Corrugated_Fox
Super Mario Bros Wonder, simply put, is one of the best 2D platformers I have played in years. The difficulty level was pretty light throughout (though there are tougher secret stages that can be unlocked), but it was a great time from start to finish. The platforming was solid, the graphics were stunning, the music was top notch, and the stages were filled with hidden areas and secrets to find and were a lot of fun to explore. Additionally, the wonder flowers were a fun addition that really mixed up the gameplay in more ways than I expected they would.
Wonder felt like a true successor to Super Mario World and was a huge improvement over the "New Super Mario Bros" games. There were many times that I got that feeling of being a kid again while playing; that joy of experiencing a new and zany world that was fun to explore and filled with constant surprises. I highly recommend Super Mario Bros Wonder to pretty much anyone, but especially to anyone that grew up playing the original games in their youth. You won't be disappointed.
Wonder felt like a true successor to Super Mario World and was a huge improvement over the "New Super Mario Bros" games. There were many times that I got that feeling of being a kid again while playing; that joy of experiencing a new and zany world that was fun to explore and filled with constant surprises. I highly recommend Super Mario Bros Wonder to pretty much anyone, but especially to anyone that grew up playing the original games in their youth. You won't be disappointed.
Earlier this year, after learning that a sequel was coming out, I decided to play through Oxenfree after having it in my backlog for years. I found the first game's story quite interesting and thought the voice acting was well done, but I found the pacing to be a bit slow and I was put off by several weird design decisions (character dialogue being interrupted when choosing a response, a slow walking speed, frequent and long loading screens, and a world that wasn't overly interesting to explore). Though I finished the game with mixed feelings I was surprisingly excited to see how the developers mixed things up in the sequel.
Oxenfree 2 follows very closely in the shoes of the original game. You still take control of one person (in this game it is a girl named Riley), you explore a large outdoors area (that still has little to interact with), and you select dialogue responses for whatever conversation is going on. The story is a continuation of the first game, and it is almost assumed that you know about the events that occurred there. I highly recommend new players start with that game before diving into the sequel.
In the first Oxenfree you had a larger group of friends to interact with, but in Oxenfree 2 most conversations are between Riley and a young male named Jacob (there are still interactions with others, it's just that most are between these two). I actually quite enjoyed this change to a smaller cast as it really highlighted the growth of a new friendship between Riley and Jacob. The voice acting for these two was incredible and the voice actors really brought these characters to life through realistic banter and dialogue. Both were very likeable, and the conversations were fun to listen to. For me, the voice acting was probably the game's biggest highlight.
The developers made a good number of improvements to this game over the first game. The graphics, while still retaining the look of the original, felt more polished and created a unique look for the world and its inhabitants. The music is entirely instrumental and felt somewhat spooky and created an interesting atmosphere. Thankfully, a lot of the issues I had with the original game were also ironed out in the sequel. Choosing a dialogue option no longer interrupted conversations mid-sentence and instead didn't start playing until after the current statement had finished being spoken, which was such a huge quality of life change. Also, load times seemed shorter (though they were still far too frequent) and the amount of backtracking seemed reduced too. It really felt like the developers listened to players complaints about the first game and made sure to fix them in the sequel, which I really appreciated.
Despite really only saying positives about the game so far, it left me a bit disappointed. Sure, it improved on the original game in almost every way, but it falters with regards to its story. While still good, it was less memorable than the first game's story. The early and mid-game events (everything excluding the ending) were flashier and more interesting than those in the original game, but when all was said and done, I just felt a bit underwhelmed. I finished the game with what I assume is the "good ending", which while somewhat satisfying (with regards to the series as a whole), ultimately left me feeling a bit disappointed. The game's story wasn't bad by any means, and I was quite captivated by it at times, but I can't deny that it was less memorable than the first game.
I enjoyed my playthrough of Oxenfree 2. Mostly, I was impressed by how the developers improved on the groundwork that was laid by the first game. Graphics, music, voice acting, pacing, and load times were all improved, but sadly the game was held back a bit due to a less interesting story and a somewhat underwhelming ending. Despite being not blown away by the story, I do still highly recommend that fans of the original check this game out. For anyone interested in checking this series out for the first time, I advise them to start out with the first game as the stories are deeply connected.
Oxenfree 2 follows very closely in the shoes of the original game. You still take control of one person (in this game it is a girl named Riley), you explore a large outdoors area (that still has little to interact with), and you select dialogue responses for whatever conversation is going on. The story is a continuation of the first game, and it is almost assumed that you know about the events that occurred there. I highly recommend new players start with that game before diving into the sequel.
In the first Oxenfree you had a larger group of friends to interact with, but in Oxenfree 2 most conversations are between Riley and a young male named Jacob (there are still interactions with others, it's just that most are between these two). I actually quite enjoyed this change to a smaller cast as it really highlighted the growth of a new friendship between Riley and Jacob. The voice acting for these two was incredible and the voice actors really brought these characters to life through realistic banter and dialogue. Both were very likeable, and the conversations were fun to listen to. For me, the voice acting was probably the game's biggest highlight.
The developers made a good number of improvements to this game over the first game. The graphics, while still retaining the look of the original, felt more polished and created a unique look for the world and its inhabitants. The music is entirely instrumental and felt somewhat spooky and created an interesting atmosphere. Thankfully, a lot of the issues I had with the original game were also ironed out in the sequel. Choosing a dialogue option no longer interrupted conversations mid-sentence and instead didn't start playing until after the current statement had finished being spoken, which was such a huge quality of life change. Also, load times seemed shorter (though they were still far too frequent) and the amount of backtracking seemed reduced too. It really felt like the developers listened to players complaints about the first game and made sure to fix them in the sequel, which I really appreciated.
Despite really only saying positives about the game so far, it left me a bit disappointed. Sure, it improved on the original game in almost every way, but it falters with regards to its story. While still good, it was less memorable than the first game's story. The early and mid-game events (everything excluding the ending) were flashier and more interesting than those in the original game, but when all was said and done, I just felt a bit underwhelmed. I finished the game with what I assume is the "good ending", which while somewhat satisfying (with regards to the series as a whole), ultimately left me feeling a bit disappointed. The game's story wasn't bad by any means, and I was quite captivated by it at times, but I can't deny that it was less memorable than the first game.
I enjoyed my playthrough of Oxenfree 2. Mostly, I was impressed by how the developers improved on the groundwork that was laid by the first game. Graphics, music, voice acting, pacing, and load times were all improved, but sadly the game was held back a bit due to a less interesting story and a somewhat underwhelming ending. Despite being not blown away by the story, I do still highly recommend that fans of the original check this game out. For anyone interested in checking this series out for the first time, I advise them to start out with the first game as the stories are deeply connected.
Upon learning there was a Paper Mario game on the Switch I knew I wanted to play it. Despite wanting to play it I put it off because of the immense amount of criticism it received at release. This criticism, like most criticism the series has received since The Thousand-Year Door, is that the combat system isn't that of a traditional turn-based RPG. I decided to check it out anyway and see for myself if the hate it receives is warranted.
In Origami King you play as Paper Mario, unsurprisingly. You arrive at Princess Peach's Castle to find that she, and a large number of the Mushroom Kingdom's inhabitants, have been folded up into origami by the evil King Olly (aka the Origami King). The castle, with origami Peach still inside, gets ripped from the ground by some colorful ribbons which transport it far out of Paper Mario's reach. It is up to you to destroy the ribbons, defeat King Olly, save Princess Peach, and return normalcy to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Though the overall story is a bit lackluster, the writing throughout is fantastic. The Paper Mario series has always been known for its humor and Origami King truly shines in this regard. The conversations and interactions are well written, funny, and quite honestly some of the best I have ever seen in a Nintendo game. I had a smile on my face throughout and found myself laughing out loud far more than I had expected to. The writing really is that good!
As for the gameplay, it is broken up into three main styles: exploration, enemy battles, and boss battles. The exploration segments work as they do in any game of this style: you walk around, talk to world's inhabitants, find collectibles, etc. Each world was unique from one another (and the designs were fantastic!), and each was filled with interesting characters to interact with and a few simple puzzles to solve. I honestly found each of the game's world to be a joy to explore.
The enemy battle segment of the gameplay is where Origami's main criticisms comes from. Rather than traditional turn-based combat the battles are mini-puzzles that take place on a circular grid. Paper Mario stands in the middle of this grid and your goal is to line up the enemies in specific formations (either a line of 4 or a 2x2 square) by rotating and sliding the grid, and then attacking these groups of enemies. This is simple enough, but things are made a bit trickier due to a time limit and a move limit per turn. Solving a puzzle correctly allows you to do more damage to your enemies and earns you more coins at the end of the battle. Like with other Paper Mario games there are still bonuses achieved when you time your button presses at the right time when attacking or when being attacked, which made the combat feel a bit more engaging than it would have been otherwise. Early on in the game I found the battle system to be pretty confusing, but after a few hours I got accustomed to it grew to really enjoy it. For those that struggle with the combat there are a few ways to make it a bit easier (accessibility options, unlockable accessories, using coins to help solve the puzzle or to give you extra time), which I thought was a nice touch (though the accessibility options aren't unlocked until a few hours in, which I thought was an odd decision on Nintendo's part).
The third gameplay element is the boss battles. These battles work similarly to the regular enemy battles but instead of Paper Mario being in the middle of the circular grid he finds himself on the outside edge of it and the boss is in the middle. The grid for these battles is littered with a number of unique panels that need to be utilized effectively to ensure victory. The grid panels include arrows to direct your movement, upgrade panels (extra turns, double damage), treasure chests, attack panels (used to damage the boss), as well as a few others. When it is your turn, you shift and rotate the grid to create the most effective path to the boss while collecting power ups and other goodies along the way. Damaging a boss is rarely as simple as just getting close to it and attacking it though. Each battle is unique from one another, requiring different tactics to finally take it down. Working to determine what tactics were needed to take down each boss was immensely satisfying! I consider these battles to be a real highlight to the game. Nintendo should be applauded for how these were handled.
One thing to note about the game's battles is that they do not reward XP but rather you earn coins. Lots and lots of coins. These coins can be used for a number of purposes in the game: buying new items (attack items, collectibles, health upgrades, etc.), buying additional time in battles, or buying assistance in solving a combat puzzle. You earn an absolute ton of coins throughout the game, which I thought was a bit odd, but having so many in my possession made me rarely feel like I shouldn't use them. Shop has a shiny new item I want to buy? Sold! Struggling with a combat puzzle? Sure, I'll spend a few hundred coins to get through this easier. I feel some sort of an XP system in addition to the coins would have been nice, but what is here is not bad by any means.
One more thing worth noting: I feel that the pacing in Origami King was pretty much perfect. The overall length of the adventure was spot on (not too long, not too short) and the time spent in each of the game's worlds never overstayed or under stayed its welcome. This may not be a major point of contention for some gamers, but I thought I would point it out still.
As far as graphics go, Origami King is one of the best-looking games on the Switch. Nintendo did an absolutely fantastic job with this game's art style, using an arts and crafts aesthetic that works incredibly well and gives the entire game world such a unique feel. Nintendo is no stranger to using this type of design in their games (Kirby's Epic Yarn, Yoshi's Wooly World, Yoshi's Crafted World, etc.), but I feel Origami King pulls it off the best out of all of them. Each of the game's worlds are legitimately unique from one another, each with their own looks and graphical elements that really make them stand out. I was always excited to see what the next world had in store for me. I honestly can't say enough good about this game's graphics. Wow, just wow!
I am not normally huge into a game's sound design, but I was thoroughly impressed by everything on show in The Origami King. The sound effects worked well enough and they were fitting for this style of game. But the soundtrack... oh the soundtrack! The music was simply beautiful and really added to the atmosphere of each of the game's world's and fit the aesthetics so well. The music was so so good!
I was honestly incredibly surprised by how much fun I had with The Origami King. I almost ignored this game entirely because of the hate the game receives, but I think most of that hate comes from people who haven't even played it or who never gave it a fair shot. The game has an entertaining story, humorous writing (some of the best I have ever seen from Nintendo), fun gameplay (especially during those boss battles!), incredible graphics, and a fantastic soundtrack. Fans of the Paper Mario series owe it to themselves to at least give this a try and decide for themselves if they like it or not. I think most of them will be pleasantly surprised if they do. Highly recommended!
In Origami King you play as Paper Mario, unsurprisingly. You arrive at Princess Peach's Castle to find that she, and a large number of the Mushroom Kingdom's inhabitants, have been folded up into origami by the evil King Olly (aka the Origami King). The castle, with origami Peach still inside, gets ripped from the ground by some colorful ribbons which transport it far out of Paper Mario's reach. It is up to you to destroy the ribbons, defeat King Olly, save Princess Peach, and return normalcy to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Though the overall story is a bit lackluster, the writing throughout is fantastic. The Paper Mario series has always been known for its humor and Origami King truly shines in this regard. The conversations and interactions are well written, funny, and quite honestly some of the best I have ever seen in a Nintendo game. I had a smile on my face throughout and found myself laughing out loud far more than I had expected to. The writing really is that good!
As for the gameplay, it is broken up into three main styles: exploration, enemy battles, and boss battles. The exploration segments work as they do in any game of this style: you walk around, talk to world's inhabitants, find collectibles, etc. Each world was unique from one another (and the designs were fantastic!), and each was filled with interesting characters to interact with and a few simple puzzles to solve. I honestly found each of the game's world to be a joy to explore.
The enemy battle segment of the gameplay is where Origami's main criticisms comes from. Rather than traditional turn-based combat the battles are mini-puzzles that take place on a circular grid. Paper Mario stands in the middle of this grid and your goal is to line up the enemies in specific formations (either a line of 4 or a 2x2 square) by rotating and sliding the grid, and then attacking these groups of enemies. This is simple enough, but things are made a bit trickier due to a time limit and a move limit per turn. Solving a puzzle correctly allows you to do more damage to your enemies and earns you more coins at the end of the battle. Like with other Paper Mario games there are still bonuses achieved when you time your button presses at the right time when attacking or when being attacked, which made the combat feel a bit more engaging than it would have been otherwise. Early on in the game I found the battle system to be pretty confusing, but after a few hours I got accustomed to it grew to really enjoy it. For those that struggle with the combat there are a few ways to make it a bit easier (accessibility options, unlockable accessories, using coins to help solve the puzzle or to give you extra time), which I thought was a nice touch (though the accessibility options aren't unlocked until a few hours in, which I thought was an odd decision on Nintendo's part).
The third gameplay element is the boss battles. These battles work similarly to the regular enemy battles but instead of Paper Mario being in the middle of the circular grid he finds himself on the outside edge of it and the boss is in the middle. The grid for these battles is littered with a number of unique panels that need to be utilized effectively to ensure victory. The grid panels include arrows to direct your movement, upgrade panels (extra turns, double damage), treasure chests, attack panels (used to damage the boss), as well as a few others. When it is your turn, you shift and rotate the grid to create the most effective path to the boss while collecting power ups and other goodies along the way. Damaging a boss is rarely as simple as just getting close to it and attacking it though. Each battle is unique from one another, requiring different tactics to finally take it down. Working to determine what tactics were needed to take down each boss was immensely satisfying! I consider these battles to be a real highlight to the game. Nintendo should be applauded for how these were handled.
One thing to note about the game's battles is that they do not reward XP but rather you earn coins. Lots and lots of coins. These coins can be used for a number of purposes in the game: buying new items (attack items, collectibles, health upgrades, etc.), buying additional time in battles, or buying assistance in solving a combat puzzle. You earn an absolute ton of coins throughout the game, which I thought was a bit odd, but having so many in my possession made me rarely feel like I shouldn't use them. Shop has a shiny new item I want to buy? Sold! Struggling with a combat puzzle? Sure, I'll spend a few hundred coins to get through this easier. I feel some sort of an XP system in addition to the coins would have been nice, but what is here is not bad by any means.
One more thing worth noting: I feel that the pacing in Origami King was pretty much perfect. The overall length of the adventure was spot on (not too long, not too short) and the time spent in each of the game's worlds never overstayed or under stayed its welcome. This may not be a major point of contention for some gamers, but I thought I would point it out still.
As far as graphics go, Origami King is one of the best-looking games on the Switch. Nintendo did an absolutely fantastic job with this game's art style, using an arts and crafts aesthetic that works incredibly well and gives the entire game world such a unique feel. Nintendo is no stranger to using this type of design in their games (Kirby's Epic Yarn, Yoshi's Wooly World, Yoshi's Crafted World, etc.), but I feel Origami King pulls it off the best out of all of them. Each of the game's worlds are legitimately unique from one another, each with their own looks and graphical elements that really make them stand out. I was always excited to see what the next world had in store for me. I honestly can't say enough good about this game's graphics. Wow, just wow!
I am not normally huge into a game's sound design, but I was thoroughly impressed by everything on show in The Origami King. The sound effects worked well enough and they were fitting for this style of game. But the soundtrack... oh the soundtrack! The music was simply beautiful and really added to the atmosphere of each of the game's world's and fit the aesthetics so well. The music was so so good!
I was honestly incredibly surprised by how much fun I had with The Origami King. I almost ignored this game entirely because of the hate the game receives, but I think most of that hate comes from people who haven't even played it or who never gave it a fair shot. The game has an entertaining story, humorous writing (some of the best I have ever seen from Nintendo), fun gameplay (especially during those boss battles!), incredible graphics, and a fantastic soundtrack. Fans of the Paper Mario series owe it to themselves to at least give this a try and decide for themselves if they like it or not. I think most of them will be pleasantly surprised if they do. Highly recommended!
1990
Growing up, Super Mario World was one of the few games I had on the SNES. Because of this, I used to spend a lot of time playing it, and I loved combing the game's levels, trying to find as many of the game's secrets as I could. There always seemed to be a new hard to reach area to get to or a secret exit to find, and I needed to do it all. I have always considered Super Mario World to be one of all-time favorite games, but I recently decided to replay through it to see if it still stood up after all these years.
I am happy to say that is has stood the test of time incredibly well. Better than I expected, even. The game world is just as charming as I remembered it being, with everything being brought to life through vibrant visuals, stellar sprite design, and an incredibly catchy soundtrack. The levels were well designed and fun to explore, and I loved how their aesthetics matched where they were on the world map (levels in the cave area took place in underground environments, for example). I feel that the game's controls were spot on too, and I felt like it was my own fault whenever I died (usually, anyway). Lastly, I really enjoyed the game's power ups (especially the feather/cape), and I thought the addition of Yoshi was a lot of fun too (though I didn't end up using him too much in this playthrough).
My one complaint with this playthrough was that it all felt too familiar. I had already seen these enemy types before and had defeated these bosses a dozen times or more. I had already mastered the challenging stages, made my way around star road, and knew how to activate all the secret exits. It was still fun, don't get me wrong, but even with it being over 15 years since my last playthrough I couldn't shake that feeling of it all being just so darn familiar.
That complaint aside, I had a fantastic time replaying Super Mario World. The game controls great, the world is charming and fun to explore, there are an incredible number of secrets to find, and simply put, the game it is a lot of fun to play. This is still considered to be one of the very best platformers ever made, and for good reason. I had a great time with this playthrough, and I still consider Super Mario World to be one of my all-time favorite games.
I am happy to say that is has stood the test of time incredibly well. Better than I expected, even. The game world is just as charming as I remembered it being, with everything being brought to life through vibrant visuals, stellar sprite design, and an incredibly catchy soundtrack. The levels were well designed and fun to explore, and I loved how their aesthetics matched where they were on the world map (levels in the cave area took place in underground environments, for example). I feel that the game's controls were spot on too, and I felt like it was my own fault whenever I died (usually, anyway). Lastly, I really enjoyed the game's power ups (especially the feather/cape), and I thought the addition of Yoshi was a lot of fun too (though I didn't end up using him too much in this playthrough).
My one complaint with this playthrough was that it all felt too familiar. I had already seen these enemy types before and had defeated these bosses a dozen times or more. I had already mastered the challenging stages, made my way around star road, and knew how to activate all the secret exits. It was still fun, don't get me wrong, but even with it being over 15 years since my last playthrough I couldn't shake that feeling of it all being just so darn familiar.
That complaint aside, I had a fantastic time replaying Super Mario World. The game controls great, the world is charming and fun to explore, there are an incredible number of secrets to find, and simply put, the game it is a lot of fun to play. This is still considered to be one of the very best platformers ever made, and for good reason. I had a great time with this playthrough, and I still consider Super Mario World to be one of my all-time favorite games.
2017
I bought a Switch last year for two main reasons: to play through Breath of the Wild again and to see what made Super Mario Odyssey such a beloved platformer. I loved Super Mario Galaxy and imagined Odyssey was going to be just as groundbreaking as that game was.
While I did enjoy Odyssey, I enjoyed it less than I had expected I would. The game played well, and the platforming elements were as good as I expected them to be. The game was beautiful too, featuring some of the very best graphics on the system, even to this day. The inclusion of Cappy was great and often mixed up the gameplay a fair bit. But even with all those positives the game never truly WOWed me. Odyssey just didn't feel as revolutionary as Galaxy did when it was released.
I think one of my biggest disappointments has to be the lackluster boss battles. Sure, Mario games have never been known for incredible boss battles, but the ones in Odyssey seemed especially disappointing. All were incredibly easy and most of them were repeated multiple times throughout the game. It just felt lazy to me.
By the time the credits rolled I had had my fill of the game. The graphics were great and the gameplay was solid, but it just wasn't as fun to play as I thought it would be. I'm sure there is a lot of game here to keep completionists happy for a good long while, but I'm good calling it quits after getting enough Power Moons to see the end credits roll.
While I did enjoy Odyssey, I enjoyed it less than I had expected I would. The game played well, and the platforming elements were as good as I expected them to be. The game was beautiful too, featuring some of the very best graphics on the system, even to this day. The inclusion of Cappy was great and often mixed up the gameplay a fair bit. But even with all those positives the game never truly WOWed me. Odyssey just didn't feel as revolutionary as Galaxy did when it was released.
I think one of my biggest disappointments has to be the lackluster boss battles. Sure, Mario games have never been known for incredible boss battles, but the ones in Odyssey seemed especially disappointing. All were incredibly easy and most of them were repeated multiple times throughout the game. It just felt lazy to me.
By the time the credits rolled I had had my fill of the game. The graphics were great and the gameplay was solid, but it just wasn't as fun to play as I thought it would be. I'm sure there is a lot of game here to keep completionists happy for a good long while, but I'm good calling it quits after getting enough Power Moons to see the end credits roll.
2023
Prior to being release, I was very intrigued by the original Octopath Traveller. The new HD-2D graphics style looked beautiful and the idea of a modern-day SNES-era turn-based RPG sounded incredible. I planned on buying it shortly after release, but after hearing that most players were pretty disappointed by the game's story, mostly because the characters' storylines didn't really tie together in a satisfying way, I bumped it down significantly on my list of games to eventually check out.
Then, in early 2023, the game's sequel, Octopath Traveller 2, was released. Word on the internet was that the sequel was an improvement in pretty much every way, having a somewhat tweaked/improved combat system, slightly better visuals (but still used the HD-2D style), the characters' storylines tied together better, and best of all it required no prior knowledge of the first game. I decided I had to check it out.
Octopath Traveller 2 tells the story of eight individuals, each with their own personality, back story, motivations, and character class. When starting the game, you are presented with bios of each character, and whichever one you select will be locked in your party until you finish their storyline (I was a bit rash when making this selection, thinking it would be inconsequential once more characters joined the party, but I was wrong). After you finish your selected character's first chapter you are let loose in the game's world where are free to track down the remaining 7 party members however you see fit.
Each party member's story is broken up into about five chapters. Each chapter has a recommended experience level, and this level increases by a decent amount for each subsequent chapter (you can attempt a chapter under levelled, but I wouldn't recommend it). This was likely done to prevent players from burning through one character's storyline, forcing them to split their time up amongst the stories of other members of the group. I didn't mind this, for the most part, but it was a bit disappointing at times to not be able to continue a character's story until I grinded for experience or levelled up by playing through another group member's story.
All of the character's storylines were well-written, pretty enjoyable, and did a good job of outlining each of the characters' motivations. I didn't care much for the dancer's storyline, but otherwise these were well done. The characters' stories were mostly independent, but they did somewhat tie together towards the end of the game, which gave the group a mutual motivation of sorts. This link was nothing terribly shocking or groundbreaking, but it was still nice to see some sort of connection there.
My favorite aspect of Octopath Traveller 2 was its surprisingly complex turn-based combat. It was easy enough to understand but still required enough strategic thinking to keep things entertaining from the start of the game through to its conclusion. To explain it as simply as I can, in addition to their health points, enemies have shield points that can only be reduced by being attacked by one of their weaknesses. These weaknesses can be determined either through trial and error (trying random weapon/spell attacks) or by using the scholar's "Learn" spell. Each time the enemy is hit by something it is weak to its shield points will decrease, and once these hit zero the enemy will "break", preventing them from attacking for a short time and opening them up to increased damage from your attacks. Enemies still take damage when they have shield points, but the amount of damage they take is significantly less, so it is best to break an enemy before releasing your most powerful attacks.
On top of the shield point system is the BP system. Party members earn one BP per turn (unless they are using BP in that turn), to a maximum of 6 BP. The player can then stack this BP, up to a maximum of 4 in one turn, to unleash numerous regular weapon attacks (good for lowering shield points) or to unleash a charged-up version of a skill/ability (good for causing massive damage to a broken enemy).
The combination of the "break" system and the BP system made for highly entertaining battles, especially when it came to the bosses. The boss battles were a highlight of the game, always being challenging and always requiring good planning and tactical thinking. Bosses kept me on my toes by changing up their tactics mid-battle (they can change their weapon/elemental weaknesses, gain additional shield points, etc.) or by unleashing powerful charged attacks that were devastating if I wasn't prepared for them. Bosses have massive health pools, hit incredibly hard, and often took quite a while to defeat (especially if at or under the recommended level for the area), but it was always fun coming up with a strategy and whittling their health down to zero.
Though I really enjoyed the combat, there are two things I feel some gamers might not like. First, the random encounter rate is quite high. I wasn't bother too much by it, but I'm sure it could be aggravating to some gamers, especially since all encounters are random encounters. You can unlock a skill that, when equipped, reduces the frequency of these encounters, but I feel players won't want to miss out on too many battles as they'll require the XP in order to continue meet the level requirements of unfinished story chapters.
Secondly, every battle in this game, requires the use of tactics. Whether you're fighting a boss or just looking to grind for XP, you will need to put a decent amount of strategy into each battle (unless you are seriously over-levelled, but then you should probably fight more powerful enemies for an increased amount of XP). You can't simply steamroll through lower levelled enemies to gain XP, which makes grinding a bit more of a chore. I thoroughly enjoyed the complexity of the battle system, but there were times that I wished I could put in less effort to get my characters up to the recommended level for their upcoming story chapters.
In addition to the game's combat, there is a fairly sizable world to explore. None of the locations were overly unique or surprising, but there was enough variety to keep things interesting. Each area was enjoyable to explore, and they were all chock-full of treasure chests and hidden items to find. You mostly explore the world by foot, but eventually you gain access to a boat, which opens up the exploration a bit more (though you are quite limited by where you can board it/unload from it, which made using it a bit disappointing). Every town was stocked with NPCs, which could be interacted with in a few different ways. Depending on your team composition, you can coerce info out of the NPCs, steal their items, learn new skills from them, or get them to follow you around. Some NPCs also offer up side quests, but I found the instructions for these to be incredibly vague. I did a few of these but would highly recommend consulting a guide if you plan on tackling these.
This was my first time playing a game with the HD-2D graphical style, and I was quite impressed, though less so than I had anticipated. The world looked very nice and the amount of detail present in each locale was commendable. The character, enemy, and boss designs were well done and interesting, and the graphics instilled a good amount of charm into the experience. I played through the game entirely in handheld mode and felt that the performance was generally quite good. The framerate did drop when using fully charged BP attacks, and things got exceptionally choppy during the final boss fight, but otherwise the game's performance was more than adequate.
I'm sad to say it, but I can't really comment too heavily on Octopath Traveller 2's sound design. I played through most of the game while having a TV show or movie on in the background, so I missed out on a lot of this game's audio components. When I did have the sound on, I was generally impressed by the voice acting and the soundtrack, and I have since listened to a portion of the soundtrack on Spotify and really enjoyed it. If you have the option to play the game with headphones I do recommend it, but if not, the game is still fully enjoyable with the sound turned off.
Now, while I thoroughly enjoyed Octopath Traveller 2, there are a few things that didn't sit well with me, namely the game's length and the game's final boss battle.
Firstly, this game was way longer than I anticipated it would be. Howlongtobeat has it listed as 60 hours to finish the main story and 93 hours to fully complete it, but it took me over 110 hours and I know I was far from finishing everything. Mind you, I know my time would have had a good number of hours of idle time built in due to playing it with the TV on in the background, but I can't imagine that would equate to too elevated of a playtime. Also, I know I really shouldn't complain about the game having lots of content, and I didn't dock the game's score for this, but as I got closer to the game's conclusion, I just really wanted it to end.
That leads me to my main negative, the game's final boss. This boss fight had an immense difficulty spike that came completely unexpected and was really unappreciated. Leading up to this battle I wouldn't have considered myself a pro at the game's content, but I felt I had solid strategies and was more than capable of defeating bosses on my first attempt. My team members were between level 70 and 75, and I figured things were going to be pretty straightforward, but the boss completely and utterly wiped the floor with me, and I stood no chance of defeating it without a more advanced strategy. I gave the battle a few attempts, but quickly realized I did not stand a chance. I eventually resorted to following a YouTube guide to walk me through a strategy, which was utterly disappointing after getting through the rest of the game by myself. Prior to this battle I felt the game deserved a 4.5 or 5 star rating, but the unfair difficulty spike really lowered my overall feelings on the game as a whole.
Though it wasn't a perfect experience, I had a great time playing through Octopath Traveller 2. I thoroughly enjoyed the game's cast, their individual storylines, and the overall narrative. The HD-2D graphics were lovely, performance was pretty solid (or solid enough that it didn't cause any frustration), and the soundtrack was top notch (though I didn't experience as much of it as I should have). The world was fun to explore and there were loads of treasures to find and secrets to unlock. The game's biggest strength was its turn-based combat system which required a fair amount of strategy and very well could be the best system I have experienced in the genre. Sadly, the unfair difficulty spike at the game's finale greatly detracted from my overall enjoyment of an otherwise great game. Despite that disappointment, I still highly recommend Octopath Traveller 2 for any fan of the genre.
Then, in early 2023, the game's sequel, Octopath Traveller 2, was released. Word on the internet was that the sequel was an improvement in pretty much every way, having a somewhat tweaked/improved combat system, slightly better visuals (but still used the HD-2D style), the characters' storylines tied together better, and best of all it required no prior knowledge of the first game. I decided I had to check it out.
Octopath Traveller 2 tells the story of eight individuals, each with their own personality, back story, motivations, and character class. When starting the game, you are presented with bios of each character, and whichever one you select will be locked in your party until you finish their storyline (I was a bit rash when making this selection, thinking it would be inconsequential once more characters joined the party, but I was wrong). After you finish your selected character's first chapter you are let loose in the game's world where are free to track down the remaining 7 party members however you see fit.
Each party member's story is broken up into about five chapters. Each chapter has a recommended experience level, and this level increases by a decent amount for each subsequent chapter (you can attempt a chapter under levelled, but I wouldn't recommend it). This was likely done to prevent players from burning through one character's storyline, forcing them to split their time up amongst the stories of other members of the group. I didn't mind this, for the most part, but it was a bit disappointing at times to not be able to continue a character's story until I grinded for experience or levelled up by playing through another group member's story.
All of the character's storylines were well-written, pretty enjoyable, and did a good job of outlining each of the characters' motivations. I didn't care much for the dancer's storyline, but otherwise these were well done. The characters' stories were mostly independent, but they did somewhat tie together towards the end of the game, which gave the group a mutual motivation of sorts. This link was nothing terribly shocking or groundbreaking, but it was still nice to see some sort of connection there.
My favorite aspect of Octopath Traveller 2 was its surprisingly complex turn-based combat. It was easy enough to understand but still required enough strategic thinking to keep things entertaining from the start of the game through to its conclusion. To explain it as simply as I can, in addition to their health points, enemies have shield points that can only be reduced by being attacked by one of their weaknesses. These weaknesses can be determined either through trial and error (trying random weapon/spell attacks) or by using the scholar's "Learn" spell. Each time the enemy is hit by something it is weak to its shield points will decrease, and once these hit zero the enemy will "break", preventing them from attacking for a short time and opening them up to increased damage from your attacks. Enemies still take damage when they have shield points, but the amount of damage they take is significantly less, so it is best to break an enemy before releasing your most powerful attacks.
On top of the shield point system is the BP system. Party members earn one BP per turn (unless they are using BP in that turn), to a maximum of 6 BP. The player can then stack this BP, up to a maximum of 4 in one turn, to unleash numerous regular weapon attacks (good for lowering shield points) or to unleash a charged-up version of a skill/ability (good for causing massive damage to a broken enemy).
The combination of the "break" system and the BP system made for highly entertaining battles, especially when it came to the bosses. The boss battles were a highlight of the game, always being challenging and always requiring good planning and tactical thinking. Bosses kept me on my toes by changing up their tactics mid-battle (they can change their weapon/elemental weaknesses, gain additional shield points, etc.) or by unleashing powerful charged attacks that were devastating if I wasn't prepared for them. Bosses have massive health pools, hit incredibly hard, and often took quite a while to defeat (especially if at or under the recommended level for the area), but it was always fun coming up with a strategy and whittling their health down to zero.
Though I really enjoyed the combat, there are two things I feel some gamers might not like. First, the random encounter rate is quite high. I wasn't bother too much by it, but I'm sure it could be aggravating to some gamers, especially since all encounters are random encounters. You can unlock a skill that, when equipped, reduces the frequency of these encounters, but I feel players won't want to miss out on too many battles as they'll require the XP in order to continue meet the level requirements of unfinished story chapters.
Secondly, every battle in this game, requires the use of tactics. Whether you're fighting a boss or just looking to grind for XP, you will need to put a decent amount of strategy into each battle (unless you are seriously over-levelled, but then you should probably fight more powerful enemies for an increased amount of XP). You can't simply steamroll through lower levelled enemies to gain XP, which makes grinding a bit more of a chore. I thoroughly enjoyed the complexity of the battle system, but there were times that I wished I could put in less effort to get my characters up to the recommended level for their upcoming story chapters.
In addition to the game's combat, there is a fairly sizable world to explore. None of the locations were overly unique or surprising, but there was enough variety to keep things interesting. Each area was enjoyable to explore, and they were all chock-full of treasure chests and hidden items to find. You mostly explore the world by foot, but eventually you gain access to a boat, which opens up the exploration a bit more (though you are quite limited by where you can board it/unload from it, which made using it a bit disappointing). Every town was stocked with NPCs, which could be interacted with in a few different ways. Depending on your team composition, you can coerce info out of the NPCs, steal their items, learn new skills from them, or get them to follow you around. Some NPCs also offer up side quests, but I found the instructions for these to be incredibly vague. I did a few of these but would highly recommend consulting a guide if you plan on tackling these.
This was my first time playing a game with the HD-2D graphical style, and I was quite impressed, though less so than I had anticipated. The world looked very nice and the amount of detail present in each locale was commendable. The character, enemy, and boss designs were well done and interesting, and the graphics instilled a good amount of charm into the experience. I played through the game entirely in handheld mode and felt that the performance was generally quite good. The framerate did drop when using fully charged BP attacks, and things got exceptionally choppy during the final boss fight, but otherwise the game's performance was more than adequate.
I'm sad to say it, but I can't really comment too heavily on Octopath Traveller 2's sound design. I played through most of the game while having a TV show or movie on in the background, so I missed out on a lot of this game's audio components. When I did have the sound on, I was generally impressed by the voice acting and the soundtrack, and I have since listened to a portion of the soundtrack on Spotify and really enjoyed it. If you have the option to play the game with headphones I do recommend it, but if not, the game is still fully enjoyable with the sound turned off.
Now, while I thoroughly enjoyed Octopath Traveller 2, there are a few things that didn't sit well with me, namely the game's length and the game's final boss battle.
Firstly, this game was way longer than I anticipated it would be. Howlongtobeat has it listed as 60 hours to finish the main story and 93 hours to fully complete it, but it took me over 110 hours and I know I was far from finishing everything. Mind you, I know my time would have had a good number of hours of idle time built in due to playing it with the TV on in the background, but I can't imagine that would equate to too elevated of a playtime. Also, I know I really shouldn't complain about the game having lots of content, and I didn't dock the game's score for this, but as I got closer to the game's conclusion, I just really wanted it to end.
That leads me to my main negative, the game's final boss. This boss fight had an immense difficulty spike that came completely unexpected and was really unappreciated. Leading up to this battle I wouldn't have considered myself a pro at the game's content, but I felt I had solid strategies and was more than capable of defeating bosses on my first attempt. My team members were between level 70 and 75, and I figured things were going to be pretty straightforward, but the boss completely and utterly wiped the floor with me, and I stood no chance of defeating it without a more advanced strategy. I gave the battle a few attempts, but quickly realized I did not stand a chance. I eventually resorted to following a YouTube guide to walk me through a strategy, which was utterly disappointing after getting through the rest of the game by myself. Prior to this battle I felt the game deserved a 4.5 or 5 star rating, but the unfair difficulty spike really lowered my overall feelings on the game as a whole.
Though it wasn't a perfect experience, I had a great time playing through Octopath Traveller 2. I thoroughly enjoyed the game's cast, their individual storylines, and the overall narrative. The HD-2D graphics were lovely, performance was pretty solid (or solid enough that it didn't cause any frustration), and the soundtrack was top notch (though I didn't experience as much of it as I should have). The world was fun to explore and there were loads of treasures to find and secrets to unlock. The game's biggest strength was its turn-based combat system which required a fair amount of strategy and very well could be the best system I have experienced in the genre. Sadly, the unfair difficulty spike at the game's finale greatly detracted from my overall enjoyment of an otherwise great game. Despite that disappointment, I still highly recommend Octopath Traveller 2 for any fan of the genre.
2018
It has been a long time coming, but I finally made it through Celeste! Over the past few years, I have started and stopped this game multiple times. I first started playing it on PS4, got to Chapter 3, then gave up on it. Months later I picked it for the Switch, where I slowly chipped away at it but never dedicated myself to making any sort of meaningful progress, but eventually got to the end of Chapter 3 once again. I never felt that the game was too hard or unfair, I just kept being drawn away to games with more depth than a platformer. A few weeks back I decided to set my focus strictly on finishing Celeste once and for, all and I am really glad that I did. When I immersed myself fully I was finally able to see why this game is so beloved.
The art style in Celeste is beautiful. The graphics in the platforming sections have a simple but nice look to them, looking like an upscaled or more modernized retro game, which I felt worked really well for this gameplay style. Each chapter had its own distinct look and feel to it too which kept things fresh. I also really loved the portraits that were used during the dialogue segments. These were incredibly charming, and the artist did a wonderful job of imbuing the characters with a great level of personality and emotion.
The sound design throughout Celeste was great as well. The sound effects were fitting for the gameplay and the noises used in place of voices for the dialogue segments worked surprisingly well. The soundtrack was very catchy too and I almost always got a track stuck in my head after a play session.
I really enjoyed the story in Celeste, too. I won't go into it in detail here as I feel it is best to experience it yourself, but I found it to be well written, engaging, and pretty touching, too.
Where Celeste shines brightest is in its challenging but never unfair level design (though I have yet to attempt the B-sides so I can't vouch for their difficulty just yet). I died a lot in my playthrough (almost 1500 times), but these all seemed fair as it was my error that caused me to die, not cheap or poor level design. I always felt that the tough areas were made this way to test my skills and to push me to improve, not to punish me. It helped that the game's world is broken up into individual rooms, with each death resetting you back to the start of that room. This greatly reduced the feeling of frustration whenever I died and made it easy to keep on trying time and time again until I finally made it through to the end. It was such an exhilarating and satisfying feeling to make it through a particularly challenging room after so many failed attempts.
For how simple the gameplay was (jump, dash, grip), the gameplay always felt fresh, mostly because of clever level design, but also because of new mechanics that were introduced in each chapter. Most chapters were also concluded with a boss battle of sorts, which generally required quick reflexes and mastery of the chapter's new mechanics. I wish there had been more of these in the game, but the ones that were there offered a nice challenge and were incredibly satisfying to get through.
Celeste was an incredible experience. It was a very challenging game at times, but the feeling of satisfaction that I felt when overcoming a particularly tough section made it worth any of the stress and frustration. I died a lot, and I didn't find all that many of the collectibles (90/175 strawberries), but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game. I'm unsure if I will ever go back to finish the B-side levels, but I probably will return from time to time to gather a few more of those missing collectibles.
The art style in Celeste is beautiful. The graphics in the platforming sections have a simple but nice look to them, looking like an upscaled or more modernized retro game, which I felt worked really well for this gameplay style. Each chapter had its own distinct look and feel to it too which kept things fresh. I also really loved the portraits that were used during the dialogue segments. These were incredibly charming, and the artist did a wonderful job of imbuing the characters with a great level of personality and emotion.
The sound design throughout Celeste was great as well. The sound effects were fitting for the gameplay and the noises used in place of voices for the dialogue segments worked surprisingly well. The soundtrack was very catchy too and I almost always got a track stuck in my head after a play session.
I really enjoyed the story in Celeste, too. I won't go into it in detail here as I feel it is best to experience it yourself, but I found it to be well written, engaging, and pretty touching, too.
Where Celeste shines brightest is in its challenging but never unfair level design (though I have yet to attempt the B-sides so I can't vouch for their difficulty just yet). I died a lot in my playthrough (almost 1500 times), but these all seemed fair as it was my error that caused me to die, not cheap or poor level design. I always felt that the tough areas were made this way to test my skills and to push me to improve, not to punish me. It helped that the game's world is broken up into individual rooms, with each death resetting you back to the start of that room. This greatly reduced the feeling of frustration whenever I died and made it easy to keep on trying time and time again until I finally made it through to the end. It was such an exhilarating and satisfying feeling to make it through a particularly challenging room after so many failed attempts.
For how simple the gameplay was (jump, dash, grip), the gameplay always felt fresh, mostly because of clever level design, but also because of new mechanics that were introduced in each chapter. Most chapters were also concluded with a boss battle of sorts, which generally required quick reflexes and mastery of the chapter's new mechanics. I wish there had been more of these in the game, but the ones that were there offered a nice challenge and were incredibly satisfying to get through.
Celeste was an incredible experience. It was a very challenging game at times, but the feeling of satisfaction that I felt when overcoming a particularly tough section made it worth any of the stress and frustration. I died a lot, and I didn't find all that many of the collectibles (90/175 strawberries), but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game. I'm unsure if I will ever go back to finish the B-side levels, but I probably will return from time to time to gather a few more of those missing collectibles.
2023
As a child, I was a pretty casual gamer. Since the beginning, the NES days, I was drawn to platformers, especially Mario ones. I eventually got upgraded to a SNES, where I got hooked on even more platformers, with Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, and Donkey Kong Country being some of my favorites.
One day I went to the video rental store, saw Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars on the shelf, and knew I had to get it. It had Mario on the cover, so it had to be a platformer, right? I used some of my saved-up allowance money to rent it, went straight home, plugged the game in, and quickly realized this game was unlike anything I had played before. I was immediately impressed by the graphics, but the turn-based combat took me a fair while to get acclimated to. After a few hours I began to understand how it all worked, eventually getting absorbed into the game's world and the adventure at hand.
Sadly, despite eventually getting used to the workings of the combat, I never was able to finish this game, even after two separate rental periods. On both playthroughs I made it to the same spot, the battle with the Axem Rangers, but could not get passed them. This is a game I have always wanted to go back and finish, but I never got around to it. Upon hearing about the remake's release, I figured it was finally time for me to see this adventure through to completion.
Nintendo and ArtePiazza did a fantastic job with Super Mario RPG's presentation. The bump to modern-day visuals was a great choice as they breathed new life into the characters and the world. The inclusion of some fully animated cutscenes was a nice touch too, though I am confused as to why to no voiceover was added to them. I did not mind reading the subtitles, but some voiceover of some sort would have made them that much better. The game's soundtrack was also redone and was as catchy as ever. The option to switch back to the original SNES soundtrack is there too, which I felt was a nice touch.
I found the story in Super Mario RPG to be interesting enough, and I liked that it equated to more than just saving Princess Peach from Bowser. That being said, I was pretty disappointed by the game's villain. He was underrepresented throughout the game, with you not even seeing him until the final battle. The story leading up to that scene was quite entertaining, with Mario and his party finding themselves in some pretty strange situations. Overall, the game's writing was good, with dialogue that was pretty darn funny at times. Sadly, the game was over surprisingly quickly, with the credits rolling for me at just over 12 hours.
When I first played Super Mario RPG on the SNES, I loved it, despite not being very good at it. However, while essentially unchanged all these years later, I couldn't shake the feeling that the combat felt dated. This makes sense, being that the original game came out in the 90's, but with all the improvements that have been made to the genre since the original game's release I figured the developers would have added a few tweaks into this rerelease. ArtePiazza kept things faithful to the original, which I respect, but I feel I would have enjoyed the rerelease more had they made it feel more like a modern-day release.
Lastly, and probably my biggest gripe with the game, is its low level of difficulty. I know, the Mario RPG's have always been seen as beginner-friendly introductions to the genre, but this lacked any challenge of any sort. I am generally drawn to easier RPGs, but this was just too easy. I played through the game on Normal difficulty, and I only needed to use a small handful of items throughout the adventure, and I never once came remotely close to having my team wipe. I suppose that a few of the later bosses required a very slight bit of strategy, but most battles were usually resolved with nothing more than a few well-timed regular attacks.
Despite these complaints, I had a genuinely good time playing through Super Mario RPG, and I am so glad to finally see this adventure through to its conclusion. I loved the updated graphics and the remade audio, and the handful of QOL improvements that were added. I appreciated how faithful this game was to the original too, but I cannot deny that I would have preferred something with a few more modern-day improvements. And, lastly, I feel this game should have been released at a lower price point. I was able to borrow this from the library, so my playthrough cost me nothing, but if I had paid full price for it, I would be feeling very disappointed. Unless you are a diehard Super Mario RPG fan, I would recommend waiting for a price drop or for a sale.
One day I went to the video rental store, saw Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars on the shelf, and knew I had to get it. It had Mario on the cover, so it had to be a platformer, right? I used some of my saved-up allowance money to rent it, went straight home, plugged the game in, and quickly realized this game was unlike anything I had played before. I was immediately impressed by the graphics, but the turn-based combat took me a fair while to get acclimated to. After a few hours I began to understand how it all worked, eventually getting absorbed into the game's world and the adventure at hand.
Sadly, despite eventually getting used to the workings of the combat, I never was able to finish this game, even after two separate rental periods. On both playthroughs I made it to the same spot, the battle with the Axem Rangers, but could not get passed them. This is a game I have always wanted to go back and finish, but I never got around to it. Upon hearing about the remake's release, I figured it was finally time for me to see this adventure through to completion.
Nintendo and ArtePiazza did a fantastic job with Super Mario RPG's presentation. The bump to modern-day visuals was a great choice as they breathed new life into the characters and the world. The inclusion of some fully animated cutscenes was a nice touch too, though I am confused as to why to no voiceover was added to them. I did not mind reading the subtitles, but some voiceover of some sort would have made them that much better. The game's soundtrack was also redone and was as catchy as ever. The option to switch back to the original SNES soundtrack is there too, which I felt was a nice touch.
I found the story in Super Mario RPG to be interesting enough, and I liked that it equated to more than just saving Princess Peach from Bowser. That being said, I was pretty disappointed by the game's villain. He was underrepresented throughout the game, with you not even seeing him until the final battle. The story leading up to that scene was quite entertaining, with Mario and his party finding themselves in some pretty strange situations. Overall, the game's writing was good, with dialogue that was pretty darn funny at times. Sadly, the game was over surprisingly quickly, with the credits rolling for me at just over 12 hours.
When I first played Super Mario RPG on the SNES, I loved it, despite not being very good at it. However, while essentially unchanged all these years later, I couldn't shake the feeling that the combat felt dated. This makes sense, being that the original game came out in the 90's, but with all the improvements that have been made to the genre since the original game's release I figured the developers would have added a few tweaks into this rerelease. ArtePiazza kept things faithful to the original, which I respect, but I feel I would have enjoyed the rerelease more had they made it feel more like a modern-day release.
Lastly, and probably my biggest gripe with the game, is its low level of difficulty. I know, the Mario RPG's have always been seen as beginner-friendly introductions to the genre, but this lacked any challenge of any sort. I am generally drawn to easier RPGs, but this was just too easy. I played through the game on Normal difficulty, and I only needed to use a small handful of items throughout the adventure, and I never once came remotely close to having my team wipe. I suppose that a few of the later bosses required a very slight bit of strategy, but most battles were usually resolved with nothing more than a few well-timed regular attacks.
Despite these complaints, I had a genuinely good time playing through Super Mario RPG, and I am so glad to finally see this adventure through to its conclusion. I loved the updated graphics and the remade audio, and the handful of QOL improvements that were added. I appreciated how faithful this game was to the original too, but I cannot deny that I would have preferred something with a few more modern-day improvements. And, lastly, I feel this game should have been released at a lower price point. I was able to borrow this from the library, so my playthrough cost me nothing, but if I had paid full price for it, I would be feeling very disappointed. Unless you are a diehard Super Mario RPG fan, I would recommend waiting for a price drop or for a sale.
2023
Pikmin 4 was my first foray into this franchise since the release of the first game on Game Cube. I remember renting the first game, but I'm pretty much certain I never finished it. With the huge amount of hype behind 4's release I figured I ought to check it out this series again. Disappointingly, this just wasn't a game for me, with it being the first game I have abandoned in several years.
To start things out, I didn't hate Pikmin 4. The game's graphics were great, and it was quite a lot of fun to explore real-to-life environments from the perspective of tiny creature. Also, for a time at least, I enjoyed sending the various Pikmin types to gather 'treasure' that was scattered throughout the game world. I was pretty impressed by just how many different Pikmin types there were and how each type had their own utility when exploring the world or fighting enemies.
For the first 8 or so hours I found the gameplay loop to be incredibly addictive, but then the monotony kicked in, hard. I kept pushing through, wanting to see the end credits, but it felt like the game kept pushing that milestone further away whenever I believed I was getting close. I eventually lost all drive to boot the game up, which is why I chose to abandon it.
Tedium aside, there were quite a few other elements that didn't jive with me. The game begins with a slow-paced and hand-holdy tutorial, as I know are pretty common in Nintendo's first-party titles, but the one in Pikmin 4 dragged on for much longer than it needed to. The game's character creator was severely limited too, leading to me to create an uninteresting character that I felt no real attachment to. I also disliked the game's combat as it felt pretty sloppy and underbaked, especially as the "challenging" battles that generally boiled down to rushing all Pikmin at the enemy, letting them whittle its health down a bit, blowing my whistle to return the group to me, then repeating the process until victory was achieved. It just wasn't a fun system, in my opinion. Lastly, I REALLY disliked Pikmin 4's alternate modes, the night stages and the Dandori challenges, and dreaded being forced into them to progress the story.
Pikmin 4 is a game loved by many, and it certainly had some great aspects to it, but it just wasn't a game for me. Had the game ended sooner, say around the eight-to-ten-hour mark, I would have a much more positive opinion on it, but once the tedium kicked in my enjoyment level tanked. This, combined with all the other issues mentioned above, lead me to abandon the game, despite how much it pains me to leave it unfinished. I likely only have one to two hours left to see those end credits roll, but I have lost all motivation to get there.
To start things out, I didn't hate Pikmin 4. The game's graphics were great, and it was quite a lot of fun to explore real-to-life environments from the perspective of tiny creature. Also, for a time at least, I enjoyed sending the various Pikmin types to gather 'treasure' that was scattered throughout the game world. I was pretty impressed by just how many different Pikmin types there were and how each type had their own utility when exploring the world or fighting enemies.
For the first 8 or so hours I found the gameplay loop to be incredibly addictive, but then the monotony kicked in, hard. I kept pushing through, wanting to see the end credits, but it felt like the game kept pushing that milestone further away whenever I believed I was getting close. I eventually lost all drive to boot the game up, which is why I chose to abandon it.
Tedium aside, there were quite a few other elements that didn't jive with me. The game begins with a slow-paced and hand-holdy tutorial, as I know are pretty common in Nintendo's first-party titles, but the one in Pikmin 4 dragged on for much longer than it needed to. The game's character creator was severely limited too, leading to me to create an uninteresting character that I felt no real attachment to. I also disliked the game's combat as it felt pretty sloppy and underbaked, especially as the "challenging" battles that generally boiled down to rushing all Pikmin at the enemy, letting them whittle its health down a bit, blowing my whistle to return the group to me, then repeating the process until victory was achieved. It just wasn't a fun system, in my opinion. Lastly, I REALLY disliked Pikmin 4's alternate modes, the night stages and the Dandori challenges, and dreaded being forced into them to progress the story.
Pikmin 4 is a game loved by many, and it certainly had some great aspects to it, but it just wasn't a game for me. Had the game ended sooner, say around the eight-to-ten-hour mark, I would have a much more positive opinion on it, but once the tedium kicked in my enjoyment level tanked. This, combined with all the other issues mentioned above, lead me to abandon the game, despite how much it pains me to leave it unfinished. I likely only have one to two hours left to see those end credits roll, but I have lost all motivation to get there.
Last year I played through all of the 2D Metroid games (Metroid Zero Mission and Samus Returns instead of the original games), which was a good amount of fun. After finishing them I wanted to play through the 3D games in the series, but I had no good way of doing so. I was understandably hyped when Metroid Prime Remastered was announced at a Nintendo Direct earlier this year and was instantly excited to finally see how this series translated to the first-person perspective.
Right from the very get go I was impressed by what the game had to offer. The graphical overhaul from the original game was extremely well done and made this 20-year-old game feel brand new. The sound design was good throughout too, with a strong (albeit a bit repetitive) soundtrack, and sound effects that worked well for the game world. The game's controls also worked better than I had anticipated they would. The gyro aiming was an appreciated addition and the ability to lock onto enemies with the press of a button made the combat considerably more satisfying than it would have been otherwise. Samus's movement was also very fluid which made exploring the world a lot of fun. Lastly, I felt there was a good variety of weapons and gadgets to unlock too. It was always exciting to add something new to my arsenal, especially when it allowed me to reach previously unreachable locations in the game's expansive landscape.
I liked a lot about Metroid Prime Remastered, but it wasn't without its faults. The biggest annoyance to me was the lack of any brightness settings. I played this entirely in handheld mode, primarily in public places, which caused a decent amount of glare on the screen. As many of the game's environments were very dark it often became difficult to traverse the world, even leading to a small handful of deaths because of it (for example, I fell into a pit with toxic water and was unable to find a low ledge to jump up to due to how dark the area was). This wasn't game breaking by any means, but it certainly hampered my overall enjoyment. I also felt that the game's combat was so-so at best, and it became rather tiresome after a few hours. I eventually started to avoid battles whenever possible as I felt there was no real reason to see them through to completion. Some sort of XP system or other reason to defeat enemies would have alleviated this issue, in my opinion.
Overall, I had a good time with Metroid Prime Remastered. The graphics were great, the sound design was solid, the world exploration was a lot of fun, and the controls worked perfectly. The lack of brightness settings and the mostly hollow combat lessened my enjoyment a bit, but I still really enjoyed my time with it as a whole, and it was great to finally play one of the 3D Metroid games. I will definitely be checking out the sequels once they are released.
Right from the very get go I was impressed by what the game had to offer. The graphical overhaul from the original game was extremely well done and made this 20-year-old game feel brand new. The sound design was good throughout too, with a strong (albeit a bit repetitive) soundtrack, and sound effects that worked well for the game world. The game's controls also worked better than I had anticipated they would. The gyro aiming was an appreciated addition and the ability to lock onto enemies with the press of a button made the combat considerably more satisfying than it would have been otherwise. Samus's movement was also very fluid which made exploring the world a lot of fun. Lastly, I felt there was a good variety of weapons and gadgets to unlock too. It was always exciting to add something new to my arsenal, especially when it allowed me to reach previously unreachable locations in the game's expansive landscape.
I liked a lot about Metroid Prime Remastered, but it wasn't without its faults. The biggest annoyance to me was the lack of any brightness settings. I played this entirely in handheld mode, primarily in public places, which caused a decent amount of glare on the screen. As many of the game's environments were very dark it often became difficult to traverse the world, even leading to a small handful of deaths because of it (for example, I fell into a pit with toxic water and was unable to find a low ledge to jump up to due to how dark the area was). This wasn't game breaking by any means, but it certainly hampered my overall enjoyment. I also felt that the game's combat was so-so at best, and it became rather tiresome after a few hours. I eventually started to avoid battles whenever possible as I felt there was no real reason to see them through to completion. Some sort of XP system or other reason to defeat enemies would have alleviated this issue, in my opinion.
Overall, I had a good time with Metroid Prime Remastered. The graphics were great, the sound design was solid, the world exploration was a lot of fun, and the controls worked perfectly. The lack of brightness settings and the mostly hollow combat lessened my enjoyment a bit, but I still really enjoyed my time with it as a whole, and it was great to finally play one of the 3D Metroid games. I will definitely be checking out the sequels once they are released.
Even though I am not the youngest of gamers I have recently started expanding my gaming horizon by getting into turn-based JRPGs, a genre I neglected in my youth. I have finished a small handful of these games in the past (the Mario & Luigi games, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IX, Persona 4 Golden, Dragon Quest VIII), but I still consider myself a total newbie to the genre. I used to be bad for starting one of these games and never finishing it, usually because the difficulty got too high (Final Fantasy IV DS), I encountered a game breaking bug (Final Fantasy X), I became discouraged by the game's length (Final Fantasy XIII), life got busy (Bravely Default), or most commonly I got distracted by a game in a different genre. As such I have mostly avoided these types of games as I rarely expect myself to finish them.
However, after seeing footage of Dragon Quest XI (DQXI) I knew I had to play it, despite the fact that people said it could take over 100 hours to finish it. The turn-based combat looked fun, the art design looked beautiful, the story sounded interesting enough, and the cast of characters looked incredibly charming and fun. I put off playing it for years because of that long estimated completion time, but earlier this year I found the game for a great price and decided to give it a shot.
To start things out, I really enjoyed DQXI's story. The general premise was a bit cliche (the main character finds out he is the only one who can put an end to the darkness that has descended upon the world, and he must build up a party to defeat the baddie and return peace to the world), but I found it to be well-paced and entertaining throughout, and there were enough twists and surprises to keep me engaged throughout my 89-hour play time. The companions that joined me on my journey had very unique personalities and back stories and I really liked each and every one of them. I genuinely cared about each one of them throughout my long journey.
The game's story is broken into 3 acts. Act 1 has the main character exploring the game's world, building up his team of companions, and making his way towards the game's main villain. Act 2 takes place after the events that conclude Act 1 (I won't spoil that here) and has you exploring the game's world again in preparation for a large battle. Finishing Act 2 provides you with the game's ending credits, and at this point you can start the game's "optional" Act 3. Act 3 is DQXI's end game, giving players access to a lot of additional content and the game's true ending. I say Act 3 is "optional" as some people online say it is okay to stop playing after seeing the Act 2 end credits, but I feel that if you stop playing at that point you are doing yourself a disservice. The content in Act 3 is some of the very best in the game and I do not recommend missing out on it (unless you didn't really enjoy the main game - then it is probably okay the call it quits at the end of Act 2).
Unsurprisingly for a Dragon Quest game, the combat in DQXI is what you'd expect from a traditional turn-based RPG, so I won't go in depth on that here. The combat here was fun and engaging though, and each character had enough unique spells and abilities to keep them feeling quite different than the other members in the party. Griding for XP was generally enjoyable too and it felt fantastic every time I leveled up. HP and MP were refreshed at each new level and new attribute points were earned and points that were used for unlocking new abilities from the skill trees. Honestly, each new level made such a difference in battles. I didn't find it necessary to grind too much to reach the Act 2 end credits, but it felt pretty darn necessary when playing through Act 3 (thankfully there is a handy little exploit which lessens the grind significantly - search Google for Hallelujah & Electro Light levelling). Some of those later bosses hit darn hard, but they were all a really fun challenge.
One element of DQXI that seems pretty minor, but I feel needs to be highlighted, is the game's forging system. I typically avoid crafting in games (I generally can't be bothered to grind enemy kills or perform repetitive tasks to get the materials I require), but the one used in DQXI is the best I have seen to date. Early in the game you are given a 'Fun-Sized Forge', a crafting table that goes with your party wherever you go and can be used at any time you are outside of combat. At this forge you can craft weapons, armor, and accessories from recipes which you find throughout the world. After selecting the item you want to craft you are presented with a list of required materials. This is all standard stuff, but where this system sets itself apart is that if you are missing any of the required materials you can simply choose to buy the items for gold right from that menu, eliminating the need to leave the forge and hunt down those missing materials (though it should be noted that some late game high-level gear does require specific ingredients that you can't buy this way). This feature really takes away the tedious grind found in other crafting systems and makes it so much more enjoyable. The gear you can craft is generally more powerful than what you can buy from shops too, making the forge a pretty essential tool throughout the entire game.
One of DQXI's greatest strengths is its visuals. The game has some of the best graphics I have seen on the Switch, and throughout my playthrough I was consistently surprised that this portable console from 2017 could handle something like this. The world was beautifully designed and filled with a good variety of interesting and varied locations to visit, weird monsters to battle, and NPCs to speak to. The character design was top notch and the art style used made everyone so expressive and full of life. The game had some truly stunning pre-rendered cinematic cutscenes too. There weren't enough of these, but damn did they ever look good!
I guess the one place I could fault DQXI is its soundtrack. Don't get me wrong, the orchestral soundtrack was a real joy to listen to, with songs that were catchy and memorable, there just wasn't enough of them to support a game of this length. I never found the repeated tracks annoying enough to turn them off, but I imagine the lack of variety could be bothersome to some gamers. That nitpick aside, the game's remaining sound design elements really shine - especially its excellent voice acting. The main characters were done extremely well, and the voice actors did a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life. There were some NPCs that were not very well acted, but they didn't detract from the experience at all.
Dragon Quest XI was an incredible experience and is likely my favorite game on the Switch. The portability of the system made such a difference as I likely never would've finished this game without that ability. I loved the game's traditional turn-based combat (with some nice quality of life updates to make it feel modern), its expansive world, and its charming cast of characters. I highly recommend this game to those new to turn-based JRPGs or veterans of the genre. This is one heck of a great game, and it shouldn't be missed by anyone.
However, after seeing footage of Dragon Quest XI (DQXI) I knew I had to play it, despite the fact that people said it could take over 100 hours to finish it. The turn-based combat looked fun, the art design looked beautiful, the story sounded interesting enough, and the cast of characters looked incredibly charming and fun. I put off playing it for years because of that long estimated completion time, but earlier this year I found the game for a great price and decided to give it a shot.
To start things out, I really enjoyed DQXI's story. The general premise was a bit cliche (the main character finds out he is the only one who can put an end to the darkness that has descended upon the world, and he must build up a party to defeat the baddie and return peace to the world), but I found it to be well-paced and entertaining throughout, and there were enough twists and surprises to keep me engaged throughout my 89-hour play time. The companions that joined me on my journey had very unique personalities and back stories and I really liked each and every one of them. I genuinely cared about each one of them throughout my long journey.
The game's story is broken into 3 acts. Act 1 has the main character exploring the game's world, building up his team of companions, and making his way towards the game's main villain. Act 2 takes place after the events that conclude Act 1 (I won't spoil that here) and has you exploring the game's world again in preparation for a large battle. Finishing Act 2 provides you with the game's ending credits, and at this point you can start the game's "optional" Act 3. Act 3 is DQXI's end game, giving players access to a lot of additional content and the game's true ending. I say Act 3 is "optional" as some people online say it is okay to stop playing after seeing the Act 2 end credits, but I feel that if you stop playing at that point you are doing yourself a disservice. The content in Act 3 is some of the very best in the game and I do not recommend missing out on it (unless you didn't really enjoy the main game - then it is probably okay the call it quits at the end of Act 2).
Unsurprisingly for a Dragon Quest game, the combat in DQXI is what you'd expect from a traditional turn-based RPG, so I won't go in depth on that here. The combat here was fun and engaging though, and each character had enough unique spells and abilities to keep them feeling quite different than the other members in the party. Griding for XP was generally enjoyable too and it felt fantastic every time I leveled up. HP and MP were refreshed at each new level and new attribute points were earned and points that were used for unlocking new abilities from the skill trees. Honestly, each new level made such a difference in battles. I didn't find it necessary to grind too much to reach the Act 2 end credits, but it felt pretty darn necessary when playing through Act 3 (thankfully there is a handy little exploit which lessens the grind significantly - search Google for Hallelujah & Electro Light levelling). Some of those later bosses hit darn hard, but they were all a really fun challenge.
One element of DQXI that seems pretty minor, but I feel needs to be highlighted, is the game's forging system. I typically avoid crafting in games (I generally can't be bothered to grind enemy kills or perform repetitive tasks to get the materials I require), but the one used in DQXI is the best I have seen to date. Early in the game you are given a 'Fun-Sized Forge', a crafting table that goes with your party wherever you go and can be used at any time you are outside of combat. At this forge you can craft weapons, armor, and accessories from recipes which you find throughout the world. After selecting the item you want to craft you are presented with a list of required materials. This is all standard stuff, but where this system sets itself apart is that if you are missing any of the required materials you can simply choose to buy the items for gold right from that menu, eliminating the need to leave the forge and hunt down those missing materials (though it should be noted that some late game high-level gear does require specific ingredients that you can't buy this way). This feature really takes away the tedious grind found in other crafting systems and makes it so much more enjoyable. The gear you can craft is generally more powerful than what you can buy from shops too, making the forge a pretty essential tool throughout the entire game.
One of DQXI's greatest strengths is its visuals. The game has some of the best graphics I have seen on the Switch, and throughout my playthrough I was consistently surprised that this portable console from 2017 could handle something like this. The world was beautifully designed and filled with a good variety of interesting and varied locations to visit, weird monsters to battle, and NPCs to speak to. The character design was top notch and the art style used made everyone so expressive and full of life. The game had some truly stunning pre-rendered cinematic cutscenes too. There weren't enough of these, but damn did they ever look good!
I guess the one place I could fault DQXI is its soundtrack. Don't get me wrong, the orchestral soundtrack was a real joy to listen to, with songs that were catchy and memorable, there just wasn't enough of them to support a game of this length. I never found the repeated tracks annoying enough to turn them off, but I imagine the lack of variety could be bothersome to some gamers. That nitpick aside, the game's remaining sound design elements really shine - especially its excellent voice acting. The main characters were done extremely well, and the voice actors did a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life. There were some NPCs that were not very well acted, but they didn't detract from the experience at all.
Dragon Quest XI was an incredible experience and is likely my favorite game on the Switch. The portability of the system made such a difference as I likely never would've finished this game without that ability. I loved the game's traditional turn-based combat (with some nice quality of life updates to make it feel modern), its expansive world, and its charming cast of characters. I highly recommend this game to those new to turn-based JRPGs or veterans of the genre. This is one heck of a great game, and it shouldn't be missed by anyone.
2015
I first bought Undertale close to when it was released on the PS4/Vita after hearing about all the praise it had been receiving. I started playing it, but after about an hour I gave up on it as I wasn't enjoying the combat system and I couldn't see what all the hype had been about. Earlier this year I finished a few other backlogged indie games so I figured it would be a good time to give Undertale another shot.
This time around I became completely immersed into the game's bizarre and charming world right from the very start. The art design was pretty simple, but each location still felt unusual and unique, and I never could anticipate what I was going to see next. The world was filled with so many strange places and unpredictable situations which generally kept a smile on my face while I played. The game's soundtrack was incredibly catchy too with tunes that fit the diverse landscapes perfectly.
While the game's world was fantastic, what drew me in the most was the cast of zany characters. Every NPC, especially the ones you interact with regularly, were so charming, and their dialogue was so smartly written too (and generally hilarious), which imbued them each with so much personality. I absolutely adored the elaborate character headshots that were displayed on screen whenever the NPCs talked. These really amplified the characters' personification and infused more emotion into conversations than I would have expected. Lastly, the sound design for the characters was incredible. Each character makes their own unique sounds when they talk (think Banjo Kazooie), and I felt this added a great level of individuality to each character.
Undertale also had a very touching story, too, which I won't spoil here. Thankfully, I had managed to avoid spoilers before my playthrough, so it was full of great twists and surprises, and I found it to be captivating from start to finish. I know a lot of people out there say the pacifist/genocide mechanic is a gimmick, but I enjoyed this element a lot more than I had expected to. I played through the campaign twice, with my first playthrough being a completely blind run that I finished with the Neutral ending. Immediately after finishing this run, I went through the game again for the True Pacifist ending, this time with the help of a guide. Both of these endings were great, especially that of the True Pacifist playthrough. I initially planned one playing through the game a third time for the Genocide ending, but after spending so much time with these characters I don't have the heart to do that.
The only aspect of the game that I didn't truly love was the combat. That's not to say that I didn't like it, as at times I adored it, but a lot of the time I wished it had been anything other than bullet-hell dodging. I did appreciate how varied these battles were and how each enemy and boss fight felt very different from the others in the game.
Undertale was a huge surprise to me. I put off playing it for years because I figured it going to be gimmicky and that it wasn't going to live up to the acclaim it had received. I am so grateful that I decided to play it as it has quickly become one of the best indie games I have ever played, let alone one of the best video games I have ever played. I truly fell in love with the world and characters that Toby Fox has created. Undertale was an absolute gem. What a uniquely wonderful experience.
This time around I became completely immersed into the game's bizarre and charming world right from the very start. The art design was pretty simple, but each location still felt unusual and unique, and I never could anticipate what I was going to see next. The world was filled with so many strange places and unpredictable situations which generally kept a smile on my face while I played. The game's soundtrack was incredibly catchy too with tunes that fit the diverse landscapes perfectly.
While the game's world was fantastic, what drew me in the most was the cast of zany characters. Every NPC, especially the ones you interact with regularly, were so charming, and their dialogue was so smartly written too (and generally hilarious), which imbued them each with so much personality. I absolutely adored the elaborate character headshots that were displayed on screen whenever the NPCs talked. These really amplified the characters' personification and infused more emotion into conversations than I would have expected. Lastly, the sound design for the characters was incredible. Each character makes their own unique sounds when they talk (think Banjo Kazooie), and I felt this added a great level of individuality to each character.
Undertale also had a very touching story, too, which I won't spoil here. Thankfully, I had managed to avoid spoilers before my playthrough, so it was full of great twists and surprises, and I found it to be captivating from start to finish. I know a lot of people out there say the pacifist/genocide mechanic is a gimmick, but I enjoyed this element a lot more than I had expected to. I played through the campaign twice, with my first playthrough being a completely blind run that I finished with the Neutral ending. Immediately after finishing this run, I went through the game again for the True Pacifist ending, this time with the help of a guide. Both of these endings were great, especially that of the True Pacifist playthrough. I initially planned one playing through the game a third time for the Genocide ending, but after spending so much time with these characters I don't have the heart to do that.
The only aspect of the game that I didn't truly love was the combat. That's not to say that I didn't like it, as at times I adored it, but a lot of the time I wished it had been anything other than bullet-hell dodging. I did appreciate how varied these battles were and how each enemy and boss fight felt very different from the others in the game.
Undertale was a huge surprise to me. I put off playing it for years because I figured it going to be gimmicky and that it wasn't going to live up to the acclaim it had received. I am so grateful that I decided to play it as it has quickly become one of the best indie games I have ever played, let alone one of the best video games I have ever played. I truly fell in love with the world and characters that Toby Fox has created. Undertale was an absolute gem. What a uniquely wonderful experience.
Dragon Quest V is a traditional JRPG through and through, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. The story was quite good and there were several twists that genuinely shocked me. The characters were pretty one note though and I never felt overly attached to any of them, not even the main character.
The turn-based battles were exactly what I expected from a Dragon Quest game, and they were fun for a while, but I eventually grew tired of the frequency of the random encounters. The boss battles were also a bit disappointing as they felt more like battles of attrition (the need to keep my HP and MP up at all times) than a real challenge. I still consider myself a pretty big JRPG newbie and I finished the final boss on my first try (though it did take 45 minutes).
I had a genuinely good time with Dragon Quest V, despite my complaints, and I especially liked the story and its unexpected twists. Had the random encounter rate been less frequent and the boss battles been more challenging this would have been rated a bit higher. Still, this was one heck of a good JRPG that was well worth playing.
The turn-based battles were exactly what I expected from a Dragon Quest game, and they were fun for a while, but I eventually grew tired of the frequency of the random encounters. The boss battles were also a bit disappointing as they felt more like battles of attrition (the need to keep my HP and MP up at all times) than a real challenge. I still consider myself a pretty big JRPG newbie and I finished the final boss on my first try (though it did take 45 minutes).
I had a genuinely good time with Dragon Quest V, despite my complaints, and I especially liked the story and its unexpected twists. Had the random encounter rate been less frequent and the boss battles been more challenging this would have been rated a bit higher. Still, this was one heck of a good JRPG that was well worth playing.
2022
Lil Gator Game is a charming open world exploration game that puts you in control of a self-named hero (I named him Zucchini). The game starts off showing a flashback of you and your sister playing a fantasy game that you created in the real world, using your imaginations to create fun new scenarios to play through during your play time. A few years pass, his sister goes away to college, and in her absence Zucchini longs to play the game with her again. One weekend she returns to town, but to Zucchini's disappointment she is too busy working on a school project to give him any of her attention. He comes up with a plan to play the game with his friends in hopes of gaining the attention of his sister and getting her to join in on the fun. The story was charming from the get go and one of the game's biggest highlights.
Lil Gator Game's gameplay takes very obvious inspiration from Breath of the Wild, but thankfully it didn't feel like a knock off or cash grab. This gameplay style gives players total control over their movement, allowing them to traverse the game world with ease. You can climb cliffs (with a stamina meter), glide, shield-slide, and attack enemies with a melee and ranged weapons. There are a lot of similarities between the two games, but Lil Gator Game still played different enough to make it feel like something special.
In Lil Gator Game you are given free roam of the game's world, a large national park. This park is populated with NPCs that are looking for assistance with some sort of a simple task, such as finding a hidden item or destroying nearby targets. Upon completion you'll receive a reward, usually a new piece of gear or some currency, and the NPC will become your friend and will head off to the park's main camp (where everyone is going for story reasons). Throughout the park there are cardboard cutout monsters, created by your friends, which when destroyed will reward you with currency. This currency can be used to purchase new gear, such as hats, shields, and new weapons. These monsters can't actually hurt you, and in fact there is no threat of death in Lil Gator Game, which makes for a relaxing, stress-free adventure.
I had a good amount of fun with Lil Gator Game, but it wasn't without its faults. The gameplay loop was really fun for a few hours, but at about the two-and-a-half or three hour mark my interest really started to wain and I found myself wanting the end credits to make their appearance. The game's soundtrack didn't help matters either as the limited track list got repetitive and a bit grating. I actually finished the last bit of the game with no sound as I just didn't want to listen to it anymore. The soundtrack was quite good, just very repetitive.
If you're in the mood for a low stress, cozy, open world game, I think most people will thoroughly enjoy Lil Gator Game.
Lil Gator Game's gameplay takes very obvious inspiration from Breath of the Wild, but thankfully it didn't feel like a knock off or cash grab. This gameplay style gives players total control over their movement, allowing them to traverse the game world with ease. You can climb cliffs (with a stamina meter), glide, shield-slide, and attack enemies with a melee and ranged weapons. There are a lot of similarities between the two games, but Lil Gator Game still played different enough to make it feel like something special.
In Lil Gator Game you are given free roam of the game's world, a large national park. This park is populated with NPCs that are looking for assistance with some sort of a simple task, such as finding a hidden item or destroying nearby targets. Upon completion you'll receive a reward, usually a new piece of gear or some currency, and the NPC will become your friend and will head off to the park's main camp (where everyone is going for story reasons). Throughout the park there are cardboard cutout monsters, created by your friends, which when destroyed will reward you with currency. This currency can be used to purchase new gear, such as hats, shields, and new weapons. These monsters can't actually hurt you, and in fact there is no threat of death in Lil Gator Game, which makes for a relaxing, stress-free adventure.
I had a good amount of fun with Lil Gator Game, but it wasn't without its faults. The gameplay loop was really fun for a few hours, but at about the two-and-a-half or three hour mark my interest really started to wain and I found myself wanting the end credits to make their appearance. The game's soundtrack didn't help matters either as the limited track list got repetitive and a bit grating. I actually finished the last bit of the game with no sound as I just didn't want to listen to it anymore. The soundtrack was quite good, just very repetitive.
If you're in the mood for a low stress, cozy, open world game, I think most people will thoroughly enjoy Lil Gator Game.
2002
I recently started the Metroid series from scratch for one reason: to play Metroid Fusion. I had always been intrigued by this game, thinking it looked a bit different from the rest of the series, but I just never had a chance to actually play it until recently. After finishing up Zero Mission, Samus Returns, and Super Metroid I was all ready to finally give this game a whirl.
Sadly, I did not enjoy Metroid Fusion. I don't feel it was a bad game, but in my opinion, it is the weakest game in there 2D series. My main issue with it was that it relied too heavily on the mechanic of blasting random walls to find the path forward. This mechanic has always been my least favorite aspect of the series, but at least in Samus Returns and Super Metroid you gained abilities that helped make things less obtuse (aeon scan in SR, X-Ray Visor in SM). I swear that half of my play time in Fusion was spent shooting/bombing random wall and floor tiles in hopes of finding the path forward. The mechanic really only exists to pad out the play time and I feel it is the game's biggest downfall.
Another issue I had with Fusion is that the "world" you explore is far less interesting than the ones in the previous games. In Fusion you find yourself in a science research station, which I liked the idea of, but felt that it lacked the mystery and intrigue of exploring a foreign planet. The different sectors of the research station varied from one another slightly, but they were nowhere near as varied as the areas found in other games in the series. (On a side note, this is supposed to be a research station where regular scientists work, right? But the areas are clearly designed to be maneuvered by someone with abilities akin to Samus... so am I to believe that scientists are space jumping around just to get to the breakroom?)
I also really disliked most of the bosses in Fusion. I will admit that they were more varied and interesting than most of the bosses from the earlier games, but I found their movement and attack patterns to be generally cheap and annoying (I'm looking at you, Nightmare). Each boss felt like more a test of endurance than skill as each boss required an absolute ton of damage to take them down, and each hit by them resulted in a huge loss of health to Samus. The save points for some of these bosses were placed infuriatingly far away too, which further added to my frustration. There were even a few times that I almost gave up on the game entirely because of these battles. I managed to get through them all in the end, but they were my least favorite boss battles in the entire series.
(One bonus complaint: after acquiring the final upgrade I was locked out of exploring the research station for some reason (you get locked in any Navigation room you enter, forcing you to progress to the final boss). I had planned on going back to get some missed upgrades before attempting the final boss, but I couldn't. Very strange game design for this style of game, if you ask me.)
Now that I have the negatives out of the way I suppose I should mention a few things I liked about the game. First, I really liked how much story there was in Fusion. Prior games in the series had just a few tidbits of a story here and there but Fusion's story is fully fleshed out and quite interesting. It ties in nicely to prior games in the series and also connects to the story in Metroid Dread too. The story was definitely Fusion's strongest aspect. Additionally, the game looked great. The sprite design was good and was well animated. The world design overall was less interesting than previous games, but it still looked fantastic.
Overall, I was quite disappointed by Metroid Fusion. The world was less interesting the previous entries in the series and exploring it was hampered immensely by the need to bomb/shoot hidden blocks just to progress with the story. I found the bosses to be the most annoying of the series, with a few of them almost making me give up on the game entirely. Fusion isn't necessarily a bad game, but I do consider it to be the worst game in this fantastic series.
Sadly, I did not enjoy Metroid Fusion. I don't feel it was a bad game, but in my opinion, it is the weakest game in there 2D series. My main issue with it was that it relied too heavily on the mechanic of blasting random walls to find the path forward. This mechanic has always been my least favorite aspect of the series, but at least in Samus Returns and Super Metroid you gained abilities that helped make things less obtuse (aeon scan in SR, X-Ray Visor in SM). I swear that half of my play time in Fusion was spent shooting/bombing random wall and floor tiles in hopes of finding the path forward. The mechanic really only exists to pad out the play time and I feel it is the game's biggest downfall.
Another issue I had with Fusion is that the "world" you explore is far less interesting than the ones in the previous games. In Fusion you find yourself in a science research station, which I liked the idea of, but felt that it lacked the mystery and intrigue of exploring a foreign planet. The different sectors of the research station varied from one another slightly, but they were nowhere near as varied as the areas found in other games in the series. (On a side note, this is supposed to be a research station where regular scientists work, right? But the areas are clearly designed to be maneuvered by someone with abilities akin to Samus... so am I to believe that scientists are space jumping around just to get to the breakroom?)
I also really disliked most of the bosses in Fusion. I will admit that they were more varied and interesting than most of the bosses from the earlier games, but I found their movement and attack patterns to be generally cheap and annoying (I'm looking at you, Nightmare). Each boss felt like more a test of endurance than skill as each boss required an absolute ton of damage to take them down, and each hit by them resulted in a huge loss of health to Samus. The save points for some of these bosses were placed infuriatingly far away too, which further added to my frustration. There were even a few times that I almost gave up on the game entirely because of these battles. I managed to get through them all in the end, but they were my least favorite boss battles in the entire series.
(One bonus complaint: after acquiring the final upgrade I was locked out of exploring the research station for some reason (you get locked in any Navigation room you enter, forcing you to progress to the final boss). I had planned on going back to get some missed upgrades before attempting the final boss, but I couldn't. Very strange game design for this style of game, if you ask me.)
Now that I have the negatives out of the way I suppose I should mention a few things I liked about the game. First, I really liked how much story there was in Fusion. Prior games in the series had just a few tidbits of a story here and there but Fusion's story is fully fleshed out and quite interesting. It ties in nicely to prior games in the series and also connects to the story in Metroid Dread too. The story was definitely Fusion's strongest aspect. Additionally, the game looked great. The sprite design was good and was well animated. The world design overall was less interesting than previous games, but it still looked fantastic.
Overall, I was quite disappointed by Metroid Fusion. The world was less interesting the previous entries in the series and exploring it was hampered immensely by the need to bomb/shoot hidden blocks just to progress with the story. I found the bosses to be the most annoying of the series, with a few of them almost making me give up on the game entirely. Fusion isn't necessarily a bad game, but I do consider it to be the worst game in this fantastic series.