iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Partage un cartoon du passé dont les jeunes ont jamais entendu parler Bon, les gens de mon âge en ont pas entendu parler non plus. Et j'ai trouvé aucune info depuis à part les premiers épisodes sur une obscure chaine d'archivage en québécois.

Poster de la série d'animation "La petite patroille", montrant de jeunes crapauds anthropomorphes dans un bâteau composé de feuilles et de déchets métalliques.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Hi, I'm Astride, also known as Dr Umbrus. I'm a game/narrative designer, with some C# skill, so looking for either of those things. My portfolio is at www.drumbrus.fr/en I also have an itch.io at dr-umbrus.itch.io

Key art for the game Buggle Trussle.
Depicts a knight ladybug, wizard dragonfly, noble moth, and rogue grasshopper preparing to fight on a log with overgrown mushrooms and crystals in the background.

Key art for the game Blanc, depicting a black wolf cub and white fawn cub looking at each other in a frozen and snowy landscape.

Key art for the game They Lived Here, depicting a pretty normal desk, with a lamp, photo of the character's family, radio, and some working stuff.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

And finally, Keylocker, by @moonana.bsky.social A cyberpunk RPG, with a fight system reminding me of Mario and Luigi. Interesting game, with a very distinct and vibrant artstyle that I really dig. Gameplay is simple to understand, yet deep in customization.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Feels Award 2024, In Stars and Time by @insertdisc5.com An RPGMaker game, about a character trapped in a time loop just before the end of their adventure. Gameplay is simple, but is not the focus of the game. What really matters is the characters and the plot. And they are great.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Another RPG, Cassette Beasts by @byttenstudio.bsky.social A creature based rpg, in a somewhat chill world. It was awesome. The graphics are great, the overworld is nice to explore, especially once you have some movement options. Music is just chill enough to relax while playing.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Fell Seal, by 6 Eyes Studio. A tactical rpg in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics. I've hesitated a lot to play this game, due to the weird artstyle. What a mistake it was. This is a great successor to FFT, with good gameplay, a nice variety of classes and monsters, and all. And status are useful!!

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Last one I swear, 30XX by @batterystaplegames.bsky.social Sequel to 20XX, which I really liked. This one is more refined, with a more present plot, and some meta objectives. Although repetitive, since you don't unlock much and it doesn't have a lot of variation. Still worth it.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Staying there, Cobalt Core by @rocketratgames.bsky.social Space card based roguelite. Pretty cool system, with spaceship combat and position based gameplay. Like before, a bit repetitive once you find what strategy works for you, and a bit lacking in variety. Yet, the plot kept me playing.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Changing genre, Dicefolk, by @leapgamestudios.bsky.social , a dice based roguelite. Nice concept, with dice manipulation and creature based gimmicks. Like a lot of RL, you tend to quickly find your favourite and avoid the rest. Still, a good experience, and fun to play until it becomes stale

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Keeping the theme, Ender Lilies, by Live Wire, another MV/Souls. Dark themes, brutal difficulties, and open exploration, everything that I like. The summon system is pretty interesting, if unbalanced. And the ambiance is great and gloom. Will play the sequel later.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Back to the metroidvania, Axiom verge 2 by @axiomverge.bsky.social The first one is among my favorite MV. This one, I liked a bit less. It's still good, and the plot was interesting, along with more varied area. But the gameplay felt a bit too stilted for a melee based fighting system.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Digimon Survive, from Namco Bandai. Just... No. I like visual novels, and digimon, but it's not good. Too much useless dialogues, the characters are two dimensional, the digimon pad the text with only agreeing with their partner. And the T-rpg gameplay is basic at best with no depth.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Coming from @papercastle.bsky.social, Underhero. A pretty nice indie RPG. I liked the characters, and the gameplay is interesting, if a bit repetitive after a bit. Still, like other games here, it's short enough that it's not a problem. Pretty amusing and I liked playing it.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Gravity Circuit, from @domesticatedantgames.com So, I love Megaman. Coming from it... I loved this game. Fast paced, nice mechanics, a lot of customization options for the gameplay, and short enough to not overstay its welcome. It was fun, and the skill ceiling is very high for thos who like it.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Weird times ahead, it's Hylics, from @masonlindroth.bsky.social I love surreal games, and this one rekindled my feelings. My viewers were not moved, but I don't care, it was fun. I'm not very sure about what happens in the game, but it still captured my interest. Will play 2 later.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Small metroidvania, Gato Roboto, from @doinksoft.bsky.social A condensed experience, you play as a cute cat, what's not to love ? Ended up finding most of the secrets, and loved my time with it, it's a great way to spend a few hours.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Solar Ash. A weird platformer action game, from @heartmachine.bsky.social Beautiful, fun to play. Horrible for people like me who have no sense of orientation or ability to find hidden things. So, it's in line with Hyper Light Drifter. I liked it, and would love to see more with the concept.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Another bad experience, Cross Code. I know the game is loved, and the plot looked interesting. But the gameplay was too repetitive for me, with enemies taking too long to die and me feeling like I was just mashing. Maybe I'll finish it someday, for the story.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

"This was standing in my library for years" Icey, a meta 2D beat em up. Simple, fun. Could go further with its concept. Thought plagued by a lot of small issues, like the parry window being very short, and enemies being able to combo you into oblivion. Still, it was fun, and didn't last too long.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

I'm not going to make friends with this one, but, Dragon's Dogma. Really didn't like it. Well, I didn't get far, but the gameplay is too slow for my tastes, the story didn't grab me, and it felt like a very padded experience, despite me only playing the intro. Might get back to it later though.

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Not technically started this year but yet, Yakuza 7. My first game in the series, I really enjoyed the wackiness, surprising seriousness about social topics, and the cast of characters. The gameplay is a bit weak, with half of the damage types being almost absent, thus making it a bit barebones.h

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Astride / Dr. Umbrus LFW @drumbrus.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Since I love souls-like, there is NiOh 2. I liked the first one, after some tries, and the second was nice from the start. The story is weaker, and the final DLC starts way too hard for me. Yet, the gameplay is more refined, and the combat system is still pretty fun. Had a good time.

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