AMA Setsu-AMA

[Setsuna]

So, you finished Banjo-Kazooie for the first time... Weeeeell:

I did, I did! It came as a recommendation from my bf, and given I enjoyed spending time playing the 3D mario games a couple summers ago we both thought it was a game I'd enjoy. According to him, it's because "there's lots of useless shit to collect, and that's your kind of thing" lol. Collect all the things I did, though, I got every note, every jiggy, every jinjo, every honeycomb, everything.
It's a game I've known about for years and years (I've enjoyed watching videos on Diddy Kong Racing since I was a kid, learned where Banjo was from and about more games Rare made, and then became more familiar with it from there) but my actual firsthand knowledge of the game was basically nothing, I didn't know much about it besides playing as Banjo and Kazooie in a 3D collectathon where you get jiggies and jinjos. It was really fun to play a classic blind.
Enjoy a Banjo-Kazooie essay by yours truly!

What were your favorite and least favorite levels?

My favourite was Treasure Trove Cove, and a lot of that is probably for the music. Though I thought things like the sandcastle floor where you inputted secret codes or the pirate ship were pretty cool. Again, I have a thing for coastal areas! I also thought Rusty Bucket Bay was really unique, the area reminded me both of Half-Life and of the Abandoned Ship/Sea Mauville from RSE. I also thought Grunty's Furnace Fun was such a cool idea.
I loved Click Clock Wood but I think once you realize what the concept of the level is, you realize there's not really much going on there. So while it wasn't one I'd say I hate, it's one I think did still disappoint me. As for my least favourite, it was surprisingly Freezeezy Peak. I had a frustrating time navigating around with the snowman enemies and I thought the Beak Bomb was really difficult to use correctly and had countless deaths even much later in the game where I'd go "Alright, this is the perfect time to use it", hit the button, and slam into a floor or wall accidentally and either walk back to the flight pad with less damage and a bruised ego, or just die altogether.

What were your favorite and least favorite (or least memorable anyway) songs from the game?

Well I already mentioned Treasure Trove Cove, which is my favourite song in the game, but Mumbo's Mountain stayed in my head for the rest of the day (both because it's catchy and cause it reminded me of a joke in a really old YouTube video I lost it at back then), and I really loved Click Clock Wood, both the Spring and Autumn versions, but Spring is a really close contender for my favourite song as well, I'm listening to that as I write this.
The idea of a least favourite or least memorable song in this is hard to answer, the music is such a great part of the game and it's hard to remember a song that isn't memorable to me, but as I'm going through the soundtrack right now, I guess I'd say Mad Monster Mansion is the one that doesn't really stick out to me as much?
I will say though, I was really impressed playing an N64 with a crazy amount of dynamic music. It felt like I wasn't going two minutes without something changing the music in some different way and it really added to the experience. I loved that a lot.

Favorite and least favorite moves?

I enjoyed a good handful of the moves in this game and got really excited always getting new ones, but if I'll be honest, by the endgame I was truly sold on the good old fashioned Rat-a-tat Rap. Easy to use, available the entire game, flexible, and really effective. Can't go wrong with that. Wonderwing was also great, but the very limited ammunition up until the Goldfeathers cheat meant I couldn't use it as often as I'd like, and did end up kinda forgetting about it at points it would've been useful.
And I already mentioned this, but god, I never enjoyed using the Beak Bomb.

Favorite and least favorite characters?

I freaking love the Jinjos. They're so cute, I love their little wobbling(?) animation when they wave to you, and whenever you picked one up and they'd go "Jinjo! Weee!" it always, always put the biggest smile on my face. I was joking with my boyfriend that just exclaiming "Jinjo!" all high-pitched like that would become some sort of new vocal stim for me lmao, they're easily my top pick.
But I guess they're more a species, and not a specific character. So I thought this over for a while and... would it be strange to say Gruntilda was my favourite character? She was hilarious the entire game, I loved basically every second of her dialogue, lines like "How bright they are, your stupid shorts, a target for my dumb cohorts!", "Why do I talk all the time, it's really hard to make these rhyme!", and "I'm still here, I watch you play, but I can't think of much to say!" always made me laugh. I also... weirdly really liked Clanker? Something about him was both really cool to me and just kinda made me feel bad for him. Just a gentle ironclad titan at the bottom of a waste dump. I dunno, that's not my aesthetic at all, but I got a soft spot for the guy.
For a least favourite character, probably Snacker. Dude just appears out of thin air when I touch the water and thinks he's just entitled to eat me whenever he wants. Grow up, man.

Favorite Mumbo transformation?

I loved the pumpkin, I thought it was super funny, but even funnier was the crocodile. Walking around as a little guy chomping around was so fun, it was cute, it made me laugh, it was just a great time.

What did you think about the game overall?

You asked me a little while ago what my favourite and least favourite things about the game were and even after beating it, I don't think those answers have changed, and kinda personify how I feel about the game overall the best. My favourite thing was how it sounds, not just in the dynamic music and great soundtrack, but in things like the dialogue sounds, the funny sound effects, and how the whole package really sounded to experience. That isn't an experience I've had in a game very often. Though I should also mention I really enjoyed Grunty's lair being a full area to explore and have to navigate, as well as not having any area be too large or complicated. I completed every world 100% in roughly an hour (aside from Click Clock Wood which took me two) and it kept me really excited to continue playing without getting overwhelmed or confused, or having to search for the last 3 notes in an area for hours. The pacing of the game felt phenomenal, I finished the whole thing in 3 or 4 play sessions and two of those had me feel like I wanted to stop, going to unlock the next world for my next play session, and then just going through and getting 100% in that world anyways, cause it was fun.
My least favourite thing was something that isn't really a problem with this game, more just how I feel about older 3D games, it was the movement feeling slippery and camera control being awkward. It led to taking damage, or even worse, deaths or loss of progress in something like climbing up a stage from something that I didn't feel was my fault. The most extreme example is the engine room jiggy in Rusty Bucket Bay, where I completely agree with the sentiment that it's the hardest jiggy in the game by far. Having to go into the ship to slow down the fans, go down to the engine room to turn off both switches for the propellers under the ship, and then leave the engine room, climb up the ladder, cross the ship, dive into the oily water, and retrieve the jiggy behind the propellers all in 60 seconds was really rough. That whole thing doubled with the game's fairly slippery control and the punishment of having to start the entire process over again upon dying made it just... not fun. This game loves narrow catwalks or timed challenges that can really frustrate you if you aren't good at navigating quickly and very precisely through an early 3D game that can get slippery. I never want to do the jiggy where you collect the Running Shoes and sprint up a pyramid before the door closes because I had something like 20 attempts in a row where I'd get to the top JUST in time for the door to close. Every time I'd go "What the hell, I thought I made it in time".

Score/10?

An extremely solid 8/10. I think it's genuinely wonderful and if for some reason it got a remaster with tighter controls, I'd likely pick it up and recommend it in a heartbeat.

Do you plan on trying the second one?

I do! Banjo Tooie and Nuts and Bolts are both on my list of games I'll likely finish before the end of the year. I've heard Tooie and especially Nuts and Bolts are bad games though, so this playthrough was mainly about getting the proper background knowledge to experience those games the way a fan of the series would and draw my own conclusions.

How's that for some questions? :P

Oh they were good, but I'm always needing more. Never fully satisfied.~
Thank you for them, though!

 

[Arcaneum]

In your eyes, what makes the perfect video game?
If you were to make a game, what sort of game would it be (genre, generic plot, etc etc)?
Is there a celebrity who has now passed away that you would've liked to have seen/met?

 

[Setsuna]

In your eyes, what makes the perfect video game?

I really like this question a lot, and it's interesting to try and answer it. Instead of thinking "this is a hard question to answer", it's more that my answer comes to mind immediately, but probably needs better explanation.
A perfect video game is one that I can truly lose myself in, that I'll go to sleep thinking about and wake up in order to continue playing. Maybe it's something like Persona 5 where I can really feel drawn in by its world and aesthetic. Maybe it's a game like Bloodstained where playing it feels as comfortable and natural as breathing or blinking while still being able to experience a new story, a new world, new mechanics or spells or attacks or enemies. Maybe it's a game like Final Fantasy XIV where I can log in and really fully feel like I am my character, that life in Eorzea is truly a second life that I live alongside my own, where playing it just feels like something I do without a second thought. Maybe it's a game like Pokemon Platinum where I'm just so connected with it, spent so much time living with it so close to my heart that it feels like it's a part of me. I think immersion really comes with emotional connection to me.

I don't really think that the perfect thing exists, whether it's video games, other types of media, or just things that exist in the world like people or ways of thinking. But when a game really means something to me, when it's all that's on my mind and really captures me, when I feel like I'm really and truly a part of it, and it's a reason I want to wake up, live, and breathe, god... that's the closest I'll ever get. Maybe that's true perfection, being seen as perfect despite having real flaws. Like, "I still love you, regardless".

If you were to make a game, what sort of game would it be (genre, generic plot, etc etc)?

I've had sort of vague ideas for this in my brain. I'm not really interested in making a game anymore, I don't really write in that way, have any experience or interest in something like programming anymore, and am perfectly satisfied just letting the ideas sit in my head.
If you allowed me to snap my fingers and fully create a finished game just the way I'd like, it'd be something like this. A metroidvania that truly captures the essence of what I love about Castlevania, since this idea was created before Bloodstained existed and a lot of the indie metroidvanias I played just never felt like they clicked perfectly. Fluid movement, 2d action, different melee weapons to equip and spells to cast as additional ranged attacks, stronger melee range attacks, or ways to augment your stats or obtain new abilities for progression. Maybe you could pick and choose or unlock different classes or styles of fighting as you explore or level up, or have something like a different character or two you could play as. I'd want it to be a longer experience as well, without being too long. Maybe something around 16-18 hours. I really wouldn't want to overcook it though.
I never thought of a name for her, but the protagonist would be a demon or devil girl wanting to escape her life in hell and ascend to become an angel. When I imagine her I think of someone who acts all smug, confident, and maybe a bit mean due to her race/looks, but ultimately wants the best for people and her world. A character where I'd gush seeing her coolest moments but also smile really wide if she got embarrassed or picked on. I'd love for her ascension and the road she travels on to defy her demonic aspects becoming someone who others can depend on and who she can be truly proud of to be a major focus of the game's plot. I wouldn't set this in stone, but "Liliana" is a name that does come to mind for her.
When I imagine it visually I think of games like Wings of Vi and Cave Story in terms of its aesthetic and setting, and games like Mega Man X4-X6, Symphony of the Night, or the DS vanias for its art style and animations. I don't really need some huge giant 3D behemoth where you have to flaunt that your grass or skin pores look better than the competition. I just really want a well animated 2D pixel art game. Well-crafted 2D gothic environments are really what I'd want.

Is there a celebrity who has now passed away that you would've liked to have seen/met?

I'm thankful I don't really have an answer for this question. I've never really held many celebrities close to my heart, so this isn't a feeling I've ever experienced. I hear of celebrities passing and my response is usually, and I mean this with the utmost kindness and respect, "I'm sorry to hear that, who is that?" It's often I just hear of them from their passing, not of having known who they or their work are before their passing.
But I suppose the closest feeling I've ever experienced is the news that Tomoriru, the voice of Setsuna Yuki ever since the start of Nijigasaki, would be stepping down from her role as the school idol a couple years ago. Being a fan of Bandori, news like that wasn't new as we've had a few seiyuu step down from their roles for health reasons, but I guess there was never one I felt so... close to? Like, the name Setsuna is one I adopted here while Tomoriru was still performing, and her voice is inseparable from the character for me and many others. The biggest thing I worried about was the general fandom's response and what would happen to the character and whoever was cast to replace her. I've always enjoyed seeing Tomoriru on stage and in whatever seiyuu content I could find, and while she thankfully isn't gone, and Coco has done a fantastic job filling in such massive expectations, there are times where it doesn't really feel the same. I guess seeing Tomoriru performing on stage as Setsuna isn't something I'll get again in my life, but I have to be honest and say it's really hard to answer this because I really know I don't have it nearly as rough as a lot of people. I really have been lucky, and it can be tough to not feel guilty for answering this question in this way.

Thank you for your questions!

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

It's Road Trip Time!

With its smooth, quiet ride, powerful V-8 engine, and spacious, comfortable seating for up to eight, the Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon is the ideal car for a long distance road trip. So, the question before you is:

You are about to go on a road trip to a vacation destination in the above pictured vehicle. You can invite seven of your favorite characters to join you on this trip. But there's a catch. You can only pick one character from each of your seven favorite fandoms. Who do you bring along, and why?

(To be clear, Love Live as a whole counts as one fandom, so pick a favorite character from the entirety of the franchise, not one idol per group/season. I'm not making this question that easy, lol)

 

[Setsuna]

It's Road Trip Time!

With its smooth, quiet ride, powerful V-8 engine, and spacious, comfortable seating for up to eight, the Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon is the ideal car for a long distance road trip. So, the question before you is:

You are about to go on a road trip to a vacation destination in the above pictured vehicle. You can invite seven of your favorite characters to join you on this trip. But there's a catch. You can only pick one character from each of your seven favorite fandoms. Who do you bring along, and why?

(To be clear, Love Live as a whole counts as one fandom, so pick a favorite character from the entirety of the franchise, not one idol per group/season. I'm not making this question that easy, lol)

Yeah, my answer would probably be a lot less interesting if you just let me pick one from each LL group. I've recycled a lot of names in this thread! So besides an obvious pick, I think I'm cool with just digging into whatever else I'm into to come up with answers to this.

First of all, I love road trips. Going on drives with my parents are great memories for me and travelling for vacations is always super exciting to me. I don't mind things like long drives across the country or things like that as long as I'm sufficiently entertained (I'll usually pick out a game to occupy me just for travel) so for me it's usually more about the vacation destination itself, but I can't lie, I have lots of little fantasies of going on road trips and having a good time in the car with irl friends of mine.
Now, seven favourite fandoms is kinda hard to pick, so this is more like me picking names that I think would all mesh together well and have a good experience rather than finding my favourite things, picking one person from each, and putting them together.

The obvious pick I mentioned is Setsuna Yuki from Love Live, both because I'd personally love to spend time with her, and a road trip especially would be a great chance to really talk to each other, get to know each other, and really connect through any common interests we'd have. Talking about our favourite games or anime would be cool.
Next, I'd probably pick Kita Ikuyo from Bocchi the Rock. Not only is she my favourite character from that anime but we have a big common interest in taking photos wherever we go and posting them to social media, especially with friends. I think a roadtrip with Kita would be lots of fun, we'd pick out cool tourist destinations to visit or fun spots to stop by and we'd have a great photo gallery afterwards.
I'd really love to bring Junko Konno from Zombieland Saga, she's the kind of person I'd really love to connect with and have a great conversation with. She seems like she'd have so many nice stories to share, and she's another person where I'd just really love to connect with her and share some good memories with, both for her and for me.
Another answer would be Nadeshiko Kagamihara from Yuru Camp, because she's the excited outdoorsy type and would definitely get along with Kita with her interest in local tourist spots as well. I think it'd be really pleasant to have her around. It's so hard picking between her and Rin.
It'd also be great to have Karen Kujo from Kiniro Mosaic, she's used to travel, speaks more than one language, and her chaotic attitude would mean the trip would stay interesting and exciting.
I think it'd be really interesting to have Momoka Kawaragi from Girls Band Cry included as well. Since (technically) everyone would be younger than her she'd be the one in charge and it'd be really funny to see her in that role, especially if she's the one having to drive. I think she'd really freshen up the group dynamic as well.
For a similar reason, I'd also want Tomoe Udagawa from Bandori, she'd probably the person who's actually responsible enough to be in charge of everyone, and I think she'd be a lovely person to travel with. She'd bring a similar vibe to Momoka but probably even more chill and just... really pleasant to be around.

I did my best to try and give interesting or not-boring answers to this question? I think it's easy to see something like this and have my brain just go "just talk about your favourite characters" so I wanted to at least include some thought behind why I'd like to roadtrip with these girls. Thanks for your question!

 

[Yellow Bommen]

What are your favorite Paper Mario games?

Thanks, Setsuna.

 

[Setsuna]

What are your favorite Paper Mario games?

Thanks, Setsuna.

So I've only played the first three Paper Mario games, though depending on who you ask I'm sure someone would say that's one more than someone should. If it released after the Wii I haven't touched it, so I don't really have opinions on games like Sticker Star or Origami King. Super Paper Mario is my favourite in the series, and before people get mad at me, it is a pretty different game and I understand why people are upset that a lot about the series changed. I understand what's flawed about Super, why people don't like it, and that it's not what people wanted. But I love it despite those things. I love it as a story-based 2D platformer, I love it for its story and the way its levels and areas look and its music, and most importantly I love it for its plot. It's an endearing and lovely romance story that I'm surprised exists in a Mario game, and I can't help but cry at the ending every time. Sure, maybe it's that I grew up on it, but I look at myself now and the things I like and I still think if I played all three of those games for the first time this week, I'd still love Super the most.
Both Paper Mario N64 and Thousand-Year Door are fantastic games though, don't get me wrong. The formula they created is really solid, and especially with how wonderful TTYD's battle system (the battles taking place on a stage that can be affected by your actions, with an audience chipping in) is, it's a massive shame no other game in the series has really understood why it was so good and continued it. I do think I would've loved the series even more and have played the other games by now if they were RPGs in the same style. I completely get why people feel the way they do about this series.

Thanks for your question!

 

[Yellow Bommen]

What are your twenty favorite anime series?

Thanks, Setsuna.

 

[Setsuna]

What are your twenty favorite anime series?

Thanks, Setsuna.

Twenty might be a lot. I know I've mentioned this but I don't really call myself a fan of anime because it feels like telling someone that is like feeding them misinformation about me. I think it implies that I watch a lot more of it than I actually do, or that there's this mindset or expectation someone may have upon hearing that statement that doesn't line up with how I actually am. I've always said things like, I'm a fan of Love Live or I have very specific tastes, because that's how I view the way I'm a fan of things personally. I would find a question like "What's the best anime from 2023" a really awkward question to answer, for example.

That being said, having a list where I can keep track of what I've watched and how much of it I've watched is very handy for something like this. This isn't a "Top 20" list or anything, I alphabetized it, but just throwing out several names of anime I've enjoyed watching is something I can do. Again, I think this would be boring if I just considered every series of Love Live separate, so consider them all included here along with any spinoffs like Genjitsu no Yohane or Nijiyon, just not including them to make room for more interesting things.

• Bocchi the Rock!
• Comic Girls
• Gabriel Dropout
• GIRLS BAND CRY
• Gochuumon wa Usagi desu ka?
• Hitoribocchi no ○○ Seikatsu
• Horimiya
• Jashin-chan Dropkick
• Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai
• Kiniro Mosaic
• Kobayashi-san Chi no Maidragon
• Love Live!
• Machikado Mazoku
• NEW GAME!
• Nijiiro Days
• Non Non Biyori
• Toradora!
• Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru
• Yuru Camp
• Zombieland Saga

Thanks for your question!

 

[Alex_Among_Foxes]

I've recently been playing another Castlevania lately and it made me want to ask you something. (if it's been asked already in here forgive me, but I'm way too lazy to check)

What are your, hmm, let's say 3 favorite and 3 least favorite aspects of the Castlevania series? As an example of what I'm asking about:
I love how the series feels to play. Going around the castle/other locations and collecting items and monster drops is such a fun feature to me!
On the other hand, something I don't care for much is how it handles backtracking compaired to the 2D Metroid games and how they very often reward the player with early items or power-ups as long as the player is skilled enough to figure out how to get them. And that's not something I recall seeing done well in any of the Castlevania games I've played so far. It tends to feel like everything needs its upgrade in order to get it, or the player having to rely on glitches to get stuff early.
I hope that was a good example of what I'm asking you. 😅

 

[Setsuna]

omg ellen you didn't...

I've recently been playing another Castlevania lately and it made me want to ask you something. (if it's been asked already in here forgive me, but I'm way too lazy to check)

What are your, hmm, let's say 3 favorite and 3 least favorite aspects of the Castlevania series? As an example of what I'm asking about:
I love how the series feels to play. Going around the castle/other locations and collecting items and monster drops is such a fun feature to me!
On the other hand, something I don't care for much is how it handles backtracking compaired to the 2D Metroid games and how they very often reward the player with early items or power-ups as long as the player is skilled enough to figure out how to get them. And that's not something I recall seeing done well in any of the Castlevania games I've played so far. It tends to feel like everything needs its upgrade in order to get it, or the player having to rely on glitches to get stuff early.
I hope that was a good example of what I'm asking you. 😅

Well, I do think I get a good idea of what you're asking, so hopefully my answer is around what you're looking for.

A big thing I like about the series is the setting and its visual identity.
I really enjoy a lot about how the series looks, mostly in terms of how the areas you explore and the characters you meet or monsters you fight are designed. One of the strongest showings of this is a lot of the official art by Ayami Kojima, I think it's an absolutely stunning look for the series , some of my favourite examples to highlight are the official or box arts for games like Harmony of Dissonance or Lament of Innocence, and even her work outside the Castlevania series still feels like it captures that sort of visual essence the series has. She did a fantastic piece for Bloodstained Ritual of the Night, as well as Magic the Gathering's Innistrad Crimson Vow set, which despite not being a MtG player, that's unsurprisingly my favourite set of the entire game. It's a Vampire Wedding. Come on.
But inside the games itself it's things like how detailed and beautiful the spritework is, or that feeling I got when I first started playing Castlevania that I'd never really been in a world like it in a video game before. Places like the Floating Garden in Aria of Sorrow, 13th Street (and by extension, City of Haze) in Portrait of Ruin, or the Dark Chapel in Dawn of Sorrow. They all look fantastic and have that sort of... I don't know, Castlevania feeling to them. I don't know the exact words I want to put it all into without sounding like a complete moron but I know that you know exactly what I mean.

Another thing I like is the way the games draw from mythology. Sure, a lot of enemies like different kinds of zombies or skeletons or demons come from different mythologies but so do items like the weapons or gear you can equip. In the same way that it's interesting for me to see a Persona and go "Wow, where is this from?" and learn about that culture or religion's tales and folklore, it's really cool learning that a lot of things from Castlevania aren't just some generic thing made up for the sake of putting another zombie in a video game, they're adaptations from some world or place and interpreted in a different way. Learning about these different stories and seeing how Castlevania's interpretation of Nyx or Abaddon is different from a game like Persona's, or recognizing the names of enemies like Scarmiglione and Barbariccia in games like Final Fantasy means every unique item you pick up or every unique enemy you encounter has some sort of interesting story or meaning behind it that's interesting to learn about. It's a lot of extra effort to really create a world or setting I can become interested in, and not just "this enemy is a Skeleton but this time they have a sword ooooooh". ...though to be fair, "Skeleton with sword" is still a thing they do pretty often. Still funny.
A personal favourite of mine that I wished they put in more games was the Princess of Moss, whose human form is apparently based off Marie Antionette. The idea of a monster stealing the form of a lavishly dressed French royal from human history is so beautifully Castlevania. A similar reason to one of the many why I love Carmilla.

This one is more vague but I think I just enjoy the way the games play. I've mentioned somewhere sometime before that I've tried a good handful of indie metroidvanias to find something that captures what I love about playing Castlevania and nothing's really hit it. I think a lot of what that quantifies for me is the fluid movement (unless we're talking Circle of the Moon) and the way the game's controls feel and how responsive they are, the variety in weapons and how they feel to use (especially in characters like Soma, Jonathan, and Shanoa who all have several kinds of weapon types with different properties), and the overall progression, things like leveling up, finding and equipping new gear, and the exact kinds of upgrades you can find throughout the games.
I know you've heard me say that Aria is the game I recommend to new people wanting to get into the series, and a big reason for that is how fluid the movement feels (it easily feels the best out of all the GBA vanias) as well as the fact the progression doesn't feel too confusing (it's often pretty clear how and when you can use souls like Flying Armor, Skula, or Giant Bat to reach the next area) and that it feels well balanced and easy to understand.
A lot of the other Metroidvanias I've tried playing in order to fill that hole usually end up feeling too slow or awkward compared to Castlevania (such as Lost Ruins) or feel too punishing or unclear about their mechanics (such as Momodora or The Vagrant), and that's unfortunately put me off of really getting excited about them the way I have with Castlevania.
Outside of the indie metroidvanias that have managed to resonate with me (The Messenger, Bloodstained, and Numazu in the Mirage but let's face it that's because it's a Love Live game) I think a game like Super Metroid, Fusion, or Dread are kind of the closest I've found to really enjoying in the same way, and that's mostly because they're first party Nintendo games that have a higher budget and expected quality. And while I definitely still love Metroid, things like the gothic atmosphere of Castlevania coupled with how I'd much rather use a melee weapon like a whip, sword, or axe made entirely out of gold, it doesn't end up being exactly what I'm looking for.
I've yapped a lot about this point already, but in regards to the upgrades, I just think things like turning into a bat to fly around are cooler and easier to use than something like Metroid's Space Jump. The emphasis on fantasy and magic spells gives you so much room to create unique ideas for upgrades, leading to progression tools like Paranoia in Dawn of Sorrow or Paries in Order of Ecclesia, and that's stuff Metroid wouldn't do.

I also don't know where to include this, but man Castlevania does so good with its music. There are iconic songs both from the beginning of the series and some of its newest entries, and Castlevania likes to do that thing that Kirby does where they bring back fanservice in the form of remixed music from the old games and it is fantastic. Heart of Fire is one of the best ones.

As for my least favourite... it's very easy to come up with the first thing. How damn hard and confusing it is to properly explain what the series is to other people.

Maybe it's just how my damn brain works but it is so frustrating to have to say the whole "Yeah I'm a Castlevania fan but I only like these specific games because all the games before them are an entirely different genre made by different people and then the games after them are a completely different genre from those because they just wanted to make god of war where you play as dracula and there's no real proper way to refer to them so I just have to call them "the metroidvania-era Castlevania games" like that's not weird and confusing and I only like those ones because I like that genre, they're similar to metroid games but i don't know if you've ever played those so it's like a 2d action platformer but it's not about getting to the end of a stage you're exploring this whole map and you get upgrades and stuff" and I just want to slam. my head. into a wall. And with Lament of Innocence it's kind of awkward because it isn't really like the other games but it came out around the same time and was still made by Koji Igarashi so saying "I like the ones made by Igarashi" isn't a lie, it just doesn't correctly get my point across.
...My brain is completely corroded and I obsess over details. Just what it's like being me.

I think another issue I have is the lower quality of Circle of the Moon and Harmony of Dissonance. It feels like they both came out in-between the really good games (after Symphony of the Night and before Aria of Sorrow) but could've been better if they were more experienced making good Castlevania handheld games (which honestly, isn't very fair of me to say!) or things like their control, visuals, or music were of a higher quality. A really big pain point for me in Circle of the Moon is the auto-run, but also the Zombie Dragons boss fight, I think it's a pretty solid answer for one of the worst bosses in the series.
I ended up really liking a lot of Harmony of Dissonance but it did take me a good amount of time and effort to actually get there. I think it looks the worst out of these games, and it has good pieces of music (Successor of Fate, Offense and Defense, and they went really hard on the name entry music??) that end up sounding pretty bad because they're low quality audio files on a GBA. The audio quality somehow got worse after Circle of the Moon. A really good arrangement of those songs like the ones by The Noble Demon are fantastic.
Circle and Harmony are games I would love to recommend to people right away, but I always feel like I have to be vocal about thinking they're the lowest quality games in the series, and that they can only be good accurate recommendations to someone who already knows they enjoy Castlevania.

A couple other ones I'd mention are things like Lords of Shadow being a really stupid direction for them to take the series and being petty about that (but that's not really a serious answer) and the idea that we didn't get to see a lot of female characters, those either being unplayable in a main story (like Maria, Yoko, or Stella and Loretta) or being these damsel in distress kind of characters (like Mina or Lydie who are both absolutely adorable, i love girls), but Shanoa being one of the strongest protagonists as well as Miriam in Bloodstained being a really nice character makes up for that somewhat.

This isn't related to my likes or dislikes, but I did like this talking point and wanted to add to it.
I definitely agree with the idea that backtracking does feel necessary and it's not like Metroid in that aspect. I think the comparison people make between a game like Symphony of the Night to the praise Super Metroid is sort of misleading, because a lot of the value Super Metroid still has today is based on the idea that on repeat playthroughs there are tons of "soft locks" and "soft keys" to exploit that you never physically unlock during the game, you just learn as a player that they exist. Things like the Wall Jump, Bomb Jumping, and if you're really spicy, stuff like the Mach Ball and opening shutter doors from the wrong side using the Wave Beam. Granted, most of those require actual upgrades but it's more akin to using something in the game to go out of bounds rather than a strict "hard lock" and "hard key", like "this green door will only open when you use a Super Missile and there's no way to go around it". Yes, things like bat zips exist in Aria, and the Succubus glitch in Dawn of Sorrow, but those aren't intended. They aren't the same.
Personally, this hasn't ever been an issue for me, it's just not been something I've really cared about when playing or replaying the games. Even with things like Metroid games, I don't often sequence break and I never really learned how to Scan Dash in Prime. I think it's something I could go either way on, because I don't think it would affect me whether the games did or didn't include these soft keys or sequence breaks. This is definitely a separate idea from what you're talking about, but one thing I do think would be interesting to include more of is separate pathways for progression, especially if they want to keep things linear and not include sequence breaks. I'm talking things like being able to do the final four Portraits in PoR in different orders (besides needing Owl Morph) or being able to go and fight Rahab and go through Subterranean Hell before obtaining Zephyr to access the Silenced Ruins in Dawn of Sorrow. I think it could give a lot of variety to a playthrough and allow the map of a game to feel a lot more open and varied without feeling confusing enough to make a newbie feel stuck.

Thanks for your question! I really enjoyed answering this one and I'm always open for more! This was a treat.

 

[Alex_Among_Foxes]

So on the topic of Castlevania... Which are your top 5 favorite series characters? I'm really curious to see how they'll look against mine lol.

 

[Setsuna]

So on the topic of Castlevania... Which are your top 5 favorite series characters? I'm really curious to see how they'll look against mine lol.

I like this question! Castlevania is a series where I often think the characters often don't seem to be the focus, but there's a lot of good stuff there if you really look into the timeline and how each game connects together. The games not often getting direct sequels but sitting on the same timeline means there's some cool stuff you can pick up to piece it together, I think the most obvious example is something like Jonathan Morris and his relationship to not only his father and Eric Lecarde, but how he inherits what both of them took from the Belmont clan.

There are a bunch of characters I can say I like but not really have too much of a reason, I just think they're pretty. Lydie Erlanger, Mina Hakuba, Stella Lecarde, Monica from Order of Ecclesia, Carmilla, and a few enemies like Nyx, Persephone (specifically her Aria/Dawn design) and Lilith (especially the all-red design from Aria) would fall into that. Yes, I'm a complete sucker for pretty girls. You know it, I know it, everyone does.~

But the main or playable characters are also really wonderful too. I don't think there's a playable character from any of the GBA/DS games I dislike. A top 5 is more difficult, so I'd have to go through and order them in a list.

I think I'd put Jonathan and Charlotte as #5 and #4, the dynamic between the two works really well both in terms of actual gameplay and their personality/dialogue in cutscenes. They both have fun moments (I think of Charlotte angered at being referred to as a kid in the opening cutscene, and Jonathan telling Death "even without the whip's power I can still kick your ass") but I think I really enjoyed the dialogue of Portrait of Ruin when the two are talking during the more worrisome moments of the game's plot, and they're there to support each other and talk each other through things. One reason I'll always unlock the Vampire Killer when I play Portrait is that it makes a really good amount of sense for Jonathan's character and I love seeing the cutscene where Charlotte reassures him that she'll be there to make sure he uses it responsibly. It helps that I don't even hide that I find Charlotte very pretty.~

Albus is #3, I think he's a fantastic villain with a really interesting backstory and really lovely moments in Ecclesia's story. I love how the story presents him as some selfish jerk who just wanted Dracula's power at the beginning and as you learn his motivations, why he's done everything throughout the story, and learn the big twist near the end, that completely changes. I love the way he taunts you as you're still trying to recover your memories, and the way he just confidently hands you a glyph or two of Dominus. I think the fight against him is one of Ecclesia's strongest moments, and I both love the way he screams Shanoa's name when he dies and a lot of the dialogue you see from him at the end of the game. I think Albus is Castlevania's best villain.

Soma is #2, because I think he's just such a cool and unique on a Castlevania protagonist. He's not from some special bloodline, he doesn't have this special training, he's just a high schooler who gets wrapped up in this insane supernatural plot and the moment you find out exactly what his role in that plot is, I've always loved that moment. Right after you finish at the throne room and he goes "I get it now." and his interactions with every character completely change. Not only is the soul system just really fun, probably the best central mechanic in any of the vania games, I just genuinely love seeing him be some normal guy who doesn't want to be a part of what he's roped into, step up to that responsibility to save Mina, and seeing a lot of his dialogue and personality come out more in Dawn. The scene in the ending of Dawn of Sorrow where Mina nearly cries because she was so worried about him and he falls for it without a second thought is really wonderful.

It's weird saying it outright but at least as of right now I think I'd have to say Shanoa is my top pick. I love her, she's gorgeous, the glyphs are interesting, her intentional lack of personality and emotions makes her really interesting, and I love seeing a lot of the way she views the world. I enjoy seeing her conversations with the villagers, especially one with Laura where despite Laura's efforts to make her smile she has to break the news that she lost her emotions and Laura's job is impossible. It's really great seeing her explore and experience the world after her memories and emotions are lost, and how she ends up believing she's lost everything in her life and her only purpose is to vanquish Dracula. The ending to Ecclesia and the moment she finally, finally gives a genuine smile before all the grief of the story catches up to her always makes me emotional.

Despite the rankings I love all of these characters and I don't really think I've ever thought of who I like more than who, so this could all switch on a dime. I tried to make this as interesting of a read as I could, I hope I delivered!
Thanks for your question!

 

[Alex_Among_Foxes]

I've had this opinion for a while, and honestly it's to the point where I could write a small paper or something over it, (so really I could ramble a ton about it and go into detail, that could be done on the AMA if you/others want)

*Deep inhale* So, what's one thing you'd have the FF14 devs redo from the ground-up if you got to decide that for them? :P

 

[Setsuna]

*Deep inhale* So, what's one thing you'd have the FF14 devs redo from the ground-up if you got to decide that for them? :P

Oh I did say this little thing didn't I...
Well, here is my paper, I shall now present it to the class. Enjoy the ramblings of a crazy obsessed woman.

This was my short answer:

I've had this opinion for a while, and honestly it's to the point where I could write a small paper or something over it, (so really I could ramble a ton about it and go into detail, that could be done on the AMA if you/others want) but even though I can never see it actually happening, I really wish every class in the game started at Level 1, had battle tutorials in the quests as you level up (like you hit Level 50 on Black Mage and the Level 50 quest is an exam on how the mechanics of the class work, which of your spells do what, and how to consider your strengths and weaknesses, disguised as a boss fight with different mechanics) both so the players know how their class works, and so the developers have to put proper thought into designing boss fights with those strengths and weaknesses in mind. Then when new classes get added, both the new classes and the old existing fights can feel like they still well-designed despite being made 10 years apart.

but given the opportunity to elaborate on this, I think overall FFXIV's biggest issue for me personally is that older, lower-level content isn't considered, appreciated, or respected in the same way that current release content is. I intentionally word this vaguely because I honestly think it applies to nearly every piece of content you can do in the game.

A big issue I think FFXIV has is that because new content is constantly getting added to the game (new expansions, new jobs, all these new different kinds of battle content like Criterion Dungeons or Chaotic Alliance Raids), the standard of quality for this content and how it's designed is getting better (which is a good thing!) but the lower level content gets worse and worse by comparison, it feels neglected. People love the new content in this game, they get so excited for it when it's new, and as the weeks go by, they experience it and get the rewards or fulfill the grind, FFXIV always enters this "content drought" so to speak, and you get people like youtubers or streamers or even gaming news articles going "FFXIV is dead, there's nothing to do, this game is boring, cancel your subscription and come back next patch" but you know what still exists for me during that time? All the low level content I haven't done before. For context: I've cleared the Lv60 Alexander Savage raids and Lv70 Omega Savage raids in 2024, and the first tier of the Lv100 Arcadion Savage raids in early 2025, so I have some sort of background experience playing both high and low level Savage content during Dawntrail, but I really love things like a casual low level dungeon in a daily roulette as well as low level Relic weapons like Zodiac (Lv50) and Anima (Lv60). I have five Anima weapons and am currently working on my fourth Zodiac.

The idea that doing older content like raids or relic weapons (two things that were highlights for people when they were new) without being unsynced, being able to do them completely overleveled and with absolutely titanic stats, seems typically frowned upon by the community and there seems to be little to no interest in it. Outside of Ultimate raids (which are the hardest fights in the game that people directly seek out to overcome that challenge), the general opinion of the playerbase seems to be that this content is boring, there's no reason to do it anymore, and when you're playing an MMO that requires you to have people in your party or working alongside strangers to accomplish a goal like that, it means that you aren't ever going to be able to accomplish that goal or experience that content. A party finder or pick-up group for something like Alexander Savage or the Coils of Bahamut won't fill very quickly, if at all, and my experience of trying to do Eureka in order to obtain a Lv70 relic weapon is probably one of the standout moments where I've really felt disappointed trying to do something in FFXIV. It's this massive zone where people are working together to grind a unique leveling system, spawn bosses and work together to take them down, advancing to new areas in this big long-term grind, but the experience of trying to do it in current year without already having a huge group like being a big streamer and having a chat to play with you just ends up with not having enough people to fulfill that grind, and the only people who are there are the people who take Eureka really seriously and will get mad at you for not knowing what you're doing.

Saying "I wish every class started at Level 1" is an opinion I feel really strongly about that probably sounds wild to anybody who loves playing current content. But I think any class that was introduced starting with Shadowbringers has a really big problem with feeling completely empty at lower levels.
For context: A lot of the starting classes are unlocked at Level 1, but as new expansions came out, people would already be at the max level and want to play these new classes, so newer classes have started at a higher level, and only needed to be leveled up by 20 to hit the current max level at the time. This means you unlock Paladin at Level 1, and Viper at Level 80.
I think the classes in this game are fantastic, they all feel visually distinct, have their own fun unique gameplay mechanics, and all get me excited. That statement is only true at max level. Yes, playing FFXIV at the max level and doing all this new current content like the new raids and dungeons and trials is a lot of fun but the moment you ever have to do something that's not at max level the cracks can really start to show, and it can be very fast and very apparent depending on the class you're playing. There is not a class in this game that doesn't feel like it has some kind of fundamental thing missing at a specific level.
Sage, unlocked at Level 70, does not have Eukrasia below Level 30, meaning that they cannot move at all while trying to cast a spell. If your tank runs down a hallway of enemies you have no options to try to keep them healed. Dancer is a class whose whole identity is having low damage on their own, but being able to pick a party member and boost their damage by a huge amount... unless you're below Level 60 (which is the entire base game and its first expansion) in which case you do not have the ability to pick a dance partner and just have to sit there dealing lower damage. Enshroud is a major aspect of playing Reaper and allows you to enter your burst phase and you cannot use it if you're below Level 80, which is most of the game. Dawntrail's newest class, Viper, basically does not have a job gauge until Level 82 and cannot enter its burst until 90. Viper only unlocks new skills every 5 levels, and sometimes that's every 10 levels! But Ninja? Ninja gets a 2 minute party buff for their burst at Level 15, eight different Ninjutsu by Level 45, the ability to cast one for free at Level 50, both of its job gauges at 54 and 62, full versions of its single target and multi-target combos by Level 62, and several upgrades to Ninjutsu all at 70, 76, and 90. And you know which class is dominating the DPS rankings in the current raids? Viper. It's Viper and oh my god it's not even close.
I want every class to be unlocked at Level 1. It would allow for a smooth and comfortable experience for players to learn how the class works and how to play it in the same way they would a starting class at the beginning of the game, because god help me I did not know how to play Sage by unlocking it at Level 70 and just trying to figure it out as I went. It would also mean every person who plays that new class would have to go through the experience of playing it at a lower level. You wouldn't be able to just skip to Level 80 and have all the cool toys, someone would have to play Viper at Level 10, only have two skills unlocked, and the designers of these classes and of these boss fights would be forced to realize that it is not a fun experience. Everybody would be forced to play these classes at a lower level and really understand that experience and either by the designers realizing it's flawed or the feedback from the players, things would have to change and be smoothed out. Everybody would be playing these low level dungeons and low level raids and it would become apparent that things need to be designed with that in mind, people would be aware of these old raids having these really janky mechanics that either require just getting lucky or having to figure out the most obscure hint and how that's a frustrating experience because the game's standard of quality now is so good and we don't have to deal with that. I want raids like Alexander or Omega to consider how a Viper or a Pictomancer or a Gunbreaker would engage with it, I want older dungeon bosses to be able to teach new players how the game works through well-designed mechanics and just a good boss fight instead of telling them something they won't understand and need people's help with. I want a lower level experience that's more fun and engaging, better for new players, and teaches people common mechanics like stack/spread markers, tankbusters, and remembering to use Esuna on your god damn debuffs!

Dawntrail is such a fantastic example that if one aspect of FFXIV, like its story, doesn't work, it can still be a damn fun game to play. I've loved every single raid in Dawntrail so far (Arcadion Cruiserweight is my favourite raid tier in the entire game), I think the dungeons are fantastic, I'm really excited for new content we're gonna get like Cosmic Exploration next week and everything down the line in the next patches, but god damn, I want people to be able to enjoy playing the parts of FFXIV that aren't the newest shiny thing they're gonna move on from. I want the game's older dungeons and lower level content to be good for 10 or 20 years into the future and be considered and appreciated just as much as the fantastic stuff they're putting into the game right now.

...Okay, I need to say it.

Dark Knight lost 1200MP per minute below Level 68 because Dawntrail changed how Blood Weapon works, and I will not forgive them for it! I've ranted about this before, and it is never ever leaving my brain unless something is done about it. Also, Enhanced Unmend is essentially a garbage passive trait that does almost nothing. Fix them. Now. Thank you.

Thanks for your question! I hope it wasn't confusing or hard to understand as someone who isn't really actively playing XIV. I love this game (as you can clearly tell) so I'm always happy to talk about it and answer questions about it.