Saihate Station
Doomed, toxic, and codependent are the three pillars towards a successful relationship. And by that I mean successfully making a relationship that can be described as “psychological horror.” For anyone who knows my reading tastes, you’d know that I’m into this shit, especially when you throw a yandere into the mix and I’m completely on board.
The complicated relationship between Shion and Haru is the main focal point of the game as the story slowly unravels itself. I’ll be honest, I think the writing is just ok. I like the concepts presented, but something just didn’t completely click with me. It’s still engaging, but I just feel like I’ve read toxic relationships done better before. However, for a short game (abt 2.5 hours) I think it did a fine job at conveying what it wanted. I got ending z, which is the “best” ending, but I watched the other endings on youtube, and I loved the directions it could go (more suffering). Spoilers- The character dynamics between these two is great given that they’re both such a mess. I like how there’s only one “happy” ending because it makes it feel all the more special. Their relationship doesn’t work out in every other life but this one. This one where they can stare out at the waves on the beach together, forever. Also, can I just say that during the beach scene I couldn’t help but think about Hello Charlotte 3 which also had a scene with a blood red sky and sea but was decidedly less tranquil.
I do wish this game was just a bit scarier. I think there’s one chase sequence and one timed event which can be potentially anxiety inducing for some people. The atmosphere itself, while a bit eerie and unsettling at times, was surprisingly light (or as light as you can get in a horror game). Depending on the ending you get, you can also get more yandere moments. Which was great, and with Shion it’s a nice mix of getting the creeps (in a good way) and just flat out feeling bad for him. I guess I’m biased, but I just wanted more of that. I wanted to feel unsettled more often, to have more suspense in the game. For what it was though, I still enjoyed my time.
Webfishing
New comfort game unlocked. The low price, cute graphics, and fishing mechanics really reeled me in. And I have come to realize that with all of life’s problems, what I really needed was to be a derpy cat that fishes with internet strangers.
The chat room type feature was honestly the biggest hurdle for me. I’m incredibly shy both irl and online, so I was very nervous joining servers at first. But the community has been very welcoming, and all the servers I’ve been in haven’t cared that I’m mute/not talkative. It’s really relaxing just fishing next to other people even if we aren’t saying anything or simply observing the conversations going on. This could just be the times that I’m playing, but the 18+ and non-18+ servers aren’t really that different in my experience. Everyone is just really chill (playing during late nights and early mornings hit different). Also, I highly recommend getting drunk in-game so that you can struggle a bit and flail around. I fell into the ocean like five times in a row once, it was great.
Outside the social aspects, fishing is really addicting and simple. I like feeling a sense of accomplishment from collecting more fish and getting money. It's great for completionists or people who like customizing their little character. There's also other features-- gambling, drawing, or playing guitar. I haven't tried the guitars, but I do know that they're difficult to get the hang of. Oh, and before I forget there's also voidfishing hehehe. I've played solo a fair share of times, and it’s still been nice and cosy. Sometimes I prefer it when I'm feeling more low energy than usual.
The biggest issue with the game is probably bots. They spam chat, take up player slots, and kicking them doesn’t work. It’s annoying but the problem isn’t anywhere near extreme enough to ruin my fun. I was initially a bit hesitant to get this game because I saw some steam reviews complaining about doxxing and/or hackers, but so far I haven’t encountered any. It’s all been smooth sailing (or fishing I should say).
Refind Self: The Personality Test Game
Pop psychology-ish personality tests have been increasingly common to see mentioned on the internet. I have no idea how or when they became so popular, I just know that they appeared one day. That’s all to say, I have no opinion on them lol.
This game, however, rides off that current prevalence by marketing itself as being a personality test game. Less so of your actual personality, more like “what type of gamer are you?” I think it received moderate popularity (a small vtuber I sometimes watch played it okay), likely because it’s a nifty gimmick and the aforementioned popularity of personality tests.
It starts by presenting itself as a game within a game. Don’t think about it too much, instead focus on the soft piano and robot angst™. I won’t delve too much into the story, but the gist of the plot is robot angst + my creator “died” while leaving behind a vague promise. You’ve probably seen variants of this general premise before. Robots tend to be sad in a lot of media I come across, maybe they need a pat on the back or something.
The gameplay itself is quite simple and casual. Mainly you just walk around and interact with things, each action determining your “personality”. I believe there’s around 23 possible personalities, of which 3 end up being calculated (somehow) as your main personalities. You can unlock 2 additional distant personalities once you replay the game. On that note, the game highly encourages replayability, at least 3 playthroughs to be exact (so you can see the true ending). The game itself only takes about an hour, so replaying really isn’t much of a hassle. It’s nice if you want to have a chill afternoon with cute graphics and casual gameplay.
For anyone who's curious, my three main personalities were: clergy, planner, and researcher (my additional 'hidden personality' was traveler, most distant one was runner)
