How Abzu Helped Me Overcome an Irrational Fear

Around Thanksgiving of 2020, I was browsing the Nintendo and PlayStation stores for some great deals.  One of the best was a 90% discount on a game called Abzu, which I got for $2 (its usual price is $20).  If it wasn’t for the cheap price, I might not have bought this game because part of me worried it would be a tad boring.  Relaxing, yes, but otherwise uninteresting.  Fortunately, I was very wrong, and this post is going to cover both my review of the game and, as the title suggests, a personal tale of my own.

A Very Picky Chip Review

One of our favorite Youtubers, Brutalmoose, recently did a video reviewing various chips, which inspired us to do a review of our own.  During our subsequent visit to the grocery store, we decided to purchase one of the various Frito-Lay “Flavor Mix” bags, which come with six varieties of snacks.  I don’t really enjoy flavored chips, so the only one with which I was familiar were the Cheetos.  But soon enough, we would discover whether or not the Duck had been missing out on a wild world of wonderful flavor or if I would merely confirm that my preference for only the most traditional of chips was very well justified.  Mother Duck and I originally gave these scores out of 5, but in the end, it worked best just to rank them from worst to best.

11 Years of Blogging!

Behold, I have reached 11 glorious years of blogging!  Because I’m a weirdo who likes statistics, I’ll start this post off with a few.  There has been a general downward trend in viewership over the years, which is odd because my subscribers have been growing faster than ever.  This year, I grew by 76 subscribers!  Sweet!  I also finally beat my previous best day for views.  Originally, my most successful day was December 9, 2012 with 208 views.  This year, I have bested this score with 647 views on February 18, 2021, with the month itself getting over 1000 views!

Recreating the Nabisco Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake

Mother Duck used to enjoy a certain dessert made from chocolate wafer cookies layered with whipped cream.  You would then place the treat into the fridge for a few hours, allowing the cookies to soften, creating something akin to a chocolate cake.  Unfortunately, the original Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers used in the recipe seem to be discontinued, so Mother Duck and I recently went about finding an alternative.

Abzu Playthrough on Virtual Bastion

Join us as we play through the relaxing and beautiful aquatic world of Abzu, where we get the chance to swim amongst countless real-life sea creatures, including those now extinct!

Video from YouTube User: Virtual Bastion

The Paper Bag Strikes Again

So it’s late at night, probably ten or eleven, and I hear a crash from downstairs.  Almost in unison, Mother Duck and I emerge from our rooms at the commotion.  She tells me the cats came running into her room, and so, while she goes downstairs to investigate, I go to check on the kitties.  Carmelita is nowhere to be found, but Rosalina (pictured above) is peeking out from underneath Mother Duck’s bed, looking quite shaken.  On closer inspection, I discover that she has the handle from a paper bag hanging from her neck like a bizarre piece of jewelry (not unlike something Camelita did a while back…).

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (PS4) Playthrough on Virtual Bastion

Join us as we play through the HD remaster of Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, an old-school platformer and collectathon from 2002 where Ty must collect the five talismans, defeat Boss Cass, and save his family from The Dreaming.

Video from YouTube User: Virtual Bastion

Jack Frost (1979) Review

For this particular week of Rankin/Bass reviews, I’ve just got one movie for you all, Jack Frost from 1979.  (Because, frankly, I’m tuckered out after writing roughly a dozen reviews!)  This is yet another Rankin/Bass Christmas special that I had never seen before, but which I had heard good things about.  While it was a bit more difficult for me to find this one, I think it was worth the effort.

Inside Playthrough on Virtual Bastion

Join us as we play Inside, an atmospheric puzzle-platformer from the creators of Limbo, where a lone boy accidentally uncovers a sinister experiment…

Video from YouTube User: Virtual Bastion

The Mooseman: Beautiful, Eerie, Yet Unsatisfying

Ever since I have begun buying digital games, I have found no shortage of interesting, artsy looking options.  Beautiful they may be, but more often than not, these games prove why you shouldn’t judge something based on looks alone.  The most recent example of this is The Mooseman, an extremely intriguing looking game that is meant to explore the ancient mythology of Finno-Ugric culture.