Midlife Maestro

Hey everyone! What have y'all been up to? Me, I've had an attitude adjustment about my channel. I've wanted it to do well, but I don't think my behavior has reflected that. Here are the things that have changed:
1. Always thinking and writing more -- While hitting publish on one video, I'm simultaneously either writing the next script in my head or literally writing it.
2. Being more flexible. Not every video has to be a review. Yeah, I'm still doing them, but I've also been doing videos on game releases I'm looking forward to. I want to experiment and explore other video game topics, also.
3. Publish shorts of my videos to funnel viewers to the long form. This is supposed to work. We'll see.
4. Create for my viewers as much as I'm creating for myself. I mean, if you don't like it, you won't watch it. Pretty simple but not easy to implement.
5. Be grateful for the viewership I do have. No one has to watch my videos, so the fact that anyone does is amazing to me.

So, since the last update, I finished Wuchang and got what I'd call the two main endings. It's a great game, and I hope you can find time to watch my review. I've made a video on things we know about Cronos: The New Dawn, a game I've been eyeing since the beginning of the year. I'm optimistic that it'll be good, but it is Bloober, and they've let us down before. We'll see.

I finished Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, which is so different from other games I've been playing lately, but it was kind of a blast. I'm doing a little short review on it.

I have a video in the works about what large corporations could learn from Team Cherry. I think anyone who's worked for a big business will be able to relate to the points I'll be making.

AND, I'll have a video about Silent Hill f soon, as well.

In a few days, I'll be playing Cronos and Silksong, and my videos will be focused on those two games for awhile.

That's about it. Let me know what you've been up to, gaming wise or just life in general. Take care, and I'll post another update in October!

4 months ago | [YT] | 1

Midlife Maestro

Something about September 4th…

4 months ago | [YT] | 2

Midlife Maestro

In July, I played the Lies of P base game a couple of times through and I 100 %'d Overture. That's a quality DLC, and I'll have my love letter out on YouTube next week.

I did a very different form of video than I've done before about my dog dying and how the game Gris helped me understand my grief. It didn't help, it wasn't therapeutic, nothing like that. It was special because I was able to see myself in Gris, her struggle, despair, ups and downs, and how dismal and sometime terrifying grief can be. Not a lot of people are watching, and that's okay. I hope maybe it's helped or at least people can relate to it.

I'm making my way through Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. I got through the first gatekeeper boss today and I am going to put together a video of how I defeated them. I've not done a "how to" video before, and I hope this helps people who are playing a magic build like I am. I might also put out a "first thoughts" short, as well.

That's all. Hope it's not too hot where you are, and, if it is, you have good air conditioning! I'll touch base again next month.

5 months ago | [YT] | 2

Midlife Maestro

Time for a channel update!

I finished Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's got a perfect blend of metroidvania and soulslike. I did a short form review, so check it out!

I also finished Lies of P: Overture, which was amazing. I did have to play it on NG 5+, though, which was challenging to say the least. I am finishing up a new save file for the base game and I'm going to play Overture again in NG+ so I can get all the achievements (if you know, you know).

I posted a long form review of Khazan. I just loved that game so much.

And for some horrible news. My dog died unexpectedly. It's been three weeks and, while I'm not in the throes of grief anymore, I'm still pretty hurt by it. She was only 3 years old. I wanted to play a game where grief is a primary theme. Google kept coming up with the same one - Gris. I finished a play through in essentially one sitting, and boy, did it hit some tender points. I am working on a video about my experiences with it.

That's it. See you for the next one.

6 months ago | [YT] | 3

Midlife Maestro

Well hell, I glitched and forgot to write an update for April!

Since the last update, I 100%’d The First Berserker: Khazan. It’s probably my favorite game so far this year. It was brutal but fair and I felt accomplished when I completed it. The story was fantastic as well as the gameplay. If you liked Nioh, you’re sure to like this entry, too.

INAYAH — Life After Gods was a solid metroidvania that I think a lot of people will like. Just maybe turn off the voice acting. It’s not great. It’s still got some positive aspects, like the art direction and story arc. Gameplay isn’t bad, either, but the bosses could just be cheesed.

South of Midnight was an incredible action RPG where you play a young woman in the American Deep South called Hazel. She is a weaver, someone who can see strands in the world and how they interconnect, and she can fix them when things become awry. The gameplay isn’t that inspired, and the combat is repetitive. The story, voice acting, art direction and music definitely make up for its weaknesses, though. If you have a free weekend, pick it up!

I’m in the middle of Mandragora and Clair Obscur, and I’m enjoying the hell out of them. I’m trying to figure out how I can incorporate the latter into this channel, which mainly focuses on metroidvanias and soulslikes with the occasional horror game as well.

Expect maybe one more Khazan video, an SoM review and also a review of Mandragora.

That’s about it. Take care and enjoy your summer!

- Maestro

7 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 1

Midlife Maestro

Hey all! Let's get into what I was up to in March!

I reviewed Guns of Fury very positively. If you're interested in it, check out my review here. I also did a short on an indie horror game called Butcher's Creek. Pretty solid, I'd say.

I 100%'d Tails of Iron 2, Whiskers of Winter, so expect a review soon. I'm currently playing The First Berserker: Khazan, which is amazing. I will definitely review it after I've finished it.

I tried to play Morkull, but man oh man it was so not enjoyable. I ended up getting a refund for it. I definitely don't recommend it. I've decided against playing Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror, since reviews were universally lukewarm.

So that's about it. Hope you're doing great!

- Maestro

9 months ago | [YT] | 1

Midlife Maestro

Most iconic female Soulsborne boss?

9 months ago | [YT] | 2

Midlife Maestro

Hello out there! Time for a channel update --

February was a little slow as far as channel growth is concerned -- 16 new subs. I'm grateful for all of them, though, and it put us at an even 300, which is a great number to look at!

I published my Blade Chimera review as well as Ender Magnolia's. The EM review did pretty well, so I'm glad it resonated. It's an awesome game. I played a little walking sim called The Haunting of Joni Evers, which was fine. My most recent review, Somber Echoes, was published yesterday. I hope people check it out. I've also put out a few shorts.

Right now, I'm in NG+ for Guns of Fury. I've had the most sheer fun with this game than I've had in a long time. My review should be up in a week or so.

Line up for this month will include Morkull: Regast's Rage and Dollhouse: Beyond the Broken Mirror. Morkull looks like it'll be a blast and really funny. Dollhouse looks really creeply in the trailers. I hope so because I need to get my hands on a good, recently released horror game.

And that's about it. Let me know what's up with you in the comments. Have a great March!

10 months ago | [YT] | 1

Midlife Maestro

Hello everyone! Let's talk about the channel!

At the time of writing this post, the channel has 284 subs. That's 34 more than my goal from the last update, so I'm very pleased!

I published three videos of my most anticipated games of 2025, one for each category this channel covers - metroidvanias, horror games and soulslikes. I think they'd have performed better if I hadn't released them all at once. Oh well, live and learn.

I also published a short highlighting parts of my upcoming review for Blade Chimera. I've added a new scoring feature for my reviews called the "fun factor". Each game I review will be eligible for an additional 0.5 points if I had fun playing the game.

As far as my line up is concerned, I'm finishing Ender Magnolia, and it is an amazing game. I can't wait to share my review of it. Next up will probably be Somber Echoes. I'm definitely itching to play that one. The graphics look next gen and the combat looks like it'll be baller as hell.

So that's about it! Take care and have a wonderful February!

11 months ago | [YT] | 1

Midlife Maestro

Happy New Year!

And what a year it's been in the gaming industry, new releases and, indeed, for this channel!

The good -- fantastic games in pretty much any genre you can imagine. For this channel, we cover souslikes, horror games and metroidvanias. We had bangers like Stellar Blade, Silent Hill 2 Remake and Nine Sols. And there were a ton more that were excellent, thought-provoking and even plain dumb fun. What a time to be alive!

The bad -- culture war infighting among gamers. Seriously, we need to tone that down by about 11. People just argue for the sake of arguing, and I see very little attempt in finding common ground. We can do better and we deserve better. Let's make a New Year's resolution to be a little bit nicer. I think that'd go a long way.

The ugly -- corporate greed has led to an astounding number of job losses in the industry. According to Wikipedia, 14,600 people lost their jobs through no fault of their own. How big is your home town? Mine had about 5,000 people. With that perspective, we should all be horrified. I am far from an expert on anything business related, but I care about people. Losing a job is one of the most stressful events one can experience, yet corporations let go good and talented people without a second thought. Shame on them.

Sorry for the negativity, but it had to be said. Now for the channel! We went from 186 to 220 subs this past month. YouTube has been a slow burn for me, but I'll take it. My goal is for us to get 250 subs by February 1. It'll be difficult but not impossible. If you like the direction the channel is going in, tell your friends about it. It'd me a lot to me!

I've got some ideas for some new things I can do for the channel. First off, I'm working with an editor on ways to spice up and refine my videos. I feel like I've come along way with my writing and voiceover work, but we can always improve. I have also decided to do some ranking videos here and there. I published my first one yesterday, ranking my favorite games of 2024. Check it out! I intend to do a ranking of my most anticipated games of 2025 for a near future project. I'd like to try my hand at video essays as well, so keep that in mind. And, of course, I'll continue doing reviews with the occasional gameplay video.

And that's about it! Let me know what you think and we'll see ya for the next update!

1 year ago | [YT] | 1