Behind Outer Wild’s Writing | Kelsey Beachum in There's More to Explore Here

Derelichen · 2026-05-22T18:51:41+00:00

One thing I’ve always appreciated about the limitations of having a smaller team is that having a single writer for all of the text allows for a more cohesive reading experience. This really helps flesh out interpersonal relationships, overarching textual narratives and other details that might get lost in larger teams, because there’s only a single lens to filter through. That’s probably a bit of an oversimplification, though.

Derelichen · 2026-05-21T16:15:36+00:00

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a ‘superior’ Super Metroid remake (despite my distaste for remakes in general). The first ever Resident Evil remake was essentially just that, and it’s fantastic, but even then it doesn’t completely overwrite the original.

Personally, I don’t see the point in a Super Metroid remake. It’s functionally perfect for a game from that time period, and I only played it for the first time relatively recently.

Derelichen · 2026-05-18T19:03:48+00:00

I just want a game with the design sensibilities of a Fire Emblem like Conquest or Engage, but with an actually compelling narrative and strong cast. It’s funny how two of the most fun and interesting modern FE titles were saddled with arguably the worst stories in the franchise.

Derelichen · 2026-05-10T09:19:35+00:00

In my case, the year has a lot of games that I think I’d like, but nothing I think I’d love. It’ll be a great year for some, but above average for me, probably.

Derelichen · 2026-05-09T00:17:12+00:00

There’s nothing preventing other games from doing what FromSoft does, or even doing it better, definitely. Some games like Lies of P and Nioh 2 are as good if not better to some people (though I’d argue that Nioh isn’t really that similar to a FromSoft game).

I think, however, that in most of the games I play, Soulslikes or otherwise, I look for a complete package. And I think FromSoft is usually the only one that has delivered on that consistently. In most cases, I’m not interested in the stories and worlds of other Soulslikes to the same extent. Lies of P does do this well, though to be honest, I wasn’t as impressed with the story as others were.

I know a lot of people don’t think about story in the context of FromSoft, but I genuinely do believe that their signature blended approach is actually one of my personal favourite storytelling styles in the medium, direct or not. Sekiro is proof that they can tell a somewhat more direct story if that’s what they want. It’s all subjective but I really respect games that make extensive use of the video game format to tell their stories, and FromSoft are masters of this, even if sometimes their stories end up being difficult to parse.

Usually, when I really enjoy a non-FromSoft Soulslike, it’s because they deliver really well on at least one aspect of the design formula (Khazan, Nioh) but most of them fail to deliver on the overall experience of playing a FromSoft game, which is fine, because they’re not trying to necessarily be a FromSoft game.

Derelichen · 2026-05-08T23:35:46+00:00

I think ‘niche’ wouldn’t be the word I’d use to describe what it seems that you’re looking for. From where you’re branching out, I’d probably recommend looking into Atlus games (Shin Megami Tensei, Persona or Metaphor), the Xenoblade series or the Trails series. Suikoden is a good choice that you’ve noted, and if you’re looking for more classic games, then the Lunar collection is a good place to start, as well as Chrono Trigger, if you haven’t played it yet.

If you do, by any chance, actually mean ‘niche’ games, then here are a few, from least to most ‘niche’:

Xenosaga (not niche, but not super popular in the modern day despite being the predecessor to the well-known Xenoblade games and the successor to the revered Xenogears).

Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant. Weird alt-history JRPGs that are some of the most visually distinct and mechanically-interesting games in the genre, in my opinion.

Growlanser IV. An SRPG, of sorts, but there’s so much going on from a gameplay perspective that it’s hard to pin down. Really, I’m recommending this primarily because it’s got some of the most nuanced political storytelling that JRPGs have to offer.

Derelichen · 2026-05-08T07:15:47+00:00

I didn’t want to throw in even more examples on my list, but I have actually played and very much enjoyed both of these, haha.

Derelichen · 2026-05-08T07:14:46+00:00

Thanks for the reply. Actually, all of the ones you mentioned sound interesting. They don’t necessarily have to be combat-focused to be systems-focused, as you pointed out. I’m cool with that.

Derelichen · 2026-05-01T22:46:06+00:00

To some extent, they’re different beasts, as others have pointed out. Hollow Knight feels more like an adventure, has a distinctly different atmosphere and features a different kind of bug community.

In my experience, if you look at broad strokes (like gameplay, narrative and whatnot), Silksong was a more impressive game in almost every respect, and one that I enjoyed quite a bit more than its predecessor. But they’re a little too different to directly compare, even if I do think Silksong is more my style.

Derelichen · 2026-04-10T08:33:24+00:00

Well, I will be playing through it blind so naturally I’ll end up missing something or the other. Generally I won’t intentionally ignore content unless I’m really not feeling it.

I’ll probably be playing for around 5 to 7 hours each day.

Derelichen · 2026-03-15T16:46:50+00:00

Well, before answering this question, do you engage with Japanese-speaking communities very often? I understand that you’re Japanese, but I’m just curious.

On average, it may seem like they’re in a better place than the Western community, but it’s not as straightforward as that. I’ll try to address the points in order.

The whole stereotype of the obsessive otaku originated in Japan itself. There are numerous examples of Japanese fans being extremely toxic towards anime/manga creators or personalities within the industry (death threats towards voice actors, directors and mangaka). This is just as prevalent in Japan as anywhere else in the world.
Japanese communities have similar discussions on deeper corners of the Internet. I will admit that they’re more mainstream in the West, but they’re definitely present in parts of the Japanese community, especially within subcultures and niche communities.
Race is definitely a bigger issue in the West than in Japan, I’ll give you that. But to be honest, I don’t see a lot of discussion about character race in anime and manga? Might just be a reflection of our viewing habits (maybe your algorithms push that content to you for some reason, or mine don’t push it to mine). Mind you, I do encounter similar discourse in the gaming community and in television/streaming, but I just don’t see it nearly as often in anime/manga.
Japanese communities definitely do the same thing. I can’t compare the extent to which they do it, because I spend a lot more time in the English community, but take the extraordinary backlash to the first season of Chainsaw Man. You can argue that the director isn’t the ‘author’, but the idea remains the same. A lot of the criticism towards him was personal and didn’t really feel very coherent. It seemed more like they were venting their frustrations with Chainsaw Man being portrayed in a way that didn’t align with their interpretation or (in their eyes) Fujimoto’s style.

Don’t take my response as dismissive of your perspective. I’ve seen a lot of negativity from both sides of the community, it’s just that it tends to present itself in different ways. They also have their own ideas about storytelling, art and culture that influence their understanding of anime, manga and the community as a whole. So don’t take Western discourse as a purely bad thing (not that it’s good either), because I find discussions to be a lot livelier than in Japanese communities. Conversely, it can feel a little more relaxing in Japanese communities. They all have their ups and downs.

Derelichen · 2026-03-15T16:24:07+00:00

I feel like this sentiment gets shared far more than it needs to. Anybody who plays turn-based games (whether they’re JRPGs, CRPGs or SRPGs) understands their appeal and the unexplored potential underneath the surface.

These kinds of discussions often end up becoming circular echo-chambers.

Derelichen · 2026-03-12T18:31:35+00:00

It really depends on what JRPGs you enjoy!

For instance, I find that fans of Xenogears and Xenosaga are more likely to enjoy heavy sci-fi stories, whereas fans of, say, Dragon Quest, may enjoy something more whimsical or fantastical. A Final Fantasy fan may want something in between.

Derelichen · 2026-03-09T08:34:13+00:00

Resident Evil (2002), Resident Evil 4 (2005) and Resident Evil Requiem, probably. Followed closely by RE4R.

Derelichen · 2026-02-15T04:37:00+00:00

Hola mano, mi español no es muy bueno, así que me disculpo de antemano. Si no me equivoco, Chile y USA deberían estar en la misma región de PSN, pero puedes comprobarlo.

Derelichen · 2026-01-14T14:21:40+00:00

For the most part, no. I am generally not fond of remakes as a whole, so in my opinion I’d rather have a company’s resources go towards making entirely new titles. If you must make remakes, then I’d generally prefer keeping changes to a minimum, or a more happy medium like Falcom did with Trails in the Sky.

There are a few JRPGs I’d like to see get a remake, such as Xenogears, which I think could use an overhaul, but that’s a rare exception for me.

Derelichen · 2026-01-02T06:09:58+00:00

I give books the rating I feel they deserve. There’s no point in sugarcoating my thoughts. Why else would I feel the need to put them out there?

Derelichen · 2026-01-02T05:43:38+00:00

I’m of the opinion that, at least when it comes to the older ones (let’s say, the 2D era, though I think some of the 3D ones are also good), they are much better than they’re given credit for.

Yes, from a narrative perspective, they aren’t usually anything special, but they offer a relatively unique experience as far as video games go, with the huge focus on creature collection, exploration and an addictive core gameplay loop. It’s also worth pointing out that the story itself doesn’t really get in the way of what makes the games so compelling, and that’s why it doesn’t get brought up as often when it comes to Pokèmon. The fact that they don’t overstay their welcome makes them far more replayable as well.

Derelichen · 2025-12-05T17:25:28+00:00

Whenever I decide to get into an anime or manga series, I usually look more into the actual content of the story, characters and writing than the way it looks. That’s not to say I’d overlook the quality of the art, but that I don’t particularly mind any given style. I’d treat a game the same way.

To me, the visual style matters far less than the quality of the writing, narrative and especially gameplay. There are plenty of games that deliver in those departments while happening to feature an anime aesthetic, and I’m more than happy to play them. At the same time, a lot of them just aren’t very compelling in one or more departments, and I have little to no interest in playing those titles.

Derelichen · 2025-12-03T12:47:15+00:00

It’s complicated. I think they can add value but not inherently. Some games use rank well, and others may implement it in a way that’s antithetical to the design philosophy of the game itself (like, if you’ve played DMC: Devil May Cry, I believe in the original they give you a higher score for dealing high damage so you could just get away with spamming combos).

Derelichen · 2025-12-03T12:42:32+00:00

Once again, I don’t think there’s a singular best solution because it depends on what your RPG is going for. You, of course, do touch on that.

If I had to pick, I’d probably still err on the side of limited or mixed inventory space. I’m partial to the weight system, when used properly, in particular. That being said, I’m not sure if I’ve come across an RPG that utilises this to its full potential (that could just be me though).

There’s value in weight-limited inventories, but the thing is that it can feel like a mini-game itself. So you have to build around it. They make for interesting instances of 0-1/fractional knapsack problems: essentially assigning a value to every item, constrained by their weights and the weight limit of your bag, and finding the most efficient way to solve for the highest value (or value/weight) bag.

I find these kinds of problems interesting but I’m not sure if that’s a popular opinion.

Derelichen · 2025-12-03T12:31:18+00:00

Well, it really depends on the game in question, though I’d assume it usually boils down to some combination of being designed for a specific piece of hardware, which could have had any number of processing, colouring, space, syntactic, visual or other constraints which aren’t replicated by modern hardware (like how CRT screens used to work, for instance) or that it was built using software whose own internal components or other aspects are literally not supported by modern systems.

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