684 Reviews liked by canti
therapy but awesome
Yume Nikki
2004
Fucked up if true
Yume Nikki
2004
This game's really good. You don't need me to tell you that. Anyway I wanna talk about something more tangentially related now.
So there's been this weird movement in the zoomer parts of our culture that goes by a lot of names. Weirdcore. Dreamcore. Nostalgiacore. Internetcore. Traumacore? Bunch of dumb names for what's essentially the same thing. It's a certain visual and auditory aesthetic thats supposed to evoke a general feeling of wistful nostalgia. I first became aware of this because of the weird resurgences of a bunch of indie acts that were relevant 10 years ago suddenly making a weird resurgence. I can safely say I would not have predicted zoomers getting really into shit like Roar, Crystal Castles, Nero's Day at Disneyland, Blank Banshee, Life Without Buildings, fucking Goreshit. All these random bands who peaked in relevance a decade ago all of a sudden are showing up on all your art hoe former-tumblr playlists along with Jack Stauber and Lemon Demon (and also spefically Falling Down from the Undertale OST, that song really captivates these people)
I mention this because somehow the Yume Nikki ost has been caught up in this entire "movement". Those feeling depressed for the first time zoomers sure do enjoy commenting weird stuff about how this song makes them want to "lay down in an open field in the rain" on the comments of the Snow World music in between whatever the fuck else they do all day. Go on TikTok, I guess? At first I was gonna call it mildly annoying, but the more I see this stuff the more I'm weirdly captivated by it. It's like watching a bunch of sea monkeys. Like a more earnest version of the amazing cultural touchstone that was Simpsonwave (Not the first time the zoomers cared about blank banshee, ho ho).
Anyway, I don't really know what I'm getting at here. Something something youth something something back in my day something gatekeep. I can't really say any of this really reflects back on yume nikki, since I'm almost certain the weirdcore zoomers aren't actually playing it, but I guess it's cool this game still lives on in our current cultural zeitgeist, even if it has to be through Youtube playlists made by people who misuse the word "liminal" all the time.
So there's been this weird movement in the zoomer parts of our culture that goes by a lot of names. Weirdcore. Dreamcore. Nostalgiacore. Internetcore. Traumacore? Bunch of dumb names for what's essentially the same thing. It's a certain visual and auditory aesthetic thats supposed to evoke a general feeling of wistful nostalgia. I first became aware of this because of the weird resurgences of a bunch of indie acts that were relevant 10 years ago suddenly making a weird resurgence. I can safely say I would not have predicted zoomers getting really into shit like Roar, Crystal Castles, Nero's Day at Disneyland, Blank Banshee, Life Without Buildings, fucking Goreshit. All these random bands who peaked in relevance a decade ago all of a sudden are showing up on all your art hoe former-tumblr playlists along with Jack Stauber and Lemon Demon (and also spefically Falling Down from the Undertale OST, that song really captivates these people)
I mention this because somehow the Yume Nikki ost has been caught up in this entire "movement". Those feeling depressed for the first time zoomers sure do enjoy commenting weird stuff about how this song makes them want to "lay down in an open field in the rain" on the comments of the Snow World music in between whatever the fuck else they do all day. Go on TikTok, I guess? At first I was gonna call it mildly annoying, but the more I see this stuff the more I'm weirdly captivated by it. It's like watching a bunch of sea monkeys. Like a more earnest version of the amazing cultural touchstone that was Simpsonwave (Not the first time the zoomers cared about blank banshee, ho ho).
Anyway, I don't really know what I'm getting at here. Something something youth something something back in my day something gatekeep. I can't really say any of this really reflects back on yume nikki, since I'm almost certain the weirdcore zoomers aren't actually playing it, but I guess it's cool this game still lives on in our current cultural zeitgeist, even if it has to be through Youtube playlists made by people who misuse the word "liminal" all the time.
Katana Zero
2019
Pure fun. The game contains unique fun but mechanics that tie into the story's narrative. When going through the story, you're never bored as you're constantly lead to more bits of Zero's character and the world's lore. And each level ramps up in difficulty, leading you to use a lot more strategy every single time. I couldn't truly put the game down. I always came back wanting more, intrigued to see what piece of the story or level came next.
Enter the Gungeon
2016
roguelite roguelike roguesimilar roguesomewhat rogueshut the fuck up i dont care anymore. oh uh yea so enter my butthole is a fun shooter game where you run around as a little insignificant play figure where everything takes 300 gajillion shots to kill but u die if a table looks at you funny.
I ate an entire bottle of salt in preparation for playing this game
quite possibly the greatest eight dollars you'll ever spend
Twelve Minutes
2021
This review contains spoilers
what if we gave a 2009 kongregate dev excessive budget, polish, and access to actors for his next project. not really about anything at all, just another egotistical flex from annapurna looking to make the medium palatable to the disinterested, writing betrays that techbro lack of humanity inherent to some working in AAA. it's hard for the people out there in relationships with their half-sister who refuse to tell their partners about their blood relation.
by far the funniest thing about this game is if you get the ending where you confess to the cop, he immediately goes 'you killed your father and married your sister?' and instead of exacting revenge or becoming furious he just kind of acquiesces. 'this is too weird for me guys, im just gonna take my leave'
i feel so bad for willem dafoe dude
by far the funniest thing about this game is if you get the ending where you confess to the cop, he immediately goes 'you killed your father and married your sister?' and instead of exacting revenge or becoming furious he just kind of acquiesces. 'this is too weird for me guys, im just gonna take my leave'
i feel so bad for willem dafoe dude
Twelve Minutes
2021
It was starting to get interesting then… you expect the balloon to explode but it just… deflates.
"should there be puzzles in tomorrow won't come?" - the greatest thread in the history of backloggd, locked by a moderator after 12,239 pages of heated debate,
The Backloggd game club is just a secret conspiracy group specifically made to get me to play bad games
This review contains spoilers
(8-year-old's review, typed by his dad)
So the reason why I like the Champions' Ballad DLC is because it brings a brand new rune and probably the most-liked one, the MASTER CYCLE! Which is basically a portable dirt bike that you need fuel for, and the BEST fuel is wood for some reason. But it kinda makes sense? Because wood makes charcoal. And it kinda makes sense?? I guess?
Moving on.
And the parts- the new shrines, are cool and the new bosses like the Molduking or the Stone Talus giant thing, the big Igneo Talus (what's it called again?) and my favorite one of the new shrines is the wind one, cuz it's the closest one to a dungeon because there's a big spinny tower and you have to hit five switches to go to the monk- monkey- monkish place thing or whatever. To beat the shrine. And there's three pedestals which have parts of the map and somewhere in there, Kass plays his accordion thing and sings a song, and there's one in the volcano place and one in the snowy place and one in the desert place and one in the guardian-infested forest place- it's called Akkala! I meant four pedestals. And then there's the fourth Divine Beast- I meant fifth! But it's technically the Shrine of Resurrection one which is how you get the Master Cycle and you have to defeat Monk Maz Koshia (can you do the Spoiler Warning thing?) which has the coolest music and the coolest boss in the game!
And that wraps out everything I remember from my memory about the Champions' Ballad DLC.
So the reason why I like the Champions' Ballad DLC is because it brings a brand new rune and probably the most-liked one, the MASTER CYCLE! Which is basically a portable dirt bike that you need fuel for, and the BEST fuel is wood for some reason. But it kinda makes sense? Because wood makes charcoal. And it kinda makes sense?? I guess?
Moving on.
And the parts- the new shrines, are cool and the new bosses like the Molduking or the Stone Talus giant thing, the big Igneo Talus (what's it called again?) and my favorite one of the new shrines is the wind one, cuz it's the closest one to a dungeon because there's a big spinny tower and you have to hit five switches to go to the monk- monkey- monkish place thing or whatever. To beat the shrine. And there's three pedestals which have parts of the map and somewhere in there, Kass plays his accordion thing and sings a song, and there's one in the volcano place and one in the snowy place and one in the desert place and one in the guardian-infested forest place- it's called Akkala! I meant four pedestals. And then there's the fourth Divine Beast- I meant fifth! But it's technically the Shrine of Resurrection one which is how you get the Master Cycle and you have to defeat Monk Maz Koshia (can you do the Spoiler Warning thing?) which has the coolest music and the coolest boss in the game!
And that wraps out everything I remember from my memory about the Champions' Ballad DLC.
Dweller's Empty Path
2020
I have a particular fondness for Dweller's Empty Path. I tend to be charmed by games that make no practice in complex story telling or gameplay mechanics, but serve as a vessel for a really specific emotion the dev is trying to portray.
For me - the music sounded just the way it should have, the characters said all the right things, the aesthetics were very pleasant, and the short playtime helped me absorb the content appropriately. It doesn't excel at anything other than the emotion it dedicates itself to, and it's better for it.
I love the melancholy and loneliness of DEP and I think Tuyoki's modesty as a creator elevates the game's sincerity.
For me - the music sounded just the way it should have, the characters said all the right things, the aesthetics were very pleasant, and the short playtime helped me absorb the content appropriately. It doesn't excel at anything other than the emotion it dedicates itself to, and it's better for it.
I love the melancholy and loneliness of DEP and I think Tuyoki's modesty as a creator elevates the game's sincerity.
This review contains spoilers
I beat this game on election day 2020 which is really fitting for the themes it develops. MGS2 perfectly subverts your expectations and people are now starting to realize its genius. The hidden messages in this game are downright scary in a modern context. To see how much this game predicted about censorship and media today is truly jarring.
This review contains spoilers
Tight, claustrophobic sandboxes allow for sequences highlighting the causality of player action due to the proximity of guards; in that respect, it represents not only a marked improvement over the previous entry's limited and exploitable areas but immediately begins enforcing the most prominent theme of the game. Tranquilize a guard only to be discovered when dragging their body, forcing you to scramble to find a hiding spot for a clearing. Then in the subsequent tightened security phase, use a box to crawl near the exit, get a guard's attention near the exit, and choke hold them as leverage for escaping. Everything the player does has consequences, has some observable effect on the environment that can help or hurt them.
Beyond the tanker chapter, Big Shell is structured so most rooms are struts connected to another, the player tasked to approach them in one of several ways resulting in subtle shifts of the original challenge depending on the perspective you approach them from. Maybe there was room to go further with the idea, but it comes across the same, connection enabled through choice and consequence. There are numerous mirrors and tangents in the narrative, the obsession with parents, siblings, children, and family is no coincidence.
I find it fascinating that the game commentates on complex ideas of anonymous dissemination of information, the role of digital information in human advancement and the jarring sense of encroachment on one's perception of reality, but the conclusion is very simple, gesturing to the very basic idea of ecology. Despite the gizmos, the networks, despite the finale with enough increasingly grand and indigestible revelations to make your head spin, no matter the method of connection the fact is that we all are, and only you can decide what it means to live for you and your progeny, and that discovery may be the only truth you can rely on in times to come.
Beyond the tanker chapter, Big Shell is structured so most rooms are struts connected to another, the player tasked to approach them in one of several ways resulting in subtle shifts of the original challenge depending on the perspective you approach them from. Maybe there was room to go further with the idea, but it comes across the same, connection enabled through choice and consequence. There are numerous mirrors and tangents in the narrative, the obsession with parents, siblings, children, and family is no coincidence.
I find it fascinating that the game commentates on complex ideas of anonymous dissemination of information, the role of digital information in human advancement and the jarring sense of encroachment on one's perception of reality, but the conclusion is very simple, gesturing to the very basic idea of ecology. Despite the gizmos, the networks, despite the finale with enough increasingly grand and indigestible revelations to make your head spin, no matter the method of connection the fact is that we all are, and only you can decide what it means to live for you and your progeny, and that discovery may be the only truth you can rely on in times to come.