What is Biophilia? The literal translation from Greek is "love to nature", and I always thought there's nothing else behind this word. Until I googled for the term (I use Ecosia actually) and it showed me the definition:
The biophilia hypothesis suggests that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularized the hypothesis in his book, Biophilia (1984)
I have no doubt that Björk absolutely adheres to this hypothesis, considering how much love she expresses towards nature, and how nature-centered her latest ablums are. And her 7th LP is no exception. She usually focuses on a certain element, certain aspect of nature and searches the connections between it and our everyday feelings and emotions. Here she explores the theme of space: how birth of stars and planets is similar to the birth of feelings between human beings. And how love can be as hard as moving tectonic plates, and as hot as magma.
And they say back then our universe was a cold black egg
Until the god inside burst out and from its shattered shell
He made what became the world we know
These are the lines from the Cosmogony song, one of the most interesting on the album lyrically. In the verses, Björk explores the origins of the universe and mentions different theories and myths. Looking at the cover, you can come up with one more hypothesis—what if Björk is the origin of the Universe as we know it?
Björk herself looks like a red nebula:
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VE9mipXdr5wBzfpjuGJLxH.jpg
Her face reflects deep tranquility and motherly love, and she is surrounded by her children—stars and constellations. In her hands she holds a whimsical and shiny small harp (appreciate if you know and share in the comments the exact name of this instrument), and a mineral resembling a heart—yet another symbol of love.
It's an absolute amazing cover, and I wouldn't wonder if for someone it's her best album art. But i got himself into this thankless task, and should out one masterpiece over the other guided by "vibes".
And they tell me it's 8/10 and 6th place.
There is the thing: DS1 and exploring enjoyers in general don't play with wiki, and don't watch Vaatividya. They play really slowly, exploring every inch of the map, and some even make notes. No help, you observe, connect the dots and make assumptions. I watch certain streamers who deeply annoyed by Vaati followers in chat, because they come, claim the streamers are wrong, and explain the lore the way Vaati told them, even though he made that part up.
The problem with LoP is that in the eyes of many "haters", that it's not cohesive at all. The game is inspired by the Pinocchio tale, but the action takes place in a town with a Slavic name, looking like France in the belle epoque period. The art direction is far from great. Areas and buildings look quite generic, and it's especially striking on comparing the Krat view from the mountain, to FromSoft titles, where areas are recognizable only by buildings' silhouettes or palette colors. Enemy design becomes quite boring after cathedral: I cannot even remember a few interesting mutant enemies, they feel the same. Bosses, except the two last ones, were good for me, but they share the same issues ER bosses have.
The game has an amazing "cover", but not much of a substance. Did the developers care, or just tried to make an impression? It's not so striking if you focus on overcoming challenges and experimenting with weapons, and follow the story as a spectator. And I value your experience if you get everything want. But if you try on the role of an archeologist, "a lore hunter", it feels lackluster comparing to the FromSoft games, and even LoTF.