horror

May’s Books, Games, and Creative Projects

May 1, 2026April 30, 2026Halsdoll4 Comments

May has arrived. After watching several videos on journaling, I decided to try making my own calendar book in the beginning of this year. The first few months of page design weren’t pretty. But I think I can proudly say May is my best! Anyway, creating a calendar each month is a fun activity that takes me away from the screen. I also want to try junk journaling or go back to pastel drawing. Watching other people’s creative works is so inspiring. With that being out of the way, let’s talk about what I have been playing reading and playing.

Reading

I finished Call of the Wild by Jack London and Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë. Currently reading My Antonia by Willa Cather. Out of the three books, even though I have not finished My Antonia, I am enjoying it the most. The pioneer spirit of working immigrants is very inspiring, and the writing is just so beautiful and full of compassion. However, I found the dialogue between the characters shockingly racist. For instance, I didn’t know what a Lapland woman is until I read this book: “Lapland women were fat and ugly, and had squint eyes, like Chinese…mother says Norwegians up North are always afraid their boys will run after them (p.192, Bantam Classics).” Um… okay. If they are so ugly why would the boys run after them? It sounds like a bunch of girls gossiping nonsense. For the most part, I enjoy the imagery of the prairie. There are many descriptions of nature that I could visualize in my mind. People back then spent more time outdoors, and perhaps that is what draws me to the book.

I have added more books to my reading list ever since visiting the local bookstores. There are so many books I want to read, but oddly, I find it more fun to write about video games for this blog. I don’t know why.

Gaming

Last month, I spent time with Trinity Souls of Zill O’LL. I am halfway now. I know it’s taking me forever to complete since I don’t play the game every day and only about 40 minutes a session. It works for me. And since I already achieved the platinum years ago, I don’t stress about trying to get everything in one playthrough. I focus on the story, and I must say, I love the story! It reminds me of Oedipus the Rex, which happens to be one of my favorite plays. Areus, the protagonist, has one mission in life–to kill his evil Grandpa! It has a mixture of Greek and Norse mythologies. Everything that I like, and this scene, a fighting (flirting) scene, is so fun to watch:

I also like how the game includes an encyclopedia of the bestiary, characters, quests, journals, etc. It is so organized. The best part is the Gallery menu. You can watch movies (cutscenes), look at paintings and listen to the music. I am still debating whether I want to do a video game essay or review once I complete it. It’s very time-consuming, I realized. If you have not played this game and you are a fan of JRPGs, I highly recommend this game.

I also watched an entire Let’s Play video of Silent Hill 3. I remember not enjoying it as much, but it’s more of a user experience problem. I am surprised I beat the game back then, even though the camera gave me motion sickness. Watching it again, I appreciate its artistry, symbolism, and stage design. The level of detail in the monster design is amazing. I also understand why so many people like Heather. She is stylish, edgy, and doesn’t mind being in her own company. She blazes in the game without flinching–almost like she is so used to the nightmare. Towards the end, she questions herself: has she gone crazy? I guess that is what makes the game a psychological horror. I still prefer Silent Hill 2, though. I just don’t like too many references to the woman’s anatomy. It makes me queasy.

In relation to Silent Hill 3, I do want to mention that I haven’t seen anyone talk about Audrey Rose, a film by Robert Wise. I watched it on Amazon Prime a few years ago, and it reminds me so much of the story revolving Heather. It’s a psychological horror that discusses the concept of reincarnation. The way the film was shot terrified me. If you have not seen this horror film, you should. You can find it on Tubi and Youtube, free with ads. I wonder if I am the only one who notices the resemblance.

Final Thoughts

Gaming has been quite selective for me. I know that I have a few games I need to revisit, but I am not sure if I have the right mind set to enjoy them properly. Lately, I prefer something more adventurous and nourishing. As for books, I dropped Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. I’m just not feeling it. So I don’t want to waste anymore of my time with the book. This approach to my hobbies makes me happier.

Song of Horror (Review): A Rock n ‘ Roll Horror Experience

October 22, 2025February 10, 2026HalsdollLeave a comment

I remember reading somewhere before the release of Song of Horror that Protocol Games wanted to make a true survival horror. My initial thought at the time was let’s see if they can genuinely make a good one. Personally, I haven’t come across that many horror games I considered great by indie developers (maybe I need to play more). The ones I liked were Detention and Soma, but even then, they didn’t leave an everlasting impression on me. And so, I was pleasantly surprised with this game. Not only did the developers achieve in building a suspenseful, tense horror game, but they also weave a good story into the gameplay without making it convoluted. The gameplay is also highly addictive.

Synopsis

On one Friday evening, as soon as Daniel Noyer comes home after a long day at work, his boss from Wake Publishing phoned him on the whereabouts of Sebastian Husher who happens to be an acclaimed, historical fiction author, and the shiny star of the publishing firm. Not only is the author missing but his manuscript has passed the deadline! Daniel, annoyed being as the errand boy, has no choice but to pay a visit to the Husher’s residency. From there, he finds the place abandoned with an eerie music box playing in the background. This mysterious tune will determine his fate. Will he find the missing author and the manuscript? Will he get his promotion that he so deserved?

*Daniel is driving up to the Husher’s Mansion to retrieve the manuscript.*

Gameplay

There are four difficulty settings: E.T.A. Hoffmann, M.R. James, Edgar Allan Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft. Even though the game recommends players to start on Edgar Allan Poe, I switched over to the easiest so I could learn how to play the game. Once I become comfortable with QTEs (also referred to mini games) and the puzzles, I move up a level. The reason is because on Edgar Allen Poe, the player will experience more permadeaths and encounter more QTEs than M.R. James mode. It can get annoying fast when you are trying to progress the storyline. With the easiest setting (E.T.A. Hoffmann), you could restart at a checkpoint without losing a character permanently. However, if you pick Daniel, you will have to restart the episode regardless of the difficulty settings because he is the main character. So, be mindful on which characters you choose to play on the harder settings. Not all characters are created equal, but they balance each other out.

*If you look at his serenity attribute,* he is not good *at staying quiet when facing The Silence in* episode II, but his strength is strong for blocking the doors.

blocking door from the fearful presence from getting in. — *Daniel has an overall balanced attribute, but even playing as him, I struggled blocking the door from the menacing entity*.

As mentioned earlier, I take baby steps first until I familiarize myself with the structure of the game. The game will punish impatient players. Making loud, stomping sound will trigger QTE, which means potentially dying and losing game progress. As for the puzzles, some of them are difficult. For instance, the description to break the code in episode V is vague. All it has are some doodle drawings and a sentence that reads: “From highest to lowest, the seven numbers in the photo.” At first in my mind, I tried to match 7 numbers to 5 drawings. Now that I think about it, I can see the thought process. There are 7 people total, 6 in white suits, 4 standing up, 3 sitting down, 3 wearing glasses, 3 with mustache, and 1 in black suit. The code is 7643331.

I was surprised that I didn’t need to complete the game on the reccomended difficulty setting. Once I completed the game on M.R. James mode, the H.P. Lovecraft mode becomes available. It’s there for those who want a challenge. Indeed, it’s challenging. Pressing the button to control your breath, heart rhythm and block the door will leave you panting. If you are hardcore, go for it, but it’s going to require a lot of patience.

SOUND

Speaking of sound, a horror game wouldn’t be horrific without the special sound effects. There will be times when I have to press the character’s head against the door to listen if there is something behind it. Failing to listen will kill the character. I died many times because I had the volume on low. So, I recommend playing the volume on high or with a headset.

*Erica is listening to what’s behind the door*.

I could hear the rumbling, whispering and the slithering sound coming from the mysterious evil entity also known as the Presence with the headset on. The funniest part is the jump scare moments. I found it quite funny when Daniel screams. Apart from the haunting sound effects, there are moments where I could relax and breathe normally. Occasionally, you’d hear the characters exhaling and making disagreement noises when something doesn’t work out such as trying to open a blocked door or failing to combine two items. It’s comforting. I also appreciate Dr. Berenice Prestegard’s calm and intelligent voice. Exploring the mental asylum is frightening, but she makes everything feels okay.

*Dr. Berenice is terrified of the dark, but she is brave enough to sleep alone*. What an oxymoron.

Visual

All the stages (episodes) are well designed and nailed the horror atmosphere to an extreme. Can someone please explain to me on what is the obsession with mannequins in horror games? Is it the secret ingredient to a good horror? I find that it’s becoming a cliché more than a tribute to classic horror games.

René Artigas in apartment b standing next to mannequin — *You can’t see it in the picture, but behind* René Artigas there is a door chained up. One of the easter eggs. It’s a reference Silent Hill 4.

Anyway, there is the Husher’s mansion, the antique shop, the archive, the abbey, and the mental asylum, which have straight forward objectives if you know what you are doing. My favorite part of the game happens to be the antique shop in episode II. Whenever I feel threatened, I want to rush outside of the building into the rain. The sight and sound of the rain is soothing and it gives me the impression of fresh air. I like how balanced episode II is compared to other episodes.

Erica standing in the rain — *The light shining on the rain is very pretty*.

Conclusion

Do I recommend this game? Yes! Is this game perfect? No! They could have toned down the jump scares on Edgar Allan Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft mode. Secondly, some of the puzzles are difficult and don’t make any sense. Hard for hard sake is not my cup of tea. Thirdly, the H.P. Lovecraft mode is insane at times. There are moments I literally tiptoe in the game to minimize random QTEs. Lastly, the game freezes quite frequently on H.P. Lovecraft mode. It starts to feel like obtaining the platinum is more of a gamble than based on effort. Despite the flaws, I still enjoyed the game. What I love most is the thought process behind the gameplay, atmosphere, sound, story, and characters. All the playable characters have diverse, interesting backgrounds. I enjoyed the game so much that I shoot for the platinum trophy! That should say a lot about the game whether it is worth your time.

Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

November 16, 2024November 16, 2024HalsdollLeave a comment

This blog post is more like a writing prompt, but readers can treat it as a review despite some spoilers. I hope this does not discourage you; instead, I hope it piques your interest enough to pick up the book if you haven’t already read this classic.

When I was a kid, I remember reading the first chapter of a random book and being amazed at the author’s command of words. There’s a godly presence to the writer when she can manipulate words and draw images in the reader’s mind. Naive little me believed everything that is printed. It was not until later in life that I realized that even the most profound writers are as blind as the lowest common denominators–limited to one’s frame of mind. Oh no, I’m not insulting someone’s intelligence but to remind us that humans are full of erroneous beliefs. Yes, I can hear someone saying Frankenstein was published in 1818. Mary Shelley is the product of her time, and as a modern reader, I should be forgiving, but I just can’t! Asian cultures are slothful? South America is the land of savages? No way can I tolerate such worldviews! I am Asian-American. As an outsider like the Frankenstein’s monster, I can only appreciate the book (European culture) from afar. The book was one of the most beautiful prose I have ever read, and I wish I could love it more but I cannot. I am no ally to outdated, prejudiced ideologies.

The book is classified as horror, but it feels more like a tragedy. College boy Victor Frankenstein from Geneva, thirsted for something more and decided to create life only to abandon it. Why? One vocabulary described his ambition: ennui, which is a noun meaning “a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement (Oxford Languages dictionary. I googled the vocabulary).” Yes, Victor Frankenstein was carried away with his studies. He was not content with idleness like his spiritual friend Henry Clerval. Frankenstein was ambitious, and that became his ruin.

What a glorious creature must he have been in the days of his prosperity, when he is thus noble and godlike in ruin. He seems to feel his worth and the greatness of his fall (p.200).

The plot sounds pretty simple when I summarized it like that– but it made me reflect on the classic literature books I have read previously (Macbeth and Crime and Punishment) which have a similar theme: the human’s conscience becoming the prosecutor. In Frankenstein, Victor attempts to redeem his error by becoming the prosecutor; meanwhile, the monster becomes his persecutor. Every decision Victor has made against the monster leads him further into misfortunes. Like a wild game of chase, he cannot escape his tormentor, who happens to be also the monster’s tormentor. Not even the beauty of the European Alps and pristine lakes can soothe the mind for too long because both are a slave to each other existence. His burden is so heavy that he globalizes it. To him, he has unleashed a horrific machination against humanity, a “sensitive rational animal (p.200)” that will defile all of Europe! But is the monster at fault? Some have argued that the monster is more human than Frankenstein. I believe so. So does that make all us a bit like monsters?

There are so many angles I could look at from reading this dense book of 211 pages, which makes it great for reading discussions. I can’t help but wonder myself what Frankenstein could have done differently with the monster. Why create a monster without weighing the consequence? How did he know that it was the monster who committed murder? The way how the story unfolds made me believe it’s about colonial racism, but I can’t say for sure. That’s why a second reading may be worth the time for someone like me who is always fishing metaphors.

P.S.

I often wonder where the phrase misery loves company comes from. Is it from this book? Frankenstein and the monster could not live without the other.