CannibalisticApple's recent activity
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Comment on What are the simple things in your life that you are thankful for? in ~life
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Comment on Against 'Metroidbrania': a landscape of knowledge games in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI feel like your dislike of the opening paragraph biased you, since you seem pretty focused on the author's dislike of "Metroidbrania" compared to the other points. I personally don't like that...I feel like your dislike of the opening paragraph biased you, since you seem pretty focused on the author's dislike of "Metroidbrania" compared to the other points. I personally don't like that term either, but putting aside semantics, I think the article does raise a good point about how it's not really good at describing a genre or subgenre.
Most subgenres denote specific core gameplay mechanics, especially when the name is derived from an existing game. Metroidvania games are typically platformers that involve exploring a map and unlocking new areas with items or abilities rather than beating levels. Roguelikes/roguelites have procedurally generated maps that vary with every run. Soulslikes are RPG games known for dark world-building elements and difficult combat.
There can be some unique takes and combinations with other genres, but those gameplay elements are fairly universal and will apply to most games with those labels. If a game uses one of those labels, players will have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the core gameplay.
But the games listed as “Metroidbrania” have all sorts of wildly differing gameplay. A game like Her Story is wildly different from, say, Tunic or Animal Well. I was legitimately surprised to see Inscryption come up since I know it as a deck-building game and card battler. The main connecting point is that progression is locked behind knowledge gates, but in terms of gameplay and mechanics, that can manifest in many different ways.
"Puzzle game" doesn't really fit as an umbrella term for all these knowledge-gated games either. They are puzzle games, but not all puzzle games rely on knowledge gates. I wouldn't put Portal in that category, for example, since that's not based on knowledge so much as creative thinking. To that end, I do think "knowledge" works as a good, broad term for this flavor of puzzle game since it doesn't imply any other specific gameplay elements or mechanics.
The greater takeaway I got from the article was trying to define and group the games into new subgenres based on gameplay. And right now, there's not really much language for describing these sorts of games, so finding games that scratch a particular itch can be tricky. After all, someone who enjoyed the platforming elements of Fez may not care to play solitaire in Occlude. "Database thriller" in particular stands out to me given how many games use that format.
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Comment on Hong Kong buildings blaze kills at least thirty-six people, hundreds missing in ~news
CannibalisticApple LinkThe one mercy is that the fire happened before 3, when many people would be at school or work. Seeing those clips and footage felt almost surreal, I can't imagine anyone on the higher floors...The one mercy is that the fire happened before 3, when many people would be at school or work. Seeing those clips and footage felt almost surreal, I can't imagine anyone on the higher floors surviving...
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI can confirm you need to play both previous entries before Zero Time Dilemma. It's meant to be the end to the trilogy, and directly ties into Virtue's Last Reward in particular since VLR was used...I can confirm you need to play both previous entries before Zero Time Dilemma. It's meant to be the end to the trilogy, and directly ties into Virtue's Last Reward in particular since VLR was used to set it up.
That said... Personally not a fan of ZTD. It just feels too dark and gritty compared to 999 and even VLR (which was already darker than 999), and the characters being split into three teams really limits the interactions and dynamics. There is a LOT of jumping between teams, and a lot of gruesome deaths compared to the previous games. It also didn't tie up all the threads set up by either previous game and even introduced some new questions.
Side-note, I never actually played ZTD myself, just watched a playthrough after playing VLR. I'd also watched a playthrough of 999 because I'd bought VLR on the Nintendo eshop not knowing it was a sequel. I wasn't that enthused with VLR's tone and story shift compared to 999, but I wanted closure for the characters. And... Didn't really get it. (Heck, VLR has an ending meant to set up a mysterious character to play a major role in ZTD, but it was made non-canon because apparently not many players got that ending.)
So you might want to just treat 999 as a standalone game. The tone just gets darker and grittier with each entry, and leans more into sci-fi themes. 999 works great on its own, and it's definitely my favorite of the bunch.
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Comment on US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to end all monkey research in ~science
CannibalisticApple Link ParentEthical and moral issues aside, just hearing that studies typically use 3-5 monkeys is enough to convince me the testing isn't worth it from a logistical standpoint. That's such a tiny sample...Ethical and moral issues aside, just hearing that studies typically use 3-5 monkeys is enough to convince me the testing isn't worth it from a logistical standpoint. That's such a tiny sample size, there's no way it would be able to catch all or even most reactions and responses. And that's before factoring in your point about them being used for other tests later and muddying the results.
That said, do you have any sources on that number? My cursory attempts to search for this bring up studies that can have anywhere from 40 to over one thousand NHPs, or the total number used for studies in each country (and the US apparently used 70,000 per year in recent years).
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentCongrats on the bingo! And I'm excited to see someone else playing Eastward! Seriously, it has some of the best pixel art I've seen, some scenes are genuinely gorgeous. You're fairly early so I...Congrats on the bingo! And I'm excited to see someone else playing Eastward! Seriously, it has some of the best pixel art I've seen, some scenes are genuinely gorgeous. You're fairly early so I won't say more, but I hope you enjoy the rest of it!
Actually, strike that, I'll give you one tip. There are two missable quest items in Chapter 1. I missed one, and that empty slot in that tab bothered me for the rest of the game. So make sure to investigate everything while you can! I think the one I missed is in the ruins.
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentThey mesh well in terms of gameplay and humor. Both are story-heavy games and rooted in logic and reasoning rather than mechanic-related skills, so they're a good combination compared to some...They mesh well in terms of gameplay and humor. Both are story-heavy games and rooted in logic and reasoning rather than mechanic-related skills, so they're a good combination compared to some crossovers. The biggest roadblock is that I'm pretty sure the Layton games are in the 1900's with light fantasy and steampunk elements, while Ace Attorney is set in a modern-ish era with some supernatural stuff. So they went with a literal third option and had them all somehow sucked into a book and end up in a storybook world. Works out great since it puts both casts out of their usual element, so they can mess with the formula and details without worrying about world building conflicts.
One interesting thing from the second trial is that it introduced a mechanic with multiple witnesses on the stand at once. I was surprised because I recognized it from playing the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, which were developed later. I guess the crossover was a good excuse for the developers to experiment with the usual formula and mechanics. If something didn't land right, it wouldn't reflect on the mainline entries.
Funnily enough, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma was also made to experiment with the formula without messing with the mainline games. And on that note, RF4 is widely beloved by the fanbase and seems to be considered the best one to date, so that or Azuma might be good starting points!
And interesting point about Endurance... I may very well need to mark that off! I already had to endure a long wait to unlock new romance events locked behind story progression so that's gotta count for something...
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentOoh, love to see a Pokémon game on here! Ultra Moon is a good choice, I think Gen 7 has legitimately the best games since the franchise moved to 3D graphics. You can feel the cut content in the...Ooh, love to see a Pokémon game on here! Ultra Moon is a good choice, I think Gen 7 has legitimately the best games since the franchise moved to 3D graphics. You can feel the cut content in the other games (XY and Sword/Shield are particularly bad), but the Gen 7 games feel complete. They got to include almost everything they'd intended in Sun/Moon, and then add more for the Ultra games.
I read that Gamefreak had a team of newer employees work on Ultra Sun/Moon while the veterans worked on the Switch games, and I feel like their passion and excitement about working on a Pokémon game really shined through. There are countless little details and side quests. I was grinning like a loon for a good chunk of it. (Also, Mantine Surfing is addicting...)
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentWar Thunder comes to mind with all the leaked military secrets from the playerbase. So does Pokémon, Mario, Grand Theft Auto, Night Trap... Lots of options if you start looking into controversial...War Thunder comes to mind with all the leaked military secrets from the playerbase. So does Pokémon, Mario, Grand Theft Auto, Night Trap...
Lots of options if you start looking into controversial and banned games!
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Comment on The DoorDash problem: How AI browsers are a huge threat to Amazon in ~tech
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI think it's more to avoid spending time comparing options. I have personally spent a lot of time browsing listings on Amazon for relatively simple products before just removing it from the cart...I think it's more to avoid spending time comparing options. I have personally spent a lot of time browsing listings on Amazon for relatively simple products before just removing it from the cart entirely and resolving to buy it at a store because there's just too many options. Something about being able to see the reviews just adds to the choice paralysis because I get in the mindset of finding something that's a good quality and affordable.
That, and it also lets people just avoid browsing the sites for other products, or feel compelled to buy more so they can qualify for free shipping or some other deal the site tells you about. I won't use AI, but I get the convenience it can provide some people.
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple LinkMode: Custom Bingo! Finished 21/24 Transformation ✅ Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma ✅ Eastward ✅ Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ✅ Katamari Damacy Reroll ✅ Haustoria ✅ Eastward ✅...Mode: Custom Bingo! Finished 21/24 Transformation Restoration
✅ Rune Factory: Guardians of AzumaConnection
✅ EastwardChange
✅ Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright: Ace AttorneyQuantity
✅ Katamari Damacy RerollManeuver
✅ HaustoriaLove
✅ EastwardFaith
✅ Agatha KnifeErosion
✅ EastwardPerspective
✅ Agatha KnifeOrganization
✅ Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright: Ace AttorneyRecursion
✅ Eastward★ Emergence
✅ PushmoTruth
✅ Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright: Ace AttorneyEndurance Vulnerability
✅ HaustoriaDestruction
✅ EastwardHarmony
✅ Agatha KnifeUnorthodox
✅ PushmoFragmentation
✅ EastwardHappiness
✅ Agatha KnifeBalance Tradition
✅ Agatha KnifeFight
✅ Rune Factory: Guardians of AzumaNew week, and I've added two games! I haven't completed either yet, and honestly doubt I will before the month ends. But I do intend to beat both!
Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a game I'm slowly working through on my 3DS. Emphasis on slowly, I'm still in Chapter 1 (after playing a two-part prologue, it switches between games). It's wonderfully silly, as expected of each franchise, though it is a bit odd to see the characters together given the different art styles. I feel like the most important characters so far use the Ace Attorney design style (at least for the eyes), so that's interesting to note.
Given the nature of the game, some of the puzzles have plenty of Organization involved. Similar logic for Change, but that's also because the games had to change things up a bit to work as a crossover. For example, Phoenix changed careers after the prologue! And both games ultimately place a big emphasis on discovering the Truth. So, that was an easy one to choose.
The other game I've marked is Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma on my Switch. I got pretty far into the main story, but I got sidetracked by other things and unfortunately fell off. Which is personally extra frustrating to me because despite having played every Rune Factory game to date, I have yet to actually complete one. So I WILL complete this one!! I'm a bit rusty, but I'm getting the hang of the combat controls again!
It's an RPG so of course I crossed off Fight. Another part of the game includes purifying blight across the land and working to revive and empower gods, so I also crossed off Restoration. I'm kind of tempted to also cross off Balance too, since balance can refer to restoring the natural balance, but... we'll see.
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Comment on Shock discovery reveals sea urchins are basically 'all brain' in ~science
CannibalisticApple Link ParentWe don't even have a concrete sign to identify pain in humans, let alone other organisms. At the most basic level, the purpose of pain is to alert living organisms that something is wrong and thus...We don't even have a concrete sign to identify pain in humans, let alone other organisms.
At the most basic level, the purpose of pain is to alert living organisms that something is wrong and thus ensure survival. It's why people born with congenital anelgesia—insensitivity to pain—tend to die young. They don't notice injuries for starters, but they also can't feel the little signs like the twinges of discomfort from a certain position putting strain on their joints and muscles. Even without getting major life-threatening injuries or infections, their bodies can break down from wear and tear far earlier than others.
To that end, some organisms may not experience pain to the extent humans do. It may be closer to the same level of discomfort from a physically stressful position rather than full-blown pain since that would still pass on the message. And for organisms that do feel "proper" pain, some species' pain tolerance as a whole might be higher than humans.
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Comment on Some people can't see mental images. The consequences are profound. in ~health.mental
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI'd say that sounds close enough to my own internal monologue, which I believe is considered "normal". I have the words, and sometimes there's a recognizable voice to it, but only when I'm being...I'd say that sounds close enough to my own internal monologue, which I believe is considered "normal". I have the words, and sometimes there's a recognizable voice to it, but only when I'm being conscious of it. It's kind of weird to think about how the "voice" is very genderless and toneless, best word I have to describe it is "invisible" despite that usually being used for visual. It's not silent, because it's there, but it's also... not.
Also, now you have me wondering about how I think of music and songs. I think my mind also puts more emphasis on vocals, but the instrumentals are there, particularly when they're a focal point of the song. The songs are definitely "simplified" though. I'm guessing anauralia (inner ear) has a whole scale like aphantasia where some people "hear" nothing, and those who hear stuff in exact detail.
For the record, as far as I know I have none of these conditions. But I just learned the name of the lack of inner monologue today (anendophasia), and that anauralia exists and is a totally separate thing from that and aphantasia. So, I have no clue what actually defines a "baseline" mind anymore because we take that stuff for granted. And now I'm wondering what if someone has all three...
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Comment on Strange YouTube watch-tracking behavior in ~tech
CannibalisticApple Link ParentThe fact it shows up without being signed in catches my attention. Do videos usually show as being watched or not logged out?The fact it shows up without being signed in catches my attention. Do videos usually show as being watched or not logged out?
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Comment on Some people can't see mental images. The consequences are profound. in ~health.mental
CannibalisticApple Link ParentSpeaking of internal monologues, there's also a condition called anendophasia where you don't have one. This one is a REALLY new discovery, from what I can find it was just formally identified...Speaking of internal monologues, there's also a condition called anendophasia where you don't have one. This one is a REALLY new discovery, from what I can find it was just formally identified last year.
And looking that up just now introduced me to anauralia, a lack of internal auditory imagery.
The human mind is seriously crazy.
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Comment on Some people can't see mental images. The consequences are profound. in ~health.mental
CannibalisticApple Link ParentNot that surprising to me. We only know our own minds, so it's hard to realize that our "normal" might be different from everyone else's unless we explicitly discuss it. And aphantasia is directly...The crazy thing to me is that it is such a recent discovery scientifically, you’d have thought this would have been known about for 100’s of years and well studied.
Not that surprising to me. We only know our own minds, so it's hard to realize that our "normal" might be different from everyone else's unless we explicitly discuss it. And aphantasia is directly tied to how we think, which is such a basic thing and would barely ever come up in casual conversations. As the article notes, even the current research started when a man lost the ability to visualize things in his mind after a surgery. Same goes for the historic cases mentioned. If someone's born with it, it most likely won't ever come up because you'd assume everyone is the same way.
The mind is a crazy thing, and psychology and neuroscience are still fairly young fields compared to other sciences. I can't guess how many other potential conditions relating to "basic" cognition or perception have yet to be discovered because people just don't think to ask or mention it.
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentYeah, I don't expect many people would be interested in playing it themselves, which is why I decided to do the whole write-up. Usually I try to keep spoilers light since sometimes people look at...Yeah, I don't expect many people would be interested in playing it themselves, which is why I decided to do the whole write-up. Usually I try to keep spoilers light since sometimes people look at these for ideas on new games to play, but this one's concept is out there enough that I'd be surprised if anyone else here had an interest in it.
That's my main concern, though I think PETA has a bit of a reputation for frivolous protests. I mean... They protested the museum in Animal Crossing. Any game with a fishing or bug catching mechanic would apparently qualify. And any monster catching game like Pokémon, Mario because of the tanuki suit, probably any game with combat where you play as an animal... A lot of their protests are more performative (seriously, the fact they went to a museum in AC means someone donated fish and bugs to get it built), so it's admittedly hard for me to take PETA complaining about games seriously.
But if someone's unfamiliar with their history, it can easily feel judgmental for the reasons you stated. I wonder if there are other big names who are known to protest games for other reasons... Maybe we could have a general "protested game" category? Because plenty of games get protested for very frivolous reasons. (Night Trap, anyone?)
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentYeah, I found it kinda funny given last time I ended up playing a bunch of games starring animals. I bought it on a whim when I saw someone play the beginning on Youtube, I don't think I would...Yeah, I found it kinda funny given last time I ended up playing a bunch of games starring animals. I bought it on a whim when I saw someone play the beginning on Youtube, I don't think I would have gotten it otherwise given the subject matter. One of the thumbnails from that channel made me think Agatha might have some regrets... She doesn't. She is very happy with the results. Not to a psychotic degree, but everyone is happy! Even the animals are clamoring to die by the end!
It's less morbid in practice than it sounds, but the concept is still definitely not one I'd usually touch (though I do love dark humor, but... Animal death). I'm still not sure what the message on butchery is, other than that I'd probably buy from Agatha's store since she does genuinely love animals and wants them to be happy before dying. She's basically an ethical butcher compared to the other animal assassin she shut down in the game.
I had a feeling this one would be pretty unique compared to most entries. And I'll make up for how unique it is by the fact that I think a good chunk of my remaining intended backlog games have already been played by others this month!
...Also I did not make that pun intentionally, but I'm cackling.
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentSo I knocked out another two! First off was Katamari Damacy Reroll. Which I saw @Wes also played last week. I'd reached the eighth star during previous playthroughs, and last night managed to...- Exemplary
So I knocked out another two!
First off was Katamari Damacy Reroll. Which I saw @Wes also played last week. I'd reached the eighth star during previous playthroughs, and last night managed to complete it. I marked it for Quantity because you're collecting as many things as possible. Not much to say about it, except that our royal father is... not a very good dad? Or king of space?? The opening still remains one of the funniest things I've seen that.
After that, I looked at the bingo card to decide my next game, and as I looked at the square for Faith, one game came instantly to mind: Faith. But I don't own that and I'm a coward at actually playing horror games, but another game also came to mind: Agatha Knife, a game I bought years ago and last played in 2017. It's an adorable point-and-click adventure game about a little girl living at a butcher shop starting a religion for animals so they won't be so terrified of death!
...Yeah, I'm going to hell for some of those squares.
Speaking of, I have a proposal for a new category for future bingos: "Games that PETA would protest". This would include Animal Crossing, every Pokémon game, and Agatha Knife. Except Agatha Knife deserves to be protested by PETA way more than those other two examples because... she's a butcher. Making a religion for animals. So that they'll be happy about dying. Also she's seven and lives in the back of a butcher shop instead of in her house, and is very annoyed at all these people who express concern about child exploitation.
If not obvious, this game has some VERY dark humor. This is definitely not a game for everyone. If you're a vegan, this game is not for you (someone actually asked if it was vegan-friendly on Steam, wtf??). If you're a bit morally uptight and don't like children in adult situations, this game is also not for you. Seriously, just look at the premise, that's pretty morbid. It's offset by Agatha, who is innocent and... not quite sweet, she can be snarky and rude to some of the adults, but she does genuinely love animals and is quite vocal about how animals should be treated well.
and also might or might not like the smell of animal blood, that was one of the options when Marilyn Manson asked if we did any drugsSo, the above is all your warning. I'm going to put a good chunk in a spoiler box now mainly because... animal death. Can't even say it's non-graphic animal death, there's only like two scenes but it does quickly show the butchering process. And also spoilers because I'm just going to spoil the entire thing this time, but mainly animal death. I kinda expect that to put some people off playing it anyway.
Seriously, final warning. Also this is LONG
So to set the scene, we play Agatha Knife, a little girl who lives and works in the abattoir of her mother's butcher shop. Agatha LOVES playing with the animals, but she hates how scared they are when it's time for her to slaughter them. Alas, the butcher shop has been down on business, so her mother takes her to pray at a church with a priest coincidentally preaching Chronodairyism. Which is all about buying wheels of cheese he receives from the Time Lord, who threatens people to buy them so their souls go to heaven after death. Yes, the word "threaten" was very explicitly used by an old lady who gives us money to buy some cheese and light a candle. I explain this only because that helps further set the tone for the game.
So I marked off Harmony because that word was explicitly used in the pitch by Marilyn Manson (yes, really) about the benefits of starting our own religion! The game opens up with him giving us a nice lecture on how we can use religion to achieve all sorts of goals, like how the preacher above had a failing cheese business. It's actually a fairly interesting look into how
cultsreligions grift people. In Agatha's case, she and her mother are worried about the butcher shop, and she wants her animal friends to stop feeling so bad. Marilyn Manson thinks it's a unique case, and after confirming we're sure we don't want to report our mother, he accepts us into his course and assigns us a mentor.So, cut to the butcher shop, with no customers again. And our mother sends us to slaughter our last pig. First we end up being teleported into the office of the Awesome Sandro, our mentor. He goes further into how religions work, and how our first big step is to make up a god. He divines the next steps via tarot reading and requests animal blood.
So we get teleported back to the butcher's shop, and slaughter the very sad and scared pig. And... Yeah, we see its entrails and part of the butchering process in a comic-style montage. It's still the same cute art style, but I can't say it's non-graphic. But we get its blood and teleport back to Sandro, who uses it to make a potion that tastes surprisingly good.
So we drink the potion and enter our imagination, and meet... The Great Bleeding Pig.* Who we only see as an ominous red shadow, and who communicates in ominous oinking noises. Then Sandro pulls us out because we spent too long talking to him, reminds us that the Great Bleeding Pig is made up, and sends us off to find a blank book to use as a sacred text for our religion, Carnivorism.
Thus begins the fetch quests as we complete task after task. Honestly, morbid themes aside, it really reminded me of the point-and-click games I'd play as a kid. Very specifically those aimed at kids, like a Madeline game. The art style and gameplay doesn't feel like adventure games geared towards adults, none of the puzzles are that obtuse and the game gives you plenty of hints. I had a guide open solely because the most annoying part was going back and forth, and I didn't want to have to travel all the way from the library to the butcher shop for a single thing I forgot again. (Still happened in the end, dang it.)
And... honestly, irreverent as the game is overall, it is pretty thought-provoking in some ways. Because in our quest to start this religion, we discover the reason we've lost all our customers is because the supermarket and a new burger bar have been buying cheaper meat from... the vet. Who gets animals from people who just say "I don't want to spend THAT much money on animals" and just abandon their pets there.
Yeah, Agatha rightfully chews him out. She makes a big point about how she slaughters animals MEANT for eating, which is totally different from animals meant to be pets! Also, that meat might be lethal. There's a guy at the diner trying the Doggy Burger challenge, and when we go back to confront the owner he's apparently dead according to Agatha's dialogue. Agatha is pretty passionate about it, ranting about she and her mom visited many farms before selecting the one with the best animals. (And, according to her mom, Agatha hugged a piglet to death at the farm they chose by squeezing it so tight she crushed it and it bled from its mouth, eyes and snout, and was apparently devastated by its death. I... now wonder if that might be the source of a bunch of Agatha's... everything.)
That said, not many adults seem to care. A good chunk of Agatha's rude and snarky remarks towards adults center around her telling them the burgers and supermarket use dog meat, and they decide they don't care. One woman even demands a burger to alter a robe to use as our holy habit, and the inventory specifically describes it as "a piece of dog in a bun".
It's... like I said, thought-provoking. Especially because one of the animals you can see at the vet's office is a guinea pig, which I know are commonly eaten in South America. The vet claims Agatha is the same as him, but she vehemently denies it and calls him an Animal Assassin. Those same words are later lobbed at Agatha by the local zoo owner, after learning Agatha's a butcher only after giving the seven-year-old an industrial meat mincer. (I swear it's not as ridiculous as it sounds—okay, no, it's ridiculous, but it's not as dark as it sounds out of context. Credit to this zoo lady, she's a vegan but still previously used the meat mincer even as the smell made her feel sick to ensure the animals had appropriate diets. Though uh... not sure a raccoon eating over 2,000 burgers in a single day is "appropriate"...)
Anyways. By that point we're mostly done with the setup. We bound a book and dipped it in blood, met the Great Bleeding Pig a second time and filled said book with his words (and it took a while, long enough for Sandro to gather food), we secured a new customer, shut down the crooked vet (good riddance), got the title to the butcher shop so we can establish the abattoir as a proper sanctuary (mother of the year everyone), got a holy habit—now we just need to gather followers!
So we go to the farm to invite animals. This involves requesting directions from our genius friend Nika who is drunk for some reason, and she spouts some cryptic riddle about praying to clowns at the circus where Sandro... works? Worked? He's part of the caravan, but according to the lion, the midgets (his word, not mine) confronted the ringmaster during a show about being paid only half as much as others, and the audience agreed they were only "half" so they got angry and cut everyone in half.
So uh, the circus tent is all blocked off and the show's probably over for good. (By the way, Agatha remarks how she never liked the circus anyway because of how they treat animals, adding further moral questions about ethics when dealing with animals in any capacity.) But there are still two clown signs, so we pray to them three times!
And then the clown signs speak because they're annoyed at Agatha for being so chatty, and then reveal they hid the farm because it was smelly and lift the fog obscuring it before leaving due to the smell.
...I knew magic existed in this game's universe because of Sandro. Hell, we'd also summoned a magic book with answers to all the great pop culture mysteries complete with lightning. But I still did NOT see that coming. I'm totally with Agatha on asking if those clowns were clown gods or something, because clown portraits shouldn't talk, or have any sorts of powers. Like she said, humans and animals speak, but signs shouldn't!
.....And I just realized I didn't emphasize that animals can speak in the game. There was this whole quest with delivering a recipe for antelope meatballs from the dad lion at the circus to the zoo where his children now live, we even got an achievement for making the dad lion happy. So yeah, animals can talk, and that made the final act finally start to feel more uncomfortable. Because this is where we actively convince these animals to come to our butcher shop to be killed.
They talk about being scared of death and the meat trucks, and we have Agatha trying to convince them that with Carnivorism they'll find eternal happiness in death. It's... a bit unnerving, won't lie, even with how they're surprisingly blase about the whole thing. Again, we are actively convincing them to agree to be killed, and this game has emphasized repeatedly that these religions are made up purely for grifting. Sandro has reminded us, repeatedly, that the Great Bleeding Pig is not real. It's like scamming, but with death instead of money, and I started to feel a bit bad about it because I'm convincing them to die for nothing. We're trying to give them a new Perspective on death and butchering that works in our favor.
The animals still agree to go to the butcher shop to see a demonstration and meet The Great Bleeding Pig, and we receive our final task: to convince one pig to become a martyr. This involves feeding said pig that potion we made at the start so he can enter our dormant imagnarium to meet the Great Bleeding Pig, because if he's so great, surely he can come to the farm he demands to have him wish him a happy birthday! His first birthday.
Seriously, the game is really hammering in how messed up this all is.
We accomplish our task though, and he races off to the butcher shop where he terrifies our mother. She's sitting by the counter in the dark, because the electricity got cut off due to unpaid bills, and she's all spooked because of the crazy pig that barreled through shortly before our arrival. I have no sympathy for that woman, she transferred the shop's title to her seven-year-old after making her do all the leg work in securing a new customer. But hey, the lack of electricity sets the ambiance perfectly in the abattoir, where hordes of animals are waiting!
So, we set up the lectern. Set up the holy book. Put on our habit. And begin the ritual.
We use the last of the blood potion to draw a circle around the feet of our martyr. We set up candles and light them. Then, Agatha asks the Great Bleeding Pig to come to the sanctuary using him as a vessel.
And the martyr rises on his hind legs, opens glowing red eyes... and glowing blood pours from his eyes, snout and mouth.
And it becomes clear then that the Great Bleeding Pig was not Agatha's imagination like Sandro thought. He is, in fact, a real being, that we have actually summoned, and whose words can only be translated by Agatha. He's actually the piglet who was killed by a hug from Agatha, and he does find genuine comfort in his death because he found that dying in her arms from that much affection to be the nicest way to go. And he wants to share that with the others by emphasizing that they can join him in this postmortem salvation by Agatha's knife and no other butcher's.
And that scene is the whole reason I made this writeup. I'd had thoughts that maybe, just maybe something was up with The Great Bleeding Pig after our first meeting, and then with the second. Then there were the examples of actual magic existing. But it still somehow took me by surprise to confirm he was actually real. And it actually made me feel a little better about the whole thing, because it confirmed there is an afterlife in this game. So we're not scamming them to die for nothing. They'd be slaughtered no matter what and they all know it, but Carnivorism gives them actual eternal happiness.
From there, we slaughter the Great Bleeding Pig in the martyr's body after asking that the martyr feels no pain, and sprinkle his sacred tears of blood upon the others. And as we begin butchering his remains, the other animals begin clamoring for their turns. A few days later, the store reopens and business is booming, life better than ever. And we get this final monologue from our heroine:
"Everything is awesome... thanks to Carnivorism. I've learnt so many things on this course... and now I'm a master of faith and religion. I know what a god is, and how to make one... I've got a sacred book that makes no sense... and I've set up a sanctuary in the butcher's. My religion is so cool. Oh, and the most important thing of all... My animals aren't afraid of me anymore! The ritual worked. They trust me now. They all want me to kill and eat them. (stomach growls) Oh... It seems like the Great Bleeding Pig wants new friends. Anyways... I'm going to spread some happiness... Because I am... Agatha Knife."
Cue Title Drop and credit screen
So, as I kept saying, it's a thought-provoking game. Lots of dark humor, but it delves into some deep themes in a fairly tongue-in-cheek way. Seriously, the way it talks about religion is just all-in on how religions are fictional and often used for greed, and then there's just all the ethics around meat and animals. Absolutely an acquired taste, but I enjoyed it. Like I said above, the simplicity of the gameplay reminded me of playing point-and-click games like Madeline more than adventure games meant for adults. I never got bogged down by frustration and could focus on the narrative and moral quandaries this game raised.
It's a fairly short game, it took me around six hours to complete, and I can recommend it if anyone does think it might be their cup of tea. Namely a willingness to put aside all discomfort with the heavy emphasis on animal death.
Also seriously, can we add a "Games that PETA would protest" category for future bingo's? Agatha Knife would be protested for fairly obvious reasons, but... well, they protested Animal Crossing because you can sell fish and bugs or donate them to the museum. And that was before New Horizons added cooking which can, in fact, use fish we catch. The standards are low. I'd love to see what other games people can find to fit that!
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Comment on How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers in ~science
CannibalisticApple Link ParentIf he has anosmia, his sense of taste is likely incredibly weak. Ben of Ben & Jerry's has it, and it's why their ice cream has so many mix-ins compared to other brands. He needed extra everything...If he has anosmia, his sense of taste is likely incredibly weak. Ben of Ben & Jerry's has it, and it's why their ice cream has so many mix-ins compared to other brands. He needed extra everything to taste anything.
That I got born into a good family. As I've grown older I've realized that my family, both immediate and extended, is a "unicorn" family. There was some messiness on one side but my parents kept me away from it so I had no idea until I reached adulthood. Even with that, there's so much love on both sides. I read about families fighting and being toxic and all sorts of other drama, and I can honestly say I would be genuinely, thoroughly shocked if anything of the sort happened.
I just got really lucky and won the parent lottery.