🏳️⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært
@katewillaert.bsky.social
(WILL-ert) | Investigating forgotten gaming history | Creator of the greatest Metroid video on Youtube | Asexual, autistic, artistic, 🏳️⚧️(she/her) | Linktree: https://katewillaert.com/link-tree
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The History Of The Word "Metroidvania" And How It Spread
YouTube video by Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!)
www.youtube.com
Who coined "Metroidvania"? It wasn't @jparish.bsky.social, and he'll be the first to tell you. Besides, there are far more interesting questions, like: How did it spread? Evolve? And what's it got to do with rickrolling?
Watch til the end for a post-credits sting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8set...
Watch til the end for a post-credits sting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8set...
It was like I was watching myself on TV from across the room.
February 20, 2026 at 11:48 AM
It was like I was watching myself on TV from across the room.
I finally watched the new Superman movie, so good.
February 20, 2026 at 6:18 AM
I finally watched the new Superman movie, so good.
If I did a podcast with trans people about being trans, I'd call it "That's Dysphoria For-E-Ya."
February 19, 2026 at 5:18 AM
If I did a podcast with trans people about being trans, I'd call it "That's Dysphoria For-E-Ya."
I imagine this is how Bob Dylan plays Virtual Boy.
They sell straps on Etsy. Yokei had originally planned to include something like this for usage on the subway etc.
February 19, 2026 at 4:58 AM
I imagine this is how Bob Dylan plays Virtual Boy.
IMO, the problem with Virtual Boy games isn't the red color, it's that the only way to play is hunched over in a manner that isn't particularly comfortable for any extended period. Maybe if they'd let you strap it to your face?
February 19, 2026 at 4:22 AM
IMO, the problem with Virtual Boy games isn't the red color, it's that the only way to play is hunched over in a manner that isn't particularly comfortable for any extended period. Maybe if they'd let you strap it to your face?
Reposted by 🏳️⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært
If they did an English version of this for the 40th anniversary I would plug the hell out of it.
www.editionspixnlove.com/les-series-c...
www.editionspixnlove.com/les-series-c...
February 18, 2026 at 10:50 AM
If they did an English version of this for the 40th anniversary I would plug the hell out of it.
www.editionspixnlove.com/les-series-c...
www.editionspixnlove.com/les-series-c...
Reposted by 🏳️⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært
Begging them to do a sequel called Quester’s Fest.
for the uninitiated, Quester is a series of crowdfunded minimalist dungeon-crawling RPGs with world/characters by Kazushi Hagiwara (Bastard!!)—the dev's roots are in making galakei RPGs for G-MODE, and Quester offers an idealised version of dense, compact to-the-bone DRPG without feeling reductive
February 18, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Begging them to do a sequel called Quester’s Fest.
Begging them to do a sequel called Quester’s Fest.
for the uninitiated, Quester is a series of crowdfunded minimalist dungeon-crawling RPGs with world/characters by Kazushi Hagiwara (Bastard!!)—the dev's roots are in making galakei RPGs for G-MODE, and Quester offers an idealised version of dense, compact to-the-bone DRPG without feeling reductive
February 18, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Begging them to do a sequel called Quester’s Fest.
Reposted by 🏳️⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært
technically at this point it's not the video game industry, it's the roblox industry
February 18, 2026 at 5:41 AM
technically at this point it's not the video game industry, it's the roblox industry
If they did an English version of this for the 40th anniversary I would plug the hell out of it.
www.editionspixnlove.com/les-series-c...
www.editionspixnlove.com/les-series-c...
February 18, 2026 at 10:50 AM
If they did an English version of this for the 40th anniversary I would plug the hell out of it.
www.editionspixnlove.com/les-series-c...
www.editionspixnlove.com/les-series-c...
I needed to mark the placement of a tripod for a shot, so I outlined the spot with masking tape and laughed, because now it looks like someone murdered my beloved pet triangle.
February 18, 2026 at 3:57 AM
I needed to mark the placement of a tripod for a shot, so I outlined the spot with masking tape and laughed, because now it looks like someone murdered my beloved pet triangle.
Next you’ll be telling us you’ve learned how to see through walls.
I've never felt more privileged to have grown up with a 3D photographer for a grandfather than I am with Virtual Boy games on NSO. He taught me to free-view stereoscopic photos when I was like 8. The Virtual Boy headset is fun but optional.
You can do it too!
www.instructables.com/How-to-view-...
You can do it too!
www.instructables.com/How-to-view-...
How to View Stereo Graphic Images
How to View Stereo Graphic Images: Stereo graphic images can be viewed as though looking to the horizon through a window. If the two images are spaced at the right distance, the 3 Dimensional image w...
www.instructables.com
February 18, 2026 at 2:07 AM
Next you’ll be telling us you’ve learned how to see through walls.
Reposted by 🏳️⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært
We've posted our 2026 Video Game Notables - our yearly hall of fame for the most important games of all time! www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2026/02/v...
February 17, 2026 at 9:13 PM
We've posted our 2026 Video Game Notables - our yearly hall of fame for the most important games of all time! www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2026/02/v...
Reposted by 🏳️⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært
All the best games come from someone going, "If no one is going to make a game the way I want it, then I'll just do it myself!"
Dragon Quest's Yuji Horii in 1985 in his regular column in LOGiN magazine. In this issue, he offhandedly mentions that he'd love to play a game that blended Ultima's gameplay, Wizardry's character advancement, Questron's labyrinth, and the drama of an adventure game.
"Why hasn't anyone made one?"
"Why hasn't anyone made one?"
February 18, 2026 at 1:02 AM
All the best games come from someone going, "If no one is going to make a game the way I want it, then I'll just do it myself!"
To definitively answer the burning question I know has been keeping everyone up at night:
Yes, NSO Virtual Boy is compatible with TOOL 10,000 Days. And it looks amazing.
Yes, NSO Virtual Boy is compatible with TOOL 10,000 Days. And it looks amazing.
February 17, 2026 at 5:11 PM
To definitively answer the burning question I know has been keeping everyone up at night:
Yes, NSO Virtual Boy is compatible with TOOL 10,000 Days. And it looks amazing.
Yes, NSO Virtual Boy is compatible with TOOL 10,000 Days. And it looks amazing.
Somehow I missed that Bit Brigade finally released their complete Double Dragon album. The songs of this series, for me, are up there with Mega Man with the greatest NES-era compositions of all time. Put this on when you need a quick hit of motivation:
bitbrigade.bandcamp.com/album/double...
bitbrigade.bandcamp.com/album/double...
Double Dragon, by Bit Brigade
17 track album
bitbrigade.bandcamp.com
February 17, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Somehow I missed that Bit Brigade finally released their complete Double Dragon album. The songs of this series, for me, are up there with Mega Man with the greatest NES-era compositions of all time. Put this on when you need a quick hit of motivation:
bitbrigade.bandcamp.com/album/double...
bitbrigade.bandcamp.com/album/double...
Reposted by 🏳️⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært
The death of the alt-weekly has had such a huge effect on people and third places; I have no idea where to look to find out what's going on now. It has made people more isolated, killed institution and flattened art and culture because they wanted you on Facebook instead, taking psychic damage
Great interview, this in particular really stuck out to me. Can’t tell you how many phone calls I get at work asking about a movie that came out weeks or months ago; no one knows when something is getting released except for huge movies like Wicked 2
February 16, 2026 at 8:48 PM
The death of the alt-weekly has had such a huge effect on people and third places; I have no idea where to look to find out what's going on now. It has made people more isolated, killed institution and flattened art and culture because they wanted you on Facebook instead, taking psychic damage
Are there any Japanese magazine collectors out there who could scan a few pages from March 1986 MSX Magazine in higher quality than what's on the Archive?
February 14, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Are there any Japanese magazine collectors out there who could scan a few pages from March 1986 MSX Magazine in higher quality than what's on the Archive?
What’s the longest name of a carbonated beverage you can think of? I was always amused by Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, though maybe it’s been overtaken by Dr. Pepper Strawberries & Cream Zero Sugar. If only there was a Caffeine Free variety.
February 14, 2026 at 4:15 AM
What’s the longest name of a carbonated beverage you can think of? I was always amused by Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, though maybe it’s been overtaken by Dr. Pepper Strawberries & Cream Zero Sugar. If only there was a Caffeine Free variety.
Reposted by 🏳️⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært
Jason spots a discrepancy no one's noticed hiding in plain sight for decades
Have you ever read or seen a discussion about the "first videogame"? It turns out the picture you likely saw as part of it is wrong.
#history
bluerenga.blog/2026/02/13/t...
#history
bluerenga.blog/2026/02/13/t...
The Picture You Probably Saw of the “First Videogame” Is Wrong
This is about as niche as a post of mine can get. What happened is I’ve been deep at work on my next game, which requires some history going back to the 1950s, and more specifically, Christop…
bluerenga.blog
February 14, 2026 at 3:43 AM
Jason spots a discrepancy no one's noticed hiding in plain sight for decades
Reposted by 🏳️⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært
The guiding design principle was not to make a NEW game but rather, "What might Jaws have been like with more development time and more cartridge space?" In that spirit, I looked to a bunch of its contemporary action-RPGs for ideas and mechanics. You can probably guess some of those influences...
February 13, 2026 at 1:40 PM
The guiding design principle was not to make a NEW game but rather, "What might Jaws have been like with more development time and more cartridge space?" In that spirit, I looked to a bunch of its contemporary action-RPGs for ideas and mechanics. You can probably guess some of those influences...
Although part of the puzzle is figuring out what each item does, I decided to include a feature at the bottom of the text version that spells it out for you (in part because even the existing guides seem a little bit confused).
www.acriticalhit.com/metroidmania...
www.acriticalhit.com/metroidmania...
February 12, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Although part of the puzzle is figuring out what each item does, I decided to include a feature at the bottom of the text version that spells it out for you (in part because even the existing guides seem a little bit confused).
www.acriticalhit.com/metroidmania...
www.acriticalhit.com/metroidmania...
Our journey into platform adventures before Metroid continues. Can I get my fellow Americans to care about UK computer game history? (If you stick with it, you’ll be rewarded with some Japanese computer games soon.)
youtu.be/orrewVQYqzc
youtu.be/orrewVQYqzc
He Quit The Music Industry And Made A Hit Computer Game | MetroidMania (Dynamite Dan II (1986))
YouTube video by Critical Kate (of A Critical Hit!)
youtu.be
February 11, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Our journey into platform adventures before Metroid continues. Can I get my fellow Americans to care about UK computer game history? (If you stick with it, you’ll be rewarded with some Japanese computer games soon.)
youtu.be/orrewVQYqzc
youtu.be/orrewVQYqzc
Does anyone know whether Tool's 10,000 Days is compatible with Virtual Boy NSO?
It looks like we got a sneak peek at the Virtual Boy Nintendo Classics NSO app in handheld mode. Footage from Skill Up briefly shows the menu screen being displayed in "3D" and presumably there is currently no option to play in standard 2D.
youtu.be/C7OLQoLtLv8?...
youtu.be/C7OLQoLtLv8?...
February 10, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Does anyone know whether Tool's 10,000 Days is compatible with Virtual Boy NSO?
We know who came up with the Konami Code, but do we know who first discovered it? How it spread?
February 10, 2026 at 5:57 AM
We know who came up with the Konami Code, but do we know who first discovered it? How it spread?
