Arts and Entertainment 

By Dalton Brown

Ever since I was a wee boy, Supercell has been an important part of my life. 

Created in 2010 by the infamous Finnish game company, Supercell has created six iconic games. They are made with high quality, however that doesn't exactly mean they are great games. The first made is “Hay Day” in 2012, followed by “Clash of Clans" in the same year. In 2014, “Boom Beach" was released, “Clash Royale" in 2016, “Brawl Stars" in 2018, and the newest addition, “Squad Busters” in 2024. In 2024, Supercell accumulated three billion dollars from these six games. The question is: Does old mean gold? Or do new games outshine the old ones?

Hay Day is the kind of game someone’s mother would play. It’s a farming industry game, where the player grows crops, animal products and other materials that are then used to create food and other goods. These goods are then sold for experience and gold. The goal of the game is to expand a farm as much as possible. In its “hay day,” the game made 1.2 billion dollars. I have fond memories of playing this with my family and exchanging goods to help each other. Although, whenever I try to play it again, It becomes boring pretty quickly. The endless tasks are repetitive, that same cycle of planting, harvesting, and feeding, though intriguing at first, transforms into a mind-numbing chore. Not to mention, these bumbling NPCs with strangely drawn faces walking up to my farm, for the 100,000th time, just to sell me the worst deals of my life, ravages my soul. A game isn’t meant to be a job, a game is meant to be relaxing and fun. And Hay Day simply isn’t fun when you spend weeks on end, only to achieve one-percent of the milestones. 

Clash of Clans is the most iconic game of them all, holding a special place in my heart. While Clash isn’t the highest grossing anymore, in 2015, the game accumulated 1.3 billion dollars. In this game, players collect resources through mines and raiding players' bases, which are then used to upgrade their own bases and raid strategies. As players progress and upgrade their main building, the “town hall,” they unlock new defenses and raid strategies. While this is the second game Supercell has made, it is my favorite and one of the first games I ever played. I love the flow of progression, as I can upgrade buildings and attack strategies at a steady pace that doesn't feel overwhelming, and also not slow as to be boring. I also love the community, and seeing the progress I've made is very satisfying. One can even determine the value of a person by the level of their Clash of Clans base, and how they treat it. If I had to choose between my family and Clash of Clans, I would choose my clan, no hesitation. 

Boom Beach is the equivalent of apes if they never evolved into humans, except the humans are Clash of Clans. Boom Beach is another base building game, except this time it takes place on an island. Players must save island natives from imperial bases by destroying the bases, and in the process gain territory and resources to upgrade their own base. When attacking, troops will reach the beach through landing craft and then run to attack the base. At first, it plays the same as Clash of Clans, and new progress is very satisfying, but as the game continues I realized how slow and how limited the game is. The game only allows one building to be upgraded at a time, and waiting times become unbearable hastily. This game is somewhat god-awful, and I say somewhat because it's not bad, but I hold Supercell to a higher standard.

Clash Royale can bring out the worst in a person. The game was made with inspiration from Clash of Clans, and is a real time strategy game. In each competitive match players enter,they must protect three towers with characters called cards, while also using them to attack the enemies towers. Many of these cards are inspired from Clash of Clans, yet many more are unique to the game. Players progress by upgrading their cards, collecting new cards, and eventually upgrading their towers. Playing this game makes me feel bipolar because winning feels amazing, but losing is devastating. In the past, this game was very loved and respected, but new updates with fewer rewards make progression impossible. At the same time, the game is flooded with real money offers, making those who purchase progress much faster. For many, including myself, these offers ruined the game because it makes people willing to spend money “better” than those not willing. It ruins the point of a strategy based game meant to reward players on their skill, not how much money they can spend. Besides the abuse of in-game purchases, all media of this game has been hatred towards other players, and no other game has a community like this.

Brawl stars is the second most recent game made by Supercell, and by far the most popular. The game is a third-person hero shooter game where players pick characters to battle in different modes. Each character has something unique about them that gives the players an edge in battle, in winning a match players get trophies and other resources to upgrade their characters. I have likely spent the most on this time, however I’ve taken many breaks because of how annoying it can become. Whenever I play a team mode, my fate is up to my teammates, who I’m sure have been delicately selected from the worst players of all time. Additionally, whenever I play a solo mode it’s almost as if I have a locator beacon for everyone else to see, and they all come shuffling for me.

Squad busters is the most recent addition to Supercell's roster, and easily the worst. The  game is a fast-paced third-person game where ten players collect and hold onto the most gems to win. To increase players’ survivability in a game, they break loot boxes to make their army larger and then fight other armies. Overall, the whole game feels like a reference to all the past ones, its characters consist from every single previous game except with less detail. I’m pretty sure it’s marketed towards really little kids because of how childish the game looks. It’s enjoyable at first, but the repetition, like Hay Day, becomes agonizing quickly. I ended up deleting the game a week or so after downloading, and haven’t thought about it since.

By Jaydon Zhang

“Minecraft” is a sandbox game, where you have freedom to roam a fantasy land. It’s a blocky world where you mine, craft, and survive in a blocky world. 

The game is very successful, and as a result , Mojang, the owners of the game, collaborated with Warner Bros to create a live action movie. The movie’s plot is around a group of real life people who are transported into the games.

While the movie is PG, and catered towards children, millions of people above the catered young audience group have also flocked to watch it. Complaints of its cringeness online resulted from this. However, I feel the movie’s cringeness is also what makes a fun “brain off” and enjoyable movie.

The movie is short, and I think that's good for a stupid fun movie. While not too long to be annoying, it remains long enough to be enjoyed. 

We are introduced to a young Steve, who enters the Minecraft world at a young age, and a cast of four who are guided by Steve in the Minecraft world after several years. Steve is transported into the minecraft world from a mysterious portal opened by an orb he found a long time ago, while the cast of four, Garrett,an egotistical failing game store owner who's actually depressed, Natalie and Henry,older sister and younger brother, and Dawn ,Natalie’s and Henry’s real estate agent, are transported after their own series of adventure. This group of four found the mysterious orb Steve’s minecraft wolf left behind in the real world.

Essentially, Steve’s wolf is being held hostage by evil pigs known as piglins. Steve needs to return the orb that activated the portal from real life to the minecraft world, to Malgosha, master of the piglins, for his wolf back. When Garrett and friends are transported, they struggle with mobs (hostile creatures like zombies and skeletons), and Steve saves them. However, in Garrett’s possession, the orb gets damaged in this “mob struggle.” Since Steve is a good guy, he agrees to help locate a new missing piece of the orb, so Garrett and friends can return to the real world. In return, Steve gets the orb back in return to trade Malgosha for his wolf back. This creates my favorite part of the movie, the dynamic of a cocky Garrett, a Steve who likes his confidence and knows everything about minecraft, and a side cast who support these comedic moments on a stupid chaotic adventure.

The movie was very predictable, and the plot was all over the place, but I like it that way.

I remember near the end of the movie where Garrett supposedly sacrifices his life on a bridge so Steve and Henry could survive. Turns out when the camera panned out he survived and saved Henry in the final fight of the movie. 

Oftentimes, since this movie was just live action with heaps of CGI, when Steve said a reference from the game in the movie, like when he said “lets minecraft” it was enunciated. I felt cringey and forced, but these moments were still funny. This criticism was abundant in reviews, but I feel it’s fine if you go with a “turn your brain off and enjoy” before the movie. Also, with a growing trend online where people sarcastically cheer for random references Steve says, (like in theaters)  it actually becomes funny and enjoyable in the media, which I feel is a main source of my enjoyment for it also.

An example of it is when Steve is forced to watch Garrett fight a mob in the woodland mansion. It seemingly seems like a blowout, where Garrett is forced to fight a chicken, but is soon revealed to act as the ride of a baby zombie that falls from the ceiling. At the same time, Steve forces his Texas accent and enunciates “Chicken Jockey”, in a way he sounds like he’s expressing his knowledge of minecraft terminology. The fight was cool, but the way Steve said “Chicken Jockey.” was the only thing I remembered from that scene.

Another stupid fun moment was when Steve introduced the cast to his stash of goods. This was in preparation for their journey to the woodland mansion. He went on to name items in his stash like diamond armor and fireworks to give the cast in preparation for their journey. As a minecraft player, he named everything in his stash correctly, but in a presentation matter that was annoying. I remember this when Steve said, “Diamond armor, FULL SET.” Another instance was when he said, “Fireworks, good for propulsion.” This scene was pretty annoying with the way Steve was naming the items, but again, pretty funny if a non critic approach to this movie was had before watching. 

By Eliel Diethers

“One Piece” is one of the longest running and most famous anime series ever made. Created by Eiichiro Oda, “One Piece” first aired in 1999 and has since passed a thousand episodes, making it one of the most successful and highest rated anime series of all time. The story follows  a young pirate named Monkey D. Luffy, a boy with rubber powers and dreams of becoming the Pirate King by finding the treasure known as the "One Piece."

What makes “One Piece” different is its unforgettable characters, foreshadowing, deep character backstories, and a huge, never-ending world. Every member of Luffy’s crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, has their own dream and personality. 

One of the coolest things about “One Piece” is how everything connects. The story builds slowly, but everything connects, even events from early episodes still matter hundreds of episodes later. Oda is good at keeping the story going without it feeling repetitive. Even though the show is still ongoing, the plot stays interesting with new islands, villains and challenges. This kind of continuity is hard to find in other anime and shows how well planned it is.

Visually, the animation has grown a lot, especially in newer arcs like “Wano,” where the fight scenes increased to 60 frames per minute. The fight scenes are more intense and have way better quality than it was when it first came out. The music also adds more emotion, making scenes more interesting.

Outside of the anime, “One Piece” has had a huge impact on pop culture. It inspired video games, theme park rides, a Netflix live-action show, and even real-world statues in Japan. It also inspired countless other shows and holds the Guinness World Record for the most copies of a comic book series published by one author, with over 500 million copies sold, and it is the fifth best selling book. Recently, it even broke streaming records with Luffy’s long-awaited Gear 5 transformation and crashed streaming sites since too many people tried to watch it at once. People around the world cosplay as the characters, and the show’s themes connect with all kinds of people.

By Joseph Isaguirre Portillo 

ATLUS’s Shin Megami Tensei “Persona” series is a once in a lifetime gaming experience that I will never forget. (From its very memorable music, immersive storytelling, unforgettable characters and unique turn-based combat system.) These elements are what makes Persona such a unique experience. It's nothing I’ve ever played before considering I was more into hero/tactical shooters like “Overwatch 2” or “Valorant.” 

It's currently available to be played on PC, Nintendo Switch and New/Old-gen consoles like the Playstation 4 and 5 and Xbox Series X and One. The modern Persona games include “Persona 5 Royal,” “Persona 4 Golden,” and both “Persona 3 Portable” and "Persona 3 Reload.” When it comes to purchasing some of the older games like “Persona” one and two, most are unavailable since the earlier games were created for the Playstation Portable, Playstation 2, or Playstation 3 which most people these days don't own. 

All three modern “Persona” games are completely different from each other story wise, yet somehow connected by small little easter eggs that aren't normally noticed at first. With three different installments to play, which one should be played first?

“Persona 5 Royal” was the first game that was recommended to me by one of my friends and is one I recommend to people as a starting point. If starting at the fifth installment feels confusing, the reasoning behind this is that the combat system is easier to comprehend compared to the older games. In combat, each party member and yourself can use something called a persona. A persona is the physical manifestation of a person's psyche that is only used for combat. 

Combat isn't the only aspect that's important, both the music and story-telling are really important. 

The soundtrack in “Persona 5 Royal” is known for its use of  acid jazz, which is influenced by hip-hop, dance, electronic, and of course jazz. This combination of jazz and other genres can tell a story by itself. Many of the songs like "Tokyo Daylight” or “Beneath the Mask” really set the mood during the story sections of the game. 

LYN is the main artist for “Persona 5 Royal.” Her voice really fits this theme of jazz and is really relaxing to just have in the background.

When it comes to the story, it's just as exceptional. “Persona 5 Royal” main premise is that the main cast of characters, high schoolers, are able to go into a different realm called The Metaverse and are able to steal the hearts of corrupt adults. They use this power to fight against injustice and reveal the true nature of the people they target. 

The story is the most important part of the game, the second most important feature of the game is the Social Links. Social Links are a select number of people who are important for the game's storyline. Half of the Social Links are your team members; talking to them is essential to getting to really know their character. Each Social Link is special, with each one being linked to an arcana of sorts. Arcanas are based on the tarot cards, with some either being The Magician, The Foul, and The Empress. 

“Persona 5 Royal” is fantastic to get into the series. It's easy to understand and can help understand how to play the other games.

“Persona 4 Golden” is my personal favorite out of the three. Although it's not as new as “Persona 5 Royal” or “Persona 3 Reload” it's still incredible in its own way. The combat gameplay is relatively the same. 

The soundtrack of “Persona 4 Golden” is a mixture of J-pop and rock. Some of my personal favorites are “Heartbeat, Heartbreak,” “Pursuing My True Self,” and “Time To Make History.” Most of the songs are sung by Shikoho Hirata, who is also the main artist for “Persona 4 Golden.” 

The story is quite different from “Persona 5 Royal.” Instead of changing hearts, it’s instead all about investigating and trying to solve the murder true identity. Before the murderer tries to kidnap somebody, they are shown on a special show called The Midnight Channel. This premise is a huge gap compared to changing hearts. To me, that's what makes it so much more engaging and why it’s one of my personal favorites. The game can be really funny at times, while on the other hand, it can take a drastic turn. It constantly had me on edge about what would happen next. 

Social Links in this game are better than “Persona 5 Royal.” The Social Links really let the player get to know the characters' struggles, dreams, and personalities. This makes the characters feel more like a real person.

“Persona 3 Reload” felt like a breath of fresh air compared to “Persona 4 Golden.” The only difference is that reload came out last year February while Golden came out in 2012. 

The soundtrack of “Persona 3 Reload” consists of Hip-hop and Pop rap. Some songs like “It’s Going Down,” “Full Moon Full Life,” and “Changing Seasons” are very iconic for the game. Lotus Juice and Azumi Takahashi together are the main artists for “Persona 3 Reload.” 

Back in March, Lotus Juice held a concert here in SF, and my friends and I were able to go together. Being able to hear his songs in-person was such a memorable experience for us.

The main premise of “Persona 3 Reload” is that between midnight and 1 a.m., exists an extra hour called the Dark Hour. During this time, people are transformed into coffins and a building called tartarus appears. The main character joins a group called SEES that specializes in taking down shadows and exploring a skyscraper-like building called Tartarus. 

Most people that I know who have played before say that Tartarus was the most annoying part of the game since it felt as if it got in the way of enjoying the game. For me, I really enjoyed Tartarus and the combat aspects in this game. 

The story in this game is what I really enjoy the most. “Persona 3 Reload” is one of the few games to ever make me tear up. This game is so amazing from start to finish. I have never looked at a title screen in such sadness after finishing the game. 

The “Persona” series is once again such a life changing experience that I wish I could forget all the memories I have just to play it again for the first time.