There’s nothing more satisfying or stress-relieving after a long day at work than vacuuming through the world as an elephant. Is this what Powerwash Simulator players feel like?

There’s also a bit of Enhance/Lumines Arise in this Vlog too! The game is great! Hunting Retro Games in Tokyo! | Japan Vlog - The Bonus Points youtu.be/Ss0ZVb2LfwM

Chill vibes only among the brambles here with our arrangement of the iconic Stickerbush Symphony from Donkey Kong Country 2! Featuring @acmenesmusic.bsky.social @deckels.bsky.social and @oboejdub.bsky.social 🌟 Full video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5LQ...

Watch this Lumines Arise preview and Enhance studio visit from The Bonus Points! Thanks Oli and Joe for stopping by and checking out the game!!💜🙏🏻 @thebonuspoints.com bit.ly/4nJTQlD

Minecrafting in Donkey Kong - experimenting with making an obstacle course with throwing materials! It’s finicky and I’m definitely playing the game in a way it’s not intended to be, but it was fun to mess around with this early evening and I’d love to do more with it in the future!

Donkey Kong’s watching an old CRT, thinking of 1999… (Credit: Bismuth’s video on DK64 101% speedrunning)

Immortalizing Oli’s “ook ook” at the start of the Donkey Kong The Bonus Points Podcast in my new Simian String Symphony I’m writing. At least, that’s genuinely where I got my inspiration to add monkey sounds in my piece. Hehe :P

It's always a good day for #StardewValley music, so check out Deep in the Mines: A Tribute to Stardew Valley ft. mines theme arrangements by @joshuaiyer.bsky.social, Caitlin Ayala, and me! vronmediamusic.bandcamp.com/album/deep-i...

I wrote my first “meme” piece this past week. I blame my piano students for teaching the meme to me and helping me come up with the idea. youtu.be/SUYxKgrbUU8

Happy Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 Launch (Star) Day! I hope everyone planning on getting the Switch releases enjoys them!

Finished Andy Robertson’s book, What Was Hidden, last night. So many powerful messages that I definitely hope I can apply to my own life. I fell in love with the characters and I loved the gaming and YouTuber side of it as well! Definitely worth a read!

I'm so excited to share a brand-new fantasy orchestra piece, Storybook Tales of Yore, that I collaborated on with my friend, SJR Caldwell! We worked on it over the past year. Here, you can get links to streaming it (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.) or a score visualization. distrokid.com/hyperfollow/...

With the Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 announcement today, I thought it was a good time to plug my Mario Galaxy tribute album, Soaring Through the Cosmos! open.spotify.com/album/7myUrS...

I ordered What Was Hidden by @geekdadgamer.bsky.social, and it just arrived today! I really haven’t read that many newer books that reference culture of today, so having a YouTuber being one of the protagonists will be so much fun to read about! Thanks for sharing it with Alba on The Bonus Points!

I've been working with my friend Stephen Caldwell on a gaming-adjacent single, Storybook Tales of Yore! This is the first time I've done a collaboration composition and we're so happy with the result. It will be released on September 19th wherever you get your music. Check out Stephen's album art!

Loved the bonus episode @thebonuspoints.com , Obra Dimwits was such a great series! ( although from the looks of that ending, there’s more to come )

Tried out my first roguelike shooter this morning (it’s on-sale on the eshop for super cheap!), Enter the Gungeon! It’s very addicting so far to keep trying for “one more run,” although right now while I’m still learning the game, each attempt got worse… Excited to keep practicing and trying!

This game can look gorgeous sometimes. The aqua blues here are just so satisfying to look at!

I thought this was an interesting puzzle that required prep-work with the rocks. It was also funny how they flew into the air and landed right back where they started. I love this game so much!!

Just a fun observation I thought of - the DK Artist mode in Donkey Kong Bananza reminds me of Super Mario 64 DS’ art feature, which lets you mess with and scribble with Mario and Yoshi’s heads! It’s just a lot more intricate now and you’re molding 3D models. Still a fun childhood connection!

This is a beautiful documentary about Breath of the Wild and its Japanese influences. It's very well-produced and cinematic. I had to share it on here! - www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOIS...

I tried to make a DOLE banana like in Monkey Ball in Donkey Kong Bananza’s DK Artist mode. I also tried to sneak The Bonus Points logo in there too!

Thrilled to be part of @gamegrooves.com's latest album - check our arrangement of Peaceful Days (1000 AD) from Chrono Trigger! Featuring @joshuaiyer.bsky.social @chromaticapparatus.bsky.social and Caitlin Ayala! Full YT video: youtu.be/Xpy2wu93g1A Get the 22-track album here: lnk.to/chambers-of-...

A buzzer beater finish!

Finally rolled credits on Donkey Kong Bananza! What a fantastic game. It certainly helps scratch the itch for a new 3D Mario for the time being! The final sequence was incredible, and I’m excited to dig into the bonus content and find more bananas (like I already do in Monkey Ball)! 🍌🐒🎤

A day late, as I just saw videos popping up about it, but happy 30th anniversary to Yoshi's Island! I loved this game, especially The Bonus Points Podcast for it a couple months ago and the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe course that was released for it.

The final boss of DK Bananza makes me feel like I’m fighting a Dark Souls boss… Probably not as difficult, but just for my gaming skill, it’s intense!

We chiseled out this entire mountain in Donkey Kong Bananza to hunt for gold! Feels a bit like terraforming land for a build in Minecraft.

Working on a big new Mario Maker 2 project that I hope will combine all my favorite things into one game. I was working on this level today where you go through as Mario and return as Link, and ended up accidentally creating a pretty fun endless runner-style level.

We're excited to announce that our latest album, Chambers of Time, a 30th anniversary chamber music tribute to Chrono Trigger, is out in full on Bandcamp, just in time for #BandcampFriday! On Bandcamp: lnk.to/chambers-of-... Cover art by Zachary Hero #ChronoTrigger #chambermusic #vgm

I’m a sucker for these Mario game tie-ins in Super Mario Run, and I’m currently working on the DK Bananza ones. It’s fun pretending the board is Mission Control, hearing young Pauline’s song, and then going out to do a mission as Mario and reporting back for duty! The Mushroom Kingdom Knight!

Dorico has a feature where it can proofread your MUSIC?! It’s like spell-check but for music!! Absolutely blows my mind what modern notation software can do. To think I’ve been so stubborn sticking with Finale for these past 15 years…

Late next week is going to be a busy time for me… The Bonus Points Book Club on First Lie Wins on Wednesday my friend suggested, Donkey Kong Bananza (can’t wait!!) on Thursday, and Album 5 for The 8-Bit Big Band PLUS the First Night of the BBC Proms on Friday… Not sure if I can take it!!

Spent way too much time creating a way up to the top of this labyrinth. But worth it!

You haven’t really taught piano until you’ve gotten to a page in your student’s lesson book where it asks them to play on the black keys with an orange.

I finally got a copy of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D and got a chance to start it up today. This has always been one of my favorite games. I’ve always wanted to play the 3DS version of it ever since 2015! Plus, seeing Young Pauline made me think of Young Link :-) Some of my favorite gaming characters!

I’ve not done a countdown for an event before, but I’m so hyped for DK Bananza, I just had to do one until its release. This game looks like it has just about everything I love put into one package. I can’t wait to play it for myself!!

Last Surprise is one of the most iconic tracks on the Persona 5 soundtrack, so it's only fitting that @joshuaiyer.bsky.social handle this track featuring lush string arranging featured in lounge music! Check out Joshua's Last Surprise on Bandcamp and streaming services: lnk.to/velvet-room #persona

I only watched 3 minutes of the Donkey Kong Bananza Direct, but it’s only confirmed my excitement for the game. Bits of Mario lore with Young Pauline (and she’s a singer!), the cinematic landscapes and orchestral music, mixed with bits of what I love about Mario Odyssey… It’s going to be so special!

I’ve been playing a lot of Mario’s Picross lately on the Game Boy and Super Famicom, and I came up with an idea for a Mario Maker version. Needs some time in the oven, but I think it’s at least an interesting idea! (I love making levels on the Switch 2 screen, too!)

Playing through Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the Switch 2 - it’s fun to come up with creative ways to cheat the dungeon design!

They really didn’t do DK any favors in his Mario Kart DS model, did they? And Mario Kart World’s coming out during this game’s 20th anniversary year… Bananas!

I don’t know why, but I find and can’t get over how aesthetically pleasing Donkey Kong’s sprite is in Mario Kart: Super Circuit.

Happy Pride month! Let's be queer and proud together! Got this adorable yoshi art by @churroshi.bsky.social to celebrate! 🏳️‍🌈

Why am I fighting the Blue Shell from Mario Kart in a Zelda game? :P

I often use orchestral score videos on YT to prep parts which has left my feed dotted with random scores. I started watching one every morning and have listened to so much music I wouldn’t have listened to otherwise. Today’s algorithmic offering was Ravel’s String Quartet in F. 10/10.

Utter bliss going for a morning walk and listening to DanTDM’s Next Level, a Nintendo special! Loads of my favorite soundtracks and franchises represented. Definitely helps the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World hype, and also after playing a new (to me) Nintendo game last night, Mario’s Super Picross!

Writing a sort of crazy rock track for my new soundtrack project that feels like it might fit in a DOOM game. Maybe I’ve got the adverts for DOOM: The Dark Ages in my head I keep seeing. It’s fun to explore new genres that push you outside your comfort zone!

Ever since childhood, I’ve always enjoyed scribbling 3D levels for Mario or Monkey Ball games. For me personally, with games like Minecraft and (especially for what I have in mind) Reforj, it’s so special to be able to bring some new sketches I’m doing into the digital gaming world. For real!

Channeling crooners from decades past, @icrescendo.bsky.social's swinging arrangement of The Whims of Fate from Persona 5 would make Tommy Dorsey and Sonny Burke proud. Preorder Lounging in the Velvet Room and get iCrescendo's track when the album releases on Friday! lnk.to/velvet-room #bigband