The Games I Played In 2019

Last year, I wrote an article going over all the games I had played in 2018. It had been a pretty bad year, so it was a big help to reflect on the good things I experienced. 2019 has been a much better year, but it's also been busy. Even so, I did take the time to play a lot of games, and I want to say a few words about all of them. Let's get started!

Sonic Mania

A friend kindly gifted me this game, knowing I'm a casual fan of the Sonic series. It's actually the first game I played this year, though I started it in very late 2018. I had an absolute blast with the game and loved exploring the new worlds and watching the spectacle unfold. Some of the musical tracks in Sonic Mania are my favorites in the whole series, like 'Dimension Heist', the special stage theme:

Sonic Mania is proof that sometimes you just need to trust your greatest fans and give them the reigns. Sometimes people do know what they want.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

Shantae is an interesting series, always balancing between a level-based structure and more Metroid-based free exploration. Half-Genie Hero was the latest game in the series when I played it, and it represented a reboot for the series, starting the story back at the beginning before Pirate's Curse. The game revolves around Shantae's ability to transform into various animal forms, each of which has its own unique abilities and mobility. With beautiful art and music, a witty sense of humor and plenty of cute characters, it's no wonder the game was a success and they have since announced a sequel which I am very much looking forward to as well!

Slay the Spire (Again!)

Slay the Spire is a card based roguelite that I thoroughly enjoyed last year... but I hadn't tried the third character, the Defect, yet. So I sank my teeth into Slay the Spire again this year and wrecked a few bosses with this highly entertaining new character.

Klonoa 2

Klonoa was another PS1 classic I tried on stream and really loved. I wanted to move on to the next game right away, but unfortunately, we ran into technical problems with PS2 streaming and had to stop after two streams. What I experienced in those first few streams made a great impression, though, so I'll probably stream it again some day when I can make it work.

The Castlevania Journey

After finishing Symphony of the Night late last year, my Castlevania journey finally continued in January and continued throughout most of the year. I would write a summary for each game individually, but I actually already did that a while ago and I don't think it's necessary to repeat it all. Please have a look at all my thoughts here: https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/a-year-of-castlevania

Quiet Months (Intermission)

After playing a game games in January, there were a few months of low activity as I struggled to find some additional work. Freelance work is unstable and I needed something on the side. The search felt pretty hopeless throughout February, but I finally got that stable side job in March. After getting accustomed to the structure, I started playing games for fun again regularly in April.


Viridi

A therapeutic garden simulator that allows you to tend to your own little garden. I was looking for something I could start up occasionally but wouldn't have to commit much time or effort to, and this game suited my needs quite well at that time. I wrote a full article on it just a while ago, which you can read right here:

https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/viridi-watching-grass-grow

HEARTBEAT

HEARTBEAT is an adorable turn-based RPG absolutely bursting at the seams with cute characters and beautiful sprites. I enjoyed it a lot, but noted in my article that its story does burn at a slow pace, and that the absolutely huge cast of characters can make it a little unfocused. I loved it, though, and I thoroughly recommend it to any fan of RPGs. If you want to read more, please have a look at my full article:

https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/some-thoughts-about-heartbeat

Final Fantasy XIII (Ongoing)

Now, here's a game I know I won't be finishing this year. Final Fantasy XIII is one of the major installments in the beloved Final Fantasy franchise. The game itself is pretty controversial. I waited for all the heat to die down before finally hopping into this one so I could do it with a fair perspective, and while a lot of the criticism is valid - like the game's heavily linear structure and simplified battle system - I really love the characters and actually think the Paradigms are an interesting way to streamline battles. Essentially, rather than assigning character specific actions, you continuously shift "paradigms" where you assign each character a different strategic role like 'Medic,' 'Ravager,' 'Synergist' and so on and they will take their own actions accordingly. The game is also jaw-droppingly gorgeous and I look forward to seeing the rest of it. So, no spoilers please!

LiEat

LiEat is a series of three short Wolf RPG Editor games developed by Miwashiba, a mysterious Japanese developer. The game revolves around a dragon girl called Efina who can make lies manifest as little creatures, which she can then eat. This makes her an effective lie detector and gets her involved in various mysteries across a journey of self discovery with her caretaker. I wrote a longer article about all of Miwashiba's amazing RPGs right here:

https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/miwashiba-s-adorable-rpgs

Highway Blossoms

It might be a stretch to call this game, as Highway Blossoms is really more a 'kinetic novel' - that is, a visual novel with no choices or mechanics. Essentially a digital graphic novel. Highway Blossoms is the story of two girls who are both on the road, going nowhere for their own reasons, and banding together to find a legendary treasure. Of course, the treasure more serves as the background for the blossoming relationship between the two characters. I thought the story and voice acting were pretty good, and the 'joke' modes you get after beating the game made me laugh. It's not really my type of game or story, but it was fun to try something different.

The Sexy Brutale

This oddly-named puzzle game was recommended to me because I really love Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. The two games are very different, but they share this one core idea: Solving murders by preventing them using time travel powers. In the Sexy Brutale, you play as Lafcardio, a priest in a mysterious hotel casino called 'The Sexy Brutale' where all the guests are getting murdered overnight. It's up to you to prevent those murders so you can gain there powers and make your way deeper into the hotel and find out who's behind it all. I loved the game's stylized presentation, the intricate puzzles that forced you to take note of each character's movements and actions throughout the day and the game's dark sense of humour. I wrote my full thoughts down in this article:

https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/some-thoughts-about-the-sexy-brutale

Mario Odyssey

Even though my work situation allowed me to make my own schedule, console gaming was so separated from my work (not to mention expensive) that I left it behind for a while after the disappointing lifetime of the Wii U. But in June 2019, I finally got my hands on a Switch with Mario Odyssey, and I loved it. The Mario series has a special place in my heart and I often cite Super Mario Galaxy 2 as one of my all-time favorite games, and it was a real treat to finally play the newest installment in this amazing franchise. Odyssey had bigger worlds, tons of collectibles and dropped the linear structure of its predecessors to return to 64 and Sunshine's open ended structure. I wrote some thoughts about how the game continued (or didn't continue) the trends established in the Wii-era Mario games too: https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/some-thoughts-about-super-mario-odyssey

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Like so many other people, I don't really like the Rabbids. They're simplistic, loud and annoying - in essence, the Minions of videogames. But you simply can't overlook a turn-based tactical RPG with Mario characters, especially not if Grand Kirkhope is doing the soundtrack. Because it involves the Rabbids, the game's sense of humor doesn't really appeal to me, but its presentation and gameplay are very fun. I'm about two worlds in and intend to continue in 2020.

Cadence of Hyrule

I really liked Crypt of the Necrodancer and was absolutely thrilled to see the studio behind that get its hands on a genuine Nintendo IP. Cadence of Hyrule is fantastically fun, offering a new spin on Zelda gameplay and Zelda music with its Necrodanger rhythm game flair - but it also gives me hope that Nintendo may allow smaller studios to try other things just like this. It's good that Nintendo is cautious with its IPs, but they took a risk here and it paid off handsomely. Let's see how other dependable indie devs handle some of those big Nintendo names, I say!

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

The final destination of the Castlevania journey we started last October. Ritual of the Night is a huge Kickstarter success and a great revival of the 'Igavania.' I loved streaming the game and the music sticks by me to this day. I actually wrote down my thoughts in an article earlier this year: https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/some-thoughts-about-bloodstained-ritual-of-the-night

Lumino City

An adorable, visually appealing point & click game that was on my to-do list for a long time... and still is, really. I played it for a few hours and really liked the style, but found myself frustrated by the puzzles. The game gives you a huge book with hundreds of pages, and I believe you're expected to find the right page to go with certain mechanisms you come across, but I couldn't muster the patience to get through it. I still want to give it another chance, though, and maybe I will in 2020.

Ticket to Ride

A fun digital version of a classic board game. I enjoyed a few short sessions of it, but haven't picked it up since. Read my full thoughts here: https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/some-thoughts-about-ticket-to-ride

Cogs

Cogs is a three-dimensional sliding puzzle game with a shiney steampunk style. I really enjoyed it, though it's the kind of game I can only really play in small doses. Read my full thoughts here: https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/some-thoughts-about-cogs

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

The 'Zero Escape' series had been on my to-do list since the days of the Nintendo DS, when the game was first released. But I was not confident in my ability to solve escape rooms, especially not under pressure, and had some important plot details spoiled for me... so I delayed and delayed until I finally started on the series in 2019. I loved every second of 999, with its vibrant characters, fantastic music and inventive escape rooms. It's only a shame that the series peaked so early. Read my full thoughts here: https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/some-thoughts-about-nine-hours-nine-persons-nine-doors

Virtue's Last Reward

The second game in the 'Zero Escape' series. It pushed the series forward in many substantial ways with a huge amount of story branching and an even crazier storyline, but it was held back by some tedious mechanics, repetition and an ugly presentation. I still enjoyed it, but it never quite hit the highs that 999 did for me. Read my full thoughts here: https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/some-thoughts-about-virtue-s-last-reward

Zero Time Dilemma

The third game in the 'Zero Escape' series and the only one in the series where I took long breaks between sessions. The game is still alright, with some good characters, writing and escape rooms. However, it failed to live up to its role as the conclusion to a trilogy, having an awful presentation, fatal problems with its storytelling and leaving many questions unanswered. You can read my full, angry thoughts here: https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/many-thoughts-about-zero-escape-zero-time-dilemma

Puggsy

A Sega Mega Drive/Genesis classic about a potato man that carries things and uses real physics. A technological marvel far ahead of its time with beautiful music and visuals, but some unfortunately weak boss battles. This game represents a certain milestone for me, because I've known about it for over a decade but simply never played it myself. It's weird to finally play a game when you've had some of its soundtrack in your work music playlists for years. Anyway, I streamed the whole game, and you can read my thoughts about it here: https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/some-thoughts-about-puggsy

Deep Rock Galactic

A coop multiplayer game focused on doing mining missions on hostile planets. I loved that each character had a unique role and there were so many ways to achieve your goals; some characters can make platforms, while others can just dig through the ground and walls. I played a few sessions with friends during a free weekend, but I should pick it up again in the future.

Detention

An atmospheric 2D puzzle-horror game set in Taiwan under martial law. I played this game as one of my 'October' horror games, and while it fits the bill, I was surprised to see the tone shift from terrifying to tragic as the story progressed. The game wasn't all that scary to me, but I really enjoyed it. I also want to make a special note that this developer had their next game, 'Devotion,' removed from sale because some text disparaging the Chinese president had been left in it. It's especially sad after experiencing the cry for free speech in Detention; apparently it's fine to criticize any other country's regime. If you want, you can read my thoughts in a bit more detail here: https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/scary-thoughts-on-detention

Penumbra: Black Plague

Here's a story for you: Before my YouTube channel was mostly a stream archive, I actually tried to make it into a Let's Play channel - hence the name 'ArjenPlays.' And Penumbra: Overture was one of the very first horror games I "let's played" along with SCP: Containment Breach. This all happened in the distant past of 2015. To get back to the present, for this Halloween I was planning to finally get back to this trilogy and pick it back up by streaming the second game. I think the game has good qualities, and the 'voice' that accompanies you provides plenty of dark comedy, but I don't know if will continue streaming it. A slow-paced third person horror game that requires you to solve puzzles while being chased around? Add an audience to that mix, and you've got a lot of stress. I may finish it on my own, however, as it does seem to be an improvement over the first 'Penumbra.'

Silence of the Sleep

A 2D puzzle exploration horror game, just like Detention. This is another game I have been aware of for some time; way back when it released, a few YouTubers I liked made a 'first impressions' video - but none of them went on to finish it. It took a while, but eventually my curiosity got the better of me, and I tried it out. The game is very impressive for a one-man project, with a fascinating narrative and some genuine scares, but it overplays its hand sometimes with monsters appearing too much and being too visible, taking away the tension and replacing it with frustration. It's probably still my favorite horror game of this year, however. Read my mixed thoughts here: https://arjenartdesign.blogspot.com/2019/10/scary-thoughts-about-silence-of-sleep.html

Pony Island

A puzzle 'meta' game where you try to defeat a haunted arcade cabinet. It's short and sweet and I played it through in one session, which I think is the best way to do it. The game was a bit less surprising than it could have been if I had played it when it just released, since 'meta' games are a lot more common these days. I still thought it was great fun though, and I thought the mechanic where you solve problems by "programming" them out of the game was interesting. There's also more to the story than you might expect. Read my full thoughts here: https://arjenartdesign.blogspot.com/2019/10/scary-thoughts-about-pony-island.html

Uncanny Valley

Last October I was really on a roll with simple but effective 2D horror games like Detention and Silence of the Sleep. I thought I'd keep the train going with 'Uncanny Valley,' another game in the same genre but with a simpler artstyle. I liked the initial build up, but the game apparently glitched causing the story to never progress anymore. After a lot of random experimentation, I did get an ending, but it was absolutely horrifying and didn't really motivate me to try again because I felt I was being punished for the game's mistakes. The game has a real problem communicating, and unfortunately, the dev isn't that willing to listen to feedback. Never say never, but Uncanny Valley can stay right where it is for now. My thoughts in a bit more detail: 

Resident Evil HD

In October 2018, I gave my Twitch channel a new direction: To stream all Metroidvania Castlevania games. With the completion of Ritual of the Night and 'Penumbra: Overture' not really scratching the itch, I finally picked up another series I've been avoiding for a long time. I started on the Resident Evil series with the HD remake of the first game. I decided to start on the hardest difficulty, and while that made the experience quite tough, it definitely helped me appreciate the 'survival' ascept of this survival horror classic. The most interesting and difficult part was definitely that saving is a limited resource in the Resident Evil games, requiring you to use an 'Ink Ribbon' on a typewriter to actually keep your progress. I described my experiences with this unique limited resource more here: 

https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/resident-evil-and-the-horror-of-saving-as-a-limited-resource

On a more personal note, I'm really happy I finally started on this series and I love it - even when it gets frustrating. It also feels good to have a clear direction for my Twitch channel.

Resident Evil 0

After having a great time with Resident Evil, I thought I'd strike while the iron was hot and started on the prequel right away. On top of the usual resource management, Resident Evil 0 also requires you to manage two characters with their own health and inventory space. Most of the game was perfectly fine, if derivative, but an overly linear structure combined with bullet sponge-y bosses made it possible to save the game in an unwinnable situation. This happened to me twice, and the second time, I used Cheat Engine for the first time ever just to be done with it, as I had spent literal hours beating my head against a certain boss and realizing I simply didn't have the firepower to take it down. Aside from those two very negative experiences, though, the game was still solid. You can read more about my experiences here:

https://steemit.com/gaming/@arjendesign/resident-evil-0-the-horror-of-saving-yourself-into-a-corner

Lovely Planet

A cute and simplistic first-person shooter by a Japanese developer. I tried this game on a whim and actually really liked its simply level structure. It's all about figuring out the structure of the level and running your way through it as quickly as you can. It did start to wear on me after a while, but maybe I'll pick it back up in the future and see if more mechanics are added.

BEEP

Another puzzle platformer that's been sitting in my Steam list for many years. I tried it randomly to clear out my to-do list. It's functional, but didn't grab my attention in any real way. I might pick it up again some day.

Action Henk

A runner game about a toy action hero trying to reclaim his lost glory. It's all about finding the fastest, most efficient way to get through the stages with various jumps and sliding. This game has a special meaning to me because it's actually from my native country, the Netherlands. The backgrounds are nicely detailed, but the character models look a little bit unpleasant. I especially loved the music and trying again and again to shave off a second is very addictive. Sometimes the game is so fast, you need to fail a stage a few times to really figure out where to do, but this is pretty harmless because the levels are so short and restarting happens instantly. I enjoyed the game a lot, so I'm actually surprised I didn't write a full article about it. Maybe I will next year.

Spec Ops: The Line

A seemingly generic military shooter about a group of American soldiers performing a mission in Dubai, but it gradually turns into a scathing commentary on the genre. This type of 'cover shooter' isn't usually my genre, and I did have a lot of trouble with some sections, but there are many great details in the presentation. For example, the voice lines of the characters in your squad become increasingly unhinged as the situation gets messier. When it all seems simple enough, and it's you versus what seem to be terrorists, they're very professional - but as the game progresses and you've found yourself having to fight American soldiers and possibly harming civilians, the voice lines become angrier, laden with profanity and outright desperate-sounding. Because the game is known as a commentary, I was expecting ridiculous levels of 'meta,' but the 'meta' elements are actually very subtle and restrained. The game works perfectly well like a military shooter in its own right, which you could see as a positive or a negative considering its message. Either way, it was interesting!

Resident Evil 2 (Remake)

Which version of Resident Evil 2 to play was a much harder choice than for the first game. The REmake seemed like an improvement in every way, but the Resident Evil 2 remake also seemed very different. It trades the static camera angles for an over-the-shoulder third person action camera, and it's also very recent. On top of that, the Resident Evil 1 remake is a classic in its own right, but the Resident Evil 2 remake is still quite new. But in the end, I'm glad I decided to play this version - I really love the game and all the ways it reimagines the series. Even on the hardest difficulty, it is easier than 1 and 0, but I honestly don't mind - it's still hard enough! I can't offer my full thought yet, because while I've finished Leon's campaign, I still need to finish Claire's and the extra campaigns. And of course, I'm streaming it all, so do stop by if you get the opportunity. 

VVVVVV

One of the indie darlings of yore, a classic among indie platformers that I simply never tried, maybe because I got it in a Humble Bundle during time where I felt "retro style" games oversaturated the market a bit. Not really a fair reason, but when you have hundreds of games to play, you can start to prioritize one over the other for any number of silly reasons. Regardless, I finally tried it and really enjoyed it. It's a platformer where you don't really "jump" per se, but rather, each jump reverses gravity. It's a simple but effective idea that really makes you think about the level design in a different way, especially when additional mechanics get thrown into the mix. And I really loved the music.

Shovel Knight: King of Cards

Yacht Club finally released their final DLC for Shovel Knight after continously working on the game since its release in 2013 - and they nailed it, again. The 'King of Cards' expansion revolves around King Knight, a character whose movement revolves around shoulder bashing and chaining together spin jumps. It's funny, it's charming and they structured it so that it consists of many smaller stages instead of fewer larger ones. This keeps everything more varied, and on top of that, they added a genuinely fun card game called Joustus to go along with the campaign. It's unbelievable how much mileage we've gotten out of the Shovel Knight Treasure Trove pack and I look forward to seeing whatever Yacht Club works on next!

Luigi's Mansion 3 

A long awaited third installment in a beloved series. Luigi's Mansion was a classic, designed with enough content to keep you busy for long time, and yet a skilled player could find their way through the mansion in mere hours. That's why the game is still well-liked by speedrunners. Luigi's Mansion 2 for the 3DS had an even better presentation and more variation, but the transition to handheld caused changes people disagreed with - like separated levels with separated missions. Luigi's Mansion 3 brings the best of both worlds and truly represents a high point for the series. It all takes place in a huge hotel, returning to the cohesion of Luigi's Mansion 1, but each floor is themed to allow for the visual and thematic diversity of Luigi's Mansion 2. I'm so happy it exists and I can't wait to keep playing it.

Closing Words

Phew! I never expect these articles to take the sheer amount of work they do; maybe I should spend less time on games in 2020 to make it easier next time... Regardless, I had a really great year in terms of gaming, and I'm looking forward to what awaits us in 2020 as well. 2019 had a rough start, but starting with Q2, the game train started and never stopped. I streamed many amazing games, I picked up console gaming again and I checked off quite a few games from my to-do list. A pretty big success!

To zoom out a bit, it's also been a great year for me on Steem. A lot of people have supported my articles, art and videos and it was a major encouragement while I sorted things out with my work. I've written more articles this year than I have in, well, years! And it's all thanks to your kind support. I hope you'll continue to go on these adventures with me, whether it be by reading my articles, watching my streams or enjoying my art. 

I want to wish you all a beautiful and blessed 2020 - and if you have a moment, why don't you share your favorite games from 2019 right here? I'll try to respond to everyone.

Miwashiba's RPGs

Today, I'd like to talk about a lesser known game developer called 'Miwashiba.' This Japanese developer has created various games in an RPG Maker program, specifically the WOLF RPG Editor. Miwashiba's games were initially released for free, but have since been released on Steam for a small price. In this article, I want to talk about said games - in a sense, this article will be a collection of mini 'Some Thoughts About' segments.

LiEat

LiEat on Steam is actually not one game, but a collection of 3 short games in the same series. It was released on Steam on February 26, 2016. LiEat takes place in a world where humans and dragons coexist; but the dragons in this world are magical, humanoid creatures that are each born with a special ability. The protagonist of all three games, Efina, is such a dragon. When people tell lies, she can allow them to manifest as physical creatures and eat them.

The LiEat games set a few standards that all of Miwashiba's future games adhere to: they're mainly focused on story, have bad endings you can run into if you fail critical battles or miss vital details and they all have truly adorable artwork. In LiEat specifically, the game looks alright in general, but the unique scenes drawn for important story moments are especially charming.

LiEat's gameplay is pretty basic. Outside of battle, you walk around and interact with objects and people from a top down perspective. Battles are much like in any turn-based RPG, and about as basic as it gets. The range of abilities is limited to attacks that hit single enemies, attacks that hit multiple enemies and healing. Aside from bosses, of which there are few, the enemies are also all the same.

The real fun comes before battles. After all, where would a lie detecting dragon be most useful? When solving crimes and mysteries, of course. At certain points a character will make a few statements, and these statements will manifest as little lie creatures. You need to fight the correct one to progress the story, although there's no penalty for fighting the wrong ones as well. The concept of listening to "testimonies" and figuring out the lies would return in 1BitHeart, but we'll get to that one a bit later.

There's a separate mystery in each of the three games, but there is an overarching story as well about Efina's true purpose. Dragons are always born to a specific human, for a specific purpose. But I don't want to spoil the story or its conclusion, so you'll have to play it to find out what it all leads to. Will you be able to find Efina's true purpose?

To summarize it briefly, LiEat is a set of 3 short RPGs with a focus on story, cute art and some light exploration and battling.

Alicemare

Alicemare was released on Steam on 22 November, 2016. It's quite different from LiEat and a lot more like other popular games made in RPG Maker and Wolf RPG Editor - it could easily be listed with games like Crooked Man, Mad Father, Ib and so on. While you can explore and interact like in LiEat, it has no combat and is purely based on exploration and puzzles. And while it still has cute art, it is tagged as horror and has some disturbing scenes.

In Alicemare, the player takes on the role of Allen, a young boy who ends up at a mysterious orphanage. Allen explores the dreams, or nightmares, of the other children at the orphanage and learns dark secrets about each of them as a result. As the name implies, the game draws some inspiration from Alice in Wonderland and its dreamlike setting, even featuring characters such as the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat.

The game has a good atmosphere, but is very simple in terms of actual gameplay. It also has many endings depending on a difficult choice you have to make at the end, but like so many RPG Maker games, a 'perfect' ending can be reached by collecting all the little collectibles.

All in all, I really liked the game's atmosphere and visuals, but its gameplay was very basic and its story rather ambiguous. But it's a short and easy ride, so if you're looking for something a little spooky and atmospheric, you won't regret trying it.

So, in short, Alicemare is a purely exploration based Wolf RPG Editor game with light puzzle solving and a mysterious and spooky atmosphere.


1bitHeart

1bitHeart is Miwashiba's largest and most ambitious game project... as far as I know. It was released on Steam on August 28th, 2017.

The game is set in Japan, in the nearby future, where technology has progressed to a point where it dominates the lives of everyone. In this game we take on the role of Nanashi, a young man who spends most of his time indoors. He's quite intelligent, but rather socially awkward. He meets a girl called Misane and learns of a frightening plot to take control of people via hacking, which is entirely possible in this technology-dominated future where everyone is hooked up to technology one way or another. Together, the two set out to stop this evil plot and hopefully make some friends for the rather lonely Nanashi.

1bitHeart shares some fundamental qualities with the prior games, like the cute art and characters and mystery aspect, but there are many notable differences and improvements. First off, while the game is still mainly exploration based, it's a 2D side scroller now instead of using the top down perspective the other games did. I think this was a good decision; it makes going from A to B a lot more straightforward, and it allows for larger side view portraits of the game's many characters, which really allows the game to emphasize's Miwashiba's incredible skill at designing cute characters. The portraits themselves are also larger and much more detailed during dialogue.

The game doesn't have turn-based battles like LiEat, but it also doesn't solely hinge on exploration like Alicemare. Rather, it has its own unique systems. First, when hackers attempt to hack the player characters, you defend yourself with a series of directional inputs; it's pretty basic. The real fun happens during investigations and the subsequent confrontations. There are various cases to solve in the game's chapters, during which you gather evidence and information. You subsequently use this evidence in discussions with suspicious characters, in what is more or less a rudimentary version of the Cross Examinations in Ace Attorney or the Nonstop Debates in Danganronpa. Miwashiba clearly expressed an interest in mystery solving gameplay in LiEat, and in 1bitHeart, it comes to fruition quite nicely.

Speaking of Danganronpa, the game takes some structural cues from that series. Between the chapters, you'll get the opportunity to give gifts to the characters that hang around the city and trigger unique scenes with them once you become better friends. This leads to one of the game's most impressive parts: There are actual dozens of characters spread across the city, and each has several fleshed out scenes that form an overarching story with a conclusion - which vary from heartwarming to sad to hilarious. The end goal, of course, is for these characters to become the main character's friends. And as I mentioned before, each character has a unique design. It's impossible to ignore the amount of love and effort that was put into this game. The backgrounds during dialogue could use a little work, though - they look like basic shapes with Photoshop filters applied to them. They do the job, but that's about it. They pale in comparison to the amazing characters.

Even so, there are things to criticize about the character interactions as well. Like I mentioned, you need gifts to build up your friendship with characters, but you need money to buy gifts. You get money by playing Tetris-type minigames. You can spend as much time befriending characters as you want between the chapters, but it'll take a lot of grinding to get enough money to befriend everyone. Fortunately, it seems the developer was aware of this weakness, as there is a secret in the game to acquire endless money, and thus, endless gifts. You do this by interacting with a secret panel in the virtual world where the minigames are played. I recommend this approach if you were planning to befriend all the characters. You probably don't want to be playing Tetris for hours just to get a few scenes.

The game's soundtrack is fine, but I was truly baffled by the clash between the art and the music during the first confrontation - when I was greeted with something I can't do justice by describing it. Just view the adorable characters and colors and then imagine this playing as you watch that:

But most of the tracks suit the game and its pleasant atmosphere just fine:

Minor gripes aside, 1bitHeart is a truly impressive leap forward for Miwashiba. The game is comparatively long, consisting of several chapters, has a cast of dozens of characters with their own designs, stories and interactions, it has its own investigation and interrogation gameplay for mystery solving and so on.

1BeatHeart

Miwashiba has created a follow-up to 1bitHeart called 1BeatHeart, although it's focused more on muder mysteries than hacking and making friends. The art is even more detailed in this one, although it sheds some of its cuteness. Note the more muted colors:

This game has been translated, but is not officially released on Steam yet. I don't know if there are any plans to do so, which is why I've held off on playing it for now. If it turns out there are no plans, I may simply download the free version and share my thoughts at a later date. You can try the game yourself, if you're interested: http://vgperson.com/games/1beatheart.htm Do note that it'll spoil some events from 1bitHeart, though, so play that first if you care about chronological order.

The Faceless Double

Miwashiba has created an impressive library of adorable and interesting RPGs, but it's clear the well of creativity has not run dry. In fact, 'The Faceless Double' is currently in production, and is listed on Steam as 'coming soon' as of writing this article. We don't know a lot yet, but I'm already hooked just by reading the description:

"In this world, there sometimes appears a comet that grants wishes.
It is said that the comet will grant any wish – however, payment for a granted wish takes the form of a curse.
The people of this world called the comet “God”.

When Double awakened, he had lost his previous form.
He can’t remember how this happened.
Cloena proposes to Double that they embark on a journey to seek out God, in order to remove the curse."

Having a faceless, cursed figure seek out God sounds like a fascinating premise and invites you to speculate who this character, 'Double,' was before he lost his form and whether the 'God' in the story is benevolent, malevolent or neither. Either way, this journey of discovering one's purpose has been a prevailing theme in all of Miwashiba's games right from the start and I can't wait to see what new form it will take in this next adventure. From eating lies to exploring nightmares to saving the future from hackers to seeking out God - we're definitely going into new and exciting territory!

Closing Thoughts

I've been wanting to write this article for a long time. I discovered Miwashiba's RPGs just last year and immediately fell in love with the charming art and interesting settings. 1bitHeart is easily my favorite of the bunch, pushing both the art, mechanics and story to the best they've been, but all these games are worth playing as far as I'm concerned.

I'm also excited to try the game I haven't played yet, 1BeatHeart. I genuinely considered putting off this article to play through it first, but the game looks and feels so different from the other games that I think it needs its own article. I'm especially looking forward to seeing what Miwashiba makes of The Faceless Double as well, and hope we can expect an English version. Speaking of which...

Translators are often unsung heroes, so I want to give a quick shoutout to the individual who goes by 'vgperson.' If you've seen any Wolf RPG Editor or RPG Maker game from Japan translated to English, there's a good chance it was done by vgperson. They also make original works, and translate many things besides games as well. Check out vgperson's website to see what I mean: http://vgperson.com/

In writing this article, I misspelled Miwashiba's name as 'Miwashibi' and 'Miwashabi' various times, proving that I'm not good with Japanese names. I hope I haven't left any of those errors in here.

_

And that's it! Hopefully, I've convinced you to try at least one of these games! Or if you've tried them already, can you let me know what you think? Are there obscure RPG Maker or WOLF RPG Editor games I should know about? All comments are appreciated.

He Who Fights Spoilers

Instead of talking about a specific game, today I want to talk about a 'trend' that's been hitting gaming YouTubers in particular - accidental minor spoilers turning into major spoilers due to well meaning audience members - and the people who make those spoilers even worse by trying to fight them. Since I didn't want to post actual spoiler images, most of the screenshots are just random.

Nobody likes spoilers. Every good story has a flow, a structure, it builds towards something with all its twists and turns. Learning any of that in advance can disrupt that flow or even ruin the entire build-up. But in spite of that, some people intentionally reveal important plot details to people just to ruin it for them, just to get a rise out of them.

Spoilers can hurt for videogames in particular because you play an active part in discovering where the story goes; in some games, your choices can even change the story altogether. This is why people who watch Let's Plays tend to like blind playthroughs of videogames - so they get to experience that sense of discovery again, vicariously, through another person. However, playing games with an audience exposes you to many responses, and sharply increases the risk of being spoiled on the game. Trolls revel in ruining the experience for a public figure, and by extension, their audience. But sometimes the well intentioned fans can be just as bad, albeit unintentionally. I'm going to talk about two kinds of situations where well intentioned people can ruin a game and both of them hinge on underestimating the power of hindsight.

Secret Meanings

In well written stories, there will often be a few lines of dialogue that have an impact. Maybe a character suddenly reveals their true motivations in just three words that change everything, or maybe simple comment flips everything you thought you knew about the story around. The power of these lines is often the context in which they're said, or the build up, so the line doesn't mean a lot by itself in theory.

If an iconic line occurs in a videogame, fans will often say the line to a content creator playing it by posting it in the comments or chat, depending on the platform. This isn't done maliciously, these people probably believe that the line won't mean anything to the person playing the game. But the problem is that several people will be thinking the same, causing the phrase to be posted multiple times, which will inevitably make the player think about its meaning. And depending on the line and the times at which people say it, said player might figure out way more than they should know at the time. Games that depend heavily on their story, like Undertale and Doki Doki Literature Club, suffer from this in particular. I want to use the latter to give a clear example, but skip this next part if you don't want spoilers.

[Doki Doki Literature Club spoilers start here] - - -

The big twist in Doki Doki Literature Club is that the club president, Monika, is self aware and knows that she's in a videogame. She begins to interfere with the player's attempts to interact with the other girls, which eventually culminates in a scene where the phrase 'Just Monika' pops up - it's Monika's demand that you focus on her and no one else. The phrase quickly became an in-joke among the fans, many of whom love posting 'Just Monika' under the comments of any video and in the chat of any livestream. When confronted, they'll usually be coy and proclaim they said it because Monika is their favorite character. But because the phrase will come up so often, the player will inevitably suspect Monika of being behind the game's events - which she is.

[Doki Doki Literature Club spoilers end here] - - -

So, all in all, just because the line doesn't make sense out of context, that doesn't mean it won't spoil things if it's sent to a content creator playing the game blind. Particularly when combined with the kind of well meaning audience member I want to talk about next

Just Making It Worse

This particular trend is why I wanted to write this article. Sometimes the response by well meaning fans can turn what wouldn't have been a spoiler into a major spoiler. To illustrate, imagine the following two scenarios:

1. Fans are making comments like I mentioned in the previous part, removing a line of dialogue from its context and posting it in the comments of a video or the chat of a livestream.

2. The content creator makes an oversight, and uses material from future events in the game as a thumbnail or social media post (for example, there's a unique shot of the main character with a shocked expression - this expression happens when a major character in the story dies, but the content creator doesn't know and cannot tell from the expression).

These things risk spoiling parts of the game for the content creator, but some fans are so zealous in wanting to point that out that they cause the spoiler. Even just responding with "shut up, that's a spoiler" or "there's a spoiler in the thumbnail, just letting you know" makes the situation worse. This guarantees that the content creator will start to speculate on what the line of dialogue or the content of the thumbnail actually means, creating the situation that the well-meaning commenter was most likely trying to prevent.

I saw this trend come up a few times for YouTubers like Lucahjin and NicoB, who regularly play story-heavy games. They both had some occasions where a certain character portrait was used for a thumbnail in one of the videos, and instead of letting it go, fans had to unleash a flood of comments on the video criticizing the "spoilers" in the thumbnail - that no one unaware of future events, including the content creator - would have even known about.

When you see something that could potentially be a spoiler, the only winning move is not to play. It would be best if a moderator was informed in private, who can then decide if the comment or message should be edited or removed. And when it comes to a thumbnail, it's best to let the player know after the game is done; if no one says anything, no one would be the wiser anyway.


In Conclusion

It's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to any information about future events in media, especially when addressing to content creators playing games in a public space. Vague references to future events, as well as quotes, are risky business, especially because they're never said in a vacuum - the content creator will likely get the same quote or reference from many people. But people who are vigilant about pointing out these spoilers can make things worse, because they turn possible spoilers into certain spoilers.

I hope this is something young audiences learn as we and the Internet continue to grow, but until then, the only real solution is to not respond publically and to have moderators take care of it.

_

So, that was another article! Instead of focusing on a specific game, I tackled a trend surrounding games this time. What did you think? Was it a worthwhile topic, or should I stick to specific games and series? Have you ever been in a situation where people spoiled a game for you, even though they didn't mean to? All comments welcomed!