like a star, like a firefly

I'm on SB Chapter 6 in Hopes now -- just trying to grind a few supports before I take a look at the main mission. (On that note, please don't spoil anything about the main mission of any chapter I'm currently on, unless I say I've looked at the mission in question and want some tips, and even then I'll be very specific about what I want to know.)

Quick note to myself first: hiding the UI during cutscenes and support conversations hides the textbox as well, so you no longer have any right to complain about the textbox getting in the way of making new icons!

*ahem*

( Spoilers up to Chapter 6 of Scarlet Blaze, not yet including the chapter's main story battle )

I'm digging the OST again, too.

After clocking up nearly 18 hours of playtime (yes, really, and this is all just one route to boot) I've finally done everything I wanted to do in the Three Hopes demo! With that, here's some assorted thoughts I have about it.

I'm playing the Scarlet Blaze route, Normal/Classic, with female!Shez and male!Byleth.

( Spoilers for the demo portion of this route, including some of the support conversations that are currently available )

All in all, I've enjoyed this demo a ton and I'm glad there's less than a week to go until the full game drops!

Three Hopes, Leicester edition

Marianne with her hair down. Enough said. ♥

Three Hopes, Faerghus edition

Ingrid with a bob? Annette with a headscarf and adorable coiled braids and boobies? Mercedes still looking cute as all hell? Yes please to all of 'em!

Looking forward to similar showcases for the Deer and especially the Eagles~

Hands up who's played Pokémon Legends Arceus and was surprised by how aggressive and dangerous Paras and Parasect of all things can be?

*raises hand*

I'd also ask around about what were particularly scary encounters for people, but I only got this game about a week ago as a birthday present, so while I've been pretty addicted so far I'm only on the... eighth main plot mission at the moment? I spend a lot of my time just exploring and mucking about, to be honest. ^^; (Particularly scary encounter for me so far, though: that alpha Honchkrow at Cloudpool Ridge that comes after you if you so much as sneeze at any of the Murkrow in the area!)

So I hear 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is coming to the Switch next April? That's awesome news. I've always thought it looked like such a cool and interesting game and that it's a pity I don't have a PS4 to play it on; at least now it'll be on a console I do have in a few months.

In the meantime, I can feel myself slowly edging back into Dangan Ronpa, both thanks to HDRS coming out in English at the end of this week and because I'm super interested in Kodaka's upcoming projects Tribe Nine and Enigma Archives: Rain Code.

Cool things to look forward to next year that got announced or received updates recently:

Pokémon Legends: Arceus! I'll be skipping the Diamond/Pearl remakes because they don't offer enough things the originals didn't to justify the expensive double dip for me (though I'm glad to hear they're at least updating the annoying HM stuff to be more in line with newer games) but Legends looks really interesting and different and I hope it can be at least half as good in execution as it is in concept! Also doesn't hurt that it'll have some new Pokémon and new regional variants for some old ones. I see from the latest news about it that there's going to be a new alternative evolved form for Scyther, my all-time favourite Pokémon; if that means Scyther itself can get a fresh dose of love by extension, then I'm all for it. :3

Triangle Strategy! Coming next March! This is another one with a cool concept that I really hope the final product can pull off. I never did finish the prototype demo that came out earlier this year, but having another update about the game has given me fresh motivation to do so.

Happy Dangan Ronpa S! A spinoff that's basically NDRV3's board game mode writ large! I got pretty addicted to that mode at one point, so I'm looking forward to even more fun interactions with my old favourites. Only a couple of months left to wait for this one!

Tribe Nine! The latest from Too Kyo Games! After it's only had a concept movie for over a year, it's finally been announced to be a mixed-media project with an anime, a mobage and a Webtoon, potentially among other things. The anime's coming surprisingly soon, starting in January, and I'm hoping it'll at least be good fun. I enjoyed last year's Akudama Drive a lot.

AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative! Honestly, I'm not sure if the original really needed a sequel, but I loved it so much that I ain't gonna complain about getting more!

There's more besides, but this is the stuff I most wanted to write about.

Triangle Strategy looks really cool and interesting and I'll definitely be taking a look at its prototype demo ASAP.

I just cleared my Verdant Wind run in Three Houses! Once again, I got all the pairings I wanted!

( This run's pairings )

This was a good route! I enjoyed it a lot more than I did Azure Moon, though Crimson Flower may still be my favourite of the routes I've played, even if that's mainly because I'm most attached to the Eagles as a group.

I want to do more playthroughs sometime, namely Silver Snow and another CF run, but I think I might take a break from this game for a while beforehand. Don't wanna burn out on it, after all, especially when there'll be less and less new material to see with each run I do. >>;

( All C and B supports again, including some with Wolves; only vague spoilers at most )

I'm on Chapter 6's story battle now, but I think I ought to jump back to another game or two for a bit before I continue. >>;

I've come to realise that with all the characters I've recruited or will be recruiting on my Deer run, I could possibly end the playthrough with every single one of my units in a paired ending!

( Details )

I've also done another pile of supports since the last post, so without further ado...

( Got some B-ranks this time! Spoilers from the CF and AM routes come up; also, CW for mentions of racism and child slavery )

Going through Chapter 5's story battle now, which I swear feels like a slog to do on repeat playthroughs when I have to get my units all the way around...

Guess who I've now pulled into the Deer, shortly before Chapter 3's story battle! :D :D

I swear Linny hits on Byleth when he's recruited outside the Eagles. ^^; I like to think he's one of the characters who has at least a bit of a thing for them no matter what.

Now for another support report!

( All still C and C+ since it's so early in the run, but includes some supports with Wolves. Might be some vague plot spoilers? )

I've realised I still haven't gotten any Raphael supports yet, and it's making me feel bad for him. >>; It's not like I haven't been using him! Hopefully his physical tankiness will let him shine in the next battle and he can finally have conversations with people afterwards.