Author: Halsdoll

Selecting A New Game to Play

HalsdollLeave a comment

So far, I’m proud to say I start the year by completing games consistently and they were games I find enjoyable too! By now, like most folks, I know what sort of games I like and what I don’t. For instance, I have never liked FPS and nothing about it appeals to me. It looks boring just shooting people for the sake of shooting. However, I do enjoy third-person shooting games, particularly survival horror games. It’s fun to shoot zombies. Maybe it’s time to switch it up. As I am typing this post, I already finished my 2nd playthrough of the Last Guardian and wonder if I should platinum it. I also wonder whether I should dive into the game a bit deeper. I’ve seen a couple of great analyses and I am beginning to formulate my theory about the game. Then I look at my Wishlist and decided maybe I should just move on. I have seen a few horror titles on my Wishlist going on sale and I am still debating whether I should purchase them.

For those who are new to my blog, my backlog is pretty small because I tend to play everything I purchased. My backlog used to be about 12 now it grew to about 20 titles that I have not played. Oddly, I can hear some people laughing because some people have over 100 titles they haven’t even touched! To me, 20 unbeaten games is a lot since I am the type who likes to play games multiple times. Thanks to the very long games! It doesn’t help that I am a completionist either! I suppose I should not feel guilty about my small list. Many people have a lot of unbeaten games and the list just keeps growing over time. Hopefully we are all accepting adults and can appreciate our differences.

This made me realize how appreciative I am of the Wishlist on Steam, it helps me stay focused and keep track of potential games I eventually want to play. So far, I completed half of the games I purchased on Steam. I thought I would play Dark Souls 1 and 2 again but I have already played enough of it on console! So I guess that doesn’t count as my unbeaten games. Ikaruga is probably the oldest game I have on Steam that I have not beaten. I can see myself spending hours on this game. Arcade games tend to be very unforgiving. There’s no save point. So, you just have to get good at it until you see the credit rolls. Maybe one day I will focus on that game. For now, I just want to focus my energy on story driven, atmospheric games. They tend to be the most relaxing. There’s something about good art that captivate the soul.

Between the horror games I mentioned above, I think I am going to check out PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo. Why? Because I’m up for a good supernatural, mystery game. Well that’s what I’m hoping. It will be released on Mar 8th. Right now, it’s currently 20 % off until March 23rd–and maybe if I like it enough I will do a review or if I don’t like it, I probably will drop it but I highly doubt that because I like the art style. Plus a story about ordinary people being thrown into extraordinary events is always a great selling point for me!

And yet I want to revisit Darkengard (PS2) and. Drakengard 3 (PS3). These games I started but did not finish thoroughly because I’m interested in its story more than the gameplay which is monotonously boring. Perhaps, if they’ve been siting on my backlog for awhile, maybe it’s just time to move on. I am not as dedicated as I used to be with completing games unless I really like the game! At the same time, my time is just as valuable or even more so than a game. Time is something I cannot gain back so I have to be selective with games.

So, what game have I decided to play? I suppose you are just going to have to check back at a later time. Don’t we all like some mystery? I know I do!

The Last Guardian Review

Halsdoll3 Comments

I remember I sort of looked over The Last Guardian despite the fact I have played ICO and Shadow of Colossus and enjoyed them very much. Somehow, I was distracted by Dark Souls III, which was released earlier that year and unfortunately I did not enjoy it as much. Also, I remember I was anticipating the release of Nier Automata in Feb. 2017–that too I didn’t enjoy as much. I think I was just burnt out from work and personal life to enjoy games despite my best effort to play them. If I were in the right mental state, I think I would have picked up The Last Guardian on launch day.

Patience is really a virtue. The game took 9 years to develop and it did not fail to meet my expectation. In fact, I love it so much more than ICO and Shadow Colossus. They were great games but they didn’t deliver an emotional punch like how this game did to me: 1) I love puzzles; 2) I love animals; 3) I love exploring; 4) I love ancient civilizations; and 5) I love the solitary atmosphere. But most importantly, it’s in its execution that made this game an overall powerful experience. I sympathize with the beast-like creature, Trico! He is the ultimate pet. Sometimes he reminds me of a dog,cat,bird,ferret,duck, rat etc. He is a special creature indeed.

Tricois free from shackles
We are free now! Not really….

You can already tell that my review of this game is already heavily biased. So, instead of writing a traditional review where I review “objectively”, I will write a review in response to the AI’s review for this game using the AI experimental paragraph:

The Last Guardian certainly stands out from the crowd, and it’s no wonder that it’s one of the most talked about games of the year. It’s an emotionally engaging experience and one that doesn’t provide a “gaming experience” as much as provide a narrative journey. The game follows the young boy, Trico and his unlikely ally, the guardian from a long-forgotten civilization. Together, they must make their way across a ruined world filled with obstacles, puzzles and danger. Even with its narrative strengths, The Last Guardian sadly has more than its fair share of faults. The most glaring of these is that it is a puzzle game at heart and the player must often spend more time working out how to make their way through the game’s puzzles than they do actually playing it. The puzzles themselves are often creative and interesting, but the lengthy process of trial and error can become tiresome at times. Additionally, while the later sections of the game are visually impressive, the game as a whole cannot compare to other adventures in the genre in terms of cinematography, visuals or sound.

The story of The Last Guardian can be credited for being extremely well written, as the main characters, the boy and Trico, go on a journey through a beautiful yet dangerous world along with the help of their new-found bond. With the boy being mute, the game does an amazing job of conveying the inner motives of Trico and vice versa. The puzzle-solving element of this game is also enjoyable, though at times it can be a little difficult, with some solutions seeming quite unreasonable or overly-complicated.

I must say I am pretty impressed with the AI’s review, but did the AI really play the game? I could have just left it there for the AI to do all the work but that defeats the purpose of this blog. I enjoy writing and crafting blog posts. Plus, the AI don’t speak for me entirely on how I feel toward this game. For one, I don’t see this game as inferior to other cinematic, adventure games. While I enjoyed the Last of Us and Until Dawn to some extent, I am not all that into cinematic games because I find them lacking in the gameplay department, which is an important factor in a video game to me. Secondly, I did not find the puzzles in The Last Guardian tiresome, complicated, or lengthy. The pacing of the game was quite nice and seamless (if you know how to solve the puzzles). Compared to Shadow of Colossus, this game is quite generous. In Shadow of Colossus, you have to know when to push X and R2 to grab onto the colossus on top of the fact you have to know how to get to its weak spot. The only challenging thing about The Last Guardian gameplay I can think of is executing the command to Trico. Sometimes he doesn’t always follow through. There were times when I got motion sickness from moving the camera to find clues on where to go next, and there were times I simply had to take a break because my mind couldn’t think clearly (I noticed when my mind is recharged, the puzzles are easier to solve). Despite that, it’s not entirely a bad experience. In fact, I found myself smiling and being charmed by Trico more than feeling frustrated. So, when the game did end, I did cry. It was hard to part with the beast-like creature who gave me a memorable, fond experience.

So, to celebrate some special moments with this game, I am attaching some pictures from my playthrough which don’t even do justice to how great the game is. If you haven’t played this game, give it a try. or if you don’t have access to Playstation, you can also watch someone stream on Youtube. The game is a masterpiece. Now, I am looking forward to the developer’s next project. Hopefully, during the time of its release, I won’t be too distracted by other major titles and that I am in the right mental state. I believe all creative works derserve careful attention. Well, as a blogger that is what I would like from my readers.

Boy on rope while Trico staring up from below
Boy blasting eye glass while standing on top of Trico's head
Boy and Trico in pretty light shimmering
Trico trying to save boy
Boy clinging onto Trico's tail
boy sleeping next Trico
boy building a bond with Trico

3 Sweet Films For Valentine’s Day

HalsdollLeave a comment

Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Some people might cringe at the thought they would be spending time by themselves and then there are some who are not single but are in an unhappy relationship. So, they too will be spending Valentine’s Day by themselves. Hopefully, if you are single, you are happy, and if you are in a relationship you are happy. Either way, you can still celebrate it. You don’t have to be in love or have a significant other or be romantically deprived to appreciate these films I’m about to list. They are great works of art anyone could watch over and over! So let the arrow of Cupid strike the heart of the hopeless romantic.

It’s the closes picture that resonate my thoughts about Valentine’s Day. (Photo by Chris F on Pexels.com)

The first film (animation) on my list is Millenium Actress (2001), directed by Satoshi Kon. I remember seeing this animation on my recommendation list on Prime Video. It’s not one of those shows where I can put it in the background and still know what is going on. This animation is a piece of ART! I had to give it all my attention to completely appreciate it. Let me tell you, I find it hard these days to find something good to watch. Partially it’s because most things are just blah to me. So when I do find something that speaks to my senses, I am reminded why I appreciate art, theatre and anything creative in general. Artistically, this animation is creatively well done. The soundtrack is also great! At a glance, it feels like a romantic story, but there’s nothing romantic about the animation. Infatuation for someone you barely met is a bit crazy, and yet there’s something tragically innocent about this film that I like. It captivates a young girl’s heart in a twisted way.

Like Millenium Actress, The Road Home (1999) directed by Yi-Mou Zhang, revolves around the retelling of a young woman’s infatuation except it is not as sad. Also, the story is told by the son through the lens of his mother. What I enjoyed about this film is the simplistic shots taken in rural China. Everything seems so down to earth and beautiful despite the political turmoil during that era as we see in To Live. The scenery is wholesome and bittersweet, especially the cooking scene. I never wanted to eat dumplings so badly! Village life in a remote area seems so pure from the sophisticated city life, although I can’t say I am a fan of China’s communism or communism in general. Having to tiptoe around politics can be quite exhausting for the creative folks.It is even more of a threat if you are established and well known.

This scene was pretty moving…

Last but not least on the list is Jane Eyre (1997), directed by Robert Young. I’ve seen the longer version from BBC, but this one is just as good. This version is short and simple. The language is poetic and moving. My favorite line is when Rochester interrupted Jane by saying Thorfield has become a ruin like himself. The wordplay is a punch to the heart when he refers himself to a ruin. Ruins may crumble but they are also majestically precious and beautiful that need attentive care. The film ended strongly because of its powerful metaphor, which I may go into detail about it at a later time. For now, this film was a good treat when I wanted to listen to people talk poetically to each other.

When I put this list together, it was interesting to see how each culture presents love and romance in different ways and wonder if time has changed all that much in the way people think about courting and love. Artistically, I don’t think one is superior than the other. They all have their special style. I know that Millenium Actress is not considered romance but drama. But I think it’s romantic enough for male audience so that is why I chose it for my list. This also made me wonder why it seems that women do the chasing and not men in Asian cinema. I don’t think I have ever seen East Asian films where the men pursue the women, but I could be wrong. I can’t say I have seen a lot of films to convince me otherwise. Perhaps, this is a topic I want to look in greater detail. Simply for my own pure amusement. Hopefully you will learn something along with me.

AI: Somnium Files: The Rational I

HalsdollLeave a comment

So I am back with AI: Somnium Files content. This time, I am not going to omit spoilers since it’s hard to explain a concept without putting things into to context for readers to understand. So, if you want a non-spoiler-free review, you can click here.

In my previous blog post, I wanted to discuss the eye metaphor, but at the time, my mind was still wrapping around all the complex ideas surrounding the game. I highly doubt that this game, which is a product of its time will ever go mainstream, so I want to write my thoughts out here and explain the writer’s thesis on AI a little bit more in detail since I find this subject quite relevant to the time we are in. Without a doubt, Kotaro Uchikoshi, the writer of this game is in favor of Artificial Intelligence. In this game, he explains his argument pretty well and made some very valid points done creatively. So, let’s dive into the story.

Six years ago, there was a crime committed against 4 girls who happened to have their right eyes gouged out by the Cyclops Serial Killers. Fast forward, the story opens up into a new case–-a woman is found dead tied to a carousel horse at a theme park with her left eye gouged out.

Shoko sitting on a carousel horse with her left out missing
Not going to lie, the image is unsettling.

As the story unfolds, Kaname Date, the protagonist, learns the new criminal case is unrelated to the old case because of two facts: the side of the eyeball that has been removed, and the fact that the old Cyclops Serial Killers have been arrested. It turns out that the new serial killer is one of the old Cyclops Serial Killers who has been body-swapping with his victims through the use of a machine called Pysncer. His motive is to get his original body back which happens to be the protagonist’s body. Somewhere in the story timeline, Date had his body switched with the killer, which I won’t go into the plot’s detail because that will derail from the topic of this blog post.

Pulling eyeball out
To use the Pysncer Machine to swap bodies, the left eye is removed and then connected to the machine, enabling the pysncer to dive into the participant’s dream for more than 6 minutes. Hence, the reason why solving each somnium file has a time limit.
Date lying down using the pysncer machine
Date connected to the Pysncer Machine.

However, I will explain why it’s important: the Cyclops Serial Killer suffers from oxytocin disorder, a condition where he cannot bond with other people in a healthy, positive manner. It’s the pleasure of killing people that gives him the dopamine and that sense of aliveness. And it’s in his original body that gives him the fullest pleasure in killing. The one he has makes him feel depressed more than happy when he commits murder.

Date’s real body. The Cyclops Serial Killer is not too fond of being in this body.

As the story progresses, Date learns about his past, he remembers why his body has been switched with the serial killer and how it has caused him to lose his memories. It is his boss, the head of ABIS from the police detective department, who has given him a new name and an artificial eye called AI-Ball (Also referred to as Aiba for short). Since Aiba lives inside the Date’s left socket, she helps him keep in check by acting as a voice of reason. Think of Aiba as the rational eye that removes all biases and emotions, although she is more like “good news” and “hope”, according to the game’s double wordplay on Iris.

Aiba is confused to which Iris Date is referring to because Iris is also the name of an internet idol streamer.

Without AI, he doesn’t have that second pair of eyes to help him do his job effectively. But more importantly, stop him from making decisions based on impulse: the worst-case scenario is killing for the sake of killing.

The order in which the story is presented fits like a puzzle, and it helps me understand the writer’s strong thesis: AIs can be an invaluable asset to mankind. Take WiFi for an example, there are pros and cons to connecting online. But we need it. You can’t argue that the accessibility to online is more detrimental than good, do you?

Aiba screaming she can't live without wifi
I can’t argue with that statement…haha. I used WiFi to write and publish this awesome blog post!

The only drawback is the lack of meaningful, human connection. Well, it’s not like society hasn’t been glued to their smartphones and other technology gadgets. But I highly doubt normal people like me will have access to an AI like Aiba anytime soon. I can only imagine having an AI-Ball implanted in me. Say goodbye to humanity! I don’t need anyone. I will be too busy entertaining my very own eyeball! So, I suppose it is kind of scary, but at the same time it could be useful–especially if it helps those who suffer from some form of severe mental illness.

date staring at the mirror
You cannot deny there are some crazy people out there…

AI: Somnium Files Review

Halsdoll1 Comment

I enjoyed AI: Somnium Files developed and published by Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. It’s a visual novel with a strong detective murder mystery with some science fiction elements. Yes, like any typical game, there is a lot of saving to do because young girls do need help even when they are bratty and acting all tough! After all, being killed by a sadistic rapist is the worst nightmare that can happen to any girl! You can’t expect a psychopath to have empathy? Do you?

Misuki praying
Poor Mizuki who is only 12, tried so hard to be strong when she is actually mourning for the loss of her mother.

Story

First off, I want to warn readers that I don’t recommend this game to those who don’t have a healthy sense of humor and who are quick to slap anything that has to do with sexuality as misogyny. Quite the contrary, the game is not even misogynistic. The sexual jokes are mild compared to what I see on Twitter and from the former U.S. president. Despite my defense for this game, it doesn’t mean I accept locker room talk. But the jokes are there to poke fun at the protagonist’s singleness. After all, you are playing as the nice, perverted guy who is possibly bi-sexual.

Date looks like a girl
C’mon, look at Date’s face (the protagonist). He can pass off as a pretty woman.

I think that is why I could laugh at the part where Date hit on the 36-year-old receptionist who looks like an idol but is too old to be one. I say as long you can afford anti-aging creams and live comfortably then you are set for life. The average women care more about their appearance and health than they actually would admit as the motivating factor to why they work on top of the fact no one wants to end up homeless. But of course, there are exceptions. So more power to the receptionist for learning how to enjoy life in the moment (as long as you live responsibly that is). It takes a lot of soul searching to find contentment.

I used to work with an older woman who said if she had big boobs she’d flaunt it off. Not to attract men, but for her own liveliness. She was drunk when she said it though.

But I do see how someone would call this game misogynist. I suppose when you analyze a piece of creative work, you got to learn how to put things into context. So don’t dismiss this game because of its humor. On a serious note, there are a lot of heavy subjects around the concept of dream, reality, and AIs and whole bunch other stuff. And what I noticed is that there is a sense of optimistic, progressive thinking about the future of society, or a sense of acceptance on the writer’s part. It’s not just the topic of AIs I am talking about, but also the LGBT community in general.This game is a product of its time.

Aiba looking content
Aiba, the AI who is Date’s detective partner, agrees that human intuition is good from time to time, which is something rational, logical AIs lack.
Mizuki at Marble Bar
Mizuki is accepting of the LGBT community but still shows a sign of uncomfortableness.

I think the balance between seriousness and humor in the game is well done, and that is what I look for when I rate a good game. Even when I completed the game (there are multiple endings) there are still many mysteries to solve and once you solve the remaining mysteries of the story, everything just blows up in your face like fireworks. Overall, the pacing of the story is nice just as much as the colorful cast. Great game for mystery fans.

Gameplay

I played the demo on PS4 so I knew what to expect when I bought the game for PC. There are some differences in terms of user experience obviously. I played with mouse and keyboard but you can also play with a controller. I just stick with mouse and keyboard. I also noticed the game on the PC tends to glitch out occasionally, but it doesn’t happen frequently when I changed the graphic setting. I don’t know what it’s like for PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

While solving a case…this happened. It’s kind of artistic!

Gameplay wise, it did great at creating urgency but can get annoying because it does not reward you based on your skills to solve a case in 6 minutes. It did however, reward you on basic arithmetic skills! You have to select Timie to save seconds from being used on the top left side of the screen. Failure to select Timie correctly and the correct choices will penalize you for using seconds in real time and some of them take big chunks!

I had crossed eyes or something when I was playing the game because I mistook TIMIE for TIME. For awhile I kept proceeding without selecting the TIMIE on top center of the screen.

I found myself several times retrying and restarting the case due to running out of time. Some cases can get pretty tough especially if you are trying to solve it within 1 second remaining to obtain one of the trophies. If that sounds complicated. Do not fret. It will take trials and errors to get it right. Getting all the trophies was worth it.

I pride myself on my determination. I did it!

Overall, I thought the mix of shooting, investigating and solving puzzles were interesting. Not one moment was I bored. The concept of pyscning into someone’s dream to uncover hidden clues seems pretty high tech and futuristic. Is it ethical? Not really! I already feel invaded by tech companies collecting my data. It’s like exposing your underwear for strangers to see. Ugh…

merc staring at underwear

Sound

I realized I don’t write much about sound production and voice acting. But they do make a difference in the quality of any video game. At the beginning of the game, I kept switching from English to Japanese language to see which voice cast I prefer to listen to. Eventually I stick with the Japanese voice cast because I prefer Aiba’s Japanese voice over the English voice because ironically she sounds more natural. Believe it or not Aiba is an evolved AI who has a personality of her own and who has the free agency to think for herself. It makes sense to personify her a bit even though she lives inside the protoganist’s eye and she is just an AI. She is also Date’s alter ego. But I won’t go into detail behind my reasoning. That will be another post for a different time if I decide to write about the eye metaphor.

Lastly, the soundtrack composed by Keisuke Ito is decent and the sound effects are seamless enough that I don’t even recognized the music sometimes. It’s great because I felt immersed in the game, but I can’t say I am all that into idol pop culture music though. So the soundtrack didn’t stood out to me as much as other quality story-driven games. However, I do enjoy the Ikume Shrine theme because I just like all things zen.

Conclusion

This game is far from boring and simplistic. It has good soundtrack, good story, fun gameplay and good humor. Who doesn’t enjoy laughing? It’s a great way to release stress. Time is well spent when you are doing something you enjoy especially if it is also thought-provoking.

Halsdoll’s News

HalsdollLeave a comment

If you are accessing this blog post on WP Reader, the featured image is a character from AI: The Somnium Files, the game I’m currently playing. The character Mama works at the bar and is used to listening to people divulging their thoughts publicly. I confess when I’m a bit down, I do reach for the booze because I know Mama will listen because she knows everything.

Happy New Year, not really. I am not going to bet that 2023 will get better. I can’t change events that are out of my control, but I can control my personal space a bit. I have disconnected myself from Twitter, meaning I don’t log onto it anymore. Not like I was all that active to begin with. It’s a very toxic place where most people have chronic road rage and strong political opinions, including the CEO. On top of my New Year’s woe, it looks like my email has found itself in the Dark Web. I don’t speak German and have never been to Germany. Why am I receiving a registration confirmation email from Zinser Card? I don’t even go out enough to shop to impress. And why am I being addressed as Herr Droll ( Mr. Droll?). It looks like Mr. Droll lives in a decent neighborhood based on the address found in the registration confirmation email.

Why does he need to steal people’s email address and act all shady? Then I wonder if Mr. Droll is a victim just as much as I am, or if Mr. Droll is even a real person at all. I have been hacked once. It did put a dent in my trust with people online or in general. But don’t worry, I haven’t lost my faith in humanity. The greatest thing I learned from that awful experience is to trust my instinct because going against it came with a heavy price. If karma is real, I hope that hacker gets what he/she deserves. I hope he/she gets it real bad.

lyon
Lyon from Suikoden V

On the bright side, I completed Eiyuden Rising and 100 percent it! It was addictive and fun. Short and sweet. Now, I’m looking forward to Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes. I also enjoyed watching Tokyo Godfathers and Millennium Actress during the holiday. And recently, I watched M3gan at the theater and plan to watch Everything, Everywhere All At Once. Yet I’m still debating whether I want to do a proper review for anything I have consumed.

dancing in sandbox game
C’mon dance. Dancing helps fight the blues! (Image from From the AI Somnium Files)

I’ll keep this blogging going, but I can’t promise I’ll be here next year. Until next time have a wonderful day.

P.S.

I quit sharing my blog posts on social media entirely. I figure if someone is genuinely interested in my content they will find me via Search Engine.

I Quit Trying to Reduce My Gaming Backlog

Halsdoll4 Comments

You know it does kind of suck being born around Christmas, especially if you are a kid. My birthday gift was often lumped with Christmas presents. In my household, every Christmas, everyone got a barbie doll, including my brothers. Talk about gender equality! Let’s just say… my mom was practical and quite fair. One time, we got a PlayStation instead of barbies so everyone just play games on PlayStation and that is how I became a “gamer”. No it happened before that. Actually, I fell in love with a dolphin simulator game I played at the elementary school’s library. But looking back, I have always enjoyed spending hours solving puzzles or playing computer games and that habit has not died. Now, as a childless full-grown adult (and yes I emphasize childless to explain why I have so much free time for gaming), it doesn’t bother me that my birthday is close to Christmas because there’s nothing I really want. The perfect birthday is peace and quiet and a good game. In fact, I already have a decent amount of games to go through!

So what is my New Year Resolution for a happier and better me? Stop stressing about trying to reduce my gaming backlog. Play what I can without turning it into a chore. So here is my list on top of my head:

  • Eyuiden Rising (PC)
  • Hollow Knight (PS4)
  • Tales of Vesperia (PS4)
  • Tales of Zestiria (Ps4)
  • AI: Sominum Files (PC)
  • Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (PC)
  • Whisper of Machines (PC)
  • Silver Case (PC)
  • Silver Case II (PS4)
  • Soma (PC)
  • Elden Ring (Ps5)
  • Resident Evil 7 (Ps4)
  • Ace Attorney (Ps4)
  • Sakura Wars (Ps4)
  • Dragon Age Origins (Ps3)
  • Mass Effects (ps3)
  • Peace Walker (ps3)

I rarely make a list of games I want to complete for the year. Who am I to kid? I never stick to a schedule, but I am trying. Games in bold are games that I am currently playing. Games I crossed out means I have a hard time getting into. Maybe I will play it when I am in the right mood. It did take me about seven years to finally play Tales of Xillia. I remember there were several occasions I tried to play. If you force yourself to play games it will become work and that is one big reason why I do not stream. Plus, I find that writing my thoughts out is more meditative. In the end, I like to talk about the games and not much about me. I think readers who have been following me know by now why I stick to blogging. But if you are new to my blog, you can check out my reasons here.

There are a ton of other games I want to add to my list. Some new and some old. Yep, it seems like my backlog is not going anywhere and I gave up on trying to reduce it.

No Excuse, but It Was Hard to Get Out of the ‘Beast’s Den’

HalsdollLeave a comment

I have been charmed by Hollow Knight. This game is brutally charming (no pun intended). There are charms to be collected throughout the game to help ease the player’s experience and exploration. For someone like me who thrives on challenges and exploration, I instantly got addicted to the game fast. The stage designs are well designed and sometimes a bit too rough. If you don’t have a lot of patience, you might end up breaking the screen. As for me, I am just quite persistent when there is a challenge because it feels soooooo good when you overcome it! The game has awaken my enthusiasm for games. I ended up adding a bunch of games to WishList on Steam, thinking the next game I am going to play will be just as good. One in particular I am anticipating to play is Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. The other games I wanted to purchase were Strange Horticulture and Remothered: Broken Porcelain. But I decided to hold off. I want to enjoy games without feeling pressured to beat it and move on to the next. I promise myself once I beat a game, then I can buy another game. On top of Hollow Knight, I am finally getting around to Tales of Vesperia. I got my gaming plans all sorted out, haha.

So yeah, Hollow Knight is going to take me awhile, but I probably won’t do a review for it. Way back then, when the game was released, there were already enough positive reviews written by passionate gamers. It’s that fun. As you can see in the boss fight below (the 2nd part of the boss fight), I didn’t think I was going to beat it, but the more I play, the better I get. I feel quite satisfied with my progress so far.

Barely did it, but oh boy it felt good defeating it!

On top of the boss fight, I just love exploring the areas. I have more areas to uncover, more abilities to unlock. Overall, more charms to collect. How can something be so charming but be so brutal??? I lost count how many times I died trying to get to hard to reach items. The game sure keeps my my distracted from going crazy. I suppose that is a good thing. Anyway, I hope my readers have a nice holiday with a lot of Christmas cheers.

P.S.

I am not quite sure where this blog is heading in the future. My life has always been a transit, moving from places to places. Maybe one day I can finally find a place I can call home. For now, I will just enjoy the adventure.

hollow knight character sitting in tram

My Incoherent Review of Lady Snowblood

HalsdollLeave a comment

My apologies to my readers for missing a post last week. Online has become so loud and toxic that I noticed some of that negativity is showing up in the blogosphere. So, I took a short break from reading blogs and blogging to play Hollow Knight for my mental health’s sake. I was meaning to publish this review last Sunday but I had a hard time editing and polishing it up. Hopefully, my thoughts of the film make sense. Still feel that it’s not refined enough and I could elaborate more but then it will never be published!!! So here it goes…

Imagine a droplet of blood dripping one by one onto the clean white snow. Tell me what do you see? Do you see a Japanese flag? I want to say Lady Snowblood is a revenge story filled with death and bloody scenes. It is, but it’s more than that. Dig a little bit deeper, you’d find a nationalistic film that opposes western thoughts on greed and expansion. Wait…no I am simplifying it–it’s not a nationalist film, but more about corruption from outside influences. You can draw xenophobia from this film. However, I think most people would agree that corrupted officials can make a country bleed when money is involved. I wonder though… is money the root of all evil? Money is only as evil as the person who wields the weapon. That’s just my two cents as an outsider. Despite my opinion, I enjoyed the film for its artistic and poetic aspects. I like the color choices. You see the color red and white throughout the film which are used to enhance the revenge plot. If you are not familiar with the plot, it’s about a young lady who was born to avenge the death of her mother’s husband and her half-brother (Wikipedia summarized the plot incorrectly).

In the opening of the film, we see snow falling outside the window’s cell while female prisoners dressed in red, huddling together around a woman who has just given birth to a baby girl named Yuki, starring Meiko Kaji, the female protagonist. Instantly, I feel the coldness of the plot aligning with Yuki’s character. Another scene where the color red and white are used is when her mother’s husband gets stabbed in broad daylight for wearing a white suit. According to the pheasants, people in white suits are pawns of the government. The scene is so dramatic that it left an impression on me. Blood starts squirting and spilling onto the husband’s perfectly white suit in a flash. Moments ago, I saw a happy family taking a lovely walk in the woods. It’s a powerful scene along with the raging waves of the blue ocean. Like the flick of the Katana, everything is so sharp and happens quickly. Each scene and shot fall into perfect sync. I also like how Yuki drifts like a snowflake in the cold winter’s air, slaughtering the bad guys in the name of justice. More than anything, I empathize with the strong female lead taking justice into her hands with a blade! Karma can define one’s destiny. In Yuki’s case, she was born for revenge. She was born to avenge for the powerless people who are made to suffer under the hands of greedy officials. Overall, it’s a nice revenge film with a subtle hint of political criticism.

P.S.

I couldn’t find a decent trailer for this film, but it’s worth getting the Criterion Collection. It’s one of those films you’d want to watch over and over because it’s just that pretty.

Book Review: Where the Crawdads Sing

HalsdollLeave a comment

I appreciate flowers. I appreciate flowery words used to make Nature beautiful and comforting–that includes the marsh. This book reminds me of a fairy tale more than a story based on true life events because it’s all dreamily poetic. So, if you are looking for a story that will make you feel good and you want to be in tune with nature—this is the book. It’s all powerfully feminine just like Nature. Sometimes that’s all you need. Let her embrace you with her wild beauty. She will heal your ailing mind.

In this book, we follow the story of a girl named Kya, the protagonist, who grew up in the marsh. First, her mother left. Then one by one, her siblings left her too. Eventually, her abusive father left her as well. By age 10, the girl is left to survive on her own in the marsh, digging and selling mussels. Kya reminded me of a southern-style version of Lara Croft (a video game character). Instead of raiding tombs, Kya studies the marsh with sensitivity, embracing all the life it has to offer. She is a naturalist, an artist, a poet, and a scientist without proper schooling. Because of her mysterious ways, she is known as the Marsh Girl and is shunned by the locals. And yet, her wildness and beauty got her involved with two men from the local town called Barkley Cove, a made-up belief place by the coast of North Carolina. It’s a romance, murder mystery story with a flare of drama mixed with science. I think it’s a great mix of genres and a refreshing one.

I read some negative reviews on Goodreads, arguing that the protagonist is unrealistic and there are some inaccurate presentations of North Carolina’s dialects. I wouldn’t know since I am not from the region. However, it didn’t bother me because I understood what the author, Delia Owen was trying illustrate with her characters and the story the entire time: As the author stated, Kya is in all of us and one in a million (p.438, mass ed.). The author used science to explain the plot and the reasoning behind her characters’ motivations such as mating, social acceptance, loneliness, and isolation. For instance, if you have never lived alone for years and did not communicate with anyone daily (texting doesn’t count), the world can feel lonesome. When you have that much alone time, you start to ease the loneliness through your surroundings by acknowledging the liveliness of Nature. That’s how Kya survived all those years by herself. The marsh became her mother:

“Sometimes she heard night sounds she didn’t know or jumped from lightning too close, but whenever she stumbled, it was the land that caught her.”

-Page 40, Where the Crawdads Sing

As a character, Kya is innocently pure like Nature. I love how the author used her character to link with the civilized world. As a reader, I see it through the interaction between the locals and kya. From the outsider’s perspective, she is nothing more than bare-footed swamp trash. She couldn’t even read until the age of 14 or 15. And yet, the author paints her in the most beautiful light by mixing poetry into the story to evoke longing and empathic feelings. In this book, the marsh is beautiful and pure unlike the socially constructed society.  Religion, culture, customs, and social economics can make a society appears more barbaric than the marsh. Unlike humans, Nature is not prejudiced. She doesn’t ostracize people based on class, intelligence, genetics, etc. Instead, she provides shelter and abundance. All you ever need is within grasp, and the best part is that she gives it freely without expecting anything in return except for your embrace just like a good mother.

I enjoyed the book and its imagery of the marsh, but didn’t care much about the romance part. It was however, suspenseful enough to keep me turning the pages. There were a few parts that made me laugh hard.  I highly doubt I would watch the film. There’s something about written words that often get lost when it’s turned into a motion picture.