diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 0211bf3e..b553c505 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ set(SFML_ENABLE_PCH true)
 CPMAddPackage(
     NAME SFML
     GITHUB_REPOSITORY vittorioromeo/SFML
-    GIT_TAG 5415b77a2fc6fb109a0cc4a7b5fb93ae5a69b720
+    GIT_TAG 1774e83b5fbd068151aabd7a4fa2b0bd4af4e0bd
 )
 
 set_target_properties(sfml-system PROPERTIES UNITY_BUILD OFF)
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ if(NOT SSVOH_ANDROID)
     CPMAddPackage(
         NAME imgui-sfml
         GITHUB_REPOSITORY SFML/imgui-sfml
-        GIT_TAG 7758bfd06326af08dc919198c13f9f0e64e70b1a
+        GIT_TAG 4727cf135a0e412d1f5b2e7fa402283dce0c91da
         )
 
     set_target_properties(ImGui-SFML PROPERTIES UNITY_BUILD ON)
diff --git a/include/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/Assets.hpp b/include/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/Assets.hpp
index 601170e0..69d30c0b 100644
--- a/include/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/Assets.hpp
+++ b/include/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/Assets.hpp
@@ -58,7 +58,6 @@ class HGAssets
     [[nodiscard]] sf::Texture& getTextureOrNullTexture(const std::string& mId);
 
     [[nodiscard]] sf::Font& getFont(const std::string& mId);
-    [[nodiscard]] sf::Font& getFontOrNullFont(const std::string& mId);
 
     [[nodiscard]] bool isValidLevelId(
         const std::string& mLevelId) const noexcept;
diff --git a/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Core/HexagonGame.cpp b/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Core/HexagonGame.cpp
index 953fd41e..78e3b31d 100644
--- a/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Core/HexagonGame.cpp
+++ b/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Core/HexagonGame.cpp
@@ -280,8 +280,8 @@ HexagonGame::HexagonGame(Steam::steam_manager* mSteamManager,
     : steamManager(mSteamManager),
       discordManager(mDiscordManager),
       assets(mAssets),
-      font{assets.getFontOrNullFont("OpenSquare-Regular.ttf")},
-      fontBold{assets.getFontOrNullFont("OpenSquare-Bold.ttf")},
+      font{assets.getFont("OpenSquare-Regular.ttf")},
+      fontBold{assets.getFont("OpenSquare-Bold.ttf")},
       audio(mAudio),
       window(mGameWindow),
       hexagonClient{mHexagonClient},
diff --git a/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Core/main.cpp b/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Core/main.cpp
index 81acc922..d65d8f1a 100644
--- a/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Core/main.cpp
+++ b/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Core/main.cpp
@@ -312,15 +312,18 @@ getFirstCompressedReplayFilenameFromArgs(const std::vector<std::string>& args)
         {
             const auto resetIcon = [&window]
             {
-                sf::Image icon;
-                if(!icon.loadFromFile("Assets/icon.png"))
+                const std::optional icon =
+                    sf::Image::loadFromFile("Assets/icon.png");
+
+                if(!icon.has_value())
                 {
                     ssvu::lo("::main") << "Failed to load icon image\n";
                     return;
                 }
 
                 window->getRenderWindow().setIcon(
-                    {icon.getSize().x, icon.getSize().y}, icon.getPixelsPtr());
+                    {icon->getSize().x, icon->getSize().y},
+                    icon->getPixelsPtr());
             };
 
             window->onRecreation += resetIcon;
diff --git a/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/AssetStorage.cpp b/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/AssetStorage.cpp
index ce126252..e399da6c 100644
--- a/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/AssetStorage.cpp
+++ b/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/AssetStorage.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 #include "SSVOpenHexagon/Global/Assert.hpp"
 
+#include "SSVOpenHexagon/Global/Macros.hpp"
 #include "SSVOpenHexagon/Utils/Concat.hpp"
 #include "SSVOpenHexagon/Utils/UniquePtr.hpp"
 
@@ -61,13 +62,30 @@ class AssetStorage::AssetStorageImpl
 
     [[nodiscard]] bool loadFont(const std::string& id, const std::string& path)
     {
-        return tryEmplaceAndThenLoadFromFile(_fonts, id, path);
+        std::optional font = sf::Font::loadFromFile(path);
+
+        if(!font.has_value())
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        auto [it, inserted] = _fonts.emplace(id, *SSVOH_MOVE(font));
+        return inserted;
     }
 
     [[nodiscard]] bool loadSoundBuffer(
         const std::string& id, const std::string& path)
     {
-        return tryEmplaceAndThenLoadFromFile(_soundBuffers, id, path);
+        std::optional soundBuffer = sf::SoundBuffer::loadFromFile(path);
+
+        if(!soundBuffer.has_value())
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        auto [it, inserted] =
+            _soundBuffers.emplace(id, *SSVOH_MOVE(soundBuffer));
+        return inserted;
     }
 
     [[nodiscard]] sf::Texture* getTexture(const std::string& id) noexcept
diff --git a/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/Assets.cpp b/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/Assets.cpp
index cb002b37..2b794e57 100644
--- a/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/Assets.cpp
+++ b/src/SSVOpenHexagon/Global/Assets.cpp
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@
 #include <SFML/Audio/Music.hpp>
 
 #include <chrono>
+#include <iostream>
+#include <exception>
 
 namespace hg {
 
@@ -131,7 +133,6 @@ class HGAssets::HGAssetsImpl
     [[nodiscard]] sf::Texture& getTextureOrNullTexture(const std::string& mId);
 
     [[nodiscard]] sf::Font& getFont(const std::string& mId);
-    [[nodiscard]] sf::Font& getFontOrNullFont(const std::string& mId);
 
     [[nodiscard]] bool isValidLevelId(
         const std::string& mLevelId) const noexcept;
@@ -576,19 +577,15 @@ HGAssets::HGAssetsImpl::~HGAssetsImpl()
 
 [[nodiscard]] sf::Font& HGAssets::HGAssetsImpl::getFont(const std::string& mId)
 {
-    sf::Font* ptr = assetStorage->getFont(mId);
-    SSVOH_ASSERT(ptr);
-
-    return *ptr;
-}
+    if(sf::Font* ptr = assetStorage->getFont(mId))
+    {
+        return *ptr;
+    }
 
-[[nodiscard]] sf::Font& HGAssets::HGAssetsImpl::getFontOrNullFont(
-    const std::string& mId)
-{
-    static sf::Font nullFont;
-    sf::Font* ptr = assetStorage->getFont(mId);
+    std::cerr << "Fatal error: missing sound file '" << mId << '\''
+              << std::endl;
 
-    return ptr ? *ptr : nullFont;
+    std::terminate();
 }
 
 [[nodiscard]] bool HGAssets::HGAssetsImpl::isValidLevelId(
@@ -884,9 +881,10 @@ void HGAssets::HGAssetsImpl::loadPackAssets_loadShaders(
     {
         for(const auto& p : scanSingleByExt(mPath + "Shaders/", extension))
         {
-            auto shader = Utils::makeUnique<sf::Shader>();
+            std::optional shader =
+                sf::Shader::loadFromFile(p.getStr(), shaderType);
 
-            if(!shader->loadFromFile(p.getStr(), shaderType))
+            if(!shader.has_value())
             {
                 ssvu::lo("hg::loadPackAssets_loadShaders")
                     << "Failed to load shader '" << p << "'\n";
@@ -894,11 +892,14 @@ void HGAssets::HGAssetsImpl::loadPackAssets_loadShaders(
                 continue;
             }
 
-            shadersById.push_back(shader.get());
+            auto shaderUptr =
+                Utils::makeUnique<sf::Shader>(*SSVOH_MOVE(shader));
+
+            shadersById.push_back(shaderUptr.get());
             SSVOH_ASSERT(shadersById.size() > 0);
             const std::size_t shaderId = shadersById.size() - 1;
 
-            LoadedShader ls{.shader{SSVOH_MOVE(shader)},
+            LoadedShader ls{.shader{SSVOH_MOVE(shaderUptr)},
                 .path{p},
                 .shaderType{shaderType},
                 .id{shaderId}};
@@ -1632,11 +1633,6 @@ sf::Font& HGAssets::getFont(const std::string& mId)
     return _impl->getFont(mId);
 }
 
-sf::Font& HGAssets::getFontOrNullFont(const std::string& mId)
-{
-    return _impl->getFontOrNullFont(mId);
-}
-
 bool HGAssets::isValidLevelId(const std::string& mLevelId) const noexcept
 {
     return _impl->isValidLevelId(mLevelId);