The cat’s pajamas

Today I got up early to help my wife wrangle our cat, Anji, into the carrier for her annual vet visit. Historically, our cats have been quite a handful on car trips, but Anji surprised us, by hopping right into the carrier when we tossed in a treat. Things were going great, until we got to the vet, and discovered her appointment was actually next Tuesday. I have no idea if Anji will be as cooperative when we try this again in seven days, but the whole experience did bring a word to mind.

clowder, noun – a group of cats

Learned from: Akiba’s Beat (Playstation Vita, Playstation 4)

Developed by Acquire

Published by Xseed Games (2017)

Akiba’s Beat is a game that centers around a time loop, which I like. It also centers around fairly mindless, button-mashy combat, which I don’t like. The plot casts you as a “NEET,” which is a Japanese term meaning “not in education, employment, or training.” Basically, a lazy layabout who contributes nothing to society. And the biggest problem with the game (aside from the combat) is that the protagonist, Asahi, is just so damn proud of this. He’s so lazy and self-centered, that he regularly flakes out on appointments to meet up with the few friends he somehow has, and doesn’t even care. Thankfully, Asahi does start to come to terms with this part of himself once he starts repeating the same day over and over again.

See, Asahi lives in Akihabara, a sort of geek’s paradise. Gaming, idol singers, fashion, collectibles, regardless of what geeky hobbies you’re into, Akihabara is a nexus to find what you’re looking for. But for some reason, these fandoms are beginning to distort the flow of time, corrupting the world around them, and only Asahi (and a few others) are aware of the loop that keeps happening. To try and stop it, this motley crew has to identify the people whose delusions are warping reality, and fight their way through cognitive dungeons to destroy the root of the distortions. If this sounds a little familiar, it’s because Akiba’s Beat really is kinda like Persona, but with real-time combat. It’s not as polished, and it’s certainly lower-budget, but some of the characters are surprisingly likable. Like the catgirl maid.

She’s not an actual catgirl, just an employee at a cat-themed maid cafe, and she isn’t one of the folks who’s aware of what’s going on. But she’s always there to greet you outside of her establishment, with cat puns (“Welcome, meowster!”), and invitations to join her clowder. Realistically, it’s probably a bit cringe, but she helps add to the wacky, surreal atmosphere of the story.

And really, if you can deal with the bland combat, and initially irritating protagonist, *Akiba’s Beat* might be a purrfect example of a diamond in the rough.

It’s enough to drive a man to drink.

To say that it’s a stressful time in my country is a criminal understatement. In under two days, we’re going to be ushering in a new president, and while that’s been little more than a formality every other time it’s happened, so long as I’ve been alive, this year is…different. There have already been acts of violence in the past few weeks, and I’m worried something worse is going to happen on inauguration day. On a more personal level, I’m not even going to be home to see it, if something does happen–my job is opening its doors to the public again, starting tomorrow, in a decision that was made rather suddenly. Beyond the anxiety over being stuck at work and potentially missing historic news as it unfolds, I really wish they’d waited until my coworkers and I had gotten the vaccine. All of this brings us to today’s word.

potation, noun – a dring; particularly: an alcoholic drink

Learned from: Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception (Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Playstation Vita, PC)

Developed by Aquaplus

Published by Atlus USA (2017)

I’m generally not big on visual novels. If they offer you choices in dialog or action that affect the story, that helps a bit. If they offer puzzles or combat, that helps more. The Utawarerumono games do offer Fire Emblem style battles, but they’re few and far between, and the narrative portions that make up the bulk of the game are often tedious and hard to suffer through. There’s always a good story there, but it’s always buried under fanservice, mixed attempts at humor, and side events that often contribute nothing to the plot.

Really, the only reason I’ve played two of these games so far, is because the next Dokapon game is a cross-over with this series (for some reason), and I wanted to be familiar with the characters.

One of these characters is Maroro, a court magician with a very…over the top personality. He’s dressed in garish robes and face paint, his mannerisms are downright foppish, and his speech is positively purple. He’s also kind of a sad sack, who always gets taken advantage of by people around him. Following one of these incidents, Maroro ends up at a bar, drowning his worries in potations he probably can’t afford, and pouring his heart out to you in a litany of flowery prose.

Maroro’s kind of insufferable, but it’s hard not to feel a little bad for him.

Have a very scary solstice

December is chock-full of holidays, and regardless of their individual religious connections, there’s a very good reason for that: the winter solstice. During the darkest time of the year, when the days–let alone the nights–are freezing, and light seems to be fading from the world, people needed an excuse to be happy. Even before 2020. Today’s word isn’t the happiest, but it does fit, thematically.

fuliginous, adj. – sooty, smoky, dirty

Learned from: Darkest Dungeon (PC, Mac, mobile, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, Switch, XBox One)

Developed by Red Hook Studios

Published by Red Hook Studios (2016)

I have a certain fondness for games that are punishingly difficult: Dark Souls and its ilk, the Shin Megami Tensei series, etc. Darkest Dungeon is no exception. Your characters are as likely to go insane from the stress of exploring your family’s estate, as they are to die of actual physical damage. Pathological fears, obsessive compulsions, and strange fixations can cripple them more than any injury or disease. And sometimes when one of them succumbs to this stress, they have some colorful, almost H.P. Lovecraft-level purple prose to accompany it–such as the occultist who cried out about the pull of the “fuliginous abyss” calling to him, or something like that, before he lunged for the clearly evil altar in the middle of the room.

So yeah, your characters will occasionally do things that are outside your control, and those things can sometimes lead to the death of your entire party, like when they activate a ritual to open a rift in time and space, and some tentacled horror picks them apart, one by one. As long as you don’t mind setbacks like that, it’s an incredible game.

Does anybody really know what time it is?

While my Pile of Shame (TM) still has a ton of games in it, I figured the quarantine was a good opportunity to tackle some of the longer ones–JRPGs, and such. Recently, I finished the first Trails in the Sky, and I see why the Legend of Heroes series (which includes the Sky trilogy, the Cold Steel quadrilogy, and two un-localized games in between them) is so highly regarded by fans. The plot is a slow burn until the final chapter, but once it kicks into high gear, it leads to one hell of a cliffhanger. Anyway, today’s word…

tourbillon, noun – a watch mechanism designed to mitigate gravity’s effect on the movement of the gears

Learned from: Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (PSP, PC, Playstation 3, Playstation Vita)

Developed by Nihon Falcom

Published by XSeed Games (2011)

Literally meaning “whirlwind,” the use of “tourbillon” in Trails in the Sky was in a more mechanical sense. Much of the society in the game is based around technology derived from ancient artifacts (naturally). Called “orbments,” these devices combine clockwork mechanisms and elemental crystals to produce everything from street lights, to airships, to weapons. And as with all steampunk-ish technology, things can always be fine-tuned, hence the inclusion of tourbillons in some tech to make it more stable/accurate.

There’s actually quite a bit more depth behind the history of the orbments, as well as pretty much every aspect of the world in this series. Hell, even most of the individual townsfolk you run across have individual names, agendas, and dialog that’s more than “Welcome to <NAME OF TOWN>!” The sheer amount of text here can weigh things down a bit, but if you’re the sort of person who’d, say, read all the books in Skyrim, you’ll probably love getting immersed in the history of Liberl. Even if you don’t look through all the extra stuff, the tension and interplay between various factions of the military, the Bracer guild (sort of an international police/mercenary force), and the ruling family is plenty intriguing on its own.

tl;dr: If Trails in the Sky is any indication, this series is an underappreciated gem in the West. And all the games that have been translated into English are now available on Steam, so you don’t even have to be a weirdo who owns a PSP, like me, to enjoy them!

trails_in_the_sky

It’s also got quite the colorful cast of characters.

Happy Mothers’ Day

It’s not often that I encounter words (or themes) directly related to motherhood in games, so for today, I decided to do the next best thing, and post a word I learned from a game where one of the main antagonists is simply called Mother.

pertinacious, adj. – Obsessively or maddeningly persistent.

Learned from: Iconoclasts (PS4, Mac, PC, Switch, Vita)

Developed by Konjak / Joakim Sandberg

Published by Bifrost Entertainment

On the surface, Iconoclasts appears to be a fairly straightforward platformer with some interesting mechanics, light Metroidvania elements, and some really nice pixel art. Once you get into it, though, you’ll find a story about religious totalitarianism, oppression, backstabbing, sacrifice, and people clinging to their own ideals, no matter the cost. This includes the main character of Robin, an unlicensed mechanic in a world where all technology is controlled by the ruling elite. (At one point, one of the antagonists refers to her as the “pertinacious heroine of House Four,” hence today’s word.)

All in all, Iconoclasts handily lives up to its name (an iconoclast is sort of an anarchist–someone who works to tear down established belief systems or institutions. Yay, two-fer!). It’s a little rough around the edges, and a couple sections are a bit frustrating, but it’s a good game overall, with some boss fights that feel like they came straight out of a Treasure game. Oh, and (to the best of my knowledge), it was entirely developed and the music was composed solely by one man: Joakim Sandberg. Considering how well Iconoclasts came together, that’s quite a noteworthy feat.

iconoclasts

Such a bright, happy game, where assuredly nothing tragic will happen.

Happy Pi Day!

Obligatory pie-related post for 3.14, and it’s a bit of a long one.

atelier, noun – A workshop–specifically the workshop of an artisan, artist, or designer.

Learned from: Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland (PS3, PS Vita, Switch)

Developed by Gust

Published by NIS America (2010)

Atelier Rorona isn’t a game about saving the world, or overthrowing an evil empire, or anything like that. Instead, it’s about trying to keep your master’s alchemy shop from going bankrupt. But the small scale of the adventure doesn’t mean it’s any less harrowing.

You’re given a series of tasks to complete for the king, to prove to him that your shop is worth keeping around, and each of these has a time limit. And everything takes time. Going out to collect ingredients eats up time. Making items takes time. Side events? You guessed it: time. It’s a surprisingly tense mechanic for a relatively prosaic concept.

Thankfully, you’re not alone in your quest, as a variety of colorful characters will join you, from a puppeteer, to a ghost, to a journeyman cook…and that bloody cook is what ties this in to Pi Day. Iksel wants to become a famous chef, and his goal is reflected in how he acts in the party–a lot of his moves can heal or provide buffs/recovery for the rest of the characters. Plus, he dishes out (pun fully intended) a good amount of damage, to boot. He was one of my strongest party members…and then I made too many pies.

See, in Atelier Rorona, you have two kinds of leveling: character levels, and your alchemy skill level. You need this latter to be high enough to make certain items, so you’ll occasionally have to grind lesser items to get there. A good way through the game, I had a lot of ingredients for making pies on-hand, and decided to use some of my time churning those out like nobody’s business (alchemy can make damn near anything in Japanese RPGs). So, I’m going about my business, when one day, Iksel bursts into my shop, sees what I’m doing, and thinks I’m trying to upstage him. He then challenges me to a pie-making contest a week later, storms out of my shop, and leaves my party. I still hadn’t gathered the ingredients I needed for whatever the king was asking for, and without him in my lineup, I was left with some severely under-leveled alternatives, to fill the gap.

Looking back on it, years later, I’m actually rather impressed that Gust put in such an obscure Easter egg. It adds a layer to the character, and makes me wonder what other events I could’ve unlocked by accident. But at the time, I’d lost one of my best characters, and I was pissed. Some time later, my PS3 bit the dust, and I lost my save files, so I still haven’t beaten this game. I really should revisit it at some point, because the series is huge, and I did enjoy my time with Rorona up until this point.

iksel

Look at this smug bastard.

%#)@!

Multiplayer console games that require memberships to services other than the platform-specific subscription you pay for to play online drive me up the wall. The Anthem demo has shown me that I can apparently never play another EA game online on my PS4, or any other iteration of the Playstation brand. Because at some point, I created an EA account, linked to an email address that literally does not exist anymore, and there seems to be no way to change it. (I think it may have been way back with Dead Space 2 on my PS3.)

I’d been cautiously looking forward to Anthem, so EA’s stubborn insistence on making Bioware shackle the game to its own online service (and rendering it unplayable for me), has me rather livid. So, after that lead-in, here’s today’s word:

coprolalia, noun – Uncontrollable swearing.

Learned from: Rogue Legacy (PS4, PC, PS3, PS Vita, Switch, XBox One)

Developed by Cellar Door Games

Published by Cellar Door Games (2013)

Rogue Legacy is a roguelike platformer, where the gimmick is that once your character dies, you start over as his/her child, come to avenge the long line of ancestors who came before. You’re given a little choice over what traits you want each descendant to have, from gigantism to color blindness–there are dozens of attributes. It’s a quirky little feature that can affect gameplay in a lot of ways….

…or not, as in the case of a descendant with coprolalia. The only thing this really does (as far as I can tell), is cause a cartoon text bubble filled with gobbledegook swearing to appear, every time your character takes damage. Neither helpful nor harmful, it is at least worth a bit of a chuckle.

Q*bert: Gaming’s first foul mouth.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a holiday about family, friends, and togetherness, but say the word, and the first thing that comes to mind for most people is probably food. So, it made sense to me to kick this whole project off with a food-based word.

coulis (noun) – Fruit or vegetables, pureed into a thick sauce, and used as a garnish

Learned from: Odin Sphere (PS2, PS4, Vita)

Developed by: Vanillaware

Published by: Atlus (2007)

George Kamitami seems to love two things in life, above all else: food and women. And he draws both subjects in exquisite detail. Playing a Vanillaware game is a feast for the eyes, as each one features jaw-dropping spritework, fluid animations, and character designs that are somewhat exaggerated, but very distinctive. Most of them also involve an emphasis on cooking.

Odin Sphere has several locations where your characters can rest and order food, all of which are run by Pookas (rabbit-like critters). One such place specializes in desserts, where you can order (among other things), ice cream with coulis, if you’ve collected the right ingredients on your travels. These regenerated your health, raised your stats, and if memory serves, most were drawn well enough that they looked like things you might actually want to eat in the real world.

I’ve yet to try a dessert with a coulis sauce, but it’s on my bucket list.