Well, I was hoping I’d have a more positive note to start out the new year with, but it seems I can’t seem to escape fucked up shit happening in my orbit. At the very least, I don’t need to do any sort of investigation or lengthy 10K plus article “exposing” the culprit, but considering that I’ve covered all three of Jessica Cruz-Guzman (aka CorpseSyndrome) games, and have platformed her work.
While I don’t find it necessary to update my previous reviews since Team Ari is still active under new leadership, and the games are free and therefore don’t allow Jessica to gain any profit from them, I did have someone reach out to tell me about this disturbing update. There’s something especially dark about this because I opened my review of the remaster of MtMB with this
I was supposed to write my review of (Mario) The Music Box Remastered at least two years ago. I’m now in the sort of yucky period of my career where I need to coax myself back intro writing after continuous, traumatic events and several months dealing with severe PTSD because sitting there being traumatized doesn’t help me regain lost Patrons. Seriously though, please pledge to my Fanbox. At the very least I’m not alone, as I recently checked into the Team Ari Discord server, and noticed that lead dev Jessica had a close brush with suicide. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I’m glad she’s still with us, and that she has my full support, especially considering my own recurring mental health struggles. And if Jessica is reading this, I know the two of us haven’t had much interaction, but just know you are more than welcome to speak to me if you are ever in need of any company or support.
Needless to say, she does NOT have my support after what she did. Rather than summarizing the events, I will simply share screenshots from the Team Ari Discord server that do so, as I was not involved in the situation, nor did I know anyone who was.
So, I don’t know what circumstances lead Jessica to attempt something like this, or if it had anything to do with why she attempted suicide a year prior, and I also don’t care. There was a fucking child in this house! That alone means it’s impossible to justify any of this even in the best case scenario.
I mean, what is there for me to say? Even with the worst people I covered, there’s some expectation that there are lines even they wouldn’t cross. Someone is dead because of Jessica’s depraved and malicious behavior, and I feel no sympathy for her or what she’s lost because of her horrific actions. I can only offer my deepest and sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, and anyone harmed in this horrific tragedy.
I don’t know if there’s anything more for me to say, especially since larger content creators such as LuigiKid have covered it. I’m beyond saddened and disgusted by what occurred.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-18/suspicious-house-fire-investigation-clyde-north/106156202
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JVJVgH0HREgPF8bnmkjdb9Sx5CfcF7YphPeK03JkS9E/edit?tab=t.0
I have never heard of this person before the news came out, so I was surprised by the amount of devastated reaction posts to it. From what I’ve seen of Mario Box… I’m more puzzled by her decision to make an edgy Mario fangame. Like, what is it about the happy, simple Mario that needs to go into Higurashi territory? I don’t recall any dark moments within the franchise that needs to be explored. (Now if it was a Sonic fangame, that’d be a slightly different story, cuz Sonic has its dark moments.)
As for CorpseSyndrome, there needs to be some YouTube documentary about her, because I have absolutely no idea who is truly is. She killed a man because he said something about reminded her of her daughter, whom she apparently lost custody of? And her ex confiscated the assets of her fangame? And that she was homeless? What? What??? I doubt she’s as documented compared to, let’s say, Chris Chan, but I’m completely under a rock when it comes to her and her fans.