Adolion
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2016
Not a fan of Beat em Up, but will give it a try later
Many gameplay mechanics have been revamped, which made things like entering zones easier (as in no need to build up SP for Exe drives), that helped the overall flow and pacing, specially when farming. Gameplay loop was also nice, which lead me to enjoy up to 80 hours
Iris/Plutia really carry hard most of the shenanigans with her sadistic nature, it was fun to see everyone react to her sadistic persona. Needless to say that the overall jokes that did not revolve around her were also great, gotta love all those 4th wall breaks and other gaming/anime trope shenanigans.
It was nice to see the evolution through chapters, as in new generations of consoles and the mentions of many issues real life game industry has gone through, such as the infamous playstation network hack and much more.
This game also fixed something previous games were guilty of and it was having such lengthy party members (nep 2 had way too much side characters crammed in for example) it's nice to have these references, unfortunately they were pretty much non existent here, but at least that made up for smaller parties and a far more challenging game (like, not having Compa's heals was quite the difficulty spike, but I've learned to use other party members abilities more and relying on items too)
Cons:
The last few chapters felt too streamlined, like they could have easily been a single chapter, felt kinda rushed at times, although I wonder if that was because I did too much and I was overleveled lmao. Either way there weren't that many zones per area ever since Lowee, while Lastation and Planeptune had way too many areas.
Music overall was still mostly reused, Yellow heart and final dungeon/boss themes were good at least.
Overall 7.5/10: A fun game, way better than Nep 2, well polished and had better mechanics.
Iris/Plutia really carry hard most of the shenanigans with her sadistic nature, it was fun to see everyone react to her sadistic persona. Needless to say that the overall jokes that did not revolve around her were also great, gotta love all those 4th wall breaks and other gaming/anime trope shenanigans.
It was nice to see the evolution through chapters, as in new generations of consoles and the mentions of many issues real life game industry has gone through, such as the infamous playstation network hack and much more.
This game also fixed something previous games were guilty of and it was having such lengthy party members (nep 2 had way too much side characters crammed in for example) it's nice to have these references, unfortunately they were pretty much non existent here, but at least that made up for smaller parties and a far more challenging game (like, not having Compa's heals was quite the difficulty spike, but I've learned to use other party members abilities more and relying on items too)
Cons:
The last few chapters felt too streamlined, like they could have easily been a single chapter, felt kinda rushed at times, although I wonder if that was because I did too much and I was overleveled lmao. Either way there weren't that many zones per area ever since Lowee, while Lastation and Planeptune had way too many areas.
Music overall was still mostly reused, Yellow heart and final dungeon/boss themes were good at least.
Overall 7.5/10: A fun game, way better than Nep 2, well polished and had better mechanics.
DA: Origins Elitist be like: "OMG ANY GAME THAT CAME AFTER ORIGINS IS GARBAGE"
Me an intellectual: Open world done right, good quests and side quests, conquer conquer and MORE CONQUER.
Me an intellectual: Open world done right, good quests and side quests, conquer conquer and MORE CONQUER.
2017
Fun Short Game to relax and cleanse your palate for whatever you've been doing up to this moment. Reject Humanity, become Birb.
This was my first Ace Combat Experience, and I must say I'm impressed. Great story, magnificent OST, great squad interactions, a well written war story and fun combat that alongside the OST makes up for a great immersion.
2021
Death's Door is quite a breathe of fresh air from 2021, I wish I had played this game sooner, but the moment I heard the OST I knew this was a game I needed to play.
It has the right length, with the right combat, the right level design and the right music. I just kind of wished there was a mini map or something, as it may be difficult for other people to traverse through the areas without getting lost.
It has the right length, with the right combat, the right level design and the right music. I just kind of wished there was a mini map or something, as it may be difficult for other people to traverse through the areas without getting lost.
2005
3/4 of the game was pretty good, addictive and well designed, until I reached the worst dungeon I've ever had the displeasure of being in, makes Trails of Cold Steel 2 Epilogue Random Generated Dungeon more tolerable. Castle Strangerock overstayed it's welcome and boy "LEVEL DOWN" debuff made me hate this game I just had to drop this piece of crap because I just can't.
End my misery
End my misery
Yes.