BailerAppleby's recent activity
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentMy final rant about Bendy and the Ink Machine: I'd say the only proper way to play this game is to go into it with the story spoiled for you. And, without a shred of proof, I'd say part of the...My final rant about Bendy and the Ink Machine: I'd say the only proper way to play this game is to go into it with the story spoiled for you. And, without a shred of proof, I'd say part of the reason behind the success of this burgeoning, inter-connected, young-adult franchise is that these mouth-breathing, chicken-jockeyed, robux-depleted crotch goblins are introducing it to each other with spoilers in hand.
But seriously: the kids are all right. When they tell you, "Mr. @kfwyre, you are the goat," take it as a compliment.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentLore was never really a thing before. Then, the internet happened. Then nerds began to consolidate their power. And then as if correcting people wasn't enough, now nerds go out of their way to...Lore was never really a thing before. Then, the internet happened. Then nerds began to consolidate their power. And then as if correcting people wasn't enough, now nerds go out of their way to make excuses for problems that no one cared about before. And now we have lore in its current form that has manifested its pustulating form as Gulp Shitto which, as hilarious as ice cream makers are, marks a terrifying turn for art. Because now the art itself doesn't matter. Bullshit does.
I thought Bendy and the Ink Machine was okay. Not worth a recommendation, but interesting. I'm glad I held out until the end when things finally got interesting, but I didn't enjoy a lot of my time getting there. I love shooting the shit about games and whatnot, theorizing and naming callbacks after the fact, but that doesn't replace the game experience itself.
But, now there's a growing importance in nerd culture on things that didn't happen instead of the things that did. Like, what? There was a whole game there; can't we focus on the experience of combat, the experience of exploration, on telling a story that isn't so closely influenced by a single source, instead of offloading its significance as being part of something else?
Sorry, I guess this is a rant. And it's not like you were arguing with me. I guess I have unfinished words left to say about Bendy. All the same, thanks for the providing context; I know of Five Nights at Freddy's, but largely missed out on the phenomenon. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think lore is fine as a world-building device, but it shouldn't be integral to the understanding and appreciation of something. That Bendy should have devoted its time to making a game that's interesting to play instead of one that's more interesting to talk about.
I shouldn't have to bore my way to the end of a disgusting grind to know that the frustration of my experience was all part of a grander scheme of the auteur. Because if I wanted to do that, I can just go watch Dogville again.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby Link Parentthumbsupuponbeingloweredintomoltenmetalasboycries.gifthumbsupuponbeingloweredintomoltenmetalasboycries.gif
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentTo me as a mostly neophyte to VNs, playing Hatoful Boyfriend is like someone watching the reverse episode of Seinfeld as their first episode. You get to enjoy all the cliches and tropes without...To me as a mostly neophyte to VNs, playing Hatoful Boyfriend is like someone watching the reverse episode of Seinfeld as their first episode. You get to enjoy all the cliches and tropes without the need to become familiar with them through hours upon hours of play. It's a fantastic deconstruction that remains true to form all while staying true to heart, avoiding the cynicism and jadedness that often accompanies satire. Thank you so much for letting me play this! I would have likely missed this game if it weren't for you.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentHey dude, thank you very much for allowing me to play this game! It was very interesting, to say the least, and had been on my radar for awhile. I've likewise enjoyed other games you've given me...Hey dude, thank you very much for allowing me to play this game! It was very interesting, to say the least, and had been on my radar for awhile. I've likewise enjoyed other games you've given me like Hatoful Boyfriend and Road Redemption, the latter of which is probably too difficult for me to ever finish, even though I love the combat in it. Much appreciated! Before this month is out, I look to play more games I've received through Tildes, and your games may be a part of this Backlog Backburner! Maybe Proteus or Generation Zero, we'll see.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentI've finally "finished" (more to come on that) Bendy and the Ink Machine, having gotten to the ending, which changes everything, and changes nothing. It's a cryptic ending full of suggestion that...I've finally "finished" (more to come on that) Bendy and the Ink Machine, having gotten to the ending, which changes everything, and changes nothing. It's a cryptic ending full of suggestion that makes for great dialog after the fact, an ending which is better that the rest of the game.
First up: Thank you @Wes for the recommendation. It may not have been what I wanted, but it certain was what I got. I was interested in this game for awhile, and you helped me get there sooner than later. I didn't find this game fun, but I did find it interesting, which is almost as good as fun, and sometimes better.
My prediction came true: it does turn to color, finally. And there is a bonafide person in it, human and all. It turns out there is a "UI' for health as seen by the ink stains that cover the edges of your screen, so I was wrong about that. And there is an ending that almost makes up for everything, but not quite. It encourages you to play again under new conditions that allow you to see the game from a new perspective, but it remains that I don't want to play it again, making said mechanism irrelevant.
Spoilers: Ending to **Bendy and the Ink Machine**
The ending happens in the real world, as denoted by its colored palette. You meet the boss, Joey, who voices his dissatisfaction that you, Henry, left the studio 30 years ago, thereby answering the question why this whole game happened in the first place. Some interpretations have this as a punishment in which Henry is sent to relive this adventure over and over in this game; this makes a lot of sense as there is no actual *ending* to this game as you beat the Ink Demon final boss but receive no finality, no conclusion.This makes this more Joey's story than Henry's story, one that isn't fulfilling to play, just a mystery to figure
out. So then it begs to be asked: Why make this game like this? Why offload every interesting thing into this game into its last few minutes, and into the following playthrough? Why make Henry's punishment the player's?There's something to be said for interesting games. Stories with cryptic endings and obtuse characters can make for interesting dialog. But they don't necessarily make for fun games. So if your game is better talked about than played, it deserves its diminished reputation as an overlooked gaming oddity that may make the bottom of some streamer's checklist ten years from now. It's a mystery that deserves to be spoiled, since it's a game that doesn't deserve to be played.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby Link Parent@Wes, the eating is just so damn good when it comes to trash. I was looking forward to playing Bendy and the Ink Machine. It seemed like an adventure game with a specific art style that would be a...how much trash eating you end up doing
@Wes, the eating is just so damn good when it comes to trash.
I was looking forward to playing Bendy and the Ink Machine. It seemed like an adventure game with a specific art style that would be a nice kick in the balls to animation icon Mickey Mouse. And it is. What I didn't expect is that it would be poorly designed and unenjoyable.
I'm still not at the end; I probably have one more chapter to go; but video games shouldn't gatekeep their premium content for the end. The game has been a slog up to this point, and largely unrewarding. Maybe the ending will swoop in and save everything, but no ending can excuse these types of criticisms.
Art Style: Bendy uses a two-tone art style that is a clear callback to the animation style of the 20s. And it keeps going with it. Again. And again. There is no variation. I don't need levels to take place on a Sand World and an Ice World, neither am I longing for a mandatory underwater level. Things should look different as the story develops, but it doesn't. It's the same thing, and it becomes monotonous. And lest we forget: Bendy employs a simple sepia-tinged palate and a lot of shadows. It's either dark and murky, or very dark and murky. What was a feast for the eyes at first becomes a bitter pill to swallow later.
World Building 1: The premise is that the protagonists gets a call to go back to the animation studio where he worked, and shenanigans ensue. The problem is that the art style is applied to the place that he works. You'd think that there'd be some setup that the hero fell into a magic ink well and crossed over into this other world where you could live inside a cartoon, but no. We're somehow supposed to believe that this animation studio didn't just make cartoons, it looked like it too. Maybe it could have been the hero coming back to be surprised at how much his past workplace has changed, but no. He's like, "Hey, it's my old workspace."
World Building 2: I'm very gullible and suspending my disbelief is usually no problem for me, but this was egregious. Like c'mon, do the Tron to derez him so we can have Cool World/Who Framed Roger Rabbit? types of hijinx. And for manifesting cartoons to real life, not much was done with this. It just happens, and you roll with it. It would have been so much more impactful for the guy to go back to his old work place, activate the genre-enabler that explained that he's living in a cartoon, and then bring the cartoon people in. Instead, they shoot their shot from the get-go, making for a art style that overstays its welcome.
Furthermore, I was wrong about there not being any other people. But I was right to say that this game will copy a lot of...
Bioshock Influences: Way too many. Too many to count, too many to make into a drinking game. You have the art deco style, people dealing with craziness by wearing masks, setting up macabre tableaus with creepy mannequins, staircase marquee signs (stand at the bottom, look up to be impressed), flooded hallways and staircases, pipes and dials, it just goes on and on. Bioshock was profoundly influential, but this goes way past homage and tribute and straight into serial killer idolatry. Like read a book, go to the gallery, be influenced by something else.
Dying and Low Stakes: So I was wrong about not being able to die. But I was right to say that combat sucks. There's very little strategy, you either die, or you don't. The same happens when you're chased by the Indestructible-Monster-of-the-Level. The hallways are narrow, there are few places to hide, so you just accept dying since you respawn without any real penalty. Really takes the tension out of it.
Maybe the ending will make it all worth it. But probably not. And not much can wash away these issues. My dissatisfaction with Bendy and the Ink Machine is "Why? Why make this game? Why make it the way it is?" Because it's lack of focus in being an adventure or in being an action game or in being a puzzle game make it nothing in the end. It's an adventure game that has you squinting in the dark because it's supposed to be scary, but dying doesn't mean anything as there is no penalty but you'll be doing a lot of that anyways since there's no strategy to winning fights.
Some games I can totally excuse if there is one idea or experience or art style that makes it all worth it. Sure, the game is buggy, it crashes, it's ugly, it's slow... but there's one redeeming factor that makes for a charming experience. And Bendy and the Ink Machine isn't it.
What's with that terrible name, too? Did this game have a Top 40 hit that I didn't know about?
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentYou Suck at Parking is a blast; you should play that next. It's like controlling a Resident Evil OG-character on rocket roller skates. I will say that the single player is mainly just practice for...You Suck at Parking is a blast; you should play that next. It's like controlling a Resident Evil OG-character on rocket roller skates. I will say that the single player is mainly just practice for you to git gud to compete in the online multiplayer which was still busy the last I played it. Basically all worth it to win hats for your car to wear. Sombrero!
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby LinkHere's my bingo card at the beginning of week 2: Bingo card Flux Standard bingo 6/25 Popular game you never got around to playing Uses a unique control scheme ✅ Hatoful Boyfriend.. (@cheep_cheep)...Here's my bingo card at the beginning of week 2:
Bingo card
Flux Standard bingo 6/25 Popular game you never got around to playing Uses a unique control scheme Focuses on relationships
✅ Hatoful Boyfriend.. (@cheep_cheep)Came out more than 9 years ago Your friend loves it Has been played at a Backlog Burner Has driving You have to tinker to get it running
✅ The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia.. (@phoenixrises)It’s already installed Adaptation of other media type (e.g. board game, movie) From a different culture or country From a genre you don’t normally play
✅ The Shapeshifting Detective.. (@kfwyre)★ Wildcard Chosen for you by someone else
✅ Bendy and the Ink Machine.. (@cheep_cheep)Known for its real-world drama
✅ Not Tonight 2 (@CannibalisticApple)You control a party of characters You wanted it when you were younger Owned for more than 4 years Is beatable without killing any enemies
✅ Atmasphere (@kfwyre)Is one of the oldest games you own Released in the year you joined Tildes Has cards Focuses on exploration Has a score system From a series you have played Lots of new additions, but the only two true completed ones are Not Tonight 2 and Atmasphere. All the same, here's my progress report on the other games:
The Shapeshifting Detective: It just doesn't want me to play it. I don't really want to play it. The game keeps crashing on me, so I will switch computers to see if the playing improves, and my enjoyment of it improves.
Hatoful Boyfriend: I've now done two complete playthroughs of this game, and what a ride! Got caught up with a scooter gang that terrorizes the streets by obeying all traffic laws, and got roped into fighting an Eldritch-type monstrosity in an RPG end-boss finale with a Dox Quixote-inspired hero. Again: all with birds. Pigeons, mostly. Truly, an inspired take on a well-trodden genre. For the purposes of this bingo card and discussion, I'm going to consider this completed, and try to get all the ending on my own time.
The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia: I'm also going to consider this complete for the reason that there's no way I can complete it this month. As said before, I'm going to have to practice in order to progress on this very difficult game of which bullet hell--a genre I'm terrible at--is half of the game.
Bendy and the Ink Machine: Finally, the one progress I have that is going great and will likely bring about a completion is this game, another one that comes compliments of @cheep_cheep. It's going swimmingly after about an hour, and although I don't normally write about the games I play before I complete them, I get the sense that I know that Bendy is going to be: a suspense story that works with less is more right up to the very end.
It happened at the first creepy moment when a cardboard cutout is put in the middle of the hallway when your back is turned. It was totally creepy since you don't know what it is; it could be an in-game enemy since you haven't seen any yet, and everything is new. But no, it is just what it is, a cardboard cutout. It was then when I knew I would not see another human being in this game, kind of like Firewatch. Later, I was quickly proven wrong when you briefly see a guy and you think you'll get to talk to him, but then the game takes that away by having him mysteriously disappear.
I could be wrong (I'll just have to play the game to find out), but Bendy and Firewatch seem to be both games that depend heavily on their artstyle and the sense of isolation; they build these unique worlds that beg to be explored, and they are just for you. No one else. Yes, there were other people in Firewatch but they were a) on the radio b) those girls across the lake and too small to see c) so hyped up by the story that any manifestation of the character by the character will be a letdown. Seeing that the enemies are ink people and that your main interaction with expository characters is through Bioshock-inspired tape deck audio logs, my pre-completion bet is that there will be no other human characters in this game.
I had no preconceptions about this game before playing it. I knew it would be heavily inspired by 20's era "white glove" cartoon characters, but didn't think it would be a walking-simulator-cum-adventure game stuck riffing on a single art style. It's cool, to be sure, but not something I'd recommend or find very memorable.
Since I've made a prediction, why not make a few more to see how wrong I can get:
- Suspense games aren't anything without a big reveal. My prediction is that the big reveal isn't so much to do with story or character (Joey is evil?) but with art style. C'mon, they're holding back for a reason. This B&W game is going to burst into color when the old battles the new.
- Although I find it overused, I do enjoy the occult twist. Having descended to the music department from the art department, I fully expect the writing department to have been consulting the Necronomicon for the inspiration to Bendy's next movie.
- Bioshock makes too good of an impression to just have one inspiration. I'm predicting there will be another Bioshock-type influence: hacking game, turret, character betrayal. I'm already fishing for keys out of wastepaper baskets; I fully expect to be eating out of them to replenish my health.
One nitpick: if there's combat, then you can die, and if you can die, the player needs to be informed through an onscreen UI. Yet, I bet this game skimps out on health completely and won't let you die, but I'll try not to test that out.
'Nuff talking. Back to the games.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentI may not show up on moving day when your pivotless chesterfield is stuck in the stairway. I may be late for dinner during bad commuting days. But in no way will I let you down with a game reco....I may not show up on moving day when your pivotless chesterfield is stuck in the stairway. I may be late for dinner during bad commuting days. But in no way will I let you down with a game reco. Nuh-uh, no way. I am here for you, @CannibalisticApple, ride or die, especially after you gave me this game.
I, too, was put off by the suffocating linearity of the game, as I am by its short length. I did want to talk more about the game (in my review and to you), but I try to hold back and not talk too much about it so that it remains a surprising experience who go through with it. That said, I really wish this was a boomer shooter where you can take out hordes of demonic coworkers with a well-placed shotgun "No!", but this isn't that kind of game. In any way.
Not to hype it up too much, but it's great that this type of outlier can stand out in a sea of generic games, ones that are considered better by the number of sequels it has iterated on. It's great to see games have messages and not be afraid to go political (cough cough Not Tonight 2 goes hard in the paint on that one). I just found it to be way more than I ever expected.
It's not for everyone, but I believe Say No! More appeals to anyone who has worked in an office. It rails against the tyranny of LinkedIn culture, of bosses who don't allow employees to set up any safe limitations.
I am sorry that I took away your initial chance to play this game, but am glad that you, too, are able to Say! No! More!
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of May 3 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentNot to put words in your mouth, but it seems like you're saying that all breakfast foods matter... VR will remain virtual for me, for the time being. I think games should be more immersive and...an entire pantheon of amazing breakfast foods
Not to put words in your mouth, but it seems like you're saying that all breakfast foods matter...
VR will remain virtual for me, for the time being. I think games should be more immersive and provoking rather than be concerned with higher graphical fidelity, and a lot of indie VR games seem to follow this. It also seems like a cool alternate peripheral, meaning to do real things in a virtual world, like watch movies or surf the internet or something.
Anyways, thanks to your glowing recommendation, I think I will check out Dawnsbury Days from the Fanatical bundle. I thought it was a game about cults or some MLM since it had a large polyhedron as its logo. But no, it's about tabletop gaming, which is totally not like those things at all.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby (edited )Link ParentThe bingo card to date (complete and incomplete games added, the latter marked with '..'): Bingo card Flux Standard bingo 5/25 Popular game you never got around to playing Uses a unique control...- Exemplary
The bingo card to date (complete and incomplete games added, the latter marked with '..'):
Bingo card
Flux Standard bingo 5/25 Popular game you never got around to playing Uses a unique control scheme Focuses on relationships
✅ Hatoful Boyfriend..Came out more than 9 years ago Your friend loves it Has been played at a Backlog Burner Has driving You have to tinker to get it running
✅ The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibia..It’s already installed Adaptation of other media type (e.g. board game, movie) From a different culture or country From a genre you don’t normally play
✅ The Shapeshifting Detective..★ Wildcard Chosen for you by someone else Known for its real-world drama
✅ Not Tonight 2You control a party of characters You wanted it when you were younger Owned for more than 4 years Is beatable without killing any enemies
✅ AtmasphereIs one of the oldest games you own Released in the year you joined Tildes Has cards Focuses on exploration Has a score system From a series you have played I am very pleased to say that my switch to the new control scheme and a bit of relearning has led to some snappy progress with Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibia. I've managed to beat the nun mini-boss in the convent, something that was an impassable roadblock before. The problem is, even though I'm no fighting the controls, Textorcist is a hard as balls game. Even though there's a book-dropping mechanic that allows you to take hits indefinitely, this remains a difficult bullet hell game -- and I'm notoriously bad at this game. It seems like I'm less than halfway through the game, so this will not be a game than requires completion. I feel like my breakthrough with this game is with the controls (a godsend considering I was hurting my hands before), so this has been added to the bingo card.
I'm not one of the crowd that wants video games to be more like movies. Cutscenes aside, I am firmly of the belief that games should be games. They need a level of artifice to them. They need persistent UIs, numbers going up that appear in thin air, and stupid dialog that bring the necessary levity. This is one of the reasons why I don't like FMV games. I want a level of abstraction to my games. I don't want to play a movie.
Daring myself to push the limits past my safe boundaries, I decided to give The Shapeshift Detective a try, a game generously gifted to me by the magnanimous and buoyant @kfwyre, making this one of the many games from him/her that I have had the pleasure to play.
My first impressions quickly satisfied my preconceived notions. The game contained a janky narrative flow inherent to most interactive fiction. Lighting and makeup looked bad. Performances were amateurish and hacky. And, very relevant to our discussion, your interaction with the game was largely clumsy and obtuse. You'd run through dialog choices until they were exhausted, asking the usual interview questions of who, what, where. Your choice of lines were largely short, snappy questions that were somehow able to provoke deep, long-lasting introspections of your interviewee, making a case that "But why?" is some kind of checkmate-enabling, board-flipping retort that is somehow assertive enough to mark the end of an act in some back-alley Rashomon retelling.
But then the title happened. Distilled into its most effective elevator pitch, The Shapeshifting Detective features the game concept where the player gets to inhabit different roles, but retain the same perspective. Smart enough to avoid explaining why, the game quickly jumps into this premise, allowing the player to interview the same suspects as different people, thereby getting different responses from them. I gotta say, the game opens up a lot by doing this, making previous transgressions forgivable, as are the numerous game-breaking bugs I encountered (the game often freezes in between sections when playing on Steam Deck; may have to shapeshift my device in order to continue).
Will continue to see how this goes, and will try playing it to conclusion, but maybe not.
On the other hand, Hatoful Boyfriend, a game to which I owe my gratitude to the generous @cheep_cheep, has been a joy to play from the start. I'm not big on visual novels; I honestly believe genre fans get the majority of their satisfaction not from the story but from being able to advance the story one push at a time. I also don't understand many of the popular Japanese fiction subgenres. But it doesn't matter with this game that does such a good job with satire that it makes everyone in on the joke.
It's all there: High school drama. Teen heartthrobs. Stereotypical archetypes. Stuttering denoting awkwardness. A daily cycle of choosing classes and clubs to join. All that, but in a world populated by birds. At a school populated by birds. With a plucky female protagonist who falls in love with a bird. It's fantastic, amazing presentation, not an amateurish bone in its feathered soul. Anybirdy can see that the dev has an incredible eye for VNs, reveling in the limitations they set for themselves (no animations or facial expressions) while directing the narrative flow with aplomb -- every transition, every fadeout, every screenshake, every sound effect, every background music choice -- everything is so well done, the story just moves along at a bouncy clip, making for a frictionless story experience.
From my short and incomplete playthrough, it seems like the game is a boyfriend simulator that allows you to date all the birds you meet through the choices you make over a recurring routine that takes you through the second year of a coming-to-age young hunter-gatherer lass looking to find her wings in this world of hard landings. I can tell there's a lot of replayability as different choices will unlock different story elements, requiring you to pay attention to specific story beats.
Not sure which came first, my admiration or my recommendation, but I'm glad to crow about it. Can't wait to continue this delightfully pheasant game, no need to egg me on.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of May 3 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentCopycat definitely looks interesting. Cat as playable character has definitely taken the lead in recent video games. Can't remember the name of it, but there's a cat RPG where you can raise and...Copycat definitely looks interesting. Cat as playable character has definitely taken the lead in recent video games. Can't remember the name of it, but there's a cat RPG where you can raise and family and go on adventures; you know, kind of like what cats already do on their own. As well, Creatures of Ava also looks intriguing, thanks for the recommendation.
Part of the reason I post these bundles is to find recommendations and work up the nerve to purchase them. I feel like Humble Bundles aren't doing it for me, though I am interested in their Mecha bundle.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of May 3 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentHow dare you, sir. I thought this place was open-minded, but it's clear as day that there are those VR-ascended individuals among you who can not restrain their contempt for the rest of us feeble...pancake games
How dare you, sir. I thought this place was open-minded, but it's clear as day that there are those VR-ascended individuals among you who can not restrain their contempt for the rest of us feeble monitor-and-screen-tethered lesser beings. I would be more shocked, but this kind of place is what happens when you leave the barn door open and let any VR-head-mounted person walk straight in.
Next, my earnest and probing VR questions:
- Do you set up a monitor in your play space so that an audience who aren't in the 'verse can follow along?
- If there's nobody around to watch, do you turn the monitor on anyways?
And finally, the confession:
- If I could afford it, I would buy a VR set.
- I would probably buy it even if using VR gave me a wicked headache.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby (edited )Link ParentYou don't go into detail about your game idea, but if it's anything like Textorcist, you should totally follow through on it. I love what they did with it, but there is lots to explore here as...You don't go into detail about your game idea, but if it's anything like Textorcist, you should totally follow through on it. I love what they did with it, but there is lots to explore here as they don't fully explore the concept. Typing games need invigoration; most games follow the "type words as they fly past to kill enemies" which is tedious and nothing like typing; we totally need more games like Textorcist that bring innovation to a stagnant genre.
I don't know what SSH is, but if it pays well with benefits I'm down for anything.
SSH Job Interviewer: Please tell me about your relevant past professional experience with SSH.
Me: Have you heard about this game called Textorci-
SSH Job Interviewer [interrupts]: Say no more. [makes a giant checkmark on his noteboard with an oversized, Donald Trump-approved grip-appropriate Sharpie pen] -
Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of May 3 in ~games
BailerAppleby LinkFanatical Build Your Own Killer Bundle 5 games for $5.75. Includes some bangers like Baldur's Gate and the very fun Double Dragon Gaiden. Seems decent. Apparently, it's bundle season (again), so...Fanatical Build Your Own Killer Bundle
5 games for $5.75. Includes some bangers like Baldur's Gate and the very fun Double Dragon Gaiden. Seems decent. Apparently, it's bundle season (again), so look for more of these in the near future if this does not float your boat.
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Comment on Space Hauler | Announcement trailer in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentFor sure. Because, if for no other reason, clones are a natural fit for unions.For sure. Because, if for no other reason, clones are a natural fit for unions.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentWith two games completed, I've been searching for a new game and started playing The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibia again, a game I received courtesy of the gracious @phoenixrises. I had...With two games completed, I've been searching for a new game and started playing The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibia again, a game I received courtesy of the gracious @phoenixrises. I had written before in a weekly "What games have you been playing writeup" in which I praised this typing-cum-bullet-hell mashup for its innovation, but lamented that its poor control scheme greatly enhanced its already lofty difficulty.
Well, no more. I'm pleased to announce that this game is my latest entry to the bingo tile for "You have to tinker to get it running". That's because I kept changing the control scheme and have finally found one that actually works and doesn't hurt my hands.
For anyone interested: Don't use the arrow keys for movement and the letter keys for typing. Instead, you want your hands in the same position so you can can type words or move at will. Change the control bindings so that, in conjunction with pressing down the Shift key, make these custom bindings for movement:
- 'I' for up
- 'J' for left
- 'K' for down
- 'L' for right
I had tried it with WASD, but you'd need to change hand position. I also tried shifting it one over to the right (i.e. ESDF instead of WASD) but it didn't feel natural since I was accustomed to WASD. So, I flipped controls over to the right hand with the given bindings. So far, it has been fantastic; it's much more natural without causing stress or discomfort to the hands.
And here's where it gets weird. I know to progress in this game, I'll need to train using this new binding with which I'm not familiar. I'll need to practice before it becomes natural enough to take on the actually difficult bosses in this game. But as I love typing games and love the supernatural/tough guy priest premise, this charming pixel art fusion mashup makes it not a chore to keep practicing.
Will let you know how it goes, and how Bendy works out after I install it. Thanks for all the support, everyone! I've been wanting to tackle my backlog of Tilde-gifted games, and really hope to accomplish that this month.
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Comment on Space Hauler | Announcement trailer in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentMaybe there won't be a need if the loading times be hefty. There could be an elevator between planets, for instance.speed up travel times
Maybe there won't be a need if the loading times be hefty. There could be an elevator between planets, for instance.
To complete the bingo tile "Owned for more than 4 years", I was forced to choose a game outside of my original parameters of only choosing games received through Tildes, and that game was Doki Doki Literature Club. Yes, I've been hanging on to it; this playthrough has been long overdue; and I've been very successful at not reading anything about the game and going in cold.
It's simply impossible to talk about this game without spoiling it for others, so my unredacted comments on the game are:
My thoughts on the game that include spoilers
Wow. Really impressed by this tour de force. It really understood the limitations of its genre, and then broke all the rules, leaving the player with a sense of anxiety and apprehension that really befits the horror genre. Like, I fully expected the dev to create a 3D model that will climb out of the screen.I had already heard rumblings that this game had heavy themes, but did not know about the meta commentary and fourth wall breaking. Really implemented well.
I had a lot of trouble making it through the first part of the game because I don't like VNs for their verbosity. I gave up on Mark Skelter (which is not a VN) because it kept prolonging the script by introducing an idea and then unnecessarily having each and every member of the party comment on it. But, in Doki Doki's case, it's all warranted. It warms up the player, schools neophytes that aren't familiar with the tropes inherent to the genre, and firmly establishes the "control" run of this cyclical storyline.
Am really impressed that this game is able to do so much with so little. Very few backgrounds. Only 4 characters. And the topic is books and poetry. Really a deft hand behind it all.
My runthrough started with Sayoki as the first victim and then Yuri as the second. I see there are other story paths to take, but there's no way I'm doing another run of this right now.
I am really glad to have played a game like this after Bendy. For obvious reasons.
Between this and Hatoful Boyfriend, it seems like I've chosen the amazing outliers that are exceptions to the norm for VNs. Wow. Great writing and design, both exceptional examples of the craft.