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arynisA whole year has gone by, and my last post on here was... Last year's wrap up? Hell, with this accursed year, I'm happy that I'm able to make a post in the first place.
I was going to post a Blender render I did at the start of the year, but I didn't get around it back then. My Final Fantasy XV review I kept planning for months finally fell through the void, and it's been too long since I played the game either way.
Frankly, January aside, my creativity has been nigh-non-existent for almost the whole year. I got into therapy in late February, and it's been rough. Therapy has helped me immensely, but I still have a long way to go, I pretty much spent the year trying to be more aware of my thought processes, positive and negative thoughts alike. The pandemic has been horrible for my mental health, but thankfully I never caught Covid. Trying to keep up with university with the lockdown and everything has been horrible, and remote learning did have its ups and downs. I also got a new job this year which helped me see I do have skills and I'm able to put them to good use. It's been exciting and I've been enjoying it! However, trying to juggle work and university at the same time has been difficult, that is something I still need to learn to handle well. Work is thankfully understanding in regards to university so I don't have to light my studies on fire to stay on top with work.
In terms of creative work I did, I did some sketches here and there, and towards the end of the year I got into a writing spurt which felt very nice. I tossed out an old draft that I realized had too many issues, I managed to get started on an iteration I'm more pleased with. As for the Blender render, I made this dragon in January. I worked on a whim and I was surprised at myself I was able to create this in Blender. I'm nowhere near being proficient with 3D modeling, but I had a blast making this dragon!
Other than that, I played games when my time could allow:
Hades is easily Game of the Year for me, a brilliant take on roguelikes with an excellent narrative while making every gameplay session worthwhile. Failing isn't a bad thing in that game at all, it's even encouraged. Heck, the story centers on it!
If Found... was an emotional experience with 2 Mello's absolutely fantastic soundtrack. The art style was lovely, and I found the eraser gimmick a fascinating way to advance the story.
I also played Resident Evil Remake which was my entry into the franchise, a solid and memorable experience. I can see why this game was highly regarded for kicking off the survival horror genre. I loved the mix of unsettling experiences with humorous moments (Jill Sandwich, et al), and uncovering the lore little by little was fascinating, particularly the details involving the Trevor family. I was excited about my Resident Evil 2 playthrough but unfortunately I fell off it. I definitely want to get back to it one day and continue with the other games.
I replayed NieR: Automata to help me lift my chin up for the next year and the future to come, and finally got all achievements for one of my all-time favorite games.
Superliminal was a short, but much-needed experience, I really appreciated its "think outside the box when facing challenges" message. The "perception is reality" gimmick of the gameplay is simple and very creative. I loved experimenting with the items.
Lastly, Noita was a pleasant surprise with its wand system (which I've yet to learn), and somewhat chill to play despite the cheap deaths and the difficulty. The emphasis on exploration and the music/sound design help a lot with that I feel.
Since I don't want it to fall through the void completely, my briefest thoughts on Final Fantasy XV despite having played it last year: I felt for this game because of how much development hell it went through. The flaws and issues with the game's design are evident, but frankly, it's a miracle the game even exists. Noctis has become one of my favorite FF protagonists with how casual and likable he is, while Ardyn has become my all time favorite FF antagonist, but I'm a sucker for a charming but challenging tragic villain. And all things considered, the story's ending is magnificent... but also, damn it Tabata.
Ironically, I managed to fulfill my New Year's Resolutions from 2019, but I'm glad that's one thing that was on point for this year. I kept it simple back then, and I'm going to keep it simple for 2021 too:
I don't know where the world will go in the next year, whether it'll be better or worse. But I do feel hopeful for myself as a person.
I hope whoever reads this post is in a good place. If not, I do hope things look up for you in the coming year, one way or another.
And with that, Happy New Year!
(Hopefully my next post won't be the year wrap-up!)
I was going to post a Blender render I did at the start of the year, but I didn't get around it back then. My Final Fantasy XV review I kept planning for months finally fell through the void, and it's been too long since I played the game either way.
Frankly, January aside, my creativity has been nigh-non-existent for almost the whole year. I got into therapy in late February, and it's been rough. Therapy has helped me immensely, but I still have a long way to go, I pretty much spent the year trying to be more aware of my thought processes, positive and negative thoughts alike. The pandemic has been horrible for my mental health, but thankfully I never caught Covid. Trying to keep up with university with the lockdown and everything has been horrible, and remote learning did have its ups and downs. I also got a new job this year which helped me see I do have skills and I'm able to put them to good use. It's been exciting and I've been enjoying it! However, trying to juggle work and university at the same time has been difficult, that is something I still need to learn to handle well. Work is thankfully understanding in regards to university so I don't have to light my studies on fire to stay on top with work.
In terms of creative work I did, I did some sketches here and there, and towards the end of the year I got into a writing spurt which felt very nice. I tossed out an old draft that I realized had too many issues, I managed to get started on an iteration I'm more pleased with. As for the Blender render, I made this dragon in January. I worked on a whim and I was surprised at myself I was able to create this in Blender. I'm nowhere near being proficient with 3D modeling, but I had a blast making this dragon!
Other than that, I played games when my time could allow:
Hades is easily Game of the Year for me, a brilliant take on roguelikes with an excellent narrative while making every gameplay session worthwhile. Failing isn't a bad thing in that game at all, it's even encouraged. Heck, the story centers on it!
If Found... was an emotional experience with 2 Mello's absolutely fantastic soundtrack. The art style was lovely, and I found the eraser gimmick a fascinating way to advance the story.
I also played Resident Evil Remake which was my entry into the franchise, a solid and memorable experience. I can see why this game was highly regarded for kicking off the survival horror genre. I loved the mix of unsettling experiences with humorous moments (Jill Sandwich, et al), and uncovering the lore little by little was fascinating, particularly the details involving the Trevor family. I was excited about my Resident Evil 2 playthrough but unfortunately I fell off it. I definitely want to get back to it one day and continue with the other games.
I replayed NieR: Automata to help me lift my chin up for the next year and the future to come, and finally got all achievements for one of my all-time favorite games.
Superliminal was a short, but much-needed experience, I really appreciated its "think outside the box when facing challenges" message. The "perception is reality" gimmick of the gameplay is simple and very creative. I loved experimenting with the items.
Lastly, Noita was a pleasant surprise with its wand system (which I've yet to learn), and somewhat chill to play despite the cheap deaths and the difficulty. The emphasis on exploration and the music/sound design help a lot with that I feel.
Since I don't want it to fall through the void completely, my briefest thoughts on Final Fantasy XV despite having played it last year: I felt for this game because of how much development hell it went through. The flaws and issues with the game's design are evident, but frankly, it's a miracle the game even exists. Noctis has become one of my favorite FF protagonists with how casual and likable he is, while Ardyn has become my all time favorite FF antagonist, but I'm a sucker for a charming but challenging tragic villain. And all things considered, the story's ending is magnificent... but also, damn it Tabata.
Ironically, I managed to fulfill my New Year's Resolutions from 2019, but I'm glad that's one thing that was on point for this year. I kept it simple back then, and I'm going to keep it simple for 2021 too:
- I want to stay alive.
- Keep chugging at work and university.
- I want to keep working on myself and grow, so I can face the future as a better person.
I don't know where the world will go in the next year, whether it'll be better or worse. But I do feel hopeful for myself as a person.
I hope whoever reads this post is in a good place. If not, I do hope things look up for you in the coming year, one way or another.
And with that, Happy New Year!
(Hopefully my next post won't be the year wrap-up!)
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