「Ｂｅｈｅｍｏｔｈ」

Ahhhhh, I had a good day.

Work is going well, I got to really ponder over some code and write something clever for once.

Got home and relaxed with some RotR, that game is just so much fun. It kinda reminds me of like a much bigger version of Way of the Samurai, I fuckin' loved the first two games in that series back on the PS2. I'm getting better at the combat, though I am glad it has RPG mechanics to bail me out from getting my shit rocked by random bandits all the time. Fighting like a miniboss or a fugitive, sure, I'll pay attention and time my parries, but some dude with a spear? Whatever, I'll take the hits.

I unlocked the revolver, which actually functions as another form of parry, just like in Bloodborne, which is fun. You can also get a special finisher move where you just shoot the enemy in the head while they're on the ground. Team Ninja always has such an eye for little cinematic moments like that, without feeling like it detracts from the actual gameplay.

I've finally kinda started the plot, meeting some of the faction people. At least some of the anti-shogunate guys, anyway. I was a little wary and looked up like... what ideology that is, actually, and it turns out it's a very odd mish-mash of things. I guess the dynamic is that the shogunate is so hidebound, corrupt, and flailing that literally anyone with any ideas at all about how to run a government would be opposed to it.

You've got nationalist, democratic, xenophobes who also want to restore power to the imperial throne. It's basically a collection of everyone in the whole country with a reason to say "fuck the Tokugawa clan". It's no wonder they ended up winning the Boshin War. I'm guessing the pro-shogunate side is just gonna be the standard "I believe in Peace and Justice, through the power of state violence" thing.

Oh dang! I just realized! I'm totally gonna end up fighting the shinsengumi, huh. I didn't even think of that. I think one of the regions is Kyoto, so that's definitely gonna be a big Thing there.