Devyatto
Middle of the road beat 'em up featuring amazing sprite work and animations as well as incredible sound design in the sound effects department.
You can kick, punch, jump, do a flashy special, and beat the living hell out of every enemy. Repetitive yet short and sweet, some of the boss battles are really unfair, and you can tell they were designed to steal quarters.
It's a nice treat, and The Tuxedo Man appearances are way too funny. It may not be the game we fans of Sailor Moon deserve, but it's not as bad as some people say.
You can kick, punch, jump, do a flashy special, and beat the living hell out of every enemy. Repetitive yet short and sweet, some of the boss battles are really unfair, and you can tell they were designed to steal quarters.
It's a nice treat, and The Tuxedo Man appearances are way too funny. It may not be the game we fans of Sailor Moon deserve, but it's not as bad as some people say.
See, there are two kinds of remakes: the one that explores new ideas, polishes gameplay, fixes previous issues, and expands on the original game by crafting new areas. Something like, let's say, Resident Evil 1 Remake, and then there are just one-on-one recreations of the original one.
This is a one-on-one recreation. That wouldn't necessarily be bad on its own, but the fact that they made these beautiful, detailed sprites and backgrounds for such a simplistic game feels like a big missed opportunity, especially taking into consideration that Kirby Super Star and Dreamland 3 (which were much more ambitious in terms of gameplay, puzzles, and versatility) came out years after the original one.
It's not a bad one, but it does feel a bit obsolete compared to its predecessors.
This is a one-on-one recreation. That wouldn't necessarily be bad on its own, but the fact that they made these beautiful, detailed sprites and backgrounds for such a simplistic game feels like a big missed opportunity, especially taking into consideration that Kirby Super Star and Dreamland 3 (which were much more ambitious in terms of gameplay, puzzles, and versatility) came out years after the original one.
It's not a bad one, but it does feel a bit obsolete compared to its predecessors.
1993
Even though I liked the visuals and thought the premise was interesting, I found this game to have all the fatal flaws of the fighting games of this era:
Controls are too stiff; there is a short selection of characters (only 4 to choose from despite the game having more as enemy-only), one of the enemies characters is just a re-skin, there are very few and hard-to-pull special moves, and the enemy AI is just outright cheap. The music is surprisingly good, though; definitely give this one a listen.
P.S. Kotono is very cute and i'd like to take her out for dinner
Controls are too stiff; there is a short selection of characters (only 4 to choose from despite the game having more as enemy-only), one of the enemies characters is just a re-skin, there are very few and hard-to-pull special moves, and the enemy AI is just outright cheap. The music is surprisingly good, though; definitely give this one a listen.
P.S. Kotono is very cute and i'd like to take her out for dinner
Ok, second one: Harmony of Dissonance!
This one always gets mixed reviews; some people like it, some people hate it, some people make long essays on Youtube saying it's a hidden, forgotten gem, and whatnot, and I... I just thought it was good—very good, even. Sometimes, more or less
Let me explain:
So first of all, this game is a huge improvement over the first one in the trilogy. Movement is much more fluent (You even get a fast-forward and back-forward dash movement right from the start, which is friggin bless), The castle, or should I say the castles in plural since this time we got two of them to explore, are bigger and more inspired, even adding some really neat puzzles here and there for flavor, and the music is... really nice, for the most part. You can tell they put Michiru Yamane back in to write some of the game's tracks, and she's just as good as ever.
Now, remember when I told you about how few boss enemies Circle of the Moon had? Well, Harmony of Dissonance does the absolute opposite of that. It's so full of bosses. It has so many friggin bosses, like, Jesus, don't you think there are already enough bosses, Japanese Konami men? And they are very, very easy, too. Gone is all the challenge set by the previous game; here you simply destroy, blast, and annihilate every single particle out of them and send them back to hell, where they belong, in the blink of an eye. They are basically just giant punching bags, and... well, it's neither bad nor good, just kind of funny.
The story is OK. I think I liked Circle of the Moon's one better; it was a little bit more spicy and dramatic, but this one ain't bad either.
My only true complaint with the game is how insane the backtracking can get; you better get used to getting all the way back to previous zones in the game multiple times because you're going to do it a lot.
In conclusion, Harmony of Dissonance is definitely not on the list of the best titles in the franchise. But if you are playing them in chronological order and you have already played Bloodlines, Rondo of Blood, and Symphony of the Night... Check this one out too.
This one always gets mixed reviews; some people like it, some people hate it, some people make long essays on Youtube saying it's a hidden, forgotten gem, and whatnot, and I... I just thought it was good—very good, even. Sometimes, more or less
Let me explain:
So first of all, this game is a huge improvement over the first one in the trilogy. Movement is much more fluent (You even get a fast-forward and back-forward dash movement right from the start, which is friggin bless), The castle, or should I say the castles in plural since this time we got two of them to explore, are bigger and more inspired, even adding some really neat puzzles here and there for flavor, and the music is... really nice, for the most part. You can tell they put Michiru Yamane back in to write some of the game's tracks, and she's just as good as ever.
Now, remember when I told you about how few boss enemies Circle of the Moon had? Well, Harmony of Dissonance does the absolute opposite of that. It's so full of bosses. It has so many friggin bosses, like, Jesus, don't you think there are already enough bosses, Japanese Konami men? And they are very, very easy, too. Gone is all the challenge set by the previous game; here you simply destroy, blast, and annihilate every single particle out of them and send them back to hell, where they belong, in the blink of an eye. They are basically just giant punching bags, and... well, it's neither bad nor good, just kind of funny.
The story is OK. I think I liked Circle of the Moon's one better; it was a little bit more spicy and dramatic, but this one ain't bad either.
My only true complaint with the game is how insane the backtracking can get; you better get used to getting all the way back to previous zones in the game multiple times because you're going to do it a lot.
In conclusion, Harmony of Dissonance is definitely not on the list of the best titles in the franchise. But if you are playing them in chronological order and you have already played Bloodlines, Rondo of Blood, and Symphony of the Night... Check this one out too.
1990
No
2022
This is a great and unique experience. Very short, about 2 hours at max, and the sound design is top notch. I never thought a video game with so little visual information could be this terrifying.
Really fun short game! tons of fanservice, silly writing and amazing art direction. This is what the franchise needs.
1991
The NES was home to many titles considered to be classics, tons of "must plays", "best games of all time," and "essentials" in its catalog, but in my humble opinion, most of them have not survived the test of time.
Sure, I appreciate what games like Zelda, Final Fantasy or Castlevania, among many others, achieved back then and how they paved the way for the future of gaming as a whole, but i wouldn't exactly call them "fun."
This is mostly because they are usually full of unfun stuff, tons of cryptic puzzles, unpolished mechanics, inconsistent hitboxes, hours of tedious grinding and artificial difficulty to make up for their short duration, You know the drill, I know you do.
Rockin' Kats It's nothing like that, it's very simple, straight-forward, and, more importantly: fun. And it's fun because the boxing glove gun can be used to push away enemies, being used as a grappling hook, shooting it on the ground to give you a boost jump, all sorts of stuff. It makes the best out of such a simple mechanic, and it implements it in original ways to the point where the gimmick never feels old.
The game is also full of charisma, with incredibly charming animations that give the characters a lot of personality, great music and a level design that tries its hardest to push the game's limited resources to their full potential. I had a blast with it, and I would recommend it to anyone who liked Bionic Commando, the Umihara Kawase series, or just someone who wants to try something completely new.
My only complaint is that the last level it's just a big boss rush, and I don't think the game needed it, especially since some of them drag for a little too long and fighting them for a second time is just a hassle. A longer, more challenging level that made use of it unique mechanics would have elevated this game's rating to a 5 stars for me.
Other than that, yeah, definitely go play Rockin' Kats any way you can; it certainly rocks.
Sure, I appreciate what games like Zelda, Final Fantasy or Castlevania, among many others, achieved back then and how they paved the way for the future of gaming as a whole, but i wouldn't exactly call them "fun."
This is mostly because they are usually full of unfun stuff, tons of cryptic puzzles, unpolished mechanics, inconsistent hitboxes, hours of tedious grinding and artificial difficulty to make up for their short duration, You know the drill, I know you do.
Rockin' Kats It's nothing like that, it's very simple, straight-forward, and, more importantly: fun. And it's fun because the boxing glove gun can be used to push away enemies, being used as a grappling hook, shooting it on the ground to give you a boost jump, all sorts of stuff. It makes the best out of such a simple mechanic, and it implements it in original ways to the point where the gimmick never feels old.
The game is also full of charisma, with incredibly charming animations that give the characters a lot of personality, great music and a level design that tries its hardest to push the game's limited resources to their full potential. I had a blast with it, and I would recommend it to anyone who liked Bionic Commando, the Umihara Kawase series, or just someone who wants to try something completely new.
My only complaint is that the last level it's just a big boss rush, and I don't think the game needed it, especially since some of them drag for a little too long and fighting them for a second time is just a hassle. A longer, more challenging level that made use of it unique mechanics would have elevated this game's rating to a 5 stars for me.
Other than that, yeah, definitely go play Rockin' Kats any way you can; it certainly rocks.
1992
30 minute plataformer with bland level design and a lot of empty areas.
It looks and sounds incredible though, probably the most impressive GB title from a technical standpoint, but there's not really anything much to say about it.
Average if not slightly mediocre.
It looks and sounds incredible though, probably the most impressive GB title from a technical standpoint, but there's not really anything much to say about it.
Average if not slightly mediocre.
1991
Has cute little details like goal celebrations, banging music, and sprite animations, but trying to play this game today is like making fire with a wet stick; you may think you can make it work, but you may as well just pick another one.
1993
Fuck dark souls
It's easier to walk in real life than in this game
2019
I've been a big fan of Koto Inari's work for a long time, his style is not only one of the best in the vast Touhou community but some of the most interesting i have ever had the pleasure to see on the internet.
Sadly, his unique interpretation on the world of Touhou didn't quite translated into a a good game and this happened mainly for two reasons.
First, the game is not intuitive at all, you've been spending a lot of time trying to figure out what to do or where to go with little to no input from the game, which results in the experience turning quite frustrating most of the time.
Second the writing is shallow, i don't know if it has anything to do with the English translation in it of itself (which leaves a lot to desire) but dialogue seem incomplete, and shallow, like it's barely touching the surface of what it's trying to tell us, you'll get what i mean if you give the game a try.
For a future project, Koto Inari really needs to partner with an experienced writer and a game designer to help him make the game i know he's capable of.
Sadly, his unique interpretation on the world of Touhou didn't quite translated into a a good game and this happened mainly for two reasons.
First, the game is not intuitive at all, you've been spending a lot of time trying to figure out what to do or where to go with little to no input from the game, which results in the experience turning quite frustrating most of the time.
Second the writing is shallow, i don't know if it has anything to do with the English translation in it of itself (which leaves a lot to desire) but dialogue seem incomplete, and shallow, like it's barely touching the surface of what it's trying to tell us, you'll get what i mean if you give the game a try.
For a future project, Koto Inari really needs to partner with an experienced writer and a game designer to help him make the game i know he's capable of.
I wish the game was as fun as its title
Oh boy, I have a lot to say about this one.
Let's start with the good:
Right off the bat, I can tell a lot of love went into the making of this game, from the sprite animation to the large cast of characters to the various in-game references to Hololive lore, the music, etc.
Sadly, all of Holocure's positive aspects are superfluous, and this is because, well, the game is simply not good or fun at all.
You are basically moving very, very slowly while a hoard of enemies try to kill you, getting increasingly larger in number the longer you survive. By defeating enemies and gaining experience points, you can unlock a vast number of upgrades, such as slightly increased moving speed, slightly increased attack and defense, new attacks, etc. But very few of them actually affect the gameplay in any meaningful way, and there's no way to use them at your will since they are set to a timer and your character attacks on its own once the timer is reset with no input from the player. The only thing you can do is move in all eight directions; there's no dash, no parry, no jump, no switching between weapons, no nothing.
The game's level design is very poorly crafted too; you are forced to go through very boring, uninspired, bland maps for 20 minutes before the game offers a true challenge, and if you get killed that far into the level, well, you've got to play through it all over again. Enemies also behave more or less the same, and as good as they look, most of them don't have any interesting patterns. Big enemies help a bit in breaking out of the monotony, but they are very few and far between.
People are calling these types of games "Vampire Survivor-like" or simply ,Survivors." But these remind me more of a very old arcade game released in 1982 called Robotron 2084—a far, far better, more dynamic, visually impressive, and frenetic title than whatever this one released 40 years later is.
There are so many magnificent videogames to spend your time in, and unless you are a massive Hololive fan and are happy to see the talents in a game other than Idol Showdown, I can't see why anyone would prefer this over, let's say, Hades, Isaac, Zombies ate my neighbors, or the already mentioned Robotron 2084.
Except for the waifus. The waifus are great.
Let's start with the good:
Right off the bat, I can tell a lot of love went into the making of this game, from the sprite animation to the large cast of characters to the various in-game references to Hololive lore, the music, etc.
Sadly, all of Holocure's positive aspects are superfluous, and this is because, well, the game is simply not good or fun at all.
You are basically moving very, very slowly while a hoard of enemies try to kill you, getting increasingly larger in number the longer you survive. By defeating enemies and gaining experience points, you can unlock a vast number of upgrades, such as slightly increased moving speed, slightly increased attack and defense, new attacks, etc. But very few of them actually affect the gameplay in any meaningful way, and there's no way to use them at your will since they are set to a timer and your character attacks on its own once the timer is reset with no input from the player. The only thing you can do is move in all eight directions; there's no dash, no parry, no jump, no switching between weapons, no nothing.
The game's level design is very poorly crafted too; you are forced to go through very boring, uninspired, bland maps for 20 minutes before the game offers a true challenge, and if you get killed that far into the level, well, you've got to play through it all over again. Enemies also behave more or less the same, and as good as they look, most of them don't have any interesting patterns. Big enemies help a bit in breaking out of the monotony, but they are very few and far between.
People are calling these types of games "Vampire Survivor-like" or simply ,Survivors." But these remind me more of a very old arcade game released in 1982 called Robotron 2084—a far, far better, more dynamic, visually impressive, and frenetic title than whatever this one released 40 years later is.
There are so many magnificent videogames to spend your time in, and unless you are a massive Hololive fan and are happy to see the talents in a game other than Idol Showdown, I can't see why anyone would prefer this over, let's say, Hades, Isaac, Zombies ate my neighbors, or the already mentioned Robotron 2084.
Except for the waifus. The waifus are great.