SolidArf
@solidarf.bsky.social
Aaraf Afzal - Writer, professor, video essayist and person taking photographs of NPCs in games. | Contributor at Palette Swap | Bylines at Hard Drive, Los Suelos, Unwinnable Exploits
youtube.com/@SolidArf | instagram.com/npcsofgaming
youtube.com/@SolidArf | instagram.com/npcsofgaming
Pinned
SolidArf
@solidarf.bsky.social
· Dec 19
Oh my God, I'm on the Sight and Sound list!!! Of Best Video Essays of 2024! 😭
Reposted by SolidArf
I have worked harder on this than on any previous video. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight 🌱❤️
youtu.be/pLYD3CG-5BQ
youtu.be/pLYD3CG-5BQ
November 10, 2025 at 5:31 PM
I have worked harder on this than on any previous video. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight 🌱❤️
youtu.be/pLYD3CG-5BQ
youtu.be/pLYD3CG-5BQ
Reposted by SolidArf
Loved reading this article by @pixeladay.bsky.social, about the shallow version of mythology that permeated Ghostwire: Tokyo.
kat-pixeladay.medium.com/full-of-spir...
kat-pixeladay.medium.com/full-of-spir...
Full of Spirits, Devoid of Soul — Ghostwire: Tokyo is Haunted by the AAA Design Curse
The only haunting thing about this game is the potential it squandered
kat-pixeladay.medium.com
October 20, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Loved reading this article by @pixeladay.bsky.social, about the shallow version of mythology that permeated Ghostwire: Tokyo.
kat-pixeladay.medium.com/full-of-spir...
kat-pixeladay.medium.com/full-of-spir...
Reposted by SolidArf
u ever think about how "from soft" games are "to hard" 🤔
August 13, 2025 at 11:02 AM
u ever think about how "from soft" games are "to hard" 🤔
I'm in a VIDEO ESSAY FANCAM by one of the GOATs in the space, lmao
Wild!!!
Wild!!!
making it my duty to glaze up this community while I wait for the dryer cycle to finish 🌞🙌
August 27, 2025 at 1:43 AM
I'm in a VIDEO ESSAY FANCAM by one of the GOATs in the space, lmao
Wild!!!
Wild!!!
Reposted by SolidArf
making it my duty to glaze up this community while I wait for the dryer cycle to finish 🌞🙌
August 24, 2025 at 8:28 PM
making it my duty to glaze up this community while I wait for the dryer cycle to finish 🌞🙌
Reposted by SolidArf
This is easily Aaraf's best work yet. Whether you like anachronistic fiction, political commentary, or the strange limbo between them where Assassin's Creed III sits, definitely give this video a watch. Loved the whole production.
🎬 New Video! ✨
I studied for my US citizenship test with Assassin's Creed 3. This is maybe my dumbest premise. Enjoy 🦅
youtu.be/dM3VdyYsUeo
I studied for my US citizenship test with Assassin's Creed 3. This is maybe my dumbest premise. Enjoy 🦅
youtu.be/dM3VdyYsUeo
I Studied for My Citizenship Test with Assassin's Creed 3
YouTube video by SolidArf
youtu.be
August 15, 2025 at 12:04 AM
This is easily Aaraf's best work yet. Whether you like anachronistic fiction, political commentary, or the strange limbo between them where Assassin's Creed III sits, definitely give this video a watch. Loved the whole production.
Reposted by SolidArf
been on youtube long enough to know to ALWAYS click on any AC3 video essay that blesses your timeline.
This is such a cool idea, expertly executed by @solidarf.bsky.social 🔥
This is such a cool idea, expertly executed by @solidarf.bsky.social 🔥
I Studied for My Citizenship Test with Assassin's Creed 3
YouTube video by SolidArf
youtu.be
August 14, 2025 at 12:54 AM
been on youtube long enough to know to ALWAYS click on any AC3 video essay that blesses your timeline.
This is such a cool idea, expertly executed by @solidarf.bsky.social 🔥
This is such a cool idea, expertly executed by @solidarf.bsky.social 🔥
🎬 New Video! ✨
I studied for my US citizenship test with Assassin's Creed 3. This is maybe my dumbest premise. Enjoy 🦅
youtu.be/dM3VdyYsUeo
I studied for my US citizenship test with Assassin's Creed 3. This is maybe my dumbest premise. Enjoy 🦅
youtu.be/dM3VdyYsUeo
I Studied for My Citizenship Test with Assassin's Creed 3
YouTube video by SolidArf
youtu.be
August 14, 2025 at 3:51 PM
🎬 New Video! ✨
I studied for my US citizenship test with Assassin's Creed 3. This is maybe my dumbest premise. Enjoy 🦅
youtu.be/dM3VdyYsUeo
I studied for my US citizenship test with Assassin's Creed 3. This is maybe my dumbest premise. Enjoy 🦅
youtu.be/dM3VdyYsUeo
Reposted by SolidArf
"what about devs"
devs:
devs:
'Microsoft has no place being accomplice of a genocide:' Arkane union workers demand Xbox maker sever ties with Israel
'Microsoft has no place being accomplice of a genocide:' Arkane union workers demand Xbox maker sever ties with Israel
Arkane Studios' STJV section in France has published an open letter in support of the Palestinian-led BDS movement.
www.gamedeveloper.com
August 12, 2025 at 6:00 PM
"what about devs"
devs:
devs:
Reposted by SolidArf
can't write a gameFAQs article without a good table of contents
August 4, 2025 at 6:20 PM
can't write a gameFAQs article without a good table of contents
Wrote a little tribute to GameFAQs, the site that taught me how to write (and read) about games.
One of my favorite pieces I've gotten to do!
One of my favorite pieces I've gotten to do!
GameFAQs was a beautiful site in the past, but you might be underestimating just how important it is in the present.
paletteswap.site/tru...
paletteswap.site/tru...
August 4, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Wrote a little tribute to GameFAQs, the site that taught me how to write (and read) about games.
One of my favorite pieces I've gotten to do!
One of my favorite pieces I've gotten to do!
Reposted by SolidArf
why support palette swap?
-we hate generative AI and it will never have a place on our site
-no outside investors/interests, only people who want to make cool shit
-I want to give our contributors more money!
-we hate generative AI and it will never have a place on our site
-no outside investors/interests, only people who want to make cool shit
-I want to give our contributors more money!
July 23, 2025 at 9:35 PM
why support palette swap?
-we hate generative AI and it will never have a place on our site
-no outside investors/interests, only people who want to make cool shit
-I want to give our contributors more money!
-we hate generative AI and it will never have a place on our site
-no outside investors/interests, only people who want to make cool shit
-I want to give our contributors more money!
Bump for the newest video! Seems to be doing well, which is very gratifying. :)
🗡️🔥 New video! ❄️⚡
I did a deep dive into the NPCs of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: their designs, weird quirks, interior lives, etc.
And of course the big question: Do they add anything to the game's themes?
youtu.be/QDP4rHhyWi4
I did a deep dive into the NPCs of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: their designs, weird quirks, interior lives, etc.
And of course the big question: Do they add anything to the game's themes?
youtu.be/QDP4rHhyWi4
What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
YouTube video by SolidArf
youtu.be
July 23, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Bump for the newest video! Seems to be doing well, which is very gratifying. :)
🗡️🔥 New video! ❄️⚡
I did a deep dive into the NPCs of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: their designs, weird quirks, interior lives, etc.
And of course the big question: Do they add anything to the game's themes?
youtu.be/QDP4rHhyWi4
I did a deep dive into the NPCs of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: their designs, weird quirks, interior lives, etc.
And of course the big question: Do they add anything to the game's themes?
youtu.be/QDP4rHhyWi4
What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
YouTube video by SolidArf
youtu.be
July 13, 2025 at 3:56 PM
🗡️🔥 New video! ❄️⚡
I did a deep dive into the NPCs of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: their designs, weird quirks, interior lives, etc.
And of course the big question: Do they add anything to the game's themes?
youtu.be/QDP4rHhyWi4
I did a deep dive into the NPCs of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: their designs, weird quirks, interior lives, etc.
And of course the big question: Do they add anything to the game's themes?
youtu.be/QDP4rHhyWi4
Reposted by SolidArf
To be clear: We *ARE* threatening you with a good time.
July 3, 2025 at 11:45 PM
To be clear: We *ARE* threatening you with a good time.
Reposted by SolidArf
HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!
On Saturdays July 5th and July 12th, @zeitgeistmistress.bsky.social and I are hosting 24 hour streams with tons of SPECIAL GUESTS to help raise money for a trans friend to escape a TERFy town to safety!
Join us for a blind, chaotic playthrough of DISCO ELYSIUM! Info below:
On Saturdays July 5th and July 12th, @zeitgeistmistress.bsky.social and I are hosting 24 hour streams with tons of SPECIAL GUESTS to help raise money for a trans friend to escape a TERFy town to safety!
Join us for a blind, chaotic playthrough of DISCO ELYSIUM! Info below:
July 3, 2025 at 6:31 PM
HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!
On Saturdays July 5th and July 12th, @zeitgeistmistress.bsky.social and I are hosting 24 hour streams with tons of SPECIAL GUESTS to help raise money for a trans friend to escape a TERFy town to safety!
Join us for a blind, chaotic playthrough of DISCO ELYSIUM! Info below:
On Saturdays July 5th and July 12th, @zeitgeistmistress.bsky.social and I are hosting 24 hour streams with tons of SPECIAL GUESTS to help raise money for a trans friend to escape a TERFy town to safety!
Join us for a blind, chaotic playthrough of DISCO ELYSIUM! Info below:
Reposted by SolidArf
critics can and should fiercely disagree with each other, but i generally think it's misguided when one critic starts talking about another as if they're "objectively" wrong. your own critiques, after all, are just your own fiercely held, fiercely argued opinions.
June 7, 2025 at 4:06 AM
critics can and should fiercely disagree with each other, but i generally think it's misguided when one critic starts talking about another as if they're "objectively" wrong. your own critiques, after all, are just your own fiercely held, fiercely argued opinions.
A timely bump: I made a video about how Breath of the Wild feels on the verge between console generations!
🐲🗡 New Video! 🛡🧝🏽
I made a little (kinda) tribute to Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom, and how their legacies are intertwined with their hardware’s.
How do we think about that as we transition to the Switch 2?
youtu.be/LgkuoRiH0LU?...
I made a little (kinda) tribute to Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom, and how their legacies are intertwined with their hardware’s.
How do we think about that as we transition to the Switch 2?
youtu.be/LgkuoRiH0LU?...
Breath of the Wild on the Cusp of Nintendo Switch 2
YouTube video by SolidArf
youtu.be
June 3, 2025 at 5:02 PM
A timely bump: I made a video about how Breath of the Wild feels on the verge between console generations!
The weirdest thing about rewatching Rogue One might be that I remembered CGI Tarkin looking a lot... more convincing in 2016?
May 27, 2025 at 12:13 AM
The weirdest thing about rewatching Rogue One might be that I remembered CGI Tarkin looking a lot... more convincing in 2016?
Bump for the newest video!
🐲🗡 New Video! 🛡🧝🏽
I made a little (kinda) tribute to Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom, and how their legacies are intertwined with their hardware’s.
How do we think about that as we transition to the Switch 2?
youtu.be/LgkuoRiH0LU?...
I made a little (kinda) tribute to Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom, and how their legacies are intertwined with their hardware’s.
How do we think about that as we transition to the Switch 2?
youtu.be/LgkuoRiH0LU?...
Breath of the Wild on the Cusp of Nintendo Switch 2
YouTube video by SolidArf
youtu.be
May 8, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Bump for the newest video!
Reposted by SolidArf
Now live: we’ve forgotten how to forget. Let the map from A Goofy Movie remind you how to let it all go. Stops at Steven Johnson, the West Wing, the ethics of cartography, and at least seven different Goofy family trees.
An open letter to the weird-ass map from A Goofy Movie.
youtu.be/NcnhTvK7BAw
An open letter to the weird-ass map from A Goofy Movie.
youtu.be/NcnhTvK7BAw
We've forgotten how to forget.
YouTube video by josh (with parentheses)
youtu.be
May 5, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Now live: we’ve forgotten how to forget. Let the map from A Goofy Movie remind you how to let it all go. Stops at Steven Johnson, the West Wing, the ethics of cartography, and at least seven different Goofy family trees.
An open letter to the weird-ass map from A Goofy Movie.
youtu.be/NcnhTvK7BAw
An open letter to the weird-ass map from A Goofy Movie.
youtu.be/NcnhTvK7BAw
🐲🗡 New Video! 🛡🧝🏽
I made a little (kinda) tribute to Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom, and how their legacies are intertwined with their hardware’s.
How do we think about that as we transition to the Switch 2?
youtu.be/LgkuoRiH0LU?...
I made a little (kinda) tribute to Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom, and how their legacies are intertwined with their hardware’s.
How do we think about that as we transition to the Switch 2?
youtu.be/LgkuoRiH0LU?...
Breath of the Wild on the Cusp of Nintendo Switch 2
YouTube video by SolidArf
youtu.be
May 3, 2025 at 7:13 PM
🐲🗡 New Video! 🛡🧝🏽
I made a little (kinda) tribute to Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom, and how their legacies are intertwined with their hardware’s.
How do we think about that as we transition to the Switch 2?
youtu.be/LgkuoRiH0LU?...
I made a little (kinda) tribute to Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom, and how their legacies are intertwined with their hardware’s.
How do we think about that as we transition to the Switch 2?
youtu.be/LgkuoRiH0LU?...
Wrote a little thing about A Short Hike for this!
On the eve of the Switch 2 Direct, we reached out to our Patreon supporters to find out what their favorite games were on Nintendo Switch 1.
paletteswap.site/tru...
paletteswap.site/tru...
April 2, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Wrote a little thing about A Short Hike for this!
Reposted by SolidArf
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! SIGNAL BOOSTS APPRECIATED!
On March 22nd and March 23rd, I will be doing A MARIO MARATHON CHARITY STREAM! Join me for a 48 hour stream where I play EVERY mainline Mario game and raise money for TRANS LIFELINE!!!
(And yes, me announcing this on Mario Day was on Purpose)
On March 22nd and March 23rd, I will be doing A MARIO MARATHON CHARITY STREAM! Join me for a 48 hour stream where I play EVERY mainline Mario game and raise money for TRANS LIFELINE!!!
(And yes, me announcing this on Mario Day was on Purpose)
March 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! SIGNAL BOOSTS APPRECIATED!
On March 22nd and March 23rd, I will be doing A MARIO MARATHON CHARITY STREAM! Join me for a 48 hour stream where I play EVERY mainline Mario game and raise money for TRANS LIFELINE!!!
(And yes, me announcing this on Mario Day was on Purpose)
On March 22nd and March 23rd, I will be doing A MARIO MARATHON CHARITY STREAM! Join me for a 48 hour stream where I play EVERY mainline Mario game and raise money for TRANS LIFELINE!!!
(And yes, me announcing this on Mario Day was on Purpose)
Reposted by SolidArf
I don't think people realize what a weird situation younger video game enthusiasts are in. People around my age more or less grew up with all these series. Like, we have context for the 12th Assassin's Creed or whatever. Most teens playing games right now probably have zero clue who Ezio is.
March 9, 2025 at 7:11 AM
I don't think people realize what a weird situation younger video game enthusiasts are in. People around my age more or less grew up with all these series. Like, we have context for the 12th Assassin's Creed or whatever. Most teens playing games right now probably have zero clue who Ezio is.