Strawberry Loft

  It only takes a small spark to start a fire. Look Back is a story about finding inspiration and, at the same time, losing all that motivation in the blink of an eye. It’s not a story of giving up; it’s a story of moving forward for yourself and in memory of others. Look Back opens with Ayumu Fujino, an elementary school student who writes manga comic strips for the school newspaper. She enjoys drawing, telling stories, and the attention she receives from her classmates. Fujino isn’t shy in the slightest, boldly showing her work. When she’s asked to relinquish a manga slot to another girl, Kyomoto, Fujino begrudgingly gives in. Kyomoto is good—professionally good—at backgrounds. This sparks a one-sided rivalry for Fujino, who throws herself into art, aiming to be just as good as or better than Kyomoto. I felt like Fujino’s art montage was very authentic to anyone who has a creative passion. There’s an explosion of ideas; you just want to work on a project all the time, and i...

  After ten years of waiting that felt endless, Dragon Age: The Veilguard was finally released to extravagant fanfare, love, and criticism. I felt like it almost came out of nowhere. I had just lost all hope for another Dragon Age entry when suddenly the trailer appeared during an Xbox showcase. The excitement was instantaneous. Dragon Age: Inquisition had a complete hold over me when I played it. It was one of those rare games I couldn’t put down, and anytime I had a free moment, I started playing. I really felt like a part of the story with the dialogue options that regularly showed up. It felt like my story. I thought the story of Dragon Age: Inquisition flowed naturally as you slowly collected companions and learned about what they’d accomplished through various forms of intelligence gathering. It was very much a "friend of a friend" type of companion gathering. Everyone received a proper introduction, and slowly, the Inquisition grew. It felt exciting to see more and...