Well, we're a week into 2020 now so it's about time I finished my list. I hope you get the chance to check out some of my recommendations!
Eliza
Ahh, I loved this game! Eliza (named after the natural language conversation program created at MIT's AI laboratory) is a visual novel by Zachtronics about an AI counselling program, the people who use it and the people who develop it.
You play as Evelyn, who's reconnecting with old colleagues and studying Eliza in practice. There are many choices about the morality of the program and how it should be used in future. It's harrowing on one hand, but hopeful on the other. The story is enjoyable and well written, enhanced by its perfect voice acting. (And, whilst writing this blog post, Eliza has also been nominated for two IGF awards, including the grand prize!)
You play as Evelyn, who's reconnecting with old colleagues and studying Eliza in practice. There are many choices about the morality of the program and how it should be used in future. It's harrowing on one hand, but hopeful on the other. The story is enjoyable and well written, enhanced by its perfect voice acting. (And, whilst writing this blog post, Eliza has also been nominated for two IGF awards, including the grand prize!)
(Spoilers ahead)
At the end of the game, you're given a bunch of final choices; meaning your choices until then didn't really matter that much. This kind of thing usually annoys me, but with Eliza, I felt the choices I'd made until then helped me gain enough information to make my final choice. It was well balanced and, because I was satisfied with my ending, I finished Eliza happy. As you know, I loved Life is Strange 2, though I felt every ending was cruel one way or another. Eliza wasn't like that (well, at least my ending wasn't) but it wasn't pandering to the audience either: There were a ton of choices, none of them a perfect solution, but it still felt like real life, albeit without hopelessness. Eliza reminded me of my favourite narrative games, where how you play reveals a little about your personality. I'd love to find out which endings other people chose!
At the end of the game, you're given a bunch of final choices; meaning your choices until then didn't really matter that much. This kind of thing usually annoys me, but with Eliza, I felt the choices I'd made until then helped me gain enough information to make my final choice. It was well balanced and, because I was satisfied with my ending, I finished Eliza happy. As you know, I loved Life is Strange 2, though I felt every ending was cruel one way or another. Eliza wasn't like that (well, at least my ending wasn't) but it wasn't pandering to the audience either: There were a ton of choices, none of them a perfect solution, but it still felt like real life, albeit without hopelessness. Eliza reminded me of my favourite narrative games, where how you play reveals a little about your personality. I'd love to find out which endings other people chose!
Laid Back Camp
Cup noodle stocks soar! I'm not going to lie...I hated the look of Laid Back Camp at first. So much so that, despite being interested in the premise, I skipped it when it came out. I hate the moe art style (where every character looks 13 years old and has the same face)! However, I was just too interested in the concept, especially after I found out that Shiba-Inus make a regular appearance, so I gave it a watch.
I'm so glad I did! It's one of the best anime I've seen. It's quiet, peaceful and down-to-earth. Nothing much happens: There's no peril, enemies or anything like that – Just a group of girls who enjoy camping and learning together. It's so relaxing and atmosphetic that you feel like you're there with them. Now, I really want to go camping in Japan, where I can wake up and gaze upon Mt Fuji whilst eating cup noodles!
By the end of the series, the solitary protagonist, Rin, camps with the group and learns the joys of camping with others, BUT she doesn't quit camping on her own from time to time either. Her character wasn't compromised to push the trope "it's always better with friends!", which is kind of shitty when you're an introvert who needs to spend time on their own. Instead, it felt like Rin was accepted for who she is, but that she now has a friends to enjoy camping with sometimes as well. I loved the message and, as I've written this post, Room Camp (the anime short to Laid Back Camp) has just released! I look forward to seeing what it's all about.
A quick shout out to the music, which I adored so much I bought a ukulele! I can kind of play "Solo Camp", just about:
I'm so glad I did! It's one of the best anime I've seen. It's quiet, peaceful and down-to-earth. Nothing much happens: There's no peril, enemies or anything like that – Just a group of girls who enjoy camping and learning together. It's so relaxing and atmosphetic that you feel like you're there with them. Now, I really want to go camping in Japan, where I can wake up and gaze upon Mt Fuji whilst eating cup noodles!
By the end of the series, the solitary protagonist, Rin, camps with the group and learns the joys of camping with others, BUT she doesn't quit camping on her own from time to time either. Her character wasn't compromised to push the trope "it's always better with friends!", which is kind of shitty when you're an introvert who needs to spend time on their own. Instead, it felt like Rin was accepted for who she is, but that she now has a friends to enjoy camping with sometimes as well. I loved the message and, as I've written this post, Room Camp (the anime short to Laid Back Camp) has just released! I look forward to seeing what it's all about.
A quick shout out to the music, which I adored so much I bought a ukulele! I can kind of play "Solo Camp", just about:
booksmart
Booksmart was a great film. It's one of those I wished had come out when I was younger and nearer to the protagonists' ages, but better late than never! Watching it in the cinema was a rare moment where I looked up and felt myself represented on the screen, which will always strike a cord since it happens infrequently.
Pitched as "Superbad but for teenage girls", I went in not expecting much, though I heard from others it was amazing so I was excited to find out for myself. I didn't enjoy Superbad, but perhaps that was because it was just another bunch of dudes? Who knew that swapping the geek boys for nerd girls would make such a better movie? I walked out of the cinema with a huge smile on my face. Who knew women could be funny? (Yes, that's sarcasm.) Booksmart was so much fun and no other movie came close to the joy I felt watching this.
Pitched as "Superbad but for teenage girls", I went in not expecting much, though I heard from others it was amazing so I was excited to find out for myself. I didn't enjoy Superbad, but perhaps that was because it was just another bunch of dudes? Who knew that swapping the geek boys for nerd girls would make such a better movie? I walked out of the cinema with a huge smile on my face. Who knew women could be funny? (Yes, that's sarcasm.) Booksmart was so much fun and no other movie came close to the joy I felt watching this.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
I did a fan art of Claude! Oof...I don't know where to start with Fire Emblem: Three Houses. It is a huge game and my favourite of last year! I'll try and keep this post short...
I guess I'll start with the house I chose first: Golden Deer. For some reason, during the weeks leading up to release, I was stressing out about who to pick! My fiancé picked my first choice (Blue Lions) but we wanted to see how the routes differed...So I considered GD but assumed that was the hardcore route. I wasn't as interested in Black Eagles, either, and...Edelgard... *stares daggers at her*
(Spoilers ahead)
Claude won me over with his speech at the beginning as he did for many. To me, GD was the overall story route: You find out the most about the world, Byleth, Sothis, Rhea and "those who sliver in the dark". That's not to say the other routes are pointless; rather they tend to focus on more human matters. My second playthrough was with the Blue Lions, and the story focussed on Dimitri's revenge wish and redemption. As much as I loved Claude, Dimitri was my favourite character...He was so interesting to follow and watch grow. However, both voice actors did a tremendous job. Chris Hackney (Dimitri) plays the wonderful, soft, princely Dimitri perfectly, and the crazed, bloodthirsty Dimitri, well, perfectly. Joe Zieja (Claude) does a brilliant job too, as both serious and jokey Claude – It's clear he absolutely loved his role.
Now then, I'm pretty biased, aren't I? I haven't played Black Eagles yet. However, since my BL playthrough, I'm intrigued to find out what Edelgard's deal is. I've already spent over 140 hours on Three Houses and I'm looking forward to getting back into it, but there are some parts of the game that drag for me...In particular, the monastery part.
The first time I played Three Houses, I love the monastery life sim/ social link aspects. It borrows from games like Persona and adds those elements to the Fire Emblem series, which works surprisingly well. However, when the first half of the game contains pretty much the exact same content no matter which route you're on, it gets pretty boring on a second playthrough. The same items are lost, fish still need to be caught, flowers grown etc. Of course, there is an option to skip this, and there's new game+, too (where you can use points to speed up the process), but still, your party will be weaker if you skip and don't spend any time here. (I wanna get all the characters and ship them, so...)
Three Houses doesn't have the same dating mechanic as Awakening or Fates, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. There are so many characters, I just enjoyed watching their support conversations, which I doubt I'll ever fully see as there are just too many options! For my first playthrough, I romanced Claude (as many did) and, on my second, I was gunning for Dimitri, but when I saw his and Marianne's support, I just had to ship them! I gave him up for her because Marianne is precious and they both seemed like they understood each other (Please, give me a medal for my sacrifice!). I recruited Ignatz and dated him instead, correcting my mistake from my first playthrough (damn you, flirty Claude!). However, Ignatz is so much like me, it was like dating myself which was weird.
Apart from Byleth (the silent protagonist), the characters in Three Houses were all really good. I feel like everyone is like someone in that game. I'm like a venn diagram of Ignatz, Bernadetta, Marianne and Ingrid. I loved Dorothea, Dedue, Ashe, Raphael, Hilda, Cyril, as well. I hated Lorenz and Sylvain for being such flirts, but they both made me laugh a lot, too. The support conversation between female Byleth and Lorenz is one of my favourites: "Yes, there have been very many real complaints made against you from the female students!" And she has to keep repeating this fact because Lorenz can't fathom why the girls wouldn't find him charming. Haha!
Fire Emblem: Three Houses wasn't just downright fun and I can't wait until the time is right to play the final Black Eagles house!
I guess I'll start with the house I chose first: Golden Deer. For some reason, during the weeks leading up to release, I was stressing out about who to pick! My fiancé picked my first choice (Blue Lions) but we wanted to see how the routes differed...So I considered GD but assumed that was the hardcore route. I wasn't as interested in Black Eagles, either, and...Edelgard... *stares daggers at her*
(Spoilers ahead)
Claude won me over with his speech at the beginning as he did for many. To me, GD was the overall story route: You find out the most about the world, Byleth, Sothis, Rhea and "those who sliver in the dark". That's not to say the other routes are pointless; rather they tend to focus on more human matters. My second playthrough was with the Blue Lions, and the story focussed on Dimitri's revenge wish and redemption. As much as I loved Claude, Dimitri was my favourite character...He was so interesting to follow and watch grow. However, both voice actors did a tremendous job. Chris Hackney (Dimitri) plays the wonderful, soft, princely Dimitri perfectly, and the crazed, bloodthirsty Dimitri, well, perfectly. Joe Zieja (Claude) does a brilliant job too, as both serious and jokey Claude – It's clear he absolutely loved his role.
Now then, I'm pretty biased, aren't I? I haven't played Black Eagles yet. However, since my BL playthrough, I'm intrigued to find out what Edelgard's deal is. I've already spent over 140 hours on Three Houses and I'm looking forward to getting back into it, but there are some parts of the game that drag for me...In particular, the monastery part.
The first time I played Three Houses, I love the monastery life sim/ social link aspects. It borrows from games like Persona and adds those elements to the Fire Emblem series, which works surprisingly well. However, when the first half of the game contains pretty much the exact same content no matter which route you're on, it gets pretty boring on a second playthrough. The same items are lost, fish still need to be caught, flowers grown etc. Of course, there is an option to skip this, and there's new game+, too (where you can use points to speed up the process), but still, your party will be weaker if you skip and don't spend any time here. (I wanna get all the characters and ship them, so...)
Three Houses doesn't have the same dating mechanic as Awakening or Fates, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. There are so many characters, I just enjoyed watching their support conversations, which I doubt I'll ever fully see as there are just too many options! For my first playthrough, I romanced Claude (as many did) and, on my second, I was gunning for Dimitri, but when I saw his and Marianne's support, I just had to ship them! I gave him up for her because Marianne is precious and they both seemed like they understood each other (Please, give me a medal for my sacrifice!). I recruited Ignatz and dated him instead, correcting my mistake from my first playthrough (damn you, flirty Claude!). However, Ignatz is so much like me, it was like dating myself which was weird.
Apart from Byleth (the silent protagonist), the characters in Three Houses were all really good. I feel like everyone is like someone in that game. I'm like a venn diagram of Ignatz, Bernadetta, Marianne and Ingrid. I loved Dorothea, Dedue, Ashe, Raphael, Hilda, Cyril, as well. I hated Lorenz and Sylvain for being such flirts, but they both made me laugh a lot, too. The support conversation between female Byleth and Lorenz is one of my favourites: "Yes, there have been very many real complaints made against you from the female students!" And she has to keep repeating this fact because Lorenz can't fathom why the girls wouldn't find him charming. Haha!
Fire Emblem: Three Houses wasn't just downright fun and I can't wait until the time is right to play the final Black Eagles house!
Better Call Saul
Better Call Saul is incredible. I'm not the biggest Breaking Bad fan; though I respect the show, it's not particularly entertaining for me, but Better Call Saul mostly ditches the gritty drug story for a courtroom drama. Of course, it's an origin story for Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad, so crimes and naughtiness are afoot, but the focus is on Saul (known at this point as Jimmy) and his relationship with his older brother, Chuck, and friend/partner, Kim.
Since it's a spin-off, I put off watching Better Call Saul for years...but when I watched the first episode, I couldn't stop. I said Fleabag was my favourite show of the year, but I'm tempted to say this was, too – It's just so intense! For me, this is mainly down to the acting. Bob Odenkirk is amazing in this show and I was stunned watching him express so many emotions throughout. I empathised with him many times throughout and loved his character even more. Everyone's favourite, Mike (Jonathan Banks), also returns, and new characters (Kim especially) were really fleshed out and just as likeable as the established ones. I enjoyed Jimmy and Kim's relationship as it's not the stereotypical heterosexual relationship: They both put business first and maintain their own sense of independence, which I relate to.
Better Call Saul is full of exciting twists and turns and I can't wait until season 5 comes out later this year. Don't sleep on this show like I did!
Since it's a spin-off, I put off watching Better Call Saul for years...but when I watched the first episode, I couldn't stop. I said Fleabag was my favourite show of the year, but I'm tempted to say this was, too – It's just so intense! For me, this is mainly down to the acting. Bob Odenkirk is amazing in this show and I was stunned watching him express so many emotions throughout. I empathised with him many times throughout and loved his character even more. Everyone's favourite, Mike (Jonathan Banks), also returns, and new characters (Kim especially) were really fleshed out and just as likeable as the established ones. I enjoyed Jimmy and Kim's relationship as it's not the stereotypical heterosexual relationship: They both put business first and maintain their own sense of independence, which I relate to.
Better Call Saul is full of exciting twists and turns and I can't wait until season 5 comes out later this year. Don't sleep on this show like I did!
My Roommate is a Cat
My Roommate is a Cat is an accurate depiction of my everyday working life with Goro. Simply replace the word cat with dog and author to indie dev and it's me.
The protagonist, Mikazuki Subaru, is socially anxious and lives alone. He struggles with any relationships and likes to close himself off from the outside world, but a little cat who was dumped by humans comes into his life. This cat is tough and learned to look after herself, so from both angles, there are characters trying to form a relationship with each other.
Caring for a pet, when you've only needed to think about yourself most of your life, comes as a shock. I had pets when I was younger, but I had a 15 year petless gap before I got Goro...Plus, I'd never ever had a dog before. I spent months trying to adjust, sometimes despairing thinking that I couldn't manage him, but with time I coped. I slowly learnt that there's joy in looking after something other than yourself. Feeling needed.
These feelings are difficult when you're not only used to being petless, but used to being alone and are bad at socialising. Like Subaru, I have social anxiety. Sometimes, it's just easier to not see anyone and recluse...I totally get where he's coming from. Plus, he wants/needs to work on his writing but keep getting distracted and stressed by the little cat that needs him. I totally relate! It takes time to adjust, but I'm so glad we both did.
The protagonist, Mikazuki Subaru, is socially anxious and lives alone. He struggles with any relationships and likes to close himself off from the outside world, but a little cat who was dumped by humans comes into his life. This cat is tough and learned to look after herself, so from both angles, there are characters trying to form a relationship with each other.
Caring for a pet, when you've only needed to think about yourself most of your life, comes as a shock. I had pets when I was younger, but I had a 15 year petless gap before I got Goro...Plus, I'd never ever had a dog before. I spent months trying to adjust, sometimes despairing thinking that I couldn't manage him, but with time I coped. I slowly learnt that there's joy in looking after something other than yourself. Feeling needed.
These feelings are difficult when you're not only used to being petless, but used to being alone and are bad at socialising. Like Subaru, I have social anxiety. Sometimes, it's just easier to not see anyone and recluse...I totally get where he's coming from. Plus, he wants/needs to work on his writing but keep getting distracted and stressed by the little cat that needs him. I totally relate! It takes time to adjust, but I'm so glad we both did.
Our Dreams at Dusk
Our Dreams at Dusk focuses around Tasuku Kaname, a gay teenager who has just been outed for having gay porn on his phone. He's about to commit suicide, when he sees a woman jump from a building on a cliff edge. When he discovers the building, the woman is there unharmed. It turns out the building is a drop-in center for LGBT people, who renovate houses in the town. Through them, he slowly learns to accept his sexuality.
Our Dreams at Dusk is beautifully drawn and serious in tone. Whilst there is value in light-hearted gay stories, like Yuri on Ice!! and Steven Universe, being LGBT comes with challenges which should be discussed as well. I imagine this manga will really help those who're struggling to feel accepted in the world.
Our Dreams at Dusk is beautifully drawn and serious in tone. Whilst there is value in light-hearted gay stories, like Yuri on Ice!! and Steven Universe, being LGBT comes with challenges which should be discussed as well. I imagine this manga will really help those who're struggling to feel accepted in the world.
(Spoilers ahead)
Kaname's crush, Tachibana, also seems to be struggling with accepting LGBT people in the world. He's almost the antagonist of the series, presenting as straight at the beginning, but warming to Kaname over the chapters. You see that the negativity comes from his father, who is homophobic and sees LGBT people as "them". I haven't read the last book, but I'm concerned for Kaname as Tachibana is holding in some serious anger about Kaname being gay, and perhaps even himself.
What I love most about ODaD, is the supporting characters back-stories. Each volume tends to focus on one particular character, my favourite being Utsumi, who is later revealed to be a trans man. It came as a surprise, as Utsumi has been so cool and masculine up until this point, no-one would think otherwise. It was a real eye-opener for me because the reader already accepts Utsumi for who he is by the time they learn this. Looking back at his past felt somewhat irrelevant, but well-wishers brought it back up, pitying him for having an "illness". One well-wisher, in particular, forces the gender binary on her daughter who isn't interested in painting flowers and looks pained every time something like this happens. In a brief encounter, the group show her she can express herself how she wants and that it's okay. It's not much, but she leaves with a small understand that everything mummy says isn't true.
ODaD shows us the difficulties that LGBT people face. Because of that, some people aren't going to like it, but I loved it's harsh realism. There are so many stories out there, it's about time we heard from people who've had to give up everything just to be themselves.
Kaname's crush, Tachibana, also seems to be struggling with accepting LGBT people in the world. He's almost the antagonist of the series, presenting as straight at the beginning, but warming to Kaname over the chapters. You see that the negativity comes from his father, who is homophobic and sees LGBT people as "them". I haven't read the last book, but I'm concerned for Kaname as Tachibana is holding in some serious anger about Kaname being gay, and perhaps even himself.
What I love most about ODaD, is the supporting characters back-stories. Each volume tends to focus on one particular character, my favourite being Utsumi, who is later revealed to be a trans man. It came as a surprise, as Utsumi has been so cool and masculine up until this point, no-one would think otherwise. It was a real eye-opener for me because the reader already accepts Utsumi for who he is by the time they learn this. Looking back at his past felt somewhat irrelevant, but well-wishers brought it back up, pitying him for having an "illness". One well-wisher, in particular, forces the gender binary on her daughter who isn't interested in painting flowers and looks pained every time something like this happens. In a brief encounter, the group show her she can express herself how she wants and that it's okay. It's not much, but she leaves with a small understand that everything mummy says isn't true.
ODaD shows us the difficulties that LGBT people face. Because of that, some people aren't going to like it, but I loved it's harsh realism. There are so many stories out there, it's about time we heard from people who've had to give up everything just to be themselves.
KUUKIYOMI: Consider it!
KUUKIYOMI is a relatively short game, with options to play co-op. You play quick scenes (WarioWare style) where you have to consider the right thing to do. There are over 100 scenarios: Some are everyday things, like moving aside to let people sit down, whilst others are hilarious or downright cruel! I don't want to spoil them, but I was speechless for a few of them...How could the developers even go there?
For the short time I spent with KUUKIYOMI, I left feeling inspired. It makes a game out of social cues in such a simple, smart way. I'd love to make a game like it one day!
KUUKIYOMI is short and cheap, so you should pick it up yourself and give it a go!
For the short time I spent with KUUKIYOMI, I left feeling inspired. It makes a game out of social cues in such a simple, smart way. I'd love to make a game like it one day!
KUUKIYOMI is short and cheap, so you should pick it up yourself and give it a go!
How not to be a boy
How not to be a Boy is a funny autobiography by Robert Webb, yet it also questions the harmful sides of masculinity; how rules such as "drink beer", "don't cry" and "love sport" don't bring anything positive to society. He takes us through his own childhood and adolescence, describing the pressures he felt to not be who he really was (Hmm, I'm being to see a theme with my list this year...). It's something I relate to a lot, being a woman interested in "typically male" fields such as video games, programming, having my own business etc. I have struggled and continue to struggle with pressures to conform to the gender binary and become what is expected of a typical woman. Well, Webb and I say screw that!
I enjoyed reading every page of How not to be a Boy. It's hilarious but also heartbreaking. Truth be told, I'm not much of a Peep Show fan, but now I really like Webb; He's brutally honest and open but, above all, a brilliant story-teller. I wish I had the memory and skill to recount my past the way he did. Reading through, I could see the flip-side of the struggles I faced whilst growing up and, really, what is it for?
I enjoyed reading every page of How not to be a Boy. It's hilarious but also heartbreaking. Truth be told, I'm not much of a Peep Show fan, but now I really like Webb; He's brutally honest and open but, above all, a brilliant story-teller. I wish I had the memory and skill to recount my past the way he did. Reading through, I could see the flip-side of the struggles I faced whilst growing up and, really, what is it for?
O Maidens of Your savage Season
Um...What did I walk in on? I literally saw one tweet with screenshots from this show and was sold. O Maidens of Your Savage Season is an anime series based on its manga. The show is about a group of school girls in the literature club, and I know what you're thinking: "Yawn. School anime". The thing is, O Maidens is actually the most realistic school anime I've seen. We follow the girls and their different grips on puberty and sexuality. First, there's Kazusa (the protagonist): A romantic but somewhat shy or unsure about sex, maybe even on the asexual spectrum. Then there's Niina, who was harassed as a child (groomed, even) and isn't particularly interested in boys, until she falls for Izumi. Izumi is Kazusa's childhood friend (and crush) and they both start noticing the differences between their bodies as they grow up. Momoko is another girl in the club who feels confused as she has a crush on Niina and wonders if she is lesbian. Hitoha writes erotic novels but is told by her publisher that her stories sound like they're written by a 40 year old male virgin, so she desires life experience, meeting up with a guy from an online chatroom. Rika is the club president and very uptight about sex because of her upbringing, but cannot deny how she feels about boys.
As a woman, I feel as though each of these stories has something to offer a female audience. Like Booksmart, I felt represented. Whenever a shoujo high school anime attempts to discuss sex, it's always too innocent and romantic, where sex is barely even mentioned, or, if it's shonen, it's more sexual and almost pornographic. This is worrying as, if parents and friends aren't talking to teenagers about sex, then they are clueless when it happens to them. It's part of the reason I made One Night Stand: We're in dire need of more realistic stories about sex.
Whilst sometimes handled problematically, O Maidens is still valuable. I wish it had come out when I was the age of the protagonists. Puberty is such a confusing time and it's, like, the biggest thing in your life that no-one's talking about! If you're female and lucky, you get taught sex-education (periods, how pregnancy happens etc) but you probably won't get taught anything about sexuality. This show went there, plus the animation was beautiful. It's a shame I've not seen anyone else talk about O Maidens.
As a woman, I feel as though each of these stories has something to offer a female audience. Like Booksmart, I felt represented. Whenever a shoujo high school anime attempts to discuss sex, it's always too innocent and romantic, where sex is barely even mentioned, or, if it's shonen, it's more sexual and almost pornographic. This is worrying as, if parents and friends aren't talking to teenagers about sex, then they are clueless when it happens to them. It's part of the reason I made One Night Stand: We're in dire need of more realistic stories about sex.
Whilst sometimes handled problematically, O Maidens is still valuable. I wish it had come out when I was the age of the protagonists. Puberty is such a confusing time and it's, like, the biggest thing in your life that no-one's talking about! If you're female and lucky, you get taught sex-education (periods, how pregnancy happens etc) but you probably won't get taught anything about sexuality. This show went there, plus the animation was beautiful. It's a shame I've not seen anyone else talk about O Maidens.
Shibuya Scramble
Another fan art! I loved Achi and Hitomi! I nearly forget Shibuya Scramble, which was actually one of my most enjoyable gaming experiences of the year! It's because I played it earlier in the year and it was released on Steam and PS4 in 2018. Plus, it's initial, Japanese release was in 2008, too, but enough with my excuses...Let me tell you why I loved it so much!
SS is a visual novel with a few FMV scenes, but mainly static photographs. I don't think I've played a visual novel quite like it. It's like a series of 24 but with Japanese humour to soften the content. At first, SS feels weird and the game design is janky: You get multiple bad endings, and initially these make you want to give up, thinking you've done something wrong but once you realise this is just how the game works, you get into the swing of it and want to discover all the endings. There're 87 different endings, I believe, but the game's designed so you try again to get the true one. You can easily jump to the choices you made and alter them, too.
The music was superb. The acting, even though the game is mainly photographs, was great. The narration was hilariously Japanese, but so engaging I couldn't stop reading it. SS had it all: crime, war, romance, mascot suits, cleaning a toilet, you name it! You play an array of characters who start off not knowing each other. Achi Endo's story was exciting and romantic (hence my favourite), whilst Kenji Osawa's was dark, complex and sci-fi. Everyone is intertwined and it's hard to put the game down once you unlock the barriers.
After the main story is "finished", there are a bunch of extras, and I mean a bunch! I still haven't got them all, which I should rectify because I think I'm still missing out on the true, true ending...But there are loads of additional episodes for the side characters. Canaan's ending is anime styled, whilst Suzune's made me bawl my eyes out: It was an hour or so of visual novel's at their very best.
Shibuya Scramble requires a lot of reading. It's Japanese in tone and humour, but I still recommend it to everyone. Get into the swing of the game after 1-2 hours and I'm sure you'll have as much fun as I did!
SS is a visual novel with a few FMV scenes, but mainly static photographs. I don't think I've played a visual novel quite like it. It's like a series of 24 but with Japanese humour to soften the content. At first, SS feels weird and the game design is janky: You get multiple bad endings, and initially these make you want to give up, thinking you've done something wrong but once you realise this is just how the game works, you get into the swing of it and want to discover all the endings. There're 87 different endings, I believe, but the game's designed so you try again to get the true one. You can easily jump to the choices you made and alter them, too.
The music was superb. The acting, even though the game is mainly photographs, was great. The narration was hilariously Japanese, but so engaging I couldn't stop reading it. SS had it all: crime, war, romance, mascot suits, cleaning a toilet, you name it! You play an array of characters who start off not knowing each other. Achi Endo's story was exciting and romantic (hence my favourite), whilst Kenji Osawa's was dark, complex and sci-fi. Everyone is intertwined and it's hard to put the game down once you unlock the barriers.
After the main story is "finished", there are a bunch of extras, and I mean a bunch! I still haven't got them all, which I should rectify because I think I'm still missing out on the true, true ending...But there are loads of additional episodes for the side characters. Canaan's ending is anime styled, whilst Suzune's made me bawl my eyes out: It was an hour or so of visual novel's at their very best.
Shibuya Scramble requires a lot of reading. It's Japanese in tone and humour, but I still recommend it to everyone. Get into the swing of the game after 1-2 hours and I'm sure you'll have as much fun as I did!
I'm very grateful to all the creators who helped work on my favourites from last year! There were a ton more shows, books and games I enjoyed, but I had to draw the line somewhere! (Maybe I should do these lists a little more frequently? Hmm.) A quick shout out to Dreamwork's She-Ra, Tuca & Bertie, Sarazanmai, Shenmue 3, Carole & Tuesday, Hynospace Outlaw, Classmates (the manga) and Death Stranding. However, I'd also like to express my sympathies to Kyoto Animation, who tragically lost so many talented creators. Last year, I watched their film, Liz and the Blue Bird, at Nippon Connection and loved it. Before that, I was wowed by Violet Evergarden's stunning animation, and years prior, I particularly enjoyed Free! and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Their attention to detail was second to none and I just cannot fathom why this tragedy happened.
Please look after and celebrate the creators you love! With that, let's move forward into 2020 with hope for the future.
Take care and I'll be back soon!
Please look after and celebrate the creators you love! With that, let's move forward into 2020 with hope for the future.
Take care and I'll be back soon!