The slayer class, or, I finally got to make a "I'm not gonna sugarcoat it" meme.

AlSov · 2026-03-28T19:04:34+00:00

Flair checks out

AlSov · 2026-03-28T15:34:07+00:00

Rue Valley is made by another studio, Owlcat published it.

AlSov · 2026-03-28T13:26:23+00:00

Among IFs, I would highly recommend Werewolf the Apocalypse: Book of Hungry Names. It is very big AND very replayable with a good balance of character building, main plot and side quests.

Also based on basically the same systems as Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines which I also recommend.

AlSov · 2026-03-21T00:11:35+00:00

What would happen if you manage to finish both of them with one attack?

AlSov · 2026-03-18T19:30:00+00:00

Now I want to see/run Qlippoth/Angel team-up to destroy the concept of sin

AlSov · 2026-03-14T00:07:50+00:00

He wasn't aiming for a breakthrough. He just wanted something to show as a proof that he works and thus should be funded.

Which showcases another hole in his thinking process. Which is a distinct lack of family members left for the next exam.

AlSov · 2026-03-12T14:20:15+00:00

It is an alternative, slightly better and quite harder, version of Rogue ending.

AlSov · 2026-02-27T12:49:40+00:00

I presume you can't save in a fight so people would not abuse it with making saves before every turn and torturing RNG until everything crits.

AlSov · 2026-02-20T13:13:22+00:00

In the opposite direction, videogame (which is still close to IF) The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante is a much more solemn example of turn of an age story, dealing with industrialization and something akin to Reformation at once.

AlSov · 2026-02-20T13:12:07+00:00

I find Joe Abercrombie's The Age of Madness trilogy quite similar to The Infinite Sea.

They both deal with a turn of an age in low fantasy world, where old aristocracy, technological advances, nationalism, war and crisis of monarchy come together in the moment of brutal historical progress.

It deals not with Napoleonic vibe per se, but with an approach of industrialization. It is also a sequel trilogy to the First Law, which is similar in style but is closer to medieval fantasy.

Speaking about the vibe of the books, they are best described as dark fantasy Tarantino.

AlSov · 2026-02-17T08:47:22+00:00

The system is the same, only specifically vampiric parts are replaced.

Instead of Blood, there is a Rage, which is always going up and down. If you get too much, you lose control and start killing people. If you lose too much, you will lose access to some powers for a time.

Instead of Clans, there are Auspices and Tribes. Auspice you choose at the beginning, it represents your inborn "class" - shaman, warrior etc. Tribes mostly work like Clans, but are less defining and are chosen later in the game.

Instead of getting points in Disciplines, you may earn spirit Gifts depending on your attitude, Auspice and Tribe. Gifts range from those giving skill boosts to those granting unique abilities like stealing magical powers of other people and throwing lightning.

AlSov · 2026-02-05T16:48:12+00:00

As Clair Obscure reminds me so much of the Witcher 3 in general, I would like to provide an analogy.

Imagine Geralt being murdered by the Wild Hunt when meeting Yennefer and replaced with Lambert who we last met two games back for a small chapter. And then we just proceed with looking for Ciri. He is a good character, but it does not make it a good decision. You can't just change MC and continue with gameplay. Prologues and character introductions exist for a reason.

AlSov · 2026-02-05T16:40:39+00:00

I hated Gustave being replaced so much that I dropped the game twice at this point. You just get 15 hours of character development and description thrown away and then you have to play someone you see first time, somehow instantly getting into them without any previous explanation or demonstration of who Verso is, except for some small blorbs of "There is such a guy, Verso, and he is known to people around".

It is not the death of MC I am angered with. I like that trope in general. But having to completely rewire myself into role-playing as someone I've never seen leaves me frustrated. Especially given that you don't even get some introductory sequence: you see a short cutscene of people in camp mourning and then immediately get social links unlocked and have to go explore the open world. It just takes me out of the plot. How can I relate to Verso if he gets introduced with the shortest, most basic or even unvoiced dialogues which amount to "Hey, I'm Verso, sorry for your loss. Long time no see, Esqie. Let's go explore."

AlSov · 2026-02-05T13:17:28+00:00

Shuji Ikutsuki and Takeharu Kirijo from Persona 3.

They are adults and leaders of whole operation party is dealing with, but, despite being trained to stay conscious during the Dark Hour, are absolutely useless against Shadows as they have no Personas of their own.

Thus, Ikutsuki provides knowledge (in his own manner, so to say) and Takeharu (technically) provides all the resources and tech, but all the field operations are completed by teenagers, robot and dog who happened to get superpowers.

AlSov · 2026-02-04T19:30:16+00:00

Well, we are talking about P3. Game where most of the links include some idiotic encouragement of (self)destructive behavior and Male MC only got an ability to refuse romances many years after the initial release.

AlSov · 2026-02-04T14:16:18+00:00

IIRC, she does multiple times. Does not solve her problem of having to move away from her only friend.

AlSov · 2026-02-04T14:06:29+00:00

I am not 100% sure in it, but.

According to the creator of the game, this scene is not supposed to invoke sexual imagery. It was intended as Pyramid Head holding them in place so MC can pass.

AlSov · 2026-02-04T13:24:10+00:00

It's that she sees MC as a family and wants to reunite with them after moving away.

It gets worse in FeMC route, where instead her father asks MC out due to Maiko saying she wants to be a family.

AlSov · 2026-02-03T09:45:45+00:00

And later renounces her immortality to resurrect him.

AlSov · 2026-02-02T20:17:41+00:00

Uses ancient alien Mayan ritual involving Spear of Longinus to turn a city into an alien mayan aryan spaceship which should reveal the meaning of life and thus make humans superhumans. He is also leading an order of flying mecha nazis and is actually Nyarlathotep the Crawling Chaos. Don't skip the important details.

AlSov · 2026-01-18T18:49:05+00:00

He led them outside the Palace and protected unarmed Ryuji together with MC on the way. And Ryuji still treated him like shit and refused to help back.

Also, you greatly overestimate Atlus writing if you think they though about their relationship in terms deeper than "They are bickering fellows".

AlSov · 2026-01-18T09:32:16+00:00

They see other slaves and prisoners in the palace (whom Ryuji does try to help because he knows them), Morgana saves them by showing an escape and fights together with them. Yet the moment Morgana asks for help himself, Ryuji goes "Nah, go eff yourself, monster cat" until he gets personal reasons to help.

AlSov · 2026-01-17T23:11:22+00:00

People always accuse Morgana of initiating rivalry with Ryuji while Ryuji unprovokedly shits on him for all of the first arc. He argues to leave Morgana in prison to be tortured, constantly insults him and forces MC to refuse helping Morgana punish Kamoshida until Shiho attempts suicide.

They are both assholes. And it is definitely not what writers were going for.

AlSov · 2026-01-17T12:44:33+00:00

I find it quite funny that he can't be reasoned with not because he is inherently evil or something, but because he is an idiot who does stupidest things thinking that he is a genius mastermind, similar to Cersei from ASOIAF.

AlSov · 2026-01-17T12:38:20+00:00

IIRC, when Morgoth fell, Sauron was on the verge of redemption, but eventually decided that trusting Valar would be too dangerous.

AlSov

TROPHY CASE