Since 2024 is a leap year, I thought I'd close out the month of February with a bonus Five Comics on the extra day. THE THEME: I decided to keep the overall spirit of my reads for this month by selecting five comics with romantic elements in it. Not everything I picked here are necessarily romance stories per se, but they at least feature a romance (or elements of it, or a setup to one). This is probably one of the few themes where I'm kind of stretching it, but I hope that's OK with you folks. THE COMICS: DREAMLESS #1 Publisher: Blatant Comics Writer: Bobby Crosby Artist: Sarah Ellerton This story features an American girl and a Japanese boy who can see the other's life when they sleep, and that strange bond leads to them falling in love with each other. Now, they struggle with the fact that they live thousands of miles apart, and while their connection makes them close in a way no other pair can quite replicate, they still yearn to be in the same time and place as one another. HEART ATTACK #1 Publisher: Image Comics Writer: Shawn Kittelsen Artist: Eric Zawadski In this universe, there exist people called Variants who have powers thanks to some genetic tinkering, but they face discrimination from the law and the government. Two teenagers (a young man keeping a low profile after witnessing an abduction, and a young woman trying to use her platform to fight for equal rights) cross paths and discover that their powers combined can cause serious damage, setting up the rest of the series. There's no romance brewing with the main pair just yet in this issue, but it's pretty likely given the "us vs. the world" angle. THE NEW WORLD #1 Publisher: Image Comics Writer: Ales Kot Artist: Tradd Moore After an apocalyptic event splintered the United States, a bunch of new nations sprung up in its place, with New California (this comic's setting) being run by a fascist government and policed by super-cops whose assignments are made a television spectacle. Stella Maris is one such cop, but one that refuses to kill (the audience gets to vote if perps get to live or die when apprehended). She ends up hooking up with a rogue hacker looking to stick it to the man, but the story kicks off proper when she is tasked to hunt him down. SCOOBY-DOO (1997-2010) #36 Publisher: DC Comics Writer: John Rozum Artists: Joe Staton, Dave Hunt, Andrew Pepoy OK, this one's kind of cheating, as while the comic's cover teases that Fred and Daphne get together... they actually do nothing of the sort here. The out-of-character Mystery Inc. that graces this issue's cover are actually the villains of the first story, as they're impostors using Mystery Inc.'s clout to commit crimes (with the phony Fred and Daphne actually being an item). The other story is about the gang trying to find a replacement for the Mystery Van after it breaks down (and crossing paths with a crook in the process). Spoilers: they go back to the old one in the end. A TRAIN CALLED LOVE #1 Publisher: Dynamite Comics Writer: Garth Ennis Artist: Marc dos Santos From the co-creator of The Boys comes a series with a lot of characters and two (so far) concurrent stories. The first is a girl out for revenge on a creep who instead ends up hooking up with a hitman on the scene, while the other involves a group of friends meeting at a bar discussing a dubious plan. It seems like these disparate parts will become more interconnected as the story progresses, and overall, this definitely shares the irreverent vibe that The Boys is known for. While I may be reaching with my selection on five when it comes to this theme, the tenuous connection did afford me a chance to read a more diverse variety of comics this time around. As much as I ended up enjoying my month of reading various romance manga (a far cry from past me, who simply just couldn't get into romance stories), it's nice to cleanse the palate with some different flavors. PANEL OF THE WEEK: - end -
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February's Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase revealed that a bunch of classic Rare games were being added to the emulators, and you best believe that I'm going to play the shit out of those. Let's start with the one I was most excited about. BACKGROUND:
Though Killer Instinct is a classic fighting game series in its own right, it being restricted to Nintendo consoles from before my time (plus the fact that I never saw arcade machines for it when I was a kid) meant that I didn't learn about it until I was older. I have had intentions to play the 2013 version when it was made free-to-play a few months ago, but I've yet to get around to it as of this writing. I just about lost my mind when I saw that this was coming to Switch Online, because it meant that I get to check out where it all began (or, at least, the home console port of where it all began). SUMMARY: There were plenty of fighting games during the early to mid-'90s (this one included), and while Killer Instinct takes cues from stuff that came before (and we will get to that), it has its fair share of unique elements that I don't think were a thing in any other game during that time. In terms of controls, Killer Instinct follows the six-button scheme of Street Fighter, which means light, medium, and heavy inputs for both punches and kicks. As far as normals go, there aren't that many (only certain directional inputs lead to something different for each button), but they all have their niches (like sweeps, anti-airs, spammable moves you can chain into, etc.). Command inputs will also feel familiar, as quarter-circles, half-circles, the Shoryuken input, and charge moves are used to access special moves. Some of those special moves may also have light, medium, and heavy variants based on what button you press after the command input. There are a few odd motions for some of the character moves, but you won't find anything particularly complex like pretzel motions. The way combos work in this game is very interesting (at least for the time). While you can kind of chain certain normals together to deal some damage, I found that a lot of the "real" combos in this game are auto-combos; that is, the game will execute the whole thing for you after pressing a specific sequence of buttons. It took quite a bit of experimenting for me to find those inputs, but once I did, I could cobble together high-damage combos by cancelling those auto-combos into special moves. Getting hit by such combos by the CPU (who already has a habit of reading inputs) feels demoralizing, but managing to pull them off yourself feels satisfying as hell. Also unique to this game at the time (and more or less a huge part of this game's identity) is the concept of the Combo Breaker, which is an input you can perform to get yourself out of those long combos you're on the receiving end of. Unlike modern games where there's a standard input for it, the input is different for every character (almost like a special move), and you can only break combos during certain parts of them. You also get a bonus buff after successfully performing a breaker that allows you to perform otherwise inaccessible specials, which I thought was interesting. Killer Instinct also stands out with how rounds work, as this game doesn't really have those. Instead, you have two life bars, and the match stops briefly when a player's first life bar is depleted. The match will resume right after, but the opponent will retain their HP from before, and that may mean that they still have most of their first health bar intact while the other player has to fight from underneath with essentially half HP. It's a rather unique approach that makes underdog situations particularly intense, though I found it tricky to adjust to it since most other fighting games go by rounds. The only other game I played that uses this approach was Injustice. KI also borrows from Mortal Kombat (which was also taking the world by storm at this time) with finishing moves. Once you deplete your opponent's second life bar, they go into this dizzy state that is very much like the "Finish Him/Her" thing that MK is known for. And like in MK, you can input a sequence at a set distance to perform finishing moves, but none of them ever reach the gruesome heights of MK's Fatalities. You can also perform a Humiliation if you beat an opponent while still having a lot of health, which kind of feels like the equivalent of Babalities in MK where the opponent is subject to some form of, well, humiliation. If there's one thing that rivals the iconic status of the Combo Breaker in this game, it's definitely the Ultra Combo. This is also a kind of finisher, except it must be performed by canceling into its character-specific input during a combo, and it must be done when the opponent is at very low health. If done correctly, your character will perform an absurdly long combo that easily goes beyond 20 hits, and goddamn is it satisfying. This game's roster rivals that of Mortal Kombat in terms of truly unique fighters (all with distinct designs). Sure, you have some stuff that feels familiar (like Jago the ninja or TJ Combo the boxer), but mixed in there are truly inspired picks like Riptor (a straight up raptor), Sabrewulf (a werewolf), two elementals in Glacius and Cinder, Fulgore (a killer robot), Spinal (a skeleton warrior), and Eyedol (a two-headed monster). Their special moves can vary when it comes to being derivative or unique (with the finishers being a notable exception), but for the most part, you have quite the collection of characters here. In terms of modes, you have your standard single-player arcade ladder (which, as is tradition, gives you your character's ending if you run through every opponent), a two-player versus mode, a tournament mode where you can set rules, and a practice mode that lets you mess around (a rarity for fighting games during this time). If you're wondering about the plot, the most I can glean from the few endings I got is that there's this big bad corporation called Ultratech, and they set up a fighting tournament (because every fighting game has to have this plot at some point) for some reason. I think it's to test the weird shit they've been doing by subjecting regular fighters with their experiments. For an SNES game, I thought this game looks incredible. Both the models and backgrounds look impressively high-res considering the circumstances, and while I haven't seen the arcade version's graphics, I could easily be convinced that this rivals what was possible for arcades at the time. I also liked the moody music, but in terms of audio, the most iconic part of the entire Killer Instinct series is the announcer who chimes in whenever someone hits a combo or inputs a combo breaker. If you're wondering where lines like "C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER" and "ULTRA COMBOOOOOOOOO" were from, it's from this series. VERDICT: I had a blast playing through Killer Instinct and messing around with its mechanics. Its combo system is a lot of fun (at least when the CPU isn't demonstrating it on you), all the characters felt unique, and the presentation outdoes itself given the system it's on. It's kind of wild to me that this wasn't as much of a hit series given how much it has going for it, though I suppose it simply had such stiff competition during that fighting game boom. I am exponentially more interested in playing the 2013 reboot after starting here, that's for sure. I would argue that this is an "essential" title when it comes to fighting games, and as usual, that means I encourage all to give it even a brief try regardless of what you're into. Outside of that, I think fighting game enthusiasts will get a kick out of this one if they haven't tried it already, as out of its contemporaries when it was initially released, it's probably the most combo-centric game I've seen. - end - Here's the second half of Pikmin 1 + 2! I was excited to get into this right after finishing the first game, and I'm just as excited to talk about it here and now. BACKGROUND:
I've already talked at length about my history with the Pikmin series in my entry for the first game, so I'll let the link to that do the heavy lifting. The only thing I can add here is that I only have a very rough idea of what's different about this game. PLOT: Bad news for Olimar: Hocotate Freight, the company he works for, is under serious debt! He's not even given much time to recover after his adventures in the first game, as his ship is sold to try and cover some of the losses. That still leaves them 10,000 Pokos short, but the AI of the last ship of the company appraises one of the trinkets Olimar found while exploring on the Distant Planet, and the AI finds that it is of considerable value. The company's president then cooks up a wild idea and sends Olimar and coworker Louie back to the planet in order to hunt more treasure to pay the debt. It's really cool that the game sends you back to the same planet in the first game, but in a completely different context. Instead of a scramble for survival after a crash landing, Olimar actually gets to come prepared, and he knows what to expect as he goes exploring this time around. There's no critical time limit to adhere to (even though there probably should be given debts typically have deadlines), and that's enough to change the vibe of the story to feel more light-hearted (not that the first one was deadly serious, of course). There were lots of clues in the environments in Pikmin 1 that the Distant Planet is actually Earth (or a version of it), and this game fully leans into that by littering the locations with literally hundreds of everyday objects. You're not going to get a whole thing on what happened on this planet, why it's the way it is now, and where the humans are, but it's still fun to see stuff we find familiar be viewed as completely alien by the characters. A lot of the character stuff is through the daily emails you get at the end of each day. Most of the mail you get is from Mr. President, who is a goofy take on the typical corporate executive, and his stories of evading debt collectors are amusing. You also get emails from the family members of Olimar and Louie, and you actually get a sense of Olimar's relationship with his wife and two children. In Louie's case, he mostly gets mail from his caring grandma, which actually makes how he's treated by the other characters kind of sad. Olimar himself only gets to talk through the entries (both for the treasures and the flora/fauna) this time around, and it's more of the same journal format from last game. Louie actually doesn't get any character at all until you complete a specific task and unlock his journal entries for the flora/fauna, and they reveal a hilarious aspect to his personality. Some of the dialogue from the other characters hint at something deeper going on within Louie's enigmatic mind, which comes with its own brand of humor. The ship AI who accompanies Olimar and Louie is itself a character, as it occasionally sasses the two and has plenty of comments on the treasure you find (including giving them wacky names). It also has special entries for the treasure you find if you complete a specific set of them, and they're all fun sales pitches for each object. This time around, there are two endings: one when you collect enough treasure to pay off the debt, and the other when you complete the game 100%. Unlike the usual approach for endings (where they're taken as possibilities for how things go), the former ending is actually more of a continuation of the story whereas the latter is the actual end of the story. It's a novel approach, and the endings themselves tell its own wild tale. I don't want to give too much away, but what happens in the first ending is kind of crazy in a "there's no way that just happened" way, and while the second ending is your usual happy true ending, the reveal before that is a similar kind of "what the hell?" I'd say the payoff for going for full completion was rewarding for me. PRESENTATION: The graphics of this game are largely the same to Pikmin 1, and what I said for that game holds true here. Where the sequel stands out visually is the greater prominence of manmade objects (which were fun to uncover alongside the characters interpreting what they are differently), a cavalcade of new creature designs, and more varied biomes to explore. Notably, the levels from the last game return, but with additions or changes to the overall environment that were enough for me to not notice until a few minutes into exploring. In a similar vein, the style of music is also mostly similar to the first game. Naturally, there are more tracks as well as new ones, but there are also some familiar ones mixed in. GAMEPLAY: Pikmin 2's strategy gameplay is largely the same as the first. Control and manage an army of various Pikmin types, leverage their abilities to solve puzzles and open up the environment, take on enemies by figuring out when and where to throw, and collect the key items by having Pikmin carry them back to the ship. A lot of what I described in the first game in terms of the core mechanics still stands, so I will focus largely on discussing the differences the sequel introduces. The game's controls are largely the same, but I felt like they could have taken some time to improve the aiming since there are more situations that demand accuracy than the first game. It was a bit frustrating at times to finagle a Pikmin onto an elevated spot, and I wish that something like a trajectory indicator existed to at least make aiming less of me eyeballing it and hoping my throw lands. The first thing that stands out when you first get into the game is the fact that you can control two characters at once. In addition to Olimar, you can control Louie by switching between the two leaders with a press of a button. Louie can do everything Olimar can do, but the real benefit is the ability to have the two leaders run around with their own squad of Pikmin and have them take on tasks across the map. It was tricky in the first game to go back and forth to switch Pikmin as just Olimar, and the simple addition of Louie allows you to make better use of your time by splitting completely different tasks between the two of them. Now, I'll talk about the updates to the Pikmin themselves. The only one that is substantially changed from Pikmin 1 is the yellow Pikmin. For one, the whole carrying bombs mechanic is now gone, which I was totally fine with given how cumbersome it was to juggle tasks involving it. In its place, yellow Pikmin now have an immunity to electricity, and with that come new obstacles that only they can take down. It's not a huge change, but the change in niche (in addition to the still useful longer throw range) makes them feel less situational to bring along on your team. In addition to the original three Pikmin types, we get two brand new Pikmin colors. First, we have the white Pikmin, who can dig up underground objects and have an immunity to poison-based hazards. Their most interesting trait by far is when they're eaten by enemies, they inflict poison damage, making it actually beneficial to sacrifice a few of them to deal damage. It's still better overall to deal damage the normal way, but it's cool to have a Pikmin type that can still provide a benefit even in a bad situation. The other new Pikmin type is the purple Pikmin. These big boys have the strength of 10 regular Pikmin, allowing them to carry heavy objects without having to deploy a whole army. Plus, these heavyweights pack quite a wallop when thrown, as well-placed throws can briefly stun enemies, creating safe openings to unleash an all-out assault. I really enjoyed how useful they were in two major aspects of the game, although part of me wishes there were more weight-based puzzles that made full use of them, as they also have the neat property of not being blown away by wind. While there were a fair number of distinct enemies in the first game (most if not all of which return here), Pikmin 2 ups the ante by adding a greater variety, so much so that there are too many to recall off the top of my head. Some of the additions are simply variations of existing enemies (like the various Bulborb varieties), but there are also a lot of completely new enemies with all sorts of unique behaviors you need to play around. On top of that, there are a lot more enemies where the respective elemental immunities of each Pikmin come into play, which made bringing a diverse team around actually worthwhile. Pikmin 1 only had a handful of bosses, so it was also great that they added more fights with unique gimmicks on top of bringing the bosses of the first game back. These encounters are where I really felt the lack of proper aiming UI (as some bosses have weak spots that are a bit hard to reach), but apart from that, each fight was engaging and satisfying to overcome. The game's overall structure is still largely the same, as you explore four main levels, use your Pikmin to deal with obstacles and enemies, and bring back the treasure you find back to the ship. While there's no longer a 30-day time limit, you still have to be out of the planet by sunset, so there's still a bit of time management to think about. There is, of course, less pressure to actually make a deadline, so you can actually enjoy the act of exploring and not feel a compelling need to make significant progress each day. In the first game, there were 30 things to find and bring back to the ship. Here, there are a whopping 201 pieces of treasure to collect, so there's way more to do if you're going for 100%. However, not all of them are just lying about in each of the levels; in fact, only a fraction of them can be found just by looking around. The most significant change in terms of the level structure is that each main level now has three or four underground sections. You can think of these as the game's equivalent to dungeons, and the goal is to explore each one floor at a time, get as much treasure as you can, and survive until you find an exit. Each floor layout has randomly generated elements, and while the general gist of each individual room is the same regardless, no two runs will end up quite the same. Unlocking each underground entrance in the overworld is a puzzle in itself, which I found just as if not more rewarding than unlocking the path to the actual treasure. Once you've opened up the entrance, you can check what kind of elemental hazards you can expect before you go in, allowing you to prepare the perfect Pikmin squad for a run. It's extremely important that you plan out who you bring in, as once you're in, you're stuck with that squad for the entire run, and there are extremely few opportunities to switch Pikmin colors or even create new ones. Thankfully, you don't have to collect all the treasure of an underground dungeon in one go, and you can just do multiple runs to get a few then beeline it for the exit. The tough part about that is that you actually have to make it to a proper exit (which is typically on the final floor of the dungeon), as you drop all the treasure you find if you use the quick escape option. I personally did not mind this, as most of the dungeons offered a respectable challenge on each floor, and it was truly satisfying to run the gauntlet and come out the other side with 100% dungeon completion. It's also important to note that the white and purple Pikmin can only be obtained underground, making them quite valuable (especially since there are certain puzzles in the overworld that you can only solve with these two Pikmin types). Thankfully, you can dedicate time to farming them by bringing the basic Pikmin and finding the flowers that will convert them to that color. Overall, I absolutely love the addition of the underground. While I liked the whole exploration + puzzle-solving aspect in the levels of Pikmin 1 (and enjoyed the fact that it's back here), there wasn't much to do after you've opened everything up, and the puzzles typically didn't demand you to switch between Pikmin types to solve problems or actually use your squad judiciously. Each floor of every dungeon offers the exact challenge I was looking for with this game, with plenty of situations where I needed to switch out which color Pikmin I was bringing in (whether that's because of enemies, hazards, or puzzles), many instances where simply using sheer numbers to solve a problem doesn't always work, and moments where the fact that you can switch between Olimar and Louie felt like a mechanic just as integral as the Pikmin themselves. Notably, the creatures you kill count as treasure underground, adding to your Poko count and getting you closer to paying off the debt when you collect them. However, they're a drop in the bucket in terms of value, so collecting treasure is still the best way to hit that 10k. As such, I didn't really see a point in this being a thing since you don't do anything with the extra funds anyway. Some of the treasure you find (usually boss treasures) actually gives Olimar and Louie special bonuses that add to the gameplay. The earliest examples of this are the treasure radar (self-explanatory) and the globes (which unlock new levels), but the more challenging ones to get actually give the captains additional abilities. These include immunity to certain elemental hazards, faster movement speed, better visibility underground, improvements to the whistle, better defense, and even the ability to punch. That last one was quite a surprise, and combined with other upgrades, you can have Olimar do the dirty work himself by taking out enemies without the risk of losing Pikmin (though the drawback is that the punch does not do a whole lot of damage). There's also a new mechanic where you can collect special liquids in order to create one of two special sprays. One spray improves your Pikmin squad's damage and speed, and the other briefly freezes enemies in their tracks. I saved these resources for boss fights, and it is incredible how useful they are (especially the enemy-freezing one). There are ways to farm them, but they take some effort, and I think that makes sense given how powerful they are. Once you're done with the main game, you can take on Challenge Mode, which offers 30 special underground levels each with special restrictions. These include starting with a very specific set and number of Pikmin, limited spray availability, as well as varied time limits per level. Unlike the first game's Challenge Mode, the objective is to get through each floor one by one as fast as you can while ensuring that you lose as few Pikmin as possible. It's basically more of the underground that I truly enjoyed, but with more... uh... challenging restrictions to play around. This game also has two-player modes (makes sense, since there are two playable characters), but I didn't look into it. It's definitely neat that it's here, though, as I can see Pikmin being a really fun co-op game and an interesting competitive game. VERDICT: For me, Pikmin 2 is a monumental improvement to the first game (which I already thought was pretty great). It takes everything that made Pikmin 1 enjoyable, improves upon many existing elements, and adds so much more in terms of the core strategy gameplay. The addition of the underground alone elevates this game miles above its predecessor, as it delivers exactly what I wanted in terms of Pikmin management challenges. At the same time, I loved that the more exploration-leaning style of the first game is still present, as that is enjoyable in a different, more chill way. Coupled with a wider variety of enemies to add to the strategic aspect, new power-ups to play around with, and just the delight of having a ton of collectibles to find after solving puzzles or beating tough enemies, I was blown away with how this feels like several steps above a game that I felt was already super well-done. You don't really need the context of the first game's story to enjoy Pikmin 2, so if your inclination is to check out which of the originals has more to offer in terms of gameplay, you can absolutely start with this one no problem. I still think there's merit in playing the first game beforehand, as I think one can really appreciate the improvements in this game after experiencing Pikmin 1 first. - end - I've got one more romance manga before the month of February ends, but fret not, as I have way more titles sitting in my library that will get their time in the future. BACKGROUND:
I'm not familiar with this one, and I'm reading this because it was a friend recommendation. SUMMARY: Natsuo Fujii has quite the crush on his teacher Hina Tachibana, but for obvious reasons, that's never going to pan out. Hoping to move on, he joins a mixer and meets Rui, a reserved girl from another high school. The two end up sneaking out of the party, and Rui (a virgin seeking to know what sex is like) ends up asking Natsuo (also a virgin) to have sex with her. He agrees, and the two basically have a one-night stand. The encounter doesn't really do much to help Natsuo, nor does Rui find the experience particularly profound. Natsuo's life is turned upside down when he learns that his dad he's going to remarry. Now, he's fine with that whole situation, but there's quite the twist waiting for him: his prospective stepmom has two daughters, and it's Hina and Rui. Not only is his longtime crush going to be his stepsister, it turns out that the girl he lost his virginity to is also going to be his stepsister. The rest of the volume sees Natsuo try to adjust to his new situation as he starts to live with his new stepsisters, wrestle with how to keep things under wraps at school, and get to know Hina and Rui better. Although there's an inherent awkwardness when crossing paths with Rui (who herself is so nonchalant despite the sexual encounter), Natsuo finds a way to get along with her and even helps her find friends at school despite her intimidating exterior. Dealing with Hina's presence is even more difficult, as it's quite obvious that Natsuo's feelings are far from resolved. Things get complicated when he learns that Hina is having relationship troubles (something that she is determined to keep to herself), and when he confronts Hina about it, things end on an intense note. The forbidden love angle is quite obvious here, not just with the stepsibling situation, but with the student-teacher dynamic between Natsuo and Hina, and the fact that Natsuo and Rui had sex (though that was obviously before the big reveal). There's definitely a good amount of spice if you're into this sort of thing given all the secrets that are being kept. Personally, this really isn't my kind of thing (even if there are a lot of factors that alleviate the inherent taboo aspect of everything), but I appreciate that the story isn't fixated on the sex/romance and sees Natsuo strive to be a good friend to Hina and Rui regardless of the situation. Although he's struggling a lot with his hopeless crush, Natsuo is more or less a decent guy. Interestingly, he has aspirations to become a writer, although this aspect of him is only relevant as the circumstance that leads him to connecting with Hina. Even before the whole stepsibling situation, he does his best to be considerate towards both Hina and Rui and tries to offer what help or comfort he can when he sees them struggling. I'm also just glad he isn't some sort of freak. I'm most curious about Hina as a character, as she appears to be the textbook "cheery on the outside, but going through hell on the inside" kind of person. At the very least, I would like to see her learn to trust Natsuo and get through her troubles, though I also have a morbid curiosity towards how she'll navigate this volume's ending and the possibility of learning that Natsuo and Rui have slept together. Rui is interesting in a different sense. I completely relate with her stoic, blunt personality and am amused by her completely nonchalant behavior towards things most people would be freaking out about. This volume doesn't reveal much else about her, but I really enjoyed the chapter where Natsuo helps her get friends as school after noticing no one talks to her. I would be interested to see how she grows as a character. There are also minor characters like Natsuo's dad and stepmom, as well as his best friend Fumiya to whom he shares his weird situation with. They obviously don't get as much focus as the main characters, but they have their brief character moments. The one that stood out to me was Natsuo's conversation with his dad over the remarriage, as it's made clear that their relationship is strong and that they still hold a lot of love for Natsuo's mom long after her passing. In terms of the art, the amount of detail is solid, and I found the strong contrast between the elements in black and the rest of the art quite striking. I also enjoyed the occasional goofy facial expression, but for the most part, the faces are drawn with plenty of detail (especially the eyes). The visuals get spicy as well, and while there's nothing wildly explicit, you will get your fair share of full-on nudity in some panels. VERDICT: Domestic Girlfriend Vol. 1 dials up the heat almost immediately with its tense premise, although as of now, the tension is focused squarely on the relationship between Natsuo and Hina. I appreciate that Natsuo, for all his struggles, does his best to not be a complete weirdo about his situation and tries to be there for his new stepsisters with no ulterior motive. I'm also interested to see more facets of Hina and Rui's respective characters, and I can only imagine how the intensity will ramp up once secrets are revealed and feelings are shared. Like I said, this kind of forbidden love stuff is not my cup of tea, but as far as this volume goes, the themes are being handled in a way that doesn't scream "living out a fantasy" or anything similarly off-putting. I can see myself reading more of this if it continues to maintain that mature tone, and if you want something that's trying to strike that balance between spicy romance and serious drama, this seems like that kind of manga. - end - It's not quite the marquee Nintendo Direct we've been waiting for, but I was still hopeful for this Partner Showcase nonetheless. This is the prime time to learn about some interesting third party offerings, and as usual, I comment on each title below.
People dismiss the Partner Showcases since they obviously don't have first party Nintendo announcements, but I was personally quite happy with what they showed here. Between release dates for interesting indie games, cool rereleases/remasters, and intriguing sequels, there's plenty that caught my eye here. It's still unclear how Nintendo's 2024 will look in terms of their own releases, but I can rest easy after this Direct knowing that there's plenty of interesting stuff to play in the meantime.
- end - I still have several dozen games waiting for me in my EGS library.... BACKGROUND:
This was another one of those games I didn't know about, but just felt like adding to my library based on something I saw or read in the store page. One of those things was seeing that this game was developed by the same studio that made Monument Valley. PLOT: Alba is a little girl visiting her grandparents who live in the fictional town of Secarral, located on an island in the Spanish Mediterranean. Nature is alive and well in this town, and Alba's earliest memories involve her taking pictures of the local wildlife with her grandad. Summers in Secarral are always fun for little Alba, but this year, things are different. Secarral isn't the safe haven for wildlife that it used to be, with the worst indicator being the local Nature Reserve in complete disrepair. What's worse, the mayor has agreed to have a businessman put up a luxury hotel in its place in hopes of fixing the decline of tourists visiting the island. Not wanting to lose the natural beauty of their home, Alba teams up with her childhood friend Ines to protect the wildlife of Secarral however they can. Their main goal is to have the people in town sign a petition to call off the construction of the hotel, but the two kids also take on other tasks like rescuing sick animals, cleaning up the island, photographing the wildlife, and helping fix the Nature Reserve. It's a straightforward story, but it's one I think is worth telling. A cynical adult may look at this and go "there's absolutely no way two children can make enough of a difference to turn the tide of capitalism." Granted, a lot of the situations Alba finds herself in are absurd (immediate press coverage for her efforts, people quickly changing their minds about the hotel), but she doesn't save the island in one fell swoop. Her efforts start small, but the people of Secarral's community take notice of that and eventually pitch in. That's a really important message in a world that foolishly believes change can and should happen overnight; yes, corporations and legislators enacting changes will have a more visible and immediate impact on curbing the environmental damage caused by humanity, but individual action, no matter how small, can add up if enough people take notice and join in. The characters don't really have depth to them, but what little personality or character traits they have are enough to deliver wholesome or occasionally funny interactions with Alba. PRESENTATION: The game has an adorable cel-shaded art style where most models are on the simple side and the character expressions look like they're out of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Secarral's more natural areas look pretty, and I enjoyed the quaint vibe of the populated areas (like the town and the farm). Despite the art style eschewing intricate detail, the animals you run into as you play look quite close to the real thing while still fitting the overall aesthetic. I did encounter a bit of graphical weirdness like bizarre changes in lighting and animal models freaking out or passing through solid objects, but these weren't common. There's some lovely music as well, though I spent a lot of the game wandering around with only the sounds of the environment to accompany me. It's a bit of a shame because I liked the cheery vibe of the tracks, but I suppose the ambient sounds helped add to the atmosphere of Secarral. GAMEPLAY: Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is a 3D open world game where you can explore the island of Secarral and take on various tasks to keep the town hospitable for local wildlife. You can take on the tasks at your own pace, but the endgame is to complete all of them before Alba has to leave at the end of the week, as the tasks are how you get the signatures for the petition. Secarral itself isn't a big place, and it wouldn't take long for you to explore everything. There are areas obviously touched by humans like the town, the farm, and the castle ruins, but there's still plenty of nature to enjoy. You can walk along the lovely beaches, take a hike on the mountain, explore a small forest area, and see the marshlands that make up the Nature Reserve. The locales themselves are interesting, but you're not just here to sightsee. The central task in the game is to catalog every animal on the island Pokémon Snap-style. With your phone camera (which also doubles as a Pokédex), you can scan a respectable 62 animals, and the more you record, the more aware people become of the biodiversity of the island. You can save specific pictures you take to your album if you like, and the scans the game takes are used to update photo boards around the island that tell people what kinds of animals live in the area. I really enjoyed the very simple task of exploring an area thoroughly, finding an animal, and taking a picture of it. It's "gotta catch 'em all" (minus the battling), and it's no secret that I'm big on collectibles. That said, I feel like they could have done better with the animals you can encounter on the island, because the game has a heavy bird bias. I'd have loved to see other types of animals like reptiles and insects, and I think it also would have been neat if the local flora could also be documented. While you run around taking pictures, there are plenty of tasks you can take on either by talking to the citizens of Secarral or by receiving texts from them. These aren't any more complicated than taking pics, as they range from picking up litter, helping distressed animals, following a trail to discover something (usually some sort of environmental hazard), and repairing broken structures like signs and birdhouses (an impressive feat for a little girl not in her teens yet). All these tasks are helpfully tracked via Alba's clipboard, so it's impossible to lose track of what you're doing. What I really loved about some of these tasks is how rare animals only appear once you've accomplished them. The message of how taking care of the environment lets these cool creatures live comfortably is clear, and the in-game reward of getting a picture is equally satisfying. There's really not much else to do other than what the game gives you, and you're free to take as much time as you want accomplishing the tasks. The tasks themselves aren't that involved, either, but the chill vibe of the game helps offset the tedium I otherwise would have felt from doing them. VERDICT: Despite the only real task being photographing animals, I still had a lovely time playing Alba: A Wildlife Adventure. The simple task of exploring nature and looking for unique creatures to take pictures of is one I enjoy doing in real life, so it's no surprise that I was hooked on this game almost immediately. I also really appreciated the message it was trying to convey with its story, and how one little girl's seemingly small efforts have a visible impact on the island. I usually write my recommendations with people my age in mind (I suppose this is obvious given my penchant for swearing), but this game in particular is one that I highly recommend that kids play. The game is simple that even young players won't have trouble figuring things out, they can play at their own pace without getting frustrated, they can connect with the protagonist in terms of age, it's highly educational (between the real animals portrayed and various issues wildlife face due to human activity), and the message that even kids can make a difference and have a positive impact on the world is absolutely worth hearing. On the other hand, if you're a grown-up, this is a solid game to play if you just want to chill out in a pretty-looking game for a few hours. There's not a lot of action going on, and unless you're living under a rock, you're likely aware of the issues being raised throughout the story. Just have fun running around and taking pictures of birds. Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is available on these platforms: - end - I'm keeping the ball rolling with this month's romance manga challenge with a slightly weird pick. BACKGROUND:
As I said with the previous entry, I wanted to keep things diverse in terms of the tone of the stories I read for this month. Against my better judgment, I looked for a manga with a synopsis that leaned more towards the sexual aspect of relationships, and this fits the bill in some way. SUMMARY: After having too much to drink the previous night, Tatsu Yunoki is shocked to find a woman sleeping next to him on his bed. She introduces herself as Kotoka Hatsushima, who tells him that they hooked up last night over their... very specific kinks. Kotoka says that she was instantly attracted to Yunoki's back (that's a thing?), while Yunoki was apparently super into Kotoka's hair (what?). Yunoki is quick to apologize (as well as freak out) over the mess, but Kotoka insists that since they both satisfy each other's kinks, they might as well start dating. The rest of the manga follows their time together as they go on dates, spend time at home together (they move in together after a month, which is wild), and get to know each other. A lot of the scenarios (which are presented in bite-sized pieces) focus on them navigating their weird kinks, which leads to a fair share of hilarious moments. It's entertaining to see them indulge each other's respective obsession by saying or doing some bizarre shit, as well as the many instances where they call the kettle black and speak out on the strangeness of the other's kink. Despite the odd circumstances that led to the relationship, both Yunoki and Kotoka view it seriously, as they make genuine efforts to be considerate of the other, show their appreciation, and try to take things slow as they aim for a deeper connection. Although the manga focuses more on the humor of the two navigating their kinks, it slowly becomes clear that both parties are developing an attraction to the other that goes much deeper than the reason they got together in the first place. There are sexy times in this volume, although it focuses more on the silliness of each character's kinks than it does on the intimacy or passion between them (although that level of connection is shown to be developing here), and you won't really get any actual scenes beyond the occasional implied nudity in the shower. Yunoki being completely fixated on his thing with hair is particularly hilarious, as it leads to Kotoka expressing her light-hearted frustration over him willfully ignoring the rest of her body (to the point that she smothers her boobs on his face in a desperate attempt to divert his attention). In the last chapter, Kotoka meets Eno, who is Yunoki's younger sister. As it turns out, being a freak runs in that family, as Eno is unhealthily obsessed about legs. That aside, she wants her brother's relationship to succeed, and goes to... extreme lengths to ensure that it does. After that, the volume ends on an interesting note, as Kotoka and Yunoki will have to interact during work. Yunoki and Kotaka are not ashamed about expressing their kinks at all, and that makes the fact that they find themselves flustered over developing deeper feelings all the more amusing. It's heartwarming to see them make efforts and do things that aren't just to satisfy their kinks, and that has me invested in seeing their relationship mature in later chapters. The art is quite a treat to look at thanks to the abundance of pleasantly light shades, plus the prominence of wacky facial expressions complements the light-hearted tone of the story extremely well. I also found Kotoka's design quite notable, as the art goes out of its way to make her look super cute with her eyes and the emphasis on her lovely locks (which takes on many different hair styles throughout the volume). VERDICT: What I Love About You definitely leans into the weirdness of each lead character's respective kinks, but it never feels creepy because of how Yunoki and Kotaka consent to, accept, and find the humor in it. This being a core aspect of their relationship leads to its fair share of hilarious moments, but what really hooked me on this book is the slow but sure growth of said relationship where both characters come to terms with the fact that they love each other for more than just how they satisfy each other's kinks. This reminded me a lot of Sweat and Soap (I talked about that here) in that it's a manga centered on a relationship built on something many would consider weird, but it ends up being quite wholesome. I wouldn't mind reading more of this one to see how things develop. There's definitely a bit of steamy imagery and intimate moments if you're into that sort of thing, although this volume focuses more on the comedy than it does the sex. If that's the kind of balance you're looking for, this rom-com might be for you. - end - I'm doing a bonus read right on Valentine's Day, because heaven knows I have no plans tonight. BACKGROUND:
I didn't know what this was until I picked it up on digital, but based on the synopsis, the story seems to lean more heavily on the drama side. I want to keep things interesting this month by reading stuff with different tones (as opposed to, say, reading exclusively rom-coms for four weeks), so I thought this would be an excellent pick for today. SUMMARY: Tsugumi Kawana (a young interior designer) is reunited with her high school crush Itsuki Ayukawa thanks to a work party. Kawana learns that Ayukawa is now a big shot architect, but she also learns something else: Ayukawa is paralyzed from the waist down due to an accident that left him with a spinal cord injury. This revelation shocks Kawana, and startlingly, she finds herself fully hesitating to pursue her rekindled feelings towards Ayukawa. Her tune changes when Ayukawa is hospitalized due to a serious complication brought about by his injury. In the hospital, Kawana sees the extent of the injury with her own eyes, but also sees Ayukawa's indefatigable resolve to continue working on a project of his despite the situation. During that ordeal, Kawana's feelings come rushing back, and she sees herself falling in love with Ayukawa all over again. Kawana and Ayukawa start seeing each other regularly after this point (though only as friends). As she spends more time with Ayukawa, Kawana starts to see Ayukawa's struggles firsthand. Aside from the obvious difficulties, she sees how other people look at and speak of Ayukawa behind his back, as well as how accessibility for disabled people like him is sadly uncommon (which extends further to his job, as some clients decline his barrier-free designs). Kawana notes that a lot of everyday life seems like such a struggle for Ayukawa and finds his seemingly strong will admirable. The subject of the conversations eventually lands on relationships, and Ayukawa insists that he's content being alone, remarking that his condition makes things difficult for any prospective partner. He then shares that his disability is the reason he and his girlfriend from high school split up. Kawana assumes that Ayukawa was dumped because of what happened, but she and Ayukawa see Yukimura (Ayukawa's ex) at a high school reunion party. Yukimura has a heartbreaking reunion with Ayukawa at the party, which Kawana overhears. She shares that while she's now getting married to someone else, she genuinely loved Ayukawa and that Ayukawa was the one who ended things due to how others viewed their relationship. Kawana then helps both Yukimura and Ayukawa find closure with each other by taking the latter to the former's wedding in what is easily the most bittersweet moment in the entire volume. In a later chapter, Kawana enlists Ayukawa's help for a home renovation to accommodate a teenager who, like him, must use a wheelchair due to an accident. He happily obliges, but when the two come to meet the homeowners, they find that the boy (named Haruto) is having an incredibly difficult time coming to terms with his situation. Hoping to help in some way, Kawana asks Ayukawa to speak with Haruto (who openly expresses his frustration). Ayukawa invites Haruto to play wheelchair basketball with him since they were both players before their respective accidents. Despite enjoying his time actually playing, Haruto still struggles to accept his situation, but thanks to a poignant response from Ayukawa and the support of his own girlfriend (who, I must point out, never gave up on him, despite shutting her out for a literal year), he finds a way to carry on. Kawana is deeply moved by these events; it's in this chapter that she learns how Ayukawa feels about his own situation, and it's yet another lesson for her as somebody who doesn't have the perspective of a disabled person. The last chapter of this volume sees Ayukawa hospitalized again, although things aren't as dire as last time. It's here that Kawana meets Ayukawa's mom, who is thrilled to meet her. Ayukawa's relationship with her mother comes with its own challenges, however, as his drive to succeed has his mom (understandably) concerned that he will drive himself into the ground. Kawana ends up speaking with Ayukawa's mom herself, and the latter shares the very real health risks her son faces, his change in demeanor in the early days after his accident, and her desire to see him happy despite everything. Kawana is compelled by this conversation to finally confess her feelings towards Ayukawa, but her plan is sidetracked looking for a kitten that Ayukawa recently adopted. Ayukawa disregarding his well-being during their search sends Kawana over the edge, and she lets out the most passionate confession I've seen in a while (disclaimer: I don't consume a lot of romance media). This is only the first volume, but goddamn, there are some seriously emotional moments in here, and every chapter has at least one that hits hard in vastly different ways. Whether it's Kawana's feelings resurfacing during Ayukawa's first hospitalization, the pair attending Yukimura's wedding, or Ayukawa speaking to a near-inconsolable Haruto, each chapter has a memorable interaction that left me pondering in silence for a moment. Kawana is a fascinating character to follow, as she starts off a bit judgmental upon learning Ayukawa's disability. That changes quickly (at least in terms of the manga's pacing; they should have let this one breathe a bit), and as the story progresses, she learns more about how life is for Ayukawa. As she does, she starts to understand a tiny bit of what he goes through (but also acknowledges that there's so much she can't possibly begin to comprehend), ruminates on what struggles she may have to face if she chooses to pursue this relationship, and falls more in love with him regardless. I find her dedication to Ayukawa and willingness to understand him quite admirable. Like Kawana, I can't even begin to understand Ayukawa's situation, and the manga doesn't pull any punches when it comes to showing all that. Whether it's the social stigma, the physical struggles, the worrying medical complications, or even the emotional toll, it's all shown through Ayukawa. And regardless of our differences, I could totally relate to Ayukawa's ambition (especially in how reckless his pursuit of it can get, as well as how some aspects of it are rooted in some unhealthy emotion) and his thinking that he's better off alone than a burden. I also found his perspective on "accepting one's disability" (which he shares with Haruto) eye-opening, as he essentially disagrees with the notion of chasing that feeling. Despite all this, Ayukawa does as much as he is able and strives to be the best that he can be at his dream job, and that's its own level of admirable. Yes, a lot of what he has to deal with is undeniably hard, but he doesn't let any of that dissuade him to do what he's passionate about. Although the core characters of the manga are very much Kawana and Ayukawa, even the one-off characters feel impactful thanks to their meaningful interactions with the leads. The highlights here for me are Yukimura and Haruto, whose respective heartbreak and anguish come across so well even with just a few panels and a couple of lines of dialogue. I'll even put in Haruto's girlfriend in this category; the fact that she never abandoned Haruto at any point despite everything is compelling enough in and of itself. The art style is simple to the point that I mostly never thought about it, but it does a fantastic job of highlighting the emotional moments with excellent facial expressions, the use of more varied shades, and focusing on just the right elements for closeups. VERDICT: I thought Perfect World was a fantastic read just from the first volume. It depicted Ayukawa's disability in a way that didn't shy away from reality (which was eye-opening for me), and that made Kawana's journey from hesitating to pursue him to resolving to see a relationship through despite anything and everything that comes because of that disability even more compelling. I'm still thinking about those emotional moments I mentioned earlier, and by the end of the book, I was fully invested in both leads and their blossoming relationship. This manga blew me away completely, and I am 100% willing to read more. This is a rare instance where I'd recommend this book regardless of genre inclinations. The perspective it brings in terms of life with disabilities is more than worth the price of admission alone, and I think Kawana's growth is worth sticking around for. - end - PS Plus Extra's game catalog has a bunch of big games in it, and you best believe I'm making the most out of my subscription by playing as many of them as I can. BACKGROUND:
I've naturally seen and heard of this game given it's a PS2 classic, but I've never played it myself. Lucky for me, it was remade for PS4 and that same remake is on the game catalog. PLOT: This game keeps its storytelling to a minimum, but what it does is enough to set the scene. Shadow of the Colossus takes place in an area of the world where entry has been forbidden due to a supposed evil that resides in it. Our protagonist (who is not named in the game, but is known as Wander) goes to this forbidden land anyway, and he does so with purpose. He had heard through legends that there exists a way to restore the dead in this land, and he intends to bring a young woman back to life (his relationship to her is never spelled out, so I don't know if she's Wander's lover or a beloved sister). A disembodied voice who refers to itself as Dormin makes themselves known to Wander, and tells him how to grant his wish: he must slay the sixteen colossi that reside in this land. It's a pretty straightforward story with a clear emotional thread carrying it throughout (person going through hell and high water for the sake of a loved one) and a lot of mystery surrounding many of its elements (e.g. the history of Wander's magical sword, what civilization used to be in the forbidden land). Like I said, the game's narrative goes for the bare minimum, so you spend much of the game engrossed in the action or pondering what's going on as you make your way to the next colossus. I did not mind this, but if you're hoping there'd be more meat on the game's bones when it came to story, I feel like the ending more than makes up for it as you get a hell of a payoff for defeating all the colossi. Save for one scene that I don't understand, the finale really brings everything together. PRESENTATION: This remake upscales the original's visuals to be on par with modern day entries, but I could tell that they did not go full throttle with elements like super detailed textures or intricate models. With that said, the environments still look gorgeous, so I'm pretty happy with the graphics, nonetheless. In addition to the forbidden land's idyllic landscapes (which feature a surprising diversity of locales both natural and manmade), the sixteen colossi stuck in my memory with their incredible designs. I love their mix of monstrous (black fur, black blood) and somehow artificial (adorned with armor that looks like part of some sort of ancient building), plus nearly every single one was distinct from the rest. You have your usual humanoid colossus that towers over everything like a giant, but you also have enormous quadruped beasts, a giant bird, an eel-like creature, serpent-like monsters, and even a huge lizard. The game does an impressive job of depicting a sense of scale, properly showcasing just how tiny Wander is next to these terrifying colossi with some great camera work. That said, I can't say the camera is perfect, as its frustrating habit of recentering itself made playing the game harder than it needed to be (and it also made me motion sick, which is my one dealbreaker when it comes to graphical/visual hiccups). Appropriately, the game's orchestral soundtrack captures the epic scale of Wander's journey, with tunes that perfectly complement a showdown with a colossus sixty times your size. The fights themselves felt awesome (as I'll get into in a bit), but the music switching to a more triumphant vibe once you figure out how to win makes the experience all the more satisfying. GAMEPLAY: Shadow of the Colossus is a third-person action-adventure game where you control Wander, travel across the forbidden land, and take on the sixteen colossi with only a bow and a sword. At first glance, this game may seem like a full-blown soulslike with deep combat mechanics and an open world, but this game is actually much simpler than any such title. Plus, this originally came out in 2005; I don't think the soulslike formula was really a thing back then. The game does feature an open world, but there's very little to find in it apart from the occasional save point and collectible. You're mostly going to just be making a beeline for the colossus on your trusty steed Agro with the help of your magic sword (which also doubles as a halfway decent beacon that points you towards the next colossus you need to kill). As Wander, you can swing your sword (actually useless in all but a handful of situations), shoot arrows from your bow (mostly to get a colossus's attention, but it does do a tiny bit of damage and can trigger specific weak points), dodge roll, jump, and grip onto specific ledges and surfaces. The last one is quite important, as not only is it how you traverse many of the game's areas, it's also the primary way you get to a colossus's weak point. Every colossus fight is different in terms of how you expose a weak point, but the basic flow for each is the same: observe the colossus and your immediate environment for a way to get yourself on the colossus, jump onto the colossus and hold onto dear life as it tries to shake you off, climb up to the glowing weak spot revealed by your sword, then stab the shit out of it until it dies (or reveals a different weak spot). The very act of scaling a massive enemy, withstanding its onslaught, and killing it with your puny, human-sized sword is plenty satisfying, but the game goes the extra mile by making each colossus fight unique. Figuring out how to climb the colossus is often a puzzle in itself. Sometimes, it's as straightforward as shooting a visible weak spot and waiting for it to come down and give you something to climb onto. Others are trickier, as you have to lure them to specific locations in the environment to give yourself a way up (or open up a weak spot), bait them into performing certain actions so you can create an opening, or go through a whole platforming section to get to where they are. A couple of the fights even have you rely on Agro's speed to keep up with or keep away from fast-moving colossi. Some of the solutions to getting up to a colossus are more intuitive than others, but for the most part, I could at least get a rough idea of what to do for the trickier ones. Regardless, if you end up taking a while, a disembodied voice will give you hints on what to do. Granted, the hints themselves are kind of cryptic, but they're clear enough that they can nudge you in the right direction. I do have my favorites among the colossus fights, but overall, they all felt satisfying to take down. Everything from the size difference (and how well the game depicts that), the whole challenge of just getting onto the colossus, and the struggle of holding on until you hit that killing blow with your sword made every encounter feel like an insurmountable task. Once you figure everything out, though, you feel invincible as you take chunks off the colossus's health bar and eventually watch it fall to the ground. You have the option between playing on Easy, Normal, and Hard. I played on Normal, which I didn't find too troublesome at all; I only died around five times, and all of those were me doing something stupid as opposed to actually struggling against a colossus's attacks. That isn't to say that colossi aren't threatening overall; some are definitely more aggressive than others (a few even shoot projectiles at you), and if you happen to get knocked down, you stay down for what feels like a goddamn eternity, and that's enough time for the colossus to line you up for another attack. Every time you beat a colossus, you get an increase in your health and your stamina bar (which determines how long you can grip onto surfaces like the colossus itself). You can bolster HP and stamina further by collecting optional fruit from trees or harvesting the shiny blue tails of special lizards respectively, though in my experience, the bare minimum was more than enough to get me through a Normal campaign. The game is quite short if you just tear through all the colossi one after another, but if you want to play some more, you can take on time attack challenges where you try to beat one of the colossi as fast as you can. These actually reward you with special items that make subsequent playthroughs easier or otherwise more interesting, so if that's something that tickles your fancy, the time attacks offer more than the usual speedrunning satisfaction. VERDICT: Shadow of the Colossus is actually a pretty short and sparse game when you actually play it through, but to me, the core of what little it offers is plenty satisfying. Fighting all sixteen colossi was a satisfying exercise in puzzle solving and perseverance, and every single fight felt unique and epic thanks to varying colossus designs, settings, and even gimmicks. There's little else to do unless you're into replaying the game multiple times, but for me, that first experience was more than worthwhile. Between the action, the scale, and even the story, I can see why this is hailed as an all-time classic. This is easily in my "essentials" category given it's perhaps one of the most acclaimed PS2 games of all time, so in my view, game enthusiasts ought to play this game at least once. Outside of that, I think this is actually a pretty accessible action game since you're not fighting bosses with tricky/relentless attack patterns or wrestling with complex combat mechanics. Instead, each colossus encounter is more of a puzzle you have to solve, and while there's still execution-based skill involved with the platforming aspect, it's not as demanding as an actual soulslike would be. I feel that even casual players can get into this while still presenting a respectable challenge. - end - Here I am again with another arrangement of origami flowers! I did my best to work on another entry to this project as soon as I could; I didn't want to make it seem like this idea was just a one-off. It did take me a little bit to think of a display that was completely distinct from the "vase" of the first entry, but I feel like I pulled something off here. Sometime after finishing the first entry of this project, I started thinking of other ways to display origami flowers. I couldn't really come up with anything that wasn't just another basic container (e.g. a box, or a basket), so I decided to look up and learn new origami flowers and go from there. I made a few test models and observed that there are models that (I felt) looked better displayed on a "stem" (as with the first entry of Project Ikebana), some that looked better facing the observer, and others whose shapes left me scratching my head with regards to how to display them. After this little exercise, I felt most inclined to make models that I could lay against a flat surface and whose blooms one could appreciate looking straight on. From there, I started thinking of ways to display the models that worked best with what I was going for. One of the first things I thought of was a wreath, and I was really happy with the idea that I committed to it. The only catch is that I had to make the wreath myself as well, which I'll get into in detail. I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what to use to make a wreath with, especially considering I've never made one in my life. I decided to look through my supplies for anything I could use and stumbled upon an unused illustration board. Seeing as I couldn't find any other viable material in the house that would make for a suitable circular base, I just cut out a sizable ring from illustration board and started there. My next challenge was figuring out what to do with the ring I just cut out. At this point, I just looked up pictures of wreaths on the Internet for inspiration on what kinds of materials people used to make the ring arrangement. I really liked the idea of making a wreath where the ring was rope wrapped around a base, but alas, I did not have any rope handy. Once again, I rummaged through my things for anything else I can use, and I ended up finding the next best thing: arts-and-crafts pipe cleaners that my younger brother never used as a kid. I decided to wrap these around the illustration board ring, and I was delighted that it worked more or less like the initial idea that I wanted to go for. My supply of pipe cleaners was quite limited, so I ended up messing around with a few different combinations until I came up with something that wasn't such a disjointed eyesore in terms of color scheme. You'll see that the last two pictures had different-looking wreaths, but I settled on the one you see above in the end. It still seems like a mess color-wise to me, but I am very happy with the overall fuzzy texture of the wreath. I still had some Tack-It handy from the Project Monarch years, and they worked well enough for sticking the finished flower models onto the wreath. Some models were definitely harder to stick than others, however, and the fuzzy pipe cleaners did not make things easier on the account that they're not exactly flat surfaces. Everything came together in the end (as seen in the first photo), and nothing falls off when the wreath is actually displayed. As for how it's hanging, I just punched a hole in the base and ran a rubber band through it, which works well enough since the entire wreath isn't heavy at all. Now, let's get to the actual origami models. Cherry Blossom and "Twisty Rose" I felt like these two models would work really well with the wreath setup, so I decided to make them again here. All the details on these models are in the first entry of Project Ikebana. Water Lily/Lotus Instruction Source: As far as I know, this is a traditional model. I learned this as a teen from my trusty copy of Classic Origami by Paul Jackson. Difficulty: While the actual construction of this model is easy overall with its simple folds and pulls, where one may face difficulty depends on the type of paper you use. Making this with regular paper may result in tearing if you're not careful with the steps that involve pulling the paper, so I'd recommend using thinner paper if you want to make this. The model you see here is made with a type of Japanese washi paper, which is considerably thinner than your typical print paper. Other things: While I really wanted to make the waterlily a centerpiece of the whole arrangement (this is one of my personal favorite flower models), this model comes out considerably small relative to the square you start with. I figured out a way to make it the center of attention despite its size, but I'll get into that later. Camellia Instruction Source: Again, I'm fairly sure this one is also a traditional model. Here's a link to some diagrams. Difficulty: Don't let its simple shape fool you; this flower is constructed with a few tricky squash folds. It may take some a couple of tries to nail exactly how to set up these folds and how to align them properly, but once you figure that out, this ends up being a simple model. Other things: The end result of this model is a simple-looking octagon, which I was not content with. I decided to modify this model by pinching each side of the octagon such that the whole thing looks more like a flower. Dahlia Instruction Source: According to these instructions, this model was designed by Makoto Yamaguchi. Difficulty: This flower is a kusudama model composed of eight "modules" stuck together, and each individual piece is very easy to fold. I'd say this is a great model to start with if you're new to the idea of kusudama. Other things: As you can see, this model is rather large relative to the size of my hand. This led me to put it on the top center section of the wreath to maintain a bit of symmetry to the overall arrangement. If you want to make this model, take note of the size of the paper you'll be using to construct the individual components; the end result isn't that much smaller from the starting square. Daisy Instruction Source: The instructions I used did not credit anybody for the design, I'm not convinced that this is a traditional model, but as of this writing, I haven't found any information on who originally designed this. Difficulty: I would consider this a somewhat intermediate model. It starts out pretty simple (just repeat a bunch of easy folds a couple of times), but you'll eventually end up having to make very specific creases so you can collapse the paper into a shape. This collapsing step can take quite a while to get down even with precise setup, but once you get past that, it's just a matter of repeating mostly simple steps again. The last part (actually shaping the flower) may prove tricky if you're going for absolute perfect symmetry, but you can get a satisfactory end result without expending too much effort here. Other things: This model can actually easily be put on a "stem" since it has a hole at the bottom. I will likely reuse this if I do another arrangement where I display the flowers with stems. Bamboo Leaf Instructions: I picked up the diagrams for this from my Japanese book centered around crane designs, so I don't know who designed this. It's entirely possible that it's a traditional model. Difficulty: This is pretty much a beginner-level model. If you want a quick and easy leaf-like decoration, you can make a bunch of these in five minutes. Other things: Obviously, this isn't a flower, but I felt like the wreath would feel weirdly plain if the decorations were exclusively flowers. I made a couple of these leaves to add a bit more flair to the whole arrangement. Rosette Instruction Source: Paul Jackson. the very author of the book I've been referring to in a lot of my origami blog entries, actually designed this one! Difficulty: The only thing remotely tricky about making this model is making sure the folds that lock everything into place are secure. Other than that, you just make super simple folds, and the end result is satisfying. Other things: I thought that this would be a neat thing to add to the wreath (I just really liked the way it looked), so I made one with green paper and basically made it the "lily pad" of the water lily I made. I stuck the water lily onto the rosette, and I was quite happy with how the combo turned out. Sticking the rosette to the wreath, however, was a bit of a nightmare given there wasn't much surface area on it to put adhesive on, but I figured something out. I feel quite accomplished with this arrangement, and I think that's thanks to the fact that I had to make the entire wreath on top of the models themselves. Of course, folding origami is always fun for me, but going on what is essentially an arts-and-crafts side quest and ending up with a neat-looking wreath made this particular project a memorable one. Perhaps I should consider another arrangement where I have to make the display again given how fun this was.
- end - Valentine's Day is around the corner, so let's get another romance manga in. BACKGROUND:
I only know this series by name (it seems pretty popular based on my limited observations), so I don't know much else about it. I have some idea of the premise just going by the title, though. SUMMARY: Kazuya Kinoshita is a down-on-his-luck college student who's living off of limited funds and has just been dumped by his girlfriend. Desperately lonely (and horny), he decides to use one of those rental girlfriend services (apparently a real thing) to keep his mind off things. He ends up hiring Chizuru Mizuhara, whom he finds super attractive. The "date" goes swimmingly, but the cynical (and frankly idiotic) Kazuya is annoyed by how much of an act it was, and he rents Chizuru again just so he could give her a piece of his mind. Chizuru angrily calls out Kazuya in response, making the excellent point that he's the dumbass who agreed to the whole thing in the first place and that she's just doing her job (which she prides in doing well). The argument is cut short when Kazuya receives the call that his grandma has been hospitalized. The two rush to the hospital (well, Kazuya does; Chizuru just tags along), where Chizuru is spotted by Kazuya's family. It's here that the story truly begins, as Kazuya lies and introduces Chizuru as his girlfriend to appease his grandma. It turns out that Kazuya (and the rest of his family) holds his grandma in high esteem, and he hopes to fulfill her dream of him having a girlfriend while she's still alive. After explaining the situation to Chizuru and having a moment of introspection, Kazuya resolves to not meet her anymore and make peace with his life as a single dude. Unfortunately for him, his grandma is so overwhelmed with joy that she is insists to see more of her grandson's lovely "girlfriend." Unable to come clean to his family, Kazuya almost immediately reneges on his word and begs Chizuru for one more date to keep up appearances. Chizuru relents on the condition that this be the last time and that Kazuya tell the truth, but the web of lies grows when it's revealed that Chizuru's own grandmother is coincidentally also hospitalized in the same hospital Kazuya's grandma is. As it turns out, Chizuru has told some lies of her own, having not revealed her real job to her grandma, and the pair scramble to not get spotted together at the hospital. To make things more complicated, Kazuya and Chizuru find themselves caught in a pair of unfortunate coincidences. First, it's revealed that the two actually go to the same college (and that Chizuru is putting up a front that completely hides the fact that she's a rental girlfriend). Later, it's shown that they are also next-door neighbors in the same apartment complex. The lies get deeper from there, as the two agree on an arrangement where Kazuya rents Chizuru for an hour every week to keep up appearances on family gatherings. And if you think it ends there, the volume ends with the pair getting spotted by Kazuya's buddies (who endlessly tease him about being a virgin), who drag them to a college party... where Kazuya's ex also happens to be. The best way I can describe this story in my perspective is that it's the rom-com equivalent of a car crash you can't look away from. Both main characters are dragged in too deep with their respective lies very quickly, and I can't help but be curious to see how the house of cards eventually topples. Of course, the book is also setting up the rather obvious trajectory of one of them developing real feelings for the other, and while the build to that is sure to be interesting, I'm currently more engaged with the increasing absurdity of how far their collective lies go and how that will inevitably blow up in their faces. Kazuya is set up as kind of the stereotypical loser in certain respects (made fun of for being a virgin, got dumped with no real explanation, gets horny with concerning frequency), though most of my sympathy for him is because of his desire to make his grandma happy, especially given that he's willing to dig himself into a deeper hole just to please family. Though he certainly has some growing to do, he is capable of some level of introspection, and if he wasn't so quick to go back on his own word, I'd be impressed with him making efforts to take his situation in stride and realizing that the truth is more important. It's also established that he's not quite over his ex (despite only dating her for a month), so I see that being part of his arc as well. Chizuru is a bit more of a mystery right now, as it's not really explained why she (in her words) needs her job, and why she'd go out of her way to lie to her own family and keep a low profile in campus. Another thing that intrigues me is how she's willing to play along with Kazuya's lies despite clearly not wanting anything to do with him; I can't tell if that's just her dedication to her job or if it's something else (like empathizing with Kazuya's plight). I'd really like to know more about her and understand why she's going through all this. At this stage, Kazuya and Chizuru's relationship is far from romantic. The two are definitely adversarial when interacting, but they can at least get along long enough to keep up the charade when needed (save for a specific situation near the end of the volume). Kazuya is certainly attracted to Chizuru in a physical sense, but it's unclear if Chizuru has any sort of attraction to him (although the fact that she bails him out of his lies more than once may hint at surfacing feelings). Most other characters have a minor role, with the few standouts being Kazuya's grandma and Kazuya's ex Mami Nanami. The former steals the show whenever she's the focus, as her irrational excitement for Chizuru's existence and her surprising tech-savvy habits lead to plenty of comedic moments. Nanami is an interesting addition, as so much of her is shrouded in mystery at this point. It's still unknown why she dumped Kazuya, but there are hints that she still has lingering feelings from the brief relationship. Plus, her first interaction with Chizuru sets up a possibly heated feud between them (which will likely get messier if or when the truth comes out). The art's bold lines really stood out to me, as they made certain elements in many panels really pop out. Overall, the level of detail varies, but nothing feels too plain, and I enjoyed the occasional use of darker shading and action lines to highlight more intense moments. This manga is also a goldmine of fun facial expressions for many characters, and they're made even better due to the fact that for the most part, the art spares very little expense when it comes to facial details. In terms of character design, they really nailed Chizuru here. I absolutely love her style, and you get whole panels where you get to appreciate her cute outfits. The manga does get a little risqué at certain moments when the perspective starts zooming in on certain... aspects of the design of Chizuru (and Nanami as well), and while there's nothing totally explicit, I'd be a little careful reading this out in the open. These panels do serve a purpose as they highlight how horny Kazuya can get and where his gaze falls during specific moments, though whether that purpose is worthwhile is debatable. VERDICT: Call it a morbid curiosity, but a lot of my desire to read more of Rent-a-Girlfriend is rooted in seeing the precarious web of lies established by its main characters fall apart in catastrophic fashion. This first volume sets up that web perfectly while adding elements that will surely add spice to the already shaking powder keg of Kazuya and Chizuru's arrangement. I must admit that I want to read more largely just to see what happens when everything explodes, but I'm also curious as to how they'll handle the potential brewing romances they've set up here. This is another case of the readers likely knowing more about this series than I do, so the most I can say for recommendations is that this seems like a lot of fun if you enjoy a healthy dose of secondhand embarrassment and watching characters struggle with situations that can easily be resolved with a calm conversation. - end - Here's the first Five Comics entry of the year! I'm going to try and do more of these compared to last year covering all sorts of themes beyond the obviously topical, and they will not come at the expense of my current manga excursion. THE THEME: Yes, we're doing another one of these. Listen, I've done plenty of these already; I don't need to explain what this theme is about. THE COMICS: 20XX #1 Publisher: Image Comics Writers: Jonathan Luna, Lauren Keely Artist: Jonathan Luna Mer's life appears to be going quite well until she's infected with the Bethel virus, which extremely few people survive. She ends up being those lucky few, but the infection turns her into what's called a sym, a being with telekinetic control over specific objects. Syms deal with serious discrimination in this society, and not knowing what to do, Mer seeks out her cousin (who is a sym himself, and a part of a gang at that). In the process, she meets a new friend and discovers the material she can manipulate in rather bloody fashion. It's an interesting new spin on the classic "depicting the struggles of a minority group in a sci-fi/fantasy setting" narrative (with this one mirroring aspects of the stigma surrounding AIDS/HIV-positive people), and that along with the great black-and-white art makes me want to read more. BLACK CLOUD #1 Publisher: Image Comics Writers: Jason Latour, Ivan Brandon Artist: Greg Hinkle This first issue is rather vague on the details given the protagonist's dramatic narration, but the basic idea is that there are two worlds (our world and what I'd call the world of dreams/stories), and the main character can move between them. It seems she's chosen to live in our world instead (she's now homeless, but I guess she prefers this to the alternative), but she's able to take other people into the "dream" world (where she is apparently unwelcome) in order to steal from them. It all seems interesting on paper, but I couldn't really follow much from this issue alone. FAIRLADY #1 Publisher: Image Comics Writer: Brian Schirmer Artist: Claudia Balboni In this fantasy world, Jenner Faulds is a Fairlady, which is a sort of private investigator. Here, she and her pal track down a woman on the run after apparently stealing money, but it appears there's more to the story than just petty theft. Color me intrigued. MCMKXXV #1 Publisher: Image Comics Writer: Joe Casey Artist: Ian Macewan Pamela Evans seems like your typical New York City cabbie at first glance, but her night shift reveals she's anything but ordinary. It turns out that Manhattan's full of monsters, and with her magical tire iron, she might be one of the very few equipped to fight such forces of darkness. Not much in the way of world-building in this first issue, but I find the premise entertaining already. SELF/MADE #1 Publisher: Image Comics Writer: Mat Groom Artist: Eduardo Ferigato The kingdom of Arcadia is under siege as the evil Teronak looks to claim a power known as the Final Contradiction. Looking to avenge her people, Amala teams up with Prince Brycemere in order to stop the villain from enacting her plan. As the adventure progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that things are not quite what they seem, and it culminates in quite the twist that reveals the true nature of the world Amala finds herself in. I'm quite curious as to where the story goes after seeing all that play out. As I've probably mentioned before, this particular theme isn't challenging to put together, but it is the ease in which I can find modern comics that fit said theme (and the overall implication of that fact in terms of representation in comics) that satisfies me. The added fun of pulling from the Image well in terms of the common publisher is that I'm almost always guaranteed to encounter stories I've never heard of, and that's very much the case again today. PANEL OF THE WEEK: - end -
It's been a while since I've bought a physical game for my Switch. This time around, I picked up the Pikmin 1 + 2 bundle, which I'll talk about across two blog entries per game. BACKGROUND:
Though not as obscure as Earthbound or F-Zero, I only really know of Pikmin through Smash Bros. due to not owning a GameCube as a kid. The closest I've ever got to playing any game in the series was the Pikmin 3 demo for Switch, which I never got around to getting (certainly not during its original release on the Wii U). Fast forward to the middle of 2023, and to my delight, Nintendo revealed that they were porting the first two Pikmin games to Switch alongside releasing the highly anticipated Pikmin 4. I just had to get the bundle to fulfill my quest of playing every single game represented as a character in Smash, and I was doubly excited because I did like what I played of Pikmin 3's demo. PLOT: Captain Olimar is flying around in space when an asteroid hits his ship, the Dolphin, and sends it crashing into an unknown world. To Olimar's dismay, the crash scatters the parts of his ship across the planet, and what's worse, the planet's atmosphere is poisonous to him (odd, as the main gas is oxygen). Olimar learns that his life support can only keep him alive for 30 days, so he has that long to find his ship's parts, rebuild the Dolphin, and get back home to his planet Hocotate. On his first day exploring, Olimar discovers plant-like creatures he dubs Pikmin, who start following him around. He quickly finds that the Pikmin will work together to accomplish tasks, so he enlists their help to retrieve his ship's parts. As he scours the planet, Olimar learns that the Pikmin grow in numbers when they bring dead creatures and pellets to their homes (which he calls Onions), and that there are three Pikmin varieties with different traits that can help Olimar deal with specific obstacles. After the end of each day, Olimar has to spend the night in low-planet orbit, as the surface becomes overrun by dangerous creatures. It's during this time that Olimar maintains his captain's log, where you get the bulk of his character. You learn that Olimar has a family back home that he's determined to return to, and you see Olimar's fascination towards this strange new world grow as he ponders the true nature of the Pikmin and their struggle to survive in such hostile conditions. You also get a sense of Olimar's character through the entries of the ship parts and the planet's flora/fauna, as you can see that he's knowledgeable on some things and hilariously not in others. It's a simple story overall, but I was quickly invested in getting Olimar back home. I also enjoyed how his view of the Pikmin develops over time, as he quickly develops quite the respect for their capabilities despite their seeming weakness. The planet also strikes a solid balance between feeling like an inhospitable place (at least for Olimar) and having its own beauty (which Olimar himself expresses appreciation for), though there are small hints that there's more to this place than meets the eye. There are three endings for the game, determined by your overall progress in collecting the Dolphin's parts. The "best" ending is obviously acquired by collecting all parts, and I think it's easily the most satisfying of the three given that both Olimar and the Pikmin get a happy ending. PRESENTATION: The Switch version of Pikmin 1 sadly isn't a from-the-ground-up remaster, so you'll be treated to some early-2000s 3D graphics simply upscaled for high-definition screens. The age will certainly show when you take a long look at the textures and compare the polish of the 3D models to modern releases, but the bright colors, varied locales, impressive level of detail (for the time, anyway), and goofy-looking creatures do a lot to keep the game a visual delight over 20 years later. The music is more on the cheery, quirky side, which fits the cartoony vibe of the visuals and offsets the inherent horror of being stranded on a planet with only a limited chance of survival. Helping with that are the adorable sounds the Pikmin make, which goes along quite well with their cute designs. GAMEPLAY: Pikmin is a game where you, as Olimar, explore a 3D environment and command the eponymous creatures in order to overcome obstacles, defeat enemies, and bring back the parts of the Dolphin. You can't do much without the Pikmin, so your first order of business is amassing a squad of them. Your deployed Pikmin will follow you automatically as you explore, but they can lag behind, get stuck behind walls, or unwittingly get themselves in dangerous situations (note: the Pikmin don't exactly have fine-tuned survival instincts). There is an input for keeping the group in formation as you move, and you can use Olimar's whistle to rein in stragglers who aren't following along or are distracted by other tasks. It can be frustrating or even potentially catastrophic to manage a large group of Pikmin, so it's probably a better idea to figure out what a manageable number is every time you go exploring. Most of the action in this game involves throwing your Pikmin at objects in order to perform tasks. They can clear obstructions, build bridges, carry objects back to base (most importantly, the ship parts), and gang up on enemies. And as you may have guessed, the more Pikmin you throw at a problem, the more efficient they'll be overall. A lot of objects have a minimum number of Pikmin required before they can be moved, and the quota for the ship parts (which are the most important thing you need to be picking up) have rather demanding requirements. That alone is good reason to maintain your army, but a lot of other tasks will be easier with greater numbers. At the beginning of the game, your first Pikmin is free, but for the remainder of the game, you'll have to take great care managing their numbers. In order to grow more Pikmin, you can have your troops carry numbered pellets or the carcasses of dead enemies back to their Onion, where they will be converted to a given number of Pikmin (typically the number of Pikmin it took to carry the object). Don't get too carried away, however, as only 100 Pikmin at a time can be out in the field at once. Still, it's worth getting extras, as you can have Pikmin wait in reserve in the Onion and only have what you need out with you. You can also power up Pikmin by having them eat nectar (found through various means), which will cause them to sprout a flower on their head. These guys move and act faster, making them more efficient overall in their tasks. You don't really need to work towards a full army of jacked up Pikmin since there's enough strength in numbers, but it doesn't hurt to have a bunch of them. Dealing with enemies (of which there is a decent variety behavior-wise) is vital to success, as even the least threatening ones can eat through your army if left unchecked. Some enemies are straightforward to deal with (just overwhelm them with sheer numbers), but others will require you to exploit weak spots by throwing Pikmin at them (though exposing/aiming for these may be a challenge depending on the enemy) or to juggle between throwing Pikmin to deal damage and recalling them with your whistle to keep them away from devastating attacks. The tougher enemies will demand more of the last bit, and for those, killing them is more a war of attrition more than anything. You also have to worry about hazards like fire and water, as those can kill Pikmin if you leave them be. This is where the color varieties of Pikmin come in, as red Pikmin are immune to fire, and blue Pikmin are the only ones that don't drown. This game doesn't really go too crazy when it comes to these hazards, so there's not many opportunities to make use of Pikmin immunities outside where they're absolutely needed. It would be cool if there were more of these environmental hurdles that only specific Pikmin can overcome (especially considering the yellow ones don't get any). The differences between the Pikmin varieties don't end there. Red Pikmin are your best bet for combat as they deal the most damage, yellow Pikmin are the ones you can throw the farthest (allowing them to reach faraway places, though this fact is only used sparingly), and blue Pikmin can ferry other colors across bodies of water so they don't die. Again, I wish there were more differences overall to give you incentive to constantly keep a diverse army, but the game as it is gives you a fair number of situations to keep swapping out your troops. The main gimmick of the yellow Pikmin is their ability to carry bomb rocks, which are used to break down stone walls and deal massive damage to enemies. Sadly, there are extremely few places to pick up bomb rocks, and they're not a renewable resource, so yellow Pikmin don't really have a niche outside of their greater range. I also found them unwieldy to use, as yellow Pikmin holding bombs count as a different Pikmin type, so you have to manually switch to them if you want to have them use the bomb. I hope the sequels give them more to do so they don't feel so situational (whether by adding more out-of-reach spots to throw them at or by giving them additional properties). Keeping a balanced number of each Pikmin type is something you'll have to manage manually by specifically ordering one color to carry stuff to their Onion, but some levels have special flowers you can throw Pikmin into to convert them into the color of the flower. These aren't common, however, but they're in places where you may need them to solve a problem or retrieve a ship part. Managing an army with all Pikmin varieties is where things can get overwhelming, as you'll need to hold the throw button and cycle through the type if you want to throw a specific color at something. Alternatively, you can order your current troops to group themselves by their type so you can manage them one by one, which helps in situations where multiple Pikmin types are needed to solve a problem. In my experience, just swapping out between a full army of a single Pikmin type worked for me just fine for most of the game, and like I said before, incentivizing having a diverse roster is something I hope the sequels improve upon. There are four main levels in the game (the fifth is a small bonus area), each with multiple ship parts to find. Exploring everything isn't too difficult, as even the largest level isn't all that massive, and nothing is hidden. That works perfectly fine for this game in particular, as there is a time limit you're working with. You'll need to get as much done as you can before sundown, as once the sun sets, Olimar will automatically return to orbit. You'll also want to make sure that any Pikmin out in the field are following you before then, as anyone left behind will be devoured in upsetting fashion as the night sets in. Once the next day rolls in, you can go back to a level and pick up where you left off. Thankfully, progress persists in most respects, as moved ship parts will stay where they are, finished bridges and broken walls remain so (even retaining progress if they're only partially done), and enemies will stay dead for at least the first few revisits. However, you must keep in mind that you only have 30 in-game days in total to get most of the parts (only 25 are actually required to escape the planet), so you'll want to make the most out of each day by trying to go for multiple parts at once, having a squad of Pikmin take care of a task while you go elsewhere, or dedicating time to opening up as much of the level as you can. Take care not to let Olimar's health drop to zero or allow your army of Pikmin to be completely wiped out, as both events will end the day prematurely. In my experience, I never ran into any of these problems, so as long as you aren't being completely reckless, you'll be fine. In the case of Olimar's health, you can return to the Dolphin to repair your suit. On the flip side, there may be situations where you've done everything you can do in a level (like collected all the ship parts). You can automatically end the day in situations like this, though I usually take the time to replenish my Pikmin during the spare time. Juggling the main goal and maintaining the army might be challenging depending on how far along you are, so moments like this are worth taking advantage of. If the 30-day time limit stresses you out, the game actually retains the saves for each day, allowing you to turn back the clock on the save screen back to a particular day if you need to. I didn't need to use this in my playthrough, but I'm really glad this is here to allow a level of leniency for mistakes. It may probably feel like a lot of lost progress if you decide to go back, like, a week in in-game time, but being able to replay earlier days and potentially come in with a better plan may end up being beneficial in the long run. Once you've beaten the game, you can take on Challenge Mode, which lets you play through one of the levels in an attempt to grow as many Pikmin as you can before the day ends. It's an interesting remix of the gameplay as your focus now is more to seek out and eliminate enemies while also gathering pellets, though the appeal is mostly just for the thrill of getting a high score. VERDICT: I'm very glad to have finally played the original Pikmin. I enjoyed its quirky take on real-time strategy, which emphasized solving puzzles with your army, fully utilizing the niches of each Pikmin variety, and alternating between attacking and recalling in order to deal with challenging enemies. I also enjoyed the strategic aspect of planning out what to do in a level to maximize each in-game day, though the fact that there are only 30 days was a bit stressful. Nintendo had a solid foundation with this game, and I hope that the sequels improve upon the aspects that I thought had untapped potential. I'll be back with a blog on Pikmin 2 soon, where I hope to see some of these improvements. Since I'm only just starting my Pikmin journey, I can't yet say for certain if you can come into any of the four games with no prior knowledge of the story, or which one is the "definitive" experience. What I can say is that compared to what I've seen of the sequels, this game keeps it simple with its mechanics, so in terms of the gameplay, this is a logical entry point if you're curious about the series but are wary of things getting too complex. My standard recommendation may change if I find that the sequels ease you into new mechanics well, or if there are overall improvements like the controls. Outside of that, Pikmin has a storied history as one of the most notable offerings of the GameCube and a strong connection to gaming industry legend Shigeru Miyamoto, so this definitely qualifies as an "essential" game in my eyes. As usual, that means I urge people with an interest with exploring games to play this at least once. - end - For the month of February, I'll be reading a bunch of romance manga. I'd call this a reading challenge, but it really isn't, as I have a bunch of these in my library. As such, I'll just get a mix of titles that look interesting to me plus a few friend recommendations. BACKGROUND:
Out of everything in my library that looked like a romance manga, the synopsis for this book made me laugh the most, so I put this first on the list for this month. SUMMARY: This manga follows the story of the only two members of the school shogi club: Urushi Yaotome (sophomore and president of the club) and Ayumu Tanaka (freshman and shogi rookie). Yaotome is fairly certain that Ayumu has a crush on her, and she's made it her mission to get him to confess. The thing is, she's absolutely right, but the reason Ayumu won't ever admit it is because he made a deal with himself to not ask Yaotome out until he beats her in a game of shogi. Unfortunately, Ayumu isn't good enough to beat Yaotome yet, so they're stuck in a weird stalemate of sorts. Each chapter of the volume is short and focuses briefly on one meeting between the two. This is usually during club hours, but there are chapters where they meet outside the shogi club. In most scenarios, Yaotome tries and fails to get Ayumu to confess (much to her frustration and embarrassment), while Ayumu somehow manages to maintain his composure as he spends time with his crush. While most of the chapters simply focus on the conversations that they have regarding the game they're playing (often revolving Ayumu's mistakes in-game), they also talk about other things like having more club members (something Ayumu obviously doesn't want) or run into each other in various situations (like Yaotome overhearing someone insisting that Ayumu return to the kendo club). Regardless of the situation, Yaotome and Ayumu's conversations are hilarious. Despite his clear admiration for Yaotome (which he straight up tells her at many points; he just doesn't drop a full confession), Ayumu is absolutely stone-cold when talking to her, and his delivery of lines like "you are cute" with a completely stoic expression is hilarious. Adding to the humor is Yaotome losing her mind over the fact that she can't break Ayumu; she knows she's right, but the fact that her teasing and flirting has zero effect on Ayumu just ends up driving her up the wall. Although watching the pair's dynamic play out in various ways is entertaining enough, I am curious where the story goes from here. As of now, there really isn't a clear trajectory for the story's direction (whether that's Ayumu getting better at shogi, or Yaotome's feelings for him changing), and they've yet to introduce anything that could cause a conflict between them. This manga shares an overview of the rules of shogi in case readers are unfamiliar, which is super neat. I only have a basic understanding of the game because I've never played it beyond trying a video game version (and for the record, I own an actual board and pieces), so I appreciate the primer provided here. In chapters where Yaotome and Ayumu play against each other, you get an overview of their game where the complete list of moves and the final layout of the board are detailed. The art keeps it simple when it comes to shading, overall level of detail, and the backgrounds. Where the style truly shines is by giving Yaotome cute and silly expressions, which really stand out next to Ayumu's stone-cold look. VERDICT: When Will Ayumu Make His Move? Vol. 1 establishes a formula that I found entertaining from start to finish. It's hilarious to see Ayumu and Yaotome struggle with the very obvious elephant in the room, and the bite-sized chapters showcase that humor in all sorts of situations. Like I said, I'm curious to see how their relationship grows in later chapters (and how the manga's structure will accommodate longer arcs), but I'd be fine reading more of this manga just to see more of Ayumu and Yaotome's amusing dynamic. I'm obviously not the authority on rom-coms, but for whatever little my opinion is worth, I enjoyed this a lot. If that's your preferred flavor of genre, I think you should give this manga a try. - end - |
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