Athing_451
Once again I'm thrown into a fictional summer that's just long enough that I miss it when it ends, but not so long that I ever wished it ended sooner.
Boku no Natsuyasumi's main success was being a game that could make you cry without a single tragedy: the heartrending part of that game was saying goodbye. Throughout the entire game one's own nostalgic recollections of childhood come to overlap with the game itself, and by the end of it events that happened maybe two hours ago, feel like part of some precious memory. It's a trick that really only works once, so I was a bit worried about the sequels lacking impact.
As it turns out, there was no need to worry; being able to observe how my own memories started to work against me as the story went on made up for whatever was lost, although I don't think I lost anything. Sure, the first game's ending left more of an impression on me, but I think Two as a whole will probably stick with me longer. For me, being completely aware of what the story was trying to do, removed any doubt on whether it earned its emotional moments or not, and let me appreciate the subtler moments of the game more.
Now to get to Three in 2025...
Simon not smoking weed is a plot hole.
Boku no Natsuyasumi's main success was being a game that could make you cry without a single tragedy: the heartrending part of that game was saying goodbye. Throughout the entire game one's own nostalgic recollections of childhood come to overlap with the game itself, and by the end of it events that happened maybe two hours ago, feel like part of some precious memory. It's a trick that really only works once, so I was a bit worried about the sequels lacking impact.
As it turns out, there was no need to worry; being able to observe how my own memories started to work against me as the story went on made up for whatever was lost, although I don't think I lost anything. Sure, the first game's ending left more of an impression on me, but I think Two as a whole will probably stick with me longer. For me, being completely aware of what the story was trying to do, removed any doubt on whether it earned its emotional moments or not, and let me appreciate the subtler moments of the game more.
Now to get to Three in 2025...
Simon not smoking weed is a plot hole.
Guy whose entire resume is just certifications he got from 2000's test your brain games.
throwing hands with yojijukugo for 2000 yen.
throwing hands with yojijukugo for 2000 yen.
I'm not sure some of these good endings really fit into the category, but I guess it's all based on "how well things went after a girl found you hungover in a pile of trash."
1989
I'm all lost in the vertices
can't see a fucking thing
thank god the ai is moronic
sure hope that was an enemy
can't see a fucking thing
thank god the ai is moronic
sure hope that was an enemy
2004
halo reach
1996
[A sizable delusion sequence where the main character imagines people being turned into meat dango, it’s all very gruesome.]
“Hello, did you order a double cheeseburger and a bacon egg burger?”
I wake with a start at the sound of the voice directed at me. It’s one of the staff holding a tray.
“What?”
“Oops, excuse me,” she says, and continues to a seat further inside.
My heart is racing, and I’m absolutely covered in sweat.
Double cheeseburger.
Bacon egg burger.
Meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat.
“Ugh!”
I hold back the rising urge to vomit with both my hands, and run into the bathroom.
[The rest of the game, and me trying and failing to keep my laughter in with this scene in the back of my head]
Art and atmosphere: 🐱👍
Music: 👏🐱🤝😼👍
Script: 🐱❓
I'll forgive this game for having really thin characters; I get the impression they did not have the time nor the budget to make a long enough game to really explore any of them too deeply. However, the plot is still weak as hell. I suppose all the elements of social alienation, and losing oneself do come back throughout most of the routes, but I didn't really like the payoff in most cases. In particular, the way the protagonist's delusions come back was just so silly. Ultimately the strongest scenes tend to be prior to the "plot" kicking off, or after the story is over. Not good when every time the big narrative events start happening I want them to be over!
The writing quality is usually decent. My main issues were mainly just in how repetitive some of the metaphors and similes can get, but I imagine that's less an issue with the writing itself, and more an issue of how much this game reuses parts of the script in multiple routes. Although, I will say the screen filling repetition of words can be a bit comical, as shown earlier.
Anyway, it's still worth a shot since it's so short (and so you can see the silly bonus scenario.) For a similar 90's horror vibe, I would recommend Atlach=Nacha over this though. That has much more interesting characters, and a villain (who is also the protagonist) that actually makes you curious about her motivations for the entire runtime instead of just monologuing clichés at you like the villain of this game.
“Hello, did you order a double cheeseburger and a bacon egg burger?”
I wake with a start at the sound of the voice directed at me. It’s one of the staff holding a tray.
“What?”
“Oops, excuse me,” she says, and continues to a seat further inside.
My heart is racing, and I’m absolutely covered in sweat.
Double cheeseburger.
Bacon egg burger.
Meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat, meat.
“Ugh!”
I hold back the rising urge to vomit with both my hands, and run into the bathroom.
[The rest of the game, and me trying and failing to keep my laughter in with this scene in the back of my head]
Art and atmosphere: 🐱👍
Music: 👏🐱🤝😼👍
Script: 🐱❓
I'll forgive this game for having really thin characters; I get the impression they did not have the time nor the budget to make a long enough game to really explore any of them too deeply. However, the plot is still weak as hell. I suppose all the elements of social alienation, and losing oneself do come back throughout most of the routes, but I didn't really like the payoff in most cases. In particular, the way the protagonist's delusions come back was just so silly. Ultimately the strongest scenes tend to be prior to the "plot" kicking off, or after the story is over. Not good when every time the big narrative events start happening I want them to be over!
The writing quality is usually decent. My main issues were mainly just in how repetitive some of the metaphors and similes can get, but I imagine that's less an issue with the writing itself, and more an issue of how much this game reuses parts of the script in multiple routes. Although, I will say the screen filling repetition of words can be a bit comical, as shown earlier.
Anyway, it's still worth a shot since it's so short (and so you can see the silly bonus scenario.) For a similar 90's horror vibe, I would recommend Atlach=Nacha over this though. That has much more interesting characters, and a villain (who is also the protagonist) that actually makes you curious about her motivations for the entire runtime instead of just monologuing clichés at you like the villain of this game.
1992
Grognard's Kingdom Come Deliverance
Very high on the list of "fucking around" RPGs. Never finished it, and honestly the game only gets worse when you try to do so. Getting stuck in a hole in some mine and then praying to the Saint of Getting Out of Holes so you can be divinely transported to safety is a unique experience.
Oh, and the separation of damage into Endurance and Strength damage I really love. There's some other rpgs like Pillars of Eternity 1 or Banner Saga that use similar systems, but they don't give you the same sense of "I'm in a giant suit of steel, and the only thing that's going to take me out is my own body failing me, or napalm" that late-game Darklands does.
Very high on the list of "fucking around" RPGs. Never finished it, and honestly the game only gets worse when you try to do so. Getting stuck in a hole in some mine and then praying to the Saint of Getting Out of Holes so you can be divinely transported to safety is a unique experience.
Oh, and the separation of damage into Endurance and Strength damage I really love. There's some other rpgs like Pillars of Eternity 1 or Banner Saga that use similar systems, but they don't give you the same sense of "I'm in a giant suit of steel, and the only thing that's going to take me out is my own body failing me, or napalm" that late-game Darklands does.
1993
Many corporate drones think they'll die during their 12-12 daily grind, but actually they're going to be gibbed after I use the persuadertron to send them running into traffic.
Alright game, has some horrendous missions but you can skip a good bit and still finish the game as far as I remember.
Alright game, has some horrendous missions but you can skip a good bit and still finish the game as far as I remember.
1999
Somehow I had not logged this on backloggd. Well, time to correct that mistake. King of Dragon Pass is easily one of the best strategy games I've ever played, and despite not being primarily a roleplaying game, also easily plows over most of that genre in terms of actual roleplaying. To finish the game you have to build an intuitive grasp of the Iron Age-inspired culture you are leading, and use that to respond to situations appropriately. It's a fantasy setting too, so sometimes that cultural knowledge is knowing that bringing out a lawyer to sue the ghost is the correct solution to a haunting.
In addition, events are a joy to read, and the art that comes with them is wonderful. If there's any criticism to levy against this game, I suppose it would be the randomness of heroquests, which can sometimes be frustrating when you are trying to finish the game. The strategy layer itself isn't that satisfying either most of the time either, but I see it as mostly a vessel for the narrative so I was never too bothered by it.
Definitely play! The best duck warriors outside of Suikoden 3 also included!
Edit: I see now that someone else mentioned the legal claim thing, well, it is a memorable event.
In addition, events are a joy to read, and the art that comes with them is wonderful. If there's any criticism to levy against this game, I suppose it would be the randomness of heroquests, which can sometimes be frustrating when you are trying to finish the game. The strategy layer itself isn't that satisfying either most of the time either, but I see it as mostly a vessel for the narrative so I was never too bothered by it.
Definitely play! The best duck warriors outside of Suikoden 3 also included!
Edit: I see now that someone else mentioned the legal claim thing, well, it is a memorable event.
2020
My main memory from this game was leading on the anti-communist old guard the entire game, and then joining the off-brand Warsaw Pact at the end. They let me wither their powerbase the entire game because I had been supporting their economic policies, so when I decided to fuck them over they couldn't do much but watch.
My wife left me though.
My wife left me though.
1988
I mainly remember playing this in high school instead of studying. This and Liberal Crime Squad were low-key enough that teachers never really noticed I was playing a game instead of looking at webpages.
Anyway, it's still a well-presented simulation of a post-revolution environment. Attempt land and education reforms, set up elections, try not to get assassinated by the CIA, it's all here. I do wonder how robust the simulation actually is, I imagine it's actually pretty basic. However, this game is mostly you reacting to proposals you are given, so if you approach it as an political adventure game it hardly matters.
It's playable in a lot of places, so I highly recommend it as it's still one of the best in its genre. Hell, I'd say the very 80's outlook it has makes it that much more worth playing. It's a bit of a time capsule.
Anyway, it's still a well-presented simulation of a post-revolution environment. Attempt land and education reforms, set up elections, try not to get assassinated by the CIA, it's all here. I do wonder how robust the simulation actually is, I imagine it's actually pretty basic. However, this game is mostly you reacting to proposals you are given, so if you approach it as an political adventure game it hardly matters.
It's playable in a lot of places, so I highly recommend it as it's still one of the best in its genre. Hell, I'd say the very 80's outlook it has makes it that much more worth playing. It's a bit of a time capsule.
2023
An entire game designed around perhaps the worst flashlight known to history.
I played this on hard so read the rest with that in mind. Given how resource management is key here, and the lower difficulties are more lenient, I imagine you get a fairly different experience.
There are two main concepts that everything revolves around in this game: one, resources are limited so you want to conserve them. Two, to conserve resources you are going to have to deal with the monster more often. Whether that be crawling around in advanced darkness with the monster active because you aren't using the generator, or having to sneak around the monster because you don't want to have to use a grenade to scare him off. Being that if you want to sneak around him, you can't use your flashlight because it both makes noise and reveals your position by flashing light in the poor thing's eyes, that can be easier said than done early on when you are still unfamiliar with the beast.
Since the game has randomized item locations outside of key items, and very few scripted encounters with the monster, most of your interactions with him are going to be because you actively did something to get you in that situation. Combine this with limited saving, and you end up with a lot of tense situations that come up entirely through interactions between the player, the monster, and the environment itself.
A good example of this is if there's a room that's trapped, and you don't have the means to disarm traps yet. Say, you really want to get in there. Well, then you'll have to set off the trap, piss off the monster, hopefully survive, maybe explore the room if you're feeling feisty, and then still get back to save without dying. This loop of see a problem>realize you have to piss off the monster to resolve it>find a way to fix your problem while surviving is what you will be doing for most of the game.
Speaking of the monster: the monster itself is always hiding within the walls, and generally bumping around in the dark. It makes a hell of a lot of noise so you will know where it is generally, but you are not going to feel safe wandering around the spider's nest until late in the game, and even then there is still risk involved with engaging with it. I don't know if it's the most frightening design - honestly he's kind of adorable in a way - but he does do his job of keeping the player under control quite well.
Highly recommend this if you want a good, gameplay focused horror experience. The story I haven't even mentioned because it's fairly basic. It feels more like an outline to a story than anything, but what is there is serviceable. There's also new game+ features which seem to mix things up even further, so there's additional replayability if the short length is an issue for you.
I played this on hard so read the rest with that in mind. Given how resource management is key here, and the lower difficulties are more lenient, I imagine you get a fairly different experience.
There are two main concepts that everything revolves around in this game: one, resources are limited so you want to conserve them. Two, to conserve resources you are going to have to deal with the monster more often. Whether that be crawling around in advanced darkness with the monster active because you aren't using the generator, or having to sneak around the monster because you don't want to have to use a grenade to scare him off. Being that if you want to sneak around him, you can't use your flashlight because it both makes noise and reveals your position by flashing light in the poor thing's eyes, that can be easier said than done early on when you are still unfamiliar with the beast.
Since the game has randomized item locations outside of key items, and very few scripted encounters with the monster, most of your interactions with him are going to be because you actively did something to get you in that situation. Combine this with limited saving, and you end up with a lot of tense situations that come up entirely through interactions between the player, the monster, and the environment itself.
A good example of this is if there's a room that's trapped, and you don't have the means to disarm traps yet. Say, you really want to get in there. Well, then you'll have to set off the trap, piss off the monster, hopefully survive, maybe explore the room if you're feeling feisty, and then still get back to save without dying. This loop of see a problem>realize you have to piss off the monster to resolve it>find a way to fix your problem while surviving is what you will be doing for most of the game.
Speaking of the monster: the monster itself is always hiding within the walls, and generally bumping around in the dark. It makes a hell of a lot of noise so you will know where it is generally, but you are not going to feel safe wandering around the spider's nest until late in the game, and even then there is still risk involved with engaging with it. I don't know if it's the most frightening design - honestly he's kind of adorable in a way - but he does do his job of keeping the player under control quite well.
Highly recommend this if you want a good, gameplay focused horror experience. The story I haven't even mentioned because it's fairly basic. It feels more like an outline to a story than anything, but what is there is serviceable. There's also new game+ features which seem to mix things up even further, so there's additional replayability if the short length is an issue for you.
Don't Stand So Close to Me for PC-Engine.
👏👏千変万化のＧｅｎｅｒａｔｉｏｎ👏👏
👏👏七転八倒… Ｓｉｍｕｌａｔｉｏｎ👏👏
👏👏孤軍奮闘…Ｇｒａｄｕａｔｉｏｎ👏👏
👏👏合格させてよ おねがい！👏👏
At first when I started this game I wondered why I got stuck with a class full of alcoholics and chain smokers but given how shit of a teacher you play maybe they decided to let you take the fall for these soon to be wonderful members of society. Anyway, it's a pretty normal raising sim. There's some events that check stats like tests and races but I'm not sure they actually matter at all so long as you get the right stats you need for an ending in time.
Each of your students gets an ending, there's a lot of variations but the big three are: going to college, getting a job, or marrying the player character. I only saw the former two and they were pretty unimpressive, and I can't imagine the marriage endings are much longer or any more interesting.
I suppose try it out if you're interested in early dating sims(?) and/or raising sims, or want to play the later games which might be better. Otherwise it's not super interesting. The intro song being a strategy guide is by far the best part of the game.
👏👏千変万化のＧｅｎｅｒａｔｉｏｎ👏👏
👏👏七転八倒… Ｓｉｍｕｌａｔｉｏｎ👏👏
👏👏孤軍奮闘…Ｇｒａｄｕａｔｉｏｎ👏👏
👏👏合格させてよ おねがい！👏👏
At first when I started this game I wondered why I got stuck with a class full of alcoholics and chain smokers but given how shit of a teacher you play maybe they decided to let you take the fall for these soon to be wonderful members of society. Anyway, it's a pretty normal raising sim. There's some events that check stats like tests and races but I'm not sure they actually matter at all so long as you get the right stats you need for an ending in time.
Each of your students gets an ending, there's a lot of variations but the big three are: going to college, getting a job, or marrying the player character. I only saw the former two and they were pretty unimpressive, and I can't imagine the marriage endings are much longer or any more interesting.
I suppose try it out if you're interested in early dating sims(?) and/or raising sims, or want to play the later games which might be better. Otherwise it's not super interesting. The intro song being a strategy guide is by far the best part of the game.
Pretty much the definition of an average dating sim. Definitely not bad but not particularly special. Setting I guess sets it apart a little bit, but not too much. I will say having the "confession event" for this be a really contrived wedding photoshoot at an amusement park your company runs is very funny. "Oh no I messed up hiring the models, looks like you'll have to be the groom and uhh pick out someone to be the bride." (As you do?)
It seemed pretty low budget so I won't criticize it too much, it did well if it truly was made with little money, but man did it not feel like there was enough to do for 2 years even. By the end of the game I had almost maxed out everything without even trying. Also pretty much no variety for the date events, which also isn't surprising given it's all voice acted.
Managed to date the president of the company first run so I see no reason to play more, I'm married into money now I can just ｃｈｉｌｌｏｕｔ.
It seemed pretty low budget so I won't criticize it too much, it did well if it truly was made with little money, but man did it not feel like there was enough to do for 2 years even. By the end of the game I had almost maxed out everything without even trying. Also pretty much no variety for the date events, which also isn't surprising given it's all voice acted.
Managed to date the president of the company first run so I see no reason to play more, I'm married into money now I can just ｃｈｉｌｌｏｕｔ.
I like how the food bit for this one didn't even feel particularly voyeuristic, she was just kind of fucking eating pasta. The secret shot where magazines and newspapers slowly get uncovered was something. I guess there was an idea of eroticism there?
Tree dominatrix+console bios music was pretty funny.
Tree dominatrix+console bios music was pretty funny.