#pixelsword

If you saw my previous post discussing an Ultimate Angler rip, Telling Fish Tales, you'll already be well informed in what make rips of this game stand out. This obscure, little-discussed 3DS download game was the favorite of a certain SiIvaGunner team member called Marrow, who tragically passed in 2019. In the four years since, Marrow's legacy has lived on, as Ultimate Angler continues to get a bevvy of new rips made each Season, and even a full-on album dedicated just to them in Season 7.

What I find so special about this ongoing support for Marrow and his cherished gem of a game, is ironically enough just how not-special it all feels. Rips of Ultimate Angler - such as Turnabout Fishters - aren't packaged with visual flair, or made with the express purpose of reflective sadness, or restricted to just making references to other things Marrow loved. Turnabout Fishters and all the other rips that surround it have such a beautifully simple mission statement - to remind you that Ultimate Angler exists, has a lovely soundscape, and is worthy of your time and love.

Turnabout Fishters is a simple rip executed perfectly - it takes the Turnabout Sisters theme from the Ace Attorney series and translates it beautifully into the mellow, acoustic style of the Ultimate Angler title screen. Its a beautiful theme, with beautiful instrumentation, and an immensely emotional core lying under it all with context in mind. Yet I adore that these rips work just as well as simple celebrations of Ultimate Angler's sound: I've seen a surprising number of commenters on these rips unsure of what the past context is regarding Marrow and Ultimate Angler in general. That context is easy to find online, certainly, but I love that Ultimate Angler - and Marrow, by extension - is able to put so many smiles on people's faces, solely through the SiIva team's shared love of the game, with context not even being needed.