Escaping the Underworld || Hades [PC]

 "I to die, and you to live. Which is better God only knows." -- Plato

    First, an apology. I had promised to write every Wednesday, but since this game came out it has eaten up the majority of my gaming time. Rogue-like games are not really my forte, but something about this game mixing with my love of Greek mythology really drew me in. I have recommended this game to everyone. I got my husband addicted to it, I've gotten my friend to start playing it... and I'm going to recommend you play it too, but I guess I'm putting my cart before the horse here. I haven't even said  what game I am talking about. Let's start over.

    We're talking of course, about Hades. Hades is a rogue-like game by SuperGiant where you see yourself as Zagreus, son of Hades who wishes to leave the deep depths of Tartarus and find his mother on the surface. This is no easy task. Hades refuses to let you leave, and will do everything in his power to stop you, including giving you a smack down himself. I have yet to make it past Hades yet, the two times I have made it there, but I continue to try. As you make your way through the reaches of the Underworld, the other Greek Gods will offer you boons and power ups to aid in your escape. There's a lot of variety so you can power up Zag to suit whatever your play style is. 

Don't tell me what to do, DAD! 

    One of the biggest pluses of this game for me is the style. The artwork is beautiful, the environments are lush and vibrant, and the characters are nice to look at too. The game is full voiced, and all of the voices really fit the characters that have them. My friend TK who started playing said she "could listen to Zagreus talk all day" which I have to agree with. The music is also wonderful, and I don't mind re-listening to it all every time I die and have to start over (about 15 times so far).

    Every time to die, you lose your boons and gold, but you get to keep the darkness gems you earn to power up Zagreus's base stats a bit, including a skill that revives you so you can continue your run. There are many different variants of bosses, so you never know what you're going to end up with. Except Theseus and the Minotaur. It's always them, and I HATE Theseus and the Minotaur. It's such a relief when I beat them though, like an adrenaline high. Now if I could just get past both of Hades phases..

Elysium is so pretty, this is even the background on my PC.

    As I mentioned before, rogue-like games are not my forte. Hades, however, with the variety of weapons and the boons that you can gain from the gods, really helps to level the playing field and lower the skill ceiling so that winning ti attainable even for weaklings like me. I think this is a great way to help get players into a game, and build skill. Not every run is going to be great. Sometime you can't get the boons you really want and it means trying a little harder to get through those rooms. This will inevitably help build some skill for this type of game. 

    Overall, I feel like this game can appeal to a wide variety of people for a variety of reasons, and would highly recommend giving it a try for yourself. You can get Hades on Steam HERE for 24.99, and I believe it's also available on the Switch. If you have played Hades, what do you think of it? Have you made it through Hades himself yet?

Aw, thanks Dad. 

    Thank you, as always, for spending some time with me. I hope you're staying safe and healthy, and if you live in the North East of the US like I do, I hope you're staying warm because it's getting chilly. The leaves are changing and it's absolutely gorgeous out here in the country. Grab a cup of hot coffee or hot cocoa and take a breather. I'll see you all next week! 

Bell

Relaxing in a Dream || Ruya [PC]

 "When you cease to dream, you cease to live." - Malcolm Forbes

Ruya is a peaceful matching game created by Miracle Tea where you have to match the same colored heads in a dictated pattern. A story told in pictures, combined with a surreal landscape and a deep relaxing soundtrack create a calm and serene game experience. I’m a little shaky on the lore, and I have to be honest—I didn’t complete the game. The music is SO relaxing and chill that it actually made me sleepy. I played in short bursts and made it through 4 of the worlds. The music alone makes this game worth it, but let’s talk about the rest of the game too.

I wonder if this game was designed to be mobile, because the style seems very mobile with simple controls that just involve drawing a line through matching colored heads in a particular pattern given to you. As you match the heads and they disappear, you then get the chance to place new heads in their place, so be mindful to place them where you can create the correct patterns. As simple as that sounds, it can become difficult since you’re only working within a small space and it’s easy to block yourself from being able to create the pattern you need.

I love the soft aesthetic of the game, from the character you play as, the sound design and lack of dialogue all add to this soft and calm atmosphere that draws you in, wraps you in a blanket and gives you a nice mug of hot cocoa. My child watched me play some of the game and they were entranced, and loved the flowers that decorate Ruya when you make a color match. The little details really add to the overall feeling of love in the game.

The downside, I feel, is also one of the things that is good about the game. For me, the game is so simple that it feels boring. Each level feels the same, just with a different back drop and sometimes with a little bit of story at the end. I recommend playing the game in short bursts to keep it from getting that way. Play just enough to unwind for the day, enjoy the experience, and then go about whatever else you needed to do.

I will probably continue to play this game until I finish, as a way to unwind after a hard day of work and to relax. The game is simple enough to not require an intense amount of thought, so you can relax and really enjoy the music, which I feel is really the highlight of this game. I believe you can even purchase the soundtrack through Itch.io, which I might actually do.

Overall Ruya is a lovely experience with beautiful music that leaves you feeling relaxed and accomplished. The simplicity of the game won’t be a strain on you, and at only 3.99 it’s not a strain on your wallet either. You can get Ruya through Itch.io HERE or you can purchase on Steam HERE. Either way I highly recommend if you’re looking for a lovely little game to play in your down time.

Thank you, as always, for spending some time with me today. I hope your day is going well, remember to hydrate, take a nap if you need it, call a friend. This year has been stressful, so find happy moments when you can. Hang in there, friends. I'll see you next week!

Bell

Believe Your Dreams! || Arcade Spirits [PC]

 

“Success doesn’t mean something was or wasn’t worth the effort.” - Ari Cader, Arcade Spirits

Chapter title Screen

Arcade Spirits is a coin operated, filled with neon lights visual novel style game about romance and arcades by Fiction Factory Games. You play as Ari Cader (or whatever you choose to change the default name to), a down on their luck friend who has just lost another job and is struggling to get back into it. Their friend Juniper recommends a digital life coach to help them get back into the scene, and it sounds pretty sketchy… but what have we got to lose? We end up at an arcade, which is full of nostalgia and gum stuck in weird places (thanks little kids), but it feels inviting and… maybe we belong here after all?

I really likes the ideas in Arcade Spirits, both in the arcade setting and with IRIS(the digital life coach). The games presents choices as any other visual novel style game, but each choice has a personality type attached to it. Your responses can be Quirky, Logical, Caring, Bold or Neutral and those personality traits can effect your relationships with other characters. I found myself really enjoying all of the characters available for romance as well. You have the cold-on-the-outside-but-maybe-warm-inside Gavin, the loavable teddy bear Percy, fun tech guru Naomi, cosplay aficionado Ashley, smooth talking dancer Teo, and tough as nails gamer Queen Bee.

I mean, what would you do when faced with a gigantic flamingo?

I was immediately drawn to Percy, who’s affable personality and sad story tugged at my heartstrings in a relatable way. Gavin was a close second, followed by Naomi and Teo. They all have great points, and as much as I wanted to date them all, that’s not really a possibility in this particular game. I played through the game twice, once I romanced Percy, and then Gavin the 2^nd time. Honestly, I’m curious about all of them, but I don’t have that kind of time, unfortunately. Aside for the characters themselves, I was impressed with the choices and branches of the story overall. Do you want to build the next chuck-e-cheese? A Barcade? A retro gamer paradise? Do you focus on experience or profits? The arcade is yours to manage!

We actually have a Barcade that I’ve been to, the 16-Bit in Cleveland, Ohio. A group of friends all went and my friend Robyn and I marathoned Golden Axe while we were there. It was a fun time. If you ever get the opportunity to visit, I suggest you do.

That is one way to go...

Back to the game, while it is a romance game in a way, the focus of the game is much more on the arcade itself then it is about the romance. It feels like the romancing itself is a very small part of the game—which is fine! I might even enjoy it more that way. I both love, and am terrified of the idea of IRIS, a sentient AI program helping me sort out my life and even find my soulmate, but I still love the idea. As technologically advanced as we have become, it didn’t feel like it was a too far out possibility. There were a few customization options for Ari in the beginning, such as hair and eye color, clothing colors, and skin tone, although I especially appreciated the inclusivity of having the option of they/them pronouns. It feels like this is becoming more popular in these types of games and I love it.

The only real trouble I had with the game was the music level. I had to turn the music down to almost nothing to be able to hear the voice acting when it was present, which was a shame because I like ths music and I thought the voice active was wonderful and fitting for each character. You can, of course, alter the sound levels in the preferences, but I wish I could have been able to hear both. Even at 100% the voice acting was still quiet.

Gavin and Ari, looking dapper.

Overall, the game follows a rather classical formula for visual novels, with enough twists and additions that it feels fresh and interesting. The characters are well developed and have unique personalities and back stories, so there is something relatable for everyone. I really enjoyed playing through the game. The story was engaging, I love the characters, and it left me wanting to find an old arcade to play at. Unfortunately, little country towns don’t have arcades. I wonder if they could really make a comeback someday—outside of malls and movie theaters.

Thank you, as always, for stopping in and sharing some of your time with me today. If you’re interested in Arcade Spirits, you can find it on Itch.io HERE for $20 or on Steam HERE, for $19.99. I wonder why the difference in price, even if it is just a penny. If you’ve played the game, let me know what you think about it. Do you remember visiting any arcades when you were a kid? What was your favorite game? Let me know in the comments below!

Until then, take a deep breath, drink your water, have a snack, and remember that bad times will pass, and we’re all in this together. Hang in there my friends, and I will see you all next week!

Bell

Wow, So this is 2020, huh?

 Hello fellow gamers, 

It's been a while, huh? My last blog post was July of 2019. Oops. Suffice to say that keeping up with any regular task is difficult, and the end of 2019 saw me getting sick a lot and coming into 2020 was a league of it's own in terms of "How bad can things get?" I've gotten your emails and concerns about how I hadn't been writing, and I'm sorry if I didn't reply to them all as I wasn't sure at the time what I wanted to do. I've been struggling for motivation and energy to do anything, and while I have been playing games I wasn't thinking critically about them as much as just trying to fill some time and make myself feel like I was accomplishing something.

So here's the plan. I'm going to start writing again. Why not? I miss doing it, and I miss getting to be involved in the gaming community in a different way. Starting next week I'll pick up blog posts again and I'll return to the circles of people I have missed so much. Thank you everyone for your concerns. 

While I haven't been posting, I have been attending to my other crafty interests, like knitting and cross stitch, as well as spending extra time cuddling my dogs. I'll share some pictures below if you're curious how any of that is going. 

Thanks for sticking around, thanks for visiting, and I'll see you all next week! 

Bell

A beautiful shawl on the blocks

The cutest dog isn't he?

Hey... Nice cock

Who doesn't love the fat chocobo?

Taking Artistic Liberties || Shapeless (PC)

"Art is an experience, not a formulation of a problem." --Lindsay Anderson

Title Screen

Shapeless is short artistic puzzle game about a creature fixing paintings that have somehow been altered in a nefarious way. Created by ISART DIGITAL ,you play as a creature composed of what looked like a painters palette and copious amounts of paint. The creature is rather cute in their own way. This creature has the ability to enter paintings like a magical portal.

During the game you solve short puzzles involving objects that belong in the paintings, then you return the objects to the paintings to restore them to the full beauty. The puzzles are not too difficult. They involve rotating different parts of the object in order to line them up properly. My spatial reasoning isn’t top notch, but I was able to get them together. The light bulb was the hardest for me, but it still only took about a minute or 2.

This light bulb....

There isn’t really a story given about the gallery you are in or what is happening, you’re just sort of thrown in and you see a rather nefarious looking vortex form over the exit. I wasn’t sure what was happening at first, but figured it out pretty quickly. You can make up your own narrative about why this happened. I’m going with evil wizard, that seems like a good bet.

The visuals in the game are just astounding. I love the multitude of paintings around the gallery, even if some of them are a bit unsettling. The colors are vibrant in the paintings and the gallery itself is somewhat dark an ominous—this may be in part due to all the rather off putting paintings of creepy eyes. Stylistically the game does a great job. When our creature enters the paintings, they become is sort of blue haze with eyes. I think that a small touch that would have really make this game shine would have been if our little creature took on the style of whatever painting they jumped into. The body colorful style of Van Gogh? The quiet realism of Edward Hopper? It would have been phenomenal.

Feel like you're being watched?

In terms of game design, everything worked as it was supposed to. The controls were smooth and I didn’t have any issues. I was really just sad that the game was so short. Before I knew it I was at the end and I wanted it to just keep going. I was hoping this was just a demo, but I don’t see any indication on the Itch.io page that this game is being developed any further, so we will just have to enjoy what we have.

Something small that I also appreciated in this game is the gallery, where the developers provided information on the paintings that you help to fix in the game. It seems like such a small thing, but being able to read a little of the history on each painting made the art nerd in me really happy.

Restoring my favorite painting. 

Overall, I felt like this game was really something special and could most certainly be expanded into a full length game. Everything about this game felt enjoyable and I can’t really think of any negative experiences I had while playing. Definitely grab the game for yourself, you can download free from Itch.io HERE.

Do you have a favorite painting, or a painting that you would have liked to see in this game? Let me know in the comments below and I will see you all next time. Until then, happy gaming, friends!

I just wanna fly! || Cloudtrail Island (PC)

"Once you have tasted the taste of sky, you will forever look up." --Leonardo Da Vinci

Title Screen

Cloudtrail Island is a relaxing game of exploration created by a small team of people known as Wing It Games. You play as Wendy, a young lady who, it seems, is moving to Cloudtrail Island from Obscondia. The world of Cloudtrail is a world of disconnected floating islands that require some form of flight to travel between them. Wendy does this using a glider, and there are also these large almost blimp like airships that travel between the islands.

I really love the concept of this game, the disconnected sky islands, with the air travel and a view of endless blue skies. When I was younger, I played a game called Skies of Arcadia that filled me with such a sense of wonder. It had a similar concept, you had an airship and you traveled between floating islands that were different towns and cultural representations. There was a lot more to it, but the idea of living in the skies is similar.

Ah, the age old fetch quests! Bring it on!

The controls for this game are not stellar. The movements feel floaty, you get caught on the terrain when walking sometimes (especially bridges) and Wendy will jump into the hair when she hits a bump. To use the glider, you hit space twice, but in the platforming sections Wendy would whip out her glider when I was just trying to jump, which caused issues and got a little frustrating. The gliding was considerably smoother and I had fewer issues. 

The graphics style of the game is really cute and the music is nice as well. I didn’t seem to run into a lot of characters, but it might have been a result of the day/night cycle and I just wasn’t getting there at the right time to see them. The characters that I ran into seemed charming, if a bit generic. Also, I wish there was a house for me. I kept trying to go into houses but couldn’t find one that I could enter. I feel like the game was trying to go for a relaxing Animal Crossing vibe, but I felt like it needed more to get there, and a house would have added to that.

There is a large variety of items to collect in the game, and you would use them for fetch quests I imagine. There was a shop set up on the main islands, and he said he was a shop but I didn't get any options to buy or sell so it seemed pointless.

Flying is admittedly fun, though.

Overall, there is a decent amount of space to explore, the graphics are cute, and it is fun to soar around through the air. I love the idea of this game, and I feel like with some extra work and tweaking to the design and execution, it could really be a fantastic game to spend time in. As it is right now, it’s still worth a play to experience soaring through the air and to have a relaxing jaunt around the islands. You can download the game for free from Itch.io HERE.

There was a surprising lack of fencing for living so high in the air. I would be concerned about losing my children or pets off of the edge. Do you think you would enjoy living in the sky on a floating island? Would you want to live in a community like the Cloudtrail Island, or off on your own little hunk of floating rock? Let me know what you think in the comments and I will see you all next time. Until then, friends, happy gaming!

I'm worried about this cow. Are they okay?

What the heck is happening?! || Ode to a Moon [DEMO] (PC)

“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” --Neil Armstrong

Title Screen

Ode to a Moon is a first person psychotropic horror game in the works from Colorfiction. You play as a tabloid writer who is tasked with investigating a historic fall festival in the rural town of Ashfield, CT. Things start going awry pretty quickly, and I started to feel like I was on a bad acid trip.

The graphics and the aesthetic used are well suited for this genre of game. The colors feel over saturated and even mystical at times, and with an otherwise rather dark backdrop, the colors really stand out. When the landscape starts to shift and alter around you, it can be very disorienting. As I neared the end of the demo, I spent a good while going in circles because the mixture of the shifting landscape and the over saturated colors made it difficult for me to navigate.

Field trip!

There is also a VHS quality on the screen as you play, which gave some part of the game, particularly the wooded area, a Blair Witch Project feel---which I did not like. I started having flash backs to when I was a kid, watching the movie with my older brother and my younger brother and pretending to not be afraid. Then of course my older brother took delight in jumping out of anywhere he could to scare me... but I digress.

The music and the sound design are well done. I wasn’t sure what I was hearing sometimes because I didn’t have my headphones on. Was that a breath? A ringing in the ears? Are we descending into madness ourselves? The sounds worked together with the aesthetic to create a good sense of unease as you wandered about your way.

Are we slipping into another dimension?

The end of the demo was a bit jarring, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t talk about it. Obviously this is a demo so we aren’t going to solve the whole mystery today. I am not much for horror games, but something about this demo really drew me in. It wasn’t cheap jump scares, it was an overall feeling of, “Something is going to happen but I don’t know what.”

Overall the aesthetic feels unique and interesting, the music and sound design are well done and I want to solve the mystery. I look forward to seeing where the development with this game goes in the future. I definitely recommend you pick up the demo and give it a play for yourself, this is a game that really has little justice done for it in a written review and you need to experience it for yourself. You can grab the demo free from Itch.io here.

What do you think the mystery is behind the fall festival that went wrong? It almost feels like a bad dream, so maybe it is? Let me know what you think down in the comments, and I will see you all next time. Until then, friends, happy gaming!

Is this the stairway to heaven....?

What Makes a Hero? || A Hero and a Garden (PC)

"I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people." --Maya Angelou

Title Screen

A hero and a Garden is an adorable and slow paced game about picking berries and righting wrongs created by npckc. We played another game from npckc a while back called One Night, Hot Springs, which I loved,so I am looking forward to seeing what this game has to offer. 

In A Hero and A Garden, you play as Cyrus, a hero who attacks a village of monster folk with the aim of defeating the witch and saving the Princess of his kingdom. Unaware that his sword is magic, his sword clashes with the witch’s magic and causes a great deal of damage to the town. The witch curses Cyrus to tend the gardens and work to earn money for reparations to rebuild the town he so damaged.

A horned doctor explains to Cyrus how the garden works. We have to grow berries, and then fill orders that townspeople make for those berries. We use the money we earn to pay for the repairs in the town, and hopefully everyone is happy in the end. As Cyrus grows the berries and fills orders, he meets more of the town’s monsters and even the Princess he came to save. The monsters grow on him, and Cyrus begins to wonder if monsters are really what humans have claimed them to be. Perhaps he was truly in the wrong to begin with?

Sooty!

The artwork for this game is simple, and absolutely adorable. I love Sooty and I wanted to give him some ear scratches like I know my dogs love. All of the endings are cute, and once you finish the game there is a gallery you can access to view all of the other possible endings—which I loved because that means I didn’t have to spend an hour growing berries again to see another ending.

Speaking of berries, you are going to spend a lot of time growing berries. There are 5 different kinds of berries, each with a different timing for when the berries will appear. Some are rather slow. Towards the end when I was just trying to get my 100 scorch berries to finish the game, I was knitting stitches on my scarf while I waited for berries to grow. Just saying, if you don’t want to stare at the screen, maybe have something else to do.

All of the characters you meet in the game are unique and adorable, and I enjoyed the dialog Cyrus had with them. I didn’t run into any issues in gameplay, and the mechanics all worked as intended. The music and sound effects were nice, although the music sounds like a lullaby, and paired with the slow pace of the game it made me feel a little sleepy. You could flip that and say the game is just very relaxing, which it is.

Grow my berries, grow!

Overall I liked the game. The dialogue is cute and made me chuckle at times, and the characters were cute and fun to meet. The gameplay is repetitive, and the slow pace make it difficult to stay engaged at times. If you need a break from the fast pacing gaming world we’re in today, take a break with this game. You can download it free from Itch.io HERE. Be sure to let npckc know what you thought.

Do you like slower paced, more relaxing style games, or do you prefer the fast paced edge of your seat games? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll see you all next time!

Reliving a Memory || When the Past Was Around [DEMO] (PC)

"Past is a nice place to visit, but certainly not a good place to stay." --Unknown

Title screen

When the Past was Around is a unique point and click, puzzle solving tale created by Mojiken Studio.  I played and wrote about another game by Mojiken Studio a while back called A Raven Monologue. Mojiken Studios branches out into these experimental types of story telling that are charming and wonderful to behold. If you haven't played A Raven Monologue, I suggest you do so because it too is quite a tale. 

In When the Past was Around, you unfold the tale of a young woman and a beast in a surreal world where the woman’s memories play out in vignettes. This game is still just a demo, so the game will be build up and things might change in terms of how the game plays, but for now we’re going to talk about the demo.

The art style used in this game is absolutely stunning. The colors are soft and gentle, the characters and the environments are crafted lovingly with great care. Everything flows together nicely from scene to scene, lead along by the beast. I have to say, it feels wrong to call him a beast. This game feels so gentle and loving that using a harsh sounding word like beast feels wrong.

Photos of Memories

The music and sound design are also delightful and add to the overall gentle and relaxing flow of the game. The puzzles are rather simple, and you can manage your way around simple by clicking on everything if you get stuck. Good old trial and error. Nothing was too difficult, and the game focused more on the journey than creating a struggle with the puzzles or mechanics.

There is no spoken dialogue in this demo, all of the story telling is told through the imagery and puzzle solving. This game manages to do that very well, particularly towards the ending of the demo when we get a small idea that perhaps not everything is sunshine any rainbows(and also a small assault on my ears). It reminded me that this was a demo and that there was something more to come.

Where will they lead us to next?

Overall, I think I fell in love with this demo. The art style was enchanting, the music was relaxing and the story was told in a beautiful way. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what more comes from this game in the future.  I definitely recommend that you pick up the demo and experience it for yourself. You can grab the demo free from Itch.io HERE.

How do you feel about a game that uses the art to tell a story as opposed to words? Have you played a game that plays in a similar way before? Comment down below and let me know what you think. Until next time, happy gaming, friends!

Parkour! || Stumblehill (PC)

“You don’t just stumble into the future. You create your own future.” -Roger Smith

Title

Stumblehill is an adorable, if frustration inducing, platformer adventure created by Hempuli. You play as a penguin named Ecki who wakes up alone in his nest and begins a journey to the tallest mountain. Ecki travels through fields, caves, windmills and faces all kinds of danger to reach his destination, but Ecki’s biggest danger is you.

The controls are the biggest obstacle in this game, and I struggled to get through. There are times where you have to be more precise in your jumps and the way poor Ecki stumbles, rotates in the air or launches himself off cliffs even can result in a lot of trial and error to get through some areas. Admittedly, platformers are not really my strong suit. I did appreciate the amount of checkpoint flags that were provided, so that if you fall a long way or get stuck you can just hit “Z” and restart at the last flag you touched.

I love the windmills

The art style for this game is adorable. Ecki is the cutest penguin I have ever seen, and despite the times I sighed in exasperation and resented him, I still wanted to give him a hug. The environments are vibrant, the colors are beautiful, and the levels are well crafted and thoughtfully put together. The Windmill area was my favorite, I think, although the caves were really beautiful as well.

The music was relaxing and enjoyable, and the sound effects were fitting, even if I got sick of hearing Ecki fall on the ground (I guess I just shouldn’t have fallen so much). Poor Ecki cries every time he gets up after he falls, the poor guy. He was crying the whole adventure for me, but he made it!

My daughter was sitting with me while I played through some of the levels. There are signs that sort of show a picture and a key as a helpful aide for controls. Though, they weren’t always clear what was being asked of us, so my daughter interjected, “I don’t understand SIGN language (paused for laugh).” There is a way to check the controls on the opening screen of the game, so it wasn’t hard to figure the controls out, but I wanted to share that story anyway because I love my daughter and it was cute.

Ecki continues on...

Over all I enjoyed the adventure. There were times I got frustrated, but thanks to the abundance of checkpoints I never had to redo a large amount of work to get back to where I was. The game isn’t long either, so it doesn’t become repetitive or boring. You can check the game out for yourself, it’s free from Itch.io HERE. Be sure to leave some feedback for Hempuli and let them know how you liked it.

As always, thank you for stopping in today. Have you played games where the controls are purposely(or unintentionally) frustrating? Do you think a little penguin could really make such a long journey? Let me know what you thought in the comments below. Have a great day everyone, see you next time!

To Infinity and Beyond! || Chasing the Stars (PC)

“The end never justifies the means because there is no end; there are only means.” - Penn Jillette

Title Screen

Chasing the Stars is a BL (Boy’s Love) Ren’py visual novel created by Ertal Games. I played their previous game A Hand in the Darkness, which was also a BL visual novel, you can find my blog entry about that game (here). I backed this game on Kickstarter and I waited some time for it, so I was happy when I got the email saying that it was finished and got my keys for it. However, I was changing jobs and had a lot going on so I didn’t get the chance to play it until now. Everything has sort of been on hold, and even after I said I was coming back there was a major crisis and I had to bail again. Sorry! But I’m here now, and let’s talk about Chasing the Stars.

In Chasing the Stars you play as Tirs, a young man who has a dream to be a part of the team that is Terraforming the new planet Alaya. Tirs had an opportunity, but declined, not wanting to leave his boyfriend at the time Nil. Tirs bore resentment over his decision to give up his dream to go to space, and it impacting their relationship in a way that Nil breaks up with Tirs. The game starts just after the break-up when Tirs has to come face-to-face with how he got to where he is, with the help of his friends Pol and Lila. Pol suggests that Tirs try to join the terraforming project again, and after some debate, Tirs decides it’s worth a shot. How will his life change if he’s able to follow his dream?

If only, if only. 

I like the cast in the game, particularly Dr. Rossell, but as someone who’s had a lot of crushes on teachers through the years it’s sort of a thing with me. Although Rossell’s character is rather predictable and I knew where his arc was going, that doesn’t mean it was bad by any means. Perhaps I’ve just watched too many anime have have a knack for seeking out the bad boys. The dynamics between Tirs and his teammates and friends are well formed and the dialog feels natural and smooth. There are more than a couple spelling or grammatical errors, much like in their last game. I hate to harp on such a thing, but when you're paying for a game those little not so polished features really can stick out.

There is partial voice acting in the game, and while the voices all fit the characters, at times the written dialogue and the spoken dialogue didn’t match. It didn’t change the meaning of what was being said in any way, except for one time it sounded like Tirs called Lila “Linda”, but it was just a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Also there was one time that Tirs was speaking, but it had Mark’s name on the dialogue box.

Something that really bothered me was a section of the game that involved inputting a code by selecting, “Up”, “Down”, “Left” or “Right” to open a computer. If you don’t input the code correctly the first time, you get stuck in an endless loop of “It doesn’t do anything. The cursor blinks, unmoving, so I type another arrow”. This apparently is a feature, not a bug. As Ertal stated in their forum for the game, “Not an issue, sorry: if you fail the right order of the arrows, you get into a loop. You must load a saved game to repeat the puzzle (psst, there's a guide in the game folder).” This is bad game design(not everyone immediately thinks of the Konami Code when they see arrows), and irritated me that there isn’t some out or restart to this.The guide is nice, but it shouldn't be a required tool to play a game. 

Poor Biel has tried so hard

In all fairness I only played through this game once, so there are tons of branches and decisions that I didn’t get to explore before writing this. I slept with Marc (Dr. Rossell) right away because he was my favorite, and I also had the opportunity for a threesome with Marc and another character named Biel that I came to really like through the course of the game too. I unfortunately didn’t get to see any romance with Pol this time around, but perhaps I’ll swing through it again on my own time to see how that goes.

Despite any flaws in the game, what Ertal excels at is really the love scenes. I really enjoyed the scenes I saw in my play through. They're well written and descriptive. Much like A Hand in the Darkness, their writing skill shows more in these parts of the game than anywhere else. 

Something else I appreciated in this game, and many other BL games I’ve played too, is the ability to set whether you want the sex scenes or not. Chasing the Stars gives you an option up front to decide whether you want them all, you don’t want any of them, or if you want to pick and choose as you go. I appreciate that. I also enjoy getting to choose top or bottom for those scenes. I do wish there was a gallery available though.

All is well that ends well... right?

Overall Chasing the Stars is well-written and I like the Steampunk theme, the character designs, and the story of going into space is one that I can relate to. I’ve always loved the idea of going into space and seeing what is out there. Perhaps someday. I got End 8, which tells me there are at least 7 other endings out there that you can get. I imagine not all of them are as happy, either. If you enjoy BL games, and especially if you enjoyed Ertal’s previous game, then I think this one is work your time as well.

Thank you all so much for joining me here for this, if you’ve played the game, let me know what you thought of it. Who was your favorite character? Who did you romance? Do you think Marc deserved what he received? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll see you all next time!

Pol is honestly so cute though...

Feeling Human || Synthetic Lover [DEMO] (PC)

“The real question is not whether machines think, but whether men do. The mystery which surrounds a thinking machine already surrounds a thinking man.” - B.F. Skinner

Title Screen

Synthetic Lover is an 18+ Sci-Fi Bl Visual Novel style game in the works from King ofHearts. The story takes place in a futuristic world where a large population of biots (biologically engineered humanoids) exist, with the sole purpose of fulfilling their pre-programmed vocation. Our story centers on Unit 532, a biot that resides and works in the Dollhouse, an adult entertainment building, as a companion. After an encounter with an unknown client and a strange device, 532 begins to feel strange, and it’s clear that the line between biot and what it means to be a human is becoming blurred.

As I headed into this demo, I immediately felt “Detroit Become Human” vibes, and I got excited to see where it would go. Once Riko, a lovely person who does the maintenance on biots it seems, understands what is going on with 532, they help him escape to go find the person that started this whole mess to begin with, Bastian. 532 heads to the Black Orchid where we find Bastian is a bartender. After some convincing, Bastian says that he can get the device back that caused this, and get the money he is rightfully owed for it in the process.

I'm feeling... something.

As they are talking, another character named Terrance comes on the scene. He works for GL in the research department, and says that he has no interest in turning 532 in, but wants to help him none-the-less. Bastian tells 532 not to trust him, and Riko DID say to avoid anyone from GL. But Terrance seems to know what he is talking about, so maybe he would be the better choice for assistance?

The demo ends where 532 has to make a decision between having Bastian help him, or Terrance. I clicked Terrance just because look at him. Those eyes, though. And I’m a sucker for silver hair, I admit it.

Although this was a rather short demo, I really like what this team has put together so far. The art is fantastic, the music is great, it’s FULLY voiced and the voice actors do a great job as well. I like the story they are putting together, as I’ve always had a fascination with “how real is too real for a robot” and “where is the line that separates man from machine” in these futuristic games.

I love the colors at play here. 

I really encourage you to give the demo a play, you can download it from itch.io here. Play it, see what you think, and if you like it, then you can help their kicktstarter which you can find here. Check it out for more information on the game and characters, and back them if you can. I was really impressed with the quality of the writing, the art and the production of the game overall, so I’m considering backing myself.

Thank you all so much for being here with me today. Happy Fourth of July. How do you feel about the idea of biots? Would you be able to separate them from humans in a significant way? If they looked liked humans, I don’t think that I could. Let me know what you think in the comments, and I’ll see you all next time.

Wow is it 2019 already? || State of the blog address

Oh, hey everybody. I haven't written in here since July, huh? That's my bad ya'll. I got caught up in school and trying to find a new job to support my life and this blog just got away from me.  I can say that I'll be better about that, but we all know I'm a garbage person and therefore I don't want to make unrealistic promises, or timelines, or anything like that.

So here is what I WILL DO. I have started a new job that occupies my time during most of the week. I got a grown up 9-5, desk job. I really like it, even though I have a ridiculous commute to make to get there... but I get paid enough to deal with it(at least while I have my Kia that gets 35 mpg so I'm not spending $200 a week on gas). Minus sleeping, getting ready and such, One an average weekday I get 2.5 hours to eat dinner, shower, catch up on my kdramas(really falling behind here), play games, practice my Korean, spend time with my daughter, etc. In short, the time component of all of this really blows.

Come 90 days, if I'm able to keep my productivity high and my ratings above 95%, I can work from home. This is my ultimate goal, which will open up an extra 2.5-4 hours of commuting(weather is a big factor here). For now, I want to try to just stick to one blog post a week. Now, classes are starting this upcoming week, so I have to see how to time manage all of that work into my week also, but this is my last semester which means I get to apply for graduation (hurray!) and that will open up more time for me also.

In short, I want to return to writing here. I made myself a promise to do this, and I want to uphold it as best I can. I have received some game requests for games to play, so I will be starting those soon. I don't want to let you all down, nor do I want to let myself down. Please keep an eye out for upcoming blogs, and fun times.

As always, be safe, and happy gaming,
Bellannmae

Dungeons, and Dragons, and a Dog. Oh My!

I mentioned it on my twitter, and most people who know me already know this anyway, but I’m a huge fan of Dungeons and Dragons. I grew up watching my cousins play, but I never got to take part. Now as an almost 30 something who no longer cares about trying to fit in with people, I have friends who also enjoy the game and we’ve decided to embark on an adventure together to… wherever this all takes us. There are 4 of us, and Ashtan(Aralith) is doubling as our 4^th party member and our DM. We also have John(Vaulen), our resident wizard, and Bethany(Felosial) is our cleric.

My character is Riswynn Holderhek, a dwarf barbarian with a very feminine side and a giant dog companion which also doubles as a mount. Below is my drawing of Riswynn, which isn’t quite complete, but you’ll get the idea. I’m also not great at drawing animals, but I did my best.

Riswynn Holderhek

Age:  32

Height: 3’8’’

Weight:  78 pounds

Riswynn was born in Kraghammer, but her family moved from Kraghammer to Terrah when she was a young child, after the untimely death of her father, to start fresh and lead a better life. She grew up well, the youngest of 6. She and her brothers have typical brother-sister relationships, but because she is a girl—and a more feminine girl at that—she is looked down on. A girly fighter? Stay in the kitchen or have some babies like a good little lady

Riswynn took up armory to make a name for herself making armor that is both functional and “pretty”. However, her skill may be a little lacking. One day she heard a rumor from a traveling merchant about an ancient forge, which belonged to a master blacksmith. Riswynn then decided—if she could find the forge and the master’s tools, then she would surely be able to improve her skills at the anvil and prove her worth as a blacksmith. She could prove her brothers wrong, and all of Dwarven kind wrong! Thus, she set out to find more information about the forge to find it for herself.

So, Riswynn is one of 6 children. She has 5 older brothers: Thorin (51) - Carpenter, Adrik (47) - Miner, Brotorr (42) - Priest, Oskar (39) - Chef, Rurik (35) - Healer. Riswynn is closest to her oldest brother Thorin and her brother Oskar but had a bit of a rocky relationship with Brotorr due to her rejection of the Deities. Her mother is a saint of a woman, stocky, usually with an apron on and a rolling pin in her hand.

I’ll continue in other posts to talk about our adventure as we started out, but I wanted to get through some character things first. Since it will all be from Riswynn’s point of view, we’ll learn about Felosial, Vaulen and Aralith as we go along. I’m very excited to get atarted, and I’m a couple sessions behind in sharing, so I apologize for being behind. Hopefully it will be a rousing adventure for all of us.

Until next time, take care!  

Making Art || Catastropieces (PC)

“Art doesn’t have to be pretty. It has to be meaningful.” -Duane Hanson

Such a pretty and colorful title screen

Catastropieces is a point and click puzzle game created by Maria Ferreri and many others, in which you use Rube Goldberg contraptions to create art. I fell in love with the concept, and the creativity behind it, so I could wait to give it a try. Without further ado, let’s give it a try!

The style of the game is very nice, it looks smooth and the colors are nice. The game ran at a bit of a low frame rate on my computer, but it wasn’t terrible. I had a bigger issue with the controls are certain times. It was difficult to place objects where I wanted to go. Some surfaces wouldn’t register where I tried to place things. I also wished that you were able to place object diagonally, for example, laying a canvas from the top of a box to the floor so I could roll objects down it. It would have made it better for me.

This one you have to paint the car!

There were also times when I would try to rotate an object, but my camera would move instead, which was a little frustrating. There’s a random element to how the objects will move when acted upon with force, so it can be difficult to predict how certain parts of your contraption will work. I completed one level by repeatedly running the same contraption until a fruit rolled the way I wanted it to. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m not skilled in creating Rube Goldberg machines, and that likely playing into my terrible skill at this particular game. I still love the concept, and I think with some updates and minor fixes it could be great. If a person enjoys creating these types of contraption (instead of just watching them, like me), they may find more enjoyment in the game. Give the game a try for yourself, you can download it free from Itch.io *here*. Let me know what you thought in the comments below!

Thank you, as always. Until next time!

Bellannmae