Nintendo Direct 09.02.2022 | My Reaction

Hey lovelies! Happy March!! As you can tell from the title of today's post, I'm going to be sharing some of my thoughts on the most recent Nintendo Direct... almost a month after it aired. Better late than never, right?.... right?? I am so happy that getting a Nintendo Switch has revived my love for gaming after so many years. I mean, the nostalgic love hadn't disappeared, and I would often re-play some of PlayStation classics from my childhood, but some things that happened in my life put a dampener on gaming for a while, and I focused on my other hobbies much more. However, Animal Crossing: New Horizons ignited the spark again, and it's an awesome feeling to find myself getting hyped for new releases and updates like I used to as a teenager! So, even though I'm a few weeks behind, I still wanted to express my excitement with my fabulous readers, many of whom are likely to be game-enthusiasts themselves, and relive all that excitement again as I write :) I hope the same happens for you guys as you read along! 

First, I'm going to be discussing the games I'm most looking forward to, the ones I audibly squeee'd in reaction to when they came up during the direct. Then I'll talk about some others that peaked my interest and I feel deserve honourable mentions. I'd love to hear all about which games you're most excited about, so please let me know in the comments. 

I was absolutely over the moon when around twenty minutes into the Direct, a familiar pink round boi came running onto our screens! I had been keeping my fingers crossed for a Kirby game for a while, and oh my goodness, this trailer did not let me down! How brilliant does Kirby and the Forgotten Land look though!? 

If you've been following my blog for a while and read the posts featuring the Kirby Ichiban Kuji lottery games I've played, then you will know how much I adore this Nintendo character. Although, I had a Nintendo DS in my early teens, I wasn't introduced to this cute little puffball until one of my friends in high school let me have a play of his Kirby game on the computers in the IT room at lunchtime, and I immediately fell in love with the character. I would get encouraged by my friends to imitate Kirby's moves in the game all the time because apparently I was hilarious, haha! And there's just lots of fun memories for me surrounding the franchise :) 

The new game, which is scheduled to be released on March 25th, is so colourful and bright, and very much encapsulates the kawaii aesthetic, whilst presenting an action-packed and entertaining storyline. Aside from the overall appearance of the game, my absolute favourite feature has to be the 'Mouthful Mode' move and all its variations. I am particularly obsessed with Light-bulb Kirby, with Vending Machine Kirby coming in at a very close second. All of the artwork that I've seen around on twitter and instagram of Kirby-shaped random household objects and such has been fabulous! Which is your favourite of the Mouthful Modes? I cannot wait to play this beautiful and awesome-looking game! 

If you watched the Nintendo Direct and weren't ecstatic about announcements involving the character in the above photo, we can't be friends...

I'm kidding :D BUT eeeeeeeeee!! Even though I went into the direct already knowing that there would be a Klonoa mention, I still couldn't contain my giddiness about it! You see, I couldn't watch the direct until the day after it was aired, and my friends who had watched it couldn't not immediately message me about Klonoa, because they know how much I adore the character/games. And then I noticed all of the artwork filling up my timeline on twitter and I pretty much almost cried. I am not even embarrassed by my reaction. 

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil is one of my all-time favourite games, and it forever will be! I have adored this bunny-esque character since I was around 8 years old after playing the first game, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile on my PS1. During my childhood, I would experience a lot of games via demos, the kind that you could get in gaming magazines, as my parents couldn't afford to buy me new games all the time. I would play these demo versions of certain games again and again, and very much treasured every full-length game that I did have. The first Klonoa game blew little Sarah away with its cuteness, and also its theme music. Years later, I pestered my mom so much for the sequel, the exact game I still own now, and was overjoyed when she bought it for me! 

Hearing the iconic 'WAHOO' sound not long after the Kirby announcement was almost too much to handle, I was just so happy, not only about the idea of a game but also the fanart that I know will come along with it as all the artists of the gaming community plays too. For the longest time, I have been sad about the lack of Klonoa merch available, and that will (hopefully) no longer be the case, especially after seeing all of the illustrations that popped up after the announcement! I now find it much more convenient to play games on a handheld console and barely ever play my Switch on the TV (living with chronic health conditions affects literally everything I can do nowadays!). This means that I have not played my PS2 version of the game for quite a while, so I am super thankful that the Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series will bring Lunatea's Veil back into my life, as well as allow me to play the first game all the way through. Finally! Bring on July 8th!!

So, those two (technically three) game announcements are the ones that stole the show for me, but there were some others that I am tempted to check out. Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival looks so adorable that I am drawn to the game even though I don't think I'll be very good at playing it at all. I've never been particularly good at dancing games and anything similar that involves quick moves to the rhythm of music. Not gonna lie, I feel like the look of the game might mean that I spend my money on it but then don't actually play it, haha. Can any of you relate? 

I am yet to watch the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (It's on my watchlist, with a million other shows, so I'll get around to it eventually!) but the game looked SO GOOD! The Hinokami Chronicles is due out on June 10th and I am feeling the urge to binge watch the show in the days leading up to the release and then have a play once I've completed it. We will see! Are you a fan of the anime and/or manga? 

Another game that was memorable for me was the final announcement of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. The music and story in the trailer was beautiful, as well as that icy landscape featured, and what can I say? I'm a sucker for a humanoid character with animal ears! The creatures in this game also look epic, wouldn't you agree? This game is expected to launch some time in September this year. 

The last game, only because of the order I've decided to write about them in, that caught my attention was the Kingdom Hearts collection, Integrum Masterpiece series. As someone who never got the chance to play these games when I was younger apart from one time at a friends house, and who only knows about the characters because of tumblr, I think it's wonderful that the option will be there for me to experience all three games on my Switch whenever I decide to. They are available now from the Nintendo e-shop, if you didn't already know :) 

So, that's enough of my rambling for one day! I'm never sure if my game-related posts are interesting, so I'd really appreciate if you guys could let me know if you enjoyed reading :) I hope that I was able to bring some upcoming games to the attention of anyone who missed the Direct, or maybe someone who is new to the world of the Nintendo Switch and happens to stumble upon my post in their google search. Or that I was able to get everyone else excited all over again for these games! Either way, it looks like it's going to be an eventful year for gamers, even more so after the Pokemon Direct and the trailer for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. You'd have to be living under a rock to not have spotted the new starters on social media yet :D Do you have a favourite? They're all adorable, but I'm all about Sprigatito! Anyhow, this post is already super long, so I'll end it here. 

Thank you for reading!

♥

What game are you most hyped about? 

Is there anything that you were hoping to see announcements about, but were left disappointed? 

If you enjoyed today's post, check out these previous posts: 

| ACNH: My First Impressions | My Favourite Video Games as a Kid | 

| Kirby Gem Pusher Arcade Game | My First Ever Kuji! | 

Naomi Lord Art Haul & Review

Hey everyone! I hope you're all had a lovely Tuesday, and that you still have lots of chocolate leftover from Easter, (or have taken advantage of the discounts!), to enjoy :) I am a firm believer that there's no such thing as too much chocolate, however I am currently living on a diet made up of almost entirely chocolate & I am scared I will get sick of it! :O That would be borderline illegal behaviour! I have some at the side of my laptop as write up this post, haha. Not many things make me happier than chocolate & nerdy merch... and if you, too, love the latter, then I'm sure this will be a fun read for you :) I hope you all enjoy reading &  checking out the fabulous artwork I have to show you guys today! 

If you follow me over on my Instagram, you may have already seen the items that I'm going to talk about today, and you might have even watched the videos I posted on my story showing them off, but I just had to blog about them as well, because it would be wrong not to... everything I received is so wonderful & needs to be shared with others!! I'm sure that most of you will have seen Naomi Lord's gorgeous artwork on various social media sites across the internet, and if you haven't, then I'm very happy to bring it to your attention :) 

Naomi Lord is a UK based freelance artist, who creates both original characters and fanart. She is probably most well-known for her Harry Potter artwork, which is not surprisingly how I first discovered her. She is super kind and hosts a giveaway once a month over on her Instagram, giving one of her lucky followers a chance to win a custom portrait of themselves (or a friend) as a Hogwarts Student, in their house colours & with their very own Patronus! It is through these giveaways that her beautiful art came into my life, and I have been wanting to order from her ever since. I am delighted that I finally could! 

As well as Harry Potter themed work, Naomi also creates art surrounding a wide variety of other topics, including Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, Disney, Studio Ghibli and more! She designs a lot of mythology based characters and her own interpretations of fantasy creatures, deities, witches and astrology symbols. So many of my favourite things have been brought to fabulous, colourful life by Naomi Lord, and I adore everything she illustrates! 

So, it's about time that I showed you guys my entire haul from Naomi Lord's Etsy store. 

Ta-da! Sorry, not sorry, for hitting you all in the eyeballs with cuteness overload! … That might be the cheesiest/weirdest line I've ever written, but I don't care because LOOK!! :D How adorable is every single thing that I purchased, and even the business card & little thankyou note is incredibly cute! It is always so sweet when artists include a note, and even more so when it is includes a hand-drawn doodle :) That cat is an exact representation of me when I opened my order! It's nice to know when artists and independent businesses appreciate your purchase.

Let's take a close look at each of the items I added to my basket, and I'll tell you guys what I think :)

I knew that I would be buying some stickers, specifically the San/Princess Mononoke one, which I've had on my wishlist for a while now, but the other two were chosen after a very stressful decision making period. All of Naomi Lord's work is beautiful and it was super tough to settle on just two more stickers, but I had a budget so I had to rein in my mighty need to get ALL THE STICKERS!! 

Since it's Springtime, the season of pretty flowers and sweet baby animals, I opted for this lovely flowery Eevee design. The flower crown is gorgeous, and makes me think of the apple blossom that grows in our garden. It's very difficult to say what my favourite feature of this sticker is, because I love the huge floofy neck, the big teardrop tail, the bunny-esque ears and the tiny toe beans, as well as the sprinkle of grass and the tiny heart detail. What's not to love about this Eevee? 

Something that I adore about Naomi's characters is that they just look so cuddly! Detective Pikachu actually looks like a plushie and I just wish that I could give him a hug :) His big, friendly eyes are full of personality and make me 'awwww' each time I notice them. Pikachu's rosy cheeks and oWo expression is what made me settle on this sticker. It wasn't until I saw it in person that I really noticed just how stunning the sakura (cherry blossom) illustration in the background is, and how clear the steam rising from Detective Pikachu mug of coffee is. I love it!!

As I said, this item was one of the things that I knew I would be purchasing before I even started browsing through the wonders on offer. Princess Mononoke is my favourite Studio Ghibli movie, and San is one of, if not the main, most iconic character from it. Again, I cannot choose just one feature that I like best, because there are just so many intricate details. The trees and sky that make up the backdrop for one look spectacular. Each time I focus my attention on it, I can just imagine myself laying on the forest floor and looking up through the canopy. I really like the contrast of the green and blue against the colours of San's outfit and mask. Along with her bold outline, which is something that I absolutely love when it comes to Naomi's illustrations, this contrast really makes the character pop. I also find her solemn expression so cute, and it's just the best expression to use for San, in my opinion :) 

I couldn't resist picking up one of the 6x6 print's that Naomi Lord has available. All of her designs can be purchased in either a sticker form or a print, which I think it's really great! I struggled to pick between getting Princess Mononoke in print form or Kiki, the character that I eventually decided upon. Kiki is the protagonist from another movie by Studio Ghibli, Kiki's Delivery Service. It's one of my top five from this fabulous Japanese production company, and the reason why I ultimately went for Kiki as a print version is due to the expression on her face :D She looks incredibly excited and enthusiastic about whatever adventure she's going to be facing next, and her happiness is almost infectious, so I thought it would be wonderful to display this print up on the wall where I can see it & have it instantly put a smile on my face!

A lot of Naomi's art is coloured in more pastel shades, which is another thing that I love about it, however when it comes to this Kiki print, the colours chosen for her are much bolder and vibrant. Her red bow and shoes are especially eye-catching! Not gonna lie though, the main factor as to why I wanted this print might be because of Jiji (the cat).... I relate so much to his character & it's lovely to see him smiling, instead of looking gloomy or nervous, haha. 

And finally, if you know me well, I'm sure that you would have been fully expecting to see Snape somewhere in this post, as soon as I mentioned Harry Potter. If you didn't know, he's my main man, my favourite character from the franchise, one of my all-time favourites when it comes to fantasy in general. I have no shame when it comes to my love for this character, and if you don't like him... you need to leave my blog immediately XD I'm kidding, but we can't be friends, maybe...

Guys, look how adorable this version of Snape is! It's brilliant to see the stoic, grumpy Professor we all know and love (or should do!) designed in a chibi style, and I am all for it! I need more cute Snape merch in my life! But for now, I am over the moon with this print from Naomi Lord. 

I love that this kawaii interpretation of Severus is crossing/folding his arms and baring an unimpressed look on his face. I am very happy with all of the attention to detail when it comes to his outfit, too... the buttons along his sleeves, the high collar of his shirt, and the most importantly, the flowing cape! I am very impressed that the print features a 'softly simmering' cauldron :) It makes my little potterhead heart happy! And the addition of the potions are fantastic, too... and that tiny skull on one of them!! Cuteeee! 

Oh, and this is an 8x8 print and is the main reason I made my order in the first place. I am just a fangirl through and through XD I can't describe how much I love the way this illustration of Snape looks, and I cannot wait to get it a nice frame and be able to show it off. The only thing that would have made this print just that little bit more perfect would have been for it to have a more detailed backdrop. I do like that the background is pale as it ensures that the character stands out more, however it would be nice to see scenery like with the Kiki print & sticker artwork... maybe a mix of different shades of green to represent Slytherin? Nonetheless, I think this print is marvellous! 

Before I finish up this post all about my recent haul from Naomi Lord Art, I just wanted to share a little more information for those of you who want to get some of these wonderful products for yourselves or a loved one. The pricing of Naomi's art is superb, and is something I was super impressed by! The stickers cost me £1.30 each; the prints: £3.20 for the 6x6 & £5.20 for the 8x8. How amazing is that!? The shipping was £2.10 for me as I live in England, and my order arrived so fast. It was sent a sturdy envelope, with the cutest kitty doodle drawn on the back. I loved this little touch. Thankyou, Naomi! I can't recommend this store enough and I will certainly making more purchases in the future... I still have my eye on the Weasley family portrait & the artwork of the Egyptian Goddess, Bast :) 

I hope you all enjoyed reading my post, and be sure to check out Naomi's social media and Etsy because I guarantee that there's going to be something that catches your eye, too, so long as you appreciate all things kawaii. And who doesn't like cute versions of their favourites!? 

Thankyou for reading!

♥

Which is your favourite of the items that I picked up from Naomi Lord? 

Are you a fan of Studio Ghibli, Harry Potter or Pokemon?

If so, I'll love to hear who your favourites of the franchise are? 


Did you know you can find me on tumblr? And Pinterest? Also over on Twitter?