Helm
@helmll.bsky.social
Made some games, made some comics, made some records. Perennial pixel artist. This life dedicated to heavy metal lightning steel.
Pinned
Reposted by Helm
January 16, 2026 at 4:11 PM
'retro game' as a consumer category means 'anything that came out when you were a kid'. As a historical category it means - I suggest - anything that displayed on a crt monitor.
January 16, 2026 at 2:01 PM
'retro game' as a consumer category means 'anything that came out when you were a kid'. As a historical category it means - I suggest - anything that displayed on a crt monitor.
a thought on visual novels. A game can not delve deep on ideas without tying them to game systems to some extent. In a visual novel, especially one where the player doesn't get to do much but be exposed you can find absurdly deep dives into all sorts of imaginative concepts, it's refreshing.
January 15, 2026 at 8:13 PM
a thought on visual novels. A game can not delve deep on ideas without tying them to game systems to some extent. In a visual novel, especially one where the player doesn't get to do much but be exposed you can find absurdly deep dives into all sorts of imaginative concepts, it's refreshing.
at some point I decided to no longer use regular dithering because I felt it incongruous with the flat look of newschool pixel art we were pursuing at the time, but under such crt-ish conditions dither rests upon a finely textured dot pattern, so it's in a sense 'all dithering all the time'
January 15, 2026 at 1:57 PM
at some point I decided to no longer use regular dithering because I felt it incongruous with the flat look of newschool pixel art we were pursuing at the time, but under such crt-ish conditions dither rests upon a finely textured dot pattern, so it's in a sense 'all dithering all the time'
I am settling in with the crt-royale filter for this PC-98 escapade. It's been good to test out all sorts of shit but I think it terms of both the rational 'pixel art of the era wasn't meant to be seen without a texture effect' and the decidedly psychosomatic effect of nostalgic halation this is it
January 15, 2026 at 1:45 PM
I am settling in with the crt-royale filter for this PC-98 escapade. It's been good to test out all sorts of shit but I think it terms of both the rational 'pixel art of the era wasn't meant to be seen without a texture effect' and the decidedly psychosomatic effect of nostalgic halation this is it
He's not even my cat he just comes in and demands second nap. Blessed by the spirit of life itself
January 15, 2026 at 10:49 AM
He's not even my cat he just comes in and demands second nap. Blessed by the spirit of life itself
I feel connected to this creature
Our friend the Warty Toad lives in the Andes mountains of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru! They live in areas that can reach freezing temperatures at night, and studies have shown they have special body chemistry to help survive cold temperatures! (photo by Felipe Rabanal)
January 14, 2026 at 6:42 PM
I feel connected to this creature
godddaaaammmm
that's some game cover art
also, leggfgggggg
that's some game cover art
also, leggfgggggg
January 14, 2026 at 4:04 PM
godddaaaammmm
that's some game cover art
also, leggfgggggg
that's some game cover art
also, leggfgggggg
Great first session. I'll finish this one I think. Proving that the autotranslator is a serviceable tool for this kind of game archeology for sure, though you do have to squint a lot to understand the finer nuance of what's going on, sometimes.
January 14, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Great first session. I'll finish this one I think. Proving that the autotranslator is a serviceable tool for this kind of game archeology for sure, though you do have to squint a lot to understand the finer nuance of what's going on, sometimes.
I like it when you look at me this way
January 14, 2026 at 3:35 PM
I like it when you look at me this way
This game is so pretty and full of character
January 14, 2026 at 2:46 PM
This game is so pretty and full of character
lol I'm at this point where I play a jrpg and I walk into people's houses and I'm like damn you've got some biiig space here bro I'm never gonna be able to afford anything like that ever in my life
January 14, 2026 at 2:25 PM
lol I'm at this point where I play a jrpg and I walk into people's houses and I'm like damn you've got some biiig space here bro I'm never gonna be able to afford anything like that ever in my life
Blade of Darkness enjoys the CRT glow filter a lot
January 14, 2026 at 2:20 PM
Blade of Darkness enjoys the CRT glow filter a lot
do you open the cookie?
Y/N
Y/N
January 14, 2026 at 12:24 PM
do you open the cookie?
Y/N
Y/N
YU-NO is unsurprisingly gorgeous
January 13, 2026 at 2:24 PM
YU-NO is unsurprisingly gorgeous
With a story you have to employ close reading skills to interpret the text. When you play an old-school point and click adventure game you are doing a close read of a background for hotspots. This is the main act through which you achieve intimacy with the game and a hotspot highlighter betrays that
January 13, 2026 at 1:48 PM
With a story you have to employ close reading skills to interpret the text. When you play an old-school point and click adventure game you are doing a close read of a background for hotspots. This is the main act through which you achieve intimacy with the game and a hotspot highlighter betrays that