HYPERTEXT WONDERLAND

Very infrequently a game comes around that I find hard to put down. Should I watch a movie tonight? Nope, I need to work my way towards the next boss. Should I read a book? No way, I need to upgrade my weaponry. Sleep? An inviting suggestion Sir but I'll have to take a rain-check. Needless to say, I think Hollow Knight is very, very good. For those who haven’t played it, Hollow Knight is a metroidvania-style platformer. It was developed by Australian studio Team Cherry, who've been supporting the game with free DLC ever since it was first released last year. Those young rascals also released the game for the fresh sum of £11.99, which is ludicrous value all things considered. In my opinion, Hollow Knight excels for a few reasons. First, the atmosphere is brilliant. Second, the game balances challenge and difficulty extremely well. Third, it rewards risk and exploration. Fourth,  it's supported by a fantastic score from young, Aussie composer Christopher Larkin. ...

I once told somebody that I didn't like Haruki Murakami . This happened a few years ago and while it was true at the time I feel silly about it now. It’s still true that I don't absolutely love him but he's a writer I find fills a much needed gap. I’ve taken to reading his books during busy periods of my life and I appreciate how his strange ennui induced themes allow for escapism from my own strange ennui-induced life. Dance Dance Dance is the novel of his I read most recently. It's the sixth book that Murakami wrote and he did so shortly after publishing his most famous novel Norwegian Wood. As far as I gather it meant as a cathartic exercise given how he never enjoyed fame and publicity. He wrote it in exile while living in the USA. The book is also a sort of sequel to an earlier one he wrote called  A Wild Sheep Chase (I haven't read it). The story follows an unnamed freelance writer who is very much the usual Murakami loner figure. It begins with h...