hey hey! It's been a while! Hopefully you are doing well. Hope that things are a little slower at this time of year and you are able to spend time with your loved ones.

i'm doing fine for the most part. Work was a little rough but nothing too unusual. i still enjoy my time at work, so that counts for something.

Progress Update

if you remember, i did make an update post in the middle of the year. i talked about things that i like to do with the site. Here's the review:

1. complete the bio for 5 significant pokemon that i've doodled before

   i have managed to complete 5 of them: Cinnamon, Pepper, Chihiro, Vanilla, and Agnes. The only thing i didn't do was the attack doodles of Vanilla and Agnes. i got lazy. i'll get to them eventually...

2. try to write 2 more posts other that update posts

   i got 1 post about silksong because i was really into it. There is another that announces the release of the platforming game that i was working on. So, it's a 1.5 posts altogether. Ehhhh, could have done better. Originally, i wanted to write more about silksong, but i got lazy lul. it's on my list, so might get on it even though it's really late.

3. Upload more old doodles

   i did upload a few, at least 5, due to halloween and christmas. There's still more to post, so stay tuned.

4. Finish Bunny's Spelunking Adventure this year

   yes i did! Go play it HERE!

all things considered, things are progressing well enough.

i don't draw much these days, but i would like to show what i did draw this year, rather than moping on what i didn't do. So, here it is:

Where To Next?

There's still lots to do for this site!

1. More pokemon bios
2. SadPumpkin's bio
3. More doodles
4. Start to make the site look less boring maybe? Start with the front page

i would like to doodle something about the characters SadPumpkin have met. i think it way overdue to introduce some character to the world of SadPumpkin. Here's a preview of an upcoming character, that i will probably use once:

other that this site, i might start work on the second iteration of the engine. Again, i have a game or two in mind that i like to make with the engine. i may log progress on the engine and game, which could end up a post here. Not sure when i will start though. i'm currently enjoying not doing programming work and just chilling with updating the site, playing games, and reading random books.

on the side, i have been casually picking up Japanese beginner lessons for fun (self-taught) to build vocabulary. i'm using renshuu. It's quite enjoyable so far.

Notable Games That I Enjoyed This Year

Of course, it wouldn't be a complete post if i didn't talk about games. So, here we go!

Silksong

i love it! It blends beauty with melancholy in its art and music, which makes the world itself immersive. The gameplay is fast, challenging, and engaging. There's some things could be less punishing, but it is a wonderful time all things considered. i have wrote about my thoughts on this over here.

Dungeons of Hinterberg

a chill experience that blends the dungeon-crawling and overworld exploration from The Legend of Zelda and some light social system from the Persona series. What i really like is its world-building and its more grounded take on magic. Plus, the world design feels relaxing like you are on a vacation. It is one of those games that you wish go can be inside right now.

Cat Quest 3

a simple adventure game about cats and pirates. Within its simple movement and combat lies a plethora of charm (and cat puns). It's also beautiful and colourful to look at. i just wish that the game is a little longer!

Easy Delivery Co.

A game about a delivery driver in a mysterious town covered in snow with a PS1 aesthetics. The driving mechanics is a little floaty but it is tuned enough to be satisfying to navigate with. The game perfectly captures the isolation and the serenity of driving in the snow, which paradoxically create this sense of cosiness despite the harsh environment. The little mysteries of the town also keep it interesting.

SULFUR

a silly FPS with extraction shooter elements. It's the standard of go through a series of procedurally-generated levels and hopefully leaving them alive. The actual draw of the game is the ridiculousness of everything else: guns, guns customisation, inventory management, cooking, enemies, and levels settings. It does not take itself too seriously and double down on its craziness. It's a game that you have to see it to know what i'm talking about.

Evil Egg

a simple, visually psychedelic, Robotron-like (never played that) arcade game. It's a fast-paced fun and worth mentioning here because of how uncommon of a game it is. Did i mentioned that it is FREE?

Mirage Miracle Quest Demo

a RPG about magical girls. It's only the demo but already i can feel the charm that is oozing from its graphics, characters, and design. The lore is interesting enough and the battle system is engaging. There's some UX kinks that need to be ironed out, but it has good potential and is worth looking out for. i do hope they would do a good job fleshing out the characters.

Nuclear Throne

Nuclear Throne just had its 10th anniversary and released the 100th update. This update reinforces how much i love this game. This game is the standard i measure all rougelike/rougelite games. It is fast-paced and straightforward. The characters are unique with interesting mechanics. There's no real meta-progression. It's just you and the game's shenanigans, where your knowledge and skills (hopefully) improves over each run. It doesn't always play fair and asks you to adapt to it. Plus, the level generation is varied enough that it isn't just room-connect-to-room setup (which plagues most modern roguelike/-lite). All these make it a charming and memorable game for me until today.

Deep Rock Galactic

the only multiplayer that i still play with randoms. i have written my thoughts on this in Wafrn when answering an ask. i might make it a proper post one day.

well, that's it. i hope you have a decent end to the year. May the upcoming year be kind to you. See you next time!