#computergames — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #computergames, aggregated by home.social.
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https://www.europesays.com/uk/959464/ Buckle Up for Two Weeks of Motor Madness in GTA Online – Rockstar Games #ComputerGames #games #Gaming #GrandTheftAuto #GTA #GTA5 #GTAOnline #GTAPlus #GTAV #HomeEntertainment #HomeGaming #LANoire #LANoire #LibertyCity #LosSantos #MaxPayne #MaxPayne3 #NewVideoGames #PCGames #PlayStation #PS5 #RDR #RedDeadOnline #RedDeadRedemption #Rockstar #RockstarGames #SanAndreas #Technology #UK #UnitedKingdom #ViceCity #VideoGames #Videogames #Vinewood #Xbox #XboxSeriesS #XboxSeriesX
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Only Civ VI players will understand. Completing the Eiffel tower in a rush using Gustave Eiffel to avoid a dark age.
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Only Civ VI players will understand. Completing the Eiffel tower in a rush using Gustave Eiffel to avoid a dark age.
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Only Civ VI players will understand. Completing the Eiffel tower in a rush using Gustave Eiffel to avoid a dark age.
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Only Civ VI players will understand. Completing the Eiffel tower in a rush using Gustave Eiffel to avoid a dark age.
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Ampere Analysis makes speculation on female gamers, not hard data
Ampere Analysis presented a study earlier this year where they concluded that women make up 48% of the gaming community. We can say that’s effectively half. That’s approximately 922 million people across 21 countries. Big numbers for sure. Supposedly, the gaming industry is largely ignoring this major possible market segment, as there is a serious lack of games for women who would like to play story-driven single-player games with a social aspect and romance. They came to this conclusion by looking at what kind of media outside games these women consume and made a beeline assumption that women want the same thing from their games. What their data seems to indicate is that there is a large section of women who are interested in playing games but don’t. Either they don’t know how to play games or don’t know what kind of game content exists.
Let’s pause here and point out that Ampere showcases data in a biased manner. That 48% includes any woman who has played a game, be it Candy Crush or FarmVille. If you’re a woman who has played a game of any kind, you’re counted in this number. The quality of these stats is messy, as that equates players who spend about ten minutes with games per week with people who spend most of their waking hours gaming. This is an important point, as any person wanting to sell something realizes that these two kinds of customers are completely different and need to be valued in a different manner.
The inquiry had 52 video and computer games listed. Only three titles had more women playing than men: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The Sims 4, and Roblox. From a list of 50 mobile games, some 13 titles had more women players. This would indicate, then, that the higher concentration of women in gaming can be found outside the usual big sellers, and on mobile devices rather than consoles and computers.
The market is functioning as you’d expect; nothing has really changed in behavioural differences between the two sexes. Early on in this blog’s life, I wrote about girl games as part of a series where I illustrated how video and computer games aren’t a special phenomenon in and of themselves, but a continuation of a long play culture. Gaming in general mostly adheres to boys’ play culture, as it builds on competition and readily set rules. It’s much easier to make a soccer or a tennis video game because these rules exist and are set in stone. Playing house is something classically part of girls’ play culture, as playing with dolls and other miniature house equipment readies them for motherhood. It’s much harder to make a simulacrum of playing house because it has no readily set rules. Here’s mother, dad, kid, and maybe a dog. Here’s the house. Now play house. I’ve used The Sims as an example of this being successfully adapted, and I’m not surprised The Sims 4 is on the above list.
The Sims, analogue editionMaking girl games is hard because historically they’ve been misunderstood and misapplied by powers that be in the gaming industry. You might have a good memory of some Barbie game out there, but none of them would win any prizes. What most of these girl games lacked in the 1980s and 1990s was holding power, or the way a game keeps attracting the player back to itself to maintain their attention span and immerse them in its world. Because gaming is largely based on boys’ play culture, its holding power over girls is less due to the different schema the two have classically worked under. In a manner, girls and women as gamers were treated like some sort of invalids because of this. Girl games were colourful, with horses and puppies galore, with about as much gameplay as a wet towel on a wall.
However, as demand grew for games specifically catering to girls and women, a few began to understand that the differences in play cultures were a possibility rather than a ball and chain. Brenda Laurel founded Purple Moon in 1999 to make, as she called it in 2009, a cultural intervention. Purple Moon’s games targeted girls between 8 and 14, and rather than making games about competition and confrontation, their games were more like interactive story worlds the players could explore. However, as we can see from Ampere’s data, games-for-all are more popular among modern women and girls than games directly aimed at girls.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu2kZwk1Ym4?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=863&h=486]
Purple Moon games were criticized for doing the same gender stereotyping they wanted to intervene
In a way, girl games dried out early in the millennium because games in general had already begun to emphasize story framing and expanded world-building in mainstream titles. I would hazard a guess that World of Warcraft offered much of the very same story-driven exploration and interactivity, not just with the game but with other players as well.
Barbie Fashion Designer may have sold well and left an unwanted mark, but a game like New Style Boutique 3 found itself with a cult following from the opposite sex. The game didn’t just require players to design new clothing combinations, but had a framing narrative of the player needing to run a clothes boutique, making the game deep enough to have holding power over both boys and men as well as girls and women. Unlike the Barbie game, this 3DS game had some depth to it. The lack of a license probably hurt the game’s sales, but its cult status shows that games stemming from girl play culture can have universal acceptance, even if it’s marginal. Of course, The Sims is the titan in this.
A game that had surprising hold on its male audienceGirl game as a term has become rare, as it became associated with terrible shovelware. They were represented as the opposite of boys’ games, which frankly is just the de facto standard for the game industry. That’s not to say girls and women were ignored, as Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda games still make big sales and are more or less equally popular between the sexes. As gaming has moved away from public places and now solely resides at home, there is no longer any pressure for girls and women to give whatever games they might fancy a go. Why did more females play Tetris than Pac-Man? Because the physical placement of the game had moved away from arcades to home computers and consoles.
This study seems to ignore a few genres that have an overwhelming female audience, and they even make the whole girl game concept sound good: otome games and romance video games. Otome games have been specifically designed to cater to the sensibilities girls and women have, so it’s not surprising that over 90% of otome game players are women. We can argue whether or not visual novels count, but some fantasy otome games also have elements like running a kingdom, meaning they’re not just text but have meaningful gameplay elements that impact the social aspect.
As games have gotten heavier on delivering framing and allowing players to wander the world, we’ve seen a sort of coming together between the two play cultures. Especially with RPGs like Dragon Age series or The Witcher 3, we see that social aspect becoming a major component, with the ability to romance characters and that being an essential part of the story. However, the bulk of the play is still dictated by rules and regulations that largely stem from boys’ play culture. Acknowledging this, we can see how the two complement each other in a manner where they couldn’t exist separately. You get action gameplay with whatever character you choose to make, and then engage in extensive dialogue options between NPCs that might affect anything from what coloured shoes they wear to who stabs you in the back.
I see that if gaming would take its interactivity into account more, allowing players to dynamically change framing directions as much as systems could, and not stick to linear storytelling as seen in films and literature, we could find ourselves in places where games combine the two play cultures in a more holistic manner and embrace the medium’s inherent properties rather than stick with ready-made stories.
However, that wouldn’t automatically mean more women would want to play such a game. The number of hardcore male gamers who put more money into gaming is larger than females, and that is a lifestyle choice. The linkage between visual novels and women reading books is easy to understand; they’re almost the same thing in different packaging. However, there is no hard proof or individual linkage showcasing cross-media consumption. Anecdotes and niche demographics do suggest an overlap, but a large number of romance book readers don’t play games, even when there are already options that cater to them.
Mass Effect is another game series that bucks the trends with a loyal female fanbaseEven when we ignore romance as a genre, there are no studies that link cross-media consumption. Ampere is making the argument that because women consume X kind of content in media Y, then they should also be interested in X content in media Z. While this seems like a no-brainer at surface value, it’s a pretty big leap from opening a book and reading what’s on the page to installing a 50GB game on your computer and learning system mechanics that enable a similar story to that of a Harlequin book. That’s why girl games had that bad reputation; they tried to meet a supposedly invalid audience by cutting away gameplay to match a level where other media offered a more enjoyable pastime. The claims Ampere makes are circumstantial at best. We would first need studies showcasing that people, especially women, actually consume the same kinds of genres and styles across all media. Ampere’s conclusion about what women would look for in a game based on what they watch and read is no less than harmful stereotyping.
The argument of women needing an easier entry point for gaming is petty at best and sexist at worst. It’s the whole notion of girl games and females being seen as gaming invalids raising its head again. There has never been a better time in history to get into gaming than now. Endless amounts of YouTube tutorials and guides exist, games quite literally hold the player’s hand to pass even the slightest obstacle, no-failure states exist across the board, and even gameplay can be skipped in some cases. Saying that there’s a subset of female non-gamers who are interested in gaming but lack the knowledge of how to play these games and what content is out there, and then demanding entry-level content, is misguided. If women are interested in something and want to give it a shot, they are just as capable of finding things out themselves. They need the same thing as men: motivation and reason.
We have more games than ever before, from small indie developers to large AAA studios, and they’re all easy to find as long as your search skills are decent. However, if there is no reason to take up gaming as a hobby or lifestyle, then that person is not as valuable a customer as someone who already is. You can’t force people to become something, just like you can’t force men and women to choose a certain kind of career path simply because statistics look off. The same applies to hobbies. It might be cultural or biological; it doesn’t matter.
Koei’s Angelique Trois is an example of a successful otome game IP from over twenty years agoWhen you have people who are not interested in your product and are aware it exists, they’re not even untapped customers. You would have to fundamentally change their perceptions to turn them into customers. Ampere disregards its own results: 47% of female non-gamers say they would never consider playing. That’s 10% less than non-gaming males. If there are more boys and men willing to give gaming a shot than girls and women, then wouldn’t that be the more viable market segment to pursue?
We should, of course, question Ampere’s data, as it’s all done via surveys. Ampere gave out a generalised survey that doesn’t really go into detail, nor did they conduct any behavioural study over time. 46,000 respondents self-reported their preferences and habits. This is probably one of the worst ways to gather consumer information, as customers don’t always know what they want. I often use the example of why there are so many different kinds of tomato pasta on store shelves. Consumers think they know what they want, but often don’t. It’s not because they’re unintelligent, but because we are creatures of habit and environment.
Everything in this study is just speculation. There are no strong scientific grounds presented.
No industry would take a study like this and its recommendations seriously. You can’t turn someone who doesn’t want mustard into a mustard customer. It simply won’t happen.
The approach is also flawed. Rather than directly asking what games women play or what media they consume elsewhere, a study examining what kinds of games and play current girls engage in would yield more valid data. Similarly, researching past play habits of adult women and their current non-digital hobbies could provide valuable insights. This would be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. It would also require researchers who understand differences in play cultures across various societies if conducted globally.
To understand women, Arino played Angelique Trois on airHowever, there’s still one thorn in my side I need to pick: games for general audiences. I mentioned Mario and Zelda earlier, and the reason they attract both sexes is because they are well-designed, high-quality games. Data over decades suggests that boys and girls, men and women, gravitate toward games that are enjoyable and have strong holding power. The more explicitly gendered a game is, the worse its design tends to be, and the less successful it becomes.
#computerGames #culture #customerAndService #customerService #customers #electronicGames #entertainment #games #gaming #videoGames #videogames #visualNovels -
My thoughts on Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists; a review
To be fair, the cover art of the game would have made me skip it while browsing GOG’s catalogue, which would make me miss out on a great metroidvania. Fortunately a fellow member of one of the discord servers I’m in was singing praises for this title, so I got it and I do not regret.
Label
Speaking of, Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists is an indie metroidvania made by Danny Garay, on Godot 3.6. It released on the end of October 2025 and is available GOG, Itch and Steam. It’s also the second game in the series (you can get the first on Itch and Steam).
Aesthetics
It’s a pixelart game for the most part. And it looks gorgeous. The game offers the option of playing with the CRT-emulating filter, Grid LCD filter or without any. I personally preffer playing without any of those, but – as they say – Your Mileage May Vary.
The environments are varied; offering lush forests, underwater caverns, ruined cities, abandoned steampunk industrial areas snowy mountain and more. The character and enemy sprites also look very nice.
I did say the game was mostly pixelart. Where it breaks from that are character portraits during dialogues. These are presented in a VN style, with the drawing of the speaker being presented above the text box. They don’t look bad, but I’m not too enthusiastic about them.
The other break are a few artworks that appear as part of a cutscene a few times.And then there is music and general audio side of things. Each zone (and I’m pretty sure the bosses too) has it’s theme, and they all sound pretty damn good. Or at the very least I enjoyed the music immensely, as untrained in music as I am. There wasn’t anything that stood out to me, in either good or bad way, when it comes to rest of the sounds of the game.
Gameplay
TN:OotA is a 2D side scrolling metroidvania, so the game revolves around running around the rather big map, fighting enemies and looking for upgrades that let you access previously-out-of-reach areas, where you run around. Or, in a few cases run around lost, because you don’t know where to go next.
By the way, while the game supports controllers, I played similar exclusively on the keyboard.
Exploration
Which brings me to the exploration, which is a pretty important part of gameplay.
The general movement feels pretty good. Though to get some options aside from running, jumping and doing a backflip will take a little. And yes, forward dodge is an unlockable move… That comes online somewhere around halfway through the game.
Eventually the repertoire of moves gets pretty decent; with sliding, wall jumping, double jumping, air dashing and swinging on the whip feels pretty damn nice.
Maybe aside from the swinging, it can be somewhat… “off” for a lack of better term.
The game has platforming sections ranging from a nice change of pace to infuriating to roadblocks that take dozens of attempts. At least the worst ones aren’t mandatory… Which is both a blessing and a curse, because of you get there a bit too early, you’ll realise that you gave get through it again.
And then there’s the aforementioned getting lost. Either due to lack of indications where to go next… Or a somewhat misleading ones, that tell you to go somewhere you can’t go yet… Or telling you to find an item before going to a place… That you can only get after visiting that very place.
Combat
Combat on the other hand is rather simple. You have a whip attack and you can modify it with various elements by making “alloys”. Though I wonder why having a rust whip produces wind blades…
Of course, this being a metroidvania, some of the upgrades affect combat more directly, such as turning a single whip attack into a three-hit-combo string, adding a heavy strike and a powerful strike that will be very helpful against bosses and though enemies…
That and swapping between loadouts, because for some reason that’s an upgrade.
A spectacle fighter it is not, but it’s not the point. The combat is decent; with wide cast of enemies having varied elemental weaknesses it’s interesting enough, even if you can get though most of the game using the flashbang magnesium alloy that is gained at the very start, coupled with the decent selection of spells (again, electro spheres, one of the first gained will be useful almost everywhere) make it interesting enough.
Story
And then there is the story. It’s a simple, yet serviceable one, serving more as a spice enhancing the whole, rather than the core ingredient. I see no issue with it being the background for why we whip things with an iron whip that spawns fireballs and jump around various areas.
The protagonist has a grudge against a cult leader. Said cult attacked a city and Xandria (the protagonist) rushed there, with the aim of facing the cult leader… But one of his lieutenants, a Chlorine Alchemist, almost killed her before she could fight him.
The recovery time and expenses was the reason for the loss of her abilities. The rest of the game revolves around finding out what the cult is planning and stopping them, all the while Xandria in pretty focused on revenge.
Or well, it feels more like we randomly stumble upon something that pushes the plot ahead. Sometimes a bit randomly, like the whole hallucination section (which I very much liked, as it was a neat change of pace… though it felt close to overstaying its welcome), which is one of the very contentious places, if you visit the forums.
The game also offers multiple endings: the depressing one, the bad one, the tragic one and the good one. The depressing one is the first one you can get, and is potentially missable. Fortunately all of them can be done on the same save, though that requires reading the written notes… or consulting the guides on the internet.
The game also offers a chain of optional sidequests, such as finding a lost child, finding that child’s cats, photographing birds and delivering fruit.
Summa Summarum
Toziuha Nights: Order of the Alchemists is a very good metroidvania, with pretty visuals, good music, and fun overall gameplay.
There are a few issues that didn’t bother me enough to lower the grade further. Or at least they affected me little enough for them to fade from my mind.
Furthermore, the game is getting updates, with additional options (like the optional post game mode letting you play as a different character) and QoL changes (like drops being pulled in after a few seconds).
And so, I’m giving it a 5-.
#ActionAdventure #ComputerGames #gameReview #gaming #IndieGame #Metroidvania #ToziuhaNight #ToziuhaNightOrderOfTheAlchemists -
My thoughts on Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists; a review
To be fair, the cover art of the game would have made me skip it while browsing GOG’s catalogue, which would make me miss out on a great metroidvania. Fortunately a fellow member of one of the discord servers I’m in was singing praises for this title, so I got it and I do not regret.
Label
Speaking of, Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists is an indie metroidvania made by Danny Garay, on Godot 3.6. It released on the end of October 2025 and is available GOG, Itch and Steam. It’s also the second game in the series (you can get the first on Itch and Steam).
Aesthetics
It’s a pixelart game for the most part. And it looks gorgeous. The game offers the option of playing with the CRT-emulating filter, Grid LCD filter or without any. I personally preffer playing without any of those, but – as they say – Your Mileage May Vary.
The environments are varied; offering lush forests, underwater caverns, ruined cities, abandoned steampunk industrial areas snowy mountain and more. The character and enemy sprites also look very nice.
I did say the game was mostly pixelart. Where it breaks from that are character portraits during dialogues. These are presented in a VN style, with the drawing of the speaker being presented above the text box. They don’t look bad, but I’m not too enthusiastic about them.
The other break are a few artworks that appear as part of a cutscene a few times.And then there is music and general audio side of things. Each zone (and I’m pretty sure the bosses too) has it’s theme, and they all sound pretty damn good. Or at the very least I enjoyed the music immensely, as untrained in music as I am. There wasn’t anything that stood out to me, in either good or bad way, when it comes to rest of the sounds of the game.
Gameplay
TN:OotA is a 2D side scrolling metroidvania, so the game revolves around running around the rather big map, fighting enemies and looking for upgrades that let you access previously-out-of-reach areas, where you run around. Or, in a few cases run around lost, because you don’t know where to go next.
By the way, while the game supports controllers, I played similar exclusively on the keyboard.
Exploration
Which brings me to the exploration, which is a pretty important part of gameplay.
The general movement feels pretty good. Though to get some options aside from running, jumping and doing a backflip will take a little. And yes, forward dodge is an unlockable move… That comes online somewhere around halfway through the game.
Eventually the repertoire of moves gets pretty decent; with sliding, wall jumping, double jumping, air dashing and swinging on the whip feels pretty damn nice.
Maybe aside from the swinging, it can be somewhat… “off” for a lack of better term.
The game has platforming sections ranging from a nice change of pace to infuriating to roadblocks that take dozens of attempts. At least the worst ones aren’t mandatory… Which is both a blessing and a curse, because of you get there a bit too early, you’ll realise that you gave get through it again.
And then there’s the aforementioned getting lost. Either due to lack of indications where to go next… Or a somewhat misleading ones, that tell you to go somewhere you can’t go yet… Or telling you to find an item before going to a place… That you can only get after visiting that very place.
Combat
Combat on the other hand is rather simple. You have a whip attack and you can modify it with various elements by making “alloys”. Though I wonder why having a rust whip produces wind blades…
Of course, this being a metroidvania, some of the upgrades affect combat more directly, such as turning a single whip attack into a three-hit-combo string, adding a heavy strike and a powerful strike that will be very helpful against bosses and though enemies…
That and swapping between loadouts, because for some reason that’s an upgrade.
A spectacle fighter it is not, but it’s not the point. The combat is decent; with wide cast of enemies having varied elemental weaknesses it’s interesting enough, even if you can get though most of the game using the flashbang magnesium alloy that is gained at the very start, coupled with the decent selection of spells (again, electro spheres, one of the first gained will be useful almost everywhere) make it interesting enough.
Story
And then there is the story. It’s a simple, yet serviceable one, serving more as a spice enhancing the whole, rather than the core ingredient. I see no issue with it being the background for why we whip things with an iron whip that spawns fireballs and jump around various areas.
The protagonist has a grudge against a cult leader. Said cult attacked a city and Xandria (the protagonist) rushed there, with the aim of facing the cult leader… But one of his lieutenants, a Chlorine Alchemist, almost killed her before she could fight him.
The recovery time and expenses was the reason for the loss of her abilities. The rest of the game revolves around finding out what the cult is planning and stopping them, all the while Xandria in pretty focused on revenge.
Or well, it feels more like we randomly stumble upon something that pushes the plot ahead. Sometimes a bit randomly, like the whole hallucination section (which I very much liked, as it was a neat change of pace… though it felt close to overstaying its welcome), which is one of the very contentious places, if you visit the forums.
The game also offers multiple endings: the depressing one, the bad one, the tragic one and the good one. The depressing one is the first one you can get, and is potentially missable. Fortunately all of them can be done on the same save, though that requires reading the written notes… or consulting the guides on the internet.
The game also offers a chain of optional sidequests, such as finding a lost child, finding that child’s cats, photographing birds and delivering fruit.
Summa Summarum
Toziuha Nights: Order of the Alchemists is a very good metroidvania, with pretty visuals, good music, and fun overall gameplay.
There are a few issues that didn’t bother me enough to lower the grade further. Or at least they affected me little enough for them to fade from my mind.
Furthermore, the game is getting updates, with additional options (like the optional post game mode letting you play as a different character) and QoL changes (like drops being pulled in after a few seconds).
And so, I’m giving it a 5-.
#ActionAdventure #ComputerGames #gameReview #gaming #IndieGame #Metroidvania #ToziuhaNight #ToziuhaNightOrderOfTheAlchemists -
My thoughts on Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists; a review
To be fair, the cover art of the game would have made me skip it while browsing GOG’s catalogue, which would make me miss out on a great metroidvania. Fortunately a fellow member of one of the discord servers I’m in was singing praises for this title, so I got it and I do not regret.
Label
Speaking of, Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists is an indie metroidvania made by Danny Garay, on Godot 3.6. It released on the end of October 2025 and is available GOG, Itch and Steam. It’s also the second game in the series (you can get the first on Itch and Steam).
Aesthetics
It’s a pixelart game for the most part. And it looks gorgeous. The game offers the option of playing with the CRT-emulating filter, Grid LCD filter or without any. I personally preffer playing without any of those, but – as they say – Your Mileage May Vary.
The environments are varied; offering lush forests, underwater caverns, ruined cities, abandoned steampunk industrial areas snowy mountain and more. The character and enemy sprites also look very nice.
I did say the game was mostly pixelart. Where it breaks from that are character portraits during dialogues. These are presented in a VN style, with the drawing of the speaker being presented above the text box. They don’t look bad, but I’m not too enthusiastic about them.
The other break are a few artworks that appear as part of a cutscene a few times.And then there is music and general audio side of things. Each zone (and I’m pretty sure the bosses too) has it’s theme, and they all sound pretty damn good. Or at the very least I enjoyed the music immensely, as untrained in music as I am. There wasn’t anything that stood out to me, in either good or bad way, when it comes to rest of the sounds of the game.
Gameplay
TN:OotA is a 2D side scrolling metroidvania, so the game revolves around running around the rather big map, fighting enemies and looking for upgrades that let you access previously-out-of-reach areas, where you run around. Or, in a few cases run around lost, because you don’t know where to go next.
By the way, while the game supports controllers, I played similar exclusively on the keyboard.
Exploration
Which brings me to the exploration, which is a pretty important part of gameplay.
The general movement feels pretty good. Though to get some options aside from running, jumping and doing a backflip will take a little. And yes, forward dodge is an unlockable move… That comes online somewhere around halfway through the game.
Eventually the repertoire of moves gets pretty decent; with sliding, wall jumping, double jumping, air dashing and swinging on the whip feels pretty damn nice.
Maybe aside from the swinging, it can be somewhat… “off” for a lack of better term.
The game has platforming sections ranging from a nice change of pace to infuriating to roadblocks that take dozens of attempts. At least the worst ones aren’t mandatory… Which is both a blessing and a curse, because of you get there a bit too early, you’ll realise that you gave get through it again.
And then there’s the aforementioned getting lost. Either due to lack of indications where to go next… Or a somewhat misleading ones, that tell you to go somewhere you can’t go yet… Or telling you to find an item before going to a place… That you can only get after visiting that very place.
Combat
Combat on the other hand is rather simple. You have a whip attack and you can modify it with various elements by making “alloys”. Though I wonder why having a rust whip produces wind blades…
Of course, this being a metroidvania, some of the upgrades affect combat more directly, such as turning a single whip attack into a three-hit-combo string, adding a heavy strike and a powerful strike that will be very helpful against bosses and though enemies…
That and swapping between loadouts, because for some reason that’s an upgrade.
A spectacle fighter it is not, but it’s not the point. The combat is decent; with wide cast of enemies having varied elemental weaknesses it’s interesting enough, even if you can get though most of the game using the flashbang magnesium alloy that is gained at the very start, coupled with the decent selection of spells (again, electro spheres, one of the first gained will be useful almost everywhere) make it interesting enough.
Story
And then there is the story. It’s a simple, yet serviceable one, serving more as a spice enhancing the whole, rather than the core ingredient. I see no issue with it being the background for why we whip things with an iron whip that spawns fireballs and jump around various areas.
The protagonist has a grudge against a cult leader. Said cult attacked a city and Xandria (the protagonist) rushed there, with the aim of facing the cult leader… But one of his lieutenants, a Chlorine Alchemist, almost killed her before she could fight him.
The recovery time and expenses was the reason for the loss of her abilities. The rest of the game revolves around finding out what the cult is planning and stopping them, all the while Xandria in pretty focused on revenge.
Or well, it feels more like we randomly stumble upon something that pushes the plot ahead. Sometimes a bit randomly, like the whole hallucination section (which I very much liked, as it was a neat change of pace… though it felt close to overstaying its welcome), which is one of the very contentious places, if you visit the forums.
The game also offers multiple endings: the depressing one, the bad one, the tragic one and the good one. The depressing one is the first one you can get, and is potentially missable. Fortunately all of them can be done on the same save, though that requires reading the written notes… or consulting the guides on the internet.
The game also offers a chain of optional sidequests, such as finding a lost child, finding that child’s cats, photographing birds and delivering fruit.
Summa Summarum
Toziuha Nights: Order of the Alchemists is a very good metroidvania, with pretty visuals, good music, and fun overall gameplay.
There are a few issues that didn’t bother me enough to lower the grade further. Or at least they affected me little enough for them to fade from my mind.
Furthermore, the game is getting updates, with additional options (like the optional post game mode letting you play as a different character) and QoL changes (like drops being pulled in after a few seconds).
And so, I’m giving it a 5-.
#ActionAdventure #ComputerGames #gameReview #gaming #IndieGame #Metroidvania #ToziuhaNight #ToziuhaNightOrderOfTheAlchemists -
My thoughts on Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists; a review
To be fair, the cover art of the game would have made me skip it while browsing GOG’s catalogue, which would make me miss out on a great metroidvania. Fortunately a fellow member of one of the discord servers I’m in was singing praises for this title, so I got it and I do not regret.
Label
Speaking of, Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists is an indie metroidvania made by Danny Garay, on Godot 3.6. It released on the end of October 2025 and is available GOG, Itch and Steam. It’s also the second game in the series (you can get the first on Itch and Steam).
Aesthetics
It’s a pixelart game for the most part. And it looks gorgeous. The game offers the option of playing with the CRT-emulating filter, Grid LCD filter or without any. I personally preffer playing without any of those, but – as they say – Your Mileage May Vary.
The environments are varied; offering lush forests, underwater caverns, ruined cities, abandoned steampunk industrial areas snowy mountain and more. The character and enemy sprites also look very nice.
I did say the game was mostly pixelart. Where it breaks from that are character portraits during dialogues. These are presented in a VN style, with the drawing of the speaker being presented above the text box. They don’t look bad, but I’m not too enthusiastic about them.
The other break are a few artworks that appear as part of a cutscene a few times.And then there is music and general audio side of things. Each zone (and I’m pretty sure the bosses too) has it’s theme, and they all sound pretty damn good. Or at the very least I enjoyed the music immensely, as untrained in music as I am. There wasn’t anything that stood out to me, in either good or bad way, when it comes to rest of the sounds of the game.
Gameplay
TN:OotA is a 2D side scrolling metroidvania, so the game revolves around running around the rather big map, fighting enemies and looking for upgrades that let you access previously-out-of-reach areas, where you run around. Or, in a few cases run around lost, because you don’t know where to go next.
By the way, while the game supports controllers, I played similar exclusively on the keyboard.
Exploration
Which brings me to the exploration, which is a pretty important part of gameplay.
The general movement feels pretty good. Though to get some options aside from running, jumping and doing a backflip will take a little. And yes, forward dodge is an unlockable move… That comes online somewhere around halfway through the game.
Eventually the repertoire of moves gets pretty decent; with sliding, wall jumping, double jumping, air dashing and swinging on the whip feels pretty damn nice.
Maybe aside from the swinging, it can be somewhat… “off” for a lack of better term.
The game has platforming sections ranging from a nice change of pace to infuriating to roadblocks that take dozens of attempts. At least the worst ones aren’t mandatory… Which is both a blessing and a curse, because of you get there a bit too early, you’ll realise that you gave get through it again.
And then there’s the aforementioned getting lost. Either due to lack of indications where to go next… Or a somewhat misleading ones, that tell you to go somewhere you can’t go yet… Or telling you to find an item before going to a place… That you can only get after visiting that very place.
Combat
Combat on the other hand is rather simple. You have a whip attack and you can modify it with various elements by making “alloys”. Though I wonder why having a rust whip produces wind blades…
Of course, this being a metroidvania, some of the upgrades affect combat more directly, such as turning a single whip attack into a three-hit-combo string, adding a heavy strike and a powerful strike that will be very helpful against bosses and though enemies…
That and swapping between loadouts, because for some reason that’s an upgrade.
A spectacle fighter it is not, but it’s not the point. The combat is decent; with wide cast of enemies having varied elemental weaknesses it’s interesting enough, even if you can get though most of the game using the flashbang magnesium alloy that is gained at the very start, coupled with the decent selection of spells (again, electro spheres, one of the first gained will be useful almost everywhere) make it interesting enough.
Story
And then there is the story. It’s a simple, yet serviceable one, serving more as a spice enhancing the whole, rather than the core ingredient. I see no issue with it being the background for why we whip things with an iron whip that spawns fireballs and jump around various areas.
The protagonist has a grudge against a cult leader. Said cult attacked a city and Xandria (the protagonist) rushed there, with the aim of facing the cult leader… But one of his lieutenants, a Chlorine Alchemist, almost killed her before she could fight him.
The recovery time and expenses was the reason for the loss of her abilities. The rest of the game revolves around finding out what the cult is planning and stopping them, all the while Xandria in pretty focused on revenge.
Or well, it feels more like we randomly stumble upon something that pushes the plot ahead. Sometimes a bit randomly, like the whole hallucination section (which I very much liked, as it was a neat change of pace… though it felt close to overstaying its welcome), which is one of the very contentious places, if you visit the forums.
The game also offers multiple endings: the depressing one, the bad one, the tragic one and the good one. The depressing one is the first one you can get, and is potentially missable. Fortunately all of them can be done on the same save, though that requires reading the written notes… or consulting the guides on the internet.
The game also offers a chain of optional sidequests, such as finding a lost child, finding that child’s cats, photographing birds and delivering fruit.
Summa Summarum
Toziuha Nights: Order of the Alchemists is a very good metroidvania, with pretty visuals, good music, and fun overall gameplay.
There are a few issues that didn’t bother me enough to lower the grade further. Or at least they affected me little enough for them to fade from my mind.
Furthermore, the game is getting updates, with additional options (like the optional post game mode letting you play as a different character) and QoL changes (like drops being pulled in after a few seconds).
And so, I’m giving it a 5-.
#ActionAdventure #ComputerGames #gameReview #gaming #IndieGame #Metroidvania #ToziuhaNight #ToziuhaNightOrderOfTheAlchemists -
My thoughts on Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists; a review
To be fair, the cover art of the game would have made me skip it while browsing GOG’s catalogue, which would make me miss out on a great metroidvania. Fortunately a fellow member of one of the discord servers I’m in was singing praises for this title, so I got it and I do not regret.
Label
Speaking of, Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists is an indie metroidvania made by Danny Garay, on Godot 3.6. It released on the end of October 2025 and is available GOG, Itch and Steam. It’s also the second game in the series (you can get the first on Itch and Steam).
Aesthetics
It’s a pixelart game for the most part. And it looks gorgeous. The game offers the option of playing with the CRT-emulating filter, Grid LCD filter or without any. I personally preffer playing without any of those, but – as they say – Your Mileage May Vary.
The environments are varied; offering lush forests, underwater caverns, ruined cities, abandoned steampunk industrial areas snowy mountain and more. The character and enemy sprites also look very nice.
I did say the game was mostly pixelart. Where it breaks from that are character portraits during dialogues. These are presented in a VN style, with the drawing of the speaker being presented above the text box. They don’t look bad, but I’m not too enthusiastic about them.
The other break are a few artworks that appear as part of a cutscene a few times.And then there is music and general audio side of things. Each zone (and I’m pretty sure the bosses too) has it’s theme, and they all sound pretty damn good. Or at the very least I enjoyed the music immensely, as untrained in music as I am. There wasn’t anything that stood out to me, in either good or bad way, when it comes to rest of the sounds of the game.
Gameplay
TN:OotA is a 2D side scrolling metroidvania, so the game revolves around running around the rather big map, fighting enemies and looking for upgrades that let you access previously-out-of-reach areas, where you run around. Or, in a few cases run around lost, because you don’t know where to go next.
By the way, while the game supports controllers, I played similar exclusively on the keyboard.
Exploration
Which brings me to the exploration, which is a pretty important part of gameplay.
The general movement feels pretty good. Though to get some options aside from running, jumping and doing a backflip will take a little. And yes, forward dodge is an unlockable move… That comes online somewhere around halfway through the game.
Eventually the repertoire of moves gets pretty decent; with sliding, wall jumping, double jumping, air dashing and swinging on the whip feels pretty damn nice.
Maybe aside from the swinging, it can be somewhat… “off” for a lack of better term.
The game has platforming sections ranging from a nice change of pace to infuriating to roadblocks that take dozens of attempts. At least the worst ones aren’t mandatory… Which is both a blessing and a curse, because of you get there a bit too early, you’ll realise that you gave get through it again.
And then there’s the aforementioned getting lost. Either due to lack of indications where to go next… Or a somewhat misleading ones, that tell you to go somewhere you can’t go yet… Or telling you to find an item before going to a place… That you can only get after visiting that very place.
Combat
Combat on the other hand is rather simple. You have a whip attack and you can modify it with various elements by making “alloys”. Though I wonder why having a rust whip produces wind blades…
Of course, this being a metroidvania, some of the upgrades affect combat more directly, such as turning a single whip attack into a three-hit-combo string, adding a heavy strike and a powerful strike that will be very helpful against bosses and though enemies…
That and swapping between loadouts, because for some reason that’s an upgrade.
A spectacle fighter it is not, but it’s not the point. The combat is decent; with wide cast of enemies having varied elemental weaknesses it’s interesting enough, even if you can get though most of the game using the flashbang magnesium alloy that is gained at the very start, coupled with the decent selection of spells (again, electro spheres, one of the first gained will be useful almost everywhere) make it interesting enough.
Story
And then there is the story. It’s a simple, yet serviceable one, serving more as a spice enhancing the whole, rather than the core ingredient. I see no issue with it being the background for why we whip things with an iron whip that spawns fireballs and jump around various areas.
The protagonist has a grudge against a cult leader. Said cult attacked a city and Xandria (the protagonist) rushed there, with the aim of facing the cult leader… But one of his lieutenants, a Chlorine Alchemist, almost killed her before she could fight him.
The recovery time and expenses was the reason for the loss of her abilities. The rest of the game revolves around finding out what the cult is planning and stopping them, all the while Xandria in pretty focused on revenge.
Or well, it feels more like we randomly stumble upon something that pushes the plot ahead. Sometimes a bit randomly, like the whole hallucination section (which I very much liked, as it was a neat change of pace… though it felt close to overstaying its welcome), which is one of the very contentious places, if you visit the forums.
The game also offers multiple endings: the depressing one, the bad one, the tragic one and the good one. The depressing one is the first one you can get, and is potentially missable. Fortunately all of them can be done on the same save, though that requires reading the written notes… or consulting the guides on the internet.
The game also offers a chain of optional sidequests, such as finding a lost child, finding that child’s cats, photographing birds and delivering fruit.
Summa Summarum
Toziuha Nights: Order of the Alchemists is a very good metroidvania, with pretty visuals, good music, and fun overall gameplay.
There are a few issues that didn’t bother me enough to lower the grade further. Or at least they affected me little enough for them to fade from my mind.
Furthermore, the game is getting updates, with additional options (like the optional post game mode letting you play as a different character) and QoL changes (like drops being pulled in after a few seconds).
And so, I’m giving it a 5-.
#ActionAdventure #ComputerGames #gameReview #gaming #IndieGame #Metroidvania #ToziuhaNight #ToziuhaNightOrderOfTheAlchemists -
How the classic computer game Doom became a tool for science https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00813-4 #science #doom #computergames
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How the classic computer game Doom became a tool for science https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00813-4 #science #doom #computergames
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How the classic computer game Doom became a tool for science https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00813-4 #science #doom #computergames
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How the classic computer game Doom became a tool for science https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00813-4 #science #doom #computergames
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How the classic computer game Doom became a tool for science https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00813-4 #science #doom #computergames
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I played four #ComputerGames yesterday, and, funnily enough, one of them wasn't with 4 Guys Co-op, which got canceled due to illness, injury, and travel. I got sucked into Hideo Kojima‘s Death Stranding over the weekend. It recently came to Xbox Game Pass—an odd #cRPG, whose main mechanic is trying to stay upright while carrying a lot of stuff. I also played Eternal Strands, Metamorph ReFantazio (sic), and Octopath Traveler, all fun #JRPGs. Damn that #Xbox rewards gamifying system!
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I played four #ComputerGames yesterday, and, funnily enough, one of them wasn't with 4 Guys Co-op, which got canceled due to illness, injury, and travel. I got sucked into Hideo Kojima‘s Death Stranding over the weekend. It recently came to Xbox Game Pass—an odd #cRPG, whose main mechanic is trying to stay upright while carrying a lot of stuff. I also played Eternal Strands, Metamorph ReFantazio (sic), and Octopath Traveler, all fun #JRPGs. Damn that #Xbox rewards gamifying system!
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I played four #ComputerGames yesterday, and, funnily enough, one of them wasn't with 4 Guys Co-op, which got canceled due to illness, injury, and travel. I got sucked into Hideo Kojima‘s Death Stranding over the weekend. It recently came to Xbox Game Pass—an odd #cRPG, whose main mechanic is trying to stay upright while carrying a lot of stuff. I also played Eternal Strands, Metamorph ReFantazio (sic), and Octopath Traveler, all fun #JRPGs. Damn that #Xbox rewards gamifying system!
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I played four #ComputerGames yesterday, and, funnily enough, one of them wasn't with 4 Guys Co-op, which got canceled due to illness, injury, and travel. I got sucked into Hideo Kojima‘s Death Stranding over the weekend. It recently came to Xbox Game Pass—an odd #cRPG, whose main mechanic is trying to stay upright while carrying a lot of stuff. I also played Eternal Strands, Metamorph ReFantazio (sic), and Octopath Traveler, all fun #JRPGs. Damn that #Xbox rewards gamifying system!
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I played four #ComputerGames yesterday, and, funnily enough, one of them wasn't with 4 Guys Co-op, which got canceled due to illness, injury, and travel. I got sucked into Hideo Kojima‘s Death Stranding over the weekend. It recently came to Xbox Game Pass—an odd #cRPG, whose main mechanic is trying to stay upright while carrying a lot of stuff. I also played Eternal Strands, Metamorph ReFantazio (sic), and Octopath Traveler, all fun #JRPGs. Damn that #Xbox rewards gamifying system!
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https://www.europesays.com/uk/729278/ Make an Honest Living in Three New GTA Online Odd Jobs – Rockstar Games #ComputerGames #games #Gaming #GrandTheftAuto #GTA #GTA5 #GTAOnline #GTAPlus #GTAV #HomeEntertainment #HomeGaming #L.A.Noire #LANoire #LibertyCity #LosSantos #MaxPayne #MaxPayne3 #NewVideoGames #PCGames #PlayStation #PS5 #RDR #RedDeadOnline #RedDeadRedemption #Rockstar #RockstarGames #SanAndreas #Technology #UK #UnitedKingdom #ViceCity #VideoGames #Videogames #Vinewood #Xbox #XboxSeriesS #XboxSeriesX
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"Free Games Collection
Free games available on GOG that will help you relax and pass time at home" -
"Free Games Collection
Free games available on GOG that will help you relax and pass time at home" -
"Free Games Collection
Free games available on GOG that will help you relax and pass time at home" -
"Free Games Collection
Free games available on GOG that will help you relax and pass time at home" -
"Free Games Collection
Free games available on GOG that will help you relax and pass time at home" -
Useless Facts, Badly Drawn #485: .kkrieger.
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#kkrieger #computergames #gaming #worldrecords #germany #theprodukkt #strangebuttrue #wtf #3dgames #doom #quake #firstpersonshooter #geek #funfacts #facts #uselessfacts #uselessfactsbadlydrawn -
Useless Facts, Badly Drawn #485: .kkrieger.
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.
#kkrieger #computergames #gaming #worldrecords #germany #theprodukkt #strangebuttrue #wtf #3dgames #doom #quake #firstpersonshooter #geek #funfacts #facts #uselessfacts #uselessfactsbadlydrawn -
Useless Facts, Badly Drawn #485: .kkrieger.
.
.
#kkrieger #computergames #gaming #worldrecords #germany #theprodukkt #strangebuttrue #wtf #3dgames #doom #quake #firstpersonshooter #geek #funfacts #facts #uselessfacts #uselessfactsbadlydrawn -
Useless Facts, Badly Drawn #485: .kkrieger.
.
.
#kkrieger #computergames #gaming #worldrecords #germany #theprodukkt #strangebuttrue #wtf #3dgames #doom #quake #firstpersonshooter #geek #funfacts #facts #uselessfacts #uselessfactsbadlydrawn -
Useless Facts, Badly Drawn #485: .kkrieger.
.
.
#kkrieger #computergames #gaming #worldrecords #germany #theprodukkt #strangebuttrue #wtf #3dgames #doom #quake #firstpersonshooter #geek #funfacts #facts #uselessfacts #uselessfactsbadlydrawn -
https://www.europesays.com/uk/713423/ Wrap the Karin Everon RS in the New Mosh Mosh Livery – Rockstar Games #ComputerGames #games #Gaming #GrandTheftAuto #GTA #GTA5 #GTAOnline #GTAPlus #GTAV #HomeEntertainment #HomeGaming #L.A.Noire #LANoire #LibertyCity #LosSantos #MaxPayne #MaxPayne3 #NewVideoGames #PCGames #PlayStation #PS5 #RDR #RedDeadOnline #RedDeadRedemption #Rockstar #RockstarGames #SanAndreas #Technology #UK #UnitedKingdom #ViceCity #VideoGames #Videogames #Vinewood #Xbox #XboxSeriesS #XboxSeriesX
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We played Baldur's Gate for the first time in several weeks last night. The holidays interfered too much with it. I would say we are about halfway done. It can be a little bit of a grind, but it’s still pretty fun. Tonight, 4 Guys Co-op will probably play Tiny Tina‘s Wonderland, a Borderlands spinoff. We are not huge Borderlands fans, because it is a bit too easy, but it is a fun looter shooter. It certainly is colorful.
#crpg #rpg #ComputerGames -
We played Baldur's Gate for the first time in several weeks last night. The holidays interfered too much with it. I would say we are about halfway done. It can be a little bit of a grind, but it’s still pretty fun. Tonight, 4 Guys Co-op will probably play Tiny Tina‘s Wonderland, a Borderlands spinoff. We are not huge Borderlands fans, because it is a bit too easy, but it is a fun looter shooter. It certainly is colorful.
#crpg #rpg #ComputerGames -
We played Baldur's Gate for the first time in several weeks last night. The holidays interfered too much with it. I would say we are about halfway done. It can be a little bit of a grind, but it’s still pretty fun. Tonight, 4 Guys Co-op will probably play Tiny Tina‘s Wonderland, a Borderlands spinoff. We are not huge Borderlands fans, because it is a bit too easy, but it is a fun looter shooter. It certainly is colorful.
#crpg #rpg #ComputerGames -
We played Baldur's Gate for the first time in several weeks last night. The holidays interfered too much with it. I would say we are about halfway done. It can be a little bit of a grind, but it’s still pretty fun. Tonight, 4 Guys Co-op will probably play Tiny Tina‘s Wonderland, a Borderlands spinoff. We are not huge Borderlands fans, because it is a bit too easy, but it is a fun looter shooter. It certainly is colorful.
#crpg #rpg #ComputerGames -
We played Baldur's Gate for the first time in several weeks last night. The holidays interfered too much with it. I would say we are about halfway done. It can be a little bit of a grind, but it’s still pretty fun. Tonight, 4 Guys Co-op will probably play Tiny Tina‘s Wonderland, a Borderlands spinoff. We are not huge Borderlands fans, because it is a bit too easy, but it is a fun looter shooter. It certainly is colorful.
#crpg #rpg #ComputerGames -
If the term "CRPG" didn't exist, or "RPG" didn't exist, we'd be calling them:
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If the term "CRPG" didn't exist, or "RPG" didn't exist, we'd be calling them:
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If the term "CRPG" didn't exist, or "RPG" didn't exist, we'd be calling them:
-
If the term "CRPG" didn't exist, or "RPG" didn't exist, we'd be calling them:
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If the term "CRPG" didn't exist, or "RPG" didn't exist, we'd be calling them:
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I've been writing this post for ages, but now it's time to post it: my overview of what I've been playing recently-ish. Have a look at my little personal games journey of the last few years - it's not all adventures, I promise!
https://blog.bibra.eu/2025/12/22/the-years-of-games/
#games #computergames #videogames #adventures -
I've been writing this post for ages, but now it's time to post it: my overview of what I've been playing recently-ish. Have a look at my little personal games journey of the last few years - it's not all adventures, I promise!
https://blog.bibra.eu/2025/12/22/the-years-of-games/
#games #computergames #videogames #adventures -
I've been writing this post for ages, but now it's time to post it: my overview of what I've been playing recently-ish. Have a look at my little personal games journey of the last few years - it's not all adventures, I promise!
https://blog.bibra.eu/2025/12/22/the-years-of-games/
#games #computergames #videogames #adventures -
I've been writing this post for ages, but now it's time to post it: my overview of what I've been playing recently-ish. Have a look at my little personal games journey of the last few years - it's not all adventures, I promise!
https://blog.bibra.eu/2025/12/22/the-years-of-games/
#games #computergames #videogames #adventures -
I've been writing this post for ages, but now it's time to post it: my overview of what I've been playing recently-ish. Have a look at my little personal games journey of the last few years - it's not all adventures, I promise!
https://blog.bibra.eu/2025/12/22/the-years-of-games/
#games #computergames #videogames #adventures -
Playing Double Dragon in the 90's was like....
#doubledragon #computergames #watercolour #artwithcapitala #comics -
Playing Double Dragon in the 90's was like....
#doubledragon #computergames #watercolour #artwithcapitala #comics