Matthias720

Basically. I think there are certain cultural aspects of Russian society that are stuck over a century in the past. Unless those things get brought closer to the present, their society won’t change; we’ll see this whole thing play out again in the future. The average Russian citizen needs to see that the West doesn’t want to destroy them, that life can be better than what they currently experience, and that the world doesn’t need to be as harsh and demanding as the believe it ought to be. That’s a tall order though, so there’s no telling if that can happen in the near-future.

Yeah, and all of Darren Korb’s music slaps. Literally every song is a masterpiece.

Full disclosure: I work in a library shelving materials.

This take overlooks one of the factors that really needs to be addressed: mental illness. I have seen people without full control of their faculties outright refuse assistance because for whatever reason they believe that what they are being offered isn’t good for them. Some of them want help, but some of those also want help on their terms, which is not how a lot of social/outreach programs work. And that’s not even getting into the issues of substance abuse that act as a black hole for any material gain. Granted, there are people who will jump through any hoop to escape being homeless, but many who suffer the most really need more than just a place to live; they need to completely overhaul their lives, and our social system isn’t currently designed to do that.

• DemonCrawl: It’s basically RPG Minesweeper, with hundreds of items that you can encounter as you work your way through 10 progressively harder levels. You could be an armored knight, a snooping detective, a fiery pyromaniac, or even a sneaky ninja. There are several dozen of classes that take your standard Minesweeper mechanics and subvert and reframe them entirely. If you like puzzle games, this one is worth playing.

• Backpack Hero: It’s an inventory management roguelike. Use your limited inventory to hold all the weapons, armor, consumables, and trinkets you need to reach the end and claim your prize. Don’t forget to optimize the placement of your various items, so that they can all combo together. Different characters have different play styles, each with some mechanic that is partially or wholly unique to them. Is your backpack big, small, or filled with many pockets? Do you fight with totems, summon minions, or charm your enemies to your side? There’s lots to see and do in what is possibly one of my favorite indie games of the past year. Highly recommended!