iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 25/09/2026

This was tough to narrow down. More than nine games made me, and one or two of these might not even be my favorites of their particular franchises. But these are nine *of* the games that have shaped who I am today.

A grid of "My 9 Games That Shaped Who I Am."

-Brave Fencer Musashi (PS1, SquareSoft, 1998)
-The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (PC, Falcom, 2004)
-NieR Automata (PS4, PlatinumGames, 2017)
-Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (PC, Obsidian Entertainment, 2018)
-Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2, Konami Digital Entertainment Japan/Hideo Kojima, 2001)
-Dark Souls (PS3, FromSoftware, 2011)
-Mega Man 3 (NES, Capcom, 1990)
-Disco Elysium (PC, ZA/UM, 2019)
-Guild Wars 2 (PC, ArenaNet, 2012)

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 07/09/2026

Overall, I'm glad that I finally played this, even if it doesn't quite match up to recent Ys titles for action. This felt like a promising start for a franchise, and I'm curious to see how Kyoto Xanadu will feel when I finally play it, to see how it compares and develops this franchise. 7.5 for me.

Screenshot from "Tokyo Xanadu eX+."

A young man is standing in a mall in front of some stores. To the left is a cardboard cutout of a curiously familiar individual to those who have played another of Falcom's franchises. To the right are clothes and wigs which are, again, callbacks to that same other franchise.

Screenshot from the ending credits of "Tokyo Xanadu eX."

The game's title is displayed in the center of a black screen.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 07/09/2026

I did find some satisfaction in the combat. Sora was far and away my favorite, as she felt utterly broken with the right setup. Really the only two characters that I didn't like combat-wise were Yuuki(swings just didn't feel "right") and Shio(swings take ages, even though he hits like a truck).

Screenshot from "Tokyo Xanadu eX+."

A girl is standing in a school hallway. She has short blue hair and is wearing a white school uniform shirt with a red tie. A black insignia for the school can be seen on the arms below the shoulders.

Subtitles read:
"Sora Ikushima
CV. Ai Kakuma"

Screenshot from "Tokyo Xanadu eX+."

A woman is standing at the front of a classroom, with a green chalkboard behind her. She is holding a blue book. She has long brown hair tied by a blue bow in a ponytail draping over her shoulder, and is wearing glasses.

Subtitles read:
"Towa Kokonoe
CV. Ai Nonaka"

Screenshot from "Tokyo Xanadu eX+."

A map of the surrounding city is shown on a menu screen. Various character portraits are displayed across locations, indicating where those characters currently are.

Locations for selection include:
"Morimiya Academy
Station Square
Brick Alley"

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 07/09/2026

Tokyo Xanadu eX+ Been meaning to get to this one for a while now, and overall glad I did. Love the music, and really enjoyed these characters and their storyline. Combat was mixed for me; I kept feeling like I wanted it to have a little more combo complexity. But this *is* originally a Vita game.

Title Screen for "Tokyo Xanadu eX+."

Two teenagers stand beneath a red traffic light in the middle of a city with tall buildings.

The boy has black hair and is wearing a white coat over a black school uniform.

The girl has long brown hair and is wearing a black school uniform.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 14/08/2026

Granblue Relink: Endless Ragnarok What a phenomenal expansion to one of my favorite games of 2024. New systems are a lot of fun, there's a ton to grind out, and new characters are a blast to play. Looking forward to coming back to this to grind out more. This remains favorite Monhun-like. 9/10.

Screenshot from "Granblue Fantasy Relink: Endless Ragnarok."

A group of adventurers look out over a grassy cliff toward a blue sky filled with clouds and floating islands. In the far distance, silhouettes of buildings and other structures can be seen.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 10/08/2026

Conflux 5 down. Time to keep grinding out the remainder of Chaos++.

A screenshot from "Granblue Fantasy Relink: Endless Ragnarok."

At the end of a fight, the text "HIS REIGN ENDS" is displayed on the center of the screen.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 26/07/2026

Best girl is here! Spoiler if you haven't finished Granblue Fantasy Relink's campaign and started the Endless Ragnarok content. Content isn't graphic, just labeled to account for it being a spoiler.

A short Harvin with long blonde hair and bright red eyes smiles. She is wearing a white frilled dress with long, gold earrings. Around her, ornamented swords float.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 23/07/2026

Stellar Blade This one is a bit all over the place for me. The game looks great, though I did deal with stuttering and some other performance issues. Combat feels pretty solid, though every so often I'd have an attack whiff that I felt was sure to hit. Most of the twists are pretty easy to predict.

Screenshot from "Stellar Blade."

A female android with black hair and wearing a black bodysuit looks off in the distance.

Dialogue reads:
"EVE
This city... It's so quiet... And... So lonesome."

Screenshot from "Stellar Blade."

A female android wearing a black bodysuit with yellow lighting grips a translucent can. Within the can is a glowing, white flower. The can is labeled with "Stellar Tear."

Text reads:
"Stellar Tear
Emil roams the world in search of Stellar Tears. Locate them and deliver them to Emil."

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 10/07/2026

Congratulations to the soon-to-be old man! Sushi sends along well wishes for his birthday.

A charcoal grey cat seeks attention on the bed while his owner tries to read.

A charcoal grey cat sleeps peacefully, unbothered.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 29/05/2026

Pool opened up at our complex for the summer, and so the rules got sent out to us in an email. I realize that this is likely an error caused by whatever they used for dictation, but I think it's way funnier to believe that the management company decided to establish thoughtcrime.

Screencap of an email received featuring pool rules.

Of note is a line in the center of the image which reads: "No thinking within the pool gates."

Pretty sure they meant for it to say, "drinking" here.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 22/05/2026

Maybe one day, when it's good and ready, I'll put it out there for the world to see. I haven't played since the end of Heresy, but I'm still going to take some time to remember a game that I played for about ten years. Thanks for your work on Destiny, developers. You deserved better than this.

Screenshot from the end of Destiny 2's "The Final Shape" campaign. Three Guardians sit on a structure orbiting the earth. They look out at the Traveler as it sports a pink, triangular portal carved into its side. Waves of energy radiate outward from the Traveler.

Text reads:
"Gratias vobis agimus
-Bungie"

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 03/05/2026

(Forbidden Solitaire, cont'd.) or if you love anything within the realm of retro-esque desktop horror. This gem is a fantastic example of indie developers excelling with a weird, cool idea. Looking forward to playing this again soon! Congrats @greyalien.bsky.social & @nightsignalentertainment.com!

Screenshot from "Forbidden Solitaire."

A message and video window are highlighted over a screen of solitaire in the background.

On the left is a video playing, featuring protesters being interviewed by a news channel. Subtitles for the video read:
"It's (bleep)-ing solitaire!"

On the right is a messenger window from an Emily Roberta. The messages read:
"damn. surprisingly no luck on any of the pirate sites.
I guess some parent groups made it their holy mission to destroy as many copies possible, so it's RARE now dude.
you should rip that shit and upload it, preserve it for the good of gaming.
but yeah no joke the controversy around this game looks like it was BATSHIT, lol. I think I found the news story that must have freaked mom out:
VIDEO ATTACHMENT"

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 03/05/2026

Forbidden Solitaire The demo for this blew me away, and the release surprised me this week. Ended up binging my first playthrough in about 4 hours, according to Steam. I love this game's retro aesthetic and desktop horror vibe. Wonderful for if you're into horror card games like Inscryption...

Steam page for "Forbidden Solitaire" from Grey Alien Games and Night Signal Entertainment.

Text reads:
"Forbidden Solitaire is a card-slashing horror game about unearthing the contents of a cryptic 1995 CD-ROM that should have never existed. From the creators of Ancient Enemy and Home Safety Hotline."

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 31/03/2026

There's a thought you can internalize in Disco Elysium. It's not a particularly good one to take; the risks you incur on your dice rolls can be game-ending. I still think about the text of it when shit gets bad. Keep going, in spite of it all. "The only way to load the dice is to keep on fighting."

An internalized thought from "Disco Elysium." The floating face of an unidentified person covers their eyes with their hands as they grimace in unhappiness.

The text reads:
"Thought Complete: The Precarious World
How *not* to lose? It is impossible not to. The world is balanced on the edge of a knife. It's a game of frayed nerves. You're pushed on by numbers and punitive measures: pain, rejection, and unpaid bills. You can either play or you can crawl under a boat and waste away -- turn into salt or a flock of seagulls. Your enemies would *love* that. Or you can fight. The only way to load the dice is to keep on fighting."

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 31/03/2026

Stop scrolling and post two characters that bring you happiness. Decided to challenge myself and not pick anyone from a JRPG. Which means I end up defaulting to CRPGs.

The Devil of Caroc, from Obsidian's "Pillars of Eternity."

A female mechanical golem made of bronze, with ornamentation on various parts of her head, face, neck, chest, and hand.

Kim Kitsuragi, from ZA/UM's "Disco Elysium."

A bespectacled man with a high hairline wearing a dark jacket.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 26/03/2026

All that said, this is still a worthwhile game to play if you enjoy this style of action-RPG from Falcom. How will this end up connecting to Trails as a whole? I'm looking forward to seeing for myself. For me, Nayuta gets a 8.

Screenshot from "The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails."

Text is overlaid a sextant. Various clockwork and ornamented objects are seen in silhouette in the far background.

Text reads:
- The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails -
THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!

fin

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 26/03/2026

The core cast is really likeable, if a bit predictable. The action usually feels great, with a lot of arts and abilities to find throughout the story. I like the handheld aspect of most of this game's stages being pretty small and short, aside from temples which are longer trials.

Screenshot from "The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails."

Two young men are standing in a garden speaking with a small fairy with pink hair. The fairy threatens the two.

Subtitles read:
"Noi:
... then I'll use my own hands to beat you to a pulp!"

Screenshot from "The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails."

A young girl is speaking with a boy. The girl, clearly nervous, is having trouble speaking coherently.

Subtitles read:
"Lyra:
H-HALLO, NAYUTAMAN! Long t-time no see-hee-hee!!!"

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 26/03/2026

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails The somehow-sibling to the mainline Trails series, though we don't necessarily know how yet. This is a largely enjoyable action RPG more in line with the Pre-VIII 3D Ys games. While it does show its age in more than a few ways, I enjoyed the majority of this.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 21/03/2026

"Tell me something, my friend. You ever dance and make a wishy in the pale moonlight?"

Screenshot of Jack Nicholson's Joker from 1989's "Batman," but with his head replaced by that of Mishy.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 19/03/2026

If I had a nickel for every time I found a random strange girl in a Trails game, I'd have three nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened thrice.

Screenshot from "The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails."

Nayuta and Cygna have come across a small girl in strange clothing.

Subtitles read:
"Cygna:
A little...girl?"

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 18/03/2026

Now that I'm in the Kai 2 waiting room, I've got time to mop up some Falcom games I haven't had a chance to play yet. Also, I see we've already found a friend.

Screenshot from "The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails."

A boy has found a familiar face sitting on top of a wall. A grey and white cat.

Subtitles read:
"Mysterious Creature:
Meeheehee!"

Screenshot from "The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails."

Nayuta looks up at the cat sitting on a wall in confusion.

Subtitles read:
"Nayuta: Wh-What is that...?"

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 15/03/2026

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Proud Nordics. While I know that the hallmark of these games is the fact that each one is its own self-contained story penned by Adol years down the line, I wouldn't mind seeing Karja and Adol be Shield Sister and Brother again down the line. 9/10 for me.

Screenshot from "Ys X: Proud Nordics."

The game's title is displayed in Norman runes.

Screenshot from "Ys X: Proud Nordics."

Karja stands looking off into the distant sunset. She holds up her fist in determination. Her helmet is in her right hand. Behind her is a runestone. Against the runestone rest a sword and axe, in an "X" formation.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 15/03/2026

Other members of the cast I really enjoyed included Rosa, Mirabel, Hugill, Grimson, Phylleia, and of course Adol himself. Even if the overall cast felt more uneven to me than VIII, there's still a lot of great character moments on display. The setting of the Obelia Gulf was a really fun change.

Screenshot from "Ys X: Proud Nordics."

A young grovels at the feet of Adol.

Subtitles read:
"Grenn:
God almighty! Lila almighty! Adol almighty!"

Screenshot from "Ys X: Proud Nordics."

Several Normans stand inside of a wooden building. Adol and Karja are the center of attention.

Subtitles read:
"Horik:
"Adol the Red," huh? That nickname's pretty on-the-nose."

Screenshot from "Ys X: Proud Nordics."

A young woman with pink hair and light-green eyes has her arms around two young men. She looks irritated as she speaks.

Subtitles read:
"The two of you don't seem to understand just how much your voices can carry out here."

Screenshot from "Ys X: Proud Nordics."

A blonde woman in Norse-style armor holds out her axe at someone below her.

Subtitles read:
"Karja:
So you WERE part of the group that raided the village. Guess I'll kill you after all."

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 15/03/2026

It took me a bit to get a feel for when to use solo vs. duo attacks, but by the end switching between the two was second nature. Karja is up there with Dana for me as one of my favorite characters in this franchise, and I'd love to see her come back later on for Adol's journey to the North Pole.

Screenshot from "Ys X: Proud Nordics."

A woman in Norse-style armor stands on a ship, holding an axe above her head and a shield on her left arm.

Subtitles read:
"Leaderlike Figure:
Now, shout forth the name of our god!"

Screenshot from "Ys X: Proud Nordics."

Adol and a woman in Norse-style armor stand on a beach. The woman looks angrily at Adol.

Subtitles read:
"Raid Captainess:
What in Hel did you just do to us!?"

Screenshot from "Ys X: Proud Nordics."

Adol and a woman in Norse-style armor stand on a beach. A glowing blue-green cuff extends from the woman's wrist down into a tether. She points at Adol.

Subtitles read:
"Raid Captainess:
Either we get these off, or I'm sendin' you back with one less hand! Got that!?"

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 15/03/2026

Ys X: Proud Nordics Of the three Ys games I've finished up to now, this sits in the middle for me. It can't quite top the incredible VIII, but I liked it just a little more than IX. I really enjoy the simple duo of Adol and Karja throughout, as opposed to having a larger roster of members.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 09/03/2026

Agreed on the FC costumes likely being unlockables. And you'd better believe I decked out Kloe in her Madrigal getup the *moment* I unlocked it.

Screenshot from "Trails the Sky 1st Chapter."

Kloe Rinz smiling for the camera in her outfit from the Jenis Academy stage performance of "Madrigal of the White Flower."

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 07/03/2026

Trails Beyond the Horizon Man, I love Trails. This game was a hell of a ride, and I eagerly await the next game in this arc. I now join the waiting room. I absolutely refuse to spoil this for folks still catching up. 10. Likely GOTY nominee for me.

Title screen for "The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon."

The starry field of outer space can be seen above the curvature of a planet below. Small asteroids are suspended in orbit.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 28/02/2026

Long time no see, Kastle! Busy trying to catch up to the rest of the community with Horizon. Have a Shizuna and a Fugue on the house.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 24/02/2026

I haven't played a mainline Pokemon game since the original days of Silver/Gold, but may as well post my two favorites from back then. My favorite gen 1 when I was a kid was Vaporeon, but we saw how the internet decided to ruin that over time. Basically, I thought the Eeveelutions were really neat.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 24/02/2026

Not sure how many I'll actually end up checking out this go-around, but just in case... Steam Nextfest! 1. Forbidden Solitaire Horror-themed card game/desktop simulator. Feels very similar to Inscryption and Pony Island, which is high praise for me. One to watch for if you like those games.

Steam storefront for "Forbidden Solitaire."

A screenshot featuring the game's title and a 90s-era rendered zombie is front and center. On the right can be seen a wizard with bloody sockets where his eyes should be. The game's description reads:

"Forbidden Solitaire is a card-slashing horror game about unearthing the contents of a cryptic 1995 CD-ROM that should have never existed. From the creators of Ancient Enemy and Home Safety Hotline."

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 09/02/2026

Our animals deserve the best, and we regretfully can only offer them *our* best and hope that it's close. Even when it comes to that final act of love and mercy. The vets did their job immaculately, and Missy went peacefully surrounded by the people who will always love her.

A staffordshire terrier, Missy, looks up at you. She likely expects attention and treats.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 09/02/2026

I didn't believe she was quite there yet, until I saw how hard things had gotten for her last week. It broke my heart when my father-in-law asked my honest assessment. Missy had a hard early life, forced into being a breeding dog and bait dog by her first owners. She was rescued by good people.

A staffordshire terrier, Missy, lies down in the car during a ride home from the vet's office.

She got an allergy shot and wasn't pleased.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 09/02/2026

TW: pet illness/loss, animal abuse This weekend, my partner and I took her parents' loving dog Missy to her final vet appointment. Despite the tireless work of fantastic vets and a loving family, it was likely she had some form of advanced cancer and it was time. She was 15 years old.

A staffordshire terrier, Missy, looks up at you.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 16/01/2026

1000xRESIST So much I want to say, but I can't bear to spoil it for those looking to experience it blind. Identity, diaspora, generational trauma, parenthood, regret, living through a pandemic, and so much more. A beautiful, painful, sublime triumph that'll stay with me long after. Play this. 10.

Screenshot from "1000xRESIST."

Statues of women stand in front of a waterfall inside of an ornate structure.

A dialogue box in the upper-left reads:
"Principal:
Your sister, Watcher, engaged in her first communion with the ALLMOTHER."

Screenshot from "1000xRESIST."

An adult man stands in a yellow-lit room within a home. Above his head is a small floating robotic entity.

Subtitles read:
"Father:
During the darkest days of the demonstrations, it was songs that got us through...and some other things...but it's the songs that are important to remember."

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 12/01/2026

Surely this will not be emotionally devastating. Just a fun, lighthearted journey.

Screenshot from "1000xRESIST."

A woman in blue stands in a large room, looking furiously at someone off-screen.

The dialogue reads:
"Watcher:
Six to one, mother."

Screenshot from "1000xRESIST."

A poster from the Disease Control Center has been placed on a wall. It features text along with two identical pictures of a person sitting in a chair and crying. Text asks, "Are you sure you are just sad?" while comparing the two identical pictures as being caused by stress/anxiety/depression or deadly disease. A phone number is given to call. Instructions read, "Contact our officers by phone for futher information and guidance. Thank you for your cooperation."

A dialogue box reads:
"Watcher:
..."

Screenshot from "1000xRESIST."

Three identical posters from the Disease Control Center are displayed. They show an artistic depiction of an eye watering. Text reads, "Watery eye?" A phone number is listed to call, along with instructions which read, "Contact our officers by phone for further information and guidance. Thank you for your cooperation."

A dialogue box reads:
"Watcher:
..."

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 12/01/2026

Scarlet Nexus A generally fun action RPG that features good characters, a phenomenal aesthetic, and a good story with an uneven localization. I like the use of two main character campaigns to provide different fighting styles and perspectives, though Kasane was my preferred. Arashi is great. 7/10.

Title design for "Scarlet Nexus," set over a black background.

Screenshot from the animated opening video for "Scarlet Nexus."

A group of uniformed young people stand on buildings in mid-construction as they look off into the distance.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 06/01/2026

Scarlet Nexus has a really phenomenal aesthetic going for it.

Screenshot from "Scarlet Nexus."

Three characters stand at a snowy cliff. In the distance are cubic structures with triangular designs all over their surfaces. An aurora shines down from the evening sky.

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Edelweiss 🎮 SC Remake Waiting Room & Arknights Endfield @edelweiss.xipha.social · 05/01/2026

Just realized that Maya always reminded me of my favorite sniper in Valkyria Chronicles, Marina.

Screenshot from "Valkyria Chronicles."

An allied sniper, Marina, poses after winning a fight against an enemy scout.

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