Bio
5 Stars: Does an amazing job at what it sets out to do and isn't weighed down by any major flaws. While it may not be perfect, its as close as we can realistically expect.

4 Stars: Has enough strengths that make it worth playing, but the experience is diminished either by flaws with the game itself or because its strengths aren't fully realized.

3 Stars: While it may have its strengths, they are largely balanced out by the weaknesses. While I wouldn't outright recommend these games, they at least have enough going for them that you can still justify playing.

2 Stars: Not worth playing, but it at least has some value that justifies its existence. Even though the game's strengths are outweighed by its flaws, there is at least something there that might make it a good experience.

1 Star: Not worth playing. These games have little to nothing going for them. You could enjoy it by playing ironically and making fun of its flaws, but no guarantee.
Personal Ratings
1★
5★

Badges


GOTY '23

Participated in the 2023 Game of the Year Event

Donor

Liked 50+ reviews / lists

GOTY '22

Participated in the 2022 Game of the Year Event

N00b

Played 100+ games

Loved

Gained 100+ total review likes

Busy Day

Journaled 5+ games in a single day

Popular

Gained 15+ followers

3 Years of Service

Being part of the Backloggd community for 3 years

Best Friends

Become mutual friends with at least 3 others

Roadtrip

Voted for at least 3 features on the roadmap

Liked

Gained 10+ total review likes

Noticed

Gained 3+ followers

GOTY '21

Participated in the 2021 Game of the Year Event

Favorite Games

Pathologic 2
Pathologic 2
Outer Wilds
Outer Wilds
Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium
Return of the Obra Dinn
Return of the Obra Dinn
Thief II: The Metal Age
Thief II: The Metal Age

177

Total Games Played

013

Played in 2024

021

Games Backloggd


Recently Played See More

Thief
Thief

May 06

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling

Apr 15

Class of '09
Class of '09

Apr 13

Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas

Apr 06

Aviary Attorney
Aviary Attorney

Apr 04

Recently Reviewed See More

Rather than the large and elaborate maps that characterized the earlier Thief titles, the reboot is little more than a linear series of rooms and hallways where you have to sneak past 1-2 guards in order to make it to the next 1-2 guards. Rinse and repeat until the game is done.

Thief (2014) is painfully simple. There are no longer any macro-level challenges related to exploration or puzzle solving. Everything you do revolves around finding a way past the micro-level challenge the game puts right in front of you. But with how oblivious the guards are and how basic the map is, there's little real challenge for anybody who has ever played a stealth game before.

Throw in a mess of technical issues and out of place action sequences and this game just fails at providing anything close to a satisfying experience. The underlying gameplay lacks everything that made the previous games enjoyable and replaces it with content that seems a better fit for Uncharted or some other 'cinematic' game. The final product is muddled, confusing, and boring. I really can't recommend playing this for anything other than morbid curiosity.

One of the very few times where a derivative work actually manages to surpass what initially inspired it.

The combat system strikes a great balance between simplicity and depth. On the simple side, you will always have the same three party members each with only a handful of moves and very low stat numbers to keep everything comprehensible. Using various enemy types and allowing for significant gameplay changes through equipped badges, Bug Fables is able to squeeze as much value as it possibly can from what first appears to be an extremely simple system, creating a satisfying array of challenges.

While other aspects such as the characters and story are weaker, they aren't the main focus. But they serve their role well enough by providing context and motivation for your actions throughout the game and never overstay their welcome.

Going into this game, I was expecting a more nostalgic experience that would scratch the same itch that the first two Paper Mario used to do in my childhood. But while the similarities between the games are apparent, the changes Bug Fables made were substantial enough that it felt far more like an advancement of the original Paper Mario games than a retreading of the same ground. And putting aside my nostalgia, I probably have to admit that Bug Fables is the better game overall.

It was an enjoyable experience. There isn't anything deep or interesting about Class of '09. The characters are mostly surface-level, the story so absurd that it can't deliver any meaningful commentary, and the presentation screams low budget indie title.

But for a few hours, I managed to enjoy my time. The comedy sure isn't sophisticated or anything but its crude and over-the-top nature gave it a pretty strong impact that never really let up. As the game constantly switches between cringe, teenage drama, and extremist politics it can be hard to look away. There's always something happening that keeps the experience fresh and the humor engaging. Sure, there might not be anything deeper than that but I doubt the game was trying to do that anyway.

So yeah.... Class of '09 was a fun time. It's pulpy, crude, and entertaining as long as that's the kind of humor you find enjoyable. And as long as you're not going in expecting anything greater than that (And god only knows why you would) you'll probably get enough out of the experience to justify the time spent on it.