PancakeCats's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
PancakeCats Link ParentAnother big example of small word changes making a big difference on a characters personality can be found in Attack on Titan, with there being a distinct difference between Warriors and Soldiers...Another big example of small word changes making a big difference on a characters personality can be found in Attack on Titan, with there being a distinct difference between Warriors and Soldiers that the dubs gloss over and blanket refer to as Soldiers everytime. The reasons that difference matters are pretty late game reveals so Ill refrain from spoiling and settle for if you know, you know.
Beyond that though, I have found dubs have improved so much since I was a kid/teen first watching anime that my first watch through of most of the newer shows have often been dubs. Usually this is followed by reading the source material then switching to subs if im craving a rewatch even after running through the story twice. But in general, I think localization and VA direction has gotten much better, and/or stays closer to home to the point where at the very least most lines match the subtitles 1-1, like with Violet Evergarden. In general it's far less common for me to find those kinds of discrepancies, which makes it even harder to ignore when they do pop up. Especially when you compare to when i was a kid hearing anime characters say one thing and seeing the subs say something completely different, which was fairly ubiquitous.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentFor me, Cairn is in many ways a dream game made reality. Since i was a kid, i longed for a game that let me climb all these cool mountains and cliff faces int the games I played. I could see how...For me, Cairn is in many ways a dream game made reality. Since i was a kid, i longed for a game that let me climb all these cool mountains and cliff faces int the games I played. I could see how it could be done if I were to do it myself, but the games were never built for that so it remained this far off wish in my head for years. Other games have come close, and captured some of the magic I've been seeking, like Jusant, but as Protected said, the climbing felt limited, or to express it myself, very on rails. More an avenue to express the art and story it santed to express, rather than anything mechanically or cognitively demanding.
Cairn captures that magic i've been seeking, without question. Every wall and climb you do is a fun logic/physics puzzle of moving Aava's body in a way to keep her moving up without straining her too much. As you play on and face tougher and tougher climbs, you learn new techniques to overcome them, just by naturally coming to efficient ways to move and position her. Scouting a route and then on the fly overcoming it, it satisfies some deep primal part of my brain to keep climbing, and keep reaching ever higher. The auto selection for the limbs does sometimes feel like it's trying to kill me, but in the end its just something more for me to overcome with deliberate intent on my movement using the manual selection. (I do not see how you could do these harder climbs without manual selection, its wild to me that the devs recommended keeping it off and just using the auto selection.)
I also love how my obsession with the game is mirrored in Aava's characterization as a climbing prodigy who has a single minded obsession of climbing Kami, even at the detriment of those she holds dear. "One more climb, to the top of this segment of the cliff, and then I'll rest." But when you reach the top, the elation you feel for having overcome something difficult is replaced with the craving to push yourself further and further. I wont comment too much on Aava's continued characterization, but it does continue to he interesting to me the more she unfolds, the more i see of who she truly is. Every rare line of dialogue she speaks a tantalizing glimmer of who she is as a person, and makes me want to peer even deeper into her soul. And while it hasn't fully crystalized, I think the games themes are going to resonate with me in a big way, if it keeps up its current quality trajectory.
I would to hear your thoughts as you get deeper in, there are some cool moments I want to discuss with others but its still fresh so I'm trying to give it time.
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Comment on Star Wars shake-up: Kathleen Kennedy steps down as George Lucas protégé Dave Filoni, exec Lynwen Brennan take over Lucasfilm in ~movies
PancakeCats (edited )Link ParentRespectfully, I think this is too narrow of a view of what makes Star Wars what it is, and an over simplification of the point NaraVara made. They never asked to drop the all the iconography of...Respectfully, I think this is too narrow of a view of what makes Star Wars what it is, and an over simplification of the point NaraVara made. They never asked to drop the all the iconography of the series, or make it a drama about a mundane guy, just to separate it from the Skywalkers a bit, which has already been done outside of the main saga of films, and done well.
Look at Knights of the Old Republic, two games set thousands of years prior to the Skywalker saga that have quite literally no relation to any of the main films, and yet they are, in my opinion, the best star wars media the franchise has to offer. They offer deep introspections into the thematic heart of star wars, from two different angles, and still have cool ships, jedi and sith, lightsabers, and everything that makes Star Wars what it is. You don't need to have Darth Vader and the Skywalker drama to make a piece of Star Wars media. The pull between light and dark, passion and order, authority and a lack thereof, those are integral to Star Wars. Sure, a lot of other properties have guys in space with lasers, but the guys in question and how they are portrayed matter. The aliens, tech, and planets in Star Wars all have a distinct feel and vibe that makes them Star Wars, its not just the guy in the mask with the funny breathing or the specific types of starships. You can explore so much of that setting and still have it be recognizably the series it claims to be, while not retreading the same ground for almost 50 years.
For a quick example, a story from the perspective of non force users, say smugglers or bounty hunters, could still do a lot of work exploring the force and how it affects those who are unable to access it. Like the terrror a lightsaber would strike into ordinary folk, or how awe-inspiring and unnerving the force would be to those who can only view it from afar. If you think about it, access to the force is access to a weapon of mass destruction. That upsets the balance of power and society, thats interesting to explore, imo. Again, just because it doesnt have Darth Vader or any of the skywalkers doesnt mean it isn't Star Wars, if you are still exploring integral concepts of the setting, that counts, and can even enrich the experience of the rest of the franchise.
Edit: clairfied some poor wording.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft - Get hyped countdown thread in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentAwesome, appreciate the information!Awesome, appreciate the information!
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft - Get hyped countdown thread in ~games
PancakeCats LinkNever joined the last one, but am excited to have a fun way to scratch the minecraft itch thats been creeping back in. Is there a whitelist or anything necessary to be able to join? I've seen some...Never joined the last one, but am excited to have a fun way to scratch the minecraft itch thats been creeping back in. Is there a whitelist or anything necessary to be able to join? I've seen some of the basic rules and ethos of the server in the comments here but nothing on the process of signing up for the server. Sorry if im dense and just missing it somewhere obvious.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
PancakeCats LinkI binged through all of the currently released Blue Box manga in the past week or so. I pulled the certified boyfriend classic of being in the same room as my partner watches something im not...I binged through all of the currently released Blue Box manga in the past week or so. I pulled the certified boyfriend classic of being in the same room as my partner watches something im not interested in, only to get very invested. We then proceeded to watch the entire season of the Blue Box anime on netflix together. The show ends in a way I didn't find satisfying, so I sought out the manga to continue the story. I definitely did not expect to become as hyper fixated as I have.
Im not usually one for highschool romance animes/manga and on occasion I enjoy a sports anime/manga, but Blue Box hits in a way thats a little difficult to describe. There is something about the way the characters are written that feels so grounded and earnest, it just keeps me hooked and invested. It really captures the feeling of being in highschool, and having your first love or crush, and the way you obsess over all the small interactions while trying to be normal. The basic premise sounds very rote, FemMC moves into MaleMC's house and awkwardnees ensues, but its handled and delivered in a way that works very well, at least for me. It doesnt ever feel overtly tropey or gazey or weird, it just feels like im getting to peek in on the authentic lives of these highschoolers. It's a slow burn, letting the characters and their feelings develop over time in a way that feels natural, which I really enjoy and I think enhances the emotional highs and lows of the characters romantic endeavors.
While the sports are not quite the main focus as in the way of a "Rising Impact", the sports are still intertwined into the core narrative and character dynamics, so the big moments still feel gripping and powerful. Also shoutout to the protags not always winning and being considered a prodigy of their sports from go. They improve over time and takes some pretty crushing losses at times, and it makes it feel so much more earned when they do finally pop off or have a big win. It ties back into the grounded way the manga portrays its characters relationships, feeling so real and earnest and showing the highs and lows of being an athlete in high school. All in all, its just a really solid manga, especially as someone who tends to be fairly picky on what i devote my attention too in this genre.
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Comment on Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston and a gaggle of stereotypes introduce Windows 95 features in this time capsule video in ~tech
PancakeCats Link ParentYeah Seinfeld is admittedly a big blind spot for me. I enjoy the episodes I watch but rarely feel compelled to seek it out. Definitely agree about Friends feeling like it was rooted in the lead up...Yeah Seinfeld is admittedly a big blind spot for me. I enjoy the episodes I watch but rarely feel compelled to seek it out. Definitely agree about Friends feeling like it was rooted in the lead up to the new millenium and the culture therein. Feels much closer to the culture of my youth than seinfeld has in my experience with that.
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Comment on Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston and a gaggle of stereotypes introduce Windows 95 features in this time capsule video in ~tech
PancakeCats LinkI found this while scouring the Internet Archive a while back! I was looking for semi longform educational content to put on an in game TV in this game Voices of the Void. This was probably my...I found this while scouring the Internet Archive a while back! I was looking for semi longform educational content to put on an in game TV in this game Voices of the Void. This was probably my favorite find alongside an early demonstration of computer generated graphics with a voice overlay from a very dispassionate scientist ranting about things unrelated to everything on screen. But I digress, it was so fascinating seeing this video painstakingly explain things that seem so fundamental and elementary now. Start menus, graphic user interfaces, word processors, all stuff i take for granted as fairly simple.
Also wild to see this came out right at the start of their meteoric rise from starring in Friends, as they are very much portraying similar characters to those they portray in the show. I wasn't there, so maybe Friends was a hit from go, but I would assume they weren't quite household names the same way they are now, which makes their pick here a very interesting one. And RIP Matthew Perry, he was a true goat gone too soon.
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Comment on How did you choose your podcast app and would you switch to a different one? in ~tech
PancakeCats (edited )Link ParentWrote up the entire post, posted and refreshed to see you beat me to it! Also the youtube feed into Antennapod then viewed in Newpipe is so smart and surprised I never knew that was an option....Wrote up the entire post, posted and refreshed to see you beat me to it! Also the youtube feed into Antennapod then viewed in Newpipe is so smart and surprised I never knew that was an option. Definitely gonna look into getting that set up.
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Comment on How did you choose your podcast app and would you switch to a different one? in ~tech
PancakeCats (edited )LinkI have used Antennapod on Android for as long as I've had a specific podcast app. I only really got into listening to a podcasts a lot in the past few years, and started out using Spotify. For a...I have used Antennapod on Android for as long as I've had a specific podcast app. I only really got into listening to a podcasts a lot in the past few years, and started out using Spotify. For a number of reasons, I wanted to separate my podcast source from my music source, chief among them being having an untainted Spotify wrapped, at the time I believe songs and podcast stats were mixed together, and if i ever wanted to stop paying for Spotify to not have to deal with ads on top of the normal ads in a lot of podcasts. I found Antennapod through some googling of decent Android podcast apps, and on a reddit post someone recommended it as a no frills podcast app. The app is open source and lets you subscribe to any RSS feed. If there is a pay walled function, I haven't found it nor ran into any walls.
Everything just works to my needs, which are: download podcasts, listen to podcasts. It seems to have a large amount of customization, though I rarely see a need to delve too deep. It has never crashed or bugged out on me in anyway. It remembers where you pause in any episode, supports chapters, has a queue function which i use rarely but appreciate when needed.
Because of an overall satisfaction, I haven't really had much of a desire to switch or try out other apps. The only thing I partially miss is that Antennapod doesn't really track your listening to the same extent. You can see some basic stats, but nothing crazy. This isnt wholly a negative, I appreciate having something not collecting data on everything I do all the time, but stats breakdowns are kind of neat. It notably isn't cross platform (Android only, Playstore and F-droid) and has no web player, but times I'm listening to podcasts not on my phone at work or in the car are exceedingly rare. None of these are enough to make me considered switching, especially when most are increasingly profit driven if the talks of subscription in this thread is anything to go by. If you have an Android and the above drawbacks aren't deal breakers, I recommend checking it out.
My podcast shoutouts are mostly video game related, but pretty much anything on The Worst Garbage podcast network has my recommendation. They are all very low key, most have limited advertising in episode, which is a real plus for me. Into The Aether is a notable highlight, as well as Videogame Podtimism and Press Start. The former two are both very low key gaming podcasts hosted by two longtime friends that have very different voices, while the latter is a gaming news show hosted by three gen z actual working journalists. All three of these shows tend to have well expressed nuanced takes on life and media tied into the introspective analysis they do of the things they engage with. There are loads of other good shows on the network, some not gaming related at all, and they're all earnest and come from a love of the things they cover, which makes them easy listening and mainly good vibes. That continues to be a real boon in trying times.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
PancakeCats Link ParentI think the disparity between men and women for "trophy sex" for lack of a better term, mainly comes from longstanding societal expectations. And to be clear I dont hold any of the following...I think the disparity between men and women for "trophy sex" for lack of a better term, mainly comes from longstanding societal expectations. And to be clear I dont hold any of the following beliefs, this is just my theory for why this disparity exists.
For most of history and still to this day, women with multiple partners have been shamed, called whores or sluts, and generally looked down on, even socially amongst peers of the same gender. Its ingrained in a lot of folk, at least in my country, that if a woman sleeps with lots of men, she is lesser and loses some sort of inherent value. Whereas men are rewarded and looked highly upon for being players and having many notches on the proverbial bed post, especially so amongst their peer groups of the same gender. Im sure from a pure evolutionary lense, this is rewarded for being someone who successfully propogates more of the species, but for modern sensibilities is unnecessary and distasteful.
From a lense of societal evolution, this seems to me like a symptom of longstanding patriarchy. Men were generally free to fuck as they pleased, barring sparse and infrequently enforced infidelity laws, but women were "property" of a man, and therefore would lose value if they engaged in the same behaviors, and draw the ire of emotional man children who dont want others to have had something that they feel should have been exclusive to them. Because if a woman has already been "soiled" "deflowered" "used up", how could she really be called yours? This often came with fatal consequences for the women involved too.
Translate this down generations upon generatons, and people, even women, still hold some of these beliefs, even subconsciously. They might not view women as property, but they might view a sexually active woman as lesser. So women dont tend to compete or show off the same way as men do. No data to back this up specifically, just conjecture, but I think its interesting to dig into.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentInteresting that you avoided the default crest as much as possible on the first run, was there a reason why? I'm at the gates to act two almost entirely blind so no spoilers, but I have found a...I'm exclusively using the Hunter's Crest because I avoided it like the plague on my first run.
Interesting that you avoided the default crest as much as possible on the first run, was there a reason why? I'm at the gates to act two almost entirely blind so no spoilers, but I have found a few crests and I have ignored everything that isn't the Hunters Crest because I love learning and mastering the move set and its timings and peculiarities. The other crests seem neat, but change the down swing which feels like it would mess with my head for exploration and combat at this point in the game.
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Comment on At the end of our ropes in ~health.mental
PancakeCats (edited )LinkGonna add to the chorus here, but definitely get a second opinion. This truly does scream ADHD to me as someone who had an early life diagnosis. Him being able to focus on things he likes should...Gonna add to the chorus here, but definitely get a second opinion. This truly does scream ADHD to me as someone who had an early life diagnosis. Him being able to focus on things he likes should not disqualify him from having the condition because as another commenter said, I can focus on things im interested for hours straight without breaks. I have played games I like for 12 hours straight before, only taking a few bathroom breaks here and there. Hyperfocusing is a real part of the disability, especially when its to the point of affecting other aspects of your life. Was your psychologist older or been in the field for a long time? ADHD is still often ignored/dimissed by older providers, so maybe try looking for someone a little more recently accredited or something? Either way, best of luck getting this figured out. I feel for you both having lived a similar experience.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentI have also been playing Skate. through the PlayStation 5 version, and while I agree the stick controls are frustratingly inaccurate, they are not quite at the level you describe. All the basic...I have also been playing Skate. through the PlayStation 5 version, and while I agree the stick controls are frustratingly inaccurate, they are not quite at the level you describe. All the basic tricks I can pull off fine, and the game hasn't misinterpreted those at all yet, so maybe its the controller? On my end, the more complex tricks, like the laser flip and hardflip, which involve sharp and precise changes in stick direction are the ones I that I find nigh impossible to pull of reliably. The game seems to autofill for the easier tricks far too much, and I find that halfway through the motion for a complex trick, the game already selected the gesture for a Pop-Shuv-it and plays that animation instead. Maybe its just a skill issue, but I think that if I'm making an incorrect gesture nothing should happen, so i can try to learn the proper motions, but instead the game chooses the next closest option, making that process much more difficult.
That said, I do find the game to be fun on the base level of skating. It feels good to nail grinds and sequence a bunch of tricks and motions together in a really satisfying way when the game actually does feel accurate to your intent. I think they make grinding slightly to easy. You definitely magnet on to rails and corners, which I don't mind too much, but I do think it would be better to have more of a balancing act to do to continue holding the grind. The physics can still get a laugh or two from me on particularly bad wipe outs and the world is fun to poke at the corners of and find new places to skate at, as lifeless as it may be. having the world be populated would definitely add to the experience imo.
That's where the nice-ish things I have to say about the game end, because I definitely agree the game feels artificial, cringe, and soulless. The choice to make the main speaking role a basic and forgettable AI personality, which is shitty on so many levels, but especially feels like a direct manifestation of in-authenticity in a game that on paper is supposed to be about authentic skater culture. In reality, it feels more like it was designed as a predatory trap to bring in longtime fans of the old games and fans of skating, then bombard them every manipulative live service grind set tactic they can get away with. And the worst part is that this is the best they could do, a game whose premise feels like it was spit out by the same crappy AI they chose to make the main character. Thankfully you can just mute the dialogue and turn off gameplay comments from the AI in the menu, and every line of dialogue and cutscene can be skipped through, so you can essentially avoid engaging with any of that, but it still leaves an icky feeling playing the game. I feel for the devs who made it, and i think on the pure mechanical gameplay end, they have the chops to get the game to a good place, though I think that the games live service nature will put it in an early grave before that could ever happen. But the story and entire premise feels like it was mandated by a boardroom more than any creative.
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Comment on Horror games to play during October in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentI feel your pain lol. The game does do things like that from time to time, i think keeping you from getting too comfortable in your space. It is frustrating having to get my workspace back in...I feel your pain lol. The game does do things like that from time to time, i think keeping you from getting too comfortable in your space. It is frustrating having to get my workspace back in order and clean up all the junk each time something extra kooky happens, I definitely get your frustrations there. For what its worth, there is a hammer and nail system I havent experimented with much as of yet, but maybe you could nail down the essentials? To hopefully keep them from being tossed around so much.
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Comment on Horror games to play during October in ~games
PancakeCats (edited )Link ParentWoah, I must have missed that. I definitely remember them saying at launch that they skipped the disc to avoid production costs and space limitations. Maybe they went back on that after launch?...Woah, I must have missed that. I definitely remember them saying at launch that they skipped the disc to avoid production costs and space limitations. Maybe they went back on that after launch? Either way, glad to hear its more reliably preserved.
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Comment on What game is your personal "Silksong"? in ~games
PancakeCats LinkIf I had to go with just one, probably Last of Us 2. This is a very controversial game, and while I agree with some critiques, I disagree with most. Last of Us was one of my favorite games, it was...If I had to go with just one, probably Last of Us 2. This is a very controversial game, and while I agree with some critiques, I disagree with most. Last of Us was one of my favorite games, it was a game me and my dad played together when I was a teen, and means a lot to me as a result. I remember we got it a day or two after launch when the buzz started to pick up, and after playing the intro bit that night, we played the rest of the game in the next day, utterly enraptured by the story and characters. I also just really enjoyed the game mechanically, and have completed a Grounded and Grounded+ playthrough in the following years. So when TLOU2 was announced I was stoked, and would often come back to watch the initial reveal trailer. Then they dropped the gameplay trailer with the Seraphites in the woods, and I was ravenous. The game looked so beautiful and dynamic, and seeing a grown Ellie in action after I had grown up a bit was a really interesting familial feeling. Then the game came out, and not only was just as fun to play as it looked in the demo all those years ago, but took some of the biggest narrative swings I had ever seen in a game. Those are of course the controversy that surrounds this game, but I think most people's opinions are still tainted by the misinformed 4chan threads on the leaks of the game, as well as by an unwillingness to separate themselves from their love for a major character and meet the game where it was at with the story it was trying to tell. Its by no means perfect, I can agree there, but I do disagree with most of the critiques I see. Obviously I am not discounting any thoughts anyone had on the game, so please share your feelings if you felt otherwise.
As a quick bonus 2nd place pick, Red Dead Redemption 2. RDR1 is another GOAT for me, and the sequel was amazing. Literally everything I wanted and more.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentThis experience mirrors my own in frightening similarity. I agree that it was a good move to have cut our teeth on the original prior to playing this new one. Its definitely more challenging off...This experience mirrors my own in frightening similarity. I agree that it was a good move to have cut our teeth on the original prior to playing this new one. Its definitely more challenging off the bat, which makes sense considering it was (presumably) an expansion for the end game of Hollow Knight, before it ballooned in scope so far they needed to make it a standalone game. Even still I quite enjoy the games ramp in difficulty. I too have yet to reach the citadel because I keep finding more zones and things to do leading up to it, and I feel so far the difficulty has felt very fair and a good fit for the moveset upgrade we are given playing as Hornet. And the movement and platforming is far more enjoyable than Hollow Knight, so I find myself constantly pushing the edges of the rooms using my full movement kit and being rewarded for it constantly. Hollow Knight was very slow, steady, and precise, which is good but i didnt care for it as much compared to how fun it is just to move in this game, and how rewarding the explorationg feels. So far, very much a masterclass in its genre.
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Comment on Making DND maps in ~games.tabletop
PancakeCats Link ParentI imagine not. Plus it would make fall damage a real issue to work around, interesting positioning requirements, all of which is tough for melee users. Gonna have to check out Out of the Abyss to...I imagine not. Plus it would make fall damage a real issue to work around, interesting positioning requirements, all of which is tough for melee users. Gonna have to check out Out of the Abyss to see if there is any other neat things to snag.
I have also been playing Mewgenics and enjoying it! Agree that the game limiting your options is a plus, I find it gives the game a quicker pace, a nice flow to it. Despite my initial aversion, I actually really like that you only use the cats for a single journey. It helps to keep the amount of rules and abilities in check, forces you to move on from using a set squad of cats, and encourages breeding the real all stars that emerge from the mud. I find it thematically pleasing that the game is commenting on how cruel humanity can be to itself and everything it interacts with, particularly cats, all the while slowly encouraging you to treat them the same through the game design. I love finding a new item or ability, it feels like im almost always seeing something new. Very good stuff all in all.