eff_ess_oe

After a good two weeks without any hyperfixes in sight, I finally have one again. This time, it's Inscryption. Again. Haven't really actively paid any attention to it in a while since the greater fandom died down, although maybe since it has, it'll be less of an ant-farm. Maybe next time I do an exchange I'll put in a req for it. In the meantime, here's a drabble.

Rating: G
Word count: 100
Warnings: Character death

(haha, title rhymes...)

So after 2 1/2 months worth of executive dysfunction keeping me from uploading this video in a timely manner, I finally have it up! And along with it, I have a review of the second episode? chapter? whatever of nosedive, the JJBA fan-VN that rhoda_pomelo and winkblue have put out. Audio is still shit, but I finally got ahold of a ref for improving low-quality mic audio, so maybe I'll put that into consideration for the next installment.




In terms of story elements, I love how we're starting to see a bit of tension and jealousy concerning Bruno. It hasn't gotten to the point where anything major occurs between anyone, but it's definitely stirring up the plot, and I can't wait to see where it goes next. Also love the new additions to the cast. Their interactions with each other and the MC's are amazing. I don't know if we'll see much of them again, but I definitely appreciated their presence in this chapter. However, I feel like the overall flow of the game was a lot slower, which took me out of it a little. It does make sense considering the context of the story, and I don't outright dislike it, but it does drag a bit compared to the past installment.

Gameplay-wise, this chapter plays a bit more like a kinetic novel compared to Day 1, except for the one interactive sequence where you investigate the camera footage. I was expecting a little more at first glance, but I suppose the devs are saving it for when things get shaken up later on in the story.

As always, art style and writing are top-notch, and I love how there's a little animation incorporated into the last bit of Day 2 in the dream sequence.

That's all I have to say for the time being. Links to the game page/devs' homepages are in the YT description. Can't wait to see what they put out next!

So I used to have an annual tradition (and by "annual" I mean only lasting for 3 years) of posting write-ups of the Eurovision Song Contest online. These consist of my initial blind-reactions to the final songs, plus my faves, least faves, and top picks across five categories: lyrics, costumes, choreography, visuals, and gimmicks. You can find 2018 and 2019 on my Tumblr here and here respectively. I did 2021 on a short-lived livetweet Twitter acct that no longer exists, and I didn't do one for 2022 because I was watching it over Discord with a friend, so unfortunately I don't have those years write-ups. But here I am, bringing back the tradition on Dreamwidth (which is kind of a better place for long-winded writeups like these). So without further ado, here's my opinions under the cut.

( Read more... )

So idk how many of y'all out there know this, but I am a massive sucker for fangames of shit I like. I've played Ace Attorney: The Contempt of Court 3 times since picking it up in 2020, The 7th Stand User has been sitting in my backlog for a good while (I'll start it up over the holidays, I swear), and lord knows I've lost a good few hours to bingeing reviews and LPs of fangames for a certain sit-and-survive horror juggernaut.

This one, however, was one of my most anticipated games of 2022, and my God, does it deliver. nosedive (stylized in all lowercase) is a visual novel created by rhoda_pomelo and winkblue based on Part 5 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure -- specifically, on Bruabba. When it dropped and I played it through the first time, I knew I had to show it off to the world -- or at least, to my own little corner of the net. So here it is on YouTube. The audio sucks because I was recording through a crappy mic attached to my aux cord, but I have captions so you can tell what I'm saying. The audio will be better in the next installment, I swear.




As I said in the LP, the art is fucking GORGEOUS. rhoda_pomelo's pixel-sketch style really sets the mood for a noir point-and-click-style VN. I love the use of limited palettes and focus on one single color like the blue in the bar or the grey at the motel. Going off of that, there are some moments where another color pops in to add some contrast (e.g. the signs in the bar, the bushes by the motel) that I really appreciate. I can definitely see this color choice becoming more significant later on in the game, either as a way of adding symbolism with the colors in the limited palettes, or as a way of drawing attention with the contrasting-colored objects.

The writing is also top-notch. So far, the characters act just like they did in the original Part 5, but at the same time they feel like they're part of their own story. I'm usually picky with alternate universes in fic, but when the characters within them are written in this specific way, that's how I know it's a good one. Abbacchio and Mista's dynamic is also really entertaining with how they clap back at each other a lot, but still seem close (at least for now). The setting and atmosphere in the writing are super intriguing, leaving a bunch of questions that I can't wait to see answered in future installments.

My one gripe with the game is that it's so short -- however, as more chapters get added, I probably won't have that problem anymore.

Now, here are some of my theories/predictions for the game (under the cut, as we're getting into spoiler territory):

( Read more... )