Why I Love: Kingdom of Loathing

The more you know

When you go to kingdomofloathing.com there are a bunch of stick figures.  You see some stats about some players and some announcements.  Currently there is a banner for their game Shadows Over Loathing.  And that’s it.

But if you make an account and go in, you enter a comical world that shows you how entertaining simple stick figures and the written word can be.  Kingdom of Loathing is a browser, turn-based RPG that has the normal elements of any RPG: six classes, skills for each, a main quest and side quests, and fun secrets.  What sets it apart is the fairly simple illustrations of monsters and the hilarious descriptions of the fights and adventures you partake in.

I mean, this is what it looks like (I’m going through a special Super Mario version run):

The game is filled to the brim with jokes and pop culture references.  Skeletons can “scwipe you with their scimitar and misc.”. And you’ll fight monsters like The Beetles or golems made of chowder.  Everything from the fights to the item descriptions have jokes and it’s an absolute delight reading new material as well.  You can take apart cottage cheese and get a cottage.  That’s the kind of humor I’m talking about.

The world is very well developed at this point and there are tons of places to explore.  Expect to do reading from all the descriptions of the events you run into.  There is a limiting factor though: every day you get 40 adventures and every combat/event encounter consumes one adventure.  Stores and stuff don’t use adventures. You might feel like this is limiting, but it’s just about the right amount to play for every day.  And you can have up to 200 adventures stored up. You can go past that with food and drinks, but the 40 given will only give you up to the 200. But also take care not to drink too much alcohol or you’ll be fallen down drunk and useless for the rest of the day.

The six classes are strange like Accordion Thief, Seal Clubber and Pastamancer.  But the themes that continue in the skills make them feel like legit real classes that have existed forever.  Admittedly they’re based off of normal ones.  Mix that with the thousands upon thousands upon THOUSANDS of items you can find in the game.  Content really does feel endless here.

All of it is free.  There are a few things you can pay money for, but the game is completely fine without them.  And if you finish the game you can ascend and start over with different challenge paths that go from something as simple as being a teetotaler and not being able to drink, to having the whole kingdom turned into a nuclear post apocalypse. Or even like my current run, being a Super Mario-like character.  Every time you ascend you get rewarded and you can start over with new content, which at this point there are SO MANY different cool paths you can take now.  

There are, of course, online components. You can shop the player maintained mall, take part in PvP, or create a clan with your friends to take on a clan dungeon.  But also of course, I do not partake in the online aspects except the mall.  

This game is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea but I highly recommend trying it.  It is available for free at kingdomofloathing.com. If you’re not into browser based mostly text adventures you can get West of Loathing or Shadows of Loathing on Steam.  They are not free though.  

But all I’ve been doing is explaining what the game is. The whole battle system set around things like fighting hippies having elemental effects like “stench damage” gives you a bit of an idea of some of the organized absurdity the game shows you.  The game is most rewarding when you know more about real life and pop culture.  References abound in nearly every description and you’ll find yourself laughing out loud (hopefully, if not I apologize for my taste in humor).  At the very least there are some puns there that you can enjoy.

And that’s the big thing. The more you know about pop culture, the more enjoyable this game gets. Things from random beer quotes (I don’t drink, but I still get some of the jokes from ads and whatnot), to references to other games, to making puns or making fun of grammar. There are so many different kinds of humor all throughout the game. Every time I read something and I get the reference I feel like doing that DiCaprio pointing gif/meme. And sometimes the stuff is just funny without getting it.

So if we get all that pop culture stuff in with an infinitely updated game that I would play forever if it updated forever and I lived forever, and you get this wonderful game. Really, I’ve seen so many mixed responses to this game. …but I just finished my 50th ascension and I still have more things I want to do in this game.

Kingdom of Loathing is #179 on the ULTRA, as of the publishing of this post. What other browser based games do you still really like?

Thanks for reading, and hopefully I will post more darn often. =_= Be safe.
I’ll see you next time.
– Elise

Why I Love: Kentucky Route Zero

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I was afraid to write about this because I am always worried about spoiling this kind of stuff.  So if you are going to play this game or you haven’t finished it, I’d rather you do that first before reading this, because I don’t really think there is a way to talk about this without spoiling any of it.  Please go do so.  If you have absolutely no intentions of finishing or playing this game, or you’ve already finished it, feel free to continue on.  

There will be no spoiler tags.  

So, again, be sure that if you want to play without spoilers, stop here.  

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A lot of games have less than 50% of owners playing it.  Kentucky Route Zero is like 10-20%.  I feel bad because I think gamers tend to underestimate how good writing, literally the words, juxtaposition, and everything else, can be so strong.  Kentucky Route Zero takes that and structures it around an interactive, choice-making medium in such a way that doesn’t take away from the way words evoke feeling and meaning just because you can see actions or make choices.  Its strength still feels as powerful as any traditional writing.  It truly is a visual novel.

I went into Kentucky Route Zero thinking it was overhyped.  It’s been a long time since I’ve played a classic adventure/point and click style game, although admittedly this game doesn’t really have puzzles.  So I went in not knowing what to expect.  Which…is no surprise because I tend to go blindly into games, because I like that.  Immediately I love the simplistic style in the graphics.  It makes things feel vague and mysterious.  You can’t see any of the character’s faces.  They’re just blank.  Movement can sometimes feel sluggish.  You spend a lot of time just looking.  

The way the game presents itself is like myth and folklore.  But not in the manner of viral videos or YouTubers talking about stuff.  It’s like the normal everyday life of the belief.  Everything feels all matter of fact.  The perspective of the characters isn’t in shock.  It’s a different cultural structure.  It reminds me of how my family still works with balances of elements in Feng Shui.  They just kind of exist and we exist within that sphere.  Or one that is a little strange is that there are raccoon spirits in the households.  If someone talks about them, there is no surprise if it is the spirit that caused something.   There’s no unbelief.  There is even an ancestral chart for the different spirits that have passed through the household.  To be clear, this is not a Chinese thing, it is just lore from the family.  

And saying that something happened by the raccoon spirits is not ignorance, it’s living within the in between of what is real and our mythos.  Whether or not the scenes we experience in Kentucky Route Zero are real, take place in the afterlife, or are folklore, is not important.  What’s important is that they happened and were felt.  

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There is a section about halfway through the series where you go on a trippy river called the Echo.  On the Echo I notice a theme where everyone who lives there or hangs out there often becomes wanderers.  They tend to forget why they travelled on the Echo.  They end up drifting everywhere.  There are so many stories that you can listen to and experience on this river. Before long on the Echo, I too forgot what I was there for.  I became enveloped in the unique lifestyle of living in this place that resides in between the lines.  Sure, we could say that it was the fact that this river winds for what feels like forever, but the presentation and experience was quite interesting.

One of my favorite moments was in a mostly empty store.  The only thing showing you what is happening is text and audio.  There are no graphics to describe these scenes.  You can hear the hum of these machines that hold liquid in them.   When you approach it the audio changes to represent that.  And when you reach into one of the containers your mind wanders.  The audio softens to represent that as well.  It’s simple, and feels obvious, but reading text and feeling that audio is a fantastic experience.  It’s not so far that it’s video gamey.  It leans much further into the literature side of things, while also not being an audio book.  

It is also perhaps the minimalist style that also makes room for the written word.  Each graphical effect and gameplay element doing their duty, which is to tell a story through feelings, emotions, and words.  There is so much reading here.  And that is not a bad thing.  I think it tends to drive gamers away, but they’re missing out.  I love that so many of the characters are not there for you.  You might be playing the main character, but the other characters don’t really care.  I love that there is so much dialogue that is not necessary.  The only necessity is if you want to take a look at these people in this world.

Speaking of taking a look, I think one of my favorite parts are the little micro episode things in between each normal episode.  There is one where it’s just a phone and a phone number.  You call the number and it’s an information service for tourism along the Zero.  I spent a VERY, VERY long time listening to this phone.  I even leaned my head against something on my shoulder as if I had the phone in real life and was listening to it for long periods of time.  I suppose if I was not clear, this is an old wired phone.  Maybe it helps that it looks so much like the one my family had while growing up.  

Listening to this information recording talk about the different parts of the Zero as it’s a whole entire world unknown to us is so fascinating.  And then there’s the fact that it always leaves something to the imagination.  There’s always a little more mystery than can be exposed.  There’s always a little something more to the mythos.  It gives the feeling of how small we are in a world of myth and reality.  

Here’s another in-between episode that I loved.  I mean, these episodes still take place in the world of Kentucky Route Zero, so it’s not like we’re wasting time on these, but I believe they are optional.  There is one where you watch this play in this very small theatre.  If you look around you can also read how the play came to be and stories around the actors and audience’s reactions.  There’s a surreal experience of learning such in depth material about something that you’re in the process of watching.  It feels so personal that I can’t help but feel a weird relationship between the actors and also the actors as people.  It’s that strange feeling of reaching into the depths of a world we know so little about, and in the end, it’s still about people.  

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I tried to be spoilery but I still kind of failed.  Ha!  I think I enjoy Kentucky Route Zero because it reminds me of the life I live.  My life is full of mythos, not for the sake of fun or role playing, but because that’s how it is.  I think I resonate with Kentucky Route Zero because it captures folklore very well.  I also love it because it feels very sentimental: here, feelings are more important than facts.  

Which brings me to my last point.  I started this blog to talk about good game design, but I find myself lately talking about things in sentimentality.  I am a very emotional person, what can I say?  However, this usually doesn’t make good writing.  I apologize for this, as I have decided to continue on this sentimental route.  I will still talk as if talking to a friend.  I’m not here to write an essay, even in my deep dives.  I obviously still talk about game design, but ultimately this is a website about praising games, and that tends to bring along with it a lot of sentiment.  So thank you for reading if you do.

Kentucky Route Zero is a very sentimental game.  I don’t want people playing it if they’re not going to like it.  I am worried people will think it will be a tremendous waste of time, but I feel that those who do resonate with it will have one of the best experiences in gaming.  Ever.

Kentucky Route Zero is #9 on the ULTRA.  

Thanks for reading.  I’ll see you next time.

Elise

Top 25 Pieces of Media of 2022

This is taken from another writing thing that I do, so it’s copy-pasted, but it should still be relevant.

Hey everyone!  This is an EXTREMELY LONG post that contains the Top 25 pieces of media I’ve consumed this year (there is a TLDR at the bottom). This is anything that I’ve finished or finished consuming within the year 2022.  This includes movies, music, tv shows, books, and any other thing that…I will consider media.  Things that were released in 2022 are marked with an *.  Other markers such as seasonal markers for TV shows like (1) are still used here.  For convenience I am not going to bother with the archiving/ULTRA format concerning languages for most of them because I’m lazy.

 I’ve also been asked if I get any money for advertising games and stuff.  I don’t.  I just want you guys to be able to have access to them.  I’m not listing all the accessibilities.  These are just off the top of my head, so keep in mind there may be other ways to access the given media.  Alright.  Let’s start with some honorable mentions:

Game: Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons:*

I don’t know why but I wasn’t super impressed with End of Dragons.  I still love Guild Wars, and it’s still great, but something about End of Dragons just felt very off.  It probably doesn’t help that it was developed during Covid’s biggest damage.  The most impressive thing though are the new subclasses from this expansion.  They’ve all been great.  The base game is on PC for free.

Film: The Bad Guys*

A delightful movie that came from a book that I had no idea about.  The film is very cute and well done.  Definitely worth a watch.  I think it’s still on Netflix.

Film: The Black Phone*

A very good horror film that feels good.  I mean, it feels like the crew really cared about this film.  It’s different and the actors do a very good job.  It’s a weird idea, but it is executed well.  I’m not going to say much about the contents, I suggest going for it and just watching it.  It’s good.

Anime: Lupin the Third (1)

The first season of such an old anime.  It’s definitely old, because it’s got racist stuff, but it’s also interesting to see how much anime has changed, as well as how much this anime still stands.  It’s still really funny, and the characters are still great.  It’s just crazy to see how things have changed socially since then.  Also goes to show that just ‘cause something’s old doesn’t mean it is bad.

Game: Path of Exile and Genshin Impact

I will never stop playing these and Path of Exile 2 (when it releases) until I evaporate.

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Now for the actual Top 25.

#25.  (Song) 轉圈圈 – Crispy 脆樂團

The second this song hits, it’s like a chef’s kiss.  It still has that delicious feeling of city pop that I grew up with, and the theme of going in circles was a huge thing for me with me and my vices.  This year has been all about breaking the vicious cycles that I’ve been through, and listening to this song at the beginning of the year was like a final wave goodbye as I started a new character arc in life.  Also the music video of the woman doing the hula hoop in various places doing nothing but staring at the screen for some reason always gets me.

#24 (Game) Going Under

I did not know that this random rogue-lite satire about the working industry was going to hit this hard.  The game pokes at all the stupid stuff that offices and typical workplaces have flowed into.  Artistically this game is extreme graphic design, also in the way that it pokes at graphic design.  The humor is very good and I feel like pretty much all the satire hits all the right notes.  Camera and combat are a tad janky, but you get used to it.  You can pick up nearly everything in the rooms and use them as weapons, with puns related to office objects and other stuff.  There’s an entire dungeon that is about stock and bitcoin.  Soundtrack is a bop too. Get it on Steam.

#23 (Anime(?)) The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

I know people will try to say donghua, but no, I’m going to call it anime.  This is a 3D anime about a guy that is making fun of how dumb a web novel is, only to be reborn as the villain of the novel.  Since he knows he’s gonna get it at the end, he has to try and maneuver his way out of a bad ending, but the meta system prevents him from straight up being good, since he’s supposed to be a villain.  He has to play the system in this ridiculous and funny anime.  The budget for this is very low, so expect the animations to be… well, not high-budgeted.  We’re hoping for a second season that has a better budget, but it’s hard to survive in China as media.  Ugh.  It was on YouTube, I’m not sure where to watch it now.  It might still be there?  It is on Prime, but not if you’re in the USA.  =_=

#22 (Game) Assassin’s Creed: Origins

I played through all the Assassin’s Creed games up to Origins so far.  And finally.  Finally Ubisoft made an Assassin’s Creed game that was just…good.  Ironically, it’s higher up than Going Under, but it didn’t get on my top 12.  There are still huge chunks of it that still have that weird Ubisoft game feel that is slimy to me.  But they portrayed Egypt very, very well and the assassin Bayek is a really awesome character.  While I do like the more RPG-ish system, the way the different locations felt were all the same, even if they looked different.  For some reason the game just felt…so…the same the whole time even though the world was so big.  But still, it’s a beautiful world.  The expansions are very good as well.

You can play it on Uplay, Steam, and other major consoles excluding Switch.

#21 (Album) Further Joy, by the Regrettes*

The Regrettes’ songs are always so darn catchy.  They almost always have the f-word in it, which is a bummer.  But this album has like one third of the songs that don’t have it, and those are all REALLY GOOD.  Subtleties, La Di Da, Rosy, Step 9, and Nowhere are all just really really good.  Darn it.  

#20 (Book) Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? By Michael J. Sandel

I tend to read books that are sociology related, but here is one that is…never mind this can also count as sociology related.  This is a really darn good book that goes through what justice is like for different viewpoints.  I’m all for learning and listening for understanding and it’s very interesting seeing how my views correlate with parts of other things set by people like Kant, Aristotle, and more.  It’s a shame that students consider it just another GE book just for class, because it’s definitely worth keeping on the shelf.

#19 (Game)Final Fantasy VIII

SPOILERS

Final Fantasy does it again.  And by does it again I mean I couldn’t finish it again.  (I never actually finished III).  Games that require you to adopt a specific way of play in order to win really, really, really, turn me off.   Everything about this game is fantastic, except near the very end where if you weren’t playing the most “efficient” way of playing you’re …you’re gonna have a really hard time if you don’t cheese.  And that doesn’t stand with me.  It would be a lot higher on this list if it wasn’t for this.  

SPOILERS END

It’s on Steam now if you want to play it though.

#18 (Song) 光の方へ – Ayano Kaneko

A song about …well, it’s more thoughts to music.  All nostalgic.  You don’t really even need to understand the lyrics.  Just know that it’s nostalgic thoughts.  This takes me back to driving in the parts of Asia you don’t usually see.  The rice fields.  The small roads with the little tiny family owned breakfast place that has the friggin best sandwiches in the world.  Festivals. The rocky shores with only a few people wandering around.  The alleyways in East Asia that people walk on that all look the same.  If you know you know.  This song is that. This song is all those things and thoughts liquefied into song form.  Frick.  It’s good.  Also her voice is phenomenal.

#17 (Anime) Sailor Moon (1)

…I really loved Sailor Moon.  I said “I loved” because I felt pressured not to show that for obvious social reasons.  But as you can see from my name now, I don’t friggin’ care about that anymore.  I love Sailor Moon.  Yeah, it’s still a cheesy kids show but it hits all the teenage girl motifs that I totally missed out on in life.  Some things are crazily outdated, but it still ends up being a fun and extremely historic anime that should not be unknown.  Some of the villains would give kids nightmares though.  Goodness.

#16 (Film) Minari

What is with this year?  This film about a Korean family moving around and trying to get their hold in rural United States is painfully real.  The feeling of getting kicked down by the strange world and trying to operate in a way that lives in both worlds.  I always love films that don’t have conventional story movement, and this one is one of those.  If you’re an immigrant to the United States or have some history being in between two worlds, this is the film to watch.  Just again, be aware it’s not normal Hollywood.  It almost travels near the shallow ends of art house film.  Not sure where to watch this.  Obviously, digitally you can get it on Prime.  

#15 (Film) Turning Red*

Dang it, Elise.  Seriously?  Yes.  Another thing about being Asian.  I love this movie.  I admit the first time didn’t hit me as hard, but the second time I watched it it hit me hard.  I was bawling.  It gets so many things right about what it was like being Chinese in white North America.  Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, it was riddled with criticisms from all over the spectrum.  Doesn’t matter.  This film was good and I stand by it.  You can watch it through Disney+.

#14 (Album) PEP by Lights*

Another album with some f-words in it.  Sorry about that.  But Prodigal Daughter, Salt & Vinegar, Beside Myself and especially Money in the Bag are so DARN GOOD.  Lights has consistently been one of the best musicians I’ve listened to and while I am steering away from the increasing amount of bad worded songs, she still does an amazing job with…everything.  It helps that she’s not always singing about love.  Ever since her EP she’s been one of the singers on the playlists.  She was also my most listened to artist on Spotify this year.  

#13 (Anime) When They Cry / ひぐらしのなく頃に (1)

A violent anime about a town where people go crazy?  Sign me up!  At first it seems like a weird repeating trip of who dunnit and violent people, but the further it goes the more heart it has and you realize people…deal with stuff mentally.  There are a few arcs where it really highlights how painful it is to go through trauma without emotional support.  And while these are extreme cases heightened by the scenario given in the series, the pain is no less valid by those who go through it in real life.  There is a lot of child violence that is pretty visceral, so be aware of that if you’re going to go in.  For me, I feel a lot of heart in this anime because I feel so much empathy for what the characters go through and I wish better for them.  Well…most of them.  

#12 (Anime) Scissor Seven (1-3)

A Chinese anime that is kiiinda weird.  But in a really good way.  Although it starts out seemingly silly, it starts getting serious…er.  It’s still hilarious but the plot gets going.  As with most anime, I just love all the heart in it.  I mean, also it’s Chinese, and seeing Chinese media well received is so nice.  I just wish it came with even more understanding and acceptance in the community as well.  It’s done something though, so I can’t complain.  The animation is really awesome and well done while also being able to play off some great humor.  You can watch it on Netflix.  A film is also going to be released.  Cola.

#11 (Film) It’s a Wonderful Life

I just watched this film like a week ago and it’s really darn good.  It’s nothing like I thought it was going to be (I always dodged any info on it) and people said it was amazing so on a whim I watched it and I LOVE IT.  IT’S SO GOOD.  This really is such a good film and I’ll definitely stuff into the sack of what to watch for Christmas now.  Why didn’t I watch it sooner?  Why!?  Not sure I want to say anything about it because I love blindly walking in, but if you need to know it’s about a guy named George Bailey who is a hard working guy and crap keeps going on in his life.  Go watch it to learn what I mean by this.  I watched it on Amazon, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it shows up on other stuff during the holidays.

#10 (TV Show) Oni: Thunder God’s Tale*

I have no idea what genre to call this.  Some people call it anime but…I…I don’t know what it is.  Pseudo stop-motion animated thingy.  Anyway, it’s by Tonko House, so I already expected a lot, but holy crap this is really well done.  It’s a short four episode series that can be watched more like a long film if you want.  The voice actors did really well and the animation and story are just heart-melting.  It’s cute darn it.  It’s on Netflix.

#9: (Anime/Film) A Silent Voice

Death.  I mean, this film slaughtered my soul.  It’s hard to cram a whole series of trauma and life lessons into a film, and they tried here.  They did well.  If you’ve dealt with bullying, trauma, or disability, this is a good film to watch.  It might kick you in the guts though.  I was just weeping.  I missed out on some because it was all blurry and I couldn’t see but it was good.  It was good.  Films like this are good to help us take another perspective into what life is like for others and learn sympathy or empathy.  Oh, the story, right.  A young man who was a bully to a deaf girl ends up being outcast himself.  Later through his interactions with the girl, he learns to grow out of his trauma while she struggles with her deafness.  It’s very psychologically heavy.  It was on Netflix last I saw. 

#8 (Film) Nobody

Bob Odenkirk is a bada** and awesome in this film.  Enough said.  But seriously, for a film all about action and fun craziness, it’s still really well done as a film.  That only adds to how fricking fun this film is.  I think it’s on HBOMax right now.

#7 (Game) Prey

Arkane Studios is such a darn good studio.  They made the Dishonored series, and while this isn’t as good as Dishonored, it’s still really, really well done.  They’re so good at writing about a world.  It’s a horror game that is more actiony, but definitely still has some good scares.  Arkane once again writes an amazing world where it questions what it means to be good, but now with a sci-fi setting.  I accidentally almost 100%ed the game.  Yes.  Accidentally.  That’s how good it is.

#6 (Film) The Batman*

I was super hyped for this, and I was not disappointed.  Other than the fact that I had to go the bathroom for like two hours in the theater, this film was very well done.  Batman is always a great hero because he tends to be pretty human, even if he is rich, but in this one I think it probably is one of the most vulnerable showings of what Batman and his identity is.  Everything feels real and gloomy.  We may not live in a world of superheroes and supervillains, but the commentary of what this film says about life shows that people can definitely act like either one.

#5 (Film) All Quiet on the Western Front*

Uhm…this is a really good film.  You likely know the classic World War I story about the innocence of young boys strangled out by war.  This film is brutal, intense, and extremely well executed.  Another film that shows us just how sad and messed up war is while remembering what it is like to be human.  It’s on Netflix.

#4 (TV Show) Reservation Dogs (1)

A comedy-drama show about life on the Native American reservation.  The pacing is great, and it has a setting that isn’t visited enough.  I mean, mostly because this show is super well executed.  It’s super hilarious and really touching, but it also has a TON of f-words.  All over the place.  Frick.  It’s on Hulu.

#3 (TV Show) Better Call Saul (1-3)

Man, I’m not even done with this series.  It’s so darn good.  Who would’ve thought that a spin off could be so darn solid as its own series?  It’s less unnecessarily boob-swinging and inappropriate as it’s main show Breaking Bad, and it’s shot and written in a way that just shows what it’s like to make a masterpiece.  Definitely worth watching.  I’m not even done, so it’s probably going to show up on Top 25 Media of 2023 with the rest of the seasons.  Ha!  It’s on Netflix right now.

#2 (Anime/Film) Whisper of the Heart

Am I cheating here?  Yes.  Totally.  This film was already on the Top 12, but was re-reviewed.  I totally thought I was overrating this.  But I watched it again and I was beaten to death.  Yeah, I’m totally cheating by putting this on here again.  I just love it so much.  A very heartfelt and cute coming of age film about two youngsters finding out who they are to themselves.  It’s very…normal.  It feels like us trying to reach for nostalgia in a world that doesn’t exist and failing.  It feels like that as a film.  Yeah, I cried.  Heh, no surprise.

#1 (Game) Kentucky Route Zero

THIS. FRIGGIN. MASTERPIECE.  This is an audio/visual novel masterpiece that rocked me.  I can’t.  It’s so darn good.  This Americana fantasy realism adventure is so good.  Sometimes I am just speechless.  Ugh, I remember looking at this game and thinking, what the crap is so good that critics are saying about this weird lookin’ game?  

No.  I was wrong.  It’s so so so so soooo good.  Treat it like an experience, because that’s kinda what it is.  Sometimes the sound design is like wow.  I am…living a book right now.  It hits all the weird spiritual, ethereal notes that I love about Americana that I loved in Over the Garden Wall.  Its tone is much more serious and heavy, but man it’s so good.  The fantasy parts don’t even matter that it’s fantasy because it might as well be real.  All the experiences that we have in them might as well be real.  As you travel and learn more about the mysterious Route Zero, you’ll find yourself in head spaces that make you think and feel what it’s like to be in between spaces and existence.  I don’t know how to explain it.  Actually I do, I’m writing a review for it that will be more in depth.  However, it will have spoilers, and I definitely don’t want to spoil this for you.  Even if you’re not someone who plays games, this is a classic adventure game that will not rely on your gaming skills.  It’s simply an experience.  And it’s a darn good one. The writing is fantastic.  Just fantastic.  Okay, I’m done.  It’s good.  

It’s very…art house.  So I’m sorry if you play it and it just doesn’t connect well.  But I’m going to stand by this and say Kentucky Route Zero was easily the best piece of media I consumed this year.  It landed on #9 on the ULTRA.  It’s on Steam.

Thanks for reading all this.  Tell me some of your favorite media below!  I would love to hear from you and your recommendations!  And if you wanted a TLDR, here’s the list below:

1. Kentucky Route Zero
2. Whisper of the Heart
3. Better Call Saul (1, 2)
4. Reservation Dogs (1)
5. All Quiet on the Western Front
6. The Batman
7. Prey
8. Nobody
9. A Silent Voice
10. Oni: Thundergod’s Tale (1)
11. It’s a Wonderful Life
12. Scissor Seven
13. Higurashi
14. PEP, by lights
15. Turning Red
16. Minari
17. Sailor Moon (1)
18. 光の方へ – Ayano Kaneko
19. Final Fantasy VIII
20. Justice
21. Further Joy, by The Regrettes
22. Assassin’s Creed: Origins
23. Scumbag
24. Going Under
25. 轉圈圈 – Crispy 脆樂團

Honorable Mentions:

• Lupin III (1)
• The Bad Guys
• Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons
• The Black Phone
• Genshin Impact and Path of Exile

Why I Love: Resident Evil 4

Conquer the darkness

Okay, I think for most people who play horror games, Resident Evil 4 is not really that scary.  But it’s scary enough to be called a horror game.  I think some people consider Bioshock to be a horror game, but I wasn’t ever really scared in that for some reason.  …maybe.

I get really scared in games.  Super easily scared.  (I know, Bioshock does have some scary moments.)  But like, this is how scared I was: I couldn’t get past, like, the first few cabin areas at the literal start of the game.  I think the biggest problem for me in horror games is anticipation.  I always think it’s going to be way scarier than it’s actually going to be.  My imagination goes wild and it’s never even close to what the actual scary thing is.  But that’s good.  I like games that create an environment that really scares me.

What really brings it up technically are two things which I was totally not expecting:

Inventory Management

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this made me really grateful for inventory management.  I’ve already played things like the Deus Ex series that has this, but for some reason Resident Evil 4 really helped me realize how much I do enjoy resource management.  I do like not having enough ammo at times.  Making difficult decisions with what I have in the inventory turned out to be really fun!  It makes it feel rewarding and risky, and for some reason I never really recognized that.  I probably felt it in Deus Ex, but I only realized it for what it was here, and looking at the time this game was released, it probably was the same for others as well.

Oh wait, I played Resident Evil 1.   And that was a nightmare.  Pun intended.

For me, it was Resident Evil 4.  It feels rewarding when I save something for later and it turns out to be useful, and it feels like there are consequences if I hoard and it turns out to be detrimental.  I like it.   Resident Evil 1 was a little too punishing in inventory management for me.

Gunplay

This is probably…the best third person gunplay I’ve had.  It feels so good.  It really feels like I’m aiming the gun.  I mean, obviously that’s what we do in shooting games, but it feels so natural here.  When I initially saw it for what it was, again I was really doubtful.  I was like, “This is not going to be great.”  But…every time I had an encounter and I had to shoot, it was fun.  Um…it’s really…it.  That’s it.  

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For me, this was also a turning point where horror games changed.  I became more willing to play them.  Which is good, because there are so many horror games that I want to play for the story, but still want to experience the original form of the game.  It’s because of Resident Evil 4 that I played Alan Wake, and then continued on with other horror games.  

Emotionally I really like Resident Evil 4 because I love the characters in it.  I love that Leon doesn’t really care about people being flirty or romantic with him.  He just brushes it off.  I really like that a lot.  I hate forced romance or obvious push for romance.  I like that allied NPCs don’t feel stupid.  And it’s interesting that the graphics still somehow hold up today. Which is kind of weird.

These things in Resident Evil 4 are present in other games, but I think the little nuances of a lot of eastern style approach to storytelling, character design, and enemy design really attract me.  I admit it.  This isn’t to say that western versions of the same are bad, they’re just different, and for the most part each does not have entire exclusivity. Again, there’s some cheesiness in all games, but there’s something both endearing and paradoxically profound about the way it is done in Resident Evil 4.  Most of the people throw it off as only cheesiness and maybe even cringiness.  I don’t know, because my approach to media is different.  I don’t see things like anime as cringy (I mean, unless it’s legitimate like, cringe).  I think it’s partially the culture I grew up in, but it’s also just…I don’t know.  I honestly haven’t found why this happens or where it comes from.

I think part of it is my whole view of treating these worlds and characters with a certain reality and respect.  I see them as people, even if their worlds have some cheese in it or are super fantastical, and they’re still people and worlds with backgrounds unbeknownst to me.  There will be bad parts and characters, this we know for sure, but for the most part I want to respect the strangers I meet here.  It’s more likely that I’m a guest in their world that doesn’t know enough, than for me to be arrogant to judge them with a personal ideal.

I wanted to see what I would write for a Why l Love for a game that has a greater emotional tie, and I don’t know if it was any good.  Heh.  But I would like to thank you for reading.  
Thanks for your support!  I hope you’re having a wonderful spooky season.  Stay safe, but don’t forget to enjoy the wonderful mise-en-scène of Halloween!

Elise

Yes. I’m totally going to get the remake.

My Natural Attraction

No, I’m not talking about people.

I was thinking that with the ULTRA, I should be able to compile a list of what genres I tend to be attracted to.  After making an Excel sheet and messing around with stuff in there I created this table. 

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Explanation from left to right: First Person Shooter (FPS), Third Person Shooter (TPS), Turn-based RPG (TBRPG), Turn-based Strategy (TBS), Real Time Strategy (RTS), Racing (RC), Action Adventure (AA), Classic Adventure (CA), Puzzle (PZ), Action RPG (ARPG), Platformer/Platforming (PLAT), MMORPG, Fighting (FG), Simulation (SIM), Survival (SURV), MOBA, Music (MUS), Metroidvania (VANIA).

Two notes:

• I separated RPGs and Shooters in general to create large, chunked versions to compare those two genres because I knew they would be the highest numbers.  
• And through this second, improved version (I had another excel sheet that was not as good), I was able to have games count as multiple genres.

The lowest count genres are Turn-Based Strategy, Real Time Strategy, MMORPGS, and music.  Even combining strategy genres, it still isn’t that much of a count.  I grew up in the era when strategy games were huge, and now, other than a couple of grand strategy games, it really has dwindled.  It’s being kept alive by things like Civilization, Total War, and maybe Age of Empires II and IV.  It’s really sad.  Starcraft and Starcraft II still live on for me though.  Very typically Asian of me.

MMORPGs are low count because it takes so long to invest in one to really recognize whether or not it’s a good MMO, so that would explain that.  I have played a ton of MMOs though, and let’s be honest the era of 2000s for MMOs were not that great.  It was ruled by like…World of Warcraft and Maplestory.  Most everything else was mediocre or way too filled with pay to win elements, which is what Maplestory has become now.

Unfortunately, Classic Adventure games are also low in count, but those have been some really great experiences, and I feel like they’re kind of niche even now.  Yet today there are some really good classic adventure releases that have dominated charts: games like Norco, Disco Elysium, and Kentucky Route Zero.  And I’ve only played one of those!

I was originally surprised by the amount of Fighting Games on there but then I realized half of them are probably Super Smash Bros.  Haha!  Puzzle games are also pretty low on the list, probably because I’m…not very good at them.  Oh wait, I realize I’m not good at fighting games or puzzle games, so that explains both!

I think Shooter games are so high on the list because I grew up with my brothers playing first person shooters a lot, so I’ve inherited a lot of that, and there are a lot of platforming games as well because I grew up with the SNES and the N64.  It also helps that those are the two genres I’m most proficient at, so of course I can enjoy them well.

RPGs are in such a large amount likely because of how emotional they tend to be.  They usually have good writing, or at least fun writing.  I also like games that tend to have political commentary on the sad state of things like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided or Path of Exile.  These games point out how grey the spectrum of human morality can be.  Sometimes there are no good choices and sometimes good people get caught up in bad things.  Some people really just want to be bad, but there are some people who just want to do good.  And some people in between, like in Baldur’s Gate or Mass Effect.  Oh darn it, I just chose two Bioware titles.  Okay, um, Guild Wars 2.   I love storylines that get caught up in the small nuances in life as well as the real and cheesy lessons.  I’ve stated before and I’ll say it again, the important lessons in life tend to be cheesy.  Games like Genshin Impact, Kentucky Route Zero, or Final Fantasy VI have these elements and help me reflect on myself.  

The final two reasons are very polar.  I like games that I have an emotional connection to.  I love Control, Perfect Dark, and Celeste.  I also love games that are extremely well designed.  Games like Dishonored 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Konquest, and Hollow Knight.  This isn’t to say I have no emotional connection to them, but a huge chunk of the enjoyment I received in addition to my personal experience was because of how well they were made.  The disparity between emotion and technical don’t negatively affect each other, but the objective difference is huge.  

Enough about me.  What genres do you lean towards?  And what are some examples from those genres that you really like?  Are there any games that helped you become a better person or helped you get through a difficult time in life?

Thanks for reading, and I hope that you find more games to put into your lists of favorites!

Elise

Note: My work will continue to be pretty intense so my posts will be scarce until about September 12th.  I will still try to post at least once a week, but we’ll see. 

Sentimental ULTRAs

In a minute, I’mma need a…

Objective lists of bests always make me scratch my head.  I know there will always be at least some bias in lists, but my favorite rankings I hear from people I talk with are the ones that are very emotionally biased.  I’m talking nostalgia, events that transpired during plays, purely sentimental acts, and emotions just taking over.  Even if this means emotionally attached to a certain game design.  Even if this means emotionally attached to a bad game design.

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If you’ve been here, you’ve heard me talk about the ULTRA, the Ultimate Loosely-Thought Ranked Analysis.  This is my internal ranking of all the games I’ve ever played.  This list is processed by a current top twelve list that rotates as new games enter that list.  When games are added to that list and leave, they graduate to the ULTRA where they are ranked. 

There is no other process other than just sitting there thinking and discussing with other players.  Things move up and down that list all the time depending on discussions, thoughts, and epiphanies.  There is no extreme, numerical game design analysis.  It’s just thoughts.  While I have studied a lot about game and art design in video games, those things are not what I pride my list on.  I love my list because it’s so emotional.

When I speak to players I like to bring up the question, “What are some of your favorite games?”  I say “some of” because asking for a number one game is usually too difficult or stressful to answer.  Just give me a couple of games where, if you had to recommend to a random player, these are the ones you’d choose.  I want them to choose whatever loosely-thought, emotional choices they made.  I want to get to know the player as a person, not as a critic.  

Each viewpoint that the player brings to the table is what makes everything so unique.  Their likes and dislikes of the game tell me a story that gives me a greater understanding not just of their thought processes and perspectives, but also their goals and what they value.  I believe every experience in life does have an impact.  This is why I oppose those who bully others online and why I oppose those who think just because something inappropriate is on a screen and “isn’t real” is okay.  It’s the same emotional connection that gives the reason why you can’t go about saying that certain anime is okay even though there are definitely pedophilic things in it or other similar stuff.  Whether you like it or not, watching that thing is going to affect you for the same reasons that other “innocent” things affect you for good.  I can’t believe I’ve had to make that argument (and have it be ignored by said person).  Why do I always hate being part of this entertainment community?

I digress.  Let me talk about something a little less depressing.

I love Remedy Entertainment’s Control.  I deal with some addictions in my life, and I don’t handle them well.  I used to be addicted to gambling (darn you lootboxes), but thankfully I’ve gotten a lot better at that.  So that’s one of the many down.  I’ve been through therapy, drugs (ironically, for drugs), and other treatments.  It’s not an easy road, but it’s a road that always makes me feel like it is my choice.  Addictions blur the line between what is choice and what isn’t.  It also brings up a ton of other contextual sociocultural things that also ask the same question depending on said contexts.  It’s just…not fun.  (I hope if any of you are dealing with similarly degrading things that you are getting as much support as possible.)

Playing Control felt different.  I felt free.  It’s technically considered a horror game, and I don’t do well with those, but I managed to get through the main game.  (I haven’t finished the DLCs, I’m saving that for spooky month.)  I’ve thought about this a lot, and I’m not sure what it was.  That week I played Control I was free from all my addictions.  I felt like I really was in control.  It wasn’t because I played all day and night or anything.  They were normal sessions.  Maybe it was Jesse’s independent attitude and my role-playing as the characters that gave me strength.  Maybe it was the emotional connection I had with her confusing experience.  Maybe it was smashing stuff with the physics in the game.  What if it was just good gameplay and world building?  These are just some of the ideas, but I honestly can’t pinpoint why.  That whole experience is one of the biggest reasons why I love Control.  

It’s so…simple if you look at it.  The event was complicated for me, but if you look at it from the outside in, it seems so simple.  It’s very emotional, and it’s super insanely biased.  It is in fact, probably one of the most biased positions on the ULTRA.  Control sits at #6.

I think what I am trying to say is that I love people.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a hermit.  I rarely go to events for the social parts.  But I admit that I really love people.  Sounds like an oxymoron, but I think it somehow works.  I’ve been following other players like Later Levels, where life, games, and being a parent all coincide.  And how about The Gamer With Glasses, a gamer trying to get through life and talk about their love for RPGs.  Or Ace Asunder’s unique perspectives on gaming feel empowering and eye-opening.   Their views on games tell stories.  These are stories that help me grow.

I am far, far from a perfect person, especially as I have just been kind of vulnerable about my life just now.  I value the struggle, and all the hardships in my life have given me the opportunity to become a softer person.  I have chosen that.  I want to see that.  I want to see how video games are a force for good for people in the world.  How has gaming shaped struggles for you?  How has it helped, even in the most minor of ways?  

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Hearing emotional lists and likes of games helps me realize that the player I am talking to is a human being, and with that human being comes struggle.  And with that struggle is usually someone who is trying to be a better person.  And with that striving person, maybe another reason for me to hate being part of this media community a little less and love it a little more.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you again later this week if my work isn’t crushing my soul.

Elise