Adolion
A masterclass of story telling and character depth.
The world building was great, even tho you never really leave the bar (or your house for that matter) the game still does a solid job at making Glitch City and engaging town that feels lively (and quite dangerous at times).
All Characters you interact with have a solid amount of layers on them, and what makes them even more likable and organic, is the fact that they also interact with each other and are not limited to Jill, which leads to certain revelations and connections to feel really charming. (Someone has to put a restraining order on a certain press chief tho, he's a dangerous individual lol)
As for the gameplay itself, it was quite interesting, being able to mix drinks and serve them, which ultimately affects the endings you get is a cool idea for a VN, it felt very interactive, even more so the fact that you're getting little bits of character story by doing so,
The music is also nice, and you can certainly control the mood of a conversation by switching songs. (There were a couple of songs that were not of my taste unfortunately, but most of them were great.)
As for the art direction, I was always fascinated by the effort put on pixel art games, the art on this game was great, which also contributes to the world building at times (the attention to detail is great)
And you also get to play a side scroller Touhou minigame! (if you're up for the task, that is, lol)
All in all it's a really fun solid VN.
The world building was great, even tho you never really leave the bar (or your house for that matter) the game still does a solid job at making Glitch City and engaging town that feels lively (and quite dangerous at times).
All Characters you interact with have a solid amount of layers on them, and what makes them even more likable and organic, is the fact that they also interact with each other and are not limited to Jill, which leads to certain revelations and connections to feel really charming. (Someone has to put a restraining order on a certain press chief tho, he's a dangerous individual lol)
As for the gameplay itself, it was quite interesting, being able to mix drinks and serve them, which ultimately affects the endings you get is a cool idea for a VN, it felt very interactive, even more so the fact that you're getting little bits of character story by doing so,
The music is also nice, and you can certainly control the mood of a conversation by switching songs. (There were a couple of songs that were not of my taste unfortunately, but most of them were great.)
As for the art direction, I was always fascinated by the effort put on pixel art games, the art on this game was great, which also contributes to the world building at times (the attention to detail is great)
And you also get to play a side scroller Touhou minigame! (if you're up for the task, that is, lol)
All in all it's a really fun solid VN.
I don't know why I avoided Sekiro that much, was it because I feared that it would be too difficult for me to handle?
Idk, but I really had a blast with this game (I still need to do the extra stuff too of course, will re-review the game after I do)
For my first impressions, Sekiro has a steep difficulty curve, but if you start learning and practicing all the game mechanics the game gives you, you start breezing off the game.
There are times I did frustrate myself, but I did not realize I was not even using half the game mechanics, and when I started doing so, I felt like an unstoppable force.
Sekiro is a game of calculating your risks and battles, where even the most meh mobs can crush you if you're too cocky, and some mobs can be a steep difficulty spike (like the Blue Samurais at a certain location)
But instead of stubbornly trying to solve everything with unrelentless barrage of attacks, I decided to study my enemies so that I could defeat them, which worked wonders, specially the more I played, and after a while, the frustration turns into a giggle when I finally defeat enemies or even bosses that gave me trouble, From Software game's feeling of victory is unmatched to this day.
Owl/10 would get Mikiri Countered again.
Idk, but I really had a blast with this game (I still need to do the extra stuff too of course, will re-review the game after I do)
For my first impressions, Sekiro has a steep difficulty curve, but if you start learning and practicing all the game mechanics the game gives you, you start breezing off the game.
There are times I did frustrate myself, but I did not realize I was not even using half the game mechanics, and when I started doing so, I felt like an unstoppable force.
Sekiro is a game of calculating your risks and battles, where even the most meh mobs can crush you if you're too cocky, and some mobs can be a steep difficulty spike (like the Blue Samurais at a certain location)
But instead of stubbornly trying to solve everything with unrelentless barrage of attacks, I decided to study my enemies so that I could defeat them, which worked wonders, specially the more I played, and after a while, the frustration turns into a giggle when I finally defeat enemies or even bosses that gave me trouble, From Software game's feeling of victory is unmatched to this day.
Owl/10 would get Mikiri Countered again.
This review contains spoilers
Re-Review after replaying KH1 for the first time ever since I beated KH3 and I ended up abandoning the series for a couple of years.
I'm going to give a hot take here. Kingdom Hearts 1 is the best game in the KH franchise period. Nothing beats the original, and this is why:
Kingdom Hearts past the first game dropped the ball in extremely slog and boring repetitive loop, making Disney worlds filler until you reach the climax of the game (For example, KH2 has a strong start, mid point and Endgame, but everything else is very boring)
This is not the case with KH1, I really missed Disney villains being an actual treat and being part of a big complot that brings danger to the world order, it was unique, charming and very immersive, it's a shame that after a successful first entry, they resorted to making the Disney worlds just a playable movie with very slight heartless intervention.
Not just that, the first Kingdom Hearts was full of charming easter eggs and secrets that are NOWHERE to be seen anymore. Being able to interact with the environment to unlock secrets or pathways was something I really adored of KH1. Traverse town for example, had many things hidden on it, and it kinda teaches you the usage of magic and trinity, and this is expanded to other worlds as well, which encourages revisits for secrets after unlocking new abilities.
Platforming in KH was really rewarding, and made the worlds really immersive, unfortunately, this is not a thing anymore, outside of puzzle pieces and very obvious treasure chests that you can't really miss on your first playthrough of something like KH2.
KH2 and the rest of the franchise does not encourage this, and instead delivered great combat in exchange, which for some it will be a golden deal, but for me, KH1 is just unbeatable.
Also, they really nerfed Donald and Goofy past KH1 is incredible, Donald was really strong and so was Goofy, you could feel their presence, and you would feel isolation and hardship whenever they're not present. In KH2 for example, you wouldn't really notice if they're doing anything, as you're the only one actually dealing damage (outside of limits and drive for example, but it's all sora, and nothing else)
Also, I really love the boss fights of KH1, they're very iconic and formidable, specially the super bosses of secret big heartless fights. Kurt Zisa being the perfect example of a very threatening boss, and this is never ever brought back again, since after KH1, most of the super bosses were boring humanoid bosses (Sephiroth and Terra are still fun to battle against, but I would have really enjoyed to battle a big nobody or heartless, instead of just battling random data humanoids)
KH1 may have clunky gameplay and more slower than KH2 (which I agree that the combat is really good), but to make up for it, it has a lot of charm and lots of love put into it, the worlds all feel very alive and are very interactive, it encourages you to explore them, and that's something I really hold dear of this game.
I'm going to give a hot take here. Kingdom Hearts 1 is the best game in the KH franchise period. Nothing beats the original, and this is why:
Kingdom Hearts past the first game dropped the ball in extremely slog and boring repetitive loop, making Disney worlds filler until you reach the climax of the game (For example, KH2 has a strong start, mid point and Endgame, but everything else is very boring)
This is not the case with KH1, I really missed Disney villains being an actual treat and being part of a big complot that brings danger to the world order, it was unique, charming and very immersive, it's a shame that after a successful first entry, they resorted to making the Disney worlds just a playable movie with very slight heartless intervention.
Not just that, the first Kingdom Hearts was full of charming easter eggs and secrets that are NOWHERE to be seen anymore. Being able to interact with the environment to unlock secrets or pathways was something I really adored of KH1. Traverse town for example, had many things hidden on it, and it kinda teaches you the usage of magic and trinity, and this is expanded to other worlds as well, which encourages revisits for secrets after unlocking new abilities.
Platforming in KH was really rewarding, and made the worlds really immersive, unfortunately, this is not a thing anymore, outside of puzzle pieces and very obvious treasure chests that you can't really miss on your first playthrough of something like KH2.
KH2 and the rest of the franchise does not encourage this, and instead delivered great combat in exchange, which for some it will be a golden deal, but for me, KH1 is just unbeatable.
Also, they really nerfed Donald and Goofy past KH1 is incredible, Donald was really strong and so was Goofy, you could feel their presence, and you would feel isolation and hardship whenever they're not present. In KH2 for example, you wouldn't really notice if they're doing anything, as you're the only one actually dealing damage (outside of limits and drive for example, but it's all sora, and nothing else)
Also, I really love the boss fights of KH1, they're very iconic and formidable, specially the super bosses of secret big heartless fights. Kurt Zisa being the perfect example of a very threatening boss, and this is never ever brought back again, since after KH1, most of the super bosses were boring humanoid bosses (Sephiroth and Terra are still fun to battle against, but I would have really enjoyed to battle a big nobody or heartless, instead of just battling random data humanoids)
KH1 may have clunky gameplay and more slower than KH2 (which I agree that the combat is really good), but to make up for it, it has a lot of charm and lots of love put into it, the worlds all feel very alive and are very interactive, it encourages you to explore them, and that's something I really hold dear of this game.
This review contains spoilers
Back in the day KH1 and KH2 were the only things I knew from Kingdom Hearts. I had no idea about the middle games, and when I played KH2, I was kinda confused by Sora sleeping on an Egg Chamber.
Since I was obsessed with kingdom hearts, I stumbled across this game. Initially I thought it was a random fan game that sorta recaps the events of KH1, but later on I realized it's a canonical game which leads up to KH2.
I admit back in the day I was very dense and almost believed that Naminé was actually on the islands, until I reached the Climax were it's revealed to Sora (and me XD) that everything was a lie inserted to him.
Ahh good old times, I remember being so damn hyped when I realized there was a Riku part of the story, so I really held this game on high regard.
It kinda saddens me that CoM in general is brushed off due to being a card game, but I really liked this game, for being a GBA game this game really had a lot of content and hidden mechanics it was unreal. And once you master the combat, the card system actually becomes fun to tweak with, unlocking new abilities that makes farming heartless easy and overwhelm bosses with a barrage of unbreakable cards (thanks to the Jafar card) or obliterate enemies to the void (with Lexaeus card on Riku's end) it's just damn fun.
Needless to say, I have a certain preference to the OG CoM, it has better things than Re:CoM (except Re:CoM did the Riku part more fun with the duels, but Re:CoM turned heartless into HP sponges, specially towards the end, making it kinda tedious, but that's only it)
Kinda glad I wanted to give the KH series another chance after being hugely disappointed by KH3, but deep inside I still have some love for the series, all thanks to KH1.
Since I was obsessed with kingdom hearts, I stumbled across this game. Initially I thought it was a random fan game that sorta recaps the events of KH1, but later on I realized it's a canonical game which leads up to KH2.
I admit back in the day I was very dense and almost believed that Naminé was actually on the islands, until I reached the Climax were it's revealed to Sora (and me XD) that everything was a lie inserted to him.
Ahh good old times, I remember being so damn hyped when I realized there was a Riku part of the story, so I really held this game on high regard.
It kinda saddens me that CoM in general is brushed off due to being a card game, but I really liked this game, for being a GBA game this game really had a lot of content and hidden mechanics it was unreal. And once you master the combat, the card system actually becomes fun to tweak with, unlocking new abilities that makes farming heartless easy and overwhelm bosses with a barrage of unbreakable cards (thanks to the Jafar card) or obliterate enemies to the void (with Lexaeus card on Riku's end) it's just damn fun.
Needless to say, I have a certain preference to the OG CoM, it has better things than Re:CoM (except Re:CoM did the Riku part more fun with the duels, but Re:CoM turned heartless into HP sponges, specially towards the end, making it kinda tedious, but that's only it)
Kinda glad I wanted to give the KH series another chance after being hugely disappointed by KH3, but deep inside I still have some love for the series, all thanks to KH1.
Playing this on Hard was the most brutal tartalizing experience I've ever had.
And I'm a masochist.
Glad we had a proper final boss this time around Tho.
PS: Tower vietnam flashbacks and pop-in.
And I'm a masochist.
Glad we had a proper final boss this time around Tho.
PS: Tower vietnam flashbacks and pop-in.
Story: I dropped the original FF7 like 3 times due to it being kinda dated and not being interesting enough during the beginning to hook me, but this one added nice padding during the city arc which fleshed out things better than the original imo, nice so far, the only nitpick I have, is a random introduction to "Destiny" the will of destiny specters which tbh I don't like that much as a concept in a game (I at least found it kinda forced here, but it can work well in other settings and more fleshed out)
Gameplay: Possibly the highlight of the game, specially compared to the old Random Encounter that is insanely dated for me (it's not bad, but it was very slow and just not that engaging, it was another reason why I had dropped the original many times) I had my fun mastering the combat, it's not hard by any means, some combats were tough tho, which required some careful thinking, moving outside of combat is a bit of a slog sometimes, specially when the game forces you to walk at times, which is kinda annoying, specially if you're going from one place to another. Fortunately, this didn't get in the way of completing missions, as when you finish a mission, you can instantly teleport to the NPC, which is nice.
Music: Uematsu score is good, as usual, However, I liked more the newly added original songs, like the Valkyrie ost, composed by the genius behind Ace Combat music. Old ost being remade is nice, but not something to write home about.
Characters: Just as I said then, this time around they're more fleshed out and I really like that we get to see more of them, which made them more appealing to me than the OG counterparts, they feel more organic and they have layers, which is nice. And I liked using all of them during gameplay, (which is what I meant about careful thinking during combat)
Misc: I liked customizing Materia, It felt good trying to customize characters roles by giving them unique abilities or spells that will level up the more you use them, which is neat. The weapon level up thingy is very trivial and basic and can be automated, however, I don't really saw a point on it other than making you have more Materia slots lol, although I do like that weapons gave unique abilities that can be permanent if you use them enough.
Don't know where to add this, but the damn bike sections were a chore, (cutscenes with it were cool tho), and there's also a couple of horrible minigames (which you're also forced to perform) like Squats minigame, and the cringe dance minigame, I wouldn't have minded this if they were optional, but they're required to move the plot forward, which sucks.
All in all, it was a solid experience, I would have rated higher, but damn, some things really hindered that enjoyment unfortunately, can't wait for Rebirth.
Gameplay: Possibly the highlight of the game, specially compared to the old Random Encounter that is insanely dated for me (it's not bad, but it was very slow and just not that engaging, it was another reason why I had dropped the original many times) I had my fun mastering the combat, it's not hard by any means, some combats were tough tho, which required some careful thinking, moving outside of combat is a bit of a slog sometimes, specially when the game forces you to walk at times, which is kinda annoying, specially if you're going from one place to another. Fortunately, this didn't get in the way of completing missions, as when you finish a mission, you can instantly teleport to the NPC, which is nice.
Music: Uematsu score is good, as usual, However, I liked more the newly added original songs, like the Valkyrie ost, composed by the genius behind Ace Combat music. Old ost being remade is nice, but not something to write home about.
Characters: Just as I said then, this time around they're more fleshed out and I really like that we get to see more of them, which made them more appealing to me than the OG counterparts, they feel more organic and they have layers, which is nice. And I liked using all of them during gameplay, (which is what I meant about careful thinking during combat)
Misc: I liked customizing Materia, It felt good trying to customize characters roles by giving them unique abilities or spells that will level up the more you use them, which is neat. The weapon level up thingy is very trivial and basic and can be automated, however, I don't really saw a point on it other than making you have more Materia slots lol, although I do like that weapons gave unique abilities that can be permanent if you use them enough.
Don't know where to add this, but the damn bike sections were a chore, (cutscenes with it were cool tho), and there's also a couple of horrible minigames (which you're also forced to perform) like Squats minigame, and the cringe dance minigame, I wouldn't have minded this if they were optional, but they're required to move the plot forward, which sucks.
All in all, it was a solid experience, I would have rated higher, but damn, some things really hindered that enjoyment unfortunately, can't wait for Rebirth.
2014
Played with Jill for E N H A N C E D experience (Definitely not because she's hot)
This is the first RE I've finished, I always wanted to play them, but the gameplay style (most likely the camera) did push me away, glad I gave this one a try.
In gameplay terms (Specially opening doors and backtracking) it did not age that well, but it's short enough for it to be significant, it was still fun and I liked the story for what its worth.
This is the first RE I've finished, I always wanted to play them, but the gameplay style (most likely the camera) did push me away, glad I gave this one a try.
In gameplay terms (Specially opening doors and backtracking) it did not age that well, but it's short enough for it to be significant, it was still fun and I liked the story for what its worth.
2021
It's Little Nightmares II, because it's twice the characters, twice the nightmare fuel, twice the emotional trauma.
I really liked the gameplay improvements when it comes to puzzles and escaping from enemies, it felt way more interactive and fortunately, some puzzles weren't as cryptic as some where in the first game (which also included way less backtracking)
LONG LIVE THE KIN- I mean, THE QUEEN.
I really liked the gameplay improvements when it comes to puzzles and escaping from enemies, it felt way more interactive and fortunately, some puzzles weren't as cryptic as some where in the first game (which also included way less backtracking)
LONG LIVE THE KIN- I mean, THE QUEEN.
Little Nightmares is a horror game that just gets it right, no cheap jumpscares, perfect ambiance, the body horror, and the tension between fleeing from the baddies is just everything you could ask for.
Quite disturbing at times, Little Nightmares sets its tone early on and it just becomes more and more darker as it goes.
Quite disturbing at times, Little Nightmares sets its tone early on and it just becomes more and more darker as it goes.
Played all chapters including x chapters, game is good, however some newly introduced mechanics that are mostly trolling you most of the time becomes a pain in the ass and x chapters are awful.
That being side, the story was great, and the characters even more so, specially Olwen.
Quite a difficult game to master, but once everything kicks, I started bossing around most chapters, except for those troll maps like the mirage forest lol.
That being side, the story was great, and the characters even more so, specially Olwen.
Quite a difficult game to master, but once everything kicks, I started bossing around most chapters, except for those troll maps like the mirage forest lol.
2017
Fun little jrpg~ish indie game.
Gameplay stales quickly (although I sorta enjoyed demolishing enemies on the endgame with some broken abilities, but there's not so much science on the combat once you learn the drill.
Story is a hit or miss, kinda easy to lose the thread on, and some twists feels like had little to no build up which makes for some reveals to come up pretty fast and go quickly.
Characters are mostly just there and their function mainly is making the game feel overcrowded, which kinda hurts them as characters, including the main character, which is average at best.
Music is by far possibly the best part of the game, although I've gotta admit I'm not so fond of some tunes that are literally just buzzing.
Can recommend if you get this on a cheap sale.
Gameplay stales quickly (although I sorta enjoyed demolishing enemies on the endgame with some broken abilities, but there's not so much science on the combat once you learn the drill.
Story is a hit or miss, kinda easy to lose the thread on, and some twists feels like had little to no build up which makes for some reveals to come up pretty fast and go quickly.
Characters are mostly just there and their function mainly is making the game feel overcrowded, which kinda hurts them as characters, including the main character, which is average at best.
Music is by far possibly the best part of the game, although I've gotta admit I'm not so fond of some tunes that are literally just buzzing.
Can recommend if you get this on a cheap sale.
100% everything (will do Challenge run later)
There is something undeniably fun about Ratchet and Clank games, and it is the amount of destruction and chaos you can achieve playing these games, it's simply unrivaled in my book.
The humour is still there, Clank's laugh is still there. Collectibles and the RYNO is here too.
Oh yeah, Rivet is a great character, definitely one of the best I've seen in a RAC game.
Also, in a time where PC ports have been getting the L lately, this port was surprisingly capable.
Man I wish Sony and Imsomniac would consider porting the other games to PC too.
Rivet/10 would RYNO∞ all over the place with infinite ammo
There is something undeniably fun about Ratchet and Clank games, and it is the amount of destruction and chaos you can achieve playing these games, it's simply unrivaled in my book.
The humour is still there, Clank's laugh is still there. Collectibles and the RYNO is here too.
Oh yeah, Rivet is a great character, definitely one of the best I've seen in a RAC game.
Also, in a time where PC ports have been getting the L lately, this port was surprisingly capable.
Man I wish Sony and Imsomniac would consider porting the other games to PC too.
Rivet/10 would RYNO∞ all over the place with infinite ammo
A game that drags for 3 chapters only to dump everything in the last 2 chapters, this game has severe pacing issues and strange priorities.
I kinda don't like the retcons too much, it borrows too much from previous entries (like Sky and Crossbell) for a severe lack of identity that kind of hurts many events in the past.
Setting that aside, I did enjoy my time spent for the most part.
Played on nightmare (Game was very easy, too much broken stuff lol) and aimed for the most completion (83% achievements on Gog)
I kinda don't like the retcons too much, it borrows too much from previous entries (like Sky and Crossbell) for a severe lack of identity that kind of hurts many events in the past.
Setting that aside, I did enjoy my time spent for the most part.
Played on nightmare (Game was very easy, too much broken stuff lol) and aimed for the most completion (83% achievements on Gog)
Depressive Replicant.
Game is good, only played up to Ending A, and watched the rest on YT, the requirements for the other endings are too much of a chore compared to Automata, and it would have been a really tedious task that I decided not to partake on.
Combat good, hated the puzzles in the desert, there's a lot of backtracking and the lack of warp really hindered my enjoyment, voice acting is insane and the story is depressing, Sasuga Yoko Taro.
Game is good, only played up to Ending A, and watched the rest on YT, the requirements for the other endings are too much of a chore compared to Automata, and it would have been a really tedious task that I decided not to partake on.
Combat good, hated the puzzles in the desert, there's a lot of backtracking and the lack of warp really hindered my enjoyment, voice acting is insane and the story is depressing, Sasuga Yoko Taro.
The game's story starts with such force it's incredible how flat it falls during Mechonis, it almost felt like the script jumped off a cliff, fortunately it does pick up a bit during endgame.
Visuals are outstanding, the Music is a blast, gameplay is rough around the edges but it's good enough to stick, for the Characters only Melia was notably good, Sidequests are god damn awful I didn't bother to do them and some misc things left much to be desired (such as exploration in general and the lack of rewards other than grabbing useless boring items on the field)
All in all a pretty decent game that could have been way better.
Visuals are outstanding, the Music is a blast, gameplay is rough around the edges but it's good enough to stick, for the Characters only Melia was notably good, Sidequests are god damn awful I didn't bother to do them and some misc things left much to be desired (such as exploration in general and the lack of rewards other than grabbing useless boring items on the field)
All in all a pretty decent game that could have been way better.