151 Reviews liked by Niandra


when you’re naturally a little bit shaky playing this game is basically like the dark souls of the operation boardgame

yeah this is another case of me being an industrial quantity consumer of furry gay porn vns and if some pervert read that deers and deckards review this is basically a spin off of that other vn where the focus is completely shifted on another couple of a doggy protag who was nameless when this was released but in the current deers and deckards builds he's called bosco and that's what I called him in the vn

so what happens is that youre co workers with this guy and also fwb with this guys which means that as soon AS you get a thermae date with him yknow whats up

it's pretty useless to tell you how the events evolve because it's basically just glorified porn cgs as always the plotline here is just a setup for the subsequent sex scenes that are gonna develop and nothing else

that being said as monotonous as they can be the characters are pretty alright the writing is still pretty fine and I really wanted a porn cg with the hyena because im very much attracted to him but he got zero action no actually theres a 3 lines peeking sex scene with him but its not really a cg so that doesn't count

as always the developer(s) got some bomb cgs and while theres only 3 at least more than half are a hit and just because I don't like tentacle porn never did never will the true route sex is incredibly well done and masterclass in drawing and can be even used for more than one jerk off session !!! youre welcome

so yeah whatever this ain't worth mentioning but if you like the developer this is a nice addition to their multiverse of cock and for the runtime of it you can get at least some sexual stimuli if this is your shit

it isn't really explained in the itch io page as much as ive seen but I think the game is done so im gonna put completed bye bye

Me: "So the gnorps have to hit this rock over and over to collect shards from it, so they can hit the rock with stronger stuff to get more shards. It's a clicker game. It's cute though, I actually like this one!"

My partner: "...Steven, is your computer mining bitcoin right now?"

First of all, the elephant in the room: the game really tries to have its cake and eat it too with the H-scenes, trying to convey sexual anxiety via psychological horror but also sometimes being clearly intended to be jack-off material. I do believe there are some stories that could only be told with sex and all its complexities, but Everyday took my willingness for good faith too far at times. Frankly, you have to have a pretty strong tolerance to all sorts of problematic BS in eroge to be able to appreciate the good, and I’m not saying that to diminish the opinions of those who don’t have that tolerance. I always roll my eyes at people who call this a “kamige” and gatekeep people who can’t appreciate the “genius” of this masterpiece when it’s for a very particular audience.

I wish more discussion was put on the resemblances to Cyrano de Bergerac. At its heart, Wonderful Everyday is a compelling twist on the classic story. That fear of saying what you mean, saying what you want in your own words, is relatable to me and while I had mostly learned my lesson by the time I played this game, I could still recognize how profound that component is for someone who is still afraid to express themselves. That’s what the real wonderful everyday is: being able to live true to one’s self with people who love you for you. Miss me with all the philosophy quotes and namedrops, I’m not a fan of philosophy just for pontification’s sake and instead appreciate how it manages to translate to the human condition in practice even while being draped in surreality and metaphor. It’s this surprisingly soft, tender side that I think of the most whenever I reflect on the game, a lone point on this thorny rose with which it can be held and admired.

I can see how this title would have caught eroge players by surprise with its very contemplative nature as it gradually broke down certain tropes of the medium until sex became one of the less remarkable (and prevalent) aspects in the later chapters. I would never recommend this to anybody who isn’t comfortable with eroge, as there are certainly better-told stories with fewer caveats to be found elsewhere, but I also can’t understate the power to pierce through its target audience’s defenses and maybe that’s why it’s so special to some people.

This review contains spoilers

yknow I actually love the story characters music atmosphere philosophy (I guess) a pity I had to go through rape rape rape crucifixion drug abuse people falling from rooftops inaccurate lesbian sex pedophilia incest rape desk fucking schizophrenia futanari public nudity more incest and/or rape bullying bestiality feminization mass suicide homophobia and transphobia horror delusions water sports and/or piss kink orgies bsdm torture mind fuck (literally) and probably other things I forgot about because there's so much shit here some very emotional scenes
:((( also rip inubushi keiko remember11 you wouldve loved this game frfr

"A person will experiences two deaths. The first is when a soul leaves their body. And the second is when the memories of that person fade from everyone's hearts."
- Sayoko Robbins

"Because you remember her, my mom lives on. And thanks to that, I got to see her."
- Ashley Robbins

Been thinking a lot about remakes. What is the value of a remake? What is lost in returning to an older work to "fix" things? All these meta-commentaries and adaptations are interesting in theory, but why is it so hard to simply release the old games?

Another Code is a messy example in that so much of its foundation is built on hardware that no longer exists. Cing used every aspect of the DS and the Wii to build its narratives and these clever methods of interaction are a crucial beating heart. Losing a majority of that puzzle interaction in the Recollection's format does... hurt. But there's still so much love here that its a compromise I understand.

The game undeniably provides two key features: ease and access. The game is easier to navigate, dialogue easier to skip through, backtracking and surplus content is snipped off for a more pleasant experience. Running around the mansion in Two Memories is really fun! The sensation of interacting with a tiny video game map to unravel, rather than an exhausting open world, feels like something that's been lost in a lot of modern game design. It felt amazing to return to it and even more amazing that its so easy to acquire this game. People can play and experience these games in one complete package. It'd certainly wish people to at least seek out emulators, but I'm choosing to be happy for the people experiencing this narrative for the first time.

But I think what really won me over on this game was the director's cut feel of it. Head Writer Rika Suzuki and Director Taisuke Kanasaki returned for Recollection and you can feel that sense of time permeate their approach to this game, especially in the Journey Into Lost Memories section. One character in the Wii game was a character I often found frustrating and boring to engage with. Recollection completely changes the final climax of the story and alters his journey into something full of tragedy, misunderstanding, and existentialism. It ties up loose ends and closes the book on a series that never continued. It says goodbye, but with peace and joy rather than misery.

In 2022, Rika Suzuki became an honorary member of the Game Preservation Society. Her interview after Cing's closure can be found here. Cing's closure was the first time I understood as a child that a company closing meant something could be lost that wouldn't be filled. That something would change. And from there, an understanding that when an uncaring company fires its workers, its throwing away the talents and efforts of so many dedicated people. That lesson influences how I think about... a lot of things into the present.

Games are built through the hard-work and care of many different individuals we will never know. Their names passing us by on a credits screen symbolizes days and weeks and months of work. I can feel the love pouring from the screen. I can feel the passion for creativity and joy. If you don't feel it for this game, and I would never demand that you have to, feel that passion in your own favorite games. Find a favorite moment or scene or piece of art and look up who was in charge of art design or script or lighting or any piece of visual scenery that you adored. Someone made that. Remember them, if just for a little while. And if you don't want to do that for games, do that for your fridge, your coat, your wallet. Someone made that. We're all connected by work we'll never see. Remember them.

Another Code helped teach me that a decade ago and its still reminding me that now.

I haven't done every route yet
but this might be the funniest fucking VN ever made https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1156847812378628116/1218758562726281307/Untitled.png?ex=6608d45c&is=65f65f5c&hm=eefd55b36d8340c6e66f51f9c172437c2c24cf45b29fdd72418a83bd79614bb5&

All jokes aside, it's a cool and very important piece of history. Can really see how many VNs were inspired by it like its immediate successors including Kamaitachi No Yoru or Tegami, let alone later VNs. If nothing else, Otogirisou is an important history lesson to experience for any VN fan imo, and it's extremely easy to get the first good ending in ~2 hours without a guide.

Even in a silly group reading setting, I was scared several times by some of the pixel art and noises. The credits music in particular is rather beautiful.

I might type more when I read the other routes but anyways enjoy the fan translation title screen for now
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1156847812378628116/1218734760340226190/image.png?ex=6608be31&is=65f64931&hm=678cd0abdcbf0adbe13ca61b6a38b6aade5180cf40ecaa1cdbdae8afb7f108a2&

In this game you're a "good" (white) colonizer, the only one that can protect the poor natives of this unexplored (by the whites) island from the "evil" colonizers, even though you're also colonizing their land and often the game makes you side with the "evil" colonizers in killing all these savages that have no right to live in the land that is theirs, as if that's such a Normal and Right decision that why would the game present you with an option to not do that?
In the end, after killing the natives' leader that was trying too hard to defend his people, because you wanted to manipulate their election and put someone more amenable to your requests in his place, you learn he was actually right to defend them but obviously the game never makes you reflect on your evil actions.

Everything from the gameplay mechanics and what actions measure your progress to the narrative is racist, disgusting and rancid.

It doesn't escape me that due to the ending ruining the colonizers' plans to this land the upcoming sequel will be set 3 years in the past, the devs (who are europeans, to really put the cherry on top) had to figure out some other reason to let you continue living your happy little colonialism fantasy.

It's games like this that I find difficult to rate or even talk about. I can't say that I enjoyed myself - it's too upsetting for that - or even really understood it. It seems incredibly personal to the game's creator and, without knowing them personally, it was difficult to get a grip on all of the details that this game's filled with. I didn't get a lot out of this game but that's not because it's bad; it is because it's not for me. Ideas of good and bad are largely irrelevant because my enjoyment of the game isn’t what matters. The game was clearly made for its maker and if it was helpful to them, that’s what matters. I just hope they’re doing okay and this helped them, at least in some small way.

This review contains spoilers

I'M THE LIGHTBRINGER, I'M THE FUCKING UNIVERSE!!!!!

(Replay) The fact that I reeeally feel like I missed a lot in this story and I still definitely think it's better than OoT and WW says a lot. A beautifully written, thematically complex story. Light and shadow, the corruptive and tempting nature of power, lingering regrets. Hyrule, despite being the world of light, is a fading shadow of its former self that has not moved on from the past like it has in WW. Ganondorf parallels himself across alternate timelines, Midna's arc is wonderfully fitting, Zant is just all around great. The Hero of Time wanders the earth, only one regret left that he wishes to ease before finally moving on. Zelda dungeons have never had more of a focus on lore and in-universe purpose, and the game has an insane amount of beautiful shots and cinematography. TP, in all of its thematic explorations, is the culmination of the Zelda series, and especially the Hero of Time saga (OoT, MM, WW, TP). I know that every replay after this I will find even more to analyze.

After 10 years stuck in development limbo, Dead Island 2 is a truly delightful turnaround. Not just from its lengthy, tumultuous development, but from Dambuster Studio's previous work, Homefront: The Revolution, a game that can charitably be described as 'one of the games of all time'.

Dead Island 2 could perhaps also be given the same label, though. But not for any lack of identity or originality, but because this is a video game-ass video game, and it's not afraid to own that distinction as a badge of honor.

DI2 feels like a game from the Xbox 360 era of its predecessor in all the best ways. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, because it doesn't really have to. It's a nice fucking wheel. Instead, it takes the largely bland yet mostly fun Dead Island 1 and gives it a fresh, honed-in take, complete with tons of QoL additions and callbacks.

It's also unexpectedly gorgeous and runs incredibly smoothly on every platform it's available on. I didn't even realize games were still capable of such feats in today's market, yet here we are.

Also, the soundtrack slaps.

The story and characters are fun, delightfully cheesy B-movie goodness packed with surprisingly funny one-liners here and there. I went into it not expecting much from the story, particularly after how generic DI1 and Riptide's narratives were, but came away wanting to know what happened next and where the series could go from here. I've seen many online label the dialogue as 'cringe', which is either a dash of hyperbole or completely dependent on the character you choose from the beginning. I picked Ryan for the record, and I found him to be a charming, sardonic, archetypal straight-man who was easy to root for throughout.

The world and particularly the level design are sublime and stand tall as the perfect case for why every worthy game doesn't have to be a sprawling open world filled with checkmarks. There is plenty to find in DI2's levels, and lots of opportunities to go off the beaten path, should you choose to. I'd even go as far as to say that it's on par with most Arkane games in terms of the experimentation at play in its environments.

Dead Island 2 also has, at times, some great biting (pun intended) satire scattered throughout these levels. It employs an "eat the rich" mentality to settle any moral quandaries that zombie fiction usually brings by getting stuck on who they used to be before they turned. From crypto billionaires to nepo babies and self-aggrandizing influencers who live in 'content houses,' there are plenty of Hollywood elites to slice and dice without a care in the world.

Speaking of slicing and dicing, combat gets a gigantic upgrade, not just from Dead Island 1 but from both Dying Light games, by introducing the FLESH system. Realistic damage and physics reactions from your weapons make for some truly grisly and satisfying kills from start to finish. Throw in the dodge and counter abilities, and you've got Techland sweating to compete for Dying Light 3.

DI2 is not without its flaws, though. The zombie spawn system seems to be currently broken. You can take down an area full of zombies, turn the corner, quickly come back and find the same area repopulated. When sprinting, you'll often see several zombies materialize in front of you due to the game not being able to keep up.

It's surprising to see this in a wide-linear game such as this, but it's no doubt something that can be addressed with patches down the line.

You also cannot manually close doors behind you, so good luck if you want to reliably put some distance between you and a horde that's hot on your heels.

The ending, while not as egregiously bad as Dying Light 2's, is still one that leaves multiple cliffhangers. While I acknowledge that this is likely to conclude in the two upcoming expansions, it's a shame that the base game couldn't have a complete book-ended story with some lingering hints of the future.

There are also some very interesting lore implications for the series that help it stand out from other zombie fiction. However, these aren't explored nearly enough, or rather, when they are elaborated upon, it's within the final two or so hours of the game, so it ultimately feels pointless. Again, perhaps this is something that will be saved for DLC, but it's a shame that that's become the de facto answer to lingering narrative threads for so many studios these days.

Regardless of my problems, however, Dead Island 2 is a GREAT game, and certainly one that was a lot better than I was expecting given the lukewarm reception I gave the previous game. Dambuster Studio should truly be proud of what they have delivered here, and they've more than earned the keys to the franchise moving forward.

8/10

World's longest scooby doo episode.

Bitter Companion

It's surprisingly less perverted than the title would lead you to believe. Basically its a short story about a cisgirl falling for a stealth transgirl on the bus after finding out shes a huge fan of her NSFW social media drawings. Eventually she is led back to her home and lewdness ensues. There's a lot of games that play into this more simple queer sexual romance, for instance Demon Dash (2022), Housewarming Gift (2018) both by Nadia Nova. Along with a lot of the releases by Aria such as Ignored and Humiliated by Gamer Girls (2022). The fundamental interaction here is where desire meets respect of the other.

I like to think of these types of games as fairly wholesome LGBT power fantasies, because everything is simplified down to just the erotic desire. Power fantasies are fine and compelling, and I think there can be a bit too much moralizing when it comes to this stuff. If it's not appealing to you specifically or making some shortcuts to keep the story simple and focused, suddenly its wildly offensive, perverted, or otherwise needlessly fetishistic. I condemn this way of thinking and would draw a direct line between this criticism and the conservatives that try to outlaw library books. We need wholesome desire for our bodies out in the world, and I don't think taking undue scrutiny to already obscure texts is that fair. Imagine if you went and wrote some smutty fanfiction, uploaded it, and then found out a lot of people were poking fun at it one day. In a lot of these cases people are not being mindful that teams dont make art like this, but a single person does. At some point so called constructive criticism runs closer to bullying than it does to being anything helpful. I think the difference here is that I've actually had some of the people's works I criticized reach out and thank me or give feedback to what I said and it grounded me to realizing that at the end of the day I'm paroling somebodies creative drive. Like sure, death of the author and all, but it's only fair that people are going to feel hurt. I've had some of my posts on here get reposted to twitter before by big accounts to be mocked (particularly the Vampire Suvivor post) and I have to be honest it kind of stings to just see a bunch of people tell you you're wasting your time and doing nothing.

With that all said though, this doesn't mean I or you have to force ourselves to enjoy these works. Whether it be because the prose isnt effective or it cut a corner you're not fond of (in this case talking smut on the bus is not something im into as I like to keep my bus travel quiet, and the power fantasy of the 1 date girlfriend is something thats a little too fast for my tastes). You can even express that if you want. You can say a work is a bit too fetishistic or plain etc, but at the end of the day its just a preference. You don't get any points for gloating over how bad it is and in general doing so for works this small makes one come off meanspirited and demotivating people from making games you might enjoy in the future. This is a pervasive way of speaking about works that I've seen on RYM and is slowly creeping its way onto here. Almost none of these games were constructed to sustain this kind of mockery. It's likely you could be contributing quite directly to somebodies despair.

There's one other sentiment I want to demystify because it frustrates me deeply. Many people that are trans and most that aren't are way too open with their use of the word chaser to describe something or someones behavior. Again, we trans people like to be desired, and this relegation of everyone wanting for us or writing about our bodies as chasers is harmful. A chaser is somebody who usually wants to meet us on the downlow away from a crowd, that see us mainly as a porn fetish (a ladyboy or a shemale), that are only interested in hitting and quitting. Chasers tend to have no interests in our kinks or getting to know us or seeing us as people. Alex Jones, who was found to be looking at trans porn is a chaser. The person who wrote this story is almost definitively not a chaser. On top of that, while trans people can be uncomfortably perverted they can't be chasers. Chasers are only a term that apply (for the most part) only to cis people, and so saying that a trans person for one reason or another is being a chaser is transphobic rhetoric and should not be done so wantonly. We have other terms to describe perverted behaviour we dont like: Leering, objectifying, etc. Accusing everyone and everything of being a chaser robs that notion of its actual meaning and function. Which if you don't know, is to keep us personally safe since chasers don't respect us and thus can't be trusted to have good motivations.

There's lots of art like this running around, and every time people crowd together to make fun of it, it creates a quicksand pit of resentment and discontent. Every time people do that for art like this, it makes the people that even brought it to attention not want to anymore. It hits our morale a bit. God forbid the people just want to make games to practice and have fun with their desires in the process. It's exactly this attitude why I have my comments turned off. I don't want to argue with the types of prudes that would've tried to hang DeSade.

Birmingham is a fucking shithole.