my one analgesic blind spot and one im so angry i didnt correct earlier,,,almost certainly the height of their 2D game design for one, with a bold eccentricity that nonetheless feels constantly self-reinforcing and even intuitive...and as always, dovetails absolutely gorgeously with the larger picture. a rly common mental image in analgesics games is the individual standing in front of the incomprehensible and massive forces that have shaped them and their actions, and while this is by any measure the Bleakest of those in their catalog its also affirming in small ways...in particular the energy system. which even as u are filled with dread doing things u know u probably shouldnt (a feeling harnessed to similarly great effect in anodyne 2, god i love how many connections and filled gaps in this ludography finally playing this filled out for me), the energy balancing still illustrates that on an individual inherent human level, we are Different then systems, we know how to live well and are just forced pretend that the same rules dont apply to those above us. the pendulum swings between the intensive gameplay sections and the colorful intimate narrative sections are especially stunning here. as with all their games, a million tiny little moments of narrative and aesthetic and design that will stay with me forever.