played for the backloggd discord's game of the week june 13 - june 19, 2023

a perfectly enjoyable little cyberpunk foray, complete with bitter class commentary and little hope for the future. i really enjoyed our lady's relationship with her two-wheeled assistant, as well as the vague but compelling worldbuilding present; strange terms brushed past just enough to pique interest.

there's an evil corporation, pollution rampages across the night sky, and murder is afoot. a nice way to spend an evening.

I started playing this ready to open this review with a guilty "it's not for me" or a dismal "I didn't mesh with this", but the finale and conclusion was so special and important to me; moreso following reading vghime's own afterword and breakdown.

Experienced over a late evening, gripping me halfway through. It's just about hitting 2.30 in the morning and I'm disappointed I had not heard of this sooner despite closely following vghime's online translation career for many years. Yes, it's true I personally wasn't particularly fond of the BGM, and yes, I did find a few of the deaths cheap especially towards the start of the game when I was learning the ropes. But it was all so surface level compared to the impact this had on me, really. I liked this game.

think my patience has just run out for this one. really didn't like the implications the story was making, though the bosses on paper were quite unique but fall short within the areas they roam. the progression devices of each level/tape grow tired in minutes and i simply can't bring myself to play past the third, as its architecture is similar to the previous and merely set at a different time of day. following a convoluted aimless item hunt i picked up a note in the next room and was given hints to another convoluted aimless item hunt.
i liked the cat. it's a shame the mirror shard's effectiveness falls off so quickly. are you meant to take the guy in the hat seriously? i'll watch a youtube video probably.

all endings but not all optional content. Gustav titles are incredibly polished experiences across the board, exploration and engaging with the weird world featured in Tide Up keeps your attention until the end. there's some transitional sprite jitter here and there where figures will blink in and out of existence while changing, but it's all pretty negligible for the charming puzzle design and heartwarming dialogue; each important item has a very personal anecdote attached, and i really love an early NPC known only Mouth.

otherwise an unfortunate story of youthful regret and guilt and what it means to not let the past control your present. wonderful (sprite)artwork.