Ragnarok showed signs that they might have learned from their mistakes in 2018 though despite this ragnarok is a far worse off product and doubles down on a lot of the mistakes 2018 made while introducing new ones.


Ultimately ragnarok is a dreadfully slow badly paced handholding experience with bad camera controls characters that never shut up plot holes in an already unstable plotline with reddit tier humour and jokes that never land (any game with prozd in it is reddit sorry i don't write the rules) plot threads that clearly were meant for a whole trilogy are unceremoniously shafted freya's character arc especially good lord so much for raining down every agony possible lmao. 0.5/10
(PS nobody shuts the fuck up in this game don't play it if you don't like NPCS who constantly prod you about trivial puzzles)

Wow, what a genuine masterpiece! DnD, True Detective, The Wire, Jenny Saville, Alex Kanevsky, Wassily Kandinsky and all political ideologies rolled into one and you got Disco Elysium. I will most likely be preaching to the choir, but yeah this is a universally beloved game for a good reason. Firstly, this is just a brilliantly written game. The writing is fantastic from all perspectives, and the intricate worldbuilding feels so immersive and lived in. The various political ideologies, you can follow whether being a communist, fascist, ultra-liberal or moralist (etc..), the decisions that you make will increase those stats. Which can honestly be a reflection of your own moral compass and of course wanting to game the system. The characters feel so genuine and realistic maybe to an uncomfortable degree. Loss, depression, isolation, and mental illness there are so many subject matters explored within the protagonist’s psychology. I glanced at the Disco Elysium Wikipedia, and I was surprised how much I missed his backstory which is unlocked through the “Thought Cabinet”. It’s part of the genius of the game, it can offer insight into your life before the case, as well as stat bonuses and other minor gameplay differences. There are also unique thoughts that convey unique effects, some aspects I assumed I should have unlocked to get through some secrets.

Genuinely the writing is just one piece of the pie of what makes this game fantastic. As I described above the Thought Cabinet, the increasing of certain stats and the DnD-inspired nature also make it a fun game to play in general. It isn’t just brilliantly written but it’s interwoven with intricate game mechanics that it becomes a story that can only be told through its medium. Every player will play the same main missions but how you accomplish those missions can vary from person to person. There’s a decent chunk of missable content, however, if you just play the game, interact with the people and interact with different you should be able to find most things very easily. The side quests aren’t required but why miss them? It’s brilliantly written, has a lot of amazing worldbuilding and you will be surprised some could connect to the main storyline in intriguing ways. There are so many small details it got right, like the novels that you interact with to pass time, they can be a ton of fun.

Kim Kitsuragi is one of the big reasons why this game works so well. His interaction with the protagonist is so brilliant and both have an amazing back-and-forth. You genuinely want to earn his respect and how that bond develops throughout the game is brilliant. There’s underlying compassion beyond cynicism, nihilistic undertones and depression of the world and its inhabitants which was highlighted beautifully. The music I felt fit the tone of the game, and I adored it. The art design makes this come to life. The graphics are fine, but the artsy involved is what makes this so immersive and engrossing. All the clogs click into place for this experience the gameplay, music, story, art design and not even talking about the UI. It’s accessible enough for the general gamer but also has enough depth to continuously play this after the first playthrough. The ending was fitting (I should note I got the good ending) and I’m sad we will never get a sequel, but as a standalone game, I 100% recommend Disco Elysium, it’s one of those rare masterpieces in this medium.

"Yes. Sometimes it's better to let people come to these conclusions themselves."

The best way to describe Disco Elysium is greatness. I'm not talking about certain aspects about it. Not the main parts or just the climax. Everything about it is carefully constructed and well-written. From the moment you get introduced to the main character, conflict, subplots and from the very last minute after you finish the game. There's a minute precision and care on every detail of the game, it's truly amazing. The mystery's well-thought out, the process is methodical and every angle is considered. Locations are memorable. B-b-but what if it sacrificed enjoyment for writing? Overdone joke but you just have to see it. The prose and dialogue are witty, humorous, wild, and organic. Every character have distinct personalities, motivations, and beliefs and contribute to the overall picture the narrative is going for. It's incredibly refreshing seeing how the characters interact and there are consequences with every choice you make even if you attempt to avoid them. What's at stake is believable. "Okay but you're just talking as if the game is objectively great and not coming from your own opinion." You know me, I prefer reading books, and visual novels now so this type of game works for me. There are 3 things I want from creators. First, I want them to be ambitious, I meant that I don't want to see them holding back. Go ahead make me uncomfortable and I'd prefer that instead of thinking what-ifs, and buts. I want them to commit in their vision in the way that they can only do. With countless other things out there and ideas recycled, there's still room for originality. Secondly, I want the story to be thought-provoking. It could be any topic but I want it to tackle grand ideas and down-to-earth ones. It wouldn't matter if you couldn't learn or reflect about anything from it that's relevant in your life. Lastly, it must make me emotional not that it's necessary. It'd be pointless if it's forced out of me but I want just a bit of everything. Joy, sadness, anger, catharsis, frustration, empathy, regret, etc. Such is life and how art is best experienced.

Well no surprise, they succeeded in every single category with ease. I already love stories these kinds of stories and glad that it still surpassed my expectations even with minor inconveniences and shortcomings. So go ahead and let yourself soaked with it's rich world and characters. Disco Elysium is a self-discovery journey awaiting you.

Pleasantly surprised they brought it back home after the slog of game that was 3, 4 is pretty tight and the ATB system is a lot of fun for its first tenure, its a bit janky however. There is rarely any indication of which party member will get their turn first and it can really fuck with you at times.
Unsure of the exact quantity of extra content included in this edition but its fairly different from the DS remake counterpart where this one is a lot more like the original title and doesn't set out to really change anything (Aside from obvious balance changes final boss no longer spams big bang in a weird pattern).
Though man if I had one complaint the weight system is garbage lol the idea is you're supposed to sell or discard your old Armor pieces but (and this is likely my fault) in the endgame you get so much shit from chests and drops that you're having to stop occasionally when on a looting spree to drop anything overall it adds very little to the experience and I don't really think back well on this inclusion. But yeah solid game.

Xenogears even with the technical issues stemming from budget and time constraints visible in disk 2 (which looks like a visual novel than a JRPG) is still nothing short of fantastic. Even without knowing the philosophy and psychology references and symbolisms present although it's integrated well, the story is still brilliantly crafted and presented props to both creators Tetsuya Takahashi and Kaori Tanaka. Wish Square supported this game more. Just needed that polish with the soundtrack, again disk2's issues (excess exposition and just cutting out to boss battles), and more tutorials to the gameplay.