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Cheshire Cat
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Cheshire Cat
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Cheshire Cat

Cheshire Cat
The Baron

Well, fortunately, an unfinished project scares me more than aging.

On the UNfortunate side, the last week has been a struggle in many ways, so I haven't made much progress. Hopefully it won't be too much longer.

I appreciate folks maintaining their interest!

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Well, as far as tonight goes, the Clippers suck, and ORL/ATL should 100% be the more entertaining game.

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Not trying to spin it as a good loss, since perimeter defense (or lack thereof) was part of the problem, but in today's NBA, sometimes you're just gonna have nights when you shoot 10/41 from three and your opponent shoots 19/33.

The Spurs had been shooting decently, the Suns dared them to do it again by sending all of their attention at Wemby, and they couldn't. We knew that was going to be a weakness this year.

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5. Felix and Annette (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
An old axiom to remember when it comes to grade schoolers and teenagers: if you want to find out who the nice, friendly kid has a crush on, find the person they seem to treat with disdain. If you want to find out who the surly, antisocial kid has a crush on, find the person who receives their kindness. I cant think of any other pairing in video games that captures this dynamic better than Felix and Annette. When 3Hs supports land, they land big, and this one in particular is just adorable from the start. Their first interaction has them very much coming off like two people with a strong attraction to each other but are both too awkward in their own ways to know how to deal with it, and the rest of the chain has them naturally developing an easy rapport where they start to smile through the embarrassment instead of freaking out about it. Best Fire Emblem couple by far.

4. Kay and Yu (Haven)
Though it wasnt nearly as good as Furi, the Game Bakers did enough with this game to prove they werent a one-hit wonder. Haven is an RPG-slash-survival-game centered around the relationship of these two lovers, who fled their dystopian homeworld in order to live free and alone on a different planet. Their chemistry is fantastic, with an easy and believable rapport, but theyre also very different people with very different outlooks, and the game doesnt shy away from portraying the strain that sort of thing can have on a relationship when the rest of their daily life is already so difficult. Still, their communication and devotion to each other always wins out eventually, and I never got tired of watching them just sit and talk and be with each other. Which is good, because thats a large part of the game! Also, not to get too crass or anything, but some of their (not uncommon) more amorous scenes put my wife in a very fun mood while we were playing through together, so, yknow, points for that.

3. Aeron and Elena (Pandoras Tower)
Like with Zael and Calista, I think I was already able to get across the reasons this pairing works so well, considering everyone seemed to like the PT entry so much. Its an incredible demonstration of dedication to your partner overcoming all else so long as you continue to choose each other.

2. Squall and Rinoa (Final Fantasy VIII)
Final Fantasy has perhaps been a bit conspicuous by its absence on this list, considering my well-recorded love for JRPGs. Frankly, I think its more of a high-floor, low-ceiling kind of series most of the time, but there are a few entries Id say I love, and FF8 is one of them. This excellent romance that drives much of the plot always reminds me of something from my Psych 101 class way back when, that the old idea of opposites attracting is really a misappropriation of complements attracting. Squall and Rinoa arent actually as different as they seem initially, and they eventually pull traits out of each other that turn them into happier and more complete people. I think the throughline of Laguna and Julias missed connection eventually circling back to their respective children is a beautiful display that the world often works itself out in unexpected ways, and Ive always felt it comes together very naturally. Plus, the Ill be your knight. line is among the sweetest ever uttered in a video game. Fantastic couple and a large part of the reason I enjoy their game so much.

1. REDACTED
Youll get to read about this one at some length in Game #30s writeup.

I'll have to see about getting around to it someday!

Regrettably, my perfectly maintained schedule for this project is going to fail at the eleventh hour. I'm just not quite satisfied with how my writeup for the final game is turning out right now, and since there won't be anything getting messed up after it if I take a few extra days to finish, I'm going to go ahead and give that grace to myself as a birthday gift. So apologies to anyone on the edge of their seat, but hopefully Game #30 will be along before too much longer!

In the meantime, here's the ranking for It Takes Two's entry, the last one of the list.

Top 10 Video Game Romances

To be clear, this is not a ranking of "ships." To qualify, I'm looking for some sort of proof in-game that the characters involved are actively in a relationship or clearly headed that direction with some finality. Mutual love confessions, a kiss, something firmer than two characters being very flirty and/or a heavy subtextual implication. Doesn't necessarily have to be a "canon" ending, though, as long as it's a possible option that meets the above criteria.

10. Ryudo/Elena/Millenia (Grandia II)
It will likely surprise no one that Im not much of a polyamory guy. I generally hold the opinion that most people who live that sort of lifestyle - not all, but most - convince themselves that it works for them a lot better than it actually does. That said, fantasy fiction has the freedom to employ some tools that make it a more palatable idea, like, for example, a situation where two points of the love triangle are sorta kinda the same persons split personality. Thats an oversimplification, admittedly, but the point is that this relationship is built in a fashion that makes total sense to end as a sigh throuple. Ryudo never comes off as indecisive and the women never come off as hollow wish fulfillment; theyre just people who find themselves in bizarre and unique circumstances and manage to make the best of them. Its an interesting dynamic; Grandia II really was ahead of its time in multiple ways.

9. Lloyd and Elie (The Legend of Heroes: Trails Crossbell Arc)
I have to acknowledge that theres probably an aspect to this pairing where Im just grateful to see an arc in the Trails series where no girls (that Im aware of) are in love with their adopted brother. Seriously, if I was an adopted sibling and my relative was a Trails writer, Id be a little concerned. Even beyond that, though, I think this is a relationship that works impressively well considering that its left up to player choice. These are two professional, competent, mature people, so its entirely believable they could be into each other without it significantly affecting their conduct, so the confession scenes in Zero and Azure dont feel like they come out of nowhere. Plus, they have the kind of similar personalities that make them feel like a realistic, sensible couple in general, and sometimes thats nice, but theyre also such forthright people that you know thered still be plenty of sappiness to go around. Just checks a lot of solid boxes.

8. King of Darkness and Queen of Light (Aeterna Noctis)
No doubt the strangest pick on the list, and the only one not from an RPG, these are also the two characters who interact with each other the least in-game. Barely at all, in fact. The gist is that the being Chaos created these two entities and bound them to fight and kill one another for all eternity. Eventually, however, the two fall and love and conceive a child, which sets in motion a WILD chain of events that leads to the King needing to restart the endless fight and kill the Queen once more in order to save both his lover and their child Except the Queen doesnt know thats his goal, and he cant tell her. This story doesnt get a ton of focus in the game compared to the incredible platforming and combat, but it still ends up as a deeply affecting tale of sacrifice (that sets up a great sequel hook, too).

7. Alphen and Shionne (Tales of Arise)
This one honestly has no business being as enjoyable as it is. Its initial premise, that Shionne is afflicted with a curse that causes excruciating pain to anyone who touches her and Alphen literally cant feel pain, is bad fanfic levels of eye-rolling. The games writing is at its worst in the last act when their mutual feelings have become explicit. And, frankly, Alphen is a really boring lead. Somehow, though, it overcomes all that. Goofy as the premise is, its leveraged into some legitimately emotional moments (and one particularly memorable badass one), and though Id have to make this writeup longer than I want it to be in order to go into detail on this, I greatly appreciate how their respective trauma is handled in regards to their relationship, which is to say that its never truly a source of conflict between them. It also doesnt hurt that the ending, where they actually get married, marks the first conclusion to a Tales game in quite some time that isnt bittersweet somehow.

6. Zael and Calista (The Last Story)
I gave this plenty of attention during TLSs writeup, so Ill just remark again here that I think the game does an impressive job of grounding a fairy tale-inspired romance into more realistic complexity without losing the charming, dreamlike quality of it.

Cheshire Cat
The Baron

What kind of pictures does Irvine like to take?

Selphies

Split Fiction was a bit of a letdown from the perspective that it was probably the absolute least interesting story they could have told with that premise. Fine for what it was, and I do think it was a step up in terms of gameplay from ITT, but they really left a lot on the table. A Way Out seems interesting, but that lack of polish does make me a little hesitant.

Who's the bigger surprise in that group - Philly or Chicago?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/7668208a.jpg

THE CHARACTER: May Goodwin
I didnt care about the words. It was the way you handled it without trying to hide how scared you were. It was brave.

May is the person I fear becoming.

Not a bad person, by any means. She displays quite a few qualities that I share and/or find admirable. A logical and analytical mind, general shyness, and most recognizably, as the breadwinner of the couple, a powerful dedication to ensuring her family is cared for and comfortable. Its this last trait that makes things complicated, though. Commendable and well-intentioned as it may be, that dedication has led to many long hours at the office, which is one of the chief causes of the strain in their relationship.

Ive seen this sort of thing in real life. Not the strain, thankfully, but the tilted work-life balance. My father is the president and former vice president of a hugely successful business and loves his job, and for as long as I can remember, hes put in more work weeks that eclipsed sixty hours than those that didnt. Obviously, those are still rookie numbers compared to some of the horror stories you hear, but as a relative newlywed, when I try to put myself in his shoes and imagine sacrificing all of those many days that I could otherwise be spending with my partner Well, I cant imagine it. To be clear, I have a fantastic relationship with and a tremendous amount of respect for my dad. Hes been around for every major event in my life and almost all of the minor ones. Hardly ever missed a basketball game or track meet, and carved out the time to find other fun things for us to share throughout my childhood. Hes a man I seek to emulate in many, many ways. This just isnt one of them.

The fear remains, though, that I may wake up one day and find myself falling into that trap. My wife and I are set up well for our lives moving forward, even when throwing potential children into the mix. Were frugal, low maintenance, have put far more into savings than the average couple our age, and admittedly will have a decent amount being left to us by our respective parents in the (hopefully distant) future. Despite all that, I feel the pressure. Ive never been an ambitious man driven by achievement in the workforce, but I do want to get to a point that will allow us to be a single-income household, and on the nights that Im having trouble sleeping, the thoughts creep in that Im not doing as much as I could be or should be. Im good at my job, but Im not putting in extra hours or constantly looking for my next project at the office; I work my 40 hours and ignore all emails beyond that. Theres no small amount of intentionality behind that. I dont want to become my father and I dont want to become May. Still, I worry. If Im this anxious before theres even a kid on the way, what am I gonna feel like if and when Im physically holding one? I can understand how someone like May, who *is* so logical in the way that she puzzles out every problem with which shes confronted, would feel the need to take a step back from a situation like this one and subsequently determine that a sacrifice is necessary. When one feels wholly responsible for the well-being of the people you hold most dear, one could easily come to the flawed conclusion that devoting anything other than the entirety of your energy to securing that stability is a kind of selfishness. Theres a poisonous kind of reverence that society assigns to the idea of doing it all for the family which overlaps and coincides with the typical celebration of ladder climbers such that even I, as someone actively trying to avoid falling prey to it, cant escape the impulse entirely.

This is getting a bit BlogFAQs-y, I know, but its important to me to acknowledge this games effectiveness as a cautionary tale, given the subject matter, and I mean that on both a micro and macro level. The micro aspects encompass everything Ive talked about in this section, which is to say that Cody and Mays specific troubles are recognizably common with couples in their position. The larger portrayal of the gradual decline of their relationship, though, suggests an obvious but mature outlook on the part of the writers, that so many of the problems that eventually lead to breakups arise not from within but without. The two main characters of this game are two generally good people (stuffed animal murder notwithstanding) who are genuinely doing their best to navigate a life that is entirely too full of outside stressors distracting them from their love for each other, not fundamentally lousy partners who are passively sabotaging themselves and each other through a lack of desire to do their fair share. It would be easy for me to scoff and shake my head and say, Pah! Ill never let myself become so aggravated with my wife. But I have to recognize that Cody and May and plenty of people like them have likely all thought the same at one time or another.

I dont want to oversell this narrative by implying that it *taught* me any of this. These were things I was already aware of in terms of what kind of partner I aspired to be even before I met the woman I married. This writeup is more of a pushback against the criticism I sometimes see for this game, that the protagonists are toxic people who should never have been together in the first place and/or that the story as a whole is uninspired or clumsy. I see far too much of myself - or, at least, a version of myself from some bleak future - in May not to appreciate the realism of her central predicament and the myriad additional predicaments that have spiraled out of it. Yeah, she sucks sometimes, or even a lot of the time. You probably suck a lot of the time, too, when you hit that level of feeling like you dont even have time to sing anymore. I dont like to think of her as a bad person for it, though. If she was, Id have nothing to worry about - Ill never let life turn me into a bad person.

A good person who wakes up one day, realizes theyre unhappy, and turns bitter because of it, though? I could see that happening. And Im glad to have this one additional reminder to protect against it.

The Moment: Im gonna need therapy after this.
As someone who doesnt consume or enjoy horror media or anything similar, this is, without question, one of the most disconcerting things Ive ever encountered in a video game. That probably seems like a weird thing to say, considering it revolves around a stuffed animal, but by the same token, its 100% intended to be as uncomfortable as possible. Mission accomplished!

This moment has become probably the most well-known part of the ITT in that even some folks who havent played the game are aware of it, but for the uninitiated, heres a summary. Cody and May get it in their heads, against Hakims advice and through some misguided readings of fairy tales and so forth, that the secret to being restored to their original bodies is Their daughters tears. Their genius solution to their problem is to make Rose cry. And, since their options are limited in terms of how they can affect the real world in their current state, they come up with the plan to break her favorite toy, a stuffed elephant named Cutie. Alright, sure, whatever.

Its not an easy task to begin with, and their efforts are further frustrated by another of Roses lesser-valued toys who, very sensibly, realizes these people are out of their minds in thinking their predicament will be helped in any way by deliberately hurting their child and does everything he can to stop them. Eventually, though, they make it to Cutie, who greets them in the sweetest and most adorable way possible just in case this whole thing wasnt disturbing enough already. From there, well Im just going to let yall watch the video, because I dont think I can do it justice with just words.

https://youtu.be/12FNU8bNEbE?si=b4NlDIQv_G-yz2Kr

Let me tell ya, it feels even worse to play than it does to watch. And theres gotta be some darkly humorous dramatic irony there in regards to the therapy quote, since its likely that some counseling for one or both of the principals in this story could have prevented any of this from happening in the first place.

As on-the-nose (or the trunk?) as it is, I think this is an impressively effective story beat in terms of getting across the severity of the situation. Despite the heavy subject matter, It Takes Two is a lighthearted story most of the time. With the cutesy visuals and silliness of many of the minute-to-minute activities in the chapters and Dr. Hakims existence, its easy to forget sometimes that the backbone of this game is an impending divorce thats going to do irreparable damage to a little girls life (not to mention those of other people they care about). This moment is a sobering reminder that Cody and Mays desire to separate has become far greater than their desire to meaningfully fix anything, and that many of their issues were created in the first place because they both have a tendency to look for an easy way out of their troubles even if it hurts the people around them in the process. At a certain point, they cease to even realize it. The shrapnel from a fracturing relationship will always begin to harm the child caught in the middle of it before anyone is aware of it, and it eventually becomes so normalized that the parents stop thinking twice about it. It becomes a necessary evil in the caustic game of trying to get back what you believe is owed to you.

For the record, Im not trying to imply that divorce itself is an easy way out. I recognize that its an emotionally rending decision that most people only come to as a last resort, and I also know some people probably are better off apart at the end of the day. Its not an inherently evil thing. Im just saying that this scenario, where a couples attempt to make things better for themselves may twist and turn to the degree that their kid ends up suffering the most from it all, is common, and I believe this scene is an excellent encapsulation. Its exceedingly difficult to get through, and if we ever replay this game, Ill dread getting to it again. But thats why it works. It triggers every distressing emotion it should.

Also, Ill make a brief mention here that this is another strong example of why I dont subscribe to the theory that players are meant to think of themselves as the avatar theyre piloting in games. Even on my worst day and at my most desperate, I could never and would never do what Cody and May do here, and I dont think many other people would, either. We make it happen through our controllers as part of our actualization of the narrative, but we intentionally feel an intense disconnect between our reaction to it and the characters. To put it another way, the events we play out here reveal something about the couple, but they dont reveal anything about us - its our reactions TO the events which do that. We feel bad about what happens, but at the same time, we kinda feel good that we can recognize that its something horrid when this poor girls parents seemingly cant.

This is easily the most striking portion of the game. It Takes Twos emotional beats land more often than not, but this one is tonally dissonant in comparison to the rest of the story in a fashion that works incredibly well. Once youve experienced it, its going to stick with you until the credits roll, and so if youve ever unintentionally overlooked the severity of the situation, youre not going to do it again. Cutie also recurs as a nice little visual metaphor at the end of the game, where the family is doing their best to fix her in the same way that theyve started to actually try and mend all the other things that have become damaged over the years. And its probably worth mentioning that, in an acknowledgment of how infamous this scene has become, she also makes a brief appearance in inanimate form in Split Fiction, where a hidden trophy requires you to once again rip off the poor things ear. Its far less dramatic there, but it sure does reawaken the trauma.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c618b600.jpg

Game #29 - It Takes Two

Like with NieR, I feel woefully underequipped to dig deep into this game to the point that Im somewhat apprehensive about including it even now. This game is about a divorce, and so it cant reasonably be talked about without talking about divorce, or even romantic relationships in general. Im pretty far from an expert on either one of those things. I married the second person I ever dated, and having just celebrated our second anniversary, the last thing I want to do is come off like one of those obnoxious newlyweds who already thinks theyve discovered the secret ingredient to everlasting marital bliss. By the same token, I have very fortunately been spared from ever witnessing a divorce up close. My parents were (and still are) stable and loving, as were all of my best friends, and Ive never been aware of anyone else in my immediate family having significant difficulties with their spouse. In other words, It Takes Twos story is not exactly relatable for me, and with such a sensitive topic, thats a bit dangerous.

Even so, its going to forever be too near and dear to my heart for me to exclude it, and the reason really doesnt have anything to do with the premise. This isnt the first co-op game I played through together with my wife - that honor belongs to Kirby and the Forgotten Land - but its the second one, and its the much more important one. She liked Kirby just fine, because its nigh impossible not to like Kirby, but shes rarely talked or thought about it since we completed it. ITT had a different impact entirely. The night we finished it, she turned to me and said she wanted to play more video games beyond just the casual Wii stuff shed dabbled in as a teen, and a couple years later, after watching her beat such titles as the Links Awakening remake and Astro Bot all on her own, I couldnt be a prouder nerd. We played Split Fiction, which is more action oriented and overall difficult, a few months ago as well, and she acquitted herself impressively. I would hope its obvious from the tenor of this project that I maintain a deep love for video games, but despite my best efforts, its impossible not to feel a little jaded or cynical about them sometimes, or at least take them for granted. Seeing her celebrate victory over some section that was giving her trouble or left in wonder by a little detail that I barely even registered offers me a wonderful bit of vicariousness. Its like Im getting to enjoy games on two completely different levels nowadays watching my wife take the same sort of first steps that I did once upon a time, and its incredibly gratifying to watch her getting better over time.

On the other side of this dork fawning over his wife, we have the titular Two of this game in Cody and May. At one point, they were probably like me, being all saccharine and lovey as they talked about their partner to anyone who would listen, but when we find them at the start of the story, those feelings have long since evaporated, and theyve agreed to separate. After they break the news to their young daughter, Rose, her heartfelt wish to fix things inadvertently triggers a magical spell that traps the two soon-to-be-exes in the bodies of small dolls. They are met by the eccentric Dr. Hakim, who has taken on the anthropomorphic form of his own relationship self-help book and accepted Roses plea to restore the relationship. To accomplish this, he creates an elaborate series of quests and obstacles that force the pair to reexamine their lives both individually and as a unit, and critically, to work together in order to overcome them.

I truly cant praise It Takes Twos design enough. Making a video game that hardcore gamers can enjoy is tough. Making one that casual gamers can enjoy is tough. Making one that both can enjoy at the same time? There havent been many games at all that have managed that, especially fully cooperative games, but its not as though this one had to reinvent any wheels to accomplish it. Fun puzzles, creative levels/chapters that always have some new twist to offer and never overstay their welcome, optional minigames to let out the competitive juices for a bit, all tied together with a colorful narrative that is more than capable of drawing out emotion. I see a decent amount of criticism on the internet for this games story and, while I can agree that its somewhat basic and/or heavy handed at points, I think the bigger picture of the forest makes up for some of the less attractive trees. Again, this medium struggles with romance most of the time, so tackling the END of a romance is an ambitious notion, and at the end of the day, I believe it succeeds in its goals. Its not overly sappy or overly bleak. There are times of bliss and times that the ugly reality takes over. There arent any firm sides taken. ITT refrains from even offering a strong opinion on whether Cody and May actually belong together in the end; the ending very much leaves the future open to interpretation.

I would describe it as a cautiously optimistic but not naive piece of fiction, and thats not always the easiest line to walk when youre also creating something thats meant to be fun first and foremost. But this game was equal to the challenge in every way. I wouldnt necessarily recommend it to everyone, but its a truly unique offering that would stand out in my mind even were it not for the memories I created with my partner in playing it. Add those in, and It Takes Two undoubtedly becomes one of the thirty most special games Ive ever played.

Cheshire Cat
Jiji

banananor posted...

My family picked this up from the $2 used games bin at gamestop and got a lot of value out of it. My siblings and I still quote it from time to time. The specific earworm we remember was "Invincible hopping vampires! Run! Run away!" The multiplayer was very very good. Helps that I have a soft spot for movies/companies like https://www.ifdfilms.com/

Man, I'd completely forgotten about the hopping vampires voiceline, but I can hear it perfectly now too after reading it. What a wild memory that is.

This was a weird chapter for me. I'm glad I experienced it, but I'm not sure if I took anything away, if that makes sense. Don't even remember which of the major endings I got!
I'm on the opposite end as you- I normally detest the 'it was purgatory/all a dream/all a fictional piece of media' rug-pull endings (a close friend loves them, so I've spent time thinking about it.) But I thought Pyre was neat/fine as it wasn't a rug-pull

To clarify, I think the "rug pull" versions are interesting, but usually not good. The non-rug-pulls like this I do think are generally pretty solid all-around.

Always wanted to play this one- it's super intriguing. But when I was going through various SNES games in the 2000s I lost steam on terranigma pretty quickly

If it wasn't grabbing you, I'd say just watch a playthrough when you have a chance. Pretty much everything about its gameplay annoyed me in some way or another. But the narrative really is cool.

banananor posted...

How many hours do you think you've poured into that one?

Steam says 70 of actual playtime, officially, but that doesn't account for all the extra hours I've spent theorycrafting Mastery combos and so forth! And almost all of that was just up until the end of the main game. I barely touched the DLC stories, which I believe combine to be about as long as the main campaign.

BlueCrystalTear posted...

Reading your analyses of Berseria and A Hat in Time - both also in my own top 30 - is making me want to play them again.

Alas, I don't have the time for, well, one of those anymore. The other, however... I might just have to make time for.

Motivating people to replay old favorites with this project is just as satisfying as helping folks discover new gems!

Game #29 Hint: This second-of-three couch co-op games from a certain developer could've easily had the same title as the first one, for multiple reasons.

3-0 for the Spurs! Easy schedule so far and they've certainly made it harder on themselves than it should've been, but not bad with no Fox or Sochan.

Cheshire Cat
Jiji

NBIceman posted...

Chargers

Falcons
Bengals
Patriots
Eagles
Bills
Bears
49ers
Buccaneers
Broncos
Colts
Packers
Chiefs

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/23bfbe91.jpg

The Character: Heixing Alley
What Im offering is simple. Ill help you out since I have nothing better to do. In return, deal with these officers suspicions.

Heixing is one of the less subversive characters in this game in that his personality is largely consistent with what you would expect by looking at him. Calm, quiet, and a bit cocky, his motives for working alongside the heroes are motivated chiefly by more personal goals, but he nonetheless carries as strong a sense of morality as any of them and he quickly becomes a stalwart ally in their typical work.

One of the most heavily featured storylines throughout TROUBLESHOOTERs narrative follows the Alleys. The eponymous abandoned children of the world, they are a group of adopted siblings named after their former home, a destitute area of Valhallas slums known simply as Alley. As children, these brothers and sisters formed a band of Robin Hood types led by a boy named Carter, and though their efforts benefitted their other friends and neighbors for a while, they eventually grew prolific enough to draw the attention of some far more dangerous criminal outfits, which led to a set of circumstances wherein Carter was forced to sacrifice one of them. Heixing was chosen because he was the weakest, and in spite of the parting being surprisingly amicable considering, the Alleys as a whole soon go their separate ways entirely. When they reunite many years later, things have changed. Most notably, Carter has become a violent extremist hellbent on reforming Valhallas society by any means necessary, whereas Heixing has developed both a lingering grudge and a mighty determination to stop his big bro. He finds his way to the Troubleshooters when he realizes he cant succeed on his own.

Bookish and unfailingly friendly as a child, Heixings time around the rest of the quirky team begins to draw out his happier side again. As a matter of fact, he forms more well-designed relationships within the group than anyone else besides Albus. Hes got the perfect set of traits to be a reluctant big brother-type for some of the younger party members as someone thats trying to be cool and aloof due to everything thats happened to him but is almost always kind of awkward. His first ever scene is a perfect example; after refusing to disclose his name, Sion decides simply to call him Bro, and hes so uncomfortable with it that he immediately changes his mind and introduces himself. Its a great dynamic that helps to contrast Heixing with his foil in Carter; where the latter turned out to be less attached to his found family than he thought he was (and wanted to be), the former is healed from the wounds of his past by a new group of people who accept him and he eventually reaches a new kind of understanding with the rest of his siblings, too. It also makes for a clever bit of dramatic irony in that, despite his initial intentions to enlist the Troubleshooters help in dealing with Carter, he comes to like them so much that he feels guilty about exposing them to something so personal and dangerous, which loops him back to a one-on-one confrontation that gets him killed and subsequently provokes the typical chewing out from the rest of the group, who berate him for trying to be such a loner.

Heixing also benefits from being an extremely powerful unit, especially in some of his early appearances. Though hes the fifth member to officially join the party, he begins popping up when were still only working with our initial duo, and hes overleveled for the threats being faced at that point in the game (which serves a nice purpose in the story as a demonstration that the original two have a long way to go). A gun wielder, hes the only character for quite some time who possesses the holy trinity of range, accuracy, and damage. He essentially plays the part of the assassin, able to reliably pick off at least one foe (more with the use of some skills) each turn, even from full health due to his high critical chance. His efficacy becomes more limited later as enemy quality rises, but he never ceases to be one of the best options to deal with whatever the immediate problem happens to be at a given moment. Theres something about his animations that make his kills extra satisfying, too.

All in all, this is one of my favorite SRPG characters ever, even in spite of the translation issues likely keeping him from being even more memorable. He stands at the forefront of one of the games most effective plot threads and imbues it with tons of heart even in the relatively few words he speaks, and the friendships he forms with the other Troubleshooters go a long way toward them feeling like a tight-knit crew. Love his design, love his usefulness in gameplay, cant say enough good things about him.

The Moment: Sion Bloodwalker vs The World
As part of a brief discussion earlier in the topic, I noted that I believe permadeath to be more of a positive than a negative when it comes to SRPG design. Even so, I recognize that its presence, in Fire Emblem especially, plays to some of my worst tendencies as a gamer, because I dont engage with it as intended. When my units die, I reset - Im one of those people, which most definitely leads to a dilution of the idea that war is terrible and will cost good people their lives. I cant help it, though. Im sentimental, and I get too attached to fun characters. Also, the completionist in me simply cant stand missing out on even one of those little individual ending blurbs.

So, while I appreciate the added tension and challenge that it brings in some ways, Im glad its not a universal piece of the genre, because it would also make moments like this one impossible. One later-game story mission sends the party into a bunker that the local cult is using as a headquarters. Its an uncommon sort of design for the game; tight corridors abound here when more open spaces are generally expected, and that makes for dangerous conditions when attacks can come from long distances and the protagonists are greatly outnumbered. No Fire Emblem chokepoints here, just killboxes. The cult doesnt pull punches with that design, either. With it being the HQ, enemies are tough, and they can easily overrun you.

Despite the general difficulty of the game and lack of permadeath, I didnt often have my units put completely out of action in most missions (save for the main protagonist, who I stubbornly and mostly ineffectually tried to build as a dodge tank for the majority of my playthrough). As such, this mission was a bit humbling for me, as one by one, even my most reliable units were dropping until only one remained: Sion Bloodwalker. Hed been my MVP all game, but never so dramatically as he was here.

Sion, another one of the many good characters in this cast, is nothing like what such a name would suggest. Hes incredibly dorky and fun loving, spending most of his idle time just looking forward to his next big meal. Despite that, hes one of the most efficient damage dealers in the party, filling a role in battle that most would probably identify as being akin to a mage or wizard archetype. Hes a glass cannon capable of dishing out destruction in large areas of effect, but his hit rates arent all that reliable and he cant take much of a punch. In other words, hes the kind of guy you want hanging out on the back lines while the more melee-minded units soak up most of the damage and attention, not the kind that you want left all on his own as the last hope for success in a mission.

Fortunately, those area of effect skills do make him uniquely suited to stage an against-all-odds comeback in tight quarters. Chain Lightning that jumps from enemy to enemy, a laser beam that does obscene damage in a straight line, and an ultimate attack that calls down random lightning strikes within a targeted radius and that can hit enemies within multiple times. Thus ensued a rousing game of cat-and-mouse, as I did everything I could to find whatever positioning turn-by-turn that would allow me to catch the maximum amount of foes with every attack. There was no perfect solution, so I needed luck on my side as well - not just to have the lightning actually hit, but also for Sion to dodge a couple of otherwise fatal reprisals - but I was getting just the right amount. Finally, there was just the boss left, one singular cultist Or maybe one and a half. This was John the Immortal, a recurring antagonist whose increased resistance to damage at low health and ability to revive himself once every battle made him by far the biggest problem in every one of his appearances. It came down to one more timely dodge on Sions part and an even more timely activation of his ultimate, which landed just enough times to claim Johns second life and finish the mission.

This moment was exhilarating in a way thats exceedingly rare for SRPGs, or even RPGs in general. Its not often that success or failure comes down to one attack that may or may not even accomplish what you need it to. Thats why, even in a game with so many systems, mechanics, ambition in its story and worldbuilding, etc., this moment is the first thing I think of when I see it in my Steam library. It demanded every bit of my tactical acumen and still ended with a bit of unpredictable excitement that prompted a fist-pumping celebration. Its truly amazing that a game with so much going on could come together so beautifully.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/f694869e.jpg

Game #28 - TROUBLESHOOTER: Abandoned Children

Ive talked about quite a few profound and affecting games here in October, and theyve brought with them some long and heavy writeups. So now, as we come into the last week of this project, Im going to take the opportunity to have a bit of a breather episode of my own in talking about a game that made this list simply by virtue of being really, really cool. If youre sick of me waxing philosophical or breaking down esoteric symbolism and you just want more of an old-fashioned look at how fun a game is to play, this is the writeup for you.

Almost definitely the most obscure game of the thirty Im presenting, though Time Stalkers gives it a run for its money, this is a Korean SRPG that has all the hallmarks of a true passion project, both positive and negative, even both at the same time as far as some mechanics go. Ive frequently seen it referred to as anime XCOM, which isnt unfair. We follow (and usually, but not always) play as a company of the eponymous Troubleshooters led by the young (but not unbelievably young, which is refreshing) Albus Bernstein. Troubleshooters could probably be most easily explained by comparing them to a modernized version of guilds that you often see in fantasy media. Legally recognized as the primary peacekeeping force in the city-state of Valhalla, in which the game takes place, they respond to various criminal activity at their discretion, and theres plenty of it to go around. Gang violence, monster attacks, cults - if you have the misfortune to be a regular citizen in Valhalla, every day is likely to bring a new threat.

Its an intriguing concept supported well by thorough worldbuilding and, in particular, a phenomenal cast of characters. The main party is as likable and varied as you would hope for in a game of this type, and though each member is heroic and committed to the job in their own way, theyve also all got their own individual stories going on, and few of them have reasons for becoming a Troubleshooter in the first place that are exclusively altruistic. They arent all standouts, but their chemistry elevates them to a sum thats greater than their parts. Your non-playable allies and antagonists get their time in the sun as well, though, and its fairly common to even play as the latter group during short bursts in story missions. The unfortunate flip side of all this praise is that the narrative overall is held back from its highest potential by a very shaky translation; the devs tried their best, and enlisted the help of some dedicated fans, but theres too much text here with too much nuance for it to all come across properly without the aid of professionals. There are some excellent stabs at inspired social commentary hiding in this games text, but theyd be even better if they were delivered with a little more smoothness.

What this game lacks in polish, however, it makes up for in sheer content. A couple of writeups ago, I expressed some heavy criticism for indie developers who insist on throwing every idea that comes to mind into their products, and that most assuredly describes Abandoned Children to the point that it can be overwhelming. Frankly, though, I think thats the intent. The board gaming hobby has a term called lifestyle games, used to describe games that only reach their full potential if youre willing to dedicate a large majority of your gaming time to play them. That may be a slightly hyperbolic label for TROUBLESHOOTER, but only slightly. The main story alone is long, and there are exponentially more side missions, all of them at least somewhat lengthy and none of them trivial in challenge. Still, the biggest draw? The character customization. Each of your units brings a unique selection of usable skills split between semi-unique groups of potential classes, which can then be further built upon using the Mastery system. These Masteries, of which there are literally hundreds, are additional abilities you can assign to your characters, and you pretty much have complete freedom to mix and match as you see fit within the generous parameters given to you. They run the gamut from simple damage boosts and resistances to status effect manipulation to once-per-battle resurrections Anything youve ever seen in an SRPG is probably covered by a Mastery. Some are won in combat, some must be combined to make new ones, and some only take effect if you have a certain combination of others applied. The game isnt usually so stringent in regards to the required missions that youll need to completely overhaul your team for each one of them if you dont want to, but if you enjoy this kind of thing even a little bit, dont be surprised if you click on the Mastery menu to do a little tinkering and then glance at a clock later to see that a couple of hours have passed.

Not enough for you? How about monster taming? How about robot-ally building? A robust MMORPG-esque loot system, complete with crafting? Branching paths within missions? Character relationship trackers? A management mechanic where different regions of Valhalla give you better rewards based on how well you control the crime there? All for a game that starts at $25 USD and almost constantly goes on sale for $7.50? And its still being updated regularly. If it was more well known, I think a not-insignificant number of people would be calling this game one of their all-time favorites. For a specific kind of player that derives extreme satisfaction from fine-tuning characters in an RPG to take on a functionally endless series of quests and challenges, this is perfection.

Im not quite that type of guy, but Ive regardless been captivated by this game since I learned of it, and its existence continues to flabbergast me even now. I really cant overstate how *much* of it there is and how incredible it is that it came from such a small team; their passion shines through in every minute detail. Theyre even likable as people - check in on their social media sometime and youre likely to see them apologizing profusely for delays in all the free DLC theyre producing for their already-dirt-cheap game, and I have to give a special shout-out to a hilarious quote I saw once that theres no romance in Abandoned Children because none of the developers have any experience with such a thing.

In other words, if anything about TROUBLESHOOTER sounds even the least bit appealing to you, PLEASE go and give it a look. I desperately wish I had more time to devote to picking it back up again.

Chicks dig giant robots.

Not even going to bother putting up a hint for tomorrow's game because I don't think there's any way that anyone's going to guess it.

But here's a ranking!

Top 10 Video Game Settings

This is the penultimate ranking for the project, and it's a nice quick one. Hopefully interesting, though.

I'm not including worldbuilding in my evaluation here - interesting settings can obviously end up as very boring worlds through the writing, obviously, and vice versa. Think of me judging off the time-and-place elevator pitch here, that's all.

10. Mega Man Battle Network
Depending on your perspective, you could view this seriess prescience as either impressive or unsettling. I guess its probably both. Its arguable that the only legitimately good thing about this setting, in which every aspect of daily life revolves around and completely depends on the Internet, is the NetNavis, so of course thats the only part that doesnt seem to be making its way into our world. That said, the NetNavis are freaking awesome, and I cant in good conscience lambast the rest of the concept that Ive always found intriguing just because real life is making it look especially dystopian.

9. Kung Fu Chaos
Hows this for a deep cut? Im fairly sure this is the first and only time the original Xbox gets any sort of mention in the entire project, and of course its not via Halo or Fable or anything *good.* Instead, its a comedy beat em up thing, which mishandles its satire so spectacularly that Id have a hard time arguing with anyone who accuses it of being outright racist. The basic idea is great parody, though, taking place on a movie set wherein a sociopathic director makes low-budget kung fu films by essentially paying actors to have deathmatches with each other. Not exactly a video game staple, so I have to credit the creativity.

8. Pyre
As I mentioned in my writeup for Bastion, this game as a whole is not really my cup of tea. I do always gravitate pretty strongly to purgatory settings, however, to the point that I usually enjoy the it was actually purgatory!!! theories that pop up for every piece of fiction under the sun regardless of how nonsensical they are. Pyres take on the concept is another good one. Downside being actively used as a castoff for the undesirables of the miserable society above is interesting enough, but throwing in the Rites as an ancient tradition which can allow those castoffs to earn their way back out is what really completes the puzzle, immediately setting high stakes as well as establishing its uniqueness.

7. Celeste
Ive written far too much text in this project to remember whether Ive previously brought up that Im not much of a horror fan, but I do quite like some of its frequent trappings - most notably, the idea of a physical location thats at least partially sentient and exerts a supernatural influence on people who fall under its sphere of influence. I love Celeste Mountain as a more benevolent tough love take on the concept that pushes its visitors to the limits of their psyche in order to ultimately teach them something important about themselves. We get next to no firm info about it, but we can infer a lot, and its integral to the narrative working as well as it does.

6. Escape from Ever After
This is maybe a tiny bit of cheating, considering this game isnt technically out yet. It will be soon, though, and theres a couple of demos, so Im counting it! In what is shaping up to give Bug Fables a run for its money in the best Paper Mario successor category, Escape takes place in a world of fairy tales - specifically, one where a megacorp has folded (pun intended) storybooks and their characters into a cheap-labor conglomerate. The protagonists sign on as new employees and must navigate to different worlds to bring the company down from the inside. A bit on the nose, maybe, but its a perfect fit for the style and inspiration, and its certainly a novel (pun less intended) mashup idea.

5. Terranigma
In a similar fashion to Pyre, I cant sit here and tell you that I consistently had a great time playing Terranigma. I sure do enjoy thinking about it, though. The setting is difficult to describe without immediately venturing into spoiler territory, but whatever. Through the eyes of protagonist Ark, a boy from the underworld, this game effectively tells its own version of a creation myth, which means that its sort of set everywhere and through all time. Its a fascinating take on the evolution of the world, and its a shame Quintet isnt still around to make more games like this.

4. Time Stalkers
I gave some extended thoughts on this games Ring World in its full writeup, so I wont rehash them here except to say again how much I wish the setting wouldve come along twenty years later. A mashup of worlds from all times and places and fairy tales etc., all orchestrated by an omnipotent madman who wants to create his own living and endless story, could be the basis for a truly amazing metafictional narrative.

3. Pandoras Tower
Contrary to #3, I didnt pay much specific attention to this games setting in its writeup, but its damn cool. Those Towers that Aeron must ascend are the remnants of a fortress that was left in its current state by a catastrophic (though enigmatic) magical experiment years earlier, which also created a massive hole in the ground called the Scar. Though long abandoned by humans, the Towers still serve an important purpose: held together by huge chains, they keep the Scar from expanding further. I freaking love that imagery, and it adds a ton to the sense of foreboding and loneliness that hangs over the game. This is actually the basis of the title, too - these towers were regarded in-universe as humanitys last hope, drawing parallels to Hope being the only thing left in the box opened by Pandora in Greek mythology. They are, of course, the last hope for Aeron and Elena as well.

2. Eternal Sonata
This game tricked me, damn it. A gorgeous look! Interesting combat! And above all, an absolutely fantastic idea for a setting. A fantasy world created in the mind of Frederic Chopin in his dying dream? This should be one of my favorite games of all time, but unfortunately, all of the good ideas were used up by the premise and the battle system, because pretty much everything about the actual story sucks. It really sounds amazing on its face, though, with as much as I love my video games to include heavy musical components, to the point that I almost accidentally trick myself sometimes into trying to give it another look.

1. Xenoblade Chronicles
I may be far lower on this game than consensus, as one of maybe twelve or so people in the entire world that think its the least interesting Rainfall title, but I will sing the praises of its setting without any reservation whatsoever. Tough for a game to get more metal than it takes place on the suspended corpses of two titans locked in a never-ending battle, and the split in inhabitants between the two husks makes for a familiar bit of grounding to kick off the story. I would be heavily borrowing from this idea if I ever ran a TTRPG campaign.

The Baron

wallmasterz posted...

Great writeup for Celeste. I only played it once, but enjoyed it immensely, and Id like to revisit it. Platformers are my jam, and I left a lot of content on the table.

Its nice to hear the game spoke to you, Id agree its an absolute gem. I wish more games followed its approach of higher than normal difficulty with ample checkpoints.

I only ever went through a few of the B-sides myself, but I sure did feel good about myself at the end of them!

And yeah, the whole single-screen checkpoint design does a lot for the game always feeling possible no matter how tough it gets.

banananor posted...

Celeste is a very well made game. Excellently made, even. My favorite challenging platformer I can think of off the top of my head. It's not exactly my skillset, but I did make it through.

Reeeally tough games sometimes feel less like I'm playing a game and more like a game is barking commands at me, ha. In Celeste specifically, I beat a handful of post-endgame levels and said "yep, that's enough of that! A normal-ass cherry pie is good enough."

There aren't that many precious platformers I enjoy; think they're tough to pull off well. I think Super Meat Boy sucks, for example. So I understand where you're coming from!

Chargers

Cheshire Cat
Jiji

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/f28b5633.jpg

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh, man, that's good.

Hey, guys, did you know that players and coaches aren't allowed to bet on games even though gambling sites are being advertised to regular people? Did you?? Isn't that the most hilarious and hypocritical thing you've ever seen in your life?!

I don't think anyone has realized this!

Oh, man, I'm super excited for another round of HILARIOUS "This arrest announcement brought to you by DraftKings!" jokes from people pretending they can't tell the difference between me betting on games and NBA head coaches doing it.

Everyone hoping for Abyss and I'm over here crossing my fingers for Innocence R.

Rebirth would also be objectively funny given that the fan translation FINALLY got done this year.

KAT doubtful tonight to go along with Robinson and Hart being out already. No Garland or Strus on the other side, and maybe no De'Andre Hunter.

Don't think this was the game the NBA envisioned when they scheduled Cavs vs Knicks for night two.

Leonhart4 posted...

If only

Not a big Celeste fan, or just a big R&C fan?

There's still time for him to prove me wrong, of course, but so far, my firm "Reed Sheppard will not be a good NBA player" take from before last year's draft is sure looking good.

Grand Theft Auto, going by sales.

The Moment: Confronting Myself
Ive heard of anxiety attacks, but this is ridiculous! *rimshot*

If Id stuck with Leonharts original concept and done a true moment ranking, this one would be top 5? Maybe even top 3? Id have to really think about it, but its in that ballpark. From the second the sound of that first Heeeeey YAH! as the best song on the soundtrack hits, right on through to the big comforting embrace between Madeline and Badeline, this segment is one Im willing to call perfect. All on its own, it justifies that lack of subtlety in all of Celestes themes - when you can manage these sorts of emotional highs, you dont need to obscure anything.

I never like to speak in absolutes or give the impression that I think any experiences are universal even among specific groups of people, but I feel relatively comfortable in saying that everyone whos ever had to deal with mood disorders, crippling anxiety, or any other kind of mental health issue can probably find something to relate to here. Dramatic though it may seem, the ending section of Chapter 6 is a pretty accurate representation of what it feels like to decide to confront those sides of yourself, particularly for the first time. Its turbulent, its drawn out, and its damn sure hard. But amidst all the chaos and the drama, it carries with it a feeling of power and badassery that can only come from standing up for yourself. Its the eleventh-hour shonen boost in strength, where our hero, battered and on their last leg, draws their line in the sand and proclaims they wont be defeated anymore. No more passive acceptance. Its time to go on the offensive.

Compare this section to Badelines first appearance in Chapter 2. There, shes the one chasing you. Here, the tables turn. Thats about how these things tend to go, isnt it? When youre not aware or have only recently become aware of a mental illness, it feels like a constant, an ever-present obstacle to everything you may be working to accomplish. It festers, grows, even seems to multiply, shows up even when you dont expect it and ruins your day. You cant escape the damned thing. But then, once you finally find the courage to stand up to it, work on it, find ways to live with it, it becomes an elusive wisp of smoke that, at best, just hides itself away at any time that might otherwise be used for healing and, at worst, appears to actively be hindering your efforts. Ive had an all-new anxiety problem creep its way into my life in the last few years, and without going into detail about it, Ill just say that its the most vicious cycle Ive ever encountered. The more I try to fix it or even find ways to cope with its existence, the more it reveals itself in my daily life. Its maddening and infuriating, but most of all, its lonely. Friends, partners, therapists may all try to support you as best they can, but at the end of the day, they can only ever have a limited and finite understanding of whats going on in your head. Its you versus the problem, always. The power of friendship in all of those JRPGs that I love might be a salve, but its not a cure.

And from that perspective, the true universal enemy in these sorts of scenarios is inertia. We humans have a natural resistance to bettering ourselves, because as frustrating as it is to live in a state that includes your mind warring against itself, we get so used to it that its easier to carry on that way than to get over the scariness of trying to make changes. This goes back to that fear of failure I talked about earlier. Its hard to drag my ass to therapy and talk about the problems Im having. Its even harder to make earnest attempts at employing the mechanisms Im given and see no tangible progress from them. I no longer feel like just a person dealing with mental health troubles at that point. Instead, Im a failure whos ALSO dealing with mental health troubles. Put in all that work only to end up even more angry at and critical of myself? Is it even worth the try?

Some days, it doesnt feel like it. But its on those days that I have to dig down for a little extra bravery, and Im not ashamed to admit thereve been instances when Ive taken direct cues from Celeste to do so. I can close my eyes and imagine myself navigating through a harrowing landscape of thorns and falling rocks while my inner self hinders me by shooting lasers. They flee, but I always catch up to them. They argue, but I always have a rejoinder. They twist the world around me until its unrecognizable from what I know, but I always find my way back to peaceful familiarity eventually.

Note that Madeline doesnt gain any sort of weapon during this segment. She leads her charge with the same tools that have been available to her all along. The only thing thats changed is her approach. It is no longer her strategy to push away the parts of herself she doesnt like, or lash out in anger at them, or even pretend that they dont actually exist. Instead, she simply makes contact. Literally, even. Man, how good does it feel to finally be the one to be dealing the contact damage after a career of gaming that goes all the way back to that infamous World 1-1 Goomba? Metatextual satisfaction aside, however, this is a poignant display that, often, the best thing you can do with these mental disorders is acknowledge their existence. They feed off of denial and combativeness; you take away their negative influence by your acceptance of them. And once you do that, you may even find a way to turn them to your favor. Anxiety is simply a fight-or-flight response gone out of control, after all, and fight-or-flight was pretty important for human evolution!

Id never claim this piece of Chapter 6 to be some kind of substitute for therapy, for the record. Whether you understand and relate to the symbolism or not, theres only so much a video game (or even work of fiction) can do; I didnt make actual progress on my mind until I began speaking to a psychiatrist a few years after playing Celeste. There is, however, a definite therapeutic aspect to it, even if for no other reason than that it makes mental health struggles feel a little less lonely. Knowing there are others out there whove gone through similar challenges makes a huge difference, and if there happens to be anyone reading this who *hasnt* had such struggles and would think thats a given Well, trust me, it often isnt. I had a lot of emotions wash over me as I made my way through this chapter, but the strongest of them all was confidence. Encouragement. For however brief a time, it gave me the feeling that even though life seemed to suck most of the time, I had the ability to bring about an eventual day that it wouldnt.

Also, look, maybe this is the wrong way to regard this moment, given what its truly addressing but dont we all kind of have the impulse to beat up our subconscious sometimes? I certainly think Id welcome the chance, just once.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/5174d53c.jpg

The Character: Madeline
I told myself I would [climb this mountain.] I'm done breaking promises to myself.

Among those abstract terms like atmosphere, immersion, charm, etc. that I try to use sparingly due to their indecision is the word relatable when talking about characters. Frankly, I almost always dislike it, even though I know thats not entirely fair. The people in the stories we consume are, after all, designed to be calibration points, windows into the world they inhabit, and if we cant make some sort of link with them, were going to be left disoriented in a fashion that at least somewhat precludes us from appreciating that story to its fullest. So when someone affectionately describes a character as being relatable, my initial thought is always that its not really noteworthy praise. I understand what they mean, that theres some specific trait or set of traits present which substantially reminds them of themselves, makes them feel seen, and/or increases the ease with which theyre able to put themselves in the shoes of that character. To me, though, its more of a bare minimum part of characterization. As complex and individualized as the human experience is, I believe there are enough commonalities that, if a character is well written and deep enough, everyone should be able to find something that they recognize if they look hard enough, even if the character is otherwise their total opposite on their face.

I would have to be a fool, however, not to acknowledge that Madelines greatest strength as a character lies in her relatability. Shes plenty likable and plenty fun, of course. But when youre going to be ascending this impossible mountain together, its far more important to ensure your goals are aligned.

We dont know much about Madelines reasons for making the climb at all. Thing is, she doesnt seem to either. I didnt choose it as her quote, but my favorite line in the game comes from an early exchange wherein Badeline tells her that shes not a mountain climber, and her response is, Who says I cant be? The motivations given are vague and opaque, deliberately so. You can piece some things together based on the relatively sparse dialogue, but it ends up boiling down to a conclusion that shes doing it because she wants to. Or because she should. Or because she can. Shes looking to discover something about herself, or maybe prove something to herself. My personal reading is that she hopes to learn the reasons after its done. Theres also probably something to be said for a more symbolic interpretation, at least in part, by which I mean that you could make the argument Madeline isnt climbing the mountain to get to something (i.e. an accomplishment) so much as shes doing it to get away. Its not the sort of place one goes to meet a lot of people, to put it plainly. What better way to escape from a world full of disappointments than to physically bring yourself to a spot thats quite literally as far away from all of it as you can manage? Or maybe its even less concrete than that. Maybe she just carries the hope that all her problems will feel much smaller from a perspective atop such a peak, the way people may look like ants when viewed from a high enough spot.

Whatever perspective you may support is of less import than the fact that there are so many from which to choose. This is a sort of philosophy that Id love to see encroaching on territory that is otherwise occupied by silent protagonists. Madeline is a terrific example of how to create a character that many different players could assign many different justifiable characterizations to without having to begin from a pure tabula rasa. Gamers who wish to engage with the story by literally envisioning themselves as embodying the character theyre controlling can still do so by assigning their own interpretation of her journey to the small bits of reasoning that are given, while players like me who believe the avatar is necessarily distinct from the person holding the controller can enjoy a more complete narrative which doesnt have to make awkward allowances for a mute main character. Thats eating your strawberry cake and having it too if Ive ever seen it.

To be clear, its not as if Madeline has no defined personality and history whatsoever. We know she went through a semi-recent breakup, for example, and that she drinks too much as an attempt to cope with the depression and anxiety thats come to have so much power over her. We know she can be abrasive to strangers, but also that she opens up quickly and even becomes too much of a people pleaser if shes not careful. Et cetera, et cetera. But these things are immaterial in regards to the question of why shes the protagonist. I once saw it said about tabletop RPGs that the single most important query to answer when creating a character is, What made them decide to be an adventurer? I believe that applies here as well. Change Madelines personality, background, age, hair color, whatever you like - you wont truly be changing the character as it relates to her being the protagonist, because only the protagonist would be doing this.

What matters is why shes climbing the mountain. And heres the really fun part - YOU get to decide that. Because ultimately, its the same reason YOURE climbing the mountain, whatever that may be.

Wrong kind of dimensions!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/93d5a2c9.jpg

Game #27 - Celeste

I havent felt the need to make this sort of disclaimer for any other games on the list, but I want to begin this writeup by quickly addressing that Im aware there are some very strong gender identity themes in Celeste. I am not deliberately ignoring them, but as a cisgender male, I feel I have absolutely nothing of value to offer on the subject, so Im just going to be addressing the parts of the game that I can actually relate to. Hope thats understandable.

So, with that out of the way

Short of the fear of the sudden loss of loved ones and so forth, I used to think my greatest fear was heights. I hate being on airplanes or balconies or even the sense of being on a high floor of a building, even if Im not anywhere near a window. In reality, though, Ive had to acknowledge that my fear of failure is far, far worse. Its been a debilitating and paralyzing part of me for as long as I can remember thats kept me (and at times is still keeping me) from pursuing opportunities with the potential to meaningfully improve my life, and I know Ill struggle with it until the day I die. Fortunately, I have a good therapist whos helped me realize that, when channeled properly, that pathological terror has also been a boon to me on occasion. Its partly what drove my competitiveness as an athlete to levels that allowed me to achieve everything I did, its helped me to be an attentive partner, and in the future, it will hopefully be a motivator for me to give my family the very best life possible. Severe anxiety is an inexorable part of me, and Ive learned that it only becomes more powerful when I attempt to combat it or somehow pretend it isnt there in the first place.

In other words, Im in this game, and I dont like it.

Alright, thats a lie. I love it.

Celeste is not shy about beating you over the head with its messages to ensure they sink in to the fullest extent imaginable. Theres the ultra-obvious ludonarrative one, first of all, that Madelines ascent up the titular mountain is directly analogous to the players overcoming of what is an extremely difficult platformer. But the more salient one is the games examination of mental illness in a story thats very clearly been penned by someone who has years of personal experience in dealing with such a thing. The idea of treating anxiety or depression or anything comparable as something to be understood and accepted instead of as something to be defeated and overcome is one that isnt promoted in fiction nearly enough for how wise and mature a perspective it is, and its a credit to Maddy Thorson that its so well done here. I dont even feel the need to say much more about it, at least not yet. The game doesnt need my revelatory analysis to identify its successes. It does a lovely job on its own of putting them on display for all who play it. Normally, I, like most others who fancy themselves any sort of critic, dislike such disregard for subtlety in the media we consume. It tends to dilute the entertainment value and also carries a sense that were being spoken to like imbeciles, like we cant be trusted to get it if were not being told explicitly. Theres just so much heart in Celeste, though (and Im not talking about the Crystal ones), that it never even approaches that sort of condescension. Its an emotionally honest game that believes in its ability to build a compelling narrative through the openness of the feelings it portrays, and that consistently proves to be the case.

I also have a little bit of a unique attachment to this game, as it had a starring role in my last ever school project. The capstone course for my college major had pretty freeform parameters, and I unsurprisingly chose my project to be a series of game reviews stylized to bring their prospective artistic values to the forefront, not unlike some of the writeups youve all read in this list. By some serendipity, this game was released about a week after that project started, and it ended up being an impeccable inclusion. It was one of the precious few times that I ever actually enjoyed school, not just because I could truthfully tell people I was doing homework while I was playing video games (quite a handy excuse for getting out of other, less appealing commitments), but also because I was legitimately pleased with the finished product. Im a staunch perfectionist when it comes to my writing and tend to hate most of it, so that was an accomplishment in itself. It helped that one of my universitys professors emeriti, with whom Id never personally had dealings but knew by reputation as being famously difficult to impress, wholeheartedly praised my writing and expressed disappointment that I hadnt taken any of her classes. I think some of the research involved helped to widen my overall perspective as well, or at the very least, helped me to articulate some things Id always believed but may not have been consciously aware of. In that sense, Celeste has also maintained a lasting influence on my approach to this wonderful hobby, and I think Ive been able to wring a little extra enjoyment out of some other games because of it.

As I prepare to begin my thirties, with two and a half decades of gaming under my belt, my preferences are pretty well set in stone. I love strong narratives and I love challenges. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that those two qualities dont link up in this medium nearly as often as Id like them to. For a long time, it was just generally accepted that memorable stories were the domain of RPGs (which either eschewed difficulty altogether in favor of letting players comfortably experience that story or created their difficulty artificially through grinding and stat checks), while gameplay excellence was left to action games like platformers that mostly stuck with barebones and/or straightforward tales which only popped in for a minute or two between levels. Though the tides are certainly beginning to turn on that front, I still havent personally played many titles that I rate as excellent in both areas - Furi, La-Mulana, and Celeste are the holy trinity of exceptions so far. Despite being the last of those three to be released, this game was the first of them I played, so its special from that perspective as well. It struck a beautifully resonant chord with me, especially considering where I was in my life at that time, and with such a sense of accomplishment dolloped on top of it by the time I hit the credits, there have been few games that have ever left me more fulfilled.

So if I was to boil this writeup down to one headline statement, here it is: Celeste is the best platformer ever made, and one of the best games ever, period. I say it with no caveats, hesitation, or uncertainty; its everything video games can and should be. This is a piece of art that can change and has changed peoples lives, and though I dont think I could go quite so far as to say it changed mine, it most definitely enriched it. Deserves all the love it gets and more.

The Baron

Cheshire Cat
Jiji