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 Moon is on Switch (exclusively for the moment), IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME, OUT NOW for $18.99 USD.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FClNYk5Pbdw Moon, or Moon: Remix RPG Adventure as some of you may know it (subtitle added to beat SEO), was a cult RPG/Anti-RPG/Adventure/Love-de-Lic-like/Who-Even-Knows-For-Sure released in 1997 for the Playstation in Japan only, developed by the legendary and now defunct studio Love-De-Lic (more on them below). It got rereleased digitally on October 10th last year on Japan's Switch eShop, beyond any belief of it happening. This Switch port—neither a remake nor a remaster, almost entirely the same game from 1997—was handled by Onion Games, a team with key Love-De-Lic employees that had previously worked on the game back in the day. The game did crazy good, outselling Dragon Quest, the series it satirizes, on Japan's eShop for the month it was released. That the creator of Undertale (which also did well in Japan) claimed to be inspired by Moon's concept must've helped generate interest for an earlier game that played with RPG conventions that didn't sell great in its time. NOW, beyond even more belief of it ever happening, this version of Moon was brought to the West with an official English translation, handled by Tim Rogers (yes that Tim Rogers), that came August 27th. After unfinished attempts at fan translations over the years, and with the original creators' blessing no less, this is the first time the game is fully playable in English. So far it is exclusive to Switch eShop, available for $18.99 USD.  GREAT BUT WHAT IS MOON? From the official site at https://moon-rpg.com/en/ (includes a manual for the game which I recommend reading before playing): quote:Have you ever played an RPG and wondered…  As you can probably guess from reading that, Moon is a game that parodies and criticizes the RPG genre. This is nothing too new in this day and age, but in 1997 it was incredibly novel. BUT ALSO, more than simply being a "subversive" RPG we've come to expect that makes you feel bad because you the player used its combat system, Moon largely rejects traditional design of the genre, and practically invents a unique type of gameplay onto itself. This is why Moon is labelled as an "anti-RPG". Basically, there are no battles for experience points, and instead you increase your "love level" by learning about the people of Moon as they go about their daily and weekly rituals, based on an in-game clock, to figure out what their problem is and then solve it for them. Levelling up does not mean getting stronger enough to take on harder enemies, but increasing your stamina before you need to sleep. You are gated more by your ability to travel before your stamina runs out than anything else.  It's more than just the gameplay too that's unique. A charmingly hodgepodge visual style, a humorous and sincere writing style courtesy of the guy who'd go on to write Chulip, a really, REALLY amazing soundtrack, with contributions from indie acts and composers under pseudonyms, which you can play much of on your Moondisc player (like a CD walkman) as you walk around the world. Simply put, Moon is a very singular and eclectic experience, like no game before it and like few after, as if it's from a surreal alternate timeline for a direction RPGs could've taken from 1997 on.  ABOUT LOVE-LE-DIC Love-De-Lic was a studio started in 1995 by former Square and Konami employees, whose most significant previous experience includes Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger. With shifting personnel, they made three of the most unique games released for consoles of their time: Moon in 1997, UFO: A Day in the Life for the Playstation in 1999, a game in which you take pictures of invisible aliens hiding in an apartment complex, and L.O.L.: Lack of Love for the Dreamcast in 2000, a game in which the goal is to survive and evolve through symbiotically helping other species, with a soundtrack by Ryuichi Sakamoto of Yellow Magic Orchaestra fame. All three are very much worth playing, if possible for you to do so. Despite being a game with little language barrier, LOL got a fan translation earlier this year! UFO does not have a translation yet, but is largely playable without one. But Moon is the one that's arguably the most important in the historical sense, as the game is the only time a veritable super group of cult game developers would all work on the same game together. After Moon, they would split up into different teams and companies to continue a legacy of unconventional games, sometimes partly reunited but carving their own paths. This is part of the reason "Love-de-Lic like", or "Love-de-Lic legacy", is used to refer to games that came after Moon, either directly from its design or just from its spirit of doing things different. This makes it the most representative game of what Love-de-Lic was.  LOVE-DE-LIC ALUMNI AND THEIR GAMES Below are the most notable people that made Moon, as well as some of the games they've worked on before and after it. It should be noted that their contributions with Moon especially were more fluid than one single role should imply, and I'm simply putting it as they were credited. Hopefully some of these names and games will be familiar to you, despite many of their projects not having English releases and universally not selling well (a sad pattern with LDL games unfortunately). And maybe you can get a feel for what they brought to Moon and other games they specifically worked on from seeing this, too.
 WRAPPING IT UP Of all the games that hadn't been translated from Japanese to English, Moon is by miles the one I believe deserved it the most, both for its eccentric-ness and its overlooked place in history, and I'm very excited to play it properly. Keep in mind it is a game from 1997 and a somewhat demanding one at that; the design is kinda obscure and slow paced at points (often intentionally so), meaning some patience is required for this one. But I hope you can give it a chance, because a game like this somehow came out on a home console in 1997. It's a special one. Also, if you're having some trouble with the early game (many do) some general advice I have that may help you:
Flac fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Aug 31, 2020 |
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Aug 26, 2020 21:31
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I've been wanting to spend more time on my Switch and away from my PC in my current working-from-home existence where I'm sitting at my desk for a minimum for 12 hours 4 days a week so this seems like the perfect thing to lose myself in. Thanks for the very good OP.
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Aug 26, 2020 23:33
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Yeah currently have boxes to go through after moving in, so the timing of this is pretty good. The game is pretty lengthy for what it is too, took me about 20 hours or so? And I'm a real slow player.
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Aug 27, 2020 00:20
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https://twitter.com/yoshiro_kimura/status/1298893198505304064?s=20 Extremely late because I wasn't expecting the game to be out as soon as last night, but the game's here!!
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Aug 27, 2020 16:21
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Just started playing. I'm about an hour or so in. Really liking it so far. It feels like a mix of Majora's Mask and old Sierra adventure games. My only complaint right now is the action limit system is very unforgiving and restrictive, at least in the early game.
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Aug 27, 2020 22:11
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Inferior Third Season posted:Just started playing. I'm about an hour or so in. Really liking it so far. It feels like a mix of Majora's Mask and old Sierra adventure games. That is definitely how the early game goes. What I did is have some safety cookies on hand, and once I started to get tired I popped some and IMMEDIATELY went home. Playing Chulip before this game, which is also punishing early on, but more because everything in that game wanted to kill you than any worries with stamina, kinda prepared me for how this game would treat you at weaker levels. It becomes a non-problem as you play more and more.
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Aug 28, 2020 00:30
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some guy just gave me his house, pretty cool of him
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Aug 28, 2020 00:39
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I walked around and then I walked slow and I died, I assume theres stamina I need to keep track of?
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Aug 28, 2020 00:54
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Junpei Hyde posted:I walked around and then I walked slow and I died, I assume theres stamina I need to keep track of? Right here:  Made by someone else, I'll probably add it to the OP. The devs have straight up said you should read the manual for this game, it is a PS1 game through and through.
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Aug 28, 2020 00:59
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This game seems super interesting, fantastic write up OP.
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Aug 28, 2020 02:09
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Wanna play this game. Thanks for the fantastic OP, can't wait to dive in this weekend.
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Aug 28, 2020 04:22
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Game over’d just a few steps from Gramby’s house on my second day. Game is brutal but not discouraging so far.
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Aug 28, 2020 06:13
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So very excited to play this! Great work on the informative OP!
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Aug 28, 2020 20:25
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Some spoiler free tips that I sort of wish I knew when starting out. - Always talk to Gramby every day for a cookie. Eating these will restore a little stamina and can mean the difference between making it to bed and passing out in front of the house, if it comes to that. - After seeing the event with the slime and the hero outside of town, try to leave by going south. This will unlock saving monsters. Also after this check back in town as there will be some monsters there as well.
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Aug 29, 2020 00:05
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Unlucky7 posted:Some spoiler free tips that I sort of wish I knew when starting out. I probably should've mentioned stuff like this in the OP, I'll put this up there. And I'm glad people are enjoying moon for the most part! Got some time in yesterday to play but been fairly busy today. I really love how much detail is packed in this game; caught Bilby (one of my favs) doing something I had never seen him do in my previous playthrough, which is kick the town news sign on his way back from the bar.
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Aug 29, 2020 02:21
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLTiV5j0tyA I'm loving the hell out of this game so far. This is my favorite track so far for walking around. I was not expecting a song like this when I bought this game and it loving rules.
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Aug 29, 2020 11:38
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It's worth looking into alternate versions of the MDs on youtube (they're confusingly labelled as the "Moondisc version" on the channel with all the music from the game, when those versions came straight from an official soundtrack rather than being ripped from the game), as some of them can be WAY different from the in-game version. This is one of the clearest examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drykZCS2004 And I think a few of the MDs in the Switch version are actually remixed in some ways from the original Playstation game too?? Namely Killah Blues, Pop May Day, and especially Bubble Star. I don't know why that is.
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Aug 29, 2020 13:44
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i just happened to be checking around the right place at the right time and stumbled on the baker's secret which has been by far the most bewildering experience yet.  i was a little worried it might not live up to its reputation but this is turning out to be the perfect game for me as someone who hates combat and loved majora's mask for the npc schedules specifically. my only complaint is that i wish there was better instant travel and some kind of run button, i had to spend multiple nights camping out in slightly shifting locations to see where the dog was going because he was so much faster than me and would seemingly disappear once he left my sight. and is there some trick to fishing? there wasn't any button prompt and i didn't see any directions about it in the manual so i wasted my only bait pressing a repeatedly which i guess is not what you're supposed to do. or did i skip over the prompt when pressing a?
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Aug 30, 2020 05:09
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I just discovered what's in the back room of the bakery. gently caress this game rules
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Aug 30, 2020 05:26
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yellowyams posted:and is there some trick to fishing? there wasn't any button prompt and i didn't see any directions about it in the manual so i wasted my only bait pressing a repeatedly which i guess is not what you're supposed to do. or did i skip over the prompt when pressing a? Fishing doesn't really have any nuance to it. Just press the A button like every second or two. You want the bar to fill all the way up to get the fish. If you press the button too fast or too slow, the bar will empty. Once you figure it out, you'll never fail. Also if you're concerned about bait, just follow the fishing guy around. I'm really digging the game so far. I have 6 animals left to save, and three endgame macguffins to find, but I still haven't found out what the deal with the baker is. I guess I need to follow him around. My most recent discovery that made me laugh out loud was discovering that you can play old japanese style music for the windmill guy to get some love. This game just has so many neat little details in it. I'm glad I haven't tried to look at any guides because I think it would dilute the experience a lot.
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Aug 30, 2020 05:56
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Any chance limited run or someone makes a physical version?
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Aug 30, 2020 06:13
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FruitPunchSamurai posted:Fishing doesn't really have any nuance to it. Just press the A button like every second or two. You want the bar to fill all the way up to get the fish. If you press the button too fast or too slow, the bar will empty. Once you figure it out, you'll never fail. Also if you're concerned about bait, just follow the fishing guy around. thanks, good to know about the bait since hiking way back to the town shop still takes a while and i don't have the octopus thing mentioned in the maual yet. i just realized the fishing guy offers to teach you if he's awake and near the water (he was asleep on my first attempt) but he went back to sleep in the middle of teaching me...
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Aug 30, 2020 06:17
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Thanks for the nice write-up OP. I bought this yesterday on a whim after seeing it on the eShop and love it so far. Had one frustrating game over where I had done quite a lot without sleeping and then blacked out steps from my front door. It’s such a nice little world to explore and the characters are hilarious. Pokka is great.
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Aug 30, 2020 07:12
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I’m thinking of picking this game up soon, just a quick question, something that’s holding me back a little is that it’s a Japanese RPG from 1997, so my question is how ‘penetrable’ is this game? Because I really dont want it to be one of those types of games that requires to read a walkthrough to make heads from tales on what needs to be done to progress, so I’m just wondering how approachable and understandable this game is and it’s progression if it makes sense.
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Aug 30, 2020 10:02
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I also get frustrated with games like that, but don’t think this one is that way at all. I’ve been playing for about 6-7 hours and am always making progress and finding where to go and what to do next with no frustration. Definitely read the manual to understand the Action Limit mechanic, but other than that I don’t think there’s much that will hold you up. There is a guy who sells “hints” a little later on but I haven’t had the need for it yet
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Aug 30, 2020 10:25
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I am absolutely loving this game
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Aug 30, 2020 10:45
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Al-Saqr posted:I’m thinking of picking this game up soon, just a quick question, something that’s holding me back a little is that it’s a Japanese RPG from 1997, so my question is how ‘penetrable’ is this game? Because I really dont want it to be one of those types of games that requires to read a walkthrough to make heads from tales on what needs to be done to progress, so I’m just wondering how approachable and understandable this game is and it’s progression if it makes sense. There may be some places where you'll have to look it up or ask what to do to progress, but I don't think it's as frequent as say, 90's point-and-click adventure games. A lot of what you can find out in this game, especially with the castle town residents, can be found by doing a bit of detective work with asking around, or just being patient and seeing what they do. And I suggest if you find something and it's not clear what to do, save it for later. There will probably many other things you can be doing, and you may find something to help with it later. What Jato says is true too, reading the manual makes the early game mechanics much less mysterious: https://moon-rpg.com/en/sub/manual.html Also should say that if you find certain parts of the game too frustrating, you don't have to 100% it, though I think going for that should be given a shot, especially for catching all the animals. Beating the game has certain requirements for things you need to do, but past that point, you will only be missing out on opportunities for more love, and you don't necessarily have to maximize your love level. ketchup vs catsup posted:Any chance limited run or someone makes a physical version? They're taking preorders for a really nice Japanese physical version releasing in October, details here: https://www.gematsu.com/2020/06/moon-for-switch-premium-edition-launches-october-15-in-japan. It hasn't been officially confirmed, but I feel pretty certain that the cart can be updated with the English translation, based on the SKU being the same between Japanese and English versions. I'm really really hoping this version can be localized, but NOA doing jack to promote the game (especially weird when Nintendo announced the game in a direct in Japan, which yeah moon has nostalgia going for it to build hype on over there but like, c'mon) makes me feel uncertain about that. They will probably do a Limited Run release, at least. Flac fucked around with this message at 21:22 on Aug 30, 2020 |
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Aug 30, 2020 14:25
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xingiskan  i literally cannot get past level 3 no matter how many times i try. how many levels are there?
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Aug 31, 2020 18:57
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yellowyams posted:xingiskan 5, you can do it!
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Aug 31, 2020 19:00
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Xingiskan is really bad and I don't blame anyone for skipping out on it. Same with the fishing tourney which is even worse in my opinion. Both give you 1 pt of Love. 100%-ing the game and getting full Love Level is just it's own reward, and you won't get anything special (though you should get up to a level that will let you last more than 5 days, I think, before you finish the game). If you're still gonna go for it, best of luck... Flac fucked around with this message at 20:29 on Aug 31, 2020 |
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Aug 31, 2020 20:08
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It's funny how this game has no danger in it outside the time limit, and yet I can't help but feel really stressed out that I'm missing things all the time and the genuinely unsettling atmosphere of it all. I'm a few hours in and I've saved all the Rainbow Rock animals, have a letter for some guy the king gave me and I'm already sweating as this funny toy child is just meandering around and I saw some posts talking about the baker and 'oh god did I miss something with them.'
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Aug 31, 2020 20:52
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ThisIsACoolGuy posted:It's funny how this game has no danger in it outside the time limit, and yet I can't help but feel really stressed out that I'm missing things all the time and the genuinely unsettling atmosphere of it all. You can't miss anything major in this game! The weeks can go by and you'll still be able to get love from all the characters. It's only over when you've met the requirements to end the game and you wish to do so.
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Aug 31, 2020 21:25
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I spend most of my leisure time playing competitive ranked modes in games so I thought I was used to adrenaline rushes and tension. I had just finished learning the ways of God and accidentally let a plant eat me without knowing it was fast travel AWAY from the bed . The clock was ticking. It was a truly white knuckle ride.
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Aug 31, 2020 22:01
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hughesta posted:5, you can do it! oh thank god, i was going to shrivel up and poof into dust if you said 50. 5 is almost merciful. i know i don't have to do everything but i like this game a lot and really want to 100% it, even the tedious stuff. god drat though, this fishing contest. he says something like "more than 5 fish" does that really mean 6? because after about 30 tries the best i've been able to manage is 4 on occasion and i could possibly imagine a scenario where i get crazy luck and catch 5 but i have no idea how 6 is even possible. you would have to get 6 in a row of the real tiny fish biting the bait as soon as it hits the water and zero trash to beat the time limit. e: oh my god i got it immediately after posting that. it was only 5. yellowyams fucked around with this message at 01:01 on Sep 1, 2020 |
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Sep 1, 2020 00:50
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This fishing contest is the worst poo poo in the world
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Sep 1, 2020 02:31
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One possible way to make the fishing tourney SLIGHTLY (only slightly) easier is to eat the Kirikiri Bug Sautee at the restaurant the day before. I'm not certain of that but the game seems to imply it helps, and I feel like my luck was worse when I tried without it. It still sucks a lot either way lol
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Sep 1, 2020 03:53
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This game has the worst version of simon says I've ever seen.
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Sep 1, 2020 04:28
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Flac posted:One possible way to make the fishing tourney SLIGHTLY (only slightly) easier is to eat the Kirikiri Bug Sautee at the restaurant the day before. I'm not certain of that but the game seems to imply it helps, and I feel like my luck was worse when I tried without it. It still sucks a lot either way lol i did this in my last 8 attempts. trekking back and forth each time made every attempt take a few more minutes and i'm still not certain it was anything other than a placebo but fwiw i had eaten it on the time i finally won so maybe?
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Sep 1, 2020 04:41
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^^That could be true. I got trash CONSTANTLY the couple times I didn't do it, but that's not a thorough test.FruitPunchSamurai posted:This game has the worst version of simon says I've ever seen. Do you mean Robi? Pretty bad normally, but can be exploited.
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Sep 1, 2020 05:02
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Flac posted:Do you mean Robi? Pretty bad normally, but can be exploited. Yeah. I tried it about 20 times or so and gave up. From what you're saying I guess there's probably some part of something that I'm missing that would make things easier.
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Sep 1, 2020 05:56
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