Vol. 51 - Solid Snake Impression
A grammerly replacement, a new game, and many thoughts about ARPGs in this week's issue.
I’m watching Mordread replay Metal Gear Solid and we all just talk like Snake for 2 hours during the Discord call. It is a very good time. There’s the explanation for this week’s title.
Okay, stuff time!
Interesting Stuff
Write with Harper
I’ve been looking for a Grammerly replacement forever now, and I think Harper is the one. It’s private, on-device, open-source, customizable, and has extensions for Firefox and Chrome. It even has an Obsidian plugin! Maybe my writing in this newsletter will be less error-prone, lol.[1]
Zen Browser
Been using this browser for a while now and it’s feeling pretty stable, so I’m giving it a plug here. It’s built off of Firefox but feels like Arc. If that sentence means anything to you probably already use it. But if not, it’s basically a browser that makes tab management easier in a lot of ways, like with grouping and the ability to remove them altogether so you don’t get distracted. Check it out!
Merge Maestro
This is going to be one of those games you won’t be able to escape soon. I already assume that your favorite bald white guy YouTuber has played it which will only give it more traction. Merge Maestro is one of those Threes or Balatro-type experiences: easy to pick up, hard to master, and very addictive. I planned to just give it a quick look on my phone but then ended up doing three runs! There’s a surprising amount of depth to merging cute little emojis together. For $2 it’s a steal so grab it — or maybe don’t if you’re susceptible to time-sinks.
Planted Recently
ARPGs and the People who Love them too Much
I am fascinated by ARPGs as a genre, and even more fascinated by the people who play them. After dipping my toe into the community, I have many thoughts, which you can now read about!
Media Corner
Games
Finished:
Romancing SaGa 2 - Revenge of the Seven
Yes again, what of it??
Playing:
Phantasy Star Online 2
Not sure what else besides that! Gonna spin a wheel and pick. Still kind of in a grindy mood so I’ll probably keep going down that route.
TV/Film
Music
Neotokyo - Ed Harrison
CHARON - 1000 Eyes
Darling River - Hello Meteor
Status Update
Got a lot[2] of ideas for writing cooking up in the ole noggin, so that exciting. Look for those next week, hopefully.
Signing Off
Hope y’all are doing good! Hit the ko-fi link below if you like and want to support this letter, and if you wanna hang out I'm on Bluesky!
https://ko-fi.com/barquq