Patti Rudisill

Happy New Year! I debated doing any sort of public post or recap on the past year because it really was such a mixed bag and my thoughts moving forward are such a mess, but I may as well take a moment to say a few things.

2025 was quite a challenging year for me in my personal life, to say the least - virtually everyone in my family had some sort of serious medical crisis at some point, my beloved cat was diagnosed with advanced kidney disease, and I myself got sick at least 6-7 times (thanks to toddler germs lol) All the big picture goals and plans I had for myself were constantly derailed, and a lot of the time it felt like I was treading water and just surviving day to day. I’m disappointed with all that I was unable to do this year, even though I know I focused on the right things and couldn’t have predicted any of this.

And yet.

Right after announcing I was taking a break from regular music video uploads to focus on my album, I did a Clair Obscur reaction video on a whim and it completely skyrocketed my channel in a way I have never seen or could have predicted. I had done some reaction vids before but had yet to break out of them doing even as well as my music vids, and this felt like I finally broke through some ceiling and found a new audience that enjoyed what I brought to the table with these.

I discovered that I really enjoy doing these kinds of videos, which were not only way more lucrative and sustainable for me, but also supported my personal goals to get on the treadmill more (editing the vids!) and get back to my music theory roots. I discovered I enjoyed the freedom of only making music videos when I felt really inspired to, and am looking forward to batching a whole bunch at once for the next season when my album finally drops. I also quit the social media game to focus on Youtube and….I don’t know if I will go back to it or what it will look like moving forward. But it was a wonderful and much needed break.

So to the long-time viewers, for being patient with me while I pivoted to reactions, and the new viewers, for showing up and enthusiastically supporting my new path here, I want to extend a deep and heartfelt THANK YOU because, amidst all the struggles and stress, your kind comments and support were what really made this year for me.

I feel like things are (at least for the moment) settling down and I’m starting to feel my spark again, and looking forward to diving back in on the album for the final stretch. That’s really the only goal I have for right now (besides to keep doing what I’ve been doing) because I’ve learned what happens when I try to plan too much at the start of the year and maybe I should just take it month by month instead, haha! Feels weird to not have a super ambitious and meticulously crafted goal plan for 2026 but maybe this is what growing up feels like lol And so my real goal for this year is just to create more with less stress - more JOY, more FUN, more community and focusing on the things that matter. Thanks for being here with me and I wish you a very happy and prosperous 2026!

1 week ago | [YT] | 286

Patti Rudisill

I’ve always enjoyed reading my friend Purpleschala’s yearly game recaps and thought it would be fun to do it myself this year - if for no other reason than to remind myself of all the great gaming moments I’ve had! 2025 was actually a big gaming year for me, and none of it was expected.

I started the year playing through FF7 Rebirth….again lol A friend was playing for the first time and I love being able to follow along, and had been wanting to do a Music Focus run - because the score is absolutely incredible with regards to musical storytelling and *requires* multiple playthroughs to appreciate.

Shortly after I found myself in some severe work and personal life burnout, lots of stress to deal with and I didn’t have the energy for anything new or dark. So I picked up Harvestella again, my favorite criminally underrated game, and the absolute definition of cozy joy that I needed. I seem to always resort to farming games when times get rough and I love that I have a new one besides Stardew to turn to LOL But seriously, if you’re a fan of Square Enix JRPGs and can stand farming even a little, do NOT sleep on this game - they marketed it terribly but it is more JRPG than farming, has an incredible score, and the story really GOES places.

Harvestella often makes me think a bit of Bravely Default (the vibes and art style), and with the remaster announced but me without a Switch 2, I decided to start a new game on my 3DS - I adored it when it first came out but was not as consistent with finishing games back then, or long RPGs, and I regret that I never finished it. Playing on the 3DS was fun for a bit but I quickly remembered why I disliked that system (mainly bc of the pain it gives my hands), and ended up putting it down quite early.

Which brings us to the biggest surprise this year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. A game that was not on my radar at all until friends started talking about it, and even then based on what they said I had decided it was too dark/gory/heavy for me. I was busy and not looking to start a new game, but I thought it would be fun to react to the music and….well, that certainly changed the course of my year LOL. The music was so insanely good that I felt I had to experience it for myself, and BOY did I lol. Started on Story mode and nearly rage quit around the Ancient Sanctuary bc it was just so difficult for me…but then something clicked and I was able to lock in for the rest of the game. Loved it so much I wanted a second chance once I understood the mechanics, so I started a fresh game (no NG+), and played another 60 hours on Expert (including Simon, probably my most impressive gaming achievement ever lol). Between that and Verso’s Drafts I’ve put over 150 hours into this game, and now with the new photo mode I am chomping at the bit to start a NG+ 😂 

How do you follow up a game like E33??? I tend to burn myself out with games I love so much (the burnout from Rebirth lasted MONTHS lol), so I ended up going back to a sunny old classic….the Super Mario RPG remake. SMRPG is the game that defined my childhood, and I used to play it every year for my birthday. It had been a while since I did that so it seemed like a good time to return to it (especially now that we have the remake!) Playing SMRPG after E33 was also super nice bc I wasn’t ready to let go of the timed-hit mechanics, something I really wish more games had.

Speaking of timed-hit mechanics, it seemed the perfect time to start another game that had been sitting forever in my backlog, Sea of Stars. It’s hard to know what to say about this game, as I have mixed thoughts, but I overall loved my time with it and would recommend it to anyone. It really was the perfect palette cleanser after E33—the combat was similar enough and super fun, gorgeous and bright aesthetics, great music, and overall SO charming in every way. On the other hand, quite the narrative and character development whiplash from E33, and the final battle made me so angry but, yeah lol What it does well it really does well, and it was a very fun ride.

Finished SoS right in time for FF Tactics remaster’s release - a game I never played the first time around and was looking forward to experiencing! I loved FE3H and Triangle Strategy but had always heard about how great this game is. I actually haven’t finished yet (very close to the end but then AoI came out lol), but really enjoyed the change of pace, even if it was so brain intensive it made me feel like I was in school again (LOL)….the old school grinding was a bit much for me, had to resort to the easy mode, but I’m glad I finally got to experience this game - and the music is wonderful!

Age of Imprisonment, the TOTK Hyrule Warriors spin off. The announcement of this game was quite divisive for many but I absolutely adored Age of Calamity and was ready for more of that in the Wild world (not to mention how much I loved and wanted to revisit TOTK’s history!) This was honestly a REALLY great follow up to FF Tactics - a button mash, brain-off game, especially with a lot of stress going on in my personal life. I did really enjoy the new mechanics (almost Rebirth-like with the synergy combos??) and getting to see more of Rauru and Zelda. Comparing it to AoC is interesting though - AoC’s story was a bit ridiculous but had more emotional impact on me…AoI is canon, has a nicer ending but felt a bit less interesting along the way. I also thought AoC’s soundtrack was overall better, not that there aren’t some really great tracks in AoI. Anyway, it was a really great time for what it was, and just what I needed!

Shortly after that, the E33 DLC came out, and what a way to end a terrific gaming year - what were your favorites this year??

2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 79

Patti Rudisill

Happy Friday everyone! Life over here has been crazy and the holidays sure snuck up on me....but since I don't have a Winter Special prepped I thought I would re-share this compilation I put together last year - 30 minutes of winter VGM for your festive enjoyment!

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 20

Patti Rudisill

I am THOROUGHLY enjoying the new E33 DLC, especially with the addition of the insane photo mode - sooo many secrets to find! Right now I'm loving the details of the sheet music in Verso's Drafts, as well as the Manor. Verso's Drafts includes Verso's theme, Hold Me Esquie (aka Children of Lumiere), Until Next Life....and there is a copy of Beethoven's Ode to Joy in the manor LOL I love thinking that Beethoven is canon confirmed to exist in this world 😂 Also the painting on the piano lessons book is Renoir's "Girls at the Piano", and I'm pretty sure was on one of my own piano books growing up haha

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 161

Patti Rudisill

Thanks for all the support on my latest music video! I spent the last week recovering from whatever malady my daughter brought from daycare and yeah 😅 That unfortunately messed up my plans to do another filming session, for Hyrule Warriors or anything else just yet....I am super enjoying the game but probably won't do any vids on the music at this point, and instead try to wrap up things with Silksong and go back to Hollow Knight. I'm trying to finish all the recording for my album before Thanksgiving too so I'm not sure when I'll get to film next...might try to push out an older pre-filmed reaction in the interim. Thanks for your patience! I promise there's lots of good stuff on the way 😂

1 month ago | [YT] | 127

Patti Rudisill

My latest single release of Alicia from Clair Obscur is now available for streaming or purchase on music platforms! I really appreciate your support as always, you can find all my music here ➡️ pattirudisill.com/my-music

2 months ago | [YT] | 146

Patti Rudisill

So I know I still have quite a bit of Silksong/Hollow Knight tracks to get through, but I’m also trying to plan out my next filming sessions and gaming schedule…I think it might finally be time for me to play NieR Automata soon, and since I’m not really familiar with the music I definitely want to film some stuff for that before I start it. Let me know any tracks you want me to listen to and discuss!

I’m also debating if I want to do any videos for Zelda Age of Imprisonment - I was OBSESSED with the soundtrack for Age of Calamity, but it might be hard to react to this one if I am playing it from day 1, as the soundtrack probably won’t be available to listen to on its own right away….what do you all think? Would you be interested to see some Age of Imprisonment reactions?

2 months ago | [YT] | 189

Patti Rudisill

Hey all! Sorry it's been quiet, didn't mean to go this long without an upload but...life, you know 😅 Anyway I'm wrapping up the edit on the next Silksong reaction so you can look forward to that dropping later today!

2 months ago | [YT] | 140

Patti Rudisill

🎉 HAPPY SILKSONG DAY! 🎉 I'll be listening to the soundtrack ASAP so drop any tracks that you especially want me to check out here ⬇️⬇️⬇️

4 months ago | [YT] | 105

Patti Rudisill

Holy cow Silksong news?!?!? brb, gotta finish editing my Hollow Knight reaction vid - wonderful timing as I was just wondering what OSTs I should explore next 😂

4 months ago | [YT] | 117