The Last Unicorn is a true fantasy. The novel's premise, setting, and characters are all at least based around one beloved tale or another. This book thrives on description, pacing, and heart.
One of the novel's characters, Schmendrick the wizard, makes his fair share of both miracles and blunders in equal part. Many of the tricks he is trying to perform are taken from the classic wizard archetype, the book even makes fun of itself for this. Yet the moments do feel magical and new, because the words woven to create the scene are original in their own right. There are many problems, such as basic premises, that are completely forgotten in the midst of the scenes that seem to be conjured before you. The writing of this book is where it truly shines. Part of this is due to the comedy, which has a surprisingly unique style that pokes fun at its own tropes. This leads to hysterical moments where classics such as Robin Hood are targets using the book's own versions of characters and concepts. This self-deprecating humor is refreshing because it doesn't seem forced. Though the story of this novel is ridiculously simple, the author takes care to make sure that not a single moment is wasted. Finally the imagery of this novel is truly stunning. Nothing in there would work without it. The Last Unicorn may not be complex, or revolutionary, but it certainly has charm. I would recommend this book to anyone. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
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When I first heard about Enter the Gungeon I had no idea that it was going to be my favorite rouge-like game ever. I played it once with a friend of mine (until seven in the morning) and that was about it for a long while. When the game hit the Nintendo Switch I figured I'd give it a shot; and then I gave it another one... and another one... and another... and I kept shooting until I ran out of patience for bullets. I played the game semi-regularly for two years and only recently beat it. So, time for my thoughts...
To start, the core gameplay is incredibly simple, but it has so much replayability. All you do is run, dodge shoot, and use items. You'd think this would get boring, but the varying enemy types, different characters, and a seemingly unending amount of guns hold up the combat all on their own. Random generation, unlockables, secrets, and difficulty also mesh well with the controls. This mix of simplistic controls and complicated/ difficult additions leads to fast-paced combat that is fun as hell. Whether you die or not is always dependent on your skill. Yes, RNG plays a fairly large roll in this game but it all comes back to how good the player is. You could have the worst gun in the game and still win, or lose with the best build ever if you make too many mistakes. In my time with the game, I died 346 times and played at least 110 hours. I have accepted all of these deaths as my own fault. The game never makes you feel bad when you lose, it just encourages you to do better. When I finally won, the only thing that was different was a simple "congratulations", but because I had earned it I was still very happy. The magic of "the gungeon" is that it rewards the player for getting better, not directly, but through progress. How far you get in each run of the game is its own reward. The thing that really lets Enter the Gungeon stand out however, is its charm. The game maintains a cute and quirky art style, has characters with fun personalities, and is absolutely loaded with gun puns. Everything in the game is gun oriented, but its not in a way that is upsetting or pandering. There's a simple gimmick and it's too it no matter what. Even the melee weapons have gun-oriented names and all of them are branded with a curse effect. The game even has its own fun lore revolving around the weapon. Combine the aforementioned with a slew of pop-culture references, some so remote that you would never notice them the first time around, and you got yourself an experience that's a blast to play again and again. Enter the Gungeon is one of my favorite games of all time, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who's craving a shot full of adrenaline! |
AuthorMcRae Walker, an 20-year-old writer and lover of many dorky topics. Archives
September 2022
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