Tag Archives: characterisation

Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Katrielle Layton

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It’s interesting to see the trajectory that Level-5’s Layton series has taken over the years.

While remaining true to its roots as an interactive puzzle book with a narrative tying things together, each individual installment has experimented with the formula somewhat, even going so far as to replace the iconic protagonist Professor Hershel Layton with other leads in more recent installments.

Which, of course, leads us to Katrielle Layton, Hershel’s daughter and a wonderfully appealing character in her own right. Let’s take a closer look!

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Katrielle Layton →

Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Arnice

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With Arnice back in the spotlight in our Warriors All-Stars playthrough, it’s only fair that we give her a bit of love and appreciation for Waifu Wednesday, isn’t it?

Arnice is, if you’re unfamiliar, the protagonist of the excellent Nights of Azure, which was the subject of a Cover Game feature here on MoeGamer back in 2017. It’s a fantastic action RPG with a compelling story, a delightfully operatic tone and some amazing music.

And Arnice is a big part of what makes the game so appealing; she’s a fine protagonist, and fits right in to Warriors All-Stars, too. So let’s take a closer look.

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Arnice →

MoeGamer Awards 2019

The MoeGamer 2019 Awards: Best Girl 2019

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The MoeGamer Awards are a series of “alternative” awards I’ve devised in collaboration with the community to celebrate the sorts of things that never get celebrated in end-of-year roundups! Find out more here — and feel free to leave a suggestion on that post if you have any good ideas!

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With the visual novels of the decade and the games of the decade out of the way, it’s time to focus on the really important matters: who was the Best Girl of the games I played and covered here on MoeGamer in 2019?

Everyone’s definition of Best Girl is, of course, very different, so I will preface this with the usual disclaimer that this is solely my opinion, and you are free to share your own personal Best Girl 2019 in the comments. In fact, I’d welcome it! I always love to hear why particular characters are important to people; it makes for some great stories.

Anyway, there were definitely a lot of contenders for the title this year, what with the vast majority of the games I explored having predominantly female casts. But by my own self-imposed rules, I have to pick one…

And the winner is…

Continue reading The MoeGamer 2019 Awards: Best Girl 2019 →

Cover Games, Pokémon Sword and Shield

Pokémon Sword and Shield: The People of Galar

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header-6-2861792This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
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One thing that it’s always quite easy to forget about Pokémon is the fact that it not only features tons of the eponymous monsters… it also has people in it, too. And they have plenty of their own stories to tell.

Pokémon Sword and Shield may not appear to be quite as overdramatic in terms of “stakes” as some previous installments in the series — at least, not until the delightfully over-the-top finale — but it definitely has something to say, and its setting is quite relevant to this, too.

Specifically, the games have quite a bit to say about the nature of fame, the cult of celebrity and what a struggle a life in the spotlight can really bring, as desirable as it might seem from an idealised perspective.

Continue reading Pokémon Sword and Shield: The People of Galar →

Manga

Plus-Sized Elf, Vol. 1: Fantasy, Fries and Fitness

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There seems to be something of a trend for anime and manga with a certain degree of “aspiration” about it these days.

Whether it’s the explicit gym instruction provided by How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift?, the survival advice that hopefully none of us will ever have to use from Are You Lost? or the crash course in biology that Cells At Work! gave us, it seems that Japanese popular media is on something of an “edutainment” binge right now.

Plus-Sized Elf, first released in October of 2018, falls into this category to a certain extent, presenting the seemingly absurd juxtaposition between traditionally beautiful fantasy species and the distinctly modern problem of obesity. Settle down with a big bag of fries and let’s explore the first volume.

Continue reading Plus-Sized Elf, Vol. 1: Fantasy, Fries and Fitness →

Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Sword and Shield’s Pokégirls

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With Pokémon Sword and Shield next on the agenda for some in-depth exploration here on MoeGamer, I thought we might as well kick things off with a look at some of the delightful ladies you’ll run into in Galar.

Interestingly, Sword and Shield have a few instances throughout the game where the specific gym trainers you encounter vary between the two versions, providing further distinction beyond the usual exclusive monsters. In this way, those who elect to play both games can have a slightly different experience beyond the Pokémon they encounter in the wild.

Unsurprisingly, there’s been a wealth of fanart of most of the prominent female characters, so let’s dive in and see what we can find!

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Cover Games, Shade

Bullet Girls Phantasia: A Tale of Three Worlds

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shadeheader-3172714This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
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One of the things I find endlessly fascinating about Japanese popular media is how it blends disparate, seemingly incompatible things together to produce something altogether unique.

That’s certainly the case with Shade’s Bullet Girls Phantasia, a game which pops elements of Cute Girls Doing Cute Things, military action, fantasy fiction and Norse mythology into a big bowl and then whizzes it all around into a fine, blended paste.

It works. It really works. So let’s take a closer look at what you can expect from the narrative, themes and characterisation of this unusual game.

Continue reading Bullet Girls Phantasia: A Tale of Three Worlds →

Cover Games, Shade

Bullet Girls Phantasia: The Art of Erotica

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shadeheader-3172714This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
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There’s a distinct lack of nuance in a lot of modern video game analysis when it comes to anything even the slightest bit erotic, and, as we’ve previously discussed, this is something we could all stand to be a bit better at.

With this in mind, Bullet Girls Phantasia seems like an ideal candidate to look at closely from this angle: without tittering childishly, without knowing nudge-nudge-wink-winks, and, of course, without censure or shame for either what it is doing or the people who might enjoy it.

The reason for this is that Bullet Girls Phantasia represents a solid example of erotica done right: it stops short of being outright explicit pornography — partly for stylistic reasons and partly out of necessity due to its host platforms — but anyone playing it will be left in little doubt that a particular, specific side of the game is very much intended to provoke an intense sexual reaction in anyone engaging with it fully. And there’s nothing to be ashamed of there. So let’s explore it further!

Continue reading Bullet Girls Phantasia: The Art of Erotica →

Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Pokégirls, Vol. 2

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Pokémon Sword and Shield are out this coming Friday, and you can look forward to some in-depth coverage here on MoeGamer once we’re done with Bullet Girls Phantasia.

I’ve not been huge on Pokémon over the years, but one thing I’ve always appreciated about it is its character designs. And particularly the wide variety of very lovely female characters who appear in the various installments, both as player avatars and characters that you encounter in your various adventures.

So, then, following on from Pokégirls Vol. 1, I present to you a second collection of Pokémon cuties, as selected by friends and acquaintances who know more about this sort of thing than I do!

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Pokégirls, Vol. 2 →

One-Shots

Freedom Planet: Platforming Perfection

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Longstanding readers will know that here on MoeGamer, I dislike focusing on negativity; rather, I much prefer to make a specific effort to try and “find the good” in games, particularly those that have had a rough deal from the mainstream press or community.

Sometimes, however, “the good” is so blatantly obvious that you can’t help but be taken aback by it somewhat. This may not happen often, but when it does, it really leaves an impression on you.

The most recent game where this has happened to me is GalaxyTrail’s Freedom Planet, quite possibly one of the finest video games I have ever played.

Continue reading Freedom Planet: Platforming Perfection →