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@thepausemenu

Pause Menu is a reflective gaming newsletter about the games we return to and the quiet ways they shape how we live. pausemenu.substack.com

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04.10.2025
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Latest posts by Pause Menu @thepausemenu

๐ŸŽฎ Last night in Stardew Valley, nothing big happened.

I watered crops. Checked crab pots. Thatโ€™s it.

The farm was stronger because I showed up.

Sometimes you need to keep coming back to a game, even after the novelty has faded.

March is about staying with it.

#Stardewvalley #Videogames

03.03.2026 12:19 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿ•ฏ๏ธ March on Pause Menu is about Staying With the Game.

Not the honeymoon phase.
The part after.

When the sparkle is gone, but the save file is still in progress.

Do I stay with it, or switch it up?

โญ If you want to sit with that question all month, you are invited to subscribe to Pause Menu.

02.03.2026 12:24 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐ŸŽฎ Last night I didnโ€™t want a challenge.
I wanted a place to land.

๐Ÿ’NHL 25, Franchise Mode, a save I know by heart.
Quiet. Familiar. Rejuvenating.

#Videogames #NHL25 #NHL

01.03.2026 12:44 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

โณ This part of the week feels like the final stretch of a timed mission.

You stop looking at the clock, and trust your next few steps instead.

#Pausemenu #Videogames #Promosky

27.02.2026 13:14 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿ•ฏ๏ธ Today on Pause Menu: Ori and the Will of the Wisps: You Donโ€™t Find the Path, You Stay Long Enough to See It

Some paths donโ€™t appear because you chose right.

They appear because you didnโ€™t abandon your cause.

#Ori #Pausemenu #Videogames

26.02.2026 12:59 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ This part of the week feels like fog of war.

You take a few steps, the map fills in a little, and you trust that is enough to keep going.

#Videogames #Gaming #Pausemenu #Indiegames

25.02.2026 12:20 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Steamโ€™s โ€œMinding Your Own Businessโ€ sale is dangerous this time of year. No one knows how those carts fill themselves. Absolute mystery. Enjoy your games!

24.02.2026 13:09 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿ•ฏ๏ธ Today on Pause Menu: Breath of the Wild: You Can Keep Going Without Anyone Noticing

Sometimes progress is loud. Sometimes itโ€™s so quiet you start to doubt it happened at all.

#Videogames #BOTW #Gamers
#Pausemenu

24.02.2026 12:34 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

As someone else who appreciates gods fighting and leaving the world re-shaped as if a natural disaster hit it, that opening battle is just the beginning.

24.02.2026 00:48 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Thatโ€™s a good spot to be in. Competence is nice, but unpredictable keeps everyone on their toes.

24.02.2026 00:46 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿซก

23.02.2026 20:36 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

First playthroughs of Final Fantasy games are always special. FFVIII has some of my favourite world building and characters. Have fun.

23.02.2026 20:34 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿ•ฏ๏ธ Some weeks, the hardest part is continuing when nothing is reacting.

No checkpoint. No applause. No clear sign youโ€™re doing it right

This week on Pause Menu
Breath of the Wild keep going without anyone noticing
Ori and the Will of the Wisps stay long enough to see the path

#Videogames
#Gaming

23.02.2026 15:28 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿฎ Late February makes me want a result I can point to.

Thatโ€™s why this weekโ€™s Legacy essay is on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It gives me space without reassurance, and it asks:

Do I keep going, or stay and appreciate the moment?

New Pause Menu Legacy essay is live

#Videogames #BOTW

23.02.2026 01:14 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I likely wouldnโ€™t leave it if I found it, but whatever is best given the circumstances is what I prioritize.

23.02.2026 00:21 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐ŸŽฎ Some days I donโ€™t want a new game. I want a familiar one that lets me show up tired and still counts.

I write Pause Menu for anyone who plays in the margins and wants a little room to breathe.

#Pausemenu
#Videogames
#Promosky

21.02.2026 20:43 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿฎ Sable is a game where โ€œI donโ€™t knowโ€ is a valid direction.

Climb a ruin for the view. Glide into the desert because the horizon dared you to. Stop halfway. Change your mind. Nothing punishes you.

#Pausemenu #Videogames #Sable #Indiegames

19.02.2026 13:02 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿ•ฏ๏ธ By mid-February, novelty gets to be too much. So I go back to NHL 25 Franchise Mode. Same team. Same cadence. Safety.

Repetition isnโ€™t always stagnation. Sometimes itโ€™s shelter.

#Pausemenu #Videogames #NHL

17.02.2026 13:06 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ This week on Pause Menu:

๐Ÿ’ Free tomorrow: NHL 25: Repetition Is a Refuge.

๐Ÿœ๏ธQuiet Mode (paid): Sable and the Space Between Decisions.

โš”๏ธLegacy (paid): Breath of the Wild, noticing what you do with time and space.

#Pausemenu #Videogames

16.02.2026 16:40 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐ŸŽฎ Starting a new game is a magical moment. Last night I started MIO: Memories in Orbit and am enjoying my introduction to a whole new world, its characters and the quiet pressures and expectations within it.

#Mio #Videogames #Indiegames

15.02.2026 18:04 ๐Ÿ‘ 7 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

This would make the most sense. Trevor had his run long ago. I coupd totally believe the character in the trailer is his daughter.

15.02.2026 13:25 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Itโ€™s been awhile since I played any Castlevania games, and this announcement has me itching to hunt vampires now.

15.02.2026 13:23 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿฎ Some games feel kind in a very specific way. They let a 20 minute session count.

Todayโ€™s piece is a small list of games that respect your time.

Itโ€™s about completion without urgency, and the relief of being trusted to come back.

#Pausemenu #Videogames

11.02.2026 03:38 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐ŸฎThis week, Iโ€™m sitting with games that respect your time.

No receipts.
No proof.
Just a session that counts because you showed up.

#Pausemenu

09.02.2026 12:33 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐ŸŽฎ Saturday night in Cult of the Lamb:

Fight some scary monsters.
Feed everyone dinner.
Pretend the doctrine choices wonโ€™t haunt me.

Perfect session.

#Videogames #Cultofthelamb

08.02.2026 04:08 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐ŸฎNo Manโ€™s Sky teaches you this early:

You donโ€™t survive by moving faster.

You survive by staying close long enough to understand.

February is a first planet month.

New Quiet Mode article is now live.

#Pausemenu #Videogames #Nomanssky

05.02.2026 12:58 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐ŸฎSome games donโ€™t reward momentum. They reward returning.

You show up.
You tend whatโ€™s there.
Nothing dramatic happens.

Midweek, that kind of attention feels like enough.

#Pausemenu

04.02.2026 13:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐ŸฎAnimal Crossing: New Horizons doesnโ€™t ask what you accomplished.

It just leaves the island where you left it.

February energy.

#Pausemenu #Videogames #Animalcrossing #ACNH

04.02.2026 00:19 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿ•ฏ๏ธFebruary doesnโ€™t feel like a month to accelerate through.

I keep noticing how often I reach for progress when what I really want is steadiness.

This month, Iโ€™m trying to let repetition be comforting instead of embarrassing.
To trust that attention itself can be enough.

#Pausemenu #Videogames

02.02.2026 12:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Started Cult of the Lamb this weekend and I love the balance between dungeon and base.

Dungeon crawler momentum meets considerate base building.

Go out. Come back. Tend to what youโ€™ve built.

#Videogames #Cultofthelamb

01.02.2026 17:52 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0