<![CDATA[Stephanie Kato - Blog]]>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 03:31:14 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Young Sherlock Review]]>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 05:57:15 GMThttp://www.stephaniekatoauthor.com/blog/young-sherlock-reviewGood evening! It’s time for another streaming review. I binged Young Sherlock on Amazon Prime. Various iterations of Sherlock Holmes have entertained me in the past, including the original book series, the films with Robert Downey Jr., the Enola Holmes movies on Netflix, and several video games. How does Young Sherlock compare to other version of this famous detective? I’ll tell you all about it. Let’s take a look at each episode with a short commentary. Enjoy!

The Case of the Missing Scrolls
The show opens with Sherlock Holmes as a young man who’s being sent to Oxford university. Unfortunately, his brother Mycroft made arrangements for Sherlock to work at the university instead of being a student. It doesn’t take long for Sherlock to become embroiled in a theft. He also meets a new ally who becomes his arch nemesis in later years. 

This show is based on the Young Sherlock book series, which means it’s different than the previous versions that are more familiar to me. Sherlock Holmes is still arrogant and reckless with a genius level IQ. Other elements and characters went through many changes. For example, James Moriarty is almost the same age as Sherlock and he’s probably even more narcissistic and unpredictable. Strangely, Sherlock is the level headed member of the pair. Changes can be a good thing. So far, the show is catching my eye with an interesting mystery and a surprising amount of action. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season. 

The Case of the Burnt Photograph
Someone frames Sherlock for a professor’s murder, so he goes on the run with Moriarty. These young men are quite brilliant, but the system is against them and it will be challenging to overcome the odds. 

The show still has my attention, although it’s heading in a slightly different direction than I expected. The pacing is actually pretty good. I’m impressed with that part because the mystery genre tends to have a slow burn. A character from China, named Princess Shou’an, appears to be an assassin who’s posing as royalty. Did someone hire this woman as a mercenary? Is she serving her own agenda? I’m sure the story will reveal these elements at a later time. Right now, the mystery is becoming much deeper.  

The Case of the Unarmed Man
Apparently, Shou’an was a young woman from rural China who witnessed the murder of her entire family at the hands of British men who had ties to the university. She’s on a quest to avenge their deaths, but it’s also clear that she’s working for someone. Meanwhile, Sherlock still needs to clear his name. 

I learned more context to Shou’an’s mission and the story provides decent information about her backstory. As expected, she’s not actually Chinese royalty. I can understand why she’s hunting down the men who murdered her family, but it seems like she’s also involved in a deeper conspiracy. Hopefully, the show won’t bait the audience into waiting for a second season. The pacing does slow down significantly in this episode. Young Sherlock will either pick up the pacing again or the quality will continue declining through the season. Let’s see how it goes. 

The Case of the Missing Button
Sherlock seeks out his mother who’s institutionalized. Several clues are pointing to his family, so Sherlock tries to find out details about his parents. It might also be possible that his sister’s death might have a connection to a larger conspiracy.

Now the show is starting to lose my interest. The mystery is growing and introducing more elements. For example, the viewers are learning more about the Holmes family, including the death of Sherlock’s sister many years ago. I don’t mind this aspect, but the show is only opening the door for more questions instead of answers. At this point, the show is half done and I don’t want it to get bogged down with a bunch of subplots. Nearly every episode introduces a new subplot, including the mystery about Sherlock sister and the murder of Shou’an’s family. The plot is just getting too busy for my taste. 

The Case of Young Sherlock Holmes
Part of the episode takes place through flashbacks, showing what happened to Sherlock’s younger sister. Presently, Sherlock and Moriarty free Mrs. Holmes from the asylum and bring her to the family cabin. They also learn that Sherlock’s father is hiding dark secrets.

I found this episode interesting in some ways because it’s explaining parts of the backstory and overall mystery. Also, the episode is drawing parallels between the university murders and the death of Sherlock’s sister in the past. However, this episode is also quite slow. I almost fell asleep watching it. Young Sherlock shares the same curse with other shows. As usual, the middle episodes are kind of boring and they’re a convenient excuse to add extra time. I hope the last few episodes are a lot better. My patience is becoming thin at this point. 

The Case of the Killing Jar
Several events lead to a horrifying truth that could jeopardize the lives of many people. Sherlock also finds out the body in his sister’s grave belonged to another girl. Does that mean Beatrice Holmes could be alive?

This was probably my least favorite episode. I thought Young Sherlock had an excellent start, but it waned after a while. The charm, humor, and quintessential Sherlock Holmes flavor from the first couple of episodes is gone. Now the show is just another conspiracy tale about arms races and weapons of mass destruction. Evidently, a nerve gas called the “creeping death” could kill entire communities. Parts of the story are also very unclear. I can’t tell if the people making this weapon are a terrorist cell, the British government, or a secret society led by powerful aristocrats. Hopefully, the show will redeem itself in the last two episodes. 

The Case of the Two Corners
It turns out Beatrice is alive and Sherlock’s father fled to Constantinople. The Holmes family enlists help from Shou’an and they go on a rigorous expedition. Sherlock’s father will surely know about Beatrice’s location. 

The show is finally providing more context for the various subplots. Better late than never. Basically, Shou’an’s family was bombed with the “creeping death” by the British government and this explains why she’s on the hunt for revenge. This episode has a decent amount of intrigue and adventure, which makes it a lot more interesting with better pacing. Young Sherlock isn’t one of my favorite adaptations, but it has some positive elements with solid entertainment value. How do I feel about the Holmes family dynamic? I wish it wasn’t such a huge part of the show. It seems like the detective mystery is secondary to the family drama. 

The Case of Beatrice Holmes
Sherlock needs to stop his father from unleashing the “creeping death” on the masses. Will Beatrice find her own identity or continue following her father’s orders? Maybe the fractured Holmes family can solve this final mystery together. 

I felt generally satisfied with the finale. It wrapped up the first season’s main story while leaving room for future adventures. Young Sherlock is more about the globe trotting and adventure elements instead of the murder mystery themes. That’s an important thing for viewers to know. The show is not a traditional whodunnit, murder mystery, or detective fiction. Actually, the titles of the episodes are misleading because each of them begins with “The Case of…” However, the show’s concept still works pretty well. This formula also works in similar media, such as Enola Holmes. I didn’t mind watching this show, but future seasons don’t appeal to me. 

Overall, I can’t tell if fans of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy this show or not. It’s very different than the original books from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the most popular film or show adaptations. Young Sherlock definitely has plenty of redeemable elements, such as the casting, adventure elements, chemistry between the characters, and plot twists. Right now, this show is number one on my streaming list. Granted, The Testaments has a strong chance of overtaking Young Sherlock and we’re only done with the first quarter of the year. I wasn’t super impressed, but 2026 looks like a very thin streaming year. So, you might have a hard time finding better content this year. If you’re curious, check it out on Amazon Prime. 

That’s all for now. You’ve read my opinion about Young Sherlock. The show isn’t bad, but I wish the writing was a little more cohesive and I got bored with it after a while. Depending on how the 2026 schedules goes, Young Sherlock might land somewhere in the middle of my rankings. We’ll see what happens. I don’t know next week’s topic yet. Pretty soon, I need to take some breaks and focus more on my book. Stay tuned. Thank you for visiting my blog, take care of yourselves, and have a good week. ]]><![CDATA[Game Reviews for April 2026]]>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 03:54:22 GMThttp://www.stephaniekatoauthor.com/blog/game-reviews-for-april-2026Welcome back, my fellow gamers! This is my first round of game reviews for the year. I’m going to be frank. 2026 had a pretty disappointing start to the video game schedule. I have less time to play games and that might influence my review process, but it doesn’t seem like 2026 is going to be an all time great year for new games. Some of those issues probably have direct correlation with the overall turmoil in the gaming industry. Multiple publishers and developers are going through a total overhaul. Countless studios were closed and employees were laid off. Prices keep rising and whatnot. It’s just a mess and the actual video games we play this year are probably going to reflect these problems. Regardless, I’m going to provide my honest opinion. Here we go!
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Yup, Bubsy in The Purrfect Collection was my first venture in this year’s gaming calendar. Truth be told, I never played the Bubsy games. This collection is making me feel really nervous about the upcoming Bubsy 4D. None of the games in this collection are good. In fact, they’re pretty awful. The platforming is unwieldy, floaty, and difficult to control. It’s a one hit kill system. You have to maneuver flawlessly without getting hit and that’s an insurmountable task given the number of enemies in every level and the mediocre platforming. I do think some retro gamers who appreciate the early Super Mario Bros. games might find a certain amount of charm in this collection, but it’s virtually inaccessible to modern players. Yes, Bubsy 3D really is that terrible. The infamy is completely true. 

There is very little point to play this collection. It’s a waste of time and money. However, I do hold out some hope for the long awaited sequel. Doesn’t it come out next month? The bar is low, so Bubsy 4D could be the best entry in the franchise. Let’s focus on the future instead of these retro games. 
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I might not be the target audience for this game. My Hero Academia was never part of my anime repertoire, but I wanted to try this release. So, I couldn’t tell you if it’s a good adaptation of the show’s final season. Basically, the gameplay is fine, but it’s completely forgettable. I’ve seen much better fighting games from anime franchises, including the most recent Dragon Ball game, Bleach: Rebirth of Souls, and the latest Demon Slayer title. Scarlet Nexus was an action game, although it was very good as well. My Hero Academia: All’s Justice seems like a big step down from any of those releases. With that said, fans of My Hero Academia might find some value in this game. It depends how the game tells the story. The overall gameplay feels imprecise, repetitive, and it’s hard to lock on enemies. There’s only a few move sets and combos for each character. Some playable characters have remarkably inferior move sets compared to others. It’s definitely not a masterclass in arena fighting games. 

Unless you’re a huge fan of My Hero Academia, you’re better off playing the other anime adaptations that I already mentioned. Most or all of them are probably on sale and they play much better. That’s just how I see it. 
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Okay, I have an unconventional opinion about Resident Evil Requiem. I do recommend this game for people who like survival horror and the overall Resident Evil series. Granted, I don’t think it’s an all time great entry in the franchise. It’s fine, but I got really tired of playing this game after the first handful of hours. Requiem does some things really well. Grace is a very compelling character and her levels are incredibly scary. It’s also a lot of fun to play as Leon because he’s practically a super soldier. Here are my gripes. Capcom wants to have their cake and eat it too. The game is trying to satisfy both the hardcore survival horror fans and players who prefer action horror. Grace’s sections have a huge emphasis on stalker enemies. Unkillable monsters are present through almost every section and you have very limited resources. The inventory space is tiny and I constantly ran back and forth to the safe rooms for storage. It was almost like a Loony Tunes cartoon. You also won’t have enough ammo to kill all of the zombies, which becomes irritating upon backtracking. Leon has plenty of weapons, ammo, and inventory space, but the gameplay and silly dialogue gets old after a while. The first couple of levels are entertaining and then everything else feels the same afterward. ​Requiem is also bringing back the T-virus and the story functions as the third installment in the Racoon City trilogy. That means the setting, enemies, and atmosphere are everything we already saw in the remakes of RE2 and RE3. This game is relying heavily on fan service with a clone of Albert Wesker, the reemergence of Mr. X from RE2, a new version of the plant boss from the original Resident Evil, etc. I couldn’t get into it.  

Resident Evil Requiem could be a nostalgic experience for people who love the old RE games. I believe some people will really enjoy this game and others will find it overrated or possibly annoying. Keep in mind, this game is $70. Ouch! It’s probably worth playing, but I recommend waiting for a sale. 
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Fatal Frame is another series that I never played until now. It didn’t have a huge presence in North America for a long time. I actually find this remake quite a bit more interesting than Resident Evil Requiem. It’s very creepy and the ambiance has a sinister folk horror feel. However, the combat sections are unrefined with bad aim and clunky controls. That part disappoints me because it basically ruins the gameplay. The Camera Obscura is your only true weapon against various angry ghosts. It hurts the evil spirits, but the camera has a cooldown meter and precise aim is almost impossible. These issues make it easy to get injured or killed on a regular basis. You might get used to the awkward gameplay, but that probably depends on the individual player. The sisters heal each other when they hold hands, but that’s just a gimmick you’ll forget about. I also found some of the puzzles a bit confusing. 

My rotten luck with survival horror continues. You might not believe me, but I played quite a few horror games that were some of my favorites. Recently, I haven’t been impressed. Fatal Frame II isn’t terrible, but I’m probably not recommending to spend money on it. Maybe it will come to either PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass. Try some of the Resident Evil games, the remake of Silent Hill 2, The Evil Within 2, or some of the narrative horror games like Until Dawn, Still Wakes the Deep, or Layers of Fear. 
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I regret buying this game. Styx: Blades of Greed isn’t a good fit for me because it’s almost entirely dependent on stealth combat, traversal, and exploration. It’s not a true action or adventure game. However, I played it, so I should say something. Blades of Greed is the third entry in the Styx trilogy. I can’t say anything grabbed my attention. The humor and characters didn’t connect with me. Stealth tactics are key, which will probably will appeal to a niche of gamers. Many people will find this game tedious, confusing, and difficult to navigate. If you get caught, it’s over. Styx can’t fight very well and he’ll get killed unless you get away. That means any minute error can be deadly. Is that a positive game mechanic? I would say it’s overkill, but some players appreciate this amount of challenge. 

Overall, this game might appeal to fans of the Dishonored series. Personally, I believe the Dishonored games are better, even though they didn’t connect with me either. Like many games on today’s post, I don’t think you’re missing anything by skipping Styx: Blades of Greed​. It might be worth trying on Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus someday. 
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The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is the first game that impressed me in 2026. It’s a point and click adventure with a distinct folk horror theme. I’m writing a collection of folk horror stories and this game is exceptional. The story is better than most folk horror movies and novels. This game has well crafted characters, an interesting mystery, a slow burn, a charming pixel art style, and a nuanced setting that helps it stand out in the horror genre. It does have a couple of flaws. The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow can be slow with pacing issues and some of the puzzles are obtuse enough to require a guide. It doesn’t have any replay value either. There’s only one story from beginning to end without alternate endings. Despite a few imperfections, it’s a great example of the point and click adventure and a compelling horror experience. Is this game too scary for people who don’t usually play horror games? I will say it’s violent and a bit disturbing sometimes. 

This is my first true recommendation of the year. The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is a winner in nearly every way. It’s a very strong point and click adventure. This game is one of the best recent horror experiences and far superior to many AAA releases. It’s even a good niche game for people like me who enjoy folk horror. The price is also quite reasonable at $15 through digital retailers and $35 for physical. Check it out! 
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We can never have enough indie games or small horror experiences. Fear the Spotlight is an homage to retro horror games from the PS1 era. Overall, it’s pretty good as a tense and spooky horror game. However, I got really annoyed with the recurring stalker enemy, especially because nearly all of the rooms are very dark with maze-like navigation. You have to solve quite a few puzzles while an unkillable enemy patrols with a literal spotlight attached to its face. The experience may induce dread, but it’s cumbersome to bumble through the dark while figuring out how to handle those puzzles. I have a lousy sense of direction and the stalker enemy capitalized on this issue multiple times. This game doesn’t have any weapons or forms of defense, which is a little bit disappointing. You can’t even pick up objects and throw them to distract the monster. Fear the Spotlight has a unique concept. You need to stay in the darkness for safety and hide from the light. Usually, it’s the other way around in horror games and I like this change of pace. The story is very interesting and the characters are perfectly relatable and likable in their own awkward way. Fear the Spotlight has many positive elements, but I struggled to enjoy the game enough due to a relentless stalker enemy. 

Even though I felt a little bit disappointed, this game would probably be a good experience for fans of survival horror. Some players really like recurring stalker enemies in Outlast and similar titles, so Fear the Spotlight will be a strong choice. Those of you who get tired of endless stalker enemies while navigating the map and solving puzzles at the same time will have much less enjoyment from this game. The $20 price tag will be worth the money for some people, but not for others. 

​That’s all for now! I wish the early game slate impressed me a lot more. Save your money for GTA VI or whatever you’re anticipating this year. I see many upcoming game releases on the horizon and that worries me. It will probably be a year of quantity over quality during a time when a game’s failure means certain doom for the entire studio. Here are some of the recent developments that worry me significantly. AI programs are creating another serious chip shortage that will last for a couple of years. That means if you want a new cell phone or anything else that requires computer chips, you’ll have to go on a waiting list for months. Some of the turmoil in the gaming industry also worries me. Xbox is going through a huge rebranding and I hope it works. Ubisoft needs to work out a ton of issues or they could be on the verge of collapsing in a few years. Nacon used to be a big supporter of physical games, but they filed for insolvency and the entire company might go out of business. Really big games are being cancelled. Gang of Dragon will probably be the next one on the chopping block because the studio essentially ran out of money. We’ll see what happens. I really hope things get better some time this year. If time permits, I might review Young Sherlock next week. Thank you for reading my reviews, take care of yourselves, and enjoy the rest of the Easter weekend. ​
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