it's easier to avoid ever touching the bad/"don't care for" ones? Indies being experimental means you often simply have to play them yourself methinks, which means spending for them. And I tend to be risk-averse on purchases, beating myself over the little things.😅

59 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Foolish shrimp. You should know by now that's a terrible idea.

True, outside of this topic and forum overall, I rarely check opinions of games I like online. I usually expect the worst, I don't want to hear it! Let my lovely yet fragile opinions be left intact.

The perfect preservation of personal joy practically requires keep that joy in a bubble made for one. Other people tend to ruin things. Unless you happen to be a multi-trillionaire with unlimited access to cloning technology who creates an entire galactic civilization that consists of nothing but you and your clones. (Saw this description in a 4X game I was looking at on Steam yesterday.)

 

1 hour ago, Shrimpy said:

Stuff like Claude is apparently now an extremist Edelgard and Edelgard apparently getting Kaga' and all endings being pretty shit...

I hope this isn't true lmao. 

It isn't. Fodlan starts sinking into the ocean b/c the mole people nuke a giant hollow far beneath the surface -if they can't rule the continent, nobody can! All the heroes then hurry underground to turn into giants that then keep the continent above the water line and are themselves turned to stone for eternity is the real ending. Not just the 3 + By, She, and Rhea, I'm talking everyone.😛

 

6 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:

You might think the Adrastea battleships are silly... well, Victory Gundam doesn't hold any punches, and that's saying something when we're already talking about UC Gundam, and the Adrasteas... get their moment to "shine". If you thought the guillotine talk was bad...

"Doesn't pull any punches", "motorbike battleships", "the guillotine isn't the worst thing". 

Absurdities & atrocities go extreme, got it!😄

Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Though me not falling head over heels for Shadow of the Colossus, the highly acclaimed pseudo-pre-indie indie-ish game, leaves me pondering how sensitive I would be to "atmospheric" experiences. I'm not sure if I'm fully capable of appreciating them. Not to say I dislike SotC, it was fine, but I felt like I was sorta forcing myself to be "into" it at times -I knew everything about that game before I started playing it however, that might've detracted from the experience. Yet, I might be able to find a counterexample somewhere in my catalog of played games.

I know AAA =/ perfect, though I suppose it's easier to avoid ever touching the bad/"don't care for" ones? Indies being experimental means you often simply have to play them yourself methinks, which means spending for them. And I tend to be risk-averse on purchases, beating myself over the little things.😅

Yeah, I understand what you're trying to say. Different preferences, and all. For me, AAA is by far the riskier purchase. They cost way more and I tend to enjoy them less.

56 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

It isn't. Fodlan starts sinking into the ocean b/c the mole people nuke a giant hollow far beneath the surface -if they can't rule the continent, nobody can! All the heroes then hurry underground to turn into giants that then keep the continent above the water line and are themselves turned to stone for eternity is the real ending. Not just the 3 + By, She, and Rhea, I'm talking everyone.😛

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you've probably written a better ending than Koei.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...