jukebox - Mad Monster Mansion (Banjo-Kazooie)

no halloween special this year, sadly. haven't had the time to think of something for a special. in light of this, have a spooky game tune.

going to be writing a review on it eventually, but Banjo-Kazooie is one of those games from my childhood days that i fondly remember, and still enjoy to this day. could go on about it, but i'll save that for when i actually write the review some day or another. it's also got a fantastic soundtrack for a cartridge-based N64 game.

composed by Grant Kirkhope, his whimsical style can be recognized in many games he's worked on, from Rare classics like Banjo-Kazooie and Viva Pinata, to more recent games like Kingdoms of Amalur and Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth. of course, there's also mention of the upcoming Yooka-Laylee, but that's for another time. but yeah, go check his stuff out. and maybe support him on bandcamp. he's a coo dude with some really coo tunes.

jukebox - Home (Undertale)

been a while since the last time i did a jukebox entry, so in light of my recent review of Undertale, have a sampling from its soundtrack.

Undertale's soundtrack is a lovely blend of chiptune tracks, orchestraic compositions, and a dash of eletronica and rock inbetween. sometimes in the same track, even! the tracks fit the character or area they represent incredibly well, as in the case of Home, which plays when you're in the house of the motherly monster Toriel.

Toby Fox put a lot of love into this game, and it's soundtrack is no exception. you can purchase the soundtrack off his bandcamp here, though it can also be bought as a DLC off Steam. both soundtrack downloads include some spoilery tracks, so maybe you should hold off on buying it until you've finished the game. which you can also get off steam.

STEAMPUNK - Undertale

well, this took me a while to do. half because i needed to complete the game before writing this, half because it's kind of hard to really describe this game to newfolk without spoiling a great deal.

hoo boy

hoooooooo boy

back in 2013, word about a demo for an RPG by the name of Undertale came about. a bloke i knew recommended it to me, saying it seemed like something i'd like since i liked cute monsters and such. i'm not one to turn down anything with cute monsters, so i took a look at the demo. and hoo boy, in that hour-long span, i didn't think i'd end up feeling so much over a demo.

i wasn't able to help fund the kickstarter for Undertale when it came out the same year (i had no idea how to use a credit card until 2014 ok), but i kept watch on the game via twitter and Steam Greenlight and such so i could buy the game when it came out. two years later, just last month, Undertale finally saw release on Steam. and what did i do when i saw it available for purchase?

well okay i actually held off on buying it since i already spent a lot on a copy of Soul Nomad that month, but a pal of mine was kind enough to buy me a copy as their half of an art trade. kudos and shout-out to you, Muno. you're a rad pal. <3

so i guess now i should actually talk about what Undertale actually is, right? developed almost entirely by indie musician Toby "Radiation" Fox, Undertale is a charming role-playing game about a young human kid who falls down a hole while exploring a mysterious mountain. this hole leads to the Underground, where monsters have been trapped following the aftermath of a terrible war between the humans and monsters. what follows is a tale of... well, many feelings. happiness, sadness, fear, love, friendship... and maybe a bit of "what the hell just happened" at points.

i think it goes without saying that i seriously recommend that you grab it off Steam right now if you have the ten bucks to spare or try out the demo for a taste of what to expect. though, it wouldn't be that much of a rec if i didn't explain why i love this game so much, right?

well, if the 98% positive reviews or 97/100 metascore don't convince you, read on. or read on anyway if they do convince you, i dunno. don't worry, this review is spoiler free, and all screencaps used for the review are from the game site page and steam page.