https://blacknerdproblems.com/unpacking-makes-a-house-into-a-home/
Initially, Witch Beam’s new puzzle game, Unpacking, seems like an odd choice of subject matter. Moving into a house in a new location is a chore. Gameplay built around furnishing a home is the kind of material that Animal Crossing and those of its genre already seem to have on lock. Furthermore, the home and the objects placed within it aren’t even chosen by the player. So, what’s the draw?
The draw, surprisingly, is that hidden in Unpacking’s 2D pastel pixel art is a narrative version of the suitcase from Resident Evil 4. That installment of the franchise featured a distinct upgradeable storage system, where maximizing the space within the suitcase became a game unto itself. The player could fit only as much as the interior grid of the case would allow.
In Unpacking, the metaphor of the suitcase has become a series of rooms, each inhabited by an unseen protagonist at different stages of her life. Starting out, the player decorates a child’s room by placing toys, games, and other items on shelves and any available non-floor space. The game encourages play with intuitive controls that let you rotate or activate each item.
This healthy lack of tutorialization allows the player to explore their capabilities, limited only by the rooms they’re working in. A click opens each box, and in succession new keepsakes are drawn out until the empty box disappears with a satisfying pop. The unpacked pieces can be rotated to fit a space or stacked if of a similar type.
The only major restraint against progression is that improperly placed items will be highlighted along with the room they should be moved to. While this can become an irritating hindrance, it weirdly influences gameplay by turning Unpacking into a quiet psychological profile. The way players choose to furnish these spaces tells as much of a story as the pieces themselves.
Are you the type to pack with a plan, or toss stuff wherever it fits? As you play, the games challenges will shift you between these types. At times, you’ll be piecing together sets of items from boxes scattered across in multiple rooms. It’s an incredibly relatable consequence of hitting that moment of ‘fuck it, I’m putting these things wherever they fit.’
Despite the game never speaking a word it’s infused with character like this. The stuffed plush pig mascot survives from move to move, popping up as part of the bedroom set. A framed degree struggles for adequate display space once the character moves out of their college dorm — which feels like subtle commentary. That’s not even counting working around the existing furnishings of other roommates.
As a quick and relatively light experience, Unpacking is best taken in short sessions. Regardless, it holds surprising depth (and a lovely chiptune soundtrack). Curious players will find achievements for item placement and interactions. Witch Beam has brought a satisfying emotional connection to one of the most exhausting experiences of adulthood.
7.25 out of 10 Furnished Rooms
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The post ‘Unpacking’ Makes a House into a Home appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Initially, Witch Beam’s new puzzle game, Unpacking, seems like an odd choice of subject matter. Moving into a house in a new location is a chore. Gameplay built around furnishing a home is the kind of material that Animal Crossing and those of its genre already seem to have on lock. Furthermore, the home and the objects placed within it aren’t even chosen by the player. So, what’s the draw?
The draw, surprisingly, is that hidden in Unpacking’s 2D pastel pixel art is a narrative version of the suitcase from Resident Evil 4. That installment of the franchise featured a distinct upgradeable storage system, where maximizing the space within the suitcase became a game unto itself. The player could fit only as much as the interior grid of the case would allow.
In Unpacking, the metaphor of the suitcase has become a series of rooms, each inhabited by an unseen protagonist at different stages of her life. Starting out, the player decorates a child’s room by placing toys, games, and other items on shelves and any available non-floor space. The game encourages play with intuitive controls that let you rotate or activate each item.
This healthy lack of tutorialization allows the player to explore their capabilities, limited only by the rooms they’re working in. A click opens each box, and in succession new keepsakes are drawn out until the empty box disappears with a satisfying pop. The unpacked pieces can be rotated to fit a space or stacked if of a similar type.
The only major restraint against progression is that improperly placed items will be highlighted along with the room they should be moved to. While this can become an irritating hindrance, it weirdly influences gameplay by turning Unpacking into a quiet psychological profile. The way players choose to furnish these spaces tells as much of a story as the pieces themselves.
Are you the type to pack with a plan, or toss stuff wherever it fits? As you play, the games challenges will shift you between these types. At times, you’ll be piecing together sets of items from boxes scattered across in multiple rooms. It’s an incredibly relatable consequence of hitting that moment of ‘fuck it, I’m putting these things wherever they fit.’
Despite the game never speaking a word it’s infused with character like this. The stuffed plush pig mascot survives from move to move, popping up as part of the bedroom set. A framed degree struggles for adequate display space once the character moves out of their college dorm — which feels like subtle commentary. That’s not even counting working around the existing furnishings of other roommates.
As a quick and relatively light experience, Unpacking is best taken in short sessions. Regardless, it holds surprising depth (and a lovely chiptune soundtrack). Curious players will find achievements for item placement and interactions. Witch Beam has brought a satisfying emotional connection to one of the most exhausting experiences of adulthood.
7.25 out of 10 Furnished Rooms
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The post ‘Unpacking’ Makes a House into a Home appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Afronerd Radio can now be heard LIVE courtesy of Apple Music/Itunes
The opening salvo for this week's show is simply......can Black men endure? Alas, another Black man who had an indelible cultural impact, passes from our mortal plane-musician/music journalist, Greg Tate. Let's just jump into it as we always do, shall we? Check out the latest installment of the Afronerd Radio "steam engine" better known as our Mid Week in Review airing this (and every) Wednesday at 8 p.m. eastern on the BTalk 100 cyber-broadcasting platform. Join your "sensational" AFROnerdist hosts as they wax the night fantastic concerning these varied topics: the aforementioned and untimely death of journalist and Black Rock Coalition co-founder, Greg Tate. The crew discusses his career and cultural significance within the landscape of Black music; Dburt ponders the importance, underestimation, and failure to economically compensate the "black voice" in pop culture and media:
More thoughts about how the MCU will incorporate and address the canonical "mutant struggle" in forthcoming franchise films and streaming IPs; some folks are none too pleased concerning the race and gender tropes being shown in Amazon's new Harlem streaming series and this puts the writer, Tracy Oliver in the crosshairs:
This is absolut BS and would never happen in a barbershop. Just more effed up writing to make black men look like savages. #Harlem #HarlemOnPrime #amazonprime pic.twitter.com/IaerbNZupg
— JDogg (@JDiezelFitness) December 7, 2021
And lastly, if time constraints permit, we will try to squeeze in: She-Hulk's back to "retro" look showcased in Avengers #50; legendary comic creator, George Perez' grave health prognosis; Disney+'s Hawkeye show, episode 4 and Miles Morales' apparent use of hair texturizer has triggered some fans (no joke).
2018 || 2022 pic.twitter.com/8jtn860kBx
— best of miles morales (@comfortmorales) December 5, 2021
One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF
Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!!
Also, Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via BTalk 100 Pandora, Spotify and, IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!
I’m not going to lie. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first saw trailers for Disney’s Encanto. Disney animated films always have a certain level of standard, but there are definitely tiers to those levels. I really thought Encanto was going to be a standard affair, another world jaunting adventure to save the magic of the house and other characters by the one with no powers. Nothing special. I’m happy to say that this movie surprised me. It wasn’t what I was expecting and brought a breath of fresh air to the Disney catalog.
Encanto revolves around the family Madrigal, living in their magic house hidden within the mountains of Colombia after a tragic event witnessed by the matriarch Abuela Alma Madrigal (Maria Cecilia Botero). Alma is given a magic candle that gives her three children, and in turn their children, special gifts. All except for our heroine, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). Mirabel is a quirky and caring girl who does her best to support her family even though she feels a bit like an outcast. Beatriz knocks it out of the park here. There’s always an underline empathetic sincerity to her portrayal. And she’s got the pipes to really empathize the joy, pain, and worry with her songs.
There are her two sisters, Luisa (Jessica Darrow) and Isabela (Diane Guerrero), who have super strength and plant growth respectively. Then there’s her cousins Dolores (Adassa) who has super hearing, Camilo (Rhenzy Feliz) who can shape shift, and little Antonio (Ravi-Cabot Conyers) who receives the power to talk with animals. We also have Mirabel’s parents, Agustín Madrigal (Wilmer Valderrama) and Julieta (Angie Cepeda) who can heal with cooking, her uncle Félix Madrigal (Mauro Castillo) and aunt Pepa Madrigal (Carolina Gaitán) who can control the weather, and Bruno (John Leguizamo) who can see the future. They don’t talk about Bruno. With such a big family, the movie does a great job portraying the family dynamic. Everyone is their own character, and everyone feels unique.
During the celebration for Antonio’s gift reveal, Mirabel finds that the magic of the house is starting to wane. While no one believes her, she is determined to solve the mystery and protect her family. The story of Encanto wasn’t quite what I was expecting; however, it’s definitely for the better. The trailers made it seem like it was going to be more of an adventure film a la the Frozen series. However, it was much more of an intimate and introspective film. Exploring how expectations, both self and ones placed upon you, can affect you even with good intentions, how misunderstandings and fear can cause a family to break apart, and how in the end love and communication can save it. I was really surprised where the film went. It’s definitely still a Disney movie, but I like that the formula was shaken up a bit.
Visually, it’s an exceptional film. The environments pop with vibrant colors and design. But what’s really amazing is the Latin culture, along with the diverse shades of skin tone and character design. It really makes the world feel alive and lived in when everyone looks and feels unique. I loved seeing characters like Salsa, casually speak Spanglish and have the mannerisms you generally don’t get with a Disney movie. It’s not a perfect representation, but the film has deservedly gotten a lot of buzz from the Latin community loving the film. It’s good to see Disney showing more diverse and well told stories.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who previously worked with Disney on Moana, returns to provide the music along with Germaine Franco composing the score. While the songs in Moana still feel mostly Disneyesque, Encanto feels A LOT more like Lin-Manuel’s style. Honestly, it works really well for the film and is a nice change of pace from the standard Disney song. It still feels very rooted in Disney, but a lot of the songs incorporates the “Lin-Manuel rap” style. It will throw some people off who aren’t used to hearing that style in Disney movies, but it absolutely works. All the songs are great, and there are definitely “Disney style” songs here. But I have read some people not enjoying these songs like they have for other films. They’re wrong though.
Encanto is a fantastic film that shakes up the typical Disney formula. With amazing visuals, a stellar story, and a great soundtrack, Encanto is one of the best animated films Disney has recently put out. Everyone should run out and see this magical film!
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The post The House of Mouse Does it Again! – ‘Encanto’ Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Writer: John Layman / Artist: Dan Boultwood / Image
The finale of (She) Drunk History is exactly as bizarre as you expect from John Layman riffing off a time travel story. The cask of vineteporus that has taken Saffron to 19th century Paris has finally reached the end of its supply of shenanigans, and it’s time to wrap up the heist in properly convoluted heist fashion in Chu #10. There is no facet more convoluted than the fact that there are two Saffrons floating around the time period after the events of Chu #9.
Layman loves playing coy with the timeline. There’s a very laissez-faire attitude when it comes to the approach of multi-pronged grifts that get increasingly more complicated every page, but everything is so ridiculous that we’re conditioned to go along with Saffron’s mad dashes to her end goals much like her compatriots. This is Saffron at her finest, a smooth talker whose acquired skills make her dangerous, but whose originally gift of gab is still her bread and butter (food puns definitely intended). This is a Saffron who know that when the going gets rough, you fall back to the fundamentals. And it works because of the fast and loose narration and because as convoluted as the plans are, the plans have roots in familiar crime tropes that are easy to process and you appreciate the extra dramatic flair that was implemented in Chu.
Boultwood’s art continues to be a fantastic case of cartooning. The characters are vividly rendered, and the exaggerated emotional responses are a delight to look at. The set pieces are stunning and while there isn’t a lot of action in this particular issue compared to its predecessors, it’s still a thrilling read.
The more time we get to spend with Saffron and ruminate on the vector this series is going in, the more I appreciate it. Whereas her brother’s power was integral to every stage of the story, Saffron’s personality is the star the show, and Layman and Boultwood perfected the proportions of this comic’s recipe. I’m very excited for the prospect of a book three after finishing Chu #10.
9.3 “Portraits” out of 10
Enjoying Chu? Check out BNP’s other reviews here.
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The post Chu #10 Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.