Introduction
We're all familiar with the Hotline Miami's, Hollow Knight's, and Celeste's of the world. These are some of the indie games that hit the big time. Of course, for every one of these games, there's 100 other indie games that have been glossed over, relegated to a spot in a digital store few people will ever find themselves in. I wanted to bring attention to some of these lesser known indie games.
I'm going to order them according to Metacritic Critic Ratings. Some of the games towards the bottom have a pretty low rating that I personally disagree with, but it's only fair that you hear from more than just me. While the reviews are low for some games, this is partly due to how few reviews there are for some games. #19 on the list has a 49% for the Xbox One version of the game due to it only having two reviews, while the PlayStation 4 version has a 90% rating due to it only having one review, despite both versions being functionally the same. This high level of variance usually occurs when a game only has a few reviews.
Price will include a link to the U.S. store page of the game. Price is in U.S. dollars.
1. Inertial Drift

• Includes a Separate 2 Player Local Competitive/Versus Multiplayer Mode
  
• Price: $19.99
  
• Picture: Link
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: Racing
  
• Metacritic: 84% from 5 Critic Reviews, 80% from 2 User Ratings
  
• Description: Inertial Drift's distinguishing characteristic is its employment of the right analog stick for drifting. This takes a little getting used to, but it feels great once you get the hang of it, creating some exhilarating moments when perfecting corner turns. The game has 10 unique tracks + 10 reversed tracks, 16 vehicles, and four separate story arcs. Each story arc is only a couple of hours long and features a different protagonist with a different vehicle. Since you’ll be racing on the same track a few times, there are a few gameplay variations that differ from just reaching the finish line at the end, such as racking up a certain number of points that are acquired through longer drift times and other means. There's quite a bit of dialogue between races, and in the races themselves characters will frequently dish out positive commentary on your performance in the form of text in the top left hand corner of the screen. The game's aesthetics are a fusion of anime and synthwave. I've heard many fans liken the game to the manga Initial D, though I'm unfamiliar with that series myself.
  
• Completion Time: ~3 Hours (for 1/4 Story Arcs)
  
• Extra Content: There are a number of different modes including a Story Mode, Challenge Mode, Grand Prix Mode, Arcade Mode, two player Split-Screen, and Online, as well as a Tutorial. Completion of challenges in Challenge Mode allows you to unlock new vehicles for the other non-Story Modes. Grand Prix Mode allows you to race using different characters/vehicles through a connected set of challenges, while Arcade Mode is for one-off races. I wouldn't recommend this game for online play as the user-base is pretty small (hence it being overlooked) and you're unlikely to find a match. Getting all the achievements is fairly difficult.
  

2. Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX)

• Price: $11.99
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: 2D Action Platformer
  
• Metacritic: 81% from 12 Critic Reviews, 78% from 33 User Ratings
  
• Description: This is an action platformer that emulates arcade games from the latter half of the 1980s, but it is probably most reminiscent of Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts. The creator, Locomalito, states that the soundtrack uses the true arcade sound of the YM2203 chip. The game is hard, but the checkpoints are never more than a minute or two apart, and the lives' system/continue system has no penalties outside of locking you out of achievements. This is a very boss dense game - in the ~4 hour run-time it takes to complete the game, you fight 19 bosses. The handful of weapons and items you pick up helps lend variety to the combat, and no two boss fights feel the same.
  
• Completion Time: ~4 Hours
  
• Extra Content: The game has two endings. Most players will get the bad ending the first time around and be locked out of the final stage (which is the longest stage in the game). You do have to play through the game again to get the good ending, but you'll likely do it in half the time. If you want to see all the major content on your first go around, I recommend looking up how to get the good ending before you play the game. If you do achieve the good ending on your first playthrough, the completion time is probably closer to six hours. As far as achievements are concerned, 100% completion is very difficult to obtain. If you like an extreme challenge, this one's for you.
  

3. Valfaris

• Price: $24.99
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: Run & Gun
  
• Metacritic: 80% from 8 Critic Reviews, 79% from 9 User Ratings
  
• Description: Valfaris acts as a continuation of Slain - the developer's previous work - but it’s not necessary to play Slain first to understand the story of Valfaris. While Slain was mostly just a slightly above average action platformer, Valfaris is one of the best run & gun games I've ever played. You play as Prince Therion who returns to his home planet of Valfaris on a quest to kill his father. It's themed around a fictional planet and has a gross alien vibe coupled with heavy metal music. The music doesn't override the other audio in the game, and it does a nice job of upping the ante when you're fighting a boss – of which there are many. You're equipped with a primary gun, a more powerful mana-based gun, a sword, and a shield that can block with mana or parry.
  
• Description Continued: There are a number of weapons to acquire throughout the game, and the guns in particular do a great job of feeling different. You’re able to upgrade your weapons with Blood Metals. Some Blood Metals are found in plain sight, others are rewarded for defeating a tough enemy, and some are given for going off the beaten path. These upgrades typically just up the firepower but will sometimes introduce a secondary move to your weapon. There are checkpoints every two minutes or so, and most bosses will have a checkpoint just before them (only the weaker bosses come after a gauntlet of enemies). The game is a little hard at points, but overall it strikes a nice balance of feeling accomplished for overcoming the challenges without getting overly frustrating.
  
• Completion Time: ~8 Hours
  
• Extra Content: There are a few secrets to find throughout the game that are off the beaten path, though I was able to find 2/3 of them on my first playthrough. I found all but one weapon as well. The replayability comes from New Game+, which allows you to take all your upgraded weapons into a harder version of the game. Since the weapons all function a bit differently, this can be lots of fun. There are also some achievements that test your skills further, like finishing the game in two hours or beating the game with 10 or less deaths.
  

4. Pumpkin Jack

• Price: $29.99
  
• Picture: Link
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: 3D Action Platformer
  
• Metacritic: 80% from 8 Critic Reviews, 60% from 10 User Ratings
  
• Description: This is a 3D platformer that reportedly takes inspiration from both MediEvil and Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. There’s about equal amounts of platforming and combat in this game. While the combat is relatively simple, you’re given a variety of weapons that all feel unique. The levels have a good amount of variety within them – you’ll jump between ships on a ferry ride, ride an undead horse through the sky, play a few mini games as a headless Jack, and fight a boss at the end of each of the six levels. Both the combat and platforming are relatively easy – platforms are typically large and Jack has an edge grab that helps tremendously, and smashing the many destructible objects around the levels increases your health. This game takes the linear adventure approach, with a number of collectibles sprinkled throughout the levels: crow skulls, presents, and gramophones. Some areas are more open and allow you to choose the order in which you do certain tasks. The game has a decent amount of dialogue in it, which does an effective job of giving some character to Jack, his two animal companions, and the rest of the cast. The visuals and soundtrack are particularly great, especially if you’re into Halloween themed media.
  
• Completion Time: ~4 Hours
  
• Extra Content: There’s collectibles to back for – I got about 2/3 of the collectibles on my first playthrough – skins to unlock – which are purchased with the collectibles you find in the levels – and you get to start a second playthrough with all the weapons already unlocked at the beginning
  

5. Pato Box

• Price: $14.99
  
• Picture: Link
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: Punch-Out-like 3D Action Adventure
  
• Metacritic: 80% from 1 Critic Review, 80% from 1 User Rating
  
• Description: Pato Box follows an anthropomorphic duck boxer on an adventure through a stylistic noir comic book world. “Pato” is a Spanish word that translates to “Duck” in English (the game was developed by a Mexican studio). The boss fights are heavily inspired by Punch-Out’s gameplay, but there are levels outside of these fights to help differentiate it. Most of the levels can be selected in any order you choose and typically serve as a leadup to the boss fight. Bosses are usually introduced by a cutscene followed by some dialogue taunting Pato Box. The levels play entirely differently from the fights, but the themes of the level match those of the bosses. The levels will employ various elements of evasion, stealth, exploration, and a few time-based mini-games. The casino level, for example, will have you walk around the casino looking for chips and punching the slot machines to earn enough to pay entrance to the fight, while the food factory has you evading stompers, sawblades, and butcher knives as you work your way through the level.
  
• Description Continued: There are variety of things to find throughout the levels: tokens for decorations in Pato Box’s room, backstory on the boss of the level and the world, and tips on how to win the upcoming fight. The fights themselves lock Pato Box in the middle of the screen, allowing you to block, juke left or right, and perform a low or high jab to the left or right. Bosses are dynamic and have a number of different phases to fight through. The game foregoes a HUD in favor of a visual representation of your health via scars on your body, which I thought was a nice touch. While the levels and bosses play pretty differently from each other, they’re weaved together by a dark and intriguing story that follows Pato Box’s quest for retribution against an evil corporation.
  
• Completion Time: ~7 Hours
  
• Extra Content: There’s an Arcade Mode that lets you replay boss fights and some collectibles to find in the main campaign. The achievements are very difficult, and many ask you to beat a boss without taking a single hit.
  

6. Ultra Hat Dimension

• Price: $4.99
  
• Picture: Link
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: 2D Level-based Puzzle Game
  
• Metacritic: 80% from 1 Critic Review, 60% from 1 User Rating
  
• Description: Ultra Hat Dimension follows Bea through a series of rooms in a palace on a quest to undo the magical spell that has made the mythical Spluff creatures want to attack one another. There is a little bit of backstory via one sentence thoughts from Bea in between levels, but nothing major here. The gameplay revolves equipping four different types of hats and using them to evade or push Spluffs around to retrieve the key and reach the door. Each Spluff dons one of four different hats which effects their behavior towards other Spluffs and you. You will be punched one tile back by every Spluff unless you’re wearing the same hat as the Spluff. Spluffs interact with one another differently depending on what hat they’re wearing in a rock, paper, scissors kind of way – they may punch a Spluff back one space, get into a scuffle that allows you to get close to them without wearing a hat, or they may temporarily disable them in a way that allows you to access the space the Spluff consumes within eight moves. There are undo and reset buttons included that allow you to quickly rewind mistakes. There are some clever puzzles accompanied by catchy tunes and a charming pixel art aesthetic. The difficulty is about average.
  
• Completion Time: ~3 Hours
  
• Extra Content: Since this is published by Ratalaika Games, getting all the achievements can be obtained after only clearing 2/3 of the levels. There are a few custom maps on the PC version of the game but no additional content on consoles.
  

7. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight

• Price: $9.99
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: Metroidvania
  
• Metacritic: 77% from 6 Critic Reviews, 72% from 15 User Ratings
  
• Description: Usually with Metroidvanias, I expect a long, difficult game that's difficult to navigate. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is a counter to those ideas while still maintaining the exploratory nature of the sub-genre. The plot is pretty simple and doesn't feature a ton of story, but there are a few NPCs you talk to throughout your quest. The combat is also fairly simple, but the boss fights you engage in are all great. Without much weapon customization, it's stripped to the basics of dodging enemy attacks while trying to get a hit in. It makes for a game that's easy to get into and instantly start enjoying. All of the areas are visually appealing, some more than others, and each of them lasts shorter than you'd expect. The game is only around 3-5 hours, but it feels like you've played so much more in that time. Some games only really start to take off by the time this game finishes.
  
• Completion Time: ~4 Hours
  
• Extra Content: Getting 100% map completion should only take an hour or two of cleanup. I did miss an optional boss on my first playthrough. There are also items to discover, and the achievements give fun challenges to extend the life of the game. One cool thing I liked was that beating a boss without getting hit at all gives you a useful item. It also features New Game+, allowing you to carry over most of your items, making the game more difficult, and changing up enemy placement.
  

8. The Count Lucanor

• Price: $14.99
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: Top Down Adventure/Horror
  
• Metacritic: 77% from 3 Critic Reviews, 80% from 1 User Rating
  
• Description: The Count Lucanor’s story is very fairy tale-esque – more like a classic fairy tale as it can be pretty dark and grotesque at times. On his 10th birthday, Hans chooses to leave his mother in a quest for wealth. After some walking and conversation with NPCs you find along the way, you stumble upon a large mansion and find that the count of this mansion is looking to pass his wealth onto an heir who can prove himself worthy – “worthy” in this case being the one who can figure out the count’s name. From here, you are tasked with adventuring through the mansion and solving environmental puzzles in a nonlinear way to acquire the letters that spell the count’s name. There is a survival horror element to the game, as you are unable to attack the enemies in the mansion and instead must crawl under tables and find other ways around them. You can place candles around the mansion to light it up to help you better evade enemies, but your usage is limited (though you can find more).
  
• Completion Time: ~4 Hours
  
• Extra Content: There are five different endings and some puzzles/rooms you don’t even have to do. This could double your playtime – maybe even more if you don’t use a guide. You have to get all five endings and do some other miscellaneous stuff to get all achievements, but it has a relatively high completion rate.
  

9. Late Shift

• Price: $12.49
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: Interactive Film
  
• Metacritic: 72% from 16 Critic Reviews, 70% from 36 User Ratings
  
• Description: If you liked Detroit: Become Human or Until Dawn, Late Shift will be right up your alley. This game is a bit different from both those titles in that it's an FMV, with the gameplay solely consisting of the choices you make. You receive prompts at key moments in the story on what you want your character to do next, and this effects the outcome of the game. It plays more like Black Mirror's Bandersnatch, though this game came before it. The story follows an everyman who gets tangled up in London's criminal underground just as a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
  
• Completion Time: ~1.5 Hour Completion Time*
  
• Extra Content: There are 180 choice points and 7 different endings. I only got 4 out of 21 of the achievements on my first playthrough. There are a number of different routes to take with the game.
  

10. Unbox: Newbie’s Adventure

• Includes a Separate 4 Player Local Competitive/Versus Multiplayer Mode
  
• Price: $29.99
  
• Picture: Link
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: 3D Collectathon Platformer
  
• Metacritic: 71% from 10 Critic Reviews, N/A from 0 User Ratings
  
• Description: Unbox takes heavy inspiration from Banjo Kazooie and other collectathons of the fifth generation but has levels far larger than any Nintendo 64 platformer. Fortunately your customizable character can cover huge amounts of ground very quickly via the unbox mechanic, which is basically a super jump you can use up to six times before you need replenishment via item pickups or checkpoints. Both the jump and unbox mechanic are tied to the shoulder buttons, which takes some getting used to but is ultimately one I’m in favor of, as it allows for camera control without removing your thumb from the jump or unbox buttons. The high speeds you can travel make for some great exploration, but the game is still able to disable your ability to unbox by giving you a “fragile” item, allowing for more carefully considered platforming sections.
  
• Description Continued: Each of the three major worlds have four major collectibles: 200 gold tape, 10 caged zippies, 18 stamps, and 1 super stamp rewarded upon defeating the boss of the world. There is also a hub world that has just 200 gold tape to collect. The 18 stamps are the jiggies or stars of the game, and they’re primarily what you’re after to advance the game. 9 of them are hidden across the world, while the other 9 are given by NPCs upon the completion of a task: Digi will ask you to take an item from point A to point B with some platforming in between, Dash will ask you to complete three races around different areas of the map, Superbox will ask you to destroy 20 enemies in X amount of time, etc. The other collectibles simply unlock more cosmetic options for your character.
  
• Completion Time: ~7 Hours
  
• Extra Content: The game only requires you collect 2/3 of the stamps to beat the game. If you want to collect all the stamps, zippies, and gold tape, this could more than double your playtime, as the worlds are massive and finding all the gold tape is a daunting task, though they do make a distinct noise when you are near them once you’ve collected half of them in a level. Your friendly companion Bounce will also give you visual clues on where to find whatever collectible you might be stuck on. I was able to find all the collectibles in the first world but three gold tape with next to no issues, though Bounce helped me with the remaining three. I really have to commend the developers for their inclusion of both audio cues and visual guides built within the game to guide you to collectibles – it makes collecting every last thing a lot less tedious. The high speeds of your character allow you great traversal of the world, which also helps with collecting everything. The achievements require you to collect everything. In addition to the single player campaign, there are quite a few local multiplayer modes for up to four players – these include Boxing, Collect, Thief, Oddbox, and Delivery. The developers go into more detail on each mode here.
  

11. Spark the Electric Jester 2

• Price: $19.99
  
• Picture: Link
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: 3D Sonic-like Action Platformer
  
• Metacritic: 70% from 1 Critic Review, 70% from 1 User Rating
  
• Description: This is the sequel to the original 2D PC exclusive from 2017, with another 3D sequel currently in production. If you care at all for the story, it’s recommended you play or at least read about what happened in the first game. Spark 2 actually follows Fark, another jester. Spark 2 emulates many of the high speed moments found in 3D Sonic games, but brings a few ideas of its own. In particular, action is a bigger focus in this game, though platforming is still the priority. Enemies are easy enough to run past with a few exceptions for mini bosses at the end of some levels and the nine main bosses. In addition, enemies can also add to your score.
  
• Description Continued: In addition to Fark’s expanded move-set in combat, he also has the ability to double jump, dash, and wall jump. The jumps give you a lot of air time, lending more leniency to the platforming, and the dash is great for building momentum. There’s quite a bit to explore in each level too – jumping off ramps in the middle of loopdeloops will sometimes result in you finding the game’s main collectible, floppy disks. Fark can also acquire four additional costumes found within the levels that offer some variation in abilities. The game offers five difficulties at the start, with it recommending the second easiest option, Normal, as the default way to play your first time through. Bosses on this difficulty are fairly easy provided you’re competent with timing when to use your shield, though I did lose once or two against a few of them.
  

12. Remothered: Tormented Fathers

• Price: $29.99
  
• Trailer: (Slightly Graphic) Link
  
• Genre: Survival Horror
  
• Metacritic: 68% from 7 Critic Reviews, 80% from 36 Ratings
  
• Description: Remothered: Tormented Fathers feels very old school in its design philosophy - no weapons outside a few self defense items and distraction items. You go back and forth in the mansion and have to learn the layout and where things are to proceed. You have to manually select the key item from your inventory to use on triggers (but a key icon is still shown to guide you a little). The sounds in this game do a great job of evoking tension, and I appreciate that the stalkers don’t seem to teleport, so if you can get away from them, you’ve earned your freedom for awhile. This is the first game in a loosely connected trilogy. The second one - Remothered: Broken Porcelain just released last month, but I've heard it's pretty buggy at the moment and not recommended in its current state.
  
• Completion Time: ~6 Hours
  
• Extra Content: There are some collectibles you can go back for, but not a whole beyond that. You’ll probably get most of the achievements – if not all, except the collectibles one - on your first playthrough.
  

13. Four Sided Fantasy

• Price: $9.99
  
• Trailer: Trailer
  
• Genre: 2D Puzzle Platformer
  
• Metacritic: 68% from 4 Critic Reviews, N/A from 0 User Ratings
  
• Description: The premise of the game is a fusion of side scrollers and oldschool fixed screens that teleport you to the opposite side of the screen when you pass through one side - think Pac-Man, arcade Mario Bros., or Balloon Fight. You will find obstacles in your path that are impenetrable in a typical side scroller, but can be overcome by holding a button to turn the screen into a fixed screen that allows you to pass through one side and out through the other end. This is a totally unique take on a puzzle platformer I haven't seen before, and all five worlds bring something new to the table. For example, World 2 will flip you upside down when you pass through a screen, allowing new types of challenges as a result. There's more emphasis on the puzzle elements than the platforming.
  
• Completion Time: ~2 Hours
  
• Extra Content: There is a New Game+, but from what I could tell from the beginning it wasn't a whole lot different. Still, there's an achievement for completing New Game+ and some other fun achievements.
  

14. SINNER: Sacrifice for Redemption

• Price: $18.99
  
• Picture: Link
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: Soulslike Action Adventure
  
• Metacritic: 66% from 11 Critic reviews, 53% from 11 User Ratings
  
• Description: SINNER is a Soulslike boss rush - there are no levels and only small area before each boss to practice your moves. There are eight bosses, the first seven allowing you to fight in any order, each representing the seven deadly sins. You are equipped with everything the game has to offer from the beginning (except for the New Game+ weapon they give you), and instead of becoming more powerful, you gradually lose things with each boss you defeat, hence the “sacrifice” in the title. It’s like a reverse RPG. Each boss has a different sacrifice associated to it – one may deplete your throwing items’ usage, while another will deplete your health and stamina. Picking the best order to fight them in adds a little strategic thinking to the game, as you may be more dependent on your large health and stamina bar more than your throwing items’ usage, for example. The game is fairly difficult, so your victories over each boss feel very gratifying when they do come.
  
• Completion Time: ~5 Hours
  
• Extra Content: There is New Game+ that offers you an additional weapon. The achievements task you with a few things you have to pull off in battles, and getting all the achievements is pretty easy to obtain.
  

15. Tamashii

• Price: $11.99
  
• Picture: Link
  
• Trailer: Slightly Graphic (Link)
  
• Genre: Puzzle PlatformeHorror
  
• Metacritic: 65% from 2 Critic Reviews, 70% from 1 User Rating
  
• Description: Reportedly inspired by obscure Japanese games from the late 1980s and 1990s, Tamashii blends puzzle platforming together with an oppressive atmosphere. The introduction starts with the character being willed into existence by a godlike character that tasks him with destroying the macabre forces that have taken control of and corrupted his chambers. Your character is able to spawn three inanimate clones of himself which is the primary source for most of the platforming and some of the boss fights – you’ll use them to trigger switches and open up new paths. There’s about an even mix of puzzle solving and platforming, and there’s a whole eight bosses in this short adventure (though one is a secret) that are probably the most visually interesting moments in the game. The creatures and backgrounds are effective in selling the dark presentation of the game. The difficulty is about average – maybe slightly easier than most indie puzzle platformers. There is a sequel currently in the works.
  
• Completion Time: ~2.5 Hours
  
• Extra Content: There are a few obscure secrets to discover. You can also play through the chambers again with a score meter, and there are certain achievements associated with getting a good score. Getting all the achievements isn’t too difficult, but you’ll probably need a guide for some of the secrets.
  

16. Verlet Swing

• Price: $14.99
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: 3D Platformer
  
• Metacritic: 63% from 3 Critic Reviews, 75% from 2 User Ratings
  
• Description: Verlet Swing’s aesthetic is as intriguing as its gameplay: you are tasked with grappling and swinging yourself across these vaporwave styled levels without hitting anything. The levels are all very short, but you’re likely to play many levels dozens of times before even finishing it… just to get a 1/4 rank. The ranking system is actually very cool, in that it encourages you to find alternative paths or sometimes just building up more momentum to get to the end faster. Most levels do seem to have a set path, but at the same time, with the proper grappling of the mechanics, you can forge your own, which is a game in itself.
  
• Completion Time: ~7 Hours
  
• Extra Content: There’s an in game challenge menu that mostly recycles a lot of the base game content – though there’s a particularly funny one that switches the perspective to third person to play as a knockoff Spiderman. You can also go back and try to get the best possible time for each level. Getting all achievement is extremely difficult.
  

17. Warlock’s Tower

• Price: $4.99
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: 2D Level-based Puzzle Game
  
• Metacritic: 63% from 3 Critic Reviews, 75% from 2 User Rating
  
• Description: Warlock’s Tower’s puzzles are built around the movement of the player. There are numbers on the ground for the player to pick up – either 3 or 5 – and this gives the player a set number of steps before they die. Your goal in every level is to make it to an exit, and you’ll have to acquire the numbers in an order that gets you there. It is a bit easy in the beginning but eventually works up to be a challenge in the later levels as more elements are introduced: enemies, teleporters, conveyors, and even controlling two characters at once that share movement usage. The game has a very believable GameBoy aesthetic and sound effects to accompany it, and it works for this slower paced tile-based game.
  
• Completion Time: ~6 Hours
  
• Extra Content: This is published by Ratalaika Games, but surprisingly enough, you actually have to beat the game and find a few NPCs hidden in certain levels to get all achievements. There are optional levels in each world that don’t have any achievements attached to them, and this should add a few hours to the game.
  

18. The Bunker

• Price: $19.99
  
• Picture: Link
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: FMV Point & Click Adventure/Horror
  
• Metacritic: 59% from 8 Critic Reviews, 55% from 11 User Ratings
  
• Description: The Bunker is an FMV point & click adventure, meaning it features real actors and environments just like a live action movie. Many of the actors involved have been in high profile movies/TV shows as well, including The Hobbit, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and Penny Dreadful. The game takes place in a fallout shelter and follows the last survivor as he tries to find a way outside following the death of his mother, after living 30+ years in the bunker. The gameplay has you solving puzzles and finding ways to proceed to the next area. The story is the focal point of the game though, and it frequently switches between the past and the present to tell its story. There’s a good juxtaposition between the lively past and the lonely present that makes you question how the protagonist ended up as the last survivor. There’s only one narrative choice to make in the game, and it comes at the very end. The game also works in handheld mode with touchscreen functionality if you'd prefer to play it that way.
  
• Completion Time: ~2. Hour Completion Time*
  
• Extra Content: You can replay the game and try to find all the collectibles. Most of them give more background on the story. You can trigger the ending you did not choose the first time around by simply reloading the last checkpoint, so there is no need to play through the whole game again to unlock it. Getting all the achievements is fairly easy.
  

19. Hayfever

• Price: $14.99
  
• Trailer: Link
  
• Genre: 2D Precision Platformer
  
• Metacritic: 49% from 2 Critic Reviews, 70% from 1 User Rating
  
• Description: Hayfever is a precision platformer that revolves around a mailman propelling himself using a number of different allergens that act as power-ups. A lot of the platforming is aerial and typically has you catching allergens mid-air to perform maneuvers in quick succession. It's not an easy game by any means, but it has oddly relaxing music to accompany the rather intense platforming. There are also letters to collect in each level to steepen the challenge and some secrets to discover too. It takes an hour or so to get used to the aerial platforming, and this is one of the few 2D platformers played better with the analog stick rather than the D-Pad. But letters that seemed unattainable to me at the beginning of the game became much simpler by the end, as I had mastered the controls and physics of the game. I’ve played a ton of 2D platformers, and this is one of my favorites.
  
• Completion Time: ~8 Hours
  
• Extra Content: It'll take another 8 hours or so to collect all the letters and probably about 6 hours or so to beat the Hard World, which features an additional 28 remixed levels. There are also secrets to uncover, but they don't net any in game progress and only work towards your achievement completion. Finding these secrets will probably vary more in time because they are hidden, but expect them to take a few hours to find. Just to clarify, letters are an expanded test of your platforming skills and are all in clear view of the screen, while secrets are a test of your observational skills and take a little more digging to finish. Attaining all achievements is a fair and rewarding challenge that took me about 25-30 hours to get.
  

20. Cybarian: The Time-Traveling Warrior

• Price: $4.99
  
• Picture: Link
  
• Trailer: Trailer
  
• Genre: 2D Action Platformer
  
• Metacritic: 48% from 2 Critic Reviews, 75% from 2 User Ratings
  
• Description: Cybarian has an interesting yet simple combat system that distinguishes itself from most action platformers. Instead of mashing the attack button, you have to press it once, wait two seconds for the animation to complete, press it again, wait two seconds for the animation to complete, and then press it again to complete a full combo. It sounds like something that's easy to get down quickly, but I found myself still occasionally going too quickly in the intensity of a boss fight. The game punishes you by not fulfilling the attack if you button mash. After each boss fight, you unlock a new move that will be required to fell some foes in the next stage. Conversely, you can play Hard Mode which unlocks all moves right from the get-go, but you'll have to beat all four stages without dying. "Hardcore Mode" would've been a more apt description of this difficulty setting, I feel.
  
• Completion Time: ~1.5 Hours
  
• Extra Content: Just like with Ultra Hat Dimension and Warlock’s Tower, this is a Ratalaika Games published game, so getting all the achievements can be achieved in under an hour. It would've been nice if they pushed you to beat Hard Mode, but you'll just have to settle for internal gratification instead.
  

Conclusion
My top 5 on the list in order would be the following: (1.) Hayfever, (2.) Valfaris, (3.) Cursed Castilla: (Maldita Castilla EX), (4.) Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight, and (5.) Pumpkin Jack.
Have you played any of these games? What are some other overlooked single player indie games?
See my post below for some upcoming indie games to look out for.

• 40 Upcoming Indie/AA Games (Not all on Xbox)

Challenge: 1/1/20 - 12/31/20
This has been a crazy year for everyone. I fell behind on my reviews, I've attempted to catch up in the last two months, but here we are. I've now delayed my 2021 challenge so I just need to dump the rest and do better this year. Sorry for the half ass work. So here is my last 32 films on the year that I have the least to say about.
Last Christmas (2019)- Watched 07/17/20 - RotTom critics - 47% RotTom users - 81%
This film is a cute rom-com. The critics are too hard on it. If you want a nice entertaining rom-com, this is it, nothing too special about this one. -Score - 3/5
The Lovebirds (2020)- Watched 7/19/2020 - RotTom critics - 66% RotTom users - 51%
This film is more Com than Rom. Once again, if you are looking for this kind of movie, you'll be satisfied, if not, just skip it. -Score - 3/5
Clueless (1995)- Watched 07/28/20 - RotTom critics - 81% RotTom users - 76%
This film is a pretty unique High School movie. I quite liked it, it was humorous in a special way. Thi movie, like Lion King is based on Shakespear's Hamlet, is based on Jane Austen's Emma. It's a brilliantly intelligent film, wrapped in a California high school comedy. I recommend for all. -Score - 4.5/5
Onward (2020)- Watched 8/8/2020 - RotTom critics - 88% RotTom users - 95%
This film is not up to snuff with he rest of Pixar's original films. The themes were not as groundbreaking and the story was not as captivating. I was disappointed. Of the 23 Pixar films, this one would rank bottom 5 for me. That being said, Pixar is great, and their worst movies are still decent movies. -Score - 2.5/5
Casino (1995)- Watched 7/26/20 - RotTom critics - 80% RotTom users - 93%
Have you ever been sitting there thinking, I want to watch Goodfella's but slightly worse? This is the film for you. It's good, but not great. I think I even like Irishman more. If you like Scorsese, or crime movies, I reccomend. -Score - 4/5
The Lighthouse (2019)- Watched 9/7/2020 - RotTom critics - 90% RotTom users - 72%
This film was advertised to me as a 2020 Oscar snub. I disagree. I like experimental film but I thought this one was a little too boring. I can see where some like this one, but not me. Great acting performances by Dafoe and Robert Patterson. People need to stop sleeping on Patterson, I'm excited to see him as Batman. -Score - 2/5
The Impossible (2012)- Watched 11/12/20 - RotTom critics - 92% RotTom users - 84%
This film is the most boring disaster movie ever? I'm shocked at how high the scores are on this film. I do not recommend this one to anyone, and if you do watch it, drink a few cups of coffee first. -Score - 1.5/5
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)- Watched 9/16/2020 - RotTom critics - 81% RotTom users - 47%
This film is the most convoluted film I've seen this year. I could see underneath all the insane things that were happening there was a good movie. The critics are cowards, they clearly saw an artistic movie and gave it high ranks, the users are correct here. I understand the film now, that I've looked in the source material, but you shouldn't have to have a manual to understand your film. Kaufman, is a great screenwriter, I'm not sure if he is a good director. -Score - 1/5
Guns Akimbo (2019)- Watched 9/23/20 RotTom critics - 52% RotTom users - 40%
This film is a wild ride. You are thrown into a crazy, world with a crazy plot. Everything Daniel Radcliffe does these days are always weird and original. This movie is just ok, it receives a higher score based on originality alone. -Score - 2.5/5
Being John Malkovich (1999)- Watched 10/4/20 - RotTom critics - 93% RotTom users - 87%
This film is an example of good Kaufman. Reigned in by Spike Jones, a great film is churned out. This movie is so oddly funny, I highly recommend if you want to see a weird little comedy that is amazingly orginal. -Score - 4.5/5
The Devil All The Time (2020)- Watched 10/8/2020 - RotTom critics - 65% RotTom users - 80%
In a year where there are not many new films, this movie coming out on Netflix can shine. Most years this movie would probably fall to the wayside. But with not too many films to compete with, this films stands out as a good, not great, thriller. I recommend, if you are looking for a serious entertaining movie. -Score - 4/5
Stranger Than Fiction (2006)- Watched 10/15/20 - RotTom critics - 73% RotTom users - 85%
This film is a forgotten gem of Will Ferrell. A mix of drama and comedy Ferrell really shows off his acting chops. I love old Ferrell's comedies but it's nice to see he can play a serious role as well. This film is a crowd-pleaser, I recommend to all. -Score - 4/5
Good Time (2017)- Watched 10/16/2020 - RotTom critics - 92% RotTom users - 81%
This film was directed by the Safdie brothers. I loved Uncut Gems so I wanted to see some of their earlier work. You can see a similar style in this film, I'm excited to see what they do in the future. Also Robert Patterson is great in this film as well. He is about to become a huge star.-Score - 3.5/5
Dolemite is My Name (2019)- Watched 10/24/20 - RotTom critics - 97% RotTom users - 91%
This film is FANTASTIC. I regret not giving it it's own post. I talked about Oscar snubs, this should have been competing for Best Picture last year. This movie is dramatic and hilarious and everything in between. Eddie Murphy is tremendous, his best performance ever possibly. Everyone needs to watch this film, I recommend to all. This may miss my top 5, but it's #6 then. -Score - 5/5
The Princess Bride (1987)- Watched 10/25/2020 - RotTom critics - 97% RotTom users - 94%
This film is a favorite among a certain age group. I am too young to be a part of the childhood hype. But watching this film, you can tell why it is so special to some people. It's just a fun movie. You can't help but smile while watching. -Score - 4/5
Due Date (2010)- Watched 10/26/20 - RotTom critics - 39% RotTom users - 52%
This film trash. Straight garbage. After The Hangover made Galifianakis a star and it is clear they just greenlit anything he was in. RDJ also couldn't save this unfunny comedy. I do not recommend this one to anyone. -Score - 0.5/5
The Rock (1996)- Watched 10/31/2020 - RotTom critics - 66% RotTom users - 85%
This film is know as Michael Bay's best film. That's not saying much, he is the one who made the Bad Boys movies and the 100 Transformers movies. This one is entertaining because it is so wild. It is so over-the-top, it's hard not to smile at it. IF you like dumb action movies, check this one out, if you like substance, skip this one. -Score - 3.5/5
Interview with a Vampire (1994)- Watched 11/1/20 RotTom critics - 63% RotTom users - 86%
This film is only two hours but it feels like 10. Cruise and Pitt give two good performance in this one but it drags. I also do not know who this movie is for, I'm not sure who I would recommend this one for. So I won't, skip this one. -Score - 2.5/5
Bourne Identity (2002)- Watched 11/8/2020 - RotTom critics - 83% RotTom users - 93%
I have never seen the Bourne tribology before and I saw it available on one of the streaming services so why not dive in? I was going to watch all three, until I watched Identity. Then I didn't want to watch the rest. This was just another action film to me, it didn't feel special at all. And maybe on 2002 the crazy swinging camera during fight scenes were cool, but not that I've seen John Wick. I demand better fight scenes. Tell me what I'm missing about this film/trilogy? -Score - 2.5/5
Time Freak (2018)- Watched 11/13/20 - RotTom critics - N/A RotTom users - 54%
This film is a very small unwatched movie. No critics reviewed it and less than 200 users rated this one. It's a cute sci-fi rom-com. I thought it was entertaining enough, this may the exact middle of my total rankings. Average. -Score - 3/5
Brave (2012)- Watched 11/14/2020 - RotTom critics - 78% RotTom users - 75%
So I've seen about 19 of the 23 Pixar films. Shocking enough, I skipped all the bad ones through the years. (Cars Trilogy) Brave is fine, nothing too remarkable or original. This may not be bottom 5 Pixar, but it is bottom 6. -Score - 2.5/5
Holidate (2020)- Watched 11/14/20 - RotTom critics - 45% RotTom users - 42%
This film is a silly premise Rom-Com. Kind of like Hall Pass where the writers make up a ridiculous situation and pretend it's a normal thing. This time a a pair of people pretend to date just for the holidays so their families don't pass judgement? This one is funny enough to beat the dumb premise, so if you are a rom-com fan, check it out. -Score - 3/5
Year of Spectacular Men (2017)- Watched 11/15/2020 - RotTom critics - 65% RotTom users - 69%
This film is not another Rom-Com, more like a Dramedy. Theses are the only movies my wife agrees to watch with me, so I am somewhat and expert of them. It was entertaining enough to not dislike it. This one will never be your favorite movie, but it won't be your least favorite. -Score - 3/5
Hail, Ceasar! (2016)- Watched 11/15/20 RotTom critics - 85% RotTom users - 44%
This film is a Coen Brother's film. I am trying to dip my toe into the Coen Brothers. I always like their films but I never love them. This one is pretty funny, but I do feel like I missed the overall point. Let me know if I should check out a different Coen brother's film besides Arizona and Lebowski.. -Score - 4/5
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)- Watched 11/18/20 - RotTom critics - 90% RotTom users - 90%
This film was really great. I believe this will be in consideration for a 2021 Oscar for Best picture. I think in a normal year it could compete with the big hitters. Definitely check it out, it's on Netflix, this just missed out on my top 5 films of the year. -Score - 5/5
Killing them Softly (2012)- Watched 11/21/2020 - RotTom critics - 73% RotTom users - 44%
This film is a Brad Pitt thriller. It's ok, not great. Check it out if you like crime or mafia movies. If not just pass on this one. -Score - 3/5
Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny (2006)- Watched 11/25/2020 - RotTom critics - 52% RotTom users - 67%
This film is on the path of being a cult classic I feel. I think if you love Jack Black and his band Tenacious D, you would love this movie. I'm not a huge fan but I respect this movie. It's a unique funny musical. It's worth a watch if you are a comedy fan, and you may become a cult fan. -Score - 3.5/5
Happiest Season (2020)- Watched 11/26/20 - RotTom critics - 84% RotTom users - 88%
A new holiday themed Rom-Com. This is a Hulu original and it's just fine. More com than Rom, if you like that kind of movie this one will hit the spot. -Score - 2.5/5
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)- Watched 11/28/2020 - RotTom critics - 63% RotTom users - 78%
This film is straight trash. Ferrell is turning into Sandler, and it's more and more clear every year. A SNL star who made some great comedies early in his film career, and slowly proceeds to churn out worse and worse movies. I'm disgusted by the critics that haven't realized this. Like Sandler, Ferrell is capable of great acting, but takes the easy way out. Do not watch or support this garbage. It is competing with Sandler's Hubie Halloween for the worst film of 2020. -Score - 0.5/5
The Holiday (2008)- Watched 12/18/20 RotTom critics - 50% RotTom users - 80%
This film is a holiday themed Rom-Com. More Rom than Com. It's cute, not great. You can do way worse when it comes to holiday movie, so if you want an inoffensive movie, this is it. -Score - 2.5/5
Noelle (2019)- Watched 12/19/2020 - RotTom critics - 53% RotTom users - 58%
This film is not great. This and Lady and the Tramp live action was Disney + first original movies. Instead of starting off with a bang, it's clear Disney had a terrible film that they didn't to distribute to theaters. I love Kendrick and Hader but they could not save this film. Skip this one forever.-Score - 1/5
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)- Watched 12/18/20 RotTom critics - 5% RotTom users - 38%
This film should be considered the worst Christmas movie ever made. It is so boring, and dumb, and so low-stake. I knew it was going to be bad before I started, but I was shocked on how bad it was. Please never watch this one. And let me know if there is a worst Christmas movie, I'll watch it next year haha.-Score - 0.5/5
A few of these films cracked my top 10, but not my top 5. A bunch of these are in my bottom 10, and one broke the bottom 5. I have one film left to review in 2020! Then I can start my 2021 challenge.
HeyImAJoe's 2020 Top and Bottom

1. Sunset Boulevard...........98. The Wedding Daze
2. 1917.................................99. Don't Mess With Zohan
3. The Gentlemen...............100. Christmas with Kranks
4. Uncut Gems....................101. Love The Coopers
5. Jaws..................................102. The Ridiculous 6

1. Casino Royale- Origin story that didn’t feel like one. Craig plays Bond just like the book. He’s jacked. Him and Vespers chemistry. Bond felt like a real spy/assassin. He could be hurt emotionally and physically. Locations. Action. Entire cast. His wardrobe. Most realistic torture scene in a movie imo. Poker. Bond becoming cold hearted after Vesper dies and unattached (seen in later films). That iconic ending with the 3 piece suit and the classic intro and theme for the first time.
2. Goldfinger- Set the formula for what would follow. Goldfinger himself. Best pre title sequence to date. Rolex 6538. Golf scene. Aston Martin. Pussy.
3. Goldeneye- pre title sequence. Brosnan. Bean. 007 vs 006. Omega Seamaster looking cool and being used as a gadget. Natalia. Action packed up the wazoo.
4. Skyfall- Delving into Bonds past. Silva. Theme song. Shows Bonds mental and physical struggles. Battle at Skyfall. Judy Dench.
5. FRWL- Robert Shaw. Train Fight. Entire main cast.
6. Dr. No- First scene with Bond. Locations. You’ve have your 6 scene. glimpses of real spy work like hair on the door.
7. Thunderball- Domino. The Bahamas. Connery still got it.
8. Spy who loved me- Overall classic bond. Stunts. XXX. Locations. Gadgets.
9. Golden Gun- Christopher Lee.
10. Spectre- Modern take on Spectre. Blofeld great. Believable retcon of all of Craig movies.
11. Tomorrow never dies- Great action and gadgets.
12. World is not enough- Brosnan awesome, good plot twist.
13. You only live twice- Volcano Lair and finally meet Dr. Evil ;)
14. Moonraker- Hugo Drax great villain.
15. Quantum of Solace- Good action, Craig excellent.
16. Live and Let Die - Voodoo threw me out of it. Paul McCartney song still slays.
17. License to Kill- Also Dark and Humorless
18. Living Daylights- Dark and Humorless
19. OHMSS- Visually stunning. Lazenby doesn’t do it for me. Great ending
20. Diamonds are forever- Connery phoned it in. Cheesy. 21.Die another Day- Brosnan does his best with what he’s given.
21. FYEO - Down to earth locations 23.Octopussy - Moore dresses as a clown, age is showing
22. VTAK - Moore is old and unconvincing

It may be a bit of a dead horse to beat, but having been burned out of playing BL3, I went back and replayed BL2, and it had me thinking.
When you play BL2's story, you realize the Vault Hunters from it's predecessor play a key role in the story, they go from soldiers to commanders, give missions, and ultimately progress the plot and guide the current Vault Hunters. This provides meaning for fans of the first game and gives enough context for even those who didnt play the 1st to get sad when Roland meets his end.
Yet in BL3 this is completely thrown out the window, there was almost no presence of the Vault Hunters from 2, and the 2 that did make an appearance have almost no impact. There was no Passing of the torch, Maya should have taken Liliths place as commander, or given that she died to make ava siren, Axton should have made an appearance or taken the place as commander. Zero could have both helped atlas, then act as a spy to figure out weak points of the COV. Sally could have been working for the B Team.
Even in the DLCs they dont really do the Jack killers justice, We get no explanation to Gaige except she's now an alcoholic and has been on the run, also is a wedding planner for some reason. Krieg we get no idea as to his whereabouts, or how he knows that Maya died, or his initial reaction to it. It's all just an afterthought process. We know Tim has been trapped in the Casino. Even after the DLCs I would have liked for the Characters of said DLCs to have made a way to an area on the ship, I was baffled as to how Krieg wasn't just on Tannis' table.
When Roland met his demise, it felt meaningful, and characters had a strong reaction, there was heartfelt speeches from pretty much everyone even Marcus. We felt as if everything has changed for the worse in the fight against Jack.
Maya had almost no big part in the story for the players who didnt play the Second game to care. When she was killed off, it was due to a character that we already didnt like, and the game did nothing to appease that. The mourning in the head of the ship wasnt heartfelt at all, Lilith had nothing to say, Tannis made a stupid joke, and Ava went to being an annoying brat again. Zero who was literally standing right there said nothing, and just walked away like nothing happened. You're telling me, the character who fought alongside Maya the entirety of BL2, the character who speaks in Haikus, had no haiku to say, or even make it more meaningful and have him drop the Haiku act and speak normally in anger or mourning for his friend. But no, they just have him walk off and have him be a walking challenge giver.
I get that the game was supposed to be centered on Sirens, but the story could have atleast had the presence of the Jack killers. Instead, the story revolves around Ava, Tannis, and Lilith, 2 of which are characters who have been around since the first game.
In my honest opinion, Ava turning into a siren could have waited until Borderlands 4. Giving Maya a chance to have more time in the story and more stakes, taking up the mantle of the leader. Ava could have still played a big role, but not as a Siren, She could have spent the game actually growing as a character and not remaining this angsty annoying, rebelious teen. So that when she finally gets passed the torch, Mayas death would have felt more meaningful, and Ava would have matured and we, as players would hopefully feel like she deserves those powers.
The story of BL3 had a lot of missed opprotunities. But perhaps the biggest to me is the mishandling of the Vault Hunters in BL2.
Borderlands 2 is the game which introduced many into the series. The game which made people fall in love with Borderlands or looter shooters. They grew to know and love the Vault Hunters present in that game. Many Borderlands 2 players never played BL1, so Having Lilith be the head figure for the entirety again makes BL2 fans feel cheated as they play no big part aside from a completely meaningless and unneeded death by Maya.
Even as of the end of the initial pass, Salvador is completely unmentioned by anyone, not even a hint or echolog, Just a Bounty poster. Axton is just a running joke as he's an xxxstar apparently. It's completely ridiculous the absolute lack of care for the Vault Hunters most people cared about. Kriegs DLC was a lot of Fan service for that, but as i've stated, they do nothing to reveal where he's been, how he knows about mayas death, or even his initial reaction to her demise. As a Gaige player myself I was pretty disappointed with her story in the Second DLC. They even threw Aurelias story out the window again just so she can be a random boss.
(Sidepoint!) They completely ignore every character except the sirens. The B team had minimal screen time nor importance, Reese was just a guy you helped for one arc then never shows again, when he and his army could have been a big ally. Moreover, there was no interaction between him and Vaugn, nor was there any reference beside a photo of Fiona. Plus practically every other character was pushed aside to make way for the Sirens. I don't think Gearbox knows you can have a story revolve around sirens without focusing ONLY on sirens.
Sorry if my Point got Misconstrued in all of this. I am very passionate about this series, and it saddens me how weak the story was in BL3, and the lack of the Jack killers presence.
TLDR: Even though BL2 was many's Introduction to the series, the game focuses solely on BL1 heroes while the Jack killers held no stakes beside an unneeded death completely devoid of meaning. They barely had a presence when that was something that was very needed. The story rushed many aspects that would have made the game better had they had more time on said aspects.

• Ava becoming a siren could have waited til the next game as to give her a chance to mature and grow as a character so she feels like she actually earned and deserved to become a siren

Perhaps nowhere does storytelling so totally reverse reality as when it deals with pirates. It’s difficult not to like swashbuckling rogues tweaking the noses of the uptight British ninnies as they ply their brave way across the wild, lusty seas.
Of course, actual pirates were about as romantic as the tortures they would inflict on prisoners, including holding lighted matches to the victim’s eyes or keel-hauling, where a sailor had a rope tied to each arm and thrown off the bow of a ship. The unfortunate was then dragged along the length of ship, scraping against the sharp barnacles and probably drowning.
Fun fact: “Avast!” means “Stop!” or “Stand still!” not “Hello, fellow pirate!”

21. Corsair by Chris Bunch – 2001

Swashbuckling captain Gareth Radnor has taken command of the Steadfast. But the young captain intends more than seeking his fortune. He wants vengeance against the Linyati slavers who murdered his family. Crewed by a motley band of adventurers, his carrack plunges through the salty waves, striking at the Linyati wherever it can.
And then he discovers something more compelling even than revenge: The Linyati aren’t human…

“Hard edged, salty… a fantasy adventure that will keep you up at night reading.”
—Terry Brooks, author of the Shannara series

20. The Mark of Ran by Paul Kearne – 2004

Book 1 of 2 in The Sea Beggars Series
In a world abandoned by its Creator, an ancient race once existed, with powers so extensive that they were seen as both angles and demons. Rol Cortishane was raised in a remote fishing village, ignorant that the blood of this long-forgotten race runs in his veins. Driven from home, Rol is trained in the assassin’s craft and tutored by the beautiful but troubled Rowen. Now they’ve set their sights across the sea in search of the Hidden City and an adventure that will make them legends, if it doesn’t kill them first.
In the non-fantasy world, the Sea Beggars (the name of this series) really existed. They were a confederacy of Dutch nobles, who, from 1566, opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. They arrived in large numbers to complain to the king, but some wit told the ruling Spanish regent not to worry, for the large group was “only beggars.” The angry group of nobles did not forget the appellation and henceforth called themselves the Beggars. The most successful Beggars operated at sea (i.e., were pirates) and were known as the Sea Beggars.

19. Of Shadow and Sea by Will Wight – 2015

Book 1 of 2 in The Elder Empire Series
The Guild of Navigators (i.e., swindlers and pirates) has been paid a fortune to secure the Heart, a cursed artifact that will give wild power to its bearer. The Guild’s only lord is greed, their only loyalty to gold, and they would sell the Empire’s freedom for the promise of a quick coin.
Author Will Wight is well regarded for his likable characters and irreverent tone. Most epic fantasies tend to be high-minded and serious, but Wight has a decidedly more down-to-earth approach.

18. Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton – 2009

I’m not a giant Michael Crichton fan. Generally, I think his ideas and research are more interesting than the actual books he creates. This one’s fun, though.
This book was unknown until after Crichton’s death—his assistant found it on a computer. However, there’s evidence Crichton was working on it, on and off, since the 1970s.
Pirate Latitudes is a caper novel set in the high seas with a strong regard to the reality of the times. Because of this, it probably doesn’t belong in a fantasy list like this one. However, it’s a damn fine pirate tale, and that’s good enough for me.
The Historical Novel Society notes: “Crichton’s portrayal of Port Royal and its inhabitants is far more grounded in reality than Disney’s portrayal. Crichton does not gloss over the slavery, addiction and brutality of colonial Jamaica, nor does he endow his characters with abilities beyond their training or station in life.”
So don’t expect Jack Sparrow.

17. The Fox by Sherwood Smith – 2007

Book 2 of 4 in the Inda Series
You might want to read the first book in the series, Inda, before diving into this one.
Young prince and military genius Inda, forced to turn mercenary after conspirators engineered his exile from Choraed Elgaer, is gathering allies for a sea campaign against the piratical Brotherhood. But Inda’s attention soon shifts toward the ambitious Venn Empire, which wants to use him as a political pawn.
The hardcover version of this book is significantly cheaper than the paperback. Go figure.

“[L]ively… spare yet complex characterizations and a narrative that balances sweeping action and uneasy intimacy.”
—Publishers Weekly

16. Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding – 2011

Book 1 of 3 in the Tales of the Ketty Jay Series
This is magical steampunk, so it’s a little nuts. I mean that as a compliment.
Sky piracy is a bit out of Darian Frey’s league. Fate has not been kind to the captain of the airship Ketty Jay—or his motley crew. They are all running from something. Crake is a daemonist in hiding, traveling with an armored golem and burdened by guilt. Jez is the new navigator, desperate to keep her secret from the rest of the crew. Malvery is a disgraced doctor, drinking himself to death. So when an opportunity arises to steal a chest of gems from a vulnerable airship, Frey can’t pass it up. It’s an easy take—and the payoff will finally make him a rich man.
But when the attack goes horribly wrong, Frey suddenly finds himself the most wanted man in Vardia, trailed by bounty hunters, the elite Century Knights, and the dread queen of the skies, Trinica Dracken. Frey realizes that they’ve been set up to take a fall but doesn’t know the endgame. And the ultimate answer for captain and crew may lie in the legendary hidden pirate town of Retribution Falls. That’s if they can get there without getting blown out of the sky.

“Beautifully crafted prose and some remarkably imaginative scenes…and Wooding’s sprawling, multifaceted world and rough-and-tumble action will delight steampunk fans.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

15. The King’s Buccaneer by Raymond E. Feist – 1992

Book 5 of the Riftwar Cycle
Long recovered from the ravages of the Riftwar, the land and people of the kingdom of the Isles thrive. Nicholas, the youngest son of Prince Arutha, is intelligent and gifted but vastly inexperienced. In hopes of hardening him, his father sends him and his irreverent squire, Harry, to live at rustic Castle Crydee to learn of life beyond the halls of privilege. But within weeks of Nicholas and Harry’s arrival, Crydee is viciously attacked by unknown assailants, resulting in murder, massive destruction, and the abduction of two young noblewomen. The raiders have come from a pirate haven and are no ordinary foe, while an enemy connected to dark magical forces threaten the lands Nicholas will someday rule—if he survives.

“Feist once again delivers a superior, rousing adventure.”
—Publishers Weekly

14. The Pyrates by George MacDonald Fraser – 1983

The Pyrates is satire, send-up, and love-letter to what swashbucklers have become. It’s a Naked Gun take on Errol Flynn pirates. If you don’t know what “Naked Gun” or “Errol Flynn” is then I envy you because you’re about to discover some great stuff.

13. Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson – 2008

Book 1 of 3 in the Isle Chronicles
Captain Declan Ross searched for riches that will free him and his headstrong daughter, Anne, from the piracy business forever. Bartholomew Thorne, an infamously ruthless pirate, seeks to destroy Ross and any who stand in his way of the legendary treasure hidden by a mysterious order of monks.
Despite featuring a scene where a monk gets skinned alive, this book won a “Mom’s Choice Award” for family-friendly entertainment. Depends on the family, I guess.

12. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch – 2007

Book 2 of 3 in the Gentlemen Bastards Series
Initially poised to rob the Sinspire, the notoriously thief-proof casino where the penalty for cheating is death, Locke and his partner, Jean, are unwillingly sidetracked into joining and then leading a pirate crew, swindling their way across the sea as they had previously done on land.

“[C]harming, unpredictable and fast on its feet and stands surprisingly well on its own given its convoluted plot.”
—Publishers Weekly

11. Pirate Freedom by Gene Wolfe – 2007

Fresh from the monastery, the former novice finds himself inexplicably transported back to the Golden Age of Piracy, where an unexpected new life awaits him. At first, he resists joining the notorious Brethren of the Coast, but he soon embraces the life of a buccaneer, even as he succumbs to the seductive charms of a beautiful and enigmatic señorita. As the captain of his own possibly cursed ship, he plunders the West Indies in search of Spanish gold. From the stormy waters of the Caribbean to steamy tropical jungles, Captain Chris finds danger, passion, adventure, and treachery as he hoists the black flag and sets sail for the Spanish mainland.
Where he will finally come to port only God knows…

“Wolfe…[fills] his story with duels, treachery, ship-to-ship combat and an abundance of accurate period detail.”
—Publishers Weekly

10. The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V. S. Redick – 2008

Book 1 of 4 in the Cathrand Voyage Series
Six hundred years old, the Imperial merchant ship Chathrand is a massive floating outpost of the Empire of Arqual. And it is on its most vital mission yet: to deliver a young woman whose marriage will seal the peace between Arqual and its mortal enemy, the Mzithrin Empire. But Thasha, the young noblewoman in question, may be bringing her swords to the altar.
For the ship’s true mission is not peace but war—a war that threatens to rekindle an ancient power long thought lost. As the Chathrand navigates treacherous waters, Thasha must seek unlikely allies—including a magic-cursed deckhand, a stowaway tribe of foot-high warriors, and a singularly heroic rat—and enter a treacherous web of intrigue to uncover the secret of the legendary Red Wolf.

“Insane god-kings, miniature warriors and sentient animals fight over a powerful ancient artifact in Redick’s dramatic, complex debut… Both adult and young adult readers will find much to enjoy in this tale of sea-faring and bloody diplomacy.”
—Publishers Weekly

9. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini – 1922

Book 1 of 3 in the Captain Blood Series
This book is a little more subtle than its title would suggest.
Dr. Peter Blood, is an Irish physician who was once a sailor and a soldier. In the aftermath of the Monmouth rebellion, Dr. Blood is arrested for treason. While he did not actually participate in the rebellion, rather he aided a wounded rebel, he is tried and convicted nonetheless. The sentence for treason is death, but King James II has the sentence commuted and instead sells Captain Blood and his fellow rebels into slavery.

“Glorious… I never enjoyed a novel more than Captain Blood.”
—Norman Mailer

8. The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clark – 2012

Book 1 of 2 in The Assassin’s Curse Series
Ananna abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan. She wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless fiancé. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan has sent an assassin after her.
And when the assassin Naji finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse—with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.

“Clarke’s debut harkens back to the best in fantasy/adventure, offering rock-solid worldbuilding, satisfyingly perilous obstacles and a protagonist whose charismatic ’tude goes way beyond spunk. Ananna’s voice grabs readers from the beginning…and doesn’t let go.”
—Kirkus (starred review)

7. Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb – 1998

Book 1 of 3 in The Liveship Traders Series
Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships—rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. Now the fortunes of one of Bingtown’s oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship, Vivacia.
For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy. But the fate of Althea and the ship may ultimately lie in the hands of a ruthless buccaneer who plans to seize power over the Pirate Isles by capturing a liveship and bending it to his will.

6. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne – 1870

While his description of this new thing called a “submarine” is fun even for modern readers, it’s the brilliant but tortured Captain Nemo who steals the show as one of, if not the, best pirate in English literature.

5. The Walrus & the Warwolf by Hugh Cook – 1988

Book 4 of 6 in the Chronicles of an Age of Darkness Series
On his 16th birthday, churlish Drake Douay finds himself exiled from his homeland amid a treacherous crew of pirates on the open sea. Through battles with sea monsters, mysterious cults, weird technology of a bygone age, and the warring gangs of two pirate lords, Drake explores a world of dark fantasy and betrayal with his keen wit and a sharp sword—his only protection from an early death.
Readers are usually divided: this is either one of their favorite books, or the long litany of adventures becomes boring after a while.

4. Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed – 2012

Book 1 in the Crescent Moon Kingdoms Series
A finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Crawford, Gemmell, and British Fantasy Awards, and the winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel.
The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion, a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. But these killings are only the earliest signs of a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn the great city of Dhamsawwaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.

“Ahmed’s debut masterfully paints a world both bright and terrible.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

3. Mad Kestrel by Misty Massey – 2008

In a world where infants with magical powers are torn from their parents to be raised by the mysterious and powerful Danisoba, who have a monopoly on magic, Kestrel has managed to keep her abilities concealed—and herself free. First hiding in back alleys as a street urchin, she hid when they killed her parents, and then served as a young tavern maid before escaping to sea, where magic is cancelled by water.
Now an adult, and the quartermaster of a pirate ship, Kestrel loves the freedom of living on the seas. But her way of life could end if anyone on board learns her closely guarded secret—that she has magical control over the wind.
One day a black ship appears, and her life changes. Its captain is a handsome rogue of whom Kestrel is strangely, constantly aware. When Kestrel’s captain is led into a trap and is arrested, she gathers her crew and sets sail in relentless pursuit…

“This rollicking debut combines swashbuckling sea adventure, fantasy and romance with great success.”
—Publishers Weekly

2. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie – 1904

Sure, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell are great, but it’s the enmity of the pirate Captain Hook that makes this story exciting.

1. On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers – 1987

This is the inspiration of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but it’s different in many ways and stands well on its own.
Puppeteer John Chandagnac, bound for Jamaica to recover stolen money from his uncle, becomes Jack Shandy after pirates attack his ship and force him to join their crew. Shandy’s struggle to accept his new life grounds the story for readers, even as Blackbeard and vodun magicians whisk everyone away to dreamlike lands where the Fountain of Youth itself awaits.

“Powers writes action and adventure that Indiana Jones could only dream of.”
—Washington Post

Blog link.

Super Mario Odyssey 2 takes place directly after the first Super Mario Odyssey.
With Bowser still stranded on the moon (I assume somewhere underneath the ground) Bowser Jr. (and rest of the Koopalings?) rescue him. OR, alternatively, Bowser finds an ancient spacecraft of some sort on/in the moon, and flies back to the planet in that. (Or maybe in his ship that he must have used to get there in the first place?)
Either way, he flies back to the Mushroom Kingdom, where Mario and Cappy are relaxing. Bowser shoots the Odyssey’s balloon, releasing all of the Power Moons, which scatter across the globe (to new kingdoms). Bowser immediately re-kidnaps Peach and Tiara, now more fueled to force Peach to marry him after her initial rejection (of both him and Mario, except she of course accepted Mario back to whatever their original relationship was). Bowser flies off.
The Odyssey now powerless, Mario and Cappy are unable to chase after Bowser. Fortunately, there are Power Moons (or Power Stars) in the Mushroom Kingdom, so you collect some (the Mushroom Kingdom slightly edited this time, for example, there is now a more traditional underground area) to power the Odyssey to embark on another Odyssey!
The Broodals would be in there too, no longer associated with Bowser. They have a personal vendetta against Mario, as well as being enemies of Bowser (because of the events in the first game).
Maybe even just to shake things up and finally break the formula, Bowser DOESN'T kidnap Peach this time (he could be too sore from her rejection to even WANT to kidnap her again) and instead is just trying to achieve world domination. In this scenario, Mario, for once, is fully focused on defeating Bowser to save the world, without having to worry about rescuing the Princess (Nintendo has already given her independence by letting her fight in Super Smash Bros, she even had her own game on the DS! Her powers were based off of emotions, kind of sexist, but yeah...). How about giving her freedom in a main game for once? MAYBE (JUST HEAR ME OUT) EVEN MAKE HER PLAYABLE, USING TIARA TO CAPTURE ENEMIES AND OBJECTS! Just an idea, for potential 2 player co-op, REAL 2 player, not just the second player moving Cappy or shooting star bits.
ANYWAYS, regardless of exactly how the story plot goes, here are some new Kingdoms I want to see!
Kingdoms (in no particular order):

1. Haunted Kingdom- Not from Luigi’s Mansion, but darker and more eery (Luigi’s Mansion is great and dark and eery, I just want to see something new for Odyssey 2).

There’d of course be classic Boos, as well as more unique and terrifying ghosts, like in Luigi’s Mansion. I’m not sure how Cappy, a ghost, could use his capturing powers on other ghosts, but I want to see it happen!
Professor E. Gadd would be there, and instruct you to find King Boo to defeat him and rescue Luigi, as the the two came to the kingdom for research.
There’d be a graveyard, and a haunted shipwreck area, possibly based off of Dire Dire Docks/Jolly Roger Bay, but haunted.
The haunted piano would be here, AND the eel, which would be in the haunted shipwreck area. Both scary mofos from 64 in the same Kingdom!

1. Wild West Kingdom- This one could honestly just be a different part of the Sand Kingdom, outside of Tostarena. There’d be a saloon and a duel (probably with the Broodals, it’d be kinda cool to see a duel with Bowser Jr. though).
   
2. Techtropolis- I got the name of the city, but not the Kingdom. This would be a futuristic city, basically New New Donk City (comment I.C. Wiener if you get the reference!). But, how is this a futuristic city? Some joke about higher taxes funding all the advancement, or Mario and Cappy go to the future for this one Kingdom (in THAT case, make it New New Donk City!)
   
3. Medieval Kingdom- No need to time travel to go to this Kingdom, as The Cascade Kingdom (Fossil Falls) exists in the present. Kingdoms HEAVILY vary on Mario’s home planet, so no issue with time/yeaera there.
   
4. Expanded Cloud Kingdom: The Cloud Kingdom basically only existed for a Bowser battle in the first game, as a barren, cloud island, basically. I want a full Cloud Kingdom, Castle in the sky and stuff. Tempted to make a “Jack and the Beanstalk” reference, and can definitely see Bowser holding a goose that lays golden eggs, but then we’d have to consider making everything giant. Well, it would be cool to find this Kingdom via a Beanstalk (as they existed in the first game to reach high up hidden areas) in another Kingdom (like how you found Kingdoms through paintings, but for this particular Kingdom, a beanstalk would actually make sense). This could work one way or the other.
   
5. Carnival Kingdom- The entire Kingdom is a carnival/theme park! The residents (hopefully not clowns!) would enjoy the carnival as their everyday life!
   
6. Las Vegas like Kingdom- It’d be cool to see Mario running around the city at night with all of the bright and colorful lights, and funny to see Luigi as a dealer in a casino again. Great place for the Tostarenans to open up a new casino too! It could be bigger and grander, a full casino, and they hired Luigi when he and Professor E. Gadd (make these two travel throughout the game like Peach and Tiara did, but during main game as opposed to post-game!) travelled there.
   
7. Some kind of sci-fi kingdom? Maybe involving Mars (as opposed to the moon like in the first game)? I know the futuristic city might be considered sci-fi to some people, but I mean SCI-FI (not counting a futuristic city as sci-fi).
   
8. Dessert Kingdom- Everything is made of sweet! We’ve seen Mario Kart tracks like this, as well lands made of nothing but sweets in other series/medias....
   
9. Lucky/Clover Kingdom?- A Kingdom based off of Ireland. Inhabitants are definitely leprechauns or leprechaun-like creatures, and there is a rainbow leading to a pot of gold coins somewhere....
   

Not sure where these would go kingdom-wise, but I really want to see a giant IKEA-like store for Mario to run around in. Also some snowy area with a cabin, with a snow-globe that Mario has to throw Cappy on to enter into. And, I just want to see Mario in a water park (I guess this could POSSIBLY be part of the Carnival Kingdom). His boxers double as a swim-suit!
Other things:
Yoshi should be present in more than just a couple of kingdoms. All previous costumes should return, plus new ones, especially ones based off of other videogame series, examples. Ness, Link, Samus, Captain Falcon, Pokemon Trainer (Ash Ketchum's clothes) just to name a few. All of these costumes involves caps or hats, making them suitable for Mario to wear in Odyssey!
I honestly think whatever cap Mario is wearing should still default to his traditional/main cap when capturing an enemy/object, simply for being universally iconic, but maybe I'm just too uptight ¯_(ツ)_/¯
That's all I can think of right now.
A lot of people suggest kingdoms feauturing locations from other games, such as Donkley Kong and Luigi's Mansion, but I feel it'd be better to create more original kingdoms for a brand new experience.
On the other hand, it's refreshing to see existing locations in a new way, such as the Mushroom Kingdom in Odyssey 1, but I'd definitely support more pre-existing locations from other games in an Odyssey 3, but generally I think it's PROBABLY best to not make more than one sequel, but if there's enough ideas, it's worth considering. Yes, this includes Galaxy 3.
Oh, and like how the Mushroom Kingdom was a throwback kingdom for the post-game, they should do the same for Delfino Plaza. There is already a Sunshine outfit, which would return with all of the other outfits from Odyssey 1.
So, also:
Sunshine Kingdom (Delfino Plaza)- Like Mushroom Kingdom in Odyssey 1, but Delfino Plaza. And those squid things function very much like F.L.U.D.D., so they would definitely be present there for Mario to capture.
I'd say collecting EVERY SINGLE MOON should unlock something HUGE, but maybe not, as this would SEVERELY punish people who are unable to obtain every moon, by blocking a big part of the game, but I don't know, there has to be some kind of neat thing for collecting every single moon. While the fireworks and cap on the castle are cool, maybe something a little cooler than that?

Super Mario Odyssey 2 takes place directly after the first Super Mario Odyssey.
With Bowser still stranded on the moon (I assume somewhere underneath the ground) Bowser Jr. (and rest of the Koopalings?) rescue him. OR, alternatively, Bowser finds an ancient spacecraft of some sort on/in the moon, and flies back to the planet in that. (Or maybe in his ship that he must have used to get there in the first place?)
Either way, he flies back to the Mushroom Kingdom, where Mario and Cappy are relaxing. Bowser shoots the Odyssey’s balloon, releasing all of the Power Moons, which scatter across the globe (to new kingdoms). Bowser immediately re-kidnaps Peach and Tiara, now more fueled to force Peach to marry him after her initial rejection (of both him and Mario, except she of course accepted Mario back to whatever their original relationship was). Bowser flies off.
The Odyssey now powerless, Mario and Cappy are unable to chase after Bowser. Fortunately, there are Power Moons (or Power Stars) in the Mushroom Kingdom, so you collect some (the Mushroom Kingdom slightly edited this time, for example, there is now a more traditional underground area) to power the Odyssey to embark on another Odyssey!
The Broodals would be in there too, no longer associated with Bowser. They have a personal vendetta against Mario, as well as being enemies of Bowser (because of the events in the first game).
Maybe even just to shake things up and finally break the formula, Bowser DOESN'T kidnap Peach this time (he could be too sore from her rejection to even WANT to kidnap her again) and instead is just trying to achieve world domination. In this scenario, Mario, for once, is fully focused on defeating Bowser to save the world, without having to worry about rescuing the Princess (Nintendo has already given her independence by letting her fight in Super Smash Bros, she even had her own game on the DS! Her powers were based off of emotions, kind of sexist, but yeah...). How about giving her freedom in a main game for once? MAYBE (JUST HEAR ME OUT) EVEN MAKE HER PLAYABLE, USING TIARA TO CAPTURE ENEMIES AND OBJECTS! Just an idea, for potential 2 player co-op, REAL 2 player, not just the second player moving Cappy or shooting star bits.
ANYWAYS, regardless of exactly how the story plot goes, here are some new Kingdoms I want to see!
Kingdoms (in no particular order):

1. Haunted Kingdom- Not from Luigi’s Mansion, but darker and more eery (Luigi’s Mansion is great and dark and eery, I just want to see something new for Odyssey 2).

There’d of course be classic Boos, as well as more unique and terrifying ghosts, like in Luigi’s Mansion. I’m not sure how Cappy, a ghost, could use his capturing powers on other ghosts, but I want to see it happen!
Professor E. Gadd would be there, and instruct you to find King Boo to defeat him and rescue Luigi, as the the two came to the kingdom for research.
There’d be a graveyard, and a haunted shipwreck area, possibly based off of Dire Dire Docks/Jolly Roger Bay, but haunted.
The haunted piano would be here, AND the eel, which would be in the haunted shipwreck area. Both scary mofos from 64 in the same Kingdom!

1. Wild West Kingdom- This one could honestly just be a different part of the Sand Kingdom, outside of Tostarena. There’d be a saloon and a duel (probably with the Broodals, it’d be kinda cool to see a duel with Bowser Jr. though).
   
2. Techtropolis- I got the name of the city, but not the Kingdom. This would be a futuristic city, basically New New Donk City (comment I.C. Wiener if you get the reference!). But, how is this a futuristic city? Some joke about higher taxes funding all the advancement, or Mario and Cappy go to the future for this one Kingdom (in THAT case, make it New New Donk City!)
   
3. Medieval Kingdom- No need to time travel to go to this Kingdom, as The Cascade Kingdom (Fossil Falls) exists in the present. Kingdoms HEAVILY vary on Mario’s home planet, so no issue with time/yeaera there.
   
4. Expanded Cloud Kingdom: The Cloud Kingdom basically only existed for a Bowser battle in the first game, as a barren, cloud island, basically. I want a full Cloud Kingdom, Castle in the sky and stuff. Tempted to make a “Jack and the Beanstalk” reference, and can definitely see Bowser holding a goose that lays golden eggs, but then we’d have to consider making everything giant. Well, it would be cool to find this Kingdom via a Beanstalk (as they existed in the first game to reach high up hidden areas) in another Kingdom (like how you found Kingdoms through paintings, but for this particular Kingdom, a beanstalk would actually make sense). This could work one way or the other.
   
5. Carnival Kingdom- The entire Kingdom is a carnival/theme park! The residents (hopefully not clowns!) would enjoy the carnival as their everyday life!
   
6. Las Vegas like Kingdom- It’d be cool to see Mario running around the city at night with all of the bright and colorful lights, and funny to see Luigi as a dealer in a casino again. Great place for the Tostarenans to open up a new casino too! It could be bigger and grander, a full casino, and they hired Luigi when he and Professor E. Gadd (make these two travel throughout the game like Peach and Tiara did, but during main game as opposed to post-game!) travelled there.
   
7. Some kind of sci-fi kingdom? Maybe involving Mars (as opposed to the moon like in the first game)? I know the futuristic city might be considered sci-fi to some people, but I mean SCI-FI (not counting a futuristic city as sci-fi).
   
8. Dessert Kingdom- Everything is made of sweet! We’ve seen Mario Kart tracks like this, as well lands made of nothing but sweets in other series/medias....
   
9. Lucky/Clover Kingdom?- A Kingdom based off of Ireland. Inhabitants are definitely leprechauns or leprechaun-like creatures, and there is a rainbow leading to a pot of gold coins somewhere....
   

Not sure where these would go kingdom-wise, but I really want to see a giant IKEA-like store for Mario to run around in. Also some snowy area with a cabin, with a snow-globe that Mario has to throw Cappy on to enter into. And, I just want to see Mario in a water park (I guess this could POSSIBLY be part of the Carnival Kingdom). His boxers double as a swim-suit!
Other things:
Yoshi should be present in more than just a couple of kingdoms. All previous costumes should return, plus new ones, especially ones based off of other videogame series, examples. Ness, Link, Samus, Captain Falcon, Pokemon Trainer (Ash Ketchum's clothes) just to name a few. All of these costumes involves caps or hats, making them suitable for Mario to wear in Odyssey!
I honestly think whatever cap Mario is wearing should still default to his traditional/main cap when capturing an enemy/object, simply for being universally iconic, but maybe I'm just too uptight ¯_(ツ)_/¯
That's all I can think of right now.
A lot of people suggest kingdoms feauturing locations from other games, such as Donkley Kong and Luigi's Mansion, but I feel it'd be better to create more original kingdoms for a brand new experience.
On the other hand, it's refreshing to see existing locations in a new way, such as the Mushroom Kingdom in Odyssey 1, but I'd definitely support more pre-existing locations from other games in an Odyssey 3, but generally I think it's PROBABLY best to not make more than one sequel, but if there's enough ideas, it's worth considering. Yes, this includes Galaxy 3.
Oh, and like how the Mushroom Kingdom was a throwback kingdom for the post-game, they should do the same for Delfino Plaza. There is already a Sunshine outfit, which would return with all of the other outfits from Odyssey 1.
So, also:
Sunshine Kingdom (Delfino Plaza)- Like Mushroom Kingdom in Odyssey 1, but Delfino Plaza. And those squid things function very much like F.L.U.D.D., so they would definitely be present there for Mario to capture.
I'd say collecting EVERY SINGLE MOON should unlock something HUGE, but maybe not, as this would SEVERELY punish people who are unable to obtain every moon, by blocking a big part of the game, but I don't know, there has to be some kind of neat thing for collecting every single moon. While the fireworks and cap on the castle are cool, maybe something a little cooler than that?

Late to the trend but these are all the movies I watched during the quarantine. I just went back to work this week so I saw that as more or less of the end of the quarantine for me. Rated the movies on a scale of 1-10 with a short review of each movie. Hope you enjoy it and sorry for any grammar errors I wrote all of the reviews today so I went through them fairly quick.
​
Raiders of the Lost Ark: Great start to an amazing franchise 9/10 (Rewatch)
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Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: Another good entry to the series but definitely not as good as the first or third 8/10 (Rewatch)
​
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: In my opinion the best Indiana Jones movie, Sean Connery is great in this 9.5/10 (Rewatch)
​
The Great Gatsby: Interesting movie, I really enjoyed how grand everything felt but would have been much better if they used music that fit the time rather than Jay z songs 7.25/10
​
Burnt: Enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I would with it being about cooking 7/10
​
Memento: One of the most mind bending movies I have seen. Great movie 9/10
​
Saving Private Ryan: Had meant to watch this awhile ago and I'm glad I finally did. Definitely live up to the hype 8.75/10
​
Zodiac: Really good movie with some great acting. Crazy to think they came to close to catching him (allegedly) 8.25/10
​
Days of Thunder: Entertaining but the plot is really all over the place and seem very just slapped together 5.5/10
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The Running Man: Classic Arnold movie cheesy but in the best way possible 8/10 (Rewatch)
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Rocketman: Was very disappointed with this movie I was not a fan of the more musical style rather than biopic. I really enjoyed the Queen movie and was hoping for something similar but I was very wrong. Although Taron Edgerton is very good as Elton 5.5/10
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The Fighter: Christian Bale almost never seems to disappoint and Mark Wahlberg is good as well. Very inspiring story 7.75/10
​
Lucky Number Slevin: Really interesting movie seems predictable at first but catches you off guard 7.5/10
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True Grit(2010): Heard a lot about this movie and was not disappointed at all 9/10
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Whiplash: I had the impression I wouldn't like this movie but by the end its hard not to be amazed by the performances. Also the the cinematography was surprisingly good 8.75/10
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Clear and Present Danger: Decent movie with a good cast although easily forgettable 6.75/10
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Old School: Hilarious comedy movie I had never heard of until recently, give it a watch you wont regret it 8/10
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Looper: Really enjoyed the plot of the movie and the whole time travel aspect. The Joseph Gordon Levitt CGI on his face to look like Bruce Willis just felt weird though 8/10
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A Night At the Roxbury: Very dumb comedy not necessarily in a bad way. A lot of better comedies out there 6/10
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Death Proof: I know this is a popular opinion but my least favorite Tarintino movie. You don't really care about any of the characters and their is little to no actual story being told 5.75/10
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Jackie Brown: Again definitely one of my least favorite Tarintino movies but much better than death proof. Really loved Samuel L Jackson in this one 7/10
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Kill Bill: Great Tarintino flick with amazing action and an awesome cast 8.5/10 (Rewatch)
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Kill Bill vol 2: Good follow up to the first and has a satisfying ending, not as exciting/fun as the first 7.75/10 (Rewatch)
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Equilibrium: You can tell how hard this movie tried to be the matrix. Still has some redeeming qualities 6/10
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The Hunt for the Red October: Another Jack Ryan movie, I liked this one better than Clear and Present Danger. Good story and very suspenseful 7.5/10
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Casino Royale (2006): My favorite Daniel Craig Bond movie so far and great start to a new era of Bond. Also Mads Mikkelsen is great as Le Chiffre 8.5/10
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Quantum Of Solace: Extremely disappointing movie after how great Casino Royale was. The villain barely feels like a villain and the editing/ camera work in this movie is one of the worst I have ever seen 5/10
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Skyfall: A return to form after Quantum of Solace. Much better and cohesive story and with a compelling villain 8/10
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Goldeneye: My favorite Bond movie I have seen so far (all the ones i have listed here). As much as I enjoy the Daniel Craig movies I have always like the gadgets and a bit campy vs the very realistic Craig 8.75/10
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12 Monkeys: Had never heard of this movie before but It was awesome and quickly became my favorite time travel movie. If you haven't seen this movie watch it asap! 9/10
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Star Wars The Phantom Menace: Started a Star Wars Marathon and got sidetracked but I have to admit I have always loved the prequels having grown up with them even though im well aware of the issues that plague these movies. Duel of the Fates is Tied for best lightsaber duel of all time 7.5/10
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Star Wars Attack of the Clones: For sure the worst movie of the prequels imo but still a lot of memorable parts and another good duel with Count Dooku, Obi Wan, Anakin and Yoda 6.5/10
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Star Wars the Clone Wars (2008): I love the clone wars tv show but you can easily tell this movie was just episodes of the show put together to movie length. Also the animation in this movie and the beginning of the series in pretty poor but thankfully it only goes up in quality 5/10
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Dune: Ok Movie but does not hold up well at all. Its obvious the plot of the book was far too much to contain in one movie. I'm looking forward to the remake of this and that they are going to do it in multiple movies rather than just one. As much as people shit on remakes this one movie that really deserves another go especially with modern special effects 5.5/10
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Once Upon A Time in Hollywood: Might be a bit of a hot take but my favorite movie of all time! I loved every moment of this movie and the connection between Dicaprio and Pitt is pure gold. I could watch this movie every night and still enjoy it just as much as I did when I saw it for the first time in theater. 10/10 (Rewatch)
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Donnie Brasco: Not a bad mob movie Depp and Pacino are both good but it follows all the typical mob tropes 7/10
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Ace Ventura Pet Detective: Jim Carrey is always great and Ace Ventura is no exception. Solid comedy 7.5/10
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The Lord Of The Rings The Fellowship of the Ring: An amazing beginning to one of the best film trilogies of all time 9.25/10 (Rewatch)
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The Lord Of The Rings The Two Towers: My personal favorite of the LOTR movies you just can't beat when Gandalf shows up at the battle of Helms Deep 9.5/10 (Rewatch)
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The Lord Of The Rings The Return of The King: Another amazing movie and a great ending to such a great film trilogy also with one of the best battles ever filmed 9/10
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Spy Game: Entertaining and fairly suspenseful movie not a bad watch 6.75/10
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Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back: First Jay and Silent Bob movie I have seen, was a fun movie and I liked all the cameos 7.25/10
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Total Recall (2012): Not a terrible movie but the original with Arnold is much more memorable and a lot more fun than the 2012 version 5/10
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Constantine: Bit of a weird movie but was still entertaining and has a great dark tone. Hard not to love Keanu 6.75/10
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Very dark movie but I absolutely loved this movie. Great murdemystery along with great performances from Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. Must watch if you haven't seen it 8.75/10
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Sin City: Really interesting story and has a very different style to it. Makes you feel like it has been pulled right from the comic book. Also a really awesome cast 8.25/10
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From Dusk Till Dawn: This movie really caught me off guard. Very campy 90's style but I had a blast watching this movie and would definitely watch it again. Seeing Tarintino as a main character in a movie is weird but also hilarious 7.75/10
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Team America World Police: Really dumb movie but it is still pretty funny 6.25/10
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American made: Another movie its hard to believe that its a (mostly) true story. Tom Cruise is really great in this 7.75/10
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Live Die Repeat / Edge of Tomorrow: One of the most amazing concepts for a story I have seen in years and they manage to pull it off in an amazing way. Both Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt are great in this movie. Loved the dark humor and quirkiness of all the characters 9/10
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Blade Runner: Amazing movie that still stands up today. Such a great story and the atmosphere of the blade runner world is like no other. RIP Rutger Hauer 9.5/10 (Rewatch)
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Blade Runner 2049: A great sequel to the original Blade Runner. 2049 is one of the most beautiful moves I have seen with gorgeous cinematography from Roger Deacons. One of Ryan Gosling's best performances 9.25/10 (Rewatch)
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American History X: An important story about how even smart people like Edward Nortons character can be convince into an evil cult like mentality. This movie also breaks down the race tensions and shows how nobody can really be too far gone to be changed for the better 8.25/10
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The Ninth Gate: Easy to watch movie with a interesting story. Nothing special but still enjoyable 6.75/10
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Fury: Really good WW2 movie, you get really invested into all the characters and shows what the war was like towards the end 8/10
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The Chronicles Of Riddick: Enjoyable action movie looks pretty good for an early 2000s movie since they used a lot more practical effects rather than the typical shitty cgi at the time 6.5/10
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Sicario Day Of The Soldado: Pretty bad sequel. The first half of the movie is decent but the second half is slow and boring. The story just ends up really going nowhere and is just a letdown 4.5/10
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The Prestige: I can't believe it took me this long to see The Prestige but holy shit is it an amazing mind bending movie. Both Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are amazing in this. Chris Nolan is such a great director and I can't wait for Tenet to finally come out 9.5/10
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The Bourne Identity: Good and Entertaining action movie. Matt Damon is a great Jason Bourne 7.75/10
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The Bourne Supremacy: Another good action movie that's fun to watch throughout 7.75/10
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The Bourne Ultimatum: I feel like Ultimatum really took the Bourne franchise to another level. Really great action and intriguing story Best Bourne movie for sure 8.25/10
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Knives Out: Really fun murder mystery with a great cast. Only gripe is that they wouldn't have given away so much so soon. You know most of what happened like 30 min into the movie 8.25/10
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Murder On The Orient Express: Another really funny murder mystery. All the characters are very quirky and unique which makes the whole movie a lot of fun. The ending is also very satisfying how it all comes together 8.5/10
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Layer Cake: Good movie but I cant help feeling like this is a Guy Ritchie movie without the Guy Ritchie flair to it 7/10
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Wind River: I really liked Jeremy Renners whole tracking aspect in this movie rather than the typical Detective stuff you see in most murder mystery movies. Also you really feel and understand the pain some of the characters go through 8/10
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Let me know what you think!

Hi! I have compiled a list of ideas you can use to brainstorm your adventures.

Heroes'/Antagonist's Goals

Stories are fundamentally about problem solving. The problems usually come from the mix of two sources:

1. The Heroes strive to achieve a goal, and struggle to overcome challenges and obstacles on their path (often created by the Villain).
2. Villain wants something, and players are trying to disrupt their evil plan.

Whatever goal the Heroes have - the Villain will have the opposite one (and vice versa). You can start from the either side. Give the goal to the Players ("Obtain a valuable item"), and the Villain will want the opposite ("Obtain the item first"). Give the goal to the Villain ("Perform an Evil Ritual") and the players will want the opposite ("Stop the Evil Ritual"). The only difference is the motivation, Heroes want things for noble reasons, Villains want them for evil ones. If you'll be using the goal for the villain - just put an evil spin on it.
List of goals you can use for either Heroes or Villains:

• Obtain McGuffin/Information.

Players and antagonist compete for the same item (be the first to the pirate treasure.) Players are trying to prevent antagonist from getting an item (Prevent a villain from getting a powerful dark artifact.) Get the pirate treasure, the lost crystal of Atlantis, your stolen belongings. Obtain a treasure map, secret codes, powerful spell, find Villain's only weakness.

• Win a competition / prevent the other side from winning.

Win the race around the world. Win a mock-war between adventuring parties. Win a Quidditch game.

• Seize power.

Evil Vizier wants to replace the king and players need to prevent that. Evil King is in charge and players need to overthrow him. The King has died and both sides want to be the next King.

• Kill a Person.

Heroes: Kill the villain, a vampire/werewolf/basilisk, all the baddies in the area. Stop a serial killer. Villain: Kill the heroes, kill people to drink their blood or to satisfy violent urges.

• Kill a Creature.

Heroes: Kill a monster. Villain: Kill an innocent creature.

• Destroy an Item.

Destroy a doomsday device, the ring of power, a piece of blackmail.

• Destroy a Target.

An enemy base, a castle, a ship, close a portal.

• Protect a Person.

Save the person being targeted for an assassination. Save the family being harassed by criminals.

• Protect a Creature.

Save the endangered creature from the hunter.

• Guard an Item.

Someone is planning to steal the priceless diamonds during the party, stop them.

• Kidnap a Person.

Heroes: Capture an enemy general to gain strategic information. Antagonist: Abduct a person for ransom or sacrificial ritual.

• Rescue a Person.

Heroes: Rescue hostages, save the kidnapped princess. Recover a soldier behind enemy lines during a war. Break someone out of jail, or liberate a prisoner en route to prison.

• Steal an Item/Information/Creature.

Rob a train/zeppelin/caravan with the treasure. Intercept a valuable message passed to the enemy.

• Invade a Location.

Overtake a city, a castle, ship. Plan for an attack on the evil citadel. Compete for control of the territory. You have conquered a kingdom, defeat the remaining groups running guerrilla warfare against you.

• Defend a Location.

Prepare the city to repel the enemies/monsters. Your town/building/ship has been captured and overtaken by enemies, survive under siege, and liberate it.

• Escort a Person/Creature.

Deliver a prisoner to jail. Escort a bratty princess to the boarding school. Escort a caravan with the treasure.

• Deliver an Item/Information.

Transport valuable treasure. Deliver a valuable intel to the central command before the enemy strikes. Deliver the ring of power to Mount Doom.

• Track down, chase and capture a Person.

Capture the criminal/runaway. Bounty-hunters. Find a missing person. Find out what happened to the lost expedition. Find the only wizard who knows how to lift a curse.

• Track down, chase and capture a Creature.

Capture a zombie to prove they exist. Capture a unique creature for research.

• Escape.

Escape the pursuit of the law. Help a wrongly convicted to escape. Escape an ambush. Hide a person from danger. A massive assassins guild is trying to kill you, stay alive until dawn. Break out of prison.

• Resolve conflict.

Broker peace between warring nations, families, factions of nobles, King and Queen, fighting giants.

• Cause conflict.

Start a war, pit people/factions against each other.

• Investigate a Mystery.

Solve a murder or a theft. Uncover a mysterious plot and understand who is behind it. Supernatural mystery. Understand what is causing the strange/weird events. Understand what happened in the abandoned/deserted city. Find out someone's dark secret, expose a corrupt official, find evidence to convict someone.

• Uncover a conspiracy.

Find a spy/mole, prevent a convert mission from taking place.

• Commit a stealthy Heist and don't get caught.

A covert crime, a ninja mission, a terrorist act. Enter and leave a heavily-guarded building without getting noticed.

• Frame someone for a crime.

A business competitor, a nation.

• Infiltrate and Spy.

Go undercover in the criminal gang. Blend in with the nobles to poison the King.

• Enforce.

Enforce the law, collect debts, force a person to do something they don't want.

• Clear the name.

Prove your or someone else's innocence. Convince the angry mob that the woman they're planning to execute is not a witch.

• Perform a task.

Complete a ritual/experiment, build a weapon, open portal, resurrect/summon/awaken something.

• Sabotage a task.

Prevent a ritual from taking place, prevent weapon from being built, prevent a terrorist act.

• Diplomacy, Influence, and Negotiations.

Compete for the lady's heart, compete to convince the King to take a different course of action. Bribe/manipulate/intimidate a corrupt official into doing what you want. Try to close a business deal or prevent it from being closed. Play cupid. Make two quarreling people fall in love with each other. Find a lonely person/creature a girlfriend.

• Persuade groups of people.

Brainwash and manipulate groups of people into doing your bidding, liberate brainwashed people. Free the town from the mind control spell. Convince enemy soldiers to defect to your side. Free a person from the influence of a sinister cult.

• Run and improve a society/group/organization.

Run a kingdom, village, sports team, team of agents, organization, business. Raise morale, lower the crime, stop witch hunts, deal with corruption.

• Explore a dangerous location. Survive/avoid environmental dangers, overcome environmental obstacles.

Think of the place itself as the “villain”, it is a monster without HP that "wants" to hurt players or drain their resources, and has certain powers to accomplish that. Traps, cave-ins, lava eruptions, rock-slides, avalanche, collapsing buildings, impenetrable mist, wild animals, dangerous/poisonous flora, falling into a pit, getting lost, etc. Climb a mountain, get through a swamp, quick sand,thin ice, wild magic area. Open an ancient gate. Retrieve an item from the bottom of the lake.

• Survive wilderness or a hazardous environment and find a way back home.

Get stranded in the desert, an island, an alien land, becalmed or in a storm. Help other people survive a natural disaster (storm, earthquake, flood, meteor), a war zone.

• Scavenger hunt. Collect several items from scattered locations.

Potion ingredients for a witch, parts of an engine that were scattered during crash landing.

• Win a war.

Lead an army against enemy general, against rival mob boss or a cowboy gang.

• Defeat a horde or a swarm, clear out an infestation.

Rats in the basement, wolves in the forest, Zombies, Aliens. Could be impossible to kill them one by one, and must be done with a ritual, destroying the mothership, smashing the necromancer's amulet, lifting an ancient curse, placating the restless spirits, activating the ancient defense mechanisms.

• Incite rebellion/mutiny.
• Put down rebellion/mutiny.
• Prepare an ambush, set up traps to make the location impossible to pass.
• Train a novice, keep a noble person safe while they go on adventure.
• Act as an experimental subject for a crazy scientist/wizard.

Creating multiple unique adventures from the same goal

Here's the list of ways to create dozens of unique adventure ideas based on the same goal:

• Switch players/antagonist sides.

Players try to get away with a crime instead of investigating it.

• Reverse the goal.

Smuggle/Plant an item instead of stealing it. Close the portal instead of opening it. Banish the creature instead of summoning it.

• Use a different target - person, creature, item, information, location/base.

Destroy an item instead of killing a person. Abduct a person instead of stealing the treasure. Protect a secret instead of the location. Chase a lost pet instead of the criminal.

• Change "do it for yourself" to "help other people".

Don't get murdered - prevent a murder. Steal an item - create a distraction while someone else steals it. Get away with the crime - help someone else to get away with the crime.

• Add restrictions/complications.

Make it stealthy (commit a heist instead of robbery). Avoid violence (capture a person alive instead of killing them). Achieve the goal by social means (ruin the person's reputation instead of killing them). Do it before the rivals do it first. See the list of complications for more ideas.

• Combine multiple goals.

Deliver an item while on the run from the law. Sabotage a ritual to rescue a person. Infiltrate a group to steal an item. Solve a mystery to be able to find a lost person.

• Add different subgoals, put different challenges/obstacles in the way.

Get through the dangerous location instead of an elaborate security system. Obtain information about the villain's weakness instead of the only weapon that can kill them. Convince a witness to talk instead of following the trail of footsteps. The object is difficult to deliver because it's being hunted by bandits, or because the terrain is dangerous and inhospitable, or because it's large and fragile, or because it's a criminal trying to escape, or because it's cattle you need to keep alive, or because it's a bratty princess who doesn't want to go to school. See the List of Challenges and List of Villain's Moves for more ideas.

• Use different concrete details - High Concept Premise, Settings, NPCs, McGuffins, etc.

Steal the Elixir of Youth from the unicorn instead of stealing the Aztec gold from the Spanish Galleon. Steal an item from a dream instead of casino. Escort a dragon instead of a prisoner. Escape from Jurassic Park instead of the prison. Fight a self righteous paladin instead of the bandit gang leader.

• Use different motivations.

Kill a person out of revenge instead of for money. Resurrect your loved one instead of summoning a demon. Compete for the heart of the lady instead of the treasure.

High Concept Premises

"High Concept" ideas are creative premises, interesting "What if?" scenarios. They will put your players into fantastical and unusual situations. You can use them as a starting point for your adventure - pick a High Concept idea, and see which interesting problems/goals it can generate, or just combine it with one of the goals from the list above.

• Being shrunk to a tiny size, maybe put into a person's/creature's body. (Honey I shrunk the Kids, Ant Man, Anatomy Park).
• Switching bodies (Freaky Friday).
• Time Travel. Time loop (Groundhog Day).
• Adventure taking place in a dream, illusion, virtual reality, computer game, a TV show (Inception, Ready Player One, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Matrix, Jumanji).
• Deal with the Devil.
• Animals/creatures gain sentience/intelligence.
• Open portal to another world, a parallel dimension, an alternate timeline (Mist, Stargate, Another Earth).
• A baby monster. An alien/dragon egg. A boy and his robot.
• Body Snatchers, Brain Slugs - parasites that control your mind.
• Shapeshifter - person/monster that can assume any form.
• Evil Twins of the Heroes.
• Hive mind. Creatures telepathically united into one consciousness. Assimilating other creatures.
• Traditionally evil guys are good and vice versa (Shrek, Descendants, Megamind, Suicide Squad).
• Memory wiping, altering, transplanting (Morty's Mind-Blowers, Memento.)
• Possession / Mind Control (RoboCop, Captain America: Civil War.)
• A mysterious magic force has created a zone where the laws of physics and magic have been warped (Annihilation, Stalker)
• Befriend a creature (ET, How to Train your Dragon, Ratatouille, Astro Kid, Pokemon).
• Post-apocalypse, aftermath of a disaster (Fallout, The Day After Tomorrow, Resident Evil).
• Artificial Intelligence, sentient construct (Terminator, Wall-E, Avengers:The Age of Ultron).
• An accident causes captive dinosaurs/monsters/demons/zombies escape (Jurassic Park).
• Love Potion. Succubus.
• Don't go below the speed limit - if you stop moving a person dies or a bomb explodes (Speed, Crank, The X-Files "Drive" episode).
• A plague/disease/epidemic with unusual effects (fear of open spaces, rage, horniness, loss of one of the senses, wild magic / people to lose magic). It can be transmitted by magic, when infected casters target other casters with a spell.
• Dangerous/violent plants.
• An inanimate object comes to life.
• Raising undead to return a loved one back to life.
• You become God to race of tiny creatures.
• Change age - turn into kids or old people.
• Covert stealthy alien invasion.
• A person turned into an animal.
• A threat you forget about once you stop looking at it.
• Infohazards.
• Common animals are being turned savage (and giant) by a rogue magical effect (maybe an evil druid), and the party has to contain the destruction that they cause while trying to find a solution.
• Magic is fading / going wild and unpredictable.
• Superman goes genocidal. Defeat a being of incredible power, without it finding out that you're after it.
• An ancient civilization is long gone, only a single robot/golem/computeweapon is still functioning.
• Heroes are isolated in a confined environment with a monster.(Alien)
• A location is occupied by enemies/monsters/terrorists, heroes are the only ones who escaped from being taken hostage. (Die Hard in a village, on a ship, on a zeppelin, on a train, in a magic school, in a King's castle).
• A powerful monster begins killing people in the area (Tremors: Jaws in a desert).
• Set in a world where the evil overlord has won.
• The evil adventuring party.
• Deadly game show / competition.
• A location (small town, building, ship) is suddenly trapped underneath an impenetrable dome.
• Someone from our world is stuck in fantasy.
• A dangerous child (has faulty psychic powers, prophesied to be a devil, youngling of a dangerous monster)
• Two huge powers (monsters, giants, powerful mages, armies) fight each other, causing a lot of collateral damage.
• A large number of cursed or dangerous magical items have been sold or distributed to an unsuspecting populace (Friday the 13th series, Warehouse 13)
• First Contact with a sentient race (Arrival, Alien Nation, Contact, District 9, Star Trek, V series)
• Magic is fading / going wild and unpredictable.
• Space ship crashing in middle ages.
• Magic items (or maybe just some magic items) become secretly sentient and drive around their owners while they are asleep.
• An ancient evil is very slowly rising out of the ground and waking up. People need to hurry to figure out how to make it go away or else assemble a team strong enough to kill it when it awakes.
• The entire population of a town seemingly disappeared but in fact dug underground secret caves and is reverting to animal tendencies.
• The party comes across a mysterious artifact, it melds with/into the first party member to touch it, granting them incredible powers but also changes their consciousness.
• A long lost civilization is rising back up from the sea.
• The local ruler may have been replaced by a doppelganger, but nobody wants to risk their neck to find out for sure.
• Act as an experimental subject for a crazy scientist/wizard.
• Creatures from video games, stories, paintings, come to life.
• Spell/artifact/curse that prevents the whole town from being able to lie.
• Space ship / UFO crashing in middle ages.
• Duplication powers, making clones.
• Ancient/Lost Civilization. Atlantis.
• Gigantic Monster (Godzilla, Cloverfield, King Kong, Kaiju).
• Superheroes/Supervillains.
• Ghosts, haunted house/village. Restless spirits that need to be placated.
• Zombies.
• Vampires.
• Ninjas.
• Secret society/cult.
• Underground civilization.
• Underwater adventure. Merefolk.
• Adventure set in a world where the forces of good won a little too well. Where the people in charge are all Lawful Good and have no tolerance for anything else. Tyranny of the traditionally good creatures like celestials, paladins, etc. The slightest misstep can cause a person to be 'disappeared'.

Use the Adventure Writing Template to help you develop these goals into a complete adventure.
See the List of Challenges, List of Complications, and List of Villain's Moves for more ideas on what challenges/obstacles the players will need to overcome on their path to the goal.
See the list of fun Fantasy Settings I have collected.
For interesting ideas for a Villain:

• Take the personality from a TV/Movie character that you like, but make them evil. Adapt them to fantasy (Evil Steampunk Iron Man). Combine the traits from several characters (Legolas with the personality of Spider Man, John Snow with the personality of Jack Sparrow), or reverse their gender or a key personality trait (female Dr. Octavius, cheerful Batman).
• For their appearance - find an illustration on ArtStation, Pinterest, or /ImaginaryCharacters. If the appearance is very different from the movie character you have based their personality on - even better.

I have created the "Adventure Prompts Tool" that will pick the random Goals, High Concepts, Complications, Settings, and Challenges for you.
If you want updates on my future posts - follow me here.
Please contribute to this project!
Share more ideas for the Heroes'/Antagonist's goals and High Concept premises in the comments!

Ok so, from reading the title, I know this must seem just totally batshit. But bear with me, I swear there's a connection here. All of the major Story Beats in Persona 5 can be linked to at least one song on Steely Dan's seminal 1972 album, Can't Buy A Thrill.
So, where to begin - the beginning seems like a good enough place, both of the album and the story. Our protagonist's journey begins with his false imprisonment on an assault charge after protecting a woman from a powerful politician's drunken advances, and this beginning of the plot is echoed in the first verse of the first song on the album, 'Do It Again' - The lyrics go as follows:
'In the mornin' you go gunning for the man who stole your wate
And you fire till he is done in but they catch you at the borde
And the mourners are all singin' as they drag you by your feet/
But the hangman isn't hangin' and they put you on the street.'
The 'morning' here refers to the figurative morning of the story, at its beginning. The man who stole your water is Shido - not in a literal sense, but rather that he has massively affected your life. The lyric 'you fire till he is done in but they catch you at the border' refers to the Protagonist's victory over Shido in the short-term, and subsequent imprisonment. The 'mourners' are the life that the Protagonist leaves behind after his assault charge, and his being 'put on the street' is in reference to how he is turned away and forced to live in Tokyo.
Onto the next verse:
When you know she's no high climber, then you find your only friend/
In a room with your two timer, and you're sure you're near the end/
Then you love a little wild one, and she brings you only sorrow/
All the time you know she's smilin', you'll be on your knees tomorrow'
This could be interpreted to be about the early days at Shujin - The first line could be in reference to the cutscene where the protagonist and Ann first meet - that the protagonist knows she's 'no high climber' because of her kindness toward him, and then you 'find your only friend' immediately after in the form of Ryuji, who disregards all the rumours about you. 'In a room with your two timer' could, fittingly enough have multiple meanings - the 'two timer' could be Kamoshida, with his double identity between himself and his shadow, or it could be Ann, who is falsely perceived by the students to be 'two timing' Kamoshida. The 'wild one' mentioned in the next line could also be Ann, due to her costume and namesake, as Panther. Finally, the last line 'All the time you know she's smilin' references Ann's new hope after joining the Phantom thieves, and the lyric 'You'll be on your knees tomorrow' references Kamoshida's shadow after its defeat, as he sinks to his knees.
So, what's next? Well, we will come back to this song later, but for now, the plot moves along to the next song on the album, 'Dirty Work', and how it references Madarame's Arc. The song begins
'Times are hard, you're afraid to pay the fee/
so you find yourself somebody, who can do the job for free'
These introductory lyrics align closely with Madarame and Yusuke's story - the hard times Madarame falls upon are his art block, and he is 'afraid to pay the fee' of suffering for his lack of productivity, so he finds himself somebody 'who can do the job for free' - his many apprentices, whose artwork he steals. The chorus, in turn, exemplifies Yusuke's part of the story after his awakening:
'I'm a fool to do your dirty work, oh yeah/
I don't wanna do your dirty work, no more'
Yusuke realises Madarame's complicity and no longer wishes to work under him. Indeed, the line in the second verse
'I foresee terrible trouble, and I stay here just the same'
could show Yusuke's mindset - he subconsciously knows something is wrong, but continues to labour under Madarame.
Next is Kaneshiro's Palace, and a few songs on the album go with this. However, I'd argue the two most poignant are 'Brooklyn Owes The Charmer Under Me' and 'Midnite Cruiser', both of which deal with similar themes. Brooklyn Owes..., specifically uses these themes of luxury, as with the themes of Kaneshiro's palace. Check out these lyrics:
'A race of angels bound to one anothe
a dish of dollars laid out for all to see'
The angels specifically here could reference the shadows, who are themselves bound, and the dish of dollars carries with it themes of luxury, as well as echoing Kaneshiro's desire to be seen as wealthy and powerful. However, his true nature is succinctly expressed in 'Midnite Cruiser', in the lyrics:
'Tell me where are you driving, Midnite Cruiser?/
Where is your bounty of fortune and fame/
I am another gentleman lose
drive me to Harlem, or somewhere the same.'
In this chorus, one can see a reflection of Kaneshiro's true nature - his desire for 'fortune and fame' and his status as a 'Gentleman loser' show that he has already tacitly accepted his failure, and in turn highlights the vanity of his efforts in the real world. Finally, in 'Brooklyn owes...', the lyric
'A case of aces done up loose for dealing' echoes the nature of Kaneshiro's treasure, the briefcase full of fake cash - the ace itself symbolically implies value, but the fact that there is a case thereof significantly diminishes this, and shows the phony nature of Kaneshiro's wealth.
Next is Futaba, and with her palace, the song 'Fire In The Hole', which rather aptly summarises the nature of her tragedy. The first verse is as follows:
' I decline to walk the line They tell me that I'm lazy Worldly wise, I realize That everybody's crazy A woman's voice reminds me To serve and not to speak, am I myself or just another freak?'
The consistent reference to a 'they' in these lines points to a feeling of alienation from the outside world, and the specific problems mentioned, of being lazy or crazy, could easily match up with one's perceptions of what they think the people around them think of their faults. All of this corresponds to Futaba hiding herself away in her room. The 'woman's voice' would be her hallucinations of Wakaba disparaging her, and the questioning of her own identity or if she's 'just another freak' denote her feelings of low self esteem. The next verse contains the lyrics
'My life is boiling ove
it's happened once before/
I wish someone would open up the door'
which pretty aptly summarise Futaba's situation - her increased feelings of stress ('life is boiling over') and her wish that someone would 'open up the door' showing a nascent desire to no longer sequester herself - this could be the catalyst for her demand of the Phantom Thieves to change her heart.
Next is Okumura's palace, which I feel embodies best the song 'Only A Fool Would Say That'. Right from the outset, the disparaging title makes it clear that the person who would say this is prideful. Okumura's greed takes on a corporate façade of colourful advertising, but behind the curtain it is incredibly harmful. This song describes the downtrodden condition of the worker:
'The man in the street, dragging his feet/
don't wanna hear the bad news.'
as well as how the narrator, who we already know is prideful, declares that only a fool would believe in better things:
'I heard it was you/
talkin' 'bout a world where all is free/
it just couldn't be/
and only a fool would say that'
This shows the greed of taking advantage of the workers in this way, and the hypocrisy of Okumura in the diametrically opposed views of Okumura Foods that the public gets - the cheerful, outward facing façade, complete with space theming, and the horrific reality of being consistently beaten down and overworked, all the while being told that better things aren't possible.
Next is Sae's palace, which corresponds to the final verse of 'Do It Again' - in this way we can see the recursive nature of the plot, taking us back to the beginning of the album and the story through the flashbacks to Sae. This recursive nature is emphasised by the line in the bridge:
'You go back, Jack, do it again/
wheel turnin' round and round'
The final verse goes as follows:
'Now you swear and kick and beg us that you're not a gambling man/
then you find you're back in Vegas with a handle in your hand/
Your black cards can make you money, so you hide them when you're able/
in the land of milk and honey, you must put them on the table'
This verse is especially interesting to me - the casino theming is obvious, but it also denotes the Thieves' character arcs in a poignant manner. The first line deals with misconceptions, a theme for most characters in the story - each of them is misinterpreted or seen as something they're not, usually by the forces of the law or the establishment. However, this same alienation drives them to actually become the thieves that society has t out for the most - that they 'find (they're) back in Vegas' shows that they have taken in society's misconceptions and reclaimed them as their own. This makes sense in the context of the story, as the Phantom Thieves' full team has assembled, and they are striking back against the most distilled representation of the establishment thus far - Sae Niijima, a corrupt prosecutor who has been seen. up until this point, in a negative light. The hiding of the black cards represents striking back at an unjust system - if you cheat in a Casino, you're already winning against a heavily weighted house. It could also represent the deception of Akechi surrounding Joker, their ace in the hole - in the context of this line the cards would be hidden from the dealer, and as such this implies that Akechi is on the side of the house, the dealer, and the corrupt adults. The 'land of milk and honey' is what is promised for those who follow the rules, and shows Akechi's deception of the thieves - both parties end up putting their cards on the table, and it is only thanks to the Thieves' plotting that they end up beating the house, so to speak.
Finally, Shido's Palace is best suited to the song 'Kings', unsurprisingly. The song itself details the American political climate during the Vietnam War, but also acts as an effective allegory for Shido's nationalistic political aspirations. The song is from the point of view of an apathetic citizenry, in keeping with the story, and shows the tyrannical nature of being ruled, as well as the suffering of everyday people, comparing these world leaders to the Kings of old, carrying out vast campaigns while their subjects suffered. Here is the chorus:
We seen the last of Good King Richard/
Ring out the past, his name lives on, and on/
Roll out the bones, and raise up your pitche
Raise your glass for Good King John'.
The specific reference to Kings Richard and John is interesting, as they are two characters who are especially major contextually in the story of, you guessed it, Robin Hood. The same Robin Hood that Akechi's persona is based on. The song admits that:
'While he plundered far and wide/
all his starving children cried'
- this could be in reference to Akechi's tragic upbringing, or more figuratively the fate of the nation when policy is abandoned for nationalistic glory seeking. This is further exemplified in the lines
'And though we sung his fame/
we went hungry just the same.'
which reinforces this idea. The apathy of the citizenry also carries this over to the final major plot beat (excluding Royal's events, which I will leave out cause my arms are getting tired) - Yaldabaoth, and his control over the people. The overthrow of the king, both in the stealing of Shido's heart and the killing of Yaldabaoth, show the determination of the phantom thieves against the apathetic nature of the populace, and shows that the will to change society can accomplish much.
Anyway, in conclusion, listen to more Steely Dan, and play more Persona.

Hi guys. I've been marathoning the Bond films. I wanted to share my thoughts and see what you all think. Everyone has different opinions on the Bond films, so discussing it would be interesting. Feel free to comment below and tell me what you agree and disagree with.
Dr. No
A film that must be appreciated for kickstarting the franchise. Connery gives a good first performance as Bond and his interpretation is immediately codified. The characters are memorable, with Quarrel and Jack Lord’s Felix Leiter being standouts. Honey Ryder doesn’t do much in the story, though her entrance is iconic. Mostly there as eye candy. Joseph Wiseman only appears as Dr. No for a couple of minutes, but he’s truly menacing in the role and is the standard for which other villains should be set against. The plot is faithful to the original novel and is more of a mystery than an actual spy thriller. There is a nice balance between humor and seriousness, with Connery managing to be witty in one scene and cold-blooded in another. The production design is decent considering the lower budget. Ken Adam’s Crab Key sets are impressive and are a testament to his visual genius. Complaints I have with this film are its pacing, which drags a bit too long for my liking, and the score, which can get a bit over the top at times. The James Bond theme is the best track of course and the lyrical songs like “Underneath the Mango Tree” are entertaining. I’m probably a bit harsh on this film even when considering that it’s the first Bond film. The pacing hindered my enjoyment of the film, which is rough around the edges, but still does things right.
From Russia With Love
This was a huge step up in quality from Dr. No. Connery’s performance is even better, with plenty of quips to lighten the film. The film manages to faithfully adapt the novel while changing what wouldn’t work on the big screen. The pacing is much better than its predecessor. The first 50 minutes introduces the characters and provides exposition on the spy world brilliantly. No other Bond film would provide this much espionage either than The Living Daylights and possibly For Your Eyes Only. The film manages to be a thriller while also introducing more action-packed moments that would become mandatory for the franchise. Daniela Bianchi is beautiful as Tania and is more plot relevant. The villains are threatening and leave a strong impression. John Barry composes his first Bond score and the difference in quality in music is obvious. Barry’s work on the franchise shows just how much music can affect one’s perception of a film, with lesser films being elevated by Barry’s awesome scores. “James Bond with Bongos” and the recurring “007” are highlights. The theme song is nice and this film marks the beginning of integrating instrumental versions of the themes throughout the score – something that hasn’t really been done extensively since 1989 with the exception of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace (No Good About Goodbye by Shirley Bassey was rejected despite David Arnold using it in his score). Overall, FRWL was a great film and definitely remains one of the best Bond films to this day.
Goldfinger
The film that introduced many elements of the Bond formula. Connery is once again great in the role, but a slight step down from FRWL. Goldfinger and Oddjob are iconic villains, though they lack menace and feel more cartoonish. Pussy Galore is probably the best Bond girl in the Connery era, thanks to Honor Blackman (RIP) providing charisma and toughness to the role. Her seduction by Bond and resulting defection was ridiculous. Jill and especially Tilly Masterson are interesting characters but barely have any screentime. The plot is good, though it lacks the espionage and mystery of earlier films. Removing some of the novel’s problems helps the script, especially with the details of Operation Grand Slam. The pacing is slower and the scenes in Goldfinger’s ranch go on for far too long. The music is good though it is a bit too reliant on Shirley Bassey’s great theme song. “Alpine Drive – Auric’s Factory” and “Dawn At Fort Knox” are my favorite tracks. The film deserves credit for launching Bondmania and helping the franchise be the behemoth it is today. However, to say that it is still the best after all these years is an overstatement considering the formula would be refined in the future.
Thunderball
An improvement over Goldfinger and the first truly “cinematic” Bond film. Features everything people have come to expect from a Bond film. The film is more visually appealing and combines the best elements of its predecessors: the exotic location of Dr. No, the espionage and pacing of From Russia With Love, and the larger scale of Goldfinger. S.P.E.C.T.R.E was already established to be a large organization, but this film truly establishes just how much of a global threat they are. Some point to this film as being responsible for the larger emphasis on gadgets, I personally feel that its successor was the culprit. Bond is forced to rely on his wits several times throughout the film, sometimes without gadgets. John Barry’s score is even better in this film, with the use of trumpets in tracks like “The Bomb” and “Search for the Vulcan” giving an otherworldly feeling befitting of the underwater focus. Speaking of which, the underwater scenes are extremely well made and while they may go on for too long for some, I personally love them for their unique atmosphere. Everything about Thunderball feels refined over its predecessors and the fact that it’s less talked about than its predecessors and lesser follow-ups is a shame considering it’s the best in the Connery era by far.
You Only Live Twice
A mild step down from its predecessor. The plot and characters are mostly unmemorable, with Tiger Tanaka being the only standout. Aki is a far more interesting Bond girl than Kissy Suzuki and killing her off was a waste. Donald Pleasence’s Blofeld is iconic, but barely appears and drops the villain ball after meeting Bond. The other villains are forgettable. The film is probably the biggest of the Connery era and definitely the largest in scale until The Spy Who Loved Me ten years later. The volcano set is the most oft-cited example of this. The Japanese setting is interesting and offers some nice locales; I kind of wish that even more of the country was shown, though this is nitpicking. John Barry outdoes himself once again with another atmospheric score that makes use of strings to evoke a Japanese feel. I enjoyed this film more Goldfinger, but it’s hard to deny that the story and characters aren’t the best, even by Bond standards. YOLT was a sign that bigger doesn’t always mean better.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
The best of the 60s Bond films. George Lazenby is the worst Bond by default because he only made one film. He lacks Connery’s charm and charisma but makes up for it by being much more believable in his fight scenes and for being more vulnerable than Connery’s masculine Bond. It’s hard to tell if Connery appearing in the film would have improved it. Considering how excessive Bond’s womanizing got with Goldfinger onwards, seeing Connery’s Bond fall in love and ready to settle down is a bit hard to imagine. Tracy is a great Bond girl and her relationship with Bond develops throughout the film. I’d even say that I prefer it to Bond and Vesper in Casino Royale. Telly Savalas plays the best Blofeld, showing more physicality and charisma in the role than Donald Pleasence. The story is much more involved than previous films, the only predecessor that matches it on the same level is FRWL. As mentioned before, Lazenby is more believable in his fight scenes. Couple this with the unique style and editing and you get some of the most thrilling action sequences the franchise has offered. The Switzerland scenes are some of the most beautiful in the franchise. Peter Hunt’s direction deserves a mention with photography even more refined than that of Terrence Young. One shot in particular that stood out was the helicopters flying to Piz Gloria during sunrise. The one complaint I really have with the film is its 2h 22m length. It’s a good film but it does go on too long in some instances. OHMSS has the best score in the franchise. There are too many great pieces to mention here. Lastly, I personally feel that OHMSS has been just as influential on the franchise as GF and TB. Like FRWL, OHMSS was more grounded while still featuring many classic Bond elements. The film’s influence can be felt in the 80s Bond films directed by John Glen, who edited this film. His first film, For Your Eyes Only, feels like a proper follow-up to OHMSS with its pre-title sequence and grounded tone compared to prior installments. This focus on realism while still keeping elements of the formula continued for the rest of the 80s. OHMSS was a great film and it’s great to see that it finally gets the recognition it deserves.