#I honestly loved this story start to finish with the ambience and quick pace | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

redherringtime · 2 years

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TMA Ch 1-20 Review

I’ve finished chapters 1 through 20 of The Magnus Archives so I had a little chat about it with Sketch and I drew a quick picture of how Jon looks in my head. I have seen fanart of Jon before and I’m certain that it has influenced my visualization of him, but I tried to divorce myself from that as much as possible. Conversation under the cut.

Sketch: Do you have a favorite character yet? Niki: I don’t honestly think it’s possible for me to have a favorite character yet because the only characters who I’ve gotten any actual characterization for are Jon and the one-off people who provide the statements. Any other characters I’ve only seen through Jon’s eyes and even then it’s been mostly in a work setting with only a few comments thrown in like Martin is incompetent and Tim is a playboy. Jon hasn’t commented much on Sasha personality-wise, now that I think on it. And there is one other investigator... I can’t remember their name...

Sketch: That’s fair. I have a few favorites, but I can’t share them yet for spoilery reasons. You know a couple of them, a couple you don’t.

Do you have a favorite episode so far?

Niki: I wouldn’t say that I have a favorite, but I do have some that stand out above the others and that I find myself thinking about more. Anglerfish was a really good introduction; it said exactly what it needed to to draw me in and make me want more. Do Not Open told me that I couldn’t expect the typical from this podcast. Page Turner gave me hints of a deeper story that made me really start wanting to know more about the world. Vampire Killer I just really loved for the way vampires were portrayed. It seemed more... real than typical vampire stories. Dreamer was the first one that really set my brain spinning, along with The Bone Turner’s Tale. I don’t think I could put any of those above the others, but they’re my favorites so far.

Sketch: I think for me, out of the first twenty episodes, my favorites are Anglerfish, Thrown Away, and Squirm. Like you said, Anglerfish is a pitch perfect opening. I like Thrown Away specifically because we don’t get all the answers, and it leaves us searching for more. Yearning for clues we may never have. It’s a good way to show that the statements are just that: statements. Not all of them have clean endings, and we may never get to know the full story. It’s an interesting concept to me, and it keeps me wanting to come back and listen to it again. Squirm is just... very well written and efficient at being unnerving. It’s a testament to Jonathan’s writing, as most of the episodes are. This was the first one to really freak me out, and it stuck with me because of that.

What episode creeped you out the most?

Niki: To be completely honest, I’ve found some episodes a little gross (Squirm, The Man Upstairs) and I’ve appreciated the spooky ambience of some (Anglerfish, Vampire Killer), but I don’t think I would say any of them creeped me out or really unsettled me. The closest that came to actually upsetting me was Lost Johns’ Cave because of the claustrophobia and underground aspects, but it was mild.

Sketch: Like I said, Squirm freaked me out the most. It actually f***ed me up a bit. Something about the imagery of having sex with someone, and then watching them explode from the inside out with squirming, maggoty worms? No thank you, no, nope. They said that they burnt the place down and I was relieved.

I honestly appreciate that, by the way. The characters don’t follow a lot of horror movie tropes. They don’t open the coffin, they don’t follow the anglerfish, and when someone inexplicably explodes into a pile of maggots, they go “I’m out” and burn every single last one. It’s a nice change of pace from “I’m gonna bring this cursed heirloom in my house, certainly nothing could go wrong!”

Niki: Agreed. I like how clever the Do Not Open guy was in avoiding opening the coffin.

Sketch: Do you have any criticisms for the podcast?

Niki: I hesitate to present any criticisms at this point because I’m so early on that they may be things that improve or are explained as I progress. As you know, the only episode I really criticized was Alone and I think the biggest problem I had with it was that it was written the same as all the previous written statements despite being presented as a person telling their story aloud. It failed to account for the very different ways people communicate in writing verses speaking off the cuff. It wasn’t my favorite plotline, either, but it was the delivery that really threw me off and as that’s the first and only guest presenter that I’ve encountered, I can’t really make any general critiques based on that.

Sketch: Yeah, that’s fair. My main criticism is a severe lack of ambience in the background. I know Jon and the statements are the main focus so it makes sense that there wouldn’t be much, but also, this is an old building. I want to hear it creaking and groaning, I want to hear some movement- something to make me feel more immersed. Not a lot, just... Something.

I can’t really give much other criticism than that for this early in the series, though. I’ll give more once we’re deeper in.

Niki: I don’t know if I agree with that or not. I feel like in the midst of recording a statement it might pull me out of the story. Hmm, I’m not sure.

Sketch: Last question for now, I think, though there will be more in the future. Do you have any running theories you want to share that you feel confident in?

Niki: Confident in? No. I’m confident that there’s more to Gertrude than meets the eye but I can think of any number of possibilities that it might be, all wildly different and probably all wildly incorrect. Most of what I have now are ideas about things I should pay attention to because it feels like they’ll be important later. From the very obvious Jurgen Leitner books to the less smack-you-over-the-head things like the not-Grant? Uh? Not-Greg? I can’t remember his name, but from Across the Street. The lady in the red dress from Squirm. The Cult from A Father’s Love. There’s a few other things, but any theories I have about them are tenuous and mostly consist of if-thens.

Sketch: Fair enough! I once again can’t put literally any input into this answer but just know that I’m really excited to hear your theories in the future.

Niki: I’ll try to remember to put them in my reactions as they come up XD

#the magnus archives #tma recap #liveblog #art

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neokad · 4 years

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The Legend of Zelda - The Wind Waker! (HD Turbo Championship Edition)

Hi everybody!

As I plan to revisit many Zelda games I haven't played in years (or at all!) in the upcoming months, I finished what used to be one of the most controversial titles in the series for the second time, and the first in four years! And to my shock considering what I've heard about this adventure over time, I fell in love with it all over again 💗

I'd actually like to start this humble review with this analogy: What surprised me the most while replaying this game, is how its overall structure and world are. I feel like the best way to describe this game is like this: A perfectly balanced mix - as all things should be - between a classic Zelda quest, and the much more revolutionary Breath of the Wild. Now, I gotta say, it may be strange to some people to compare an older title to a newer one to describe it, but I promise it'll at least somewhat make sense at the end of this review... I hope O_O

But hey, we might as well review the plot early as usual! Well, there honestly isn't a lot to this story as usual for most Zelda games, but it is pretty solid regardless. Basically, as the ambient intro of the game teaches you, the ancient land of Hyrule got flooded by the gods, as Ganondorf tried to conquer the land with no Hero opposing him. And ever since that event, the world has been flooded with the Great Sea, only leaving many small islands and some people behind to rebuild the world. And so, many years after this happened, we find this game’s Link on his 12th birthday, wearing the “Hero of Time’’s clothes for the occasion as a longheld tradition. BUT, as this supposed happy day happens, his sister Aryll gets kidnapped by a giant flying bird to the Forsaken Fortress - as many other young girls. Naturally, Link tries to go save her with the help of Tetra - another young girl that escaped captivity thanks to her crew of pirates. With the help of her companions and their ship, Link sets out for the fortress, but as he is clearly underpowered, he gets demolished there by none other than Ganondorf, and washes up ashore, unconscious on Windfall Island, greeted by... a talking red boat! And this same boat tells him he must collect the Three Pearls of the Gods in order to gain access to the Master Sword, to finally save the kidnapped girls! This is not the whole plot of course, as I’m hiding some actual plot twists from you, the reader, buuuut I will say that while it’s not the most developed tale out there, it’s well done! But I feel like what drives this the most is certainly the art style and the characters themselves. See, I firmly believe this game has the best Link in the ENTIRE SERIES, no questions asked! He’s expressive, funny, endearing and he just looks so dang adorable! Part of his charm is definitively thanks to the situations he’s put in, but I think it’s mostly because of the game’s artstyle. IT’S BEAUTIFUL

Yes, granted, it’s not nearly as detailed as many games you’ve probably played, but the cartoony style they chose for Wind Waker really makes the locales pop out, and made the slapstick in the game that much more endearing! Plus, some of those shots just look, well, breathtaking really.

Speaking of character expressions and slapstick, I also believe Wind Waker possesses a very memorable set of NPCs as well! Be it the employee in the battleship game with his twofaced personality, or anyone involved in the many sidequests all over the islands, I’ve built lots of memories just traveling all around the sea, reading and delivering letters, just to get to know those people more! And it turned out that a good chunk of them gave me a good time!

Well, let’s talk about those travels, shall we? Wind Waker got (in?)famous over the years for having sailing. Lots of it. And especially in the original Gamecube version, it made travelling slow and boring to some as a result. Basically, you needed to constantly change the direction of the wind in order to travel as quickly as you could. Suffice to say, switching the wind’s directions this often got irksome pretty quickly : P Thankfully, the HD port on the Wii U does give you an optional Fast Sail in a side quest! As early as the second island in the game! Which means that those who found the sailing unbearable in the original will have a better experience ^^ But regardless, there’s a lot of sailing in this game, which is what replaces running/rolling around on the overworld. And instead of having different regions, they’re all replaced by 49 islands of different sizes and importance! And this is where my BOTW comparison will shine~ I think this game is pretty close in spirit to Breath of the Wild in some ways. Sure, unlike in that game, you’re locked to a certain sequence of items/dungeon/progression, just like a classic Zelda experience! BUT! Wind Waker also allows you to explore 40+ non-important islands, and sailing between them in anticipation of what you might find there is suuuuch a good feeling! Plus, there’s many treasure chests to loot (both major and minor) while you’re travelling on the big blue. Due to how much you can find in your way off the main quest - while being far away from the suggested path the game wants you to do at the moment - gives this game a very open feeling despite still having a linear quest to it! And I think this element of discovery and exploration in a linear format - coupled with the great visuals and ambience the sailing offered - made this game so, so, so much fun to play <3

But what about the gameplay and dungeons themselves? Well thankfully, they’re both quite good as well! What I like most is how much of an improvement swordplay got compared to Ocarina of Time. Not only are the enemies generally more diversified in strategies and design, Link also received many new moves to his arsenal, and those made combat so much more intense and exciting! Though it did make the game very easy overall thanks to having so many options... alongside you not taking very much damage for most of the game :P Still, the dungeons made up for this! They’re quite fun and pretty well paced, and each offer some quite nice ambience as well! Although I will say that the late part of the game has two dungeons with pretty similar concept, which while fun in their own right, did feel a little uninspired despite them having clever puzzles :/ On a semi unrelated note, the intro sequence at the Forsaken Fortress has you playing a stealth sequence, and you coming back to it later while able to defend yourself was a high point for me!

I do want to leave a quick note about the music, and honestly? It’s pretty great as well! Like I pointed out earlier, the dungeons create some very fitting atmosphere, but as soon as you’re outside them, many of the main islands have some very pretty, energetic music that is PERFECT for a Zelda game (especially Dragon Roost Island), and the Great Sea theme is very adventurous and grandiose, which motivates you even more to set out and explore! Though it’s somewhat strange that many smaller locations have no music at all, which makes sense to be fair, since those islands are usually pretty small from the outside ^^

Overall? I expected to only like this game, but I ended up adoring it! The Wind Waker is a marvelous journey that leaves a lot open to the player about how they approach the game, while still giving you enough of a compass to never be lost! And a competent story with charming characters and great music certainly help to make that adventure all the more memorable! Though I suggest you all should play the HD version if you can, since it has the fast sail and better looks. BUT, it also heavily tones down the infamous lategame Triforce fetch quest. (While it did not make much sense story-wise since you could just do spoiler without it before, I didn’t find it all that bad in the HD version since you can do some of it before having completed all other dungeons in the game ^^ But yes, HD or not, this is a grand adventure! Play it! 9/10

#zelda #wind waker #review #neokad #gaming

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