Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset

@ellie

I review games NEW REVIEW WEEKLY: thealmightybacklog.wordpress.com I write Magic fanfiction: theplanarbridge.wordpress.com Business email: thealmightybacklog@gmail.com LINKTREE: She/Her Profile: Me by me

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Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jul 15

2026 gaming backlog 38 - Tiny Bookshop (PC) A very cozy and sweet bookshop sim, with a lovely cast of heartwarming characters. A bit exhausting as it took far longer than I expected to beat, but a worthy time nevertheless. #videogames

A woman in a green tanktop jogging across a grassy clifftop. In the background is a lighthouse; on the right is a tiny green wooden bookshop.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jul 14

Getting back on track with those #MTGxStarTrek spoilers 😅

A tv playing the Star Trek TOS episode Journey to Babel

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jul 8

Finished listening to all the Dropkick Murphys albums, so it's tierlist time! Definitely no truly awful albums because DKM are just too good. I think once they embraced folk instrumentation they got way better. The softer lockdown albums are beautiful but not my thing. #music

A tierlist of Dropkick Murphys albums.

S: The Meanest of Times, Going Out in Style, For the People
A: Signed and Sealed in Blood, Turn Up That Dial
B: The Gang's All Here, Blackout, 11 Short Stories of Pain and Glory
C: Do or Die, The Warriors' Code, Sing Loud Sing Proud, This Machine Still Kills Fascists, Okemah Rising.
F: n/a

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jul 8

I've decided this is my favourite card in the first Star Wars Unimited set because "karabast" is an in-universe swear, so it'd be like if Magic had a card simply called "Fuck!"

"Karabast" A/H, 2
Event - Spectre
A friendly unit deals damage to an enemy unit = damage on the friendly +1

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jul 7

Road work ahead? Well yeah I sure hope it does! showing my age there with memes from ye olde vine #videogames #thelastofus

A screenshot from The Last of Us Part II. Ellie, a young woman in a shabby black hoodie and carrying an aged backpack and a rifle over her shoulder. She is standing on a long disused freeway, overgrown with vines. In front of her is an orange sign reading "Road work ahead"

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jul 4

2026 gaming backlog 37 - The Exit 8 (PC) A surprisingly deft fusion of walking sim and psychological horror that manages to ratchet up tension and pressure without ever stooping so low as to throw a monster at you. Superb use of the liminal space to induce paranoia. #videogames #horror #backrooms

A yellow subway sign that reads Exit 8 and points right. It is hanging on a plain white tiled wall.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jul 4

2026 gaming backlog 36 - Golden Sun: The Lost Age (GBA) Despite its reputation, I found Golden Sun 2 a bit of a slog. Excellent core mechanics, but really bland writing and long, dull dungeons. A white whale game for me, but one I'll never replay I think. #videogames #jrpg

The lead party from Golden Sun II.
Bottom: Felix, a man with long brown bangs. He has a green tunic and cape, and is holding a sword in front of him.
Mid R: Jenna, a young mage with long red hair, wearing a pink robe and holding a wooden staff high above her head.
Mid L: Sheba, a shaman. She has a blond bowl cut, and ornate white and purple robes.
Top: Piers, a mysterious teal-haired warrior. He has a patterned headscarf, and is wearing blue armour.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jul 2

Got some odd looking Magic cards today... 🤔 #StarWarsUnlimited #SWU

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 29

To the surprise of nobody who has ever played a game with me, I like hideously broken, stupidly fun mechanics, and also flying and vigilance.

A list of MTG keywords with 6 highlighted - Flying, Vigilance, Flashback, Storm, Miracle, Infect.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 28

First stab at cooking with miso - normally I use peanut butter as a noodle sauce base. We've got miso, mushroom and ginger noodles, with fried tofu in a homemade sweet and spicy sauce. #vegan #cooking

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 28

Finished a listen-through of every Iron Maiden record, so that means it's time for a tierlist! Surprises: some of the newer records gelled with me more than they used to, and I'm more than ever set on some of their albums simply being a few good songs + filler. #musicsky #heavymetal

A tierlist of Iron Maiden albums.

S: Iron Maiden (1980), Somewhere in Time (1986), Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988), Fear of the Dark (1992), Brave New World (2000)

A: The Number of the Beast (1982), Piece of Mind (1983), Dance of Death (2003), Senjutsu (2021)

B: Powerslave (1984), Virtual XI (1998), A Matter of Life and Death (2006), The Final Frontier (2010)

C: The X Factor (1995), The Book of Souls (2015)

F: Killers (1981), No Prayer for the Dying (1990)

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 24

Hi tech computing setup to help my laptop not explode today 🤣

A laptop balanced on a box with a small fan pointing at it

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 20

2026 gaming backlog 35 - Castlevania Bloodlines (GEN) A really good classic-vania. Stunning visuals and soundtrack courtesy of the Mega Drive's power. Hideously tough at points though - probably one of the most gruelling CVs since the NES era. #videogames #retrogaming

Boxart for Castlevania Bloodlines. John, a well built man with long blond hair and wearing a white ruffled shirt and brown jacket and trousers, is holding the legendary whip Vampire Killer. Above him are an array of monsters.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 19

It has only really clicked for me that for the first time since I started the blog, I've got reviews queued up for _months_ now - I'm covered up until mid-September at this point!

A list of review documents on my PC. In descending order:

393 - Islets
394 - The Last of Us: Left Behind
395 - Vampire Survivors
396 - Viewfinder
397 - Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
398 - Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
399 - The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
400 - Blasphemous II
401 - Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit
402 - Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
403 - Blasphemous II: The Third Sin
404 - Lil Gator Game
405 - Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 18

2026 gaming backlog 34 - Lil Gator Game (PC) An absolutely beautiful game. Mechanically an homage to Breath of the Wild, but with the sensibilities of games like Alba and A Short Hike. An unrelentingly joyous platformer and celebration of childhood wonder and imagination. #videogame

A young green anthropomorphic alligator running through a wood. They are dressed in a brown floppy hat and wielding a stick and pot lid.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 16

Finished listening to Rise Against's discography, so it's time for a tierlist! A couple of surprises here for me, namely that on a relisten both Wolves and Nowhere Generation gelled with me a lot more than on release. Ricochet is still pants though. #music #musicsky

A tierlist of Rise Against albums.
S: Siren Song of the Counter Culture, The Sufferer & the Witness, Appeal to Reason, Endgame
A: Revolutions Per Minute, Ghost Note Symphonies, Nowhere Generation
B: The Unraveling, Black Market, Wolves
C: Long Forgotten Songs
F: Ricochet

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 15

2026 gaming backlog 33 - Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (PS4) An excellent follow-up to the first. Both AAIs lack a bit of structure due to no court sessions, but the AA formula is still present and wonderful. Love the way it all comes together, though the finale has a couple odd turns.

Splash for Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit. Bottom centre is Miles Edgeworth, a man with silver bangs in a red suit and white cravat. He is pointing towards the camera.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 12

That was a mail day worth waiting for #mtg #magicthegathering

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 12

2026 gaming backlog 32 - Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (PC) Somehow both wildly imbalanced and yet a vast upgrade on an already excellent game. Easily one of the best crossover fighters ever made, and a testament to Capcom's mastery of the craft. Crappy final boss though! #videogames #retrogaming

The Hulk, Spider-Man, Zangief, and Ryu facing each down.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 10

Haha I love his little angry face! 10/10, would put in the box next to my other Boo tokens (i.e. the MtG one and my own permanent badly-drawn Boo) 😅

A hand drawn Boo token based on the Baldur's Gate 1 interface

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 10

Yeah it's an interesting one - quite broad themes. Putting deathtouch on Bullseye would let it be a rough creature control commander I suppose. Reminds me a little bit of Flamewar, which operates in a similar space.

"Flamewar Brash Veteran" 1BR
More Than Meets The Eye BR
Sac another artifact: Put a +1/+1 counter on this card and convert it.
1, discard your hand: Put all exiled cards you own with intel counters on them into your hand.
A: Volta Creation

Desc: The Transformer Flamewar wielding a bow.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 9

Favourite arts for Ponder, Preordain, Brainstorm, Opt.

"Ponder" U
Sorcery
Look at the top 3 of your library, then put them back in any order. You may shuffle.
Draw a card.
A: John de Giovanni

Desc: Aang sitting on the ground in lotus position, facing away. In front of him are the spectral images of Avatars Roku, Kyoshi, and Kuruk.

"Prophetic Beginning" (Preordain) U
Sorcery
Scry 2, then draw a card
A: Toshiaki Takayama

Desc: A thief, white mage, warrior, and black mage from Final Fantasy standing on a cliff overlooking a lake. In the distance is a silhouette of a castle.

"Brainstorm" U
Instant
Draw 3, then put 2 from your hand on top of your library in any order.
A: Justine & Alexis Hernandez

Desc: A mage in ornate blue robes. Around their head is an intricate halo of light with many forks of lightning coming into it.

"Opt" U
Instant
Scry 1, Draw 1
A: Rien.

Desc: A woman in traditional Japanese dress holding out an arm to the sky and grasping a star.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 9

2026 gaming backlog 31 - Marvel vs. Capcom (PC) A brilliant evolution of the series into the MvC games proper. Supports are a cool new addition to the formula and I love the spread of characters, though the final boss can absolutely do one. #videogames #fighting #mvc

A series of Marvel and Capcom characters staring each other down.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 9

2026 gaming backlog 30 - Blasphemous 2: The Third Sin (PC) A fantastic - and FREE! - expansion for Blasphemous 2. Feels like a wonderful love letter to Castlevania, right down to the misty castle setting and new chain whip weapon, which I loved using. #videogames #metroidvania

A man in armour and a conical helmet wielding a chain whip, standing against a floating red ghost with a giant sword.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 8

2026 gaming backlog 29 - Blasphemous II (PC) Somehow even better than the first. The atmosphere isn't quite as oppressive and I personally found it even more unrelentingly hard, but the mechanical changes are so good that everything else ceases to matter. Incredibly good. #videogames #metroidvania

A man in a weathered conical helmet with a crown of thorns on it

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 6

2026 gaming backlog 28 - Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (PC) An oddity in the pre-MvC games in that it sort of feels like a mashing-up of the previous 2 games. It's certainly a lot of fun to play, though it doesn't quite pip Marvel Super Heroes for me. #videogames #marvel #streetfighter

Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter art. A collection of characters from Marvel comics and Street Fighter games.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 5

2026 gaming backlog 27 - Vampire Survivors (PC) I wouldn't say I've "beaten" Vampire Survivors - there's still plenty to unlock - but I've reached the end of my time with it, I think. Remarkably addictive; a deeply satisfying number-go-up experience #videogames

Vampire Survivors splash page. A man in a green hood holds a whip horizontally. A female mage with a trailing purple cape and blue magic glyphs over her hands is flying overhead. Behind them is Dracula.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 5

2026 gaming backlog 26 - Castlevania Rondo of Blood / Dracula X (PSP) A bit slow and stodgy, but still a very solid Castlevania game with a surprising amount of branching pathways and secrets to find. Richter having less mobility than Simon in SC4 feels grim though. #videogames #castlevania

Richter Belmont, a young man in a dark blue tabard and holding a curled chain whip.

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 4

Thank you! A lot of my decks get this kind of overly flowery "lore in my head" style deck names, especially if I think they'll be forever decks like these ones that I have in paper on my shelves

Ellie, Who Slows the Sunset@ellie· Jun 4

I've got a bunch of new commanders I've had my eye on for a while coming in the post, so I suppose I'd better crack on getting some of these lists built and proxied 😅