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i would recommend going into this game blind (it's so brilliant and fantastic, deeply moving and thought-provoking, just trust me!!), but since this is a recommendation i should say some things about it:
☛ vague premise: you play a journeyman artist at a transitional point in history. you meet people and see how you and they react to these changes. lots and lots of dialogue trees.
☛ if you are even slightly interested in graphic design, printmaking, or historical manuscripts you will be so immediately charmed and astounded by how pentiment uses type-faces. (and! if you're dyslexic like me they even have an accessibility option for us! i didn't use it, but it felt really good to have even been thought of like that)
☛ the way this game made me even more curious about topics i thought i knew a decent amount about had me so excited! the credits of the game even has a bibliography!!!
☛ i ♡ (my version of) andreas (the player character) so much. he means so much to me. if you're an artist, pentiment will hit you so hard!!!
☛ it's class conscious!!! but not simplistically so. there is nuance and an understanding of the moving target that the multiple factors at play create for people trying to do good. change, let alone positive change, is not easy. pentiment not only acknowledges this but has real wisdom to offer on how art and research can/do fit into class struggle.
☛ and, on top of all of that, it's funny! it's got all this heady stuff going for it, but it's still got it's feet firmly on the ground!
Mar 19, 2025
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if you like video games, chances are you already know about this one. if you aren't that into any games, but you like a good story and even better characters - drop everything i don't care, you have to play this. honestly it feels more like a visual novel because it's the writing and dialogue more than the gameplay that makes this thing great.
it's set in a small, deteriorating american town, and you play as mae, who has just dropped out of college and returned home to live with her parents and see her old friends. shit has truly heartbreaking moments and lines that will stick with me forever. themes-wise, we're talking growing up, family and friendship, the impact of urbanisation, community, derealisation, capitalism, nostalgia, all that good stuff. plus theres a halloween bit i know you fuckers love halloween.
i keep coming back to it and every time it has something new for me. MASSIVE recommendation especially if you're in your 20s. also the soundtrack is gorgeous and there are rhythm minigames (PLAY THAT BASS!!)
May 25, 2024
i first played this game when i was 15 and it completely changed my life. i never felt more understood and also emotionally challenged by a game. if your someone who plays games due to their undeniably compelling ability to tell stories, this is def the game for you. the music is amazing... like wowowow, and pretty much every character in this game is like a dream blunt rotation. the game follows this girl kai leaving her life in rio for the summer to visit her dying grandpa on an island famous for being struck by a meteor. in concequence, many genetic mutations had occured creating a stigma amongst "outsiders" to their world. its so so emotional and beautiful and its like a warm blanket. honestly, i have never met anyone who has played this game but i've never wanted to exist in any fictional place more than this. if you are into games that are pretty much playable stories (cozy game isnt a lable i would put on it but it could qualify for some) please please try this!!!!
PS i think the developers, die gute fabrik, have made a new game recently with similar vibes. have not played it yet but am going to soon!
Jan 6, 2025
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"𝕴𝖋 𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖆 𝖘𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝖎𝖓 𝖊𝖞𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝖌𝖔𝖉𝖘, 𝖑𝖊𝖙𝖘 𝖇𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖒 𝖆𝖙 𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖊"
a creature solely known as the knight fights their way through a metroidvania of countless bugs, difficult bosses and platforming challenges, all while uncovering the truth of the eternal kingdom of hallownest
this world is something storytellers DREAM of. got that soulsborne-esque drip fed vague lore (though i highly recommend mossbag's videos on the lore as we know it v entertaining i watch the main one to go to sleep all the time). it's almost addicting to try & discover more of the world, tackle the incredibly fun bosses and meet this world's inhabitants (shout out corniselda hive), which is a great motivator especially for a game this difficult.
and when i say difficult, i am not even remotely mincing words. carpal tunnel gang beware.
true story: i actually had to buy this game twice. i initially got it on switch, but the brief moments of joycon drift i was experiencing was enough to fuck up moments of precision platforming that need to be done pitch perfectly, bc some sections can be extremely unforgiving with checkpoints and backtracking. so, i caved and bought it again on steam, happily, bc a team like this deserves every goddamn penny
no exaggeration, a once in a lifetime experience. the amount of content you get for such a low price tag is staggering. triple a's WISH they could be this complete and satisfying
anyways gimme silksong already i'm not gettin any younger
Apr 17, 2024
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Mar 12, 2025
Feb 8, 2025
Lately I've been spending too much time scouring every corner of eBay I can for the cheapest and most delightful soviet era porcelain figurines available
I didn't even realize it until diving head first into this rabbit hole, but I have had soviet era porcelain figurines my whole life (a bunny and a bull for those curious), so I guess I was always destined to develop a fondness for the form, and eventually dig a little deeper into it.
There is something so incredibly charming and also incredibly interesting about these porcelain pieces! These little guys!
There's a lot of history to dig into that I've barely scratched the surface of AT ALL, but I'm fascinated by how porcelain reflected the common sentiments* of the times, the economic conditions, the artistic movements and ideas of the day, and also the ability (or lack thereof) of people to stay in one place and hold onto something so "useless" and easily broken.
I have very, very few things from any of my ancestors. Figurines like these make me think about the way history and art are passed down to us, forgotten, broken, left behind, sold in thrift stores and online, if they survive at all.
Figurine collections are kind of a barometer of safety and stability, or at least how dedicated to the illusion of it you might be.
They also make me think about how useful "useless" things can be. How even art that is purely decorative can be thought-provoking (by for example valorizing "folks"), or just make you happy (via being very cute! Or expert use of color and form!).
Grannies collect this shit for many good reasons and I'm starting to catch on.
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* Notably the $$$ collectors type ones are the ethnographic figurines, something I NEED to read an academic paper about.
Especially, because Ive noticed some of these figurines depicting "ethnic types" are inaccurate copies of earlier prints, which themselves should be placed under immense scrutiny! This is all extra interesting in the context of the porcelain industry transitioning from imperial rule to the soviet era. The ways of talking about ethnicity changed, (in addition obviously to y'know, everything!) but the products produced largely remained the same. Lots to think about!!!
Jan 31, 2025