Timothy Monbleau
@timmonbleau.bsky.social
Former Guide Editor at Destructoid, bylines at PC Gamer, Kotaku, and GamesRadar+. I write about video games and even play them sometimes. He/Him
Pinned
Timothy Monbleau
@timmonbleau.bsky.social
· Oct 18
Guess I'll do an introduction too.
Hi, I'm Tim and I write about video games! I was an editor for Destructoid, and nowadays you can catch my words on PC Gamer and Kotaku. If you enjoy celebrating the ways games make us laugh, cry, or just entertain us, you might like my work! Highlights are below.
Hi, I'm Tim and I write about video games! I was an editor for Destructoid, and nowadays you can catch my words on PC Gamer and Kotaku. If you enjoy celebrating the ways games make us laugh, cry, or just entertain us, you might like my work! Highlights are below.
I've thought about this a lot for the past ~15 years. I described Ys Seven on Destructoid in the early 2010s as fast-paced Secret of Mana since that was my best frame of reference then. A decade later, I do one battle in Final Fantasy XVI and go "I can't believe Square Enix is making Ys now."
It's absurd how Ys Seven is basically THE archetypical Modern Melee Action Game™ despite being released only a month or two before the major trendsetters. Omniparries, invincible dodge rolls, tacked-on crafting systems, stagger bars that let you wail on bosses for free once filled: it's all there
January 8, 2026 at 11:02 PM
I've thought about this a lot for the past ~15 years. I described Ys Seven on Destructoid in the early 2010s as fast-paced Secret of Mana since that was my best frame of reference then. A decade later, I do one battle in Final Fantasy XVI and go "I can't believe Square Enix is making Ys now."
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
January 8, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
Hello. I just want to say that trans and non-binary people deserve infinite love at a time when the scant few rights they had are being so cruelly torn away.
I am so blessed to have trans and non-binary friends, colleagues, neighbours and relatives, who inspire me every day.
Love to you all.
I am so blessed to have trans and non-binary friends, colleagues, neighbours and relatives, who inspire me every day.
Love to you all.
December 4, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Hello. I just want to say that trans and non-binary people deserve infinite love at a time when the scant few rights they had are being so cruelly torn away.
I am so blessed to have trans and non-binary friends, colleagues, neighbours and relatives, who inspire me every day.
Love to you all.
I am so blessed to have trans and non-binary friends, colleagues, neighbours and relatives, who inspire me every day.
Love to you all.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
Questions for people who have played Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
December 1, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Questions for people who have played Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
Questions for people who have played Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
December 1, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Questions for people who have played Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
1: Did you keep Gwaelin with you for the second half of the game?
2: If not, did you realize that you could?
And to answer your question, yes I have now beaten this game twice.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
This week's issue features links to @solfleet.bsky.social, @marioprime.bsky.social, @jmariye.bsky.social, @timmonbleau.bsky.social, @mads.haus, @darylbaxter.com and others ⤵️
🌸 Issue 459 of Hanafuda Report is out now: hanafuda.report/issues/459/
Kirby's Big Ride Surprise - Hanafuda Report
hanafuda.report
November 25, 2025 at 5:06 PM
This week's issue features links to @solfleet.bsky.social, @marioprime.bsky.social, @jmariye.bsky.social, @timmonbleau.bsky.social, @mads.haus, @darylbaxter.com and others ⤵️
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
“We can’t give in to fear. If we run, then what happened to us will happen to others. The world won’t be safe. So we have to be strong. And we have to keep going.”
Beautiful work, @timmonbleau.bsky.social 💖
kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
Beautiful work, @timmonbleau.bsky.social 💖
kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake Changed How I Look At The Series
This remake is a new RPG purposefully masquerading as a pair of 40-year-old games
kotaku.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:01 PM
“We can’t give in to fear. If we run, then what happened to us will happen to others. The world won’t be safe. So we have to be strong. And we have to keep going.”
Beautiful work, @timmonbleau.bsky.social 💖
kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
Beautiful work, @timmonbleau.bsky.social 💖
kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
It means the world to me to see this piece so warmly received this past day. The last few weeks have been beyond hard for me, and so much of this was driven by my own struggle to find the strength to keep my chin up. I feel that weight lifting seeing these feelings resonate, thank you all.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is not Dragon Quest I or Dragon Quest II, but it is a a classic song of hope for our modern, hopeless times. In one of my deepest dives yet, I unpack how these games have changed, and how the meaning of Dragon Quest has evolved for me through these remakes. #blutoid
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Has Forever Changed How I Look At The Legendary RPG Series:
November 22, 2025 at 10:17 PM
It means the world to me to see this piece so warmly received this past day. The last few weeks have been beyond hard for me, and so much of this was driven by my own struggle to find the strength to keep my chin up. I feel that weight lifting seeing these feelings resonate, thank you all.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
Beautiful interpretation of the new Dragon Quest remakes. And here I simply walked away marveling at how DQ1 took me twenty hours to beat! (Among other positives, of course.)
We could use more of the spine-tingling hope Mr. Monbleau offers -- or perhaps reminds us -- at the very end here.
We could use more of the spine-tingling hope Mr. Monbleau offers -- or perhaps reminds us -- at the very end here.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Has Forever Changed How I Look At The Legendary RPG Series:
Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake Changed How I Look At The Series
This remake is a new RPG purposefully masquerading as a pair of 40-year-old games
kotaku.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Beautiful interpretation of the new Dragon Quest remakes. And here I simply walked away marveling at how DQ1 took me twenty hours to beat! (Among other positives, of course.)
We could use more of the spine-tingling hope Mr. Monbleau offers -- or perhaps reminds us -- at the very end here.
We could use more of the spine-tingling hope Mr. Monbleau offers -- or perhaps reminds us -- at the very end here.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
Not to spoil the ending too much, but “a bedtime story for the broken” is such a *bar* that I need a cigarette. kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake Changed How I Look At The Series
This remake is a new RPG purposefully masquerading as a pair of 40-year-old games
kotaku.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Not to spoil the ending too much, but “a bedtime story for the broken” is such a *bar* that I need a cigarette. kotaku.com/dragon-quest...
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
I'm beginning to think DQ1+2 HD-2D have a legit claim to being the best "game" of the year with how everyone I know and respect on the genre are talking.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Has Forever Changed How I Look At The Legendary RPG Series:
Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake Changed How I Look At The Series
This remake is a new RPG purposefully masquerading as a pair of 40-year-old games
kotaku.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:28 PM
I'm beginning to think DQ1+2 HD-2D have a legit claim to being the best "game" of the year with how everyone I know and respect on the genre are talking.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
wonderful piece. i really resonate with how overwhelming the emotional core of dragon quest 2's remake in particular can be. i find myself bowled over constantly playing this thing, which is all the more shocking given the original game's reputation as "the worst one."
November 21, 2025 at 10:08 PM
wonderful piece. i really resonate with how overwhelming the emotional core of dragon quest 2's remake in particular can be. i find myself bowled over constantly playing this thing, which is all the more shocking given the original game's reputation as "the worst one."
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
absolute cookery from Tim here. putting this in a tab to read through later, but i spied the last graf and it's some good stuff. hell yes.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is not Dragon Quest I or Dragon Quest II, but it is a a classic song of hope for our modern, hopeless times. In one of my deepest dives yet, I unpack how these games have changed, and how the meaning of Dragon Quest has evolved for me through these remakes. #blutoid
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Has Forever Changed How I Look At The Legendary RPG Series:
November 21, 2025 at 10:17 PM
absolute cookery from Tim here. putting this in a tab to read through later, but i spied the last graf and it's some good stuff. hell yes.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
A phenomenally insightful piece. Timothy interrogates the themes of these games with refreshing optimism. He also gives voice to my own feeling of loneliness playing DQIII HD-2D. I yearn for the catharsis of camaraderie embedded in its pre/sequels. Guess I’m getting on with those sooner than later.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is not Dragon Quest I or Dragon Quest II, but it is a a classic song of hope for our modern, hopeless times. In one of my deepest dives yet, I unpack how these games have changed, and how the meaning of Dragon Quest has evolved for me through these remakes. #blutoid
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Has Forever Changed How I Look At The Legendary RPG Series:
November 21, 2025 at 10:09 PM
A phenomenally insightful piece. Timothy interrogates the themes of these games with refreshing optimism. He also gives voice to my own feeling of loneliness playing DQIII HD-2D. I yearn for the catharsis of camaraderie embedded in its pre/sequels. Guess I’m getting on with those sooner than later.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is not Dragon Quest I or Dragon Quest II, but it is a a classic song of hope for our modern, hopeless times. In one of my deepest dives yet, I unpack how these games have changed, and how the meaning of Dragon Quest has evolved for me through these remakes. #blutoid
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Has Forever Changed How I Look At The Legendary RPG Series:
Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake Changed How I Look At The Series
This remake is a new RPG purposefully masquerading as a pair of 40-year-old games
kotaku.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is not Dragon Quest I or Dragon Quest II, but it is a a classic song of hope for our modern, hopeless times. In one of my deepest dives yet, I unpack how these games have changed, and how the meaning of Dragon Quest has evolved for me through these remakes. #blutoid
I know being anti-AI isn't brave, but I can't stand tech bros going "with AI you can talk to grandma again!" I spent nearly a decade caring for my grandparents as I watched them deteriorate. Their AI ghosts won't fix me, but a world that offered them the care and dignity they deserved would have.
November 14, 2025 at 5:41 PM
I know being anti-AI isn't brave, but I can't stand tech bros going "with AI you can talk to grandma again!" I spent nearly a decade caring for my grandparents as I watched them deteriorate. Their AI ghosts won't fix me, but a world that offered them the care and dignity they deserved would have.
With the power of AI, you too can live every waking moment of your life as if you were Omori from the hit RPG Omori.
November 14, 2025 at 5:18 PM
With the power of AI, you too can live every waking moment of your life as if you were Omori from the hit RPG Omori.
Final Fantasy XIV should make Culinarian a healing class so they can have a move called Eggs Benediction.
November 8, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Final Fantasy XIV should make Culinarian a healing class so they can have a move called Eggs Benediction.
I drew the duck blue because I've never seen a blue duck before and, to be honest with you, I wanted to see a blue duck.
October 30, 2025 at 12:36 AM
I drew the duck blue because I've never seen a blue duck before and, to be honest with you, I wanted to see a blue duck.
Holding off on a verdict until I see the end credits (twice), but I’ve been enjoying Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. It’s so wildly transformative that you could call it a new game, but its story-driven focus on keeping hope alive is just what we need now. More to come on this soon. #blutoid
October 29, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Holding off on a verdict until I see the end credits (twice), but I’ve been enjoying Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. It’s so wildly transformative that you could call it a new game, but its story-driven focus on keeping hope alive is just what we need now. More to come on this soon. #blutoid
It's crazy that my girlfriend @lunardove.bsky.social is not only an amazing and supportive partner, she can also snap some damn good photos too. I was long overdue for a new profile picture, especially now that I've got some stuff on my face.
Thank you to my handsome model, @timmonbleau.bsky.social, for letting me stretch my photography legs!
October 16, 2025 at 3:31 PM
It's crazy that my girlfriend @lunardove.bsky.social is not only an amazing and supportive partner, she can also snap some damn good photos too. I was long overdue for a new profile picture, especially now that I've got some stuff on my face.
Thank you EGM and Seanbaby for goading teenage Tim into playing this.
I'll be honest, it's not the WORST thing I've ever seen. Lunar: Dragon Song single-handedly ensured I'd never buy a game without reading reviews again, and that's coming from the man who beat the Diabetes platformer.
I'll be honest, it's not the WORST thing I've ever seen. Lunar: Dragon Song single-handedly ensured I'd never buy a game without reading reviews again, and that's coming from the man who beat the Diabetes platformer.
October 15, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Thank you EGM and Seanbaby for goading teenage Tim into playing this.
I'll be honest, it's not the WORST thing I've ever seen. Lunar: Dragon Song single-handedly ensured I'd never buy a game without reading reviews again, and that's coming from the man who beat the Diabetes platformer.
I'll be honest, it's not the WORST thing I've ever seen. Lunar: Dragon Song single-handedly ensured I'd never buy a game without reading reviews again, and that's coming from the man who beat the Diabetes platformer.
Been reading criticism of roguelite systems today, which I typically agree with. Absolum's take on it did manage to work for me, which I discuss here.
My advice: Spend those first 8 hours learning enemy tells and your defensive options. Gaining that knowledge is as important as the stat upgrades.
My advice: Spend those first 8 hours learning enemy tells and your defensive options. Gaining that knowledge is as important as the stat upgrades.
Don't sleep on Absolum. Dotemu and Guard Crush's follow-up to Streets of Rage 4 combines meaningful variety with crunchy mechanical depth, and its story about the rise and effects of tyranny inspired ~700 words of analysis out of me. Absolutely loving this, even 30 hours later. My full review below:
Review – Absolum
Before I completely gush about Absolum for approximately 3000 words (grab the popcorn for this one), we’ve got to set the stage by talking about 2020’s Streets of Rage 4. Developed by Lizardcube, G…
maxutmost.com
October 9, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Been reading criticism of roguelite systems today, which I typically agree with. Absolum's take on it did manage to work for me, which I discuss here.
My advice: Spend those first 8 hours learning enemy tells and your defensive options. Gaining that knowledge is as important as the stat upgrades.
My advice: Spend those first 8 hours learning enemy tells and your defensive options. Gaining that knowledge is as important as the stat upgrades.
Reposted by Timothy Monbleau
@timmonbleau.bsky.social is here to tell us all about Absolum and its place in the hierarchy of bemups!
maxutmost.com/review-absol...
maxutmost.com/review-absol...
Review – Absolum
Before I completely gush about Absolum for approximately 3000 words (grab the popcorn for this one), we’ve got to set the stage by talking about 2020’s Streets of Rage 4. Developed by Lizardcube, G…
maxutmost.com
October 9, 2025 at 2:31 PM
@timmonbleau.bsky.social is here to tell us all about Absolum and its place in the hierarchy of bemups!
maxutmost.com/review-absol...
maxutmost.com/review-absol...
Don't sleep on Absolum. Dotemu and Guard Crush's follow-up to Streets of Rage 4 combines meaningful variety with crunchy mechanical depth, and its story about the rise and effects of tyranny inspired ~700 words of analysis out of me. Absolutely loving this, even 30 hours later. My full review below:
Review – Absolum
Before I completely gush about Absolum for approximately 3000 words (grab the popcorn for this one), we’ve got to set the stage by talking about 2020’s Streets of Rage 4. Developed by Lizardcube, G…
maxutmost.com
October 9, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Don't sleep on Absolum. Dotemu and Guard Crush's follow-up to Streets of Rage 4 combines meaningful variety with crunchy mechanical depth, and its story about the rise and effects of tyranny inspired ~700 words of analysis out of me. Absolutely loving this, even 30 hours later. My full review below: