Underneath my yellow skin

Tag Archives: Massive Monster

Just missing the mark

Posted on by • 0 Comments

When I think about what games I like, it’s an interesting thought experiment. There are FromSoft games, which I adore. And yet, even within that group, there are the ones I really love (Dark Souls trilogy and Elden Ring) and those I love less (Bloodborne and Sekiro). But they are all on my top of my favorite games of all times. So much so that I have a FromSoft favorite games list and a non-FromSoft favorite games list.

Hm. I have not thought about how the bottom of the FromSoft list fares against the other list. I mean, Dark Souls III is the number one game over all and Elden Ring is number two. The top of the other list is Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall), Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games), and Cozy Grove (Spry Fox). I want to play Night in the Woods again, and I would not mind starting up a new boat in Spiritfarer.

Everything in me pushes Dark Souls and Dark Souls II (Scholar of the First Sin) at the top, too. So, it really is a split between those games and the two I like less–BB and Sekiro. Itt’s clear why. I could find ways to beat the other games–basically, bending them to my will. I could over-level by grinding, used all my favorite magicks (especially pyro and my beloved Hidden Body/Slumbering Dragoncrest Ring combo), use a ridiculous weapon like my also-beloved Lorian’s Greatsword, and summon if needed. Yes, you can summon in BB, but not in Sekiro. That’s just one of the reasons why the latter is the last on my list of favorite FromSoft games and why it’s the one plat (hundo chievo) I will not get–FromSoft plat, I mean.

Last night, I was watching Ian’s Dwarf Fortress stream and I mentioned Cult of the Lamb by Massive Monster. I was looknig forward to it so much. The trailer was wild and it looked like it should be up my alley. A roguelike that has life sim aspects, rooted in leading a cult? How could it be any more made for me?

It made me think of Hades which has both combat and life sim stuff. When I got my hands on it, I was so stoke to get stuck in. And..it was just off. There was very little explanation as to what you were supposed to do. I’m not one who needs a lengthy tutorial (I play From games, after all), but it was really confusing as to how to make your cult grow and, more importantly, how to stop your cult members from going apostate.


Continue Reading

Feeling blue about being a weirdo

Posted on by • 0 Comments

I’m feeling blue today for a few reasons. One, there are flies in my kitchen that I can’t get rid of. Tiny black ones that I assume are fruit flies. This happens every summer, and it stresses me out. I’m trying to get rid of them, but they just keep coming. Me being a slob does not help, and I need to give the kitchen a good cleaning.

Side note: It doesn’t help that my mother suggested I clean my brother’s house and cook for him to help him out now that he’s single again. I laughed out loud because I don’t even do that for me (I have someone come in every other week to clean, and it’s mostly rice cooker and microwave for me), so why the hell would I do it for my brother?

She never would have suggested that if he weren’t a guy and I weren’t female-shaped. She has such regressive ideas about gender, and it’s not her fucking business, anyway, what I do or don’t do to help my brother. But that’s my mother for you–a psychologist with absolutely zero sense of boundaries.

It really got to me, though it shouldn’t have. I should have told her it was none of her business and to fuck off (in a more polite way), but instead, I told her I was his life coach and his emotional support, which, while true, is none of her business.

That’s the narcissist in her. She cannot believe that everything remotely related to her is not something she deserves to know. My relationship with my brother is none of her business, honestly, and she does not need to involve herself in it. I know it’s more of a Taiwanese culture thing to have a close family, but still. I reject the regressive gender roles, especially of a culture that is not my day-to-day one.

Honestly, this bullshit is one reason why I am questioning my gender. If this is part of being a woman (having to be a helpmeet for any male in the family/close to you), then I want no part of it. I should not be surprised as my parents have not updated their views in half a century, but that’s the optimist in me.

Side note: When I was in my early 20s, I called myself a cynical realist. A friend of mine said I was an optimist, which had me sputtering indignantly. He said, “Minna, you expect people to do the right thing, and then you’re disappointed when they don’t.” I opened my mouth to counter him, then had to shut it again because he was right.


Continue Reading

A Quick Look: Cult of the Lamb

Posted on by • 0 Comments
Possessed individuals glowing red
Nothing can go wrong with this.

Excuse me, but might I interest you in our Lord Lamb? Hey, where are you going? Don’t you have a few minutes for your eternal damnation salvation?

I am playing Cult of the Lamb by Massive Monster, an Australian developer, and it’s glorious. I’m only on Day 3 or Day 4, but it’s already showing a lot of personality. In the beginning, I’m killed by people who are guarding a big bad buried under the earth. Apparently, I am someone who can wake up the big bad and the guardians don’t want that. They kill me!

Game over, right? Nope. The big bad brings informs me that it can bring me back to life if I will serve it. Will I do it? Here’s a hint of the humor: My choices are ‘yes’ and ‘absolutely’. I choose absolutely, and I’m brought back to life.

The graphics style is cartoony and completely adorable. It’s in direct contrast to the twisted things that are happening, which is one reason I love this game. It’s been compared to Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (Edmund McMillen) into which I’ve poured more hours than how much I’ve played the FromSoft games combined, and it’s a fair comparison in very specific ways. The cartoon look and the irreverent attitude towards religion, specifically. The random dungeons, the different items and skills, and the different starting items for each run. There are five different areas (for runs), but for now, I only have access to one.

The combat is my least-favorite part of the game so far. It’s adequate, but it hasn’t clicked. It’s X for melee and Y for ranged. Left stick for walking and right stick for camera. The enemies are the same throughout the first area (so far), which is ok. Again, I emphasize that I’m only in the first area, so I can’t comment on the latter enemies.

In the sim part of the game, the basics are to get followers, make them do my bidding, and build up the cult. There are the normal sim things of chopping wood, mining stones, and picking berries. But there is also collecting devotion from the followers (not quite sure what the white fluid is–best not to look at it too closely), giving sermons (me), and doing rituals (also me).

There is an overview map, and I can go visit, ah, Ratau (had to Google it) to play Knucklebones, a dice mini-game. Ratau is a mysterious guy who claims he was once in my position. I don’t trust him, but I do appreciate the guidance. If he’s the last boss, I won’t be surprise, which is what I’m saying.


Continue Reading