April Tendril 2023
Writing
Indiegames
The Independent Games Festival surprised the heck out of me. So many games that won in their categories challenged my ideas and expectations in terms of graphic design quality. Two winners in particular that I will congratulate but probably will never play because the aesthetic doesn't align with what I'm looking for: The Case of the Golden Idol and Betrayal At Club Low. Both games may have had unique design and presence but for me if games aren't conventionally pretty I bounce off quickly. I'm considering digging into that within myself because I don't like being ignorant about my own thought processes. For now though, those will just stay bookmarked with no action.
I did end up buying Immortality which was on sale, and I think just based on the content I have seen so far that Norco is just a bit too heavy for my liking.
The 2023 BAFTA Games Awards were streamed on Twitch on March 30th. God of War and Elden Ring, both fan favorites as predicted, won some categories but like IGF the BAFTAs stayed true to being a quality show and other games like TUNIC and Vampire Survivors took some wins home too. Let's not forget the legendary mouthful mode in Kirby pushing it to a win, too. Rollerdrome which I guess is an action rollerskater was not on my radar at all and Elden Ring winning for multiplayer (those notes/hints may have been responsible) was an interesting choice.
Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire and Mr. Saitou have both been a great time so far and are worth writing about in the future, particularly in terms of exploring what makes a game enjoyable in spite of genre. We even got Voltaire-senpai to notice us, many thanks to Dunkbot for clipping our "booty tooty" moment. Still have yet to see the proposed new plant in the game but my hope is that it's incoming! I'm also relieved that Laura Shigihara made Mr. Saitou more lighthearted than Rakuen. I love a good cry but sometimes it's nice to just be silly on main.
For those interested, whether you have played or not, my quick review of I Was A Teenage Exocolonist is up for supporters. That was definitely a game where the demo may have manipulated my expectations.
Boardgames
Steam Up came in and my partner and I had a blast! Really wish that things were different in our social situation and just in the panini press in general so we would try the game with more people. The chaos of dim sum was enjoyable at 2 players, though; I can only imagine the delight and glee with three or more. Book of Villainy also arrived, which should be making it to the table for a date night soon. As usual I'll share photos over on Instagram!
My personal Kickstarter of the Month was Let's Go! To Japan which is designed by Josh Wood who also is responsible for one of my favorite games, Santa Monica. AEG seems to really know how to curate the games they publish, and for whatever reason always have the best color palettes.
Other games on my mind lately that I don't own yet but am considering making a trip to get due to several accolades from the gaming community at large: Flamecraft, Splendor Duel, and Ark Nova. All three have the gameplay and pleasing aesthetics for that double threat against my wallet.
Fiction
I'm trying so hard not to bug my friend who is in the process of moving into their first homeownership situation but there are some book agents that are reopening their query acceptances in June that I'm eyeing. I'll likely just send a cute message her way sometime in mid-May to check in as I have a plan on how to send proper pitches and queries. What I'm probably worried about most is that the novel may not be long enough for the genres I'm pitching in, in which case I'd have to go back and figure out what areas could even use more detail. Yikes. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.
Video
Streaming
In Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild last month we defeated Vah Medoh (bird friend) and Vah Rudania (lizard friend), with only one more left to go (Vah Naboris, camel friend).
We tried out Minute of Islands on stream but honestly I didn't really enjoy the puzzles like I thought I would. There was so much annoying walking around and many tedious tasks at hand, as well as a relatively weak story and grumpy main character, that I lost interest.
A sponsored stream also made it to the schedule, many thanks to the devs of Sigh of the Abyss for taking a chance on us and my voice acting on stream! I put on some dark fantasy-themed makeup as well as tried out a press-on manicure. Overall, in spite of my anxiety, I think the stream went well and the devs managed to reply back saying they enjoyed the VOD. Phew!
Short Form
Weird stuff is happening in the United States with regards to TikTok, I haven't really been following the news and hearings about it but we all know that this isn't about TikTok security. It's about control and restricting the flow of thought or information. Really worrisome stuff.
Worst case scenario is I start taking Youtube Shorts more seriously but the discoverability on TikTok is just so good.
Personal
Currently Playing
I have finally seen all I want to see in Zelda. To be clear, there is more to see but I'm just choosing not to perceive due to difficulty, confusion or both. It doesn't help that I tried playing Oxygen Not Included (one of the best base building experiences I've had) for the first time, got sucked into that then frustrated at the next technological phase, then started and finished Ambition: A Minuet in Power (wonderful historical visual novel), and now am obsessed with Octopath Traveler II playing as Agnea the Dancer. I never played the first game but was intrigued by the style and storylines. What's wild is that one of the English dub voice actors used to work on anime parody projects with me back in the day. Kind of makes me think I should pursue voice acting in a serious way. If he could do it and land a role in a Square Enix title, why couldn't I?
IRL
SIX was great for what it was but I wouldn't necessarily consider it a musical, rather a historical fiction concert? Depeche Mode was awesome and Kelly Lee Owens (new to me) opened for them, so now I'm listening to her nonstop. She has a unique and weird synth style that is perfect to work to. We had to leave the concert early as it was just TOO loud even with protective earbuds. Cohlysion used a sound pressure meter on his phone to see exactly how loud, and the concert was around 100 dBA. Sustained exposure resulting in hearing loss starts at 80-90 dBA. Sheesh!
Picture of the Month
San Francisco is famous for its regularly-scheduled fog and our time near City Hall was no exception.
Feel free to reply directly to this email to let me know your thoughts, or perhaps any content that you'd like to see or questions you might have. Otherwise, sending you all my allergy-free kindness for the month and I look forward to writing to you in May!