Final Hollow Knight Epilogue and Dark Souls II Retrospective Episodes

This weekend is one of conclusions, as it has had both the last episode of the Hollow Knight Epilogue as well as the final episode of the Dark Souls II retrospective.

In the Hollow Knight episode, I give a try to beating The Radiance again, but I just do not enjoy the fight. I decide to go poking around at a few other odds and ends (such as the Coliseum of Fools), where I find some other stuff. But I think I've gotten out of this game all I care to, so it's time to go ahead and set it down.

Speaking of odds and ends, that's mostly what the Dark Souls II retrospective episode covers. There's a bunch of smaller things I talk about in it. I end the episode with some of my final thoughts from the series.

Hollow Knight Epilogue 10 and Part 4 of Dark Souls II Retrospective

A tragedy struck, and unfortunately a bunch of boss fights failed to get recorded. So this week's Hollow Knight episode is a search for all of the grubs. I find a lot of other stuff along the way, so it's got some nice exploration in it, too.

The Dark Souls II retrospective episode (with a name change because a check on Google Trends has shone that "Dark Souls 2" gets searched for far more than "Dark Souls II" does) is about the world design and level design of the game, along with a bunch of adjacent concepts (like torches, enemy respawn limits, etcetera).

Hollow Knight Epilogue Episode 9 and Dark Souls II Retrospective Part 3

The Hollow Knight epilogue continues. Rather than continue to attempt to beat the final boss, I go after some of the DLC in the hopes of gaining additional tools to help me beat the final boss.

The Dark Souls II retrospective also continues, this time with a discussion of game mechanics more closely associated with the player character.

Hollow Knight Epilogue Episode 8 and Dark Souls 2 Retrospective Part 2

In Hollow Knight this week, I challenge the final boss. Again and again and again. It really gives me a proper what's for!

In the Dark Souls II Retrospective video, I gush over the level aesthetics. I generally avoid talking about the mechanical aspects of the level design, as well as the world design. Those are topics for future episodes. For now, join me in admiring the environment art of this game!

Video Game Content June 10-16, 2019

There was enough variety in the content this week that it didn't make sense to me to try to make separate posts, so here's all of it!

The first two videos are from a game called Airscape: The Fall of Gravity. It's a challenging platformer. I ended up deciding to not finish the game, as I wasn't interested in conquering the platforming challenge. I suspect part of the reason was lingering frustration with Hollow Knight's White Palace, even a week removed.

Next comes a trio of Guild Wars 1 videos. To some extent, these are content fillers. That doesn't mean I think they're bad by any means, it simply means they aren't a proper Let's Play series. I'm still in a bit of a limbo, as many of the games I want to start are (as far as I can tell, anyway) longer RPGs, and I want to start playing Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for the channel the week it comes out (it releases June 18). I also don't want to interrupt a series. This makes figuring out what to do a bit awkward. On the other hand, it has meant I've experimented some!

Next, we have the next part of the Hollow Knight Epilogue. I get to the final boss for the better ending I'm going for, but I'm going to have to actually beat that boss in a future episode, as it proves to be quite challenging!

And finally, the last video is the first in a new series I'm doing that'll be a retrospective on Dark Souls II, the much-maligned middle-child of the Dark Souls trilogy. This episode specifically examines the issues with the game being named "Dark Souls II," and everything that comes with that.

Hollow Knight Epilogue 6 and Unwaking Waters

I made a LOT more progress in this week's Hollow Knight episode than I was expecting! It starts with the Lost Kin fight, which was significantly easier for me than I expected. This meant I could make my way to the Super Meat Boy inspired White Palace!

The second video is the Guild Wars: Factions mission of Unwaking Waters with the story quests surrounding it. It was a much needed bit of relaxing after the challenge of the Hollow Knight episode!

Hollow Knight Epilogue Episodes 4 & 5 and Gyala Hatchery

I ended up recording another two episodes of Hollow Knight this week. Unfortunately, something was off with my microphone settings, which resulted in it being too quiet and cutting out in spots. This isn't helped by the fact that the game was way too loud. That's something I'll have to fix for the next time.

Anyway, I went after the last two spirit warriors I'd previously missed, then took a stab at beating the White Defender. He proved...challenging.

In the Sunday video, I return to Guild Wars 1 and doing stuff on my Ranger, this time the Gyala Hatchery mission, though the episode itself starts with the prerequisite quest wherein I retrieve a chest of turtle eggs.

Let's Play Hollow Knight Episodes 46-50

I do a lot of exploration this week, including finding the final dreamer, The Beast. Most important of all, however, I beat the game! Yay! It was a lot of fun. I give my thoughts on the game's design and the like in the Finale episode.

Let's Play Hollow Knight Episodes 41-45

I made a lot of progress this week, finding key upgrades, such as the ability to swim in acid water. I also made a lot of lore progress, finding the King's Brand and the Teacher. I get the feeling I'm rapidly approaching the end of the game.

Let's Play Hollow Knight Episodes 36-40

I make significant progress this week, with a lot of exploration and finding a lot of things. Of particular note is the Wednesday video, where I take down a very challenging boss that leads to one of the beings I'm seeking. I definitely feel like I'm moving towards the end of the game, which, to be fair, I probably should be after 40 episodes!

Let's Play Hollow Knight Episodes 31-35

I made a lot of progress in Hollow Knight this week! The main reasons were finding the double jump upgrade and the tram pass, both of which opened up a lot of new ears for me to explore.

Let's Play Hollow Knight Episodes 26-30

This week saw me spend a lot of time exploring in an effort to find progress—and oh boy, do I! Well, narrative progress, at least. World progress mostly comes in small bits and pieces. Still I'm having fun and getting things set up for some much more significant progress next week!

Let's Play Hollow Knight Episodes 21-25

This week saw me finally making my way back to the Mantis Village, where I find the Mantis Lords, which is an excellent boss fight. This leads me into the Deepnest, a new area! I also return to old areas to find new things.

Let's Play Hollow Knight Episodes 16-20

This week on Hollow Knight, I spent a lot of time exploring and finding lost little corners of the world. This results in me finding a bunch of upgrades!

Let's Play Hollow Knight Episodes 11-15

This week started with a focus on exploration, which resulted in me finding several merchants. At least: A use for all of this geo! I then find the Soul Sanctum, where the Soul Master lurks. With his powers, I can finally enter the mines of Crystal Peak.

Let's Play Hollow Knight Episodes 6-10

This week I met a bunch of cool NPCs: Cloth, the Nailsmith, the weird fragile charms merchant, The Hunter. And I also found the very powerful navigational tool, the Mantis Claw. Good times!

Let's Play Hollow Knight Episodes 1-5

Time to start a new game for the Let's Play series! I'm finally getting around to playing Hollow Knight, for my first time. I'm liking it so far!