BIGBITE Reviews: ■ GENRE action
· adventure
■ DEVELOPER too kind studio
■ PUBLISHER playdius
· plug in digital
■ SYSTEM steam
· ps4 · xbox1 · switch
PANKAPU
A wonderful game with visuals that exceed expectation. The first thing you’ll notice - and the last thing you’ll lament as you put down the controller - is how beautiful the world and characters are. From every sheen on the Bravery Aegis to the minute facial and eye motions that enrich each character, this game is a sight to behold. At the same time, Pankapu is not simply a painting to be stared at it. It is a well made platformer with interesting and layered combat mechanics that blend into the platforming gameplay. The main mechanic of the game is the Aegis system, a set of three armors made distinct by a color and class scheme: the red warrior, the green archer, and the blue mage. The red Bravery Aegis has a shield and powerful close quarters damage balanced with limited mobility, but benefits from some of the better mid game power ups such as a magnet that allows the character to walk on certain walls and ceilings. The green Ardor Aegis has very effective ranged attacks, a double jump that drastically increases verticality, and a dodge that improves combat ability. The blue Faith Aegis specializes in mid-range AOE (area of effect) damage, a time stopping ability, and a float ability. Each armor’s powers are important for traversal through the game and can be quickly changed on the fly, allowing one to double jump and glide a massive distance before sticking to a red magnetic platform on the far wall. Furthermore, these abilities bolster combat
by allowing one to dodge through an enemy, freeze them in place, then quickly change to the Bravery Aegis for a devastating combo. This combat is further enhanced by the Nebula, four unlock-able abilities that change the playstyle of each Aegis, such as causing arrows to explode in a cloud of flames or allowing the Bravery sword to fire an incredible laser beam. Fun mechanics like this are disseminated throughout the game at a fair pace, making sure that every level feels fresh and interesting, but the game does not rely solely on its base gameplay to entice and hold players. The game has a wide variety of collectibles including Aegis-specific damage upgrades in the form of Itopian forges, mana increases, hearts, collectible mcguffins, and my favorite collectible of all: Lore. Through killing enemies or collecting certain items, you unlock lore passages that tell you more about the beautiful world you are exploring and the dastardly enemies invading it. In addition to this is the Memolyth system, a series of images that hint at the overarching story of the game, which are unlocked by finding key collectables like the Itopian forges. Once you collect all the Memolyths you are treated to a more in depth slideshow that helps illustrate and explain the events of why the story is being told. The story is not just tied down to the memolyths, as the game is partially voice acted in a very wonderful Banjo-Kazooieesque manner that meshes well with the very referential and interesting written dialogue between the diverse characters. As I played this game I couldn’t help but see references that seem to pull from various sources such as Asura’s Wrath and Ocarina of Time, but whether these are intentional or coincidental, all these details make me smile all the more at a game bursting with passion and creativity. I started this game skeptically, with many gripes in the first 30 minutes, but those melted away as all my concerns quickly changed to excitement and expectation. Pankapu is a lovingly crafted game that is definitely worth playing, even if you suck as bad as me with the platforming and controls. ■ Dccrulez
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON
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for the kids: extra life 2017
Since we’re gearing up for our Extra Life charity stream, Joe sat down with Melissa Hanstein from the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of Greater St Louis to learn a bit more about who they are and what they do. Melissa, thanks for taking the time to talk to us! What do you do with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals? I am the Director of Events & Marketing for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of Greater St. Louis (CMN-STL). Can you give us a little bit of background information on the hospitals we’re playing for in St Louis? There are two hospitals represented by CMN-STL. The first is SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital/ SSM Health is a Catholic, not-for-profit health system serving the comprehensive health needs of communities across the Midwest through one of the largest integrated delivery systems in the nation. SSM Health Cardinal
Glennon Children’s Hospital is a 195-bed children’s hospital specializing in pediatric cancer care and cardiology services. SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, both the highest possible classifications. Since 2013, U.S News & World Report has recognized Cardinal Glennon as a Best Pediatric Hospital. A teaching hospital, Cardinal Glennon is staffed by SLUCare physicians. The second is St. Louis Children’s Hospital. St. Louis Children’s Hospital has provided specialized care for children for more than 130 years. US News & World Report consistently ranks St. Louis Children’s among the nation’s best children’s hospitals. It is designated a Magnet Hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor for nursing excellence. St. Louis Children’s Hospital is affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine, one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation. The
hospital is a member of BJC HealthCare. Locally, how has Extra Life benefited these hospitals and the kids treated there? Through programs like Extra Life, CMNSTL has raised nearly $50 million for our two member hospitals since our inception in St. Louis in 1988. In 2016, each member hospital received just over $1 million. All funds gifted to the hospitals are unrestricted and can be utilized for a wide variety of projects and programs. Typically, CMN-STL funds cover the costs of programs insurance may not otherwise cover such as child life services, music and art therapy. Funds are often used as seed money for vital hospital renovations or life-saving equipment. At St. Louis Children’s Hospital funds support Healthy Kids Express, which are four mobile units that provide screenings such as dental, vision, asthma, and general physicals to children in the community free of charge. At Cardinal Glennon, CMN-STL funds have most recently aided the renovation of 4 North. 4 North was part of the original
hospital building, constructed in 1956. For in-patient oncology patients, 4 North often becomes a second home, where patients stay for a couple of weeks at a time to several months at a time while they receive chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants. These improvements will make patients’ stays more comfortable, and -- with larger rooms and sleeping spaces -- keep families together during treatment. Extra Life is all about gaming. Do our local hospitals have gaming accommodations for the kids? If so, what are they like? They do! Games, both video and tabletop, can be found throughout the hospitals. Games are a really important aspect to helping kids heal. Whether they are in one of the playrooms, playing video games with another patient, a tabletop game in their room with hospital staff, or playing trivia over the hospital’s closed-circuit network, games are a great way for kids to just be kids and forget
that they are sick for a moment. Games help pass the time during long hospital stays, they help bring kids who may feel isolated together, and they often play an important role in a kid’s therapy and road to recovery. Are you much of a gamer? Kids ask me to play games with them quite often, and I must admit I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to video games. My knowledge of video games does not go much past Mario Kart. There are so many buttons on the controller, I have no idea which to press. I recently played Just Dance with a patient wearing a halo traction device to help correct the curvature in her spine. She had a limited range of motion, and I am not a good dancer so we shared a lot of laughs. She will be spending months in the hospital and like other patients, playing games is one way to keep their mind off of that.
What is one of your favorite memories of working with CMN? We are constantly making new memories here at CMN-STL. Some of my favorites have to be watching former CMN-STL Miracle Ambassadors and other patients have the opportunity to return to school, play with their friends, enjoying holidays at home with their families, joining a dance class, etc. - all very simple and normal aspects of life that many of us took for granted growing up. Thanks again, Melissa, for taking the time to tell us about who we are helping! ■
hey readers, join us in making a difference! Would you like to help us help these kids? We’re participating in Extra Life this November! Here’s how you can help!
·Tune into our livestream on November 4th from 10AM-10PM CST ·Buy a shirt! During Oct. and Nov. 2017, 100% of the proceeds from our “#ForTheKids 2017” design will be donated, along with 50% of the proceeds from everything else in the store! Check it out at store.BIGBITE.Media ·Check out our blog (http://roosterteeth.com/group/BIGBITE) for more information on how to donate directly to our Extra Life efforts ·Tell all your family members, friends, enemies, heads of state and foriegn dignitaries about what we’re doing, and ask them to help too!
BIGBITE Drinks
#ForThe Kids In honor of Extra Life, we figured we’d make some drink recipes #ForTheKids this time! Check out some of our favorite “mocktails.” Don’t worry, mom and dad, these are all non-alcoholic!
Margarita Lemonade In a pitcher, combine 2 parts simple syrup, 1 part lemon juice, 1 part lime juice, and 7 parts water. Serve over ice, with a lime wedge and salt rim, if you’re feeling fancy!
CosmoNot Here’s a mocktail that’s out of this world! Shake 3oz of peach nectar, 2oz of cranberry juice, ½ oz of grenadine, and an ounce of 7up with ice. Strain and serve in a small glass. Garnish with a twist of lime.
Normally, this is the part where we’d encourage you to drink responsibly; however, since these are all non-alcoholic, we’d like the 21+ crowd to tell us how they make these irresponsibly! Tweet us how you spiked these drinks at @BIGBITEMedia! And don’t forget to follow us there for details on how you can celebrate Extra Life Game Day with us!
Banana Yummy In a blender, combine 3 bananas, 3 cups grapefruit juice, 2 cups of lemon sherbet, and a cup of ice. Serve frozen with a lemon wheel. This recipe makes enough to share with your friends!
Thai Watermelon Slush In a blender, combine 1 cup of ice, 2 cups of seedless watermelon, and a teaspoon of honey. Serve frozen!
Layered Arnold Palmer Fill a glass with ice. Fill it halfway with lemonade, and using an iced tea spoon, slowly top it off with unsweetened iced tea for a layered effect. Serve with a lemon wedge. Now, for those southerners who are reading this and gasping aloud because we used unsweetened tea, never fear! This drink can be made with sweet tea. Just put the sweet tea in first and layer the lemonade on top.
Words by Joe Dalton
BIGBITE Reviews: ■ GENRE sports
· simulation
■ DEVELOPER Koo Games ltd
■ PUBLISHER
the diGital lounGe pluG in diGital
■ SYSTEM steam
Dino Dini’s Kick off Revival Playing it is easy, mastering it will take time - A lot of time. Y’know what genre we don’t see enough of anymore? The arcade sports game. I love a good arcade sports game – the top down camera angles, the completely unrealistic plays, the often ill-proportioned characters, and, most importantly, the fact that arcade sports games are what they are – they’re video games. They don’t try to be a realistic simulation, they’re not wrapped up in however many extraneous frames and animations developers can come up with. They’re just arcade sports games.
in which situations, regardless of whether I understood the formations or not, was a rewarding part of the process. And ten-or-so games in, when I finally scored my first goal, I felt elated. Dino Dini’s does difficulty much better than many modern games, and the grind for victory feels refreshingly challenging rather than hopeless. It’s a game that’s all about mastering the game, and that makes it great for both long hauls of play and also for picking up and putting down.
And Dino Dini’s Kickoff Revival is a good arcade sports game.
With that said, there are a few things that hold Kickoff Revival back from being perfect, first and foremost being that there is no way to manually switch between players. The game does that for you, which is sometimes helpful but many times not. Often it will result in a button-press that was meant for one player to be executed by another before you can react. Many-a-footballer committed otherwise avoidable fouls because they slid into the back of an opponent-player’s knees, when it should have gone that a different player would have slid in front and kicked the ball away.
I have to say upfront that this is the only arcade soccer game I have ever played, so I can’t speak to its difficulty compared to other arcade soccer games, but it’s challenging – and I mean proper challenging. It’s simple enough to pick up (if you play the tutorial), but victory and mastery require precision, mental endurance, and patience akin to real soccer. To that end, I have yet to win a game … against the computer … on the lowest difficulty setting. Part of this is probably due to my distinctly lacking soccer knowledge, as part of counteracting the opposing team is to change your team’s formation. I didn’t (and still don’t, though in retrospect I probably could have just looked them up) know what any of the formations I was choosing meant, and so just randomly switched between formations to see what would happen. I lost, is what happened. But learning, albeit slowly, what was working
This isn’t game-breaking by any means, and can be avoided by mastering the other game mechanics and not panicking on defense (two things which I have not done) but having some sort of manual player-switch control could go a long way. Overall, Dino Dini’s Kickoff Revival is an excellent little arcade soccer game and welldeserving of enough attention so that it can actually revive these kinds of games. It is challenging, fun, and rewarding, and I look forward to continuing my likely-disastrous World Cup run. ■ Matthew VanDeZande
The RTX Guardian Experience By Sarah H. Edited by Matthew VanDeZande
You know that feeling you get sometimes when you’re not nervous about something, but you are definitely nervous about something? That weird gooey sensation in your stomach that just sits there doing the occasional backflip while you’re still trying to convince yourself that you’re definitely not nervous about anything? Being an RTX Guardian is that, but for five days straight. Don’t get me wrong – there’s a lot more to it. Like adrenaline. And excitement. And constant team messages popping up on your phone in between Head Guardian SailorTweek yelling “HYDRATE!” at you every five minutes. Also, one of your coworkers is a dog. RTX Austin 2017 might have been my third RTX event, but it was my first RTX Austin. I’ve been lucky enough to work as a Guardian for both RTX Sydney events and this time, I packed up and made the trek to Austin to do the exact same thing ... … on a tenfold scale. Hence, the gooey backflips upon sight of the Austin Convention Center. Being a Guardian at an event like RTX Austin is a huge honor. The competition for spots is fierce because there are just so many eager and passionate members of the community. It says a lot about an event when you have too many volunteers, and RTX having so many people prepared to sacrifice their own time speaks volumes. Back home in Sydney, I’ve been a Personal Assistant and worked on panels, but this time around I was back in the role of PA again. A personal assistant at RTX is someone who makes sure the guests – those very same people the Community is there to see – get to where they’re going on time, get fed, and have everything they need to make their weekend run as smoothly as possible. It means that you’re always on duty, always on your feet, and sometimes, you have to be the bad guy and say no when people ask if a guest can stop for a photo. It’s not because we’re mean! it’s because we’re running late for a panel!
But we also get to do cool stuff, like take your photos at signings and talk to so many of you community members while you’re waiting in lines. The photos were definitely my favorite part. There’s nothing like snapping the moment you meet someone for the first time. I took photos of high fives, of hugs, of gifts being given, time and time again. That was cool. I spent RTX weekend working with so many great people who are so awe-inspiringly dedicated to what they do. Guardians do so many jobs at RTX and every single one of them has the same goal in mind – to make sure the attendees are always safe, and always enjoying themselves. Is it challenging? For sure, anything is going to be challenging when you’re dealing with around sixty thousand people and infinite variables. You’re so busy as a Guardian that one day it’s Wednesday and then all of a sudden it’s Sunday afternoon and you’re sitting exhausted on the floor with numb feet, cheering for a plant riding an escalator. Why? I don’t know.
“...it was clear that RTX would not have been successful without everyone’s hard work, perseverance, and dedication to this amazing community.” But I do know that sitting in that foyer, with five hundred and one other Guardians (the canine variety included), it was clear that RTX would not have been successful without everyone’s hard work, perseverance, and dedication to this amazing community. With RTX Sydney applications just closed, I wish everyone luck in their Guardian applications! You’re going to be busy, you won’t see much of the event, and your Team Leads and Head Guardians are going to expect you to work harder than you’ve ever worked before, but it’s one hell of a worthwhile experience. That goes for any RTX, regardless of location. It doesn’t matter if it’s Sydney, Austin, London, or somewhere else in the future – you’re going to be exhausted. But it’s the nice kind of exhausted, the kind where you feel like you’ve accomplished so much in so little time, because you have, and you’ve helped an entire community have an awesome weekend.
Something I remember writing on my very first Guardian application was the fact that volunteering my time for RTX feels like the ultimate way to give back to the community that has given me so much. Three events later, I still feel like that. Hopefully, soon, it’ll be four events. Maybe five, or six, or even twelve, but the number doesn’t matter; being a Guardian is the best way I can think of to say thank you. London Guardians, you’re up. ■
pylon: rogue A non-stop action game with RPG with a bit of satire. Pylon: Rogue is a game I really want to like. There’s great potential here – subtle tonguein-cheek humor, often challenging and frantic combat, and over a dozen play styles between the four characters. However, that potential is offset by a complete lack of story, a grueling but unrewarding grind, repetitive enemies, and a battle system that tries its hardest to be topdown Dark Souls but comes up short.
Moneydin, it turned all the enemies on screen into gold statues (for a time) allowing you to rapidly lay waste to them and pick up the money they left behind. For Ms. Underhood, it was a controllable volley of arrows shot directly into the air that did massive damage and had me saying, “Justice rains from above!” every time I used it (yes, I’m Overwatch trash. Leave me alone).
On my first attempt at Rogue, I selected the knight character, the “Moneydin” (get it? Like Paladin but with money), because I loved the uniqueness of a normally divine class having its power rely purely on materialism.
The thing with the supers is that they have limited uses – which is a problem when in many cases they are your only means of effectively taking down enemies. If they were on a cooldown, that would be fine. But since availability is almost entirely determined by RNG, it made some rooms impossible to enjoy.
I expected some kind of story – not necessarily a cinematic, but something to explain to me who this character was, why he was there, and what his journey would entail. Lacking that, I ventured forth, slightly confused and slightly more unsure, into my first battle, which happened to be against giant and grotesque bugs. After nearly dying multiple times, I started to understand the rhythm of combat and how to use the Moneydin’s abilities and was successfully turning foe after foe into gold and bashing them to pieces. Bummed that my journey with the Moneydin was over but thrilled to try the different classes, I selected Rogue’s only ranged fighter – Ms. Underhood – because she had a dodge roll, something I had desperately missed while playing the sturdy yet barely-mobile knight. After initial success through dodging and shooting, dodging and shooting, and dodging and shooting some more, what had been a challenging but rhythmic grind quickly turned to monotony. As more and more enemies spawned in and as the time between necessary dodging shortened, I found myself spending tens of seconds at a time rolling from one side of a room to another and back again before even firing a single shot, let alone having time to charge up that shot – which, by the way, is the only way to effectively damage targets aside from using Ms. Underhood’s super ability. The super abilities, for that matter, work wonders against mobs and excel in making you feel like your character is a badass. For the
After trying the other characters – a rock, named Rokk, whose size made his dodge roll almost useless, and an assassin who dealt damage fast but died faster – I felt disappointed. There’s something to be said about a rewarding grind, but Pylon: Rogue is much more grind than reward. As I said, I want to enjoy this game, but as it is right now, playing it doesn’t feel as rewarding as I would like. If some changes are made to make the grind less grueling and the rewards more rewarding, I will happily come back to this game. But until that happens, I don’t see myself spending a lot of time with it. ■ Matthew VanDeZande
■ GENRE action
· rpg
■ DEVELOPER
QuantumSQuid interactive
■ PUBLISHER
QuantumSQuid interactive
■ SYSTEM Steam
RWBY Theory:
Tyrian and the Grimm are Blind
By Brett Baker Edited by Matthew VanDeZande RWBY Volume 4, specifically the second half of it, was extremely informative – especially when it came to the villains, most notably Tyrian and the Grimm in general.
happened if the Grimm could see normally. For that matter, they were already hidden from view anyway and the Grimm was still attacking. But when Ren used his semblance to hide their fear, the Nevermore was no longer able to detect them and it flew away.
My first theory is that the Grimm are blind, and that their eyes detect fear radiating off their prey in the same way that pit vipers see heat. What gave this away? Ren’s semblance, of course!
Prior to this, Ren used his semblance on only himself to run out into the open to help Nora. He was physically visible, and if the Grimm had normal eyesight it would have seen him and torn him apart.
When Ren first uses his semblance to hide himself and Nora from the Nevermore, it promptly gave up and flew away. This wouldn’t have
My last point before we move on to Tyrian has to do with the Nuckelavee (Volume 4’s “final boss,” so to speak, for those of us who didn’t know its name). Ren uses his semblance
to hide himself, Jaune, and Qrow from the charging Grimm, and it stops … about a foot from them. They’re in plain sight and completely exposed, so why couldn’t it see them? The best explanation is that it tracks its prey by detecting fear, and Ren’s semblance hides that fear. Now, without further ado, on to Tyrian’s blindness – or, rather, “alternative sight.” As we learned from Blake, Faunus share behavioural, instinctive, and reflexive traits with their animal in addition to physical ones (cats chasing laser pointers, anyone?). And we know that Tyrian is a scorpion Faunus.
Scorpions don’t have bad eyesight, per se, but they only really see things based on speed and contrast to a background. I believe Tyrian shares this trait. The evidence? It’s there during his fight with Qrow. After disarming Qrow, Tyrian is taken in complete surprise when Qrow punches and kicks him. A skilled fighter, especially a closecombat fighter like Tyrian, should have been able to react and defend himself. So why didn’t he? As someone who relies heavily on his weapon, Qrow, like Ruby, is much slower and less coordinated without it. His punches and kicks were slower than his armed attacks, meaning that Tyrian, with his scorpion eyesight, would have had a much harder time seeing them. Shortly after, Tyrian, having recovered, appears to simple let Qrow retrieve his weapon. This was an extremely poor decision, one that an experienced fighter and killer like Tyrian would not have made, unless, of course, he did not know where Qrow was. Qrow’s weapon is huge, and without it he was a much smaller target for Tyrian to detect. Also, he was walking and therefore moving much slower than when he was fighting. Finally, his clothes, being grey and black, camouflaged him against the ruined city. As scorpions rely on contrast to find their prey, this lack of contrast made it harder for Tyrian to see him. In fact, Tyrian didn’t even attack until Qrow’s weapon made a slight metallic hiss as it was removed from the ground. This indicates that Tyrian, in that moment, was using his hearing to detect Qrow, whom he could not see, rather than his sight. What do you think of these two RWBY theories? Let us know your thoughts in a comment on Facebook.com/BIGBITEonline or over on Twitter at @BIGBITEmedia! ■
BIGBITE Reviews: ■ GENRE action
· platformer
■ DEVELOPER SplaShteam
■ PUBLISHER
splasher
Challenging 2D Platformer filled with humor and surprises.
playdiuS plug in digital
■ SYSTEM Steam
FISTFUL OF INK uSe different paint colorS to Stick to wallS and roofS, bounce high in the air, and trick your opponentS.
MASTER CHALLENGING LEVELS brave the trapS and beat the gigantic factory’S Security deviceS. learn from your miStakeS to find the beSt path and get the beSt time in order
Splasher is one of those games that you can’t really make heads or tails of. It has been compared to a mix between Mario and Splatoon, but it plays closer to Super Meat Boy, while also being likened to Ray-Man, with a touch of Oddworld thrown in there. It takes the best aspects of these (and more) and creates a wild ride through a bizarre gamescape. I couldn’t be happier with it. First, the basics – it’s a platformer. A fastpaced, frantic platformer that lulls you into a false sense of security with a laughably easy first several levels, before ratcheting up the difficulty somewhere between 99- and 100fold. You traverse the levels by running (and jumping) like a bat out of hell armed with water (Super Mario Sunshine, anyone?) and two probably-not-practical-in-any-way inks (vis-avis Splatoon) which allow you to either stick to or aggressively bounce from various surfaces.
to perfect the level.
And why would you do something as reckless and crazy as that?
TIME ATTACK & SPEEDRUN challenge gamerS from
Because you, a humble janitor at Inkorp, stumbled on some nefarious science-y hap’nin’s and you have taken it upon yourself to free your fellow hapless employees lest they suffer similarly sciency-y demises.
around the glo be with your beSt timeS, and Share your ScoreS on the leaderboardS.e
SplaSherS are in great danger!
Each level tasks you with rescuing six other janitors, each with a letter to spell out S-P-LA-S-H (remember collecting letters in Donkey Kong? Even Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater? I missed letter collectibles) while also collecting gold ink to free a seventh, differently-colored janitor
holding an exclamation point. In the first handful of levels, it was easy to rescue all of them’s need rescuing, but eventually I started to come just shy of the required 700 ink-units needed to save the Exclamation Point Janitor. Then I started being not as close. Then came the level where I missed the L Janitor. And when you play Splasher and see how prominently placed all of the main janitors are, you will wonder, as I did, how on earth I missed ol’ Mr. L Janitor. But in my defense, as I stated earlier, the difficulty curve is incredibly steep. Which can be frustrating initially, as it was for me – I had been blazing through levels without dying or messing up and then suddenly I was dying several times over whilst trying to hit one jump sequence. Thankfully, there are no loading times and the checkpoints, until later levels, are reasonably close together. So I would splat against the toxic sludge or be minced by a buzz saw, wait about two seconds for the screen to fade out and back in, and try again. The rapid trial-and-error is reminiscent of Super Meat Boy, a game in which I would try a level tens, if not hundreds, of times, in what could only be described as the definition of insanity. Without a loading screen during which I would be forced to contemplate my failures and ask what the hell it is that I am doing with my life, I remained willing and happy to keep throwing Splasher’s hero into impossible odds.
On top of the great gameplay and level design is, first, Splasher’s soundtrack, which you can purchase with the game. I haven’t listened to it outside of playing yet, but there’s something to be said about the fact that I logged several hours straight in Splasher without turning the music down or off and replacing it with my own. Second, and even better than the soundtrack, is the game’s humor. Level names and achievements make perfectly subtle references to other games, pop culture, and more – although some achievements are not subtle at all, and include one that will trigger many Game of Thrones fans. The interactions you will have with Splasher’s antagonist, Le Docteur, are delightfully slapstick, as well. All in all, Splasher is everything anyone could want in a platformer, and I can’t wait to get back into it to try my hand at both speedrun modes – especially the “Selfish” mode, which removes the aforementioned hapless janitors and just pits you against the level in a breakneck race for positioning on the global leaderboards. Leaderboards which, on a closing note, are so far refreshingly free of people who have either hacked or exploited the game. It makes those top times feel attainable, even though I can almost guarantee you I will never be that good at this game. ■ Matthew VanDeZande
戀椀最戀椀琀攀 瀀爀攀猀攀渀琀猀
ᰠ戀攀猀琀 漀昀⸀⸀⸀ᴠ 椀猀
戀愀挀欀
BIGBITE Extra Life Interview: Caiti Ward By Rhys Morgan and Sarah H.
When did you discover Extra Life and how did you first get involved with the campaign? I first discovered Extra Life in 2010 when Jack and Geoff did the very first Rooster Teeth (or rather, Achievement Hunter) EL stream. I then applied it to Roo Teeth, the Australian Rooster Teeth fan group, and hosted a stream of our own over 2011-12. How did you first approach the idea of getting the Rooster Teeth Community involved in your Extra Life efforts? I think we (Jack and I) always knew that our community was an epic force for good they just needed something to put that good into. Rooster Teeth has always been involved in Charity, in a lot of ways the community doesn’t see too (one example is the Make a Wish Foundation), but it has always been clear that we could do especially outstanding things with such a huge amount of passionate and good hearted people, i.e. the Rooster Teeth community. What are some of the biggest challenges when organizing a 24-hour charity livestream? Oh my goodness, what isn’t a challenge? Initially, the biggest challenge was filling the
with Extra Life and Dell Children’s, as well as logistics such as meal planning, medics, set visits from the hospital and others. I feel, most notably though, that I represent the community in a physical form for the stream - someone to relate to, since I’m not a staff member. Every year, you’ve shot a video at your local children’s hospital to play during your Extra Life livestreams. What kind of preparation do you do for these videos and how long do they take to produce? Three of four years ago, I would have said “we emailed our contact and went there the same day”, but we’re much more organized now (and I’m much less shy to talk to such important people as those doctors and nurses!), so we typically have it organized a month or few weeks in advance. Generally, it depends on what’s going on at the hospital at the time, and what we’re raising money for. If we want interviews, it generally takes a bit more coordination. In the past, the Rooster Teeth Community have helped raise funds for various new equipment for the children’s hospital. Is there anything specific you’d like to see this year’s donations go towards?
My initial answer to this, I can’t say yet, but within the next few weeks you’ll know exactly what I would have said. In lieu of that, I’ll say it’s probably the sheer amount of money we’ve raised. We’ve started running our game day the weekend after the Extra Life official game day because we would bust the EL donation servers (as well as various other reasons), so thinking on that and how much good that’s being done by coming together for this is so powerful. Can you tell us about any of the shenanigans you have planned for this year’s stream? Would you consider bringing back the paintball shooting range, or do you have something else in mind? Much to my chagrin, it’s likely (but not confirmed) that paintball will return. I’m so scared I’m going to be hit by one of those balls, but I have a strategy on how to avoid it - be my normal anxious mess. It works. Aside from that, we have a few things planned that are being organized. I believe Bob
“I believe that if you’re interested in or passionate about something, you would be a benefit to those active in that circle.” entire 24 hours with things people would not only want to see, but would donate and talk about (talking gets traction which gets more people involved, which leads to more donations, etc). Now, ironically, we have so many amazing people to showcase and who we think are hilarious, that we feel as though we don’t have enough time to fit them all in. So, the challenges have changed over time. Jack is primarily the RT organiser; he works with the company, the staff (for scheduling and tech) and the set builders. I primarily work
Oh, yes. This year, just like last, the money raised by Rooster Teeth will go directly towards Dell Children’s Center of Central Texas’s new mental health wing. It’s something I’m so passionate about and so thrilled to be helping contribute to. If you could go back and tell yourself about some of the incredible donations and experiences you’ve had, which would be the hardest to believe?
Ross painting will return, as well as 2Spooky and a cool segment with Screw Attack. We’ll have all the big hitters and maybe some special guests to boot. If you could have input into the future direction of the Extra Life charity, where would you like to see it headed in the next five years? The staff and volunteers with
Extra Life are doing such a phenomenal job, and I am so happy to go along for the ride, but if I could pick one thing, it would be seeing it expand to Australia. Unfortunately there are many, many hoops to jump through to make that happen, so I’m not holding my breath. I’m so glad to be on this journey with them, where ever it takes us. You are a huge advocate for eliminating the stigma around mental health issues. How can people, both with and without mental health issues, help to raise acceptance and awareness? I recently wrote an article for World Mental Health Day. I realized that one of the biggest and most powerful ways to end the stigma was to stop pretending it wasn’t depression that made me sick. By being honest with those around me. When I was asked “Is everything okay?”, instead of saying “Yeah, I’m just really tired.” like I normally would, I now try to say “Not really, not right now, but I have everything I need and am working on being okay. Thank you for asking.” or “I’m really struggling with depression right now, but thank you for asking, it means a lot.”. When I’m late to school, instead of saying “Traffic was so bad, I’m so sorry.”, I say “I’m sorry if I’ve affected the class in any way, I was having a really tough morning convincing myself to face the day today, but I’m here to work hard.” It seems so menial, but it is so, so hard and so, so important. My advice to anyone about ending the stigma is to realize that if you suffer from mental illness - you have a disease. It is a soul sucking, life draining, hope-stealing disease, but it IS a disease. Like diabetes and cancer, it is a disease you developed - not something you
asked for. When we make those minor changes in our communication, we plant a seed in people’s heads that challenges the preconceived notion that people with mental illness are unstable or chaotic or people to be avoided. It’s so much easier said than done, but I hope that some people, in some instances, will muster the courage to plant those seeds. As for people without mental illness, my advice is hopefully pretty easy to implement. Listen. Sometimes it is tough. Sometimes it’s frustrating. Sometimes, it’s straight up heartbreaking, but I implore you to listen to when your friends and family speak up about their experiences. We all so desperately want to be fixers and problem solvers, but sometimes what a person needs most is just someone to hear them and say “that sounds awful” or “that sucks” or “I can’t imagine how hard that must be” or - and almost most importantly - nothing at all. An open, non judgmental ear can be life saving. Are there any other charities or causes you support that could benefit from more community involvement? I believe that if you’re interested in or passionate about something, you would be a benefit to those active in that circle. That can range from bush regeneration to curing cancer to women’s reproductive rights to homeless animals, and beyond. Whatever it is that you care about, I believe you would be an asset to a team of people who are doing something about/ with whatever that may be. Every cause needs more involvement. As for me personally, on top of Extra Life, I’m also an ambassador for Life Changing Experiences Foundation, and AIME Mentoring in Australia. ■