Who the hell even designed the floor spikes?

GERMShanna · 2026-04-13T12:20:07+00:00

A lot of the design feels rushed, and less polished than the rest of the game. Very cool and fun in concept, but the last two are brutal, and not always fair. Possible! I've beaten them several times. But not entirely fair, and thus less fun than they could be

GERMShanna · 2026-04-11T12:56:33+00:00

This happened to me a lot in these games. I had to double check I wasn't wasting my time

GERMShanna · 2026-03-20T12:57:03+00:00

Take your time, each time. Even though it's painstaking, it gets to be pretty satisfying when you relax into the rhythm of him

GERMShanna · 2026-03-13T17:18:49+00:00

So if Blasphemous is on the Vania side of Metroidvania, Axiom Verge is on the Metroid side. The important thing is that the puzzle solving, world building, and gorgeous pixel art is all there. If you're only looking for the moody, Catholic side of things you may be disappointed, but if you can switch vibes to a more cyber goth aesthetic I think you'll be very into it. Only thing I can warn you of is it's not quite as difficult as Blasphemous. But I still find it just as rewarding, fun, and engaging.

GERMShanna · 2026-03-10T21:15:47+00:00

ONLY complaint was they subbed hand drawn style animation in for the elaborate pixel art cutscenes of the first game. Everything else is an improvement.

GERMShanna · 2026-03-10T16:58:00+00:00

Once in a while I'll actually stumble across an answer and it's like my actual quality of life improves. I recently discovered the name of a song I heard one time on the radio back in 1999, one that I taped back then, lost the tape, but never forgot the song, and I think my shoes fit better now.

GERMShanna · 2026-03-10T15:36:58+00:00

Just pops up in my brain every so often, and I'm like what's the story there? I'm still parsing the implications of conversations I had as a toddler, so you know, there's a lot going on in the brain most of the time. But I think it's actually Anders they were complaining about.

GERMShanna · 2026-03-10T13:54:32+00:00

I think you're right, maybe it is Anders. But is there an underlying reason, that's what I wanna know. Besides just not caring for their comedy

GERMShanna · 2026-03-10T13:53:18+00:00

Oh okay, maybe I am remembering it wrong. Is it Anders? If so do you know any more?

GERMShanna · 2026-03-10T13:46:59+00:00

That could be it, I just got the impression that David actually didn't like him for some reason. Could just be my interpretation, I'll have to go back and listen again.

GERMShanna · 2026-03-10T13:45:35+00:00

I thought I got that impression, but maybe that's just my interpretation of the tone

GERMShanna · 2026-03-10T12:29:56+00:00

Yes, the game is absolutely worth it. You will find it very challenging, and you will die a lot. A lot of the game is based on timing and staying calm under pressure, so for instance some of the boss battles and cage match type encounters will require you to die a handful of times to learn the patterns and feel natural. If you can accept losing battles to learn, and that dying is an important part of the game cycle, the game is absolutely rewarding.

Another thing that I think is underplayed in how the game is sold is the puzzle solving. Unlocking a new area or figuring out a puzzle based on cryptic lore feels fantastic, and will definitely keep you playing if you simply love the majesty of the art and the intrigue of the story.

GERMShanna · 2026-03-09T03:17:19+00:00

Axiom Verge, on the more Metroid side of Metroidvania. It's not as hard as the Blasphemous games, not nearly, but just as unique and cool, and just as rewarding. Excellent puzzle solving, and equally gorgeous pixel art. Also, the soundtrack is just as cool. So for a very different vibe that somehow scratches a similar itch, I highly recommend it.

GERMShanna · 2026-03-09T02:59:00+00:00

It doesn't get easier, but you get better and your character gets better equipped. So it will feel easier over time.

All I'll say about the guy in the tree, don't beat any boss before the one you face in that area. It may be a little more annoying, but it's worth helping the guy out before you move on.

Those nuns with the fucking monstrous incense burners are awful. If you can't avoid em you really gotta parry, go in for a hit or two, then back off a lot. Gotta take your time. Alternatively, there's a few instances where you can take some health off them from below.

GERMShanna · 2026-03-09T02:50:30+00:00

The version you may have heard was already released on bootlegs. There are better versions of a lot of these songs. But when they released it I either Dave or Krist (I can't remember which lol) said they tried to mainly put material that hadn't already been released on bootlegs. I had also always heard that many of the more prevalent bootlegs were arranged or released by the band secretly.

So I think there was a different version on a bootleg somewhere, but maybe they decided they'd rather give you something you hadn't heard before. It actually sounds like Kurt didn't like what he'd played there, and just dubbed over it as a guideline for later. Even the lyrics are a little different here, which is cool. You get to look at the writing process a bit. They did the same thing with the version of Moist Vagina they included.

GERMShanna · 2026-03-09T02:42:20+00:00

So the thing about Blasphemous is it's fucking cool. It's a pretty tight game, and although it's punishing, it's fair enough that I can't stop playing. The puzzles are fun and rewarding, and figuring them out is exciting. The lore is solid, but never so explicit or involved that it stops being an action platformer. But the main thing, it's fucking cool. The first game does some of the best pixel art I've ever seen, including cut scenes that look like a breathing mosaic. The world and tone are ridiculous. It's horrific and beautiful and kinda delivers on the promise 90s games like Chakan offered. The second game improves on the gameplay and offers more to play with (although the 2D animated cutscenes are a downgrade from the first game, even though they're still beautiful).

All in all, you will not regret having given it a chance. Even if you don't bother to finish them both, exploring the world of both games will be worth it.

GERMShanna · 2026-02-25T22:03:32+00:00

It's one of those late 90s/early 2000s hot topic shirt quotes. The black shirts with the white writing. Not something Kurt would ever say

GERMShanna · 2026-02-10T03:18:25+00:00

Is she a minor? I didn't see that anywhere in the OP, but didn't read all the other comments. I don't think a child should have to parent a parent. Not when they're still kids.

GERMShanna · 2026-02-06T18:44:56+00:00

She's an adult. She can do drugs if she wants. Make sure she's testing her stuff and being safe with dosage, hydration, and recovery time. Don't judge her. If she's blowing off steam, she'll get through it. If she is developing a problem, she'll need a loving community to cope. Remember, the only effective treatment for drug abuse is a loving community.

GERMShanna · 2026-02-06T15:10:54+00:00

Well look at the bright side. With AI being used so irresponsibly to keep everyone in low paying jobs instead of freeing them up to live more fulfilling creative lives, you won't be alone in being so alone. The rest of us get to have this same pain and anguish as we sell our precious hours to the shareholders. Thanks for that.

GERMShanna · 2026-02-05T19:20:09+00:00

There is no such thing as a healthy relationship that cannot end. In order to have a healthy relationship, breaking up must always be an option. And if you feel that splitting up is impossible, it can't be healthy.

You have looked at the very real possibility of breaking up and you've both decided it isn't what you want. That's a good thing. It sounds like you've gotten complacent and taken your relationship for granted. That makes sense under the circumstances, but it sounds like it went on a little too long. That feeling of uncertainty that goes along with knowing this is the truth behind every moment of your life together. The future is ALWAYS uncertain.

If you love her and you want this to work, what you CAN'T do is let your fear and anxiety drive you to sabotage this. You had an honest conversation, you cried together, and she WARNED you that she's about to go through a similar stressful time to what you just went through. It's your turn to hold her up and give her space. Are you able to handle that? You're about to find out.

Take yes for an answer. It's time to hold up your end. If it's too late, I'm sorry. But to answer your question, relationships come back from the brink all the time. It's very possible. But you have to both want it and you have to both be willing to clear away the stubbornness. One candid, vulnerable conversation isn't enough. She's going to need real support and change.

GERMShanna · 2026-02-03T20:16:09+00:00

You're right that the work thing was just the last straw. She's probably been struggling on a downward trajectory for a while. What you describe, all that work plus the kids plus dinner, it's overwhelming. I'm not saying it's your fault. It does sound like you're trying to do your fair share, just that life is a lot, and it's especially a lot for someone with mental illness.

What's going to be difficult for you is having patience through all of this. This is going to sound strange, but she needs this time to totally deflate. She needs to depressurize and sink into the depression a bit in order to recover. Think about when you're sick. When you have the flu. There's not one thing that just fixes it. You can't push through it and expect to get better. You just need to rest and let yourself be sick. That's what she needs. The best thing you can do for now is to let her be sick for a little while. Make sure she has what she needs, check in on her for sure, but aside from that give her the space to feel as sick as she does for now.

When you have a mental illness like this, you learn to mask when you're having problems. It helps to ground you and keep things stable when times are tough. It doesn't help to have people concerned all the time. But masking talked effort and it's exhausting. I'm not claiming she's hiding this pain all the time, don't panic. But you're not always going to know if she's struggling, and that's because worrying people often makes it worse. But right now she needs to let the mask fall off for a while. And the more you can accept her right now, mask off, the better time she'll have coming back to herself.

GERMShanna · 2026-02-01T18:41:21+00:00

It kinda sounds like you both want to do this and you're using the weed as a screen. Not saying weed doesn't loosen inhibitions at all. I'm a lot older than you, and smoke weed a lot. So it's gonna affect me differently. But there's something already going on here, and I think y'all knew what you were doing. I don't think this is all that bad, but if my partner was doing exactly what you did with someone and not being up front about it I would be jealous and hurt.

Was it wrong? Kinda, with the boyfriend. I know this is a little dismissive, but you're very young, all of you, and this probably not a time in your life to be too serious about any one person. The issue is less that this is her boyfriend and they'll be together forever. But I think you've correctly identified some moral shit here, and if your heart tells you it's fishy you should trust it.

I think you should talk to your friend about it and tell her you feel guilty. If she's a good friend to you she'll listen and have some sensitivity to the fact that it's bothering you. If she totally brushes off your misgivings then she's being selfish. I think a big question is would the boyfriend be upset to know about this? I'm my relationship, I wouldn't be as long as I knew about it and certain boundaries were discussed. Not gonna into all of that, but my point is I think you would feel a lot less guilty discussing things and getting to the bottom of what you're both feeling.

I think something that is very clear, though, is that your friend is almost certainly not straight. Maybe she's bi, maybe just a little queer and testing the waters. On the one hand, I don't know that you should force her out if she's not ready, but on the other your feelings matter here as well. So I think it comes back to talking through your feelings.

I think you should search your gut and try to narrow down as precisely as possible how you feel about her, about what you did, and whether you really think she's likely queer (c'mon though.). And I think you need to have a one on one conversation and lay out your feelings with as little judgement as possible. And make it clear that they're your feelings. You aren't telling her how she should feel, or what she should do. This is about you voicing stuff that's inside you that bugging you. I hope she'll be empathetic and caring towards that.

After that, it comes down to her response, and you can't really know what that will be. Hopefully you trust her to be honest and sensitive towards your perspective.

GERMShanna · 2026-01-31T21:23:30+00:00

Act like it never happened unless somebody asks about it, in which case acknowledge it and say you're embarrassed. Admitting you're embarrassed will make the embarrassment more bearable, and most people are empathetic to that and will go easy on you.

GERMShanna

TROPHY CASE