Review: Bratz: Flaunt Your Fashion is in Rock Angelz’s Shadow

Review: Bratz: Flaunt Your Fashion is in Rock Angelz’s Shadow

Like many people, Bratz was a staple in my childhood and teenage years. Owning the first edition Cloe doll in 2001, watching the Starrin ‘n’ Stylin’ film in 2004 and dancing to the Space Angelz music video in 2005 and playing the original PS2 games, in particular Rock Angelz, Forever Diamondz, and The Movie in 2007 was somewhat revolutionary for me. (more…)

A Critical Evaluation of FFXIV Boyfriends for Cuffing Season

A Critical Evaluation of FFXIV Boyfriends for Cuffing Season

Winter is upon us poor souls in the northern hemisphere. Or, as it’s also called, cuffing season. People talk about staying in and cuddling with their partners, as well as bringing them home to meet their families. If you’re single, you might have decided that a fictional boyfriend is much less work. But who are the best fictional winter boyfriends? The story-rich MMO Final Fantasy XIV offers many options. Here are a few characters I think would be good (or bad) to celebrate the holidays with, and why. (more…)

How My Favorite Mobile Game is Choosing Inclusion

How My Favorite Mobile Game is Choosing Inclusion

This piece contains descriptions of explicit sexual content (aimed at mature audiences).

Cheesy ads.

Predictable heterosexual smut.

Carbon copy plots.

These are some of the complaints I see people make about the mobile visual novel genre, a category which includes obviously named apps such as Choices, Episodes, and Chapters. However, as somebody who has been playing these sorts of games for years now, I am very happy with the strides that many of these apps have made to become more inclusive. If you like LGBTQ+ love stories but were disappointed in the past by apps like these, I think Choices is worth your time. (more…)

Horizon Forbidden West: Vast World, Shallow Worldbuilding

Horizon Forbidden West: Vast World, Shallow Worldbuilding

Taking place just six months after Aloy defeats the corrupted Hades AI in Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West is a direct chronological sequel that expands on Zero Dawn‘s groundwork. Forbidden West is bigger in every possible way, from the narrative ambition to map size to collectible items to the number of machines, weapons, and mechanics. More often than not, this works to its detriment. In multiplying the scope of the world, Horizon Forbidden West also magnifies the problems inherent in its narrative. Because it reproduces real-world politics in a way that is at odds with what the story is trying to say, Horizon Forbidden West presents a disjointed story with incohesive worldbuilding. (more…)

Horizon Forbidden West, Authorship, and Identity

Horizon Forbidden West, Authorship, and Identity

In addition to being about saving the world from an incomprehensible environmental threat, Horizon Forbidden West is a game that is deeply concerned with identity. Born a motherless outcast, protagonist Aloy begins Horizon Zero Dawn trying to figure out what her place might be within her matriarchal community, the Nora. Instead, she’s thrust into an adventure during which she alone must prevent a malignant AI from destroying the world. Throughout Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy’s search for her place in the world becomes a major theme, something that persists throughout Horizon Forbidden West. The focus on Aloy’s identity is discordant with Horizon Forbidden West‘s ideas about authorship, creating an overall disjointed experience. (more…)

Grow Up: Unlikable Characters in Jenny LeClue: Detectivú

Grow Up: Unlikable Characters in Jenny LeClue: Detectivú

Grow Up is a series in which I evaluate whether games called young adult actually fit the definition and explore why that matters.

“Unlikable” is a word that comes up again and again when discussing characters. It’s a fraught idea to begin with—I love a deeply flawed character myself, while others prefer a character they can look up to—but especially so in fiction for younger consumers, such as young adult and middle grade. Is there room for selfish, mean, or otherwise unlikable characters in fiction for younger audiences, or should young protagonists serve as role models? (more…)