Just wanted to say I’m loving these posts, thanks for writing them

I’ve made my peace with this. I cried a bit playing through thr anniversary edition and reflected on what could’ve been. I think I’m ok with there never being anything more, I would welcome a book or a comic though.

Don’t worry scro’

Proton when no GE

::: spoiler I went fairly hard down the espresso rabbit hole, lelit Mara x v2, niche zero, handful of accessories. I like it, but it 100% isn’t as the aesthetic portrays. It’s more comppicated and the learning curve is steep. You may luck into a few good pulls, but it just takes time.

I don’t regret it, but I still absolutely love a V60 brew. With espresso I find myself rushing the process to get a coffee. The ritual of a pour over never left me feeling more irritated than when I started.

Your list of worries are a lot lower as well, am I scaling up to inside, do I need to lubricate my cams, how dirty is it under thr shower screen, etc… :::

Damn, ya got there before me.

I feel this is a hobby where people can get into obsessing about all the toys and trinkets. From the outside I assume it looks really embarrassing haha

Naw shucks haha, kind of you to say. I’m glad my ramble/vent was worth it!

Since ya played Edith Finch, in Until Then you form a much stronger connection with the characters, but the content and topics it faces are less extreme What is there will hit harder because of that connection I think.

I hope you enjoy any of the games I suggested! Also really, just get yourself Donut County. It’s a stupid cozy romp. Do racoon crimes.

Sorry to hear that, there’s been times where I’ve avoided certain bits of media for similar reasons, and that feeling of “should I invest myself in this?” while trying to keep yourself safe. I hope things improve for you.

I don’t want to say anything about Until Then really as I think the experience would be hampered knowing anything about it, but it’ll still be there for you in the future. There are heavier moments throughout the story however, I cried at both the beauty and the sadness at multiple points in the game.

Some comparable games that have some similar themes or vibes

• Night in the Woods - Has themes around mental health issues especially focusing on dissociation
• What Remains of Edith Finch - Covers topics around death of loved ones including issues you’re likely concerned about
• Life is Strange - Mental health and death along with suicidal discussion and events
• Firewatch

I think a lot of these kinda stories revolve around the sadder parts of life to elicit emotion that drives us towards connecting with characters in the same way that seeing hardship and struggle makes you care about your fellow human. To me it feels that through these experiences we’re able to see our humanity in a rawer form, perhaps its because there’s a cost to ourselves due to our emotional investment. There’s no need to take on that cost unless you have the emotional space to do so though, but that cost is often what’s made it so great. I didn’t play any games for just over 2 weeks after I finished Until Then, I just started playing the piano, went on walks/bike rides/runs, and decided to get more involved at a local board game cafe. But really, no need to force yourself into that, focus on yourself, do the things you need to do to improve your situation internally or externally, it’ll be there for you then.

If you want some story-esque games that feel much less soul-consuming, here’s a few of my favourites:

• Stray - it made me have wobbly emotions, but it doesn’t have quite the same “sting” as the games above
• Cloudpunk
• Metro Exodus - Bit of an oddball here, probably a few eyebrows raised, but I think it’s one of the only games I’ve seen actual intimacy (and not sexual intimacy), however that’s few and far between, the pew pew is great

And a couple of cozy games that are a bit adjacent to these

• Frog Detective - Quite how these haven’t won GOTY every year I don’t know… I loved them
• A Short Hike
• Donut County
• Maybe Sludge Life but that’s certainly on the more abstract end of things

Edit: Also sorry for the monologue haha, didn’t mean for that to get so long, just started rambling

Until Then

More of a visual novel, but I had an amazing time with it. I cried. It was beautiful. I’ve been learning the piano since I finished it.

Go in completely blind if you do decide to play it!

Uh oh, I’ve spent about $2,000 on my racing setup (moza r9 wheel base, SR-P pedals, RS V2 wheel, FSR Formula wheel, and ES wheel) and for me its been worth it, but it is ludicrously indulgent. Raced against (drove in the same race 3s slower a lap) a bunch of F2, F3 and F4 drivers and even Romain Grosjean. I was running on a cheap second hand G27 for 6 years before upgrading though, I would recommend going through that first to make sure you really want to race frequently enough to justify the cost.