Monkey News

With Gamescom still delivering on new announcements and trailers during its several day run, a game that I have slept on all the way through it’s development process has quickly climbed the charts to make a claim as king of the current gaming jungle.


Hail to the king

Black Myth: Wukong, an action title inspired by the old Chinese novel Journey to the West has, been in development for multiple years now, going all the way back to 2018. Having been developed by unknown studio Game Science, which is based out of China, you’d be surprised to hear about the games break out success if you weren’t paying better attention. The game just launched a few days ago, but it’s already sold a staggering 10 million copies in that short period of time, rivaling other giants in the industry like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077’s epic launch numbers. The game, which is a souls like single player experience, also made waves by having more than two million concurrent players on Steam on launch day, placing it as one of the most played games on the platform. Wukong was also a winner of a couple of Gamescom awards, having won “Best Visuals” and “Most Epic” at the 2024 version of the expo, with Wukong continuing to show off why the old legend chronicling the adventures of the monkey king inspiring a new generation is worthy of praise.


Not a totally unheard of happening, I might add

Needless to say, gamers are impressed. With both critics and players alike rating the experience quite highly, and the game having only been out for a matter of days generating massive hype behind the title, I have a feeling we have a new industry darling on our hands, and the first entry in a must play series down the road. No doubt that the game’s Chinese background and focus on the country’s cultural heritage has given the game a huge boost, as doing well in a market as massive as the Chinese one is no doubt going to push the game to insane heights of popularity. Studio Game Science seemed to be paying attention to what works and what doesn’t to replicate that souls-like pedigree, and looking at gameplay trailers and demos reinforces the notion that the game looks gorgeous, and plays with extreme fluidity, making it an ideal action packed romp with a focus on epic boss fights for anyone looking to enjoy another tough as nails experience to sink their teeth into.


Nothing says zen like reaching a flow state by beating the
ever loving shit out of your sworn enemies

As mentioned, the game has already launched on both the PC and the PS5, which means if you’re lucky enough to have a beefy computer or Sony’s latest, you’re in for a good time…a rare moment I lament not having a PS5. An Xbox release date has yet to be announced, but based on the games success, a port is not out of the question. You can check out a gameplay trailer below.

~Pashford

Kicking Your Own Ass

My want to engage with gaming remains visceral; the atmosphere of a thousand beating hearts aflame with the essence of passion resonating through my very being. Metaphysically speaking anyways, in reality…


The spirit is willing but the flesh is spongey and bruised

Finding time to not just play, but write about video games ends up being a herculean task, even aside from just working full time. I’m not completely estranged from the idea of why so many gamers usually pick gaming and only gaming in which to binge their crazy little faces off with: there simply isn’t the time to fit much else on the agenda, especially when you have the colossal worlds or competitive scenes to contend with. Further more, when one does have any interests or passions outside the virtual realm, making room on the schedule for pressing matters become downright masochistic, with pain being an odd bed fellow you just end up on good terms with.

The average crowd you see at LAN parties

I have so many plates spinning in the air right now in the form of games to play my head feels as if it is rotating right alongside with them at the speed of light. I don’t know how completionists do it anymore, assuming the pedigree of person who still regularly 100%s titles is not yet an extinct entity eerily eviscerated entirely by their own energies. The pursuit just doesn’t seem tenable with the metric shiton of gaming to trudge through in this day and age, so for any out here still getting through content at a decent click without choking on the breadth of variety you have to choke down in order to maintain your ridiculous pursuits, hats off to you, the furious fires of your commitment rage unrelentingly indeed.


Fear the man with a massive hat collection

I once again didn’t have a gross excess of time to spare this very day, and none of what passed as a topical gaming headline in the news really inspired me to dictate on the ins and outs of it, neither did I desire to start another random game just yet, so I thought I would just do a quick riff on some of what I’m currently enjoying. Having recently beaten Elden Tree, I finally downloaded the DLC Shadow of the Erdtree, as I had been hearing so much about it in the past couple of months. I opted not to do a new game plus of the base content of Elden Ring just yet, as I figured it would be more appropriate to see what is suppose to be ball-breakingly difficult content the expansion has to offer with just the one time through under my belt because uhh…reasons?


Cause being under leveled to deal with whatever the fuck this is
screams solid idea

Was in no way surprised that the extra game content was not made immediately obvious to me upon installing it, which, classic Elden Ring move, amirite? The games devil may care attitude in making apparent the new quest at hand is very much in the spirit of the vanilla content; being intentionally obtuse about direction while giving you the unique opportunity to get your ass completely stomped repeatedly, while the game seemingly smirks at you when the words YOU DIED come up on screen as a friendly way of thanking you for the continued support of absurdity.


Don’t worry, that’s just his way of saying hello

I’m sure that I will stumble upon the content sooner than later, as I am remembering a couple of threads hanging loosely involving some side quests I never saw to completion, so I’m not wildly concerned about being left out in the cold in seeing what Erdtree has to offer. In spite of my recent acknowledgement involving the obvious issues cropping up with refusing to look up information related to elements of the game (I.E. walkthroughs, FAQs, etc) and giving myself a break in the matter, I still have no desire to just tap out immediately if I get stuck on a puzzle or can’t find something hidden in a video game for three seconds and just look up the solution. Part of what makes the medium a cut above other entertainment is the feeling of satisfaction that does come with the power of discovery or besting a boss using your wiles alone.


Even if it feels like having to punch through a diamond wall

Though, the contemplation to cut myself some slack, not beat myself when I can’t figure something out, and in not being so dogmatic about not asking for help when I need it is a healthy step in the right direction, and that goes well beyond the virtual borders of the gaming realm. Too often I find people are perhaps taking for granted the real value of the every day or failing to appreciate the small moments that help to make the human experience such a rich one, and a lot of it stems from falling into bad habits or being derailed or deluded by whatever unhealthy psuedo-social propaganda happens to be ruling the day at the moment. Just like the very criticisms lobbed at the ills that help make capitalistic transform the every day into the twisted, warped hellscape we all endure daily, we would be wise to take caution and avoid the pitfalls that regularly trap us; infinite growth isn’t sustainable, we shouldn’t have to sacrifice our bodies and spirits to feel accomplished, and it’s okay to take a second and just breathe. There’s no point in living if you’re just dead on your feet all the time.

Do yourself a favor: take a moment, slow down, and appreciate yourself.

~Pashford

A Series of Holes

The balancing act of keeping enjoyable both my free time and my work life continues to teeter to and fro; with it, my sanity hangs in the balance.


Just another Thursday

My initial plan was to put to keyboard my run down of Postal Redux following my last post, but I had to take a break from the mass-murder simulator for a bit. Turns out playing a game where you slaughter crowds of innocent people is a bit of a mood killer if you can believe it, and I wanted to spend my time doing just about anything else.


Almost anything

I was able to take some moments to finally beat the last boss in Elden Ring to that point, after six long months of marching my way through the experience. One of many crazy details involving my run through of the game was that I was looking forward to the title enough, I had pre-installed it before launch day, so why it took me a solid two years to finally get around to playing it I will never know. My final ingame time was 185 hours with a character at about level 145, and I will take this moment now to mention I didn’t summon any human players to help me with bosses, nor used any guides or video walkthroughs of any kind.


Excuse me while I flaunt my accolade publicly

I’ve always had a stubborn streak about me, so wanting to be bullheaded enough to tackle the game with no external assistance was par for the course in my world. However, six real world months to best the beast does seem like a bizarrely long amount of time to struggle to finish the game on my initial run I will say…especially if you factor in my pedigree with finishing games and grappling with difficulty and the like. In the spirit of a devil’s advocacy however, I have only finished Sekiro in terms of other Souls games, so perhaps in that sense I was under prepared, but in a rare moment of pride, I just couldn’t bring myself to spoil any elements of strategy or check out game breaking builds/helpful strats/or where top tier gear was available: I did it my way.


The good ol’ blue eyes approach

And while the majority of the time I avoid using online guides to spoils secrets about games while I’m actively playing them, checking out meta-game related stats after the fact always intrigues me. To that point, I was relatively shocked that Howlongtobeat.com estimates that a run through of Elden Ring only involving a start to finish run would take a scant 60 hours, which makes absolutely no fucking sense in my estimations. Don’t get me wrong: I have no qualms with howlongtobeat as a website, and realize they use aggregate data from users to generate those numbers, but sixty hours on average?! Is the Elden Ring player base just rocking Google Glass the entire time they play, and getting real time information from videos of top players dictating exactly what to do? Most people don’t even have the patience to beat easy games, it’s hard to fathom how so many were able to pull this feat off without some serious external help.


I remember when Souls players were struggling beating Father
Gascoigne in Bloodborne. How are they managing 60 hours on Elden Ring?!

Having said all of that, I do fear that the time in being particularly dogmatic in regards to my own machinations involving “going in blind” or roughing it by myself without any assistance is starting to shine a light on the flaws therein (see: lack of time). With both Necrodancer and Elden Ring taking the majority of this year to best in just their vanilla formats alone, a slew of games still waiting to be played, and the rest of life to contend with, perhaps I should cut my self some slack in terms of restricting knowledge about the games I play. Working smarter not harder will likely yield positive results in contributing towards quality of life by and large, and I don’t feel as if I will even need to sacrifice my love of challenge in order to explore facets of games that would realistically take years and or no realistic amount of time for me to discover on my lonesome. An excellent consideration moving forward in the name of self-betterment and progress.


So many mysteries left to be uncovered…I mean really, 185
hours later and I still don’t even know what the discovery
stat in Elden Ring does for Christ sake

No matter. As goofy as it may be, I still take the time to bask in the light of victory after a hard fought virtual battle where I can, as the day is long, and life full of misery and woe. I’ve been of the mind for a long time you should celebrate the small victories where you can, lest you be consumed by nihilistic apathy entirely. In any case, the enjoyment of the win will be fleeting, as I have both a new game + to look forward to, a potential platinum trophy with which to endeavor towards, and even some DLC that I’ve heard is absolutely no joke in terms of difficulty.


Yeah, cause the main game was too easy

I have a lot more to say about Elden Ring, but not much time tonight in order to do so. The game will remain in my regular rotation, so expect to hear more about my continued struggles of getting my ass kicked in the near future. I’ve joked for awhile now that I do believe at it’s core, Elden Ring is comfortably surmised as a series of progressively deeper holes in which the player continues to fall into, just to find a way to climb back out of…and I am not done falling for Elden Ring.

~Pashford

Ruminating on Reminiscence

Last time, on Active Time Event Z!(?)


Guys, my post about hell related activities was two posts ago…

My intent in breaking down a flashback/retrospective into multiple parts mid-story was not entirely hellish in motivation, but is exactly the kind of nonsense anime would in fact pull. I want to say Naruto did it so infamously, I seem to recall them referencing the very same episode they were still in *with a fucking flashback*.


Anyone want to break the news to him?

Having a healthy sense of self-awareness is key in the creative process I find, and I didn’t mind splitting my reflections between two different posts. Firstly, because I was already happy with the amount of content I got out of part one, but secondly, I did in fact wait too long between writing the piece, and editing and formatting it yesterday, finding me essentially running out of time to get the post up before midnight. The whole thing worked out in the end, but let it never be said that sometimes, no amount of crunch is going to help you finish the fight in time.


*Sets alarm to go off for three years later*

So I push on into part two of reflecting on further extrapolation involving recent gaming fumblings and writing endeavors abound.

Next up on the list was a piece entitled “Rhythm and Flow“, and like many articles I’ve “keyed”, the final product in no way, shape, or form resembled what I had set out to do. My introduction and very title of the article itself was suppose to be a ramp up and direct reference to my time with Necrodancer, which I will be getting to here shortly. While I did touch upon Multiversus again (I’ll spare you the indignities of smut related Scooby Doo photos this time around), I more or less just discussed writing about games…in my writing about games, the article not really focusing on anything but itself and the process. Kind of a self-referential nothingness that made up the core backbone of the concept at hand.


That something of nothingness, as it were

Which is fine enough, as I love talking shop and the behind the scenes involving the process…and beyond the very ideas of the games themselves. I guess my only surprise is the articles I have written this year, which have kind of more or less detailed the process of writing about games, and the personalization of the matter through a more active voice in the process, have ended up being more popular, which comes as a pleasant surprise. I think even outside the insanely twisted world of narcissistic intent or the demented trappings that may drive an egoist, one still remains keen on hearing their work is of worthwhile pursuit, or at the very least of some relevantly entertaining quality.


Which doesn’t always turn out to be the case, I hear

Which finally does bring me to my thoughts on Necrodancer, which definitely were amongst some of my more complex imaginations involving my recent gaming musings. I haven’t played a game in a grand while which kind of had me rethinking the very essence of my being, in a sense, which is downright mad in some ways, as the game isn’t really intended to be a thinking man’s gaming. Not to say it’s a dumb experience at all, I gave the title props overall for it’s sense of solid decency in paying tribute to the gaming giants of yore that had inspired it. Necrodancer is just a very gamey game, in a sense. You really have to feel it instead of think it, the title possessing a strong sense of what I refer to as “finger feel”. If you’re familiar with the idea of “mouth feel” and how that relates to one’s personal experience, you get a sense of what I’m alluding to.


Though I understand why the phrasing may evoke more illicit
connotations for some

All of that and more is why I felt utterly compelled to discuss the game at greater length, as I was just so baffled at how a game, which I accredit as possessing what I feel has an objective kind of quality about it, ends up being one I am seemingly not particularly fond of, but then felt the need to play for over a hundred hours across the last five months. So many mixed messages, and to what point and purpose am I so perplexedly wrapped up in this paradoxical web Necrodancer has so superbly crafted with which to ensnare me?


Tootsie pop levels of existentialist dread is what we are
confronted with here

I’m still not entirely sure how to distill the essence of my issues involving Necrodancer down to their finer elements, but I was lucky enough to happen upon a passage from Being and Nothingness that helped in assisting me make sense of it all. The tome in question details many thoughts relating to existentialism from philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, and the example he gives that relates to Necrodancer and I is essentially a process of becoming: the self continually having the freedom in how it will define itself, and that is through the essence of moments and projects one could even consider a mission of sorts. Nearly a compartmentalization involving a process akin to self-actualizing, which I quite like. Cause whether it be a concept like Necrodancer, or a sentient entity like a me, we aren’t ever all good or bad at any given moment, but we are always becoming more of the what-we-end-up-being, which is indeed a continued intensification of the greyest variety.

Though, such an abstract take away likely wouldn’t fly for what would be in consideration as a “legitimate” game review, let alone a fetching splash quote you emblazon on the metaphysical back of the box with.


“The ideal experience for any gamer who wasn’t sure whether
or not they were.” ~Pashford Murano

I realized I’m speaking about a couple of different articles here interchangeably, so apologies for the confusion. My series of articles entitled “Fire in the Disco“, “Existential Elegy“, and “Radical Hyrule Rhythm” all kind of represent distinct structural attempts in terms of writing approach, in making up some faux trilogy of Necrodancer inspired thoughts. “Disco” being my usual ranty off the cuff Op-Ed where the goal is improvisationally charged, gonzo fueled deconstructionist madness, “Elegy” being a more straight faced dressing down of analytical nature, and “Radical” being the most basically structured piece of traditional gaming journalism. I realize “Radical” is indeed detailing Cadence of Hyrule and not Necrodancer itself, but you can see the relation as to why something with so much rizz was included in the grand scheme of things.

That screenshot is not even from the right Zelda game!
Who’s editing this?

I did also write a buffer segway entitled “Legend of Being Tired“, which was a result of me genuinely not knowing if I wanted to publish “Elegy” without any jokes or attempts of humor imbued in the piece what so ever, as I really had never done so before (intentionally) with any of my other writing. I therefore had to write a quickie in order to meet my currently working quota of a write up a day, without spoiling the idea of finalizing an article without the need to crutch on jokes, and see if the piece stood by itself sans punchlines or visual gags. The final pieces all help to flesh out some great ideas in a fashionably multi-dimensional kind of way, so I remain happy at the execution there after.


A surprisingly common happening when the Legend of Zelda
is involved

While I am not done discussing the complex inner turmoil Necrodancer has spawned within me, we will put the matter to bed for the present time and forge on to other recent reminiscences. Some of my last write ups were of a briefer nature; my quickie on The First Descendant underscored just how blatantly uninspired GaaS experiences can be, with the barest of bones bog standard looter shooter title that wants you to cough up dough on it’s fugly design and mind-numbing tedium without giving you absolutely any motivation to do so. I was wondering if I would even summon the energy to force myself into justifying another moment of energy wasted on the ill-conceived monstrosity, but considering I basically struggled to make it through even the first hour of gameplay upon my initial test drive, I think this flop is as good as parked.


Pictured: Somehow related

I did originally report on a new trailer for a Doom 1+2 bundle that was showcased at Quakecon recently as having a load of new features being available, including a new chapter: Legacy of Rust. I was operating under the impression all of this was going to be retroactively patched into other versions of Doom 1 and 2 ports already available, but I may have been incorrect about that assessment, as my digital copies of both remain unaltered. I will happily purchase the bundle if need be, as there are few delights in gaming life that match the splendor and smell of fresh hell to liven up the morning.


These guys know what I’m talking about

Wrapping up, I did indeed provide another update on my thoughts involving Multiversus, but I feel as if we’ve covered the topic as extensively as need be and or as much as anyone would want…outside of the sickened machinations and indignities involved with the perversity of the Scooby Doo fandom.


Scooby, Don’t

Leaving us with my last article I wrote that we can reflect on, entitled Reflecting on Reflection…


(Kidding)

~Pashford

Reflecting on Reflection

My writing output as of late has been one of a satisfying nature. I’m usually of the mind to better source old adages and or provide anecdote involving idioms of relevant worth in context, but as of this moment, my historical frame of reference fails me entirely. However, I feel as if my return to creative form reminds me of the notion that one may begin, but that does not mean one has truly started yet.


Always have an inside horse

With all of that said, while the creative faucet is certainly turned on, that does not mean it is always flowing full blast. To that point, since my writing is so heavily contingent on the games I play or the ideas I may have of those experiences there after, I am always on the hunt for worthy contenders of conceptual consequence, as not all games are created equally on the battlefield of intellectual endeavor. A further addendum to such an acknowledgment involves the generated excitement I may have when I’m able to get a little more mileage out of already played titles, as I may take another look back at what has been, in possibly new and interesting ways.


Probably for the best I keep putting off my replay of Desert Bus

I will now take a moment to reflect upon my reflecting, as I look back at the past week or so of gaming engagement, and see what distance and time has done in the name of my own attentive efforts. I’ll start off by apologizing for immediately lying to you, as I am reaching back as far as late July instead of just the past week, as I took a lengthy hiatus between my Pokémon “museum and paradox” article pairings, and returned with a non-technical review of a game named Wallachia: Reign Of Dracula. Which, as I felt the need to emphatically remind the reading audience of, was not in fact, a Castlevania game.


And if you can’t fashion your own pikes for mass impalement, store bought is fine

All in good humor of course, as I ended up enjoying the title quite a lot, inspite of Wallachia having very little to do in terms of gameplay feel with it’s apparent inspirations. Overall, a weird myriad of glitches, lack of QoL features, and a shallow variety of gameplay hurt the title, but not to the point of being irredeemable. I also find it very bizarre after the fact, and still randomly think about how you can’t quit to the title screen from the pause menu in Wallachia, you kind of just have to lie down and…slowly die to do so.


No worries guys, this is the fastest way home, I swear.

I was curious what the developer of Wallachia (Migami Games) was up to, and according to the platform formerly known as Twitter, they have a trailer for a new game coming out called Chronicles of the Wolf. The trailer looks decidedly way more Castlevaniaey, and one which you can view here:

We invite you to try a little demo of our upcoming game Chronicles of the Wolf on steam! Please try it and wishlist! Thank you so much! 🐺♥️

Download here:https://t.co/G1BxaYWL5h

We really appreciate it!#steamnextfest #Steam #SteamDeck #metroidvania #indiegame #RETROGAMING pic.twitter.com/wzxTGv79s3

— Migami Games (@Migami_Games) October 13, 2023

I also put forth the notion of whether or not in the wake of the whole Wallachia affair, in which the game doesn’t involve any actual vampiring to speak of, whether or not the vampire genre as a whole hasn’t at this point just fallen into the same stylistic trappings of either needing to be camp or parody in order to survive. Think in the vein of the B-movie paradox, where the more idealized a B-movie in quality becomes the worse it gets which makes it better?


I’m smiling just considering the absurdity

I happened upon Alisa next, and was quite happy with the luck in doing so, as I remember thinking just the day prior I should perhaps mosey on back to Raccoon City for some good old fashioned ADA, WAIT!-ing, which was the style back in the day. Alisa was a died in the wool Resident Evil clone full stop, and I loved every minute of it. Unlike Wallachia, which I did end up loving enough to get all trophies for just recently, I have yet to pick up the full copy of Alisa after my psuedo-preview of sorts, but that is solely a financial issue, and not one of resistance to the game itself, despite some fairly fucking horrific faux pas in voice acting.


Alisa’s VA work being a truly strong reminder that god is dead

The games tongue and cheek awareness is nothing short of divinity, truth be told. Looks like the developer, Casper Croes, is still releasing updates to the title via Steam, and generally has an energetic online presence in discussing the development process. Perhaps when I finally get my hands on the full game, I’ll write a follow up. If nothing else, I’m positively psyched we have arrived at the moment where 90’s era titles fall comfortably into the camp of nostalgia, and continue to do their due diligence in reminding the new generation of what games were like way back in the 20th century.


Seen here: The average age of one of my readers, likely sharing
an old story about an ancient piece of tech called the N64

Next up I stumbled upon the star-studded crossover known as Multiversus, in all of it’s unfortunate fixation on a financially fueled foundation. While I will defend the title in being of the more attractive outings during Sony’s “Free to play Festival”, the title at it’s core is a bog standard GaaS experience, and the grind wall that comes with it. I won’t go on too much more about the game, as my post from yesterday (which dlightly of inspired this one, actually), kind of broke down the nitty gritty of how you can have a fun game, but if you’re forcing your players to endlessly grind to unlock or purchase even the most basic of elements of said game, you’re going to make the player base feel like they’re choking down on what has been served to them.


Not unlike the gagging that goes on between Scooby and Shaggy
when they share a deep throat together

Shaggy is a playable character in Multiversus, by the way.

Overall, it seems as if the game has received a mostly positive response, which I tended to lean towards as well, so I feel as if everyone is kind of on the same page; not totally in love with the story beats, but has kept reading along anyways. Player First Games is still doing regular news updates over on their site as well as with new content for the game, and with it’s free to play nature, it would be very easy to pass your own judgements with no money down…just don’t expect much of an easy, bump free ride thereafter.

It’s going to be a real grind.


They really screwed the pooch on the financial aspects of Multiversus

This will now be the second time I’ve had to apologize for lying to you. Not for the attempts at implicit softcore Scooby Doo porn mind you, but in reference to my own machinations involving leaving the audience desiring more and the delightfully impactful contrast that an abrupt ending brings with it.

To be continued.

~Pashford

What Fresh Hell is This?

I have gone on at lengths about my constitutionals in the past, and the hell that usually follows.


Hell is other neighbors…oh wait, it’s just Isabelle.

To that point, this is usually an exciting time of year for a break on the scorching shores of hell, as Quakecon usually comes delivering with some big guns in terms of news and announcements. This year, they announced a new re-release/enhancement for the digital versions of both Doom+Doom 2. The new re-releases/enhancements can either be purchased as the bundle for around ten bucks, or if you’re one of the many people who already own them, you will see the new content as a free update, which was amazing news to hear as someone who has indeed purchased both these titles uncountable amounts of times.


The harbingers that signified a perpetual lifetime of Doom ahead

The list of quality of life features is exhaustive, and the games new upgraded features include new cross-platform multiplayer, with both co-op and deathmatch for up to 16 players, a newly implemented weapon wheel to make switching between guns that much easier, a choice between the old soundtrack and a modernized version by composer Andrew Hulshult, who did the music for the last Doom: Eternal expansion, enhanced visuals and mod support, and even a brand new episode called Legacy of Rust, which was a collaboration between id software, Nightdive studios, and Machine Games. There’s actually a load more of improvements involved, and a trailer to showcase just some of what we can look forward to.

I would say I’m excited to revisit Doom II, but i’ve literally been playing it every day since last year, though I’m more than happy to take a new coat of paint and and some fresh hell to keep the fires of excitement burning.

~Pashford

Radical Hyrule Rhythm

My last *major* writing endeavor involved a more somberly self-reflective look at myself, gaming, and how the two help to actualize each other.


And I didn’t even make one lewd joke while excitedly doing so

I guess it was good fortune that I was feeling so exhausted when writing the past couple of days, as it gave me the ability to deliver an article when I thought I couldn’t at all, and prove to myself that the writing doesn’t always need a quick 1,2 punchline to justify itself. I realize my articles are never truly exhaustive in what they cover, as I feel they represent more of a creature comfort companion compendium, representing more the idea of the game and the experience itself, nearly going full gonzo in the process.


Though one should be weary when going full gonzo

With that in mind, and in a lucky coincidence of cosmic forces coalescing into a chaotic cacophony of complimentary collaboration , I follow my write up of a Zelda game coming out, with a Zelda game I slept on in the most bizarre happen stance, and one that happens to be a spin-off of Crypt of the Necrodancer: Cadence of Hyrule (CoH), in all of it’s crazy Zelda glory.



I have previously joked about what terrible research I had done involving the title, and I sure wasn’t kidding, or at least, the sentiment started out as a joke, but the premise for the laughs ended up being as real as can be. I’m not one to usually harbor expectations, though in the world of gaming, I usually have a pretty good beat on things, so seeing a project from a far, I can usually surmise or otherwise stipulate what likely awaits for me, even before diving into the experience head first.



That’s where Cadence of Hyrule delightfully blew my assumed expectations straight out of the Hylian water. Here I had thought perhaps this was going to be some cheap skin swap, with most of the original Necrodancer being largely intact, with just a fresh coat of Zelda paint slathered all over the experience…but by the three goddesses, how wrong I was. While the core elements of Necrodancer are intact (mostly), the entire experience is utterly enhanced by it’s fusion with the Zelda pedigree, and the entire game benefits tremendously as a result. I think, as follow up to the original, Cadence of Hyrule is perhaps one of the biggest embodiment’s of quality of life features I’ve seen in a series in a long time.



As mentioned, most of what made Necrodancer tick is still present, but the concentration on infusing the Zelda games is front and center in the best way possible. Having said that, as much as I am a fan of Zelda games, the titles aren’t know for their overly complex narratives, especially the 2d adventures, and CoH isn’t any different. A flimsy premise to get the main character from the Necrodancer series to Hyrule, and a big bad trying to take over, this time in the most musically themed way possible. The whole hing is a bit silly, but I’m not sure there is a straight faced way to lay down the plot work with anything less than absurdist execution.



CoH takes a lot of overall cues from Link to the Past, though the visuals are more reminiscent of Minish Cap. Though, the game overall cherry picks a bunch of different and elements from various Zelda titles, so just about any generation of Zelda player will likely feel very cozy. While the randomized nature of the maps ala Necrodancer is still intact (save for plot relevant geopgraphic staples), the game still feels unabashedly Zelda like in it’s physical form. Both times I played through the demo felt very unique, without feeling cheap or vacant either run. A good sign when a demo creates an immediate urgency for prompting replayability.



To that point, there are still mini hollows to discover in CoH, much like with any Zelda title that has bomb destroyable walls or hidden staircases covered by bushes. There remains an overworld, alongside a dedicated dungeon, so one isn’t just trudging through floor after floor of similar looking dungeons over and over again like the original Necrodancer, which really adds to the variety of exploration the game has to offer, which is exactly what you want to hear in reference to any Zelda experience.



Just like most other Zelda titles, you do have a slew of equipment in which you can arm yourself to better fight the hordes of Hyrule. I know Necrodancer had loads in terms of items to choose from, but with the more randomized nature of the dungeon layout, it always felt too few and far between. CoH is a far more localized experience thanks to the overworld, and they wisely put a save and continue (plus warp!) system in place so that inspite of the games difficulty (in keeping the spirit of Necrodancer alive), you can jump right back into the action with little progress lost. Though you lose some consumables upon death, you keep the overwhelming majority of the gear and upgrades you’ve acquired. Between the time saving checkpoint system and a dedicated inventory that sticks with you between lives, these are some of the big QoL changes I was discussing in reference to why this game was such a breath of fresh air comparatively speaking to it’s OG counter part.



CoH makes a lot of little leaps and bounds in making the entire package feel more robust. Even small/not so small elements, like the ability to block using your shield, or the more readily available health is key in making the whole game feel way more polished. Other moments, like the game having more verticality to play with in terms of level design, a map you can reference, no strict time limit like the original to contend with, dedicated save files to reference, what felt as if a more robust, built out boss fight…Cadence of Hyrule has so many ridiculous improvements over Necrodancer, it honestly makes the the original game feel like a beta in comparison.



I’m curious as to how much of this progression in game design was a natural one, and how much the devs had to collaborate with Nintendo to make sure it got the seal of approval, whatever the case may be, Cadence of Hyrule doesn’t even feel like a derivative title at all, and feels like it belongs right next to any mainline Zelda title that I’ve had the privilege to enjoy, and that’s coming from someone who had mixed feelings about the original in it’s entirety…and I’ve only just played the demo a couple of times!



Needless to say, I’m pumped to finally scrounge up the money to buy the full title as soon as I can. While I admit to having a heavy Zelda bias, there have been examples in the past of non-Nintendo backed spin offs, with varying degrees of concern in terms of relative quality to said entry. Also, as previously stated, just the fact they didn’t do a lazy palette swap was a relief enough, but they really went up and beyond to craft a love letter to the series in an immaculate fashion. With a banging soundtrack and classic gameplay to boot, I’m kicking myself for missing out on Cadence of Hyrule when it first launched. Bring on more of that radical Hyrule Rhythm, pronto.

~Pashford

Fire In The Disco

My post from yesterday detailed my yearning to continue a consistent regiment of writing, my desire to play more video games, and my lusting of perverse enjoyment combining the two. Characters from Scooby-Doo were involved as well, in all of their memetastic glory.


Let’s hope these are the only dogs Shaggy has ever tried to deep throat

I ended up entitling yesterday’s post Rhythm and Flow, which ended up fitting in with the theme of the article quite well, though I think the title was intended for a write up on my time with Crypt of the Necrodancer, in all of it’s rhythmic glory. I know I’m super late to the party on this, as the game came out almost a decade ago, which comes of as a shocking realization that I have that kind of a backlog issue, but it’s been known to happen.


A picture of my unattended gaming backlog

I had downloaded the title absolutely forever ago, though not upon it’s initial release. Don’t get me wrong, what the game was touted for was absolutely checking all my boxes, as I always enjoyed indie darlings, rogue-likes, and rhythm gaming for the better part of my gaming life. However, the game fell off my radar due to any number of reasons, and only popped back on it when I heard they were releasing a Zelda themed version of the title in the form of Cadence of Hyrule, which came out on the Switch. In a blind fury, I ended up downloading Crypt first, missing the ever important memo that Cadence of Hyrule was in fact a stand alone title, and not an expansion add-on.


I do the worst fucking research

Which, I guess came as such a colossal disappointment for me at the time, I bowed my head in shame and turned away, not even trying out the base game the Zelda themed one was based on…*and* even a game I had just proclaimed enough interest in I had just downloaded it. I don’t know what my logic was at the moment, leaving me guessing at what kind of a rough time I was having back in mid 2019………
Ah, never mind. I just double checked what else I was playing around then, and I was in the midst of beating Sekiro.


Not days filled with puppies and rainbows from what I recall

Definitely a bizarre set of circumstances, especially in my total dismissal of playing a game I was so excited to try after finally acquiring it, but I’m reminded of old habits dying hard, looking over at a still unopened copy of a special edition of Fallout 3 I got at launch and continue to wonder what the actual hell is wrong with me sometimes. Fast forward years later, and seemingly out of nowhere, the itch to challenge myself makes itself known, and the power of the dance floor of the tortured and the damned beckons for me to enter the cursed realm of music madness once again.


Err…not *that* cursed

I say “again” in reference to my long standing graces with rhythm gaming in general, not yet the untarnished Necrodancer of which I speak. I have a slight history with the genre in some regard, as I was cutting my teeth on novelties like PaRappa The Rapper and Gitaroo Man even before I started ripping up dance pads with DDR in the arcades. All of that eventually led to enjoying Singstar, ultimately leading down a long and winding road involving a legendary run with the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series, and even a real life stint as a karaoke host, but I digress.


What I looked like towards the end of my run with Guitar Hero
and Rock Band

Returning to my point, and after a long dormancy, I was finally ready to try my hand at Necrodancer, to give myself what I felt had been an inordinately damning and calcifying slumber.


At that moment, I had Big Malcolm energy, for sure

You might be thinking: but Pash, how could you compare your time with Necrodancer to the captialistic hellscape of Jurassic Park? People died on that tour! Yes, and I died inside…a hellish number of times, in my endless attempts at beating this god damn game. I had heard stories of Necrodancers mad difficulty levels, so I had not gone in completely unaware of the titles bastardly reputation, but I was use to punishing experiences and the nightmares that both rogue-likes and rhythm games were known for.




Pain is an old friend

So imagine my surprise when Necrodancer just utterly stomps the ever living shit out of my hopes and dreams as easy as it would be to tear me apart like wet bread. Based on all of the metrics involved, there is no reason to foolishly think the game will be anything less than grueling, but the games charming nature and cute visuals do emanate a deceptively disarming atmosphere in helping you to drop your guard. Even as I play now, with a load of experience under my belt, I always joke to myself the difference between a great run and a failed one is about three seconds.


Pictured: The three seconds following my proclamation “wow,
what a great run this is turning out to be.”

And of course, to add insult to injury, since the game is randomized every time, memorizing layouts doesn’t work, only retaining strategies for enemies does. So, feeling like a Mario player who has just died to the first Goomba, I knew I was going to have to swallow my pride, dust myself off, and try again. The irony of all of this is I seemingly enjoy putting myself through the ringer for tough video games, but then curse their name all the while I am doing it. It leaves me scratching my head; do I enjoy loss? Am I somehow addicted to it? Is that why I see it everywhere I go?


So much loss really steams my hams

The more I ponder the reality, the more I settle on the idea it must be true, given the circumstances, and the patterns I’ve exhibited over my many decades of gaming. To that point, while it did take me five entire months, over a hundred hours, and likely scores of deaths more than that to accomplish, I did indeed finally best the Necrodancer, in all of his fiendish fuckery. Though predictably, and inspite of of my hard fought accomplishment, I still wanted more, as it didn’t sit right with me I had only beaten the core content of the experience doing single zone mode runs, and not all four in one go.


Just straight up Ledckying my in-game leaderboards

Luckily, at that point, I had mounds of experience on my side, and felt as if I was finally able to perform a precise, meticulous operation, this time with a scalpel in hand and not a chainsaw. Though, I did concoct the thought perhaps I should download this game again on a platform with trophies attached to it this time, as I have poured far too many hours into this ball-bustingly excruciating experience to not claim and show off some fake internet points, dammit.


Seen here: an example of Sony’s trophy system working in real time

And in a big stroke of luck, likely compounded by my hours of turmoil with Necrodancer, I downloaded and in a single session beat an all zones mode my first night. Here I thought I was to face another litany of weeks involving failed attempts and near wins galore, with failures of spectacular fashion to follow suit. But no…one night, done and dusted. I think the most peculiar thing about my time with Necrodancer is not whether I think the game is a well made one, mind you, but whether or not I truly like it. Granted, though I do not feel as if the game is an immaculate hybrid, as I don’t reach the same flow state as I do with other purely focused rhythm games, nor do I feel the same adrenaline pumping tension that comes with purely focused rogue-likes, I feel as if the Necrodancer still stands as a polished milestone paying solid tribute to the games that have paved the way for it.

How then, in my right mind and in the name of sanity, am I not able to discern whether the hell I actually enjoyed all of this or not?

*record scratch*

~Pashford

Rhythm and Flow

I’ve been making a concerted effort of writing on a more regular basis as of late, as I feel the need to clear my head while putting my feet to the fire in some abstract attempt at appeasing an amorphous, other worldly force that demands writing sacrifice to keep the cosmic clock ticking.


Even if that sometimes takes the form of making dick jokes
about Hanna-Barbera characters

To that point, I have been enjoying my time with Multiversus, which I wrote about recently. I casually referred to the write up as a “preview”, due to a couple of contentious factors that left me not knowing how else to refer to the article all together. The game is free to play, and always updating, so what I even experienced and wrote about may not even be 100% accurate in the future with more changes inevitably to come. As mentioned, the title is free to play, also making needless the goal of attempting to help consumers make an informed decision with their wallets, as trying the damn thing is free for fuck sake, leaving me kind of riffing on what is essentially a no-risk stakes battle of curious proportions.

It’s a shippers wet dream up in the Multiversus, honestly

That is where things get hard for me (err, not about erotic fan fiction, just to clarify), but about writing output after the fact. Back in the old days, when I use to get paid to do this, it was more just pushing myself to report news and forge through product on a regular basis with the idea of topicality and deadlines to follow. Now that I’m just writing for funsies, it’s a bit more difficult to churn through game after game, kind of changing the rhythm and flow of the whole dynamic. Not only am I not receiving product on a regular basis to go through, I’m also flat broke, so the stuff I’m going to play is free to play stuff like Multiversus, or games I’m probably already interested in, which will make the deconstructionism involved the experience probably a bit more safely optimistic, leading to possibly by the numbers outcomes of predictably obviously uninspired conclusions.

Wow, the mid-thirties something gamer is a fan of Gen 1 in the Pokémon series?
Shocking I say!

More my point than anything is that keeping a steady pacing on this kind of output can be challenging, all things considered. Where I thought by playing smaller experiences or doing previews, my hope is that I would have some kind of quicker rapport with the experience before moving on. That intention ended up being the complete opposite of what has occurred, as me not wanting to make my replay of Let’s Go Eevee “a thing”, ended up having me play multiple games to finish the Pokedex, my review for Wallachia (which is definitely not a Castlevania game) has me now hunting for all the trophies, and my quick preview of Multiversus turning into a daily jaunt of looney tunesesque proportions.

*Sweating* Gonna have to start turning tricks like it’s a back alley in Albuquerque to afford
all of the alternate skins for Mulitversus characters at this rate

More to my point, my write ups on ATE in recent days have been with the focus on something more digestible; not everything has to be a near five hour video essay on the ethical indignities involving the Sonic the Hedgehog series or a twenty six part series on the possible sexual proclivities of the Kingdom Hearts series.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that

I just don’t think I have that kind of energy within my being, truth be told. Shorter form affairs keep me well enough engaged, which ends up being a good thing, as the only way I’ve been able to make all of the writing work recently is with more free time, which is a happening that is soon to come to an end. It all works out, as I’ve been wanting to do more impromptu and decisive thoughts involving gaming, which makes the process of sharing thoughts less daunting than say, pouring fifty plus hours into a title, spending hours after that thinking about it, hours more yet writing it, and then hours afterwards lamenting I simply don’t have the time for anything except bitching about not having more time.

If only LEGO Doctor Who…if only

So yes, expect more brilliance ahead, albeit in bite sized format. I’ve tossed around ripped from the headlines as a regular go to for awhile now, and there are yet games I’ve been enjoying which I’ve been bafflingly mum about. I also teased a write up forever ago teasing Resident Evil 4, which I never got to, and since I am as if Sisyphus rolling the rock known as RE4 forever up the hill till time immemorial, I have little doubts I will refuse to struggle the steep ascent once more…

…cause you got to keep on rolling.

~Pashford

Fancifully Frolicking Through The Doll House

In my quest to continue practicing the fine art of game appreciation, I continue to scour the most unlikely spots to forge forward in my tirelessly Herculean crusade of intense effort.


I may have been being a bit dramatic in my previous declaration

When one is lacking but wanting, one makes due with whatever one can, which is just another flowery way of alluding to being completely broke but having the creative juices to spare. I’ve been attempting to play around with discount titles (see: free) in recent days, and I was searching for something of value in which to speak to. The task of writing about video games in an interesting manner has been a challenge for me as of late, as there are only so many ways to write something a long the lines of: graphics bad, gameplay fun without sounding derivative in a sense, which is one of the reasons I took such a long hiatus from writing within the medium in the first place. Enthusiast press just doesn’t deliver the same pomp and circumstance without the whole enthusiasm bit.


My energy levels channeling Wonka’s when another GaaS title is launched

Time away gave me a little bit of a buffer to all the inanity of the gaming everyday, so I am starting to cozy back up to the idea of the familiar. To that point, I recently downloaded a demo called Alisa, which feels as familiar as they come.


Pictured: An example of an American’s profile pic on a far right leaning dating app showcasing the range of their various interests

Imagine my delight when I was able to find a trial that was reminiscent of a late 90’s survival horror game, fixed camera angle and tanks controls in tow. Alisa is very much born out of the love of experiences such as Silent Hill and Resident evil, and just about any moment wandering around the bleak environments the game has to offer will be a constant reminder of the ever palpable tension the games of yore always inspired with.


To quote a profound wisdom: Garbage day, is a very dangerous day

The premise of Alisa is most certainly a super flimsy one, as the game launches directly into a cutscene interrupting some official meeting with an unnamed task force being debriefed on a matter of great importance. The matter at hand turns out to be a manhunt, as a spy has stolen blueprints and has escaped with them. Which organization is this? Why do these blueprints matter? Who is this spy endangering with these actions? All of these questions and more seem to be of absolutely no consequence, as our leading lady Alisa is already on the case! I’m not actually miffed the game doesn’t dive into these seemingly important details anymore than a surface level throwaway motivation to set the action in motion, as the game seems extraordinarily self-aware of what it is paying homage to, and realizes the bread and butter of the experience needs not the garnish of reason to compliment the sustenance at hand.


Barry Burton, of Resident Evil fame, starts wondering if having no official training will impact his performance whatsoever after being sent out on his first mission

And so Alisa and her compatriots, definitely *not the S*T*A*R*S team (we will refer to them as the N^E^B^U^L^A^S) grab the first train to Frightsville to unknowingly but predictably seek their untimely fates. At least, that’s what the opening cinematic would suggest, but the team scatters nearly immediately amongst different train stops, leaving you to work with only Jean-Francois, a competent and even keeled individual who will persevere with you through thick and thin as the sturdy professional he will unrelentingly be till the bitter end.


Or not

Yes indeed, just like the infamous S*T*A*R*S team of Resident Evil fame, the N^E^B^U^L^A^S are in short order entirely scattered (and possibly eviscerated) almost immediately upon dispatch. If the Captain at the beginning were wearing sunglasses during his discussion of the stolen plans, I would mention the feeling of being already spoiled to the possible twist ending…but we never catch up with any of the other characters in the force, as the demo knowingly teases much but leaves even more to the imagination.


Fun you say? I just adore playful surprises!

As I lightly rag on Alisa for some of the absurdity to the games approach in storytelling, it is spawned more so out of endearment than anything negative, as the game hits the notes it’s suppose to in paying tribute to the titles that set the stage for it to perform upon. Part of the fun of both RE and SH as they reigned supreme of the survival horror genre in their heyday was this strange mix of off-putting and abstract, elements that paired with the backdrop of the macabre and slathered in over the top B-movie cheesiness, helped in making those games a fetching package wrapped in bizarre glory.


…I knew I should have taken that left on Sesame Street

Alisa follows suit as she attempts to escape from her fate of being trapped within the walls of The Doll House, and the game does well in making you feel right at home with all of the staples of old school survival horror shenanigans present. As already mentioned, the game boasts both fixed camera angles and tank controls, and comes packing with the kind of combat you can expect from such a setup. Alisa even takes a page out of the book of old school with both the pause menu, inventory, and even the saving methodology from titles that have inspired it. To that point, the graphics are peak 90’s, in all of their jagged polygonal quaintness, and perfectly lock step with the atrocious voice acting you’ll be laughably confronted with. It’s not only that the lines are being delivered in the same fashion as some kind of first take of an answering machine recording, but the main character Alisa borders on the Tommy Wiseau levels of ridiculous when it comes to delivery.


YOU’RE TEARING ME APART, ALISA!

With both a richness of liminal spaces and a creepy ambience that the audio design just drips with, Alisa checks all of the boxes in terms of it’s concerted efforts as a throw back title to a golden era of survival horror. It unapologetically sticks to its guns…and puzzles in this regard, so I’m looking forward to downloading the full game when I’m not so broke. Until then, I’ll just let visions of creatures ala Nemesis and Pyramid Head dance through my mind as I dream curiously as to what horrors await for me within The Doll House.

~Pashford