Timothy Monbleau
@timmonbleau.bsky.social
Former Guide Editor at Destructoid, bylines at PC Gamer, Kotaku, and GamesRadar+. I write about video games and even play them sometimes. He/Him
Pinned
Timothy Monbleau
@timmonbleau.bsky.social
· Oct 18
Guess I'll do an introduction too.
Hi, I'm Tim and I write about video games! I was an editor for Destructoid, and nowadays you can catch my words on PC Gamer and Kotaku. If you enjoy celebrating the ways games make us laugh, cry, or just entertain us, you might like my work! Highlights are below.
Hi, I'm Tim and I write about video games! I was an editor for Destructoid, and nowadays you can catch my words on PC Gamer and Kotaku. If you enjoy celebrating the ways games make us laugh, cry, or just entertain us, you might like my work! Highlights are below.
The funniest part about this statement is that it implies that new video game critics are getting hired.
January 21, 2026 at 6:47 PM
The funniest part about this statement is that it implies that new video game critics are getting hired.
The fact that it has one of the best boss themes ever recorded in the history of video games certainly helped cement it as an all-time classic for me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U-u...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U-u...
Ys Seven OST - Vacant Interference
YouTube video by Falcom Music Channel
www.youtube.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:07 PM
The fact that it has one of the best boss themes ever recorded in the history of video games certainly helped cement it as an all-time classic for me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U-u...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U-u...
I know a lot of these mechanics are divisive nowadays. At the time though, it really felt like this relatively overlooked series was hitting you with encounters that were way ahead of the mainstream. I would have never predicted Seven's systems would become so common, but I'm not surprised either.
January 8, 2026 at 11:06 PM
I know a lot of these mechanics are divisive nowadays. At the time though, it really felt like this relatively overlooked series was hitting you with encounters that were way ahead of the mainstream. I would have never predicted Seven's systems would become so common, but I'm not surprised either.
I've thought about this a lot for the past ~15 years. I described Ys Seven on Destructoid in the early 2010s as fast-paced Secret of Mana since that was my best frame of reference then. A decade later, I do one battle in Final Fantasy XVI and go "I can't believe Square Enix is making Ys now."
It's absurd how Ys Seven is basically THE archetypical Modern Melee Action Game™ despite being released only a month or two before the major trendsetters. Omniparries, invincible dodge rolls, tacked-on crafting systems, stagger bars that let you wail on bosses for free once filled: it's all there
January 8, 2026 at 11:02 PM
I've thought about this a lot for the past ~15 years. I described Ys Seven on Destructoid in the early 2010s as fast-paced Secret of Mana since that was my best frame of reference then. A decade later, I do one battle in Final Fantasy XVI and go "I can't believe Square Enix is making Ys now."
What a way to find out Nintendo reads my skeets.
Unrelated, just throwing this out there for no particular reason, I'm definitely still sad Nintendo hasn't created a Switch 2 remake of Dragalia Lost a la Octopath Traveler 0. Just really tears me up inside.
Unrelated, just throwing this out there for no particular reason, I'm definitely still sad Nintendo hasn't created a Switch 2 remake of Dragalia Lost a la Octopath Traveler 0. Just really tears me up inside.
January 8, 2026 at 9:02 PM
What a way to find out Nintendo reads my skeets.
Unrelated, just throwing this out there for no particular reason, I'm definitely still sad Nintendo hasn't created a Switch 2 remake of Dragalia Lost a la Octopath Traveler 0. Just really tears me up inside.
Unrelated, just throwing this out there for no particular reason, I'm definitely still sad Nintendo hasn't created a Switch 2 remake of Dragalia Lost a la Octopath Traveler 0. Just really tears me up inside.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
January 8, 2026 at 7:36 PM
🎊Happy birthday to a quality guy 🎊
January 8, 2026 at 5:17 PM
🎊Happy birthday to a quality guy 🎊
If you're grabbing PS+ Extra, Sword of the Sea, Blue Prince, Demon's Souls, and Ghost of Tsushima are easy places to start (Bloodborne's on there too). My First Gran Turismo is basically a Gran Turismo 7 demo, so you can see if that's your thing too.
December 19, 2025 at 8:36 PM
If you're grabbing PS+ Extra, Sword of the Sea, Blue Prince, Demon's Souls, and Ghost of Tsushima are easy places to start (Bloodborne's on there too). My First Gran Turismo is basically a Gran Turismo 7 demo, so you can see if that's your thing too.
It turns out that Nidhogg is weak to getting shot.
December 18, 2025 at 5:49 AM
It turns out that Nidhogg is weak to getting shot.
"To put an end to this video game discourse, I've asked an AI-generated Roger Ebert for his opinion."
December 5, 2025 at 7:11 PM
"To put an end to this video game discourse, I've asked an AI-generated Roger Ebert for his opinion."
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
Hello. I just want to say that trans and non-binary people deserve infinite love at a time when the scant few rights they had are being so cruelly torn away.
I am so blessed to have trans and non-binary friends, colleagues, neighbours and relatives, who inspire me every day.
Love to you all.
I am so blessed to have trans and non-binary friends, colleagues, neighbours and relatives, who inspire me every day.
Love to you all.
December 4, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Hello. I just want to say that trans and non-binary people deserve infinite love at a time when the scant few rights they had are being so cruelly torn away.
I am so blessed to have trans and non-binary friends, colleagues, neighbours and relatives, who inspire me every day.
Love to you all.
I am so blessed to have trans and non-binary friends, colleagues, neighbours and relatives, who inspire me every day.
Love to you all.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
Questions for people who have played Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
December 1, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Questions for people who have played Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
Questions for people who have played Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
December 1, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Questions for people who have played Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
This week's issue features links to @solfleet.bsky.social, @marioprime.bsky.social, @jmariye.bsky.social, @timmonbleau.bsky.social, @mads.haus, @darylbaxter.com and others ⤵️
🌸 Issue 459 of Hanafuda Report is out now: hanafuda.report/issues/459/
Kirby's Big Ride Surprise - Hanafuda Report
hanafuda.report
November 25, 2025 at 5:06 PM
This week's issue features links to @solfleet.bsky.social, @marioprime.bsky.social, @jmariye.bsky.social, @timmonbleau.bsky.social, @mads.haus, @darylbaxter.com and others ⤵️
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
“We can’t give in to fear. If we run, then what happened to us will happen to others. The world won’t be safe. So we have to be strong. And we have to keep going.”
Beautiful work, @timmonbleau.bsky.social 💖
kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
Beautiful work, @timmonbleau.bsky.social 💖
kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake Changed How I Look At The Series
This remake is a new RPG purposefully masquerading as a pair of 40-year-old games
kotaku.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:01 PM
“We can’t give in to fear. If we run, then what happened to us will happen to others. The world won’t be safe. So we have to be strong. And we have to keep going.”
Beautiful work, @timmonbleau.bsky.social 💖
kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
Beautiful work, @timmonbleau.bsky.social 💖
kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
It means the world to me to see this piece so warmly received this past day. The last few weeks have been beyond hard for me, and so much of this was driven by my own struggle to find the strength to keep my chin up. I feel that weight lifting seeing these feelings resonate, thank you all.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is not Dragon Quest I or Dragon Quest II, but it is a a classic song of hope for our modern, hopeless times. In one of my deepest dives yet, I unpack how these games have changed, and how the meaning of Dragon Quest has evolved for me through these remakes. #blutoid
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Has Forever Changed How I Look At The Legendary RPG Series:
November 22, 2025 at 10:17 PM
It means the world to me to see this piece so warmly received this past day. The last few weeks have been beyond hard for me, and so much of this was driven by my own struggle to find the strength to keep my chin up. I feel that weight lifting seeing these feelings resonate, thank you all.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
Beautiful interpretation of the new Dragon Quest remakes. And here I simply walked away marveling at how DQ1 took me twenty hours to beat! (Among other positives, of course.)
We could use more of the spine-tingling hope Mr. Monbleau offers -- or perhaps reminds us -- at the very end here.
We could use more of the spine-tingling hope Mr. Monbleau offers -- or perhaps reminds us -- at the very end here.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Has Forever Changed How I Look At The Legendary RPG Series:
Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake Changed How I Look At The Series
This remake is a new RPG purposefully masquerading as a pair of 40-year-old games
kotaku.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Beautiful interpretation of the new Dragon Quest remakes. And here I simply walked away marveling at how DQ1 took me twenty hours to beat! (Among other positives, of course.)
We could use more of the spine-tingling hope Mr. Monbleau offers -- or perhaps reminds us -- at the very end here.
We could use more of the spine-tingling hope Mr. Monbleau offers -- or perhaps reminds us -- at the very end here.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
Not to spoil the ending too much, but “a bedtime story for the broken” is such a *bar* that I need a cigarette. kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake Changed How I Look At The Series
This remake is a new RPG purposefully masquerading as a pair of 40-year-old games
kotaku.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Not to spoil the ending too much, but “a bedtime story for the broken” is such a *bar* that I need a cigarette. kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
Thank you so much Andrea, it’s been so long since I’ve written something like this too. 🥲
November 22, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Thank you so much Andrea, it’s been so long since I’ve written something like this too. 🥲
Dude I am so overwhelmed in all the best ways seeing this, thank you so much for reading!
November 22, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Dude I am so overwhelmed in all the best ways seeing this, thank you so much for reading!
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
I'm beginning to think DQ1+2 HD-2D have a legit claim to being the best "game" of the year with how everyone I know and respect on the genre are talking.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Has Forever Changed How I Look At The Legendary RPG Series:
Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake Changed How I Look At The Series
This remake is a new RPG purposefully masquerading as a pair of 40-year-old games
kotaku.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:28 PM
I'm beginning to think DQ1+2 HD-2D have a legit claim to being the best "game" of the year with how everyone I know and respect on the genre are talking.
The crazy part is that I didn't actually vibe with DQ III HD-2D that hard (liked it but didn't love it), so I wasn't expecting to go into this one wondering "Does Masaaki Hayasaka know better than Yuji Horii?"
November 21, 2025 at 10:38 PM
The crazy part is that I didn't actually vibe with DQ III HD-2D that hard (liked it but didn't love it), so I wasn't expecting to go into this one wondering "Does Masaaki Hayasaka know better than Yuji Horii?"
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
wonderful piece. i really resonate with how overwhelming the emotional core of dragon quest 2's remake in particular can be. i find myself bowled over constantly playing this thing, which is all the more shocking given the original game's reputation as "the worst one."
November 21, 2025 at 10:08 PM
wonderful piece. i really resonate with how overwhelming the emotional core of dragon quest 2's remake in particular can be. i find myself bowled over constantly playing this thing, which is all the more shocking given the original game's reputation as "the worst one."
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
absolute cookery from Tim here. putting this in a tab to read through later, but i spied the last graf and it's some good stuff. hell yes.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is not Dragon Quest I or Dragon Quest II, but it is a a classic song of hope for our modern, hopeless times. In one of my deepest dives yet, I unpack how these games have changed, and how the meaning of Dragon Quest has evolved for me through these remakes. #blutoid
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Has Forever Changed How I Look At The Legendary RPG Series:
November 21, 2025 at 10:17 PM
absolute cookery from Tim here. putting this in a tab to read through later, but i spied the last graf and it's some good stuff. hell yes.