Sami

Quarantine Circular Quarantine Circular is this week's pick for Bithell Games' Legacy Celebration and follow up to last week's Subsurface Circular. Quarantine isn't a sequel as such, though it's implied to take place in the same world. They're linked by the same dialogue framework rather than the same world or story - a bit like two different TTRPGs that use the same base system.

Quarantine Circular is this week's pick for Bithell Games' Legacy Celebration and follow up to last week's Subsurface Circular. For me, it doesn't quite live up to the high bar set by it's predecessor, but it's still pretty damn good.

Screenshot from Bithell Games' 'Quarantine Circular', showing dialogue between characters Marc and Lisa. They are discussing the plague that Earth is currently suffering from. Lisa says she is a microbiologist, and that she suspects Gabriel, the alien they have captured, is somehow the cause of it. Marc, the player character for this sequence, has three dialogue options: - Does it really spready as easily as folks say? - They should try antibiotics. - I've asked enough questions about this.

A screenshot from Bithell Games' 'Quarantine Circular'. A conversation between several characters is taking place: humans Lisa Seddik, Professor Alla Zima, and Admiral Sanjeev Khan, and alien Gabriel. Alla is introducing herself as an epidemiologist, to which Lisa insists she is the world's *leading* epidemiologist.

A screenshot from Bithell Games' 'Quarantine Circular'. Gabriel, a giant crab alien, faces human Admiraal Sanjeev Khan, who is wearing a full-body protective suit and helment. The sky is darkening behind them. Gabriel is asking Sanjeev for information, but is making their dislike for Teng, the security officer, known. The player needs to choose from dialogue options to try and convince the Admiral to dismiss Teng so that they can speak privately. Their dialogue options are: - Teng is dangerous. She wants me dead. - You are unable to keep your team in check, Admiral? - I am not authorised to talk to anyone at her level. She is barely an officer. - You are smart enough to see the problem.

A screenshot of Bithell Games' 'Quarantine Circular'. Three humans in full-body protective suits and helmets are conversing with Gabriel, a large crab-like alien. They are stood on the deck of a large boat. One of the humans, Alla, asks if Gabriel has technologies and methedologies they would share with the human race. Lisa, however, accuses Gabriel of causing the global plague in the first place as part of a larger plan for subjugation. The player, controlling Alla for this sequence, has three dialogue options to choose from: - If you're here to save us, why the stealthy approach? Why not land at a broadcast studio, or on top of the Eiffel Tower? - Why didn't you go to world leaders? - Why only you?

Quarantine Circular's week orbiting our socials is closing out, but Gabriel the giant crab alien (and the rest of the game) still has a few more hours of being discounted on Steam.

The fate of a vulnerable human race is in your hands. Choose your words wisely.

Subsurface Circular Bithell Games, headed by Mike Bithell, is the studio behind Thomas Was Alone, Volume, and the recent TRON games. They're currently running a legacy games celebration, highlighting a different one of their older games each week. This week (starting Monday gone and ending today) is Subsurface Circular, a short narrative game released back in 2017. Next week (starting tomorrow!) is its sequel…

Subsurface Circular

Bithell Games, headed by Mike Bithell, is the studio behind Thomas Was Alone, Volume, and the recent TRON games. They're currently running a legacy games celebration, highlighting a different one of their older games each week. This week (starting Monday gone and ending today)…

A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build by Draknek & Friends, Benjamin Davis Pay what the temperature is: 16.3°C = $16.30!

The temperature is getting colder here in London, so this is an excellent time to remind you that every hour, the monster goes out to the weather station in London to check the temperature and sets the price for A Good Snowman is Hard to Build to match the weather.

draknek.itch.io/a-good-snowman

Vinyl stickers in the shape of a Dropout Game Changer loop-de-loop, with the words "we've been here the whole time", in abrosexual, agender, altersex, aroace, aromantic, asexual, autigender, bigender, bisexual, demiboy, demigirl, demisexual, disability, gay man, genderfae, genderfaun, genderflor, gender fluid, genderflux, gender queer, intersex, lesbian, LGBTQ+, non-binary, pansexual, polyamorous, and trans pride colours

Today, I can finally share the rest of my Game Changer, "we've been here the whole time" stickers and pins, in a whopping 27 flag designs!

Stickers: canopyrobin.etsy.com/listing/4333...

Pins: canopyrobin.etsy.com/listing/4346...

My endless thanks to @samreich.bsky.social for blessing these! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Railroad Ink, Base Editions In some ways, this is a rip off of this excellent (if slightly unhinged) video from Shut Up & Sit Down. In it, Tom Brewster reviews every single Railroad Ink expansion and version while progressively losing his grip on reality. What makes my review different is: 1) it's in written form, not video form; 2) i've split it in half; and 3) i have better different opinions.

I've been playing a lot of Railroad Ink lately, and decided i had opinions to share.

Not Celebrity Traitors giving me the 1-2 fandom punch of Hanging Tree followed by Carry On My Wayward Son.

This bundle has got me rereading The Wicked + The Divine and it's so good! I'd forgotten how soon [super duper redacted].

One of my favourite books of all time - you should buy this.

A black background decorated with gold illustrations of branches, stars, swords, ravens, and tiny ghost shapes. In the centre, bold text reads: “BIRDS BUT THEY GET SPOOKIER EACH TIME.” Two ravens perch on bare branches at the bottom, with candles glowing beside them.

Birds but they get spookier each time. 🎃👻

Enter if you dare...🚪

Group of vegetable soft toys, including a banana in a wooly hat, a peach, some corn with a wooly hat, a strawberry, and a carrot.

Important PSA - the little hats on the Innocent smoothies are the perfect size for Jellycats.

If I can sell just four more of these then I'll break even on the costs of making them 😊 #SciArt 🌸

"RetroSpectrum - Reloaded"

Digital collage made in Photoshop based on the glorious games of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum 😍

#zxspectrum #retrogaming #pixelart #8bitart

BTW the blog is on a bit of a pause because I'm currently applying for jobs, so most of my blog-writing time has turned into cover-letter-writing time. On a related note, if anyone's looking to hire a postdoc with optics and robotics experience, hit me up!

Speedpainting 05112021 I was intrigued by videos of water vs. slime in space. This is an astronaut opening a can of soda, which creates all our planets. (If there are still unknown or known planets, they are still hiding in the can ;).) https://www.deviantart.com/sylviaritter/art/Speedpainting-05112021-897040234

Silent Sunday ✨ #art

Me: How's the update going?
My PC: It's at 97%
Me: How long has it been at 97%?
My PC: ... a while

Double Fine PsychOdyssey While i was playing The Roottrees are Dead a couple of weekends ago, and because i can only concentrate if there are at least two different things going on at once, i decided to rewatch Double Fine's PsychOdyssey. It's a huge 32 (now 33) episode documentary covering the 6+ years of development of the studio's game Psychonauts 2. And it's completely free, in full, …

Double Fine PsychOdyssey

While i was playing The Roottrees are Dead a couple of weekends ago, and because i can only concentrate if there are at least two different things going on at once, i decided to rewatch Double Fine's PsychOdyssey. It's a huge 32 (now 33) episode documentary covering the 6+…

The Roottrees are Dead If you're as tuned in to the indie gaming scene as i am, you probably don't need me to introduce The Roottrees are Dead. It was pretty well-reviewed, and gained an enthusiastic following through word-of-mouth recommendations. It's a mystery game that has been compared to the masterpiece that is Return of the Obra Dinn, which is high praise that, in my humble opinion, it absolutely lives up to.

The Roottrees are Dead

If you're as tuned in to the indie gaming scene as i am, you probably don't need me to introduce The Roottrees are Dead. It was pretty well-reviewed, and gained an enthusiastic following through word-of-mouth recommendations. It's a mystery game that has been compared to the…

Glass bowl with lid shaped like a ghost, filled with white stones and moss balls and water

Behold, The Wet Bois!!

Oh dear... I'm afraid that's outside my limited knowledge.

I've seen them in garden centres in the UK, and some houseplant websites sell them too. Their proper name is Marimo.

three moss balls in a plastic tub of water

I just bought myself some moss balls, and they're surprisingly endearing. I've affectionately named them The Wet Bois. Also, this is not their final home, i'll post that when it's done.

Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire As you might have picked up from the title, Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire is not a serious book. It's a fantastically funny, indie-published novel about two childhood best friends and adult fuck-ups who somehow get dragged into acting as private investigators and also saving the multiverse. That's quite a lot, so lets break it down a bit more slowly.

Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire is a fantastically funny, indie-published novel about two childhood friends and adult fuck-ups who somehow get dragged into acting as private investigators and also saving the multiverse.

The Thursday Murder Club I used to be the sort of person that point-blank refused to watch a book adaptation before i'd read the book. I still remember my Mam having to cajole me into going to see The Golden Compass when it came out, because i hadn't read Northern Lights. (I did enjoy the movie (i was 13), and it convinced me to read the book trilogy, which i went on to have mixed feelings about.) I'm much more relaxed about that kind of thing now; in fact, i might have swung too far the other way.

The Thursday Murder Club

In an incredibly rare occurrence, i watched something that just came out *and* managed to review it straight away.

Stardew Aquarium, The Love of Cooking, and more Stardew Valley has a huge modding community. I know Nexus Mods isn't the be-all end-all of modding, but Stardew is the sixth most popular game on the site, rubbing elbows with the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series plus games like Baldur's Gate 3, Starfield, and Cyberpunk 2077. Modding Stardew is pretty easy, too. If you're unfamiliar, read on for a quick guide; if you already know what you're doing, you can skip the next few paragraphs.

This is potentially the first of many posts talking about my favourite mods in Stardew Valley.

Humble Book Bundle: Martha Wells' Murderbot and More by TOR Fall in love with Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries series—the engine behind the hit AppleTV adaptation—and help support World Central Kitchen.

Humblebundle to support World Central Kitchen, and get a bunch of my books from @tordotcom.bsky.social including Murderbot and Witch King! #booksky

www.humblebundle.com/books/martha...

Adorable cutie pies!!

Building the Lego happy plants set and is this not the cutest little face you've ever seen??

Every 5×5 Nonogram This has become a Friday post because this game might actually be ending soon, so i want to make sure i talk about it before then. Every 5x5 Nonogram is a website where the internet is collectively solving every single possible 5x5 nonogram. This works out to almost 25 million nonograms, and as i write this, the site has just passed 24 million completed.

Every 5×5 Nonogram

This has become a Friday post because this game might actually be ending soon, so i want to make sure i talk about it before then. Every 5x5 Nonogram is a website where the internet is collectively solving every single possible 5x5 nonogram. This works out to almost 25 million…

Remember the site where we all collectively solve every possible 5x5 nonogram (aka. Picross)?

Well we're 92.6% of the way there - less than 2 million to go! Time for a big final push!

pixelogic.app/every-...