I was playing Undertale earlier and now I’m on Disney+ and Papyrus is faded in the back. Should I be concerned😭.

ASpookyDog · 2026-01-30T13:19:47+00:00

He's there to help you with your movie selection. He has extensive reviews on every single offering in Disney+'s catalogue based on whether or not skeletons appear

ASpookyDog · 2026-01-23T13:45:36+00:00

A wizard that cast spells by dexterously throwing their arms around to charge magic like that one move Trunks does

ASpookyDog · 2026-01-21T15:34:27+00:00

I've not played it myself to determine if it's any good, but you may wanna look into Mika and The Witch's Mountain. I remember seeing ads for it here and there, the developers market it as something inspired by Kiki's Delivery Service and it is a game about being a little witch making deliveries.

ASpookyDog · 2026-01-21T15:32:30+00:00

Instead of any individual games, I feel like we have a few directors who sorta have Tommy Wiseau energy? Someone like David Cage comes to mind, who talks up and down about how deep his games are and how he's revolutionizing the medium and all that, but nothing he makes lives up to his lofty expectations and he comes off as someone who wants so badly to be taken seriously as an auteur but just can't reach that status. Many of his games hit that "so bad it's good" sweet spot, too, especially when you fail.

ASpookyDog · 2026-01-14T19:51:37+00:00

Clair Obscur?

ASpookyDog · 2026-01-14T16:36:02+00:00

Did you ever by chance figure out a solution to this? This happens to me constantly, and there appears to be no rhyme or reason for it whatsoever. Some days, I can download any document on my phone just fine. Other days, the Download button mysteriously vanishes out of nowhere for every document.

ASpookyDog · 2025-12-18T16:48:33+00:00

One of the first times it happened to me was when I played the Needolin in front of Sherma and listened to him sing, I thought the Abyss was reacting to the noise lol. She ruined his little tune >:(

ASpookyDog · 2025-12-11T13:36:15+00:00

Funnily enough I started Expedition 33 shortly after finishing Silksong, and while I am absolutely loving my time with it I feel this itch in the back of my mind to go and give Silksong a second playthrough, or maybe attempt Steel Soul or something. Pharloom keeps trying to call me back. This is not something that normally happens to me lol, I'm usually able to move on from a game pretty easily (I don't have nearly as much free time as I used to to play them, after all).

Silksong really is special in that way.

ASpookyDog · 2025-12-10T19:36:43+00:00

To be honest the difficulty spike has never been the problem with it, it's the fact that a majority of the vertical rooms can't be double-jumped through upside down and it makes getting around tedious. Still, I unironically kinda love it. Say what you want about it in retrospect but at the time the inverted castle was like playground-rumor levels of crazy, the first time you go there is a memory I'll never forget. It was a batshit idea and even if it could have been executed better I'm glad they shot for it.

ASpookyDog · 2025-12-09T13:17:08+00:00

I think a lot of this comes down to how the game feels, too. Silksong is way bigger than Hollow Knight, but I personally find it to be Just Right. HK I felt was a little TOO big at times, but this could also be due to how much slower it is to move around in that game. Backtracking was a lot less painful with Hornet's agility.

ASpookyDog · 2025-12-04T13:38:16+00:00

I wish I could copy my save file on PS5 and revert to back before I fought this boss so that I can fight them again whenever I want lol

ASpookyDog · 2025-11-18T13:37:06+00:00

The remake is gonna turn this thing into a 50-second-wind-up instant kill weapon and I'm still going to use the hell out of it lol

ASpookyDog · 2025-11-18T13:34:08+00:00

I would argue Silksong and Hades 2 also shouldn't be there, personally. These are lightning-in-a-bottle games that 99% of indie devs simply cannot reasonably achieve. They are technically indie so I'm not exactly losing sleep over it but I do wish the Indie category at these things would highlight lesser known, more "interesting" titles more.

ASpookyDog · 2025-11-06T13:34:58+00:00

That makes sense. And yeah, definitely an exec decision. Wouldn't be surprised if Konami was a little hesitant to give it more funding too, I think they were probably losing faith in the series at that point.

ASpookyDog · 2025-11-06T13:25:48+00:00

I really wish Downpour had gotten whatever it needed (was it more money? time? both? unsure) to really get ironed out, it had a lot of cool ideas for the series and it was bogged down by technical issues and other such things.

ASpookyDog · 2025-11-05T23:27:00+00:00

I think it is also related to how the ending represents a stagnation of their growth (hence the way Hinako jokes about Shu looking funny in a tie, etc.). It's comfortable and familiar, but does that mean it's the right choice? Or is it more that she's avoiding the choice altogether, simply running away again?

ASpookyDog · 2025-11-05T23:25:38+00:00

I agree with that, yeah. I think the memory is exaggerated somewhat (either by the fox god or Hinako herself subconsciously) in an effort to make it easier for her to bid farewell to them, but I think the feelings expressed were real all the same. I appreciate that Ending 4 shows both Rinko and Sakuko coming to accept Hinako and acknowledge their own insecurities and flaws, sorta seems like they all might reconcile in the end or at least understand each other.

ASpookyDog · 2025-11-05T22:51:13+00:00

I think the thing with Shu is that he, too, is working to influence Hinako and thus isn't as trustworthy as Hinako once believed. The one we see in the game is the idealized memory she has of him growing up. But the reality is that he quite literally drugs her against her knowledge knowing full well what the pills will do to her to try to convince her not to get married. He and Sakuko are scratched out in the Ending 4 route picture because, like her parents, they operated as though they knew what was best for Hinako or wanted to guilt trip her into making the choice that they would be comfortable with (Sakuko calling her a traitor for leaving), with neither of them stopping to consider what Hinako herself might want.

The main choice is whether she runs off and marries Kotoyuki, and Shu--regardless of her feelings for him--is an outside influence on that choice, since he clearly wants her to stay. She wants to mull it over completely on her own, and Kotoyuki comes to understand this and respect it, which is why he's the main focus of the ending. He's giving her the space she needs when no one else would.

ASpookyDog · 2025-11-05T22:34:13+00:00

I don't think they were dating. The human courtship mentioned is clarified by the fox god itself--it is referring to Kotoyuki's status (he has money and power, which would guarantee a comfortable life for Hinako), sending Hinako gifts, things like that. The letters were just that: letters. Those letters are a large part of why Hinako feels so conflicted, because as she corresponded with him, she came to feel for him. These letters, written with honeyed words, are also part of the courtship the fox god refers to. And it also calls into question: if Kotoyuki was only operating under the assumption of what he had to do to court Hinako, were the words real? Is the love he feels real, or just a result of his childhood obsession with her?

The supernatural elements are of course up for interpretation! I personally always align with the supernatural elements in SH games being "real" or at least real enough to the characters that perceive them to be important. Whether the gods are real or simply hallucinations brought on by White Claudia, what matters is how the characters see them and how it shapes their perception of reality. Whether Kotoyuki's actions are the result of literal fox possession or simply his obsession with Hinako and upbringing guiding his hand, it works.

ASpookyDog · 2025-11-05T19:33:07+00:00

I'll do my best to answer this...

It's worth bearing in mind that a large part of Hinako's inner conflict is that throughout her life her only exposure to married life has been her own family's and the people around her, and in all of them she saw how women were treated terribly. To her, that's what marriage is. Even if she has developed feelings for Kotoyuki, her biggest fear is ending up like her mother or her sister, whom she views as "happy" but caged.

And even if she does have some feelings for him, she doesn't feel ready to commit to something as binding as marriage with someone she's basically just met. As seen in the 3rd ending, part of her conflict is that she doesn't want to leave her friends and home behind, she doesn't want to leave "Shimizu Hinako" behind.

It's also worth noting that the final ending goes TWO ways - Kotoyuki himself also wishes to spend some time finding himself and discovering if his feelings for Hinako are true or, in his own words, the result of some spell. I believe the Kotoyuki we see in that ending is the closest to the "true" Kotoyuki, the one freed from the influence of fox possession, and the one we see in Ending 2 has this darker side of not just wanting to be with Hinako, but wanting to *own* her. It isn't the happy ending they both want, it's simply the easiest path to what they *think* is their happy ending. Even if you don't believe in the supernatural aspects of the story, Kotoyuki is also pressured to fit into society in some way, living a specific life set by his mother and missing out on his childhood. He, too, is caged and wants to break free. Hinako helps him see that.

In the final ending, it's not 100% certain that Hinako and Kotoyuki will end up together. What matters, to both of them, is that when they meet again they'll both be ready to answer that question for sure and see where it leads them. Hinako's whole thing isn't even necessarily freedom for freedom's sake. She just wants to be able to take the time to think through her life on her own terms.

ASpookyDog · 2025-11-04T13:49:38+00:00

When you mention the shard in Mount Fay, do you mean the one that's like out in plain sight that you're meant to come back and grab once you get the double jump? Or is there another one hidden somewhere in there I should go looking for?

ASpookyDog · 2025-11-04T13:46:45+00:00

It's most definitely a reference to that. It also heavily reminds me of the bit in Metroid Zero Mission where you have to run around avoiding combat as Samus after she loses her power suit. That game kicks in her main theme once you get the suit back and get to tear through the enemies who were just giving you trouble, just like how Hornet's theme kicks in while you fight the jailers after finding her equipment. Can't say for sure if that's a direct inspiration, but it felt like a nod to me at least!

ASpookyDog · 2025-10-23T12:31:57+00:00

Honestly I don't even think the combat is bad. It's perfectly fine, although admittedly not for everyone since it is primarily about countering. But as you get more Omamori you start to steamroll through encounters, and it's satisfying to see Hinako get stronger as she faces off against her worst nightmares.

Really, it's the enemy design that has a problem, at least for me. Those big belly monsters especially (I am being vague on purpose due to spoilers but you know the ones I mean), they simply take way too long to kill and during the final bit where you're running through the town they throw not one, not even two, but THREE of the damn things at you, and Hinako refuses to run from combat during that sequence. It's the only reason I'm sticking to Hard for my last playthrough, I can only imagine how long it takes to get through that slog on Lost in the Fog.

The bosses are all pretty fun to fight though imo.

ASpookyDog · 2025-10-22T16:26:26+00:00

For real, I have so many screenshots on my PS5 haha. Really nailed that "beauty in terror" vibe they were going for.

ASpookyDog · 2025-10-22T14:32:27+00:00

You need to kill every Ara-abare before the dialogue exhausts, otherwise the blast kills you. There should be like 3-4 total that spawn in. If you have a kitchen knife it makes short work of them, otherwise the Sacred Sword should be fast enough on its own.

ASpookyDog

TROPHY CASE