ExAndOh
2020
Mixolumia is a puzzle game created by davemakes in 2020 for the PC. A very unique premise for a puzzle game that brings in dynamic musical elements you would see a la Lumines or Tetris Effect for more popular examples. It manages to bring a lot of customization into the experience down to the color scheme and soundpacks that adjust how each element of the game sounds when you perform a specific action. After playing for several hours trying to wrack my brain around the mechanics and felt actually there's a lot of things at play here and the game just always felt confusing considering it's pretty minimalistic at least in looks.
The overall presentation here is definitely the highlight of this experience. There's 5 main modes here including a classic marathon mode, an endless mode where you continue until you fill the board, a rush mode where you only play for 2 minutes, an intense mode where you are required to clear 450 at the max drop speed and a relaxed mode where the speed doesn't increase and there is no failure state. I can really appreciate the effort the developer has put into making this game as customizable and accessible as possible for a lot of people that gives everyone a unique experience going into this game. The game flow consists of stacking square (or diamond) shaped blocks on a gem shaped board hoping to match at least 3-4 in a specific shape in also hopes of chaining clears for a better score (sort of like Puyo Puyo) with the help of the in-game physics. The game itself plays well and seeing a big clear (even by accident) always gets the dopamine receptors going but there are some problems I have with the game flow that I'll touch in the next section.
My main two complaints about how the game flows during gameplay are the physics and the different kinds of blocks that makes it hard to differentiate at times especially to a new player or in the heat of the moment when playing. I found it hard to create combos with how the game after several hours of playing which is sort of why I play these games. Sadly after several hours, I only managed to get combos out of nowhere and learning how the physics work with the board and after a while, it stopped being that exciting for me since I know I didn't really do this.
I think this game still has a lot of potential and it was pretty fun for the several hours I got out of it. Nonetheless it's still pretty impressive visually and a solid puzzle game all things considered, sorta wish there was more to do and wish there was a better way to tell where exactly where blocks would go or give us the tools considering the game is completely open to being accessible as possible. There isn't much to it but it's still a puzzle game and you enjoy a more auditory and visual experience out of your puzzle games like Lumines or Tetris Effect then you can't really go wrong here.
The overall presentation here is definitely the highlight of this experience. There's 5 main modes here including a classic marathon mode, an endless mode where you continue until you fill the board, a rush mode where you only play for 2 minutes, an intense mode where you are required to clear 450 at the max drop speed and a relaxed mode where the speed doesn't increase and there is no failure state. I can really appreciate the effort the developer has put into making this game as customizable and accessible as possible for a lot of people that gives everyone a unique experience going into this game. The game flow consists of stacking square (or diamond) shaped blocks on a gem shaped board hoping to match at least 3-4 in a specific shape in also hopes of chaining clears for a better score (sort of like Puyo Puyo) with the help of the in-game physics. The game itself plays well and seeing a big clear (even by accident) always gets the dopamine receptors going but there are some problems I have with the game flow that I'll touch in the next section.
My main two complaints about how the game flows during gameplay are the physics and the different kinds of blocks that makes it hard to differentiate at times especially to a new player or in the heat of the moment when playing. I found it hard to create combos with how the game after several hours of playing which is sort of why I play these games. Sadly after several hours, I only managed to get combos out of nowhere and learning how the physics work with the board and after a while, it stopped being that exciting for me since I know I didn't really do this.
I think this game still has a lot of potential and it was pretty fun for the several hours I got out of it. Nonetheless it's still pretty impressive visually and a solid puzzle game all things considered, sorta wish there was more to do and wish there was a better way to tell where exactly where blocks would go or give us the tools considering the game is completely open to being accessible as possible. There isn't much to it but it's still a puzzle game and you enjoy a more auditory and visual experience out of your puzzle games like Lumines or Tetris Effect then you can't really go wrong here.
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is a hack and slash game released by Grasshopper Manufacture for the Wii in 2010 with a Switch version released in 2020 and the PC version in 2021. A more stream-lined sequel that improves the gameplay but takes away a few things and suffers in the plot and the theme behind it all.
No More Heroes 2 manages to make the game much more gratifying in the way you perform murder with a bunch of quality of life features that give you more in control with Travis than ever before. You also have multiple weapons to use from that have the archetype of "slower but bigger and powerful" and "dual swords that are very fast and don't do that much damage" along with your standard fare beam katana. The minigames here are excellent in the fact they're inspired by NES games in the way they're presented other than a specific gym minigame that gave me a headache. The soundtrack is a standard affair but has some absolute bangers with Kill or Be Killed and Philistine. I can see the removal of the open world being a mixed bag for some people but there wasn't much to do in the first game other than really travel to each spot anyway so it made things snappier for me in the long run.
The main complaint is how the story felt and how they interpreted the "cycle of revenge" here that felt a bit shallow and almost a bit disconnected. There is definitely something to take away in terms of the story but it felt like it was retreading on some things from the first game to the point it sort of felt like it was fan game tier writing at times.
That said, I still had more fun playing this game in terms of just slashing the hell out of the goons and went along for the ride and didn't regret it. No More Heroes 2 may not leave you with something to think about after beating it but it's still a fun ride nonetheless and it's more of that otaku assassin in the end of the day. Killing is never free.
No More Heroes 2 manages to make the game much more gratifying in the way you perform murder with a bunch of quality of life features that give you more in control with Travis than ever before. You also have multiple weapons to use from that have the archetype of "slower but bigger and powerful" and "dual swords that are very fast and don't do that much damage" along with your standard fare beam katana. The minigames here are excellent in the fact they're inspired by NES games in the way they're presented other than a specific gym minigame that gave me a headache. The soundtrack is a standard affair but has some absolute bangers with Kill or Be Killed and Philistine. I can see the removal of the open world being a mixed bag for some people but there wasn't much to do in the first game other than really travel to each spot anyway so it made things snappier for me in the long run.
The main complaint is how the story felt and how they interpreted the "cycle of revenge" here that felt a bit shallow and almost a bit disconnected. There is definitely something to take away in terms of the story but it felt like it was retreading on some things from the first game to the point it sort of felt like it was fan game tier writing at times.
That said, I still had more fun playing this game in terms of just slashing the hell out of the goons and went along for the ride and didn't regret it. No More Heroes 2 may not leave you with something to think about after beating it but it's still a fun ride nonetheless and it's more of that otaku assassin in the end of the day. Killing is never free.
2007
No More Heroes is a hack and slash game with open world elements by Grasshopper Manufacture originally released on the Wii in 2007 with recent ports on Switch in 2020 and PC in 2021. The game oozes in style with its funny characters, pretty good music (especially the cat song) and stylistic violence that makes this game pretty fun to play.
I think the biggest two things I like about this game is the gameplay in a sense and Travis himself. The game manages to run pretty well on the portable console while fountains of bloods are gushing out of people's bodies which fill up the dopamine receptors for me and it's done in a way that's really satisfying with barely any feeling of repetition. Travis himself is a unique protagonist in that he's openly a "weeb" and very vulgar that despite his initial shallowness somehow provides a unique depth to his own character and it's nice to actually see him interact with the world and the other main characters in the story not to mention I can't imagine anyone else portraying Travis Touchdown as the original VA, Robin Atkin Downes. Most of the soundtrack here share a motif you'll definitely notice and there are some songs here that are solid but nothing that gets me excited in a sense too much. The story and characters are pretty interesting and make you think about the themes that each of them represent including a very cool and physically (for me) final fights.
I think the only source of repetition that there is here is the side jobs themselves as you need a certain amount of money to continue with the story thus being required to do certain jobs that require you to travel from one spot to another and starting the job and so forth. I wouldn't mind the side job system here if it was streamlined a little bit that didn't help with the overall traversal of the open world itself.
No More Heroes illustrate that you can really do so much and there might as well not be any point to it at all. This game really confronts you about what you expect in a game and challenges it a bit here albeit not too much. It's not complex but it doesn't mean it's not taxing since in this game, it's kill or be killed.
I think the biggest two things I like about this game is the gameplay in a sense and Travis himself. The game manages to run pretty well on the portable console while fountains of bloods are gushing out of people's bodies which fill up the dopamine receptors for me and it's done in a way that's really satisfying with barely any feeling of repetition. Travis himself is a unique protagonist in that he's openly a "weeb" and very vulgar that despite his initial shallowness somehow provides a unique depth to his own character and it's nice to actually see him interact with the world and the other main characters in the story not to mention I can't imagine anyone else portraying Travis Touchdown as the original VA, Robin Atkin Downes. Most of the soundtrack here share a motif you'll definitely notice and there are some songs here that are solid but nothing that gets me excited in a sense too much. The story and characters are pretty interesting and make you think about the themes that each of them represent including a very cool and physically (for me) final fights.
I think the only source of repetition that there is here is the side jobs themselves as you need a certain amount of money to continue with the story thus being required to do certain jobs that require you to travel from one spot to another and starting the job and so forth. I wouldn't mind the side job system here if it was streamlined a little bit that didn't help with the overall traversal of the open world itself.
No More Heroes illustrate that you can really do so much and there might as well not be any point to it at all. This game really confronts you about what you expect in a game and challenges it a bit here albeit not too much. It's not complex but it doesn't mean it's not taxing since in this game, it's kill or be killed.
The duality of light and dark, the hero vs the evil villain
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (or Yakuza 7) is a JRPG released by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sega in 2020 on most modern consoles and PC barring Switch. There's something special about this game in a lot of ways that make this the most unique entry in the Yakuza series. It manages to retain what makes the series loved by its fans, adds new characters that have their own stories and give the people that played the entire series a final hurrah for the old arc before starting fresh with this entry.
The combat is the most contentious thing between the fans since it essentially changed the genre from a brawler action game to a turn-based roleplaying game. For RGG Studio's first attempt at a roleplaying game, they did a surprisingly decent job here. There's a class/job system with a modern and comedic twist on what it means to have a "job" in the real world. The abilities are decent and each job feels varied in what it can do for each character. There is a lot of customization here even to the point of changing costumes when you start a battle. The enemy variety is decent and creatively explained via the main character's overactive imagination and love for traditional JRPGs that he seems normal people as exaggerated caricatures of what they really are. The story here is probably one of the best in the series with an emotionally charged final quarter that left me extremely sympathetic about what happened. As an actual side note but also a huge part is the huge amount of content that's here to do on the side that I can't really list, it's just as big if not bigger in side content than any other Yakuza game here so you won't be sorely missing for things to do here.
My only complaints is wishing for a way to properly gauge ability aoes since some attacks are entirely dependent on which way an enemy goes and you have no control of that along with the rough difficulty spike around a certain chapter but it wasn't too bad.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon manages to change things up for the series in a good way that probably refreshed the developers after making so many brawler type games with the same type of gameplay. It was nice to see them still managing to tell an incredible story that gives a lesson the series never really got to tell until now. Once you hit rock bottom, you can only go up from here.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (or Yakuza 7) is a JRPG released by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sega in 2020 on most modern consoles and PC barring Switch. There's something special about this game in a lot of ways that make this the most unique entry in the Yakuza series. It manages to retain what makes the series loved by its fans, adds new characters that have their own stories and give the people that played the entire series a final hurrah for the old arc before starting fresh with this entry.
The combat is the most contentious thing between the fans since it essentially changed the genre from a brawler action game to a turn-based roleplaying game. For RGG Studio's first attempt at a roleplaying game, they did a surprisingly decent job here. There's a class/job system with a modern and comedic twist on what it means to have a "job" in the real world. The abilities are decent and each job feels varied in what it can do for each character. There is a lot of customization here even to the point of changing costumes when you start a battle. The enemy variety is decent and creatively explained via the main character's overactive imagination and love for traditional JRPGs that he seems normal people as exaggerated caricatures of what they really are. The story here is probably one of the best in the series with an emotionally charged final quarter that left me extremely sympathetic about what happened. As an actual side note but also a huge part is the huge amount of content that's here to do on the side that I can't really list, it's just as big if not bigger in side content than any other Yakuza game here so you won't be sorely missing for things to do here.
My only complaints is wishing for a way to properly gauge ability aoes since some attacks are entirely dependent on which way an enemy goes and you have no control of that along with the rough difficulty spike around a certain chapter but it wasn't too bad.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon manages to change things up for the series in a good way that probably refreshed the developers after making so many brawler type games with the same type of gameplay. It was nice to see them still managing to tell an incredible story that gives a lesson the series never really got to tell until now. Once you hit rock bottom, you can only go up from here.
The friends of Ringo Ishikawa is a "open world" beat-em-up released by yeo in 2018. This is a very unique game in terms of the structure and mood it provides. On the surface it just looks like a banchō beat-em-up but there's a lot more that meets the eye here that manages to give you a grim reality.
The pixel art here in motion and overall is pretty good even from portable mode on my switch. The soundtrack here has to be one of the most unique things about this game combining lo-fi rhythms and jazz that gives the game a very chill yet melancholic vibe. The characters and writing here feel like real people with how they describe things and answer each other and does a good job of making each NPC feel like its own person. Combat is very simple yet the impacts and hits of each kick and punch are satisfying that get the job done well with multiple techniques to learn and the ability to train up stats. The story or really rather moments with your friends are well written and always something to look forward to whenever they manage to happen.
Nonetheless this game sorta really drops you in with not much info at all to the point, you might have to look up what certain things do or how to get to a certain place. It's very easy to get lost in the first hour or two with no map or sense of direction to where you are exactly. I think my biggest gripe is the "RNG pacing at times considering when you finish the game actually varies and sometimes it finishes quicker and sometimes it can drag on to the point where you're just killing days (like I did) while managing to almost 100% the game as it is. If I can say one thing would be to add a map, some way to tell where and how to trigger some story events and explain the systems the game gives you better.
I don't think there really is a game that lets you act out the fantasy of being a delinquent in a rural japanese town in the late 20th century. The characters and the overall atmosphere really carried this game only marred by the pacing and several lack of quality of life stuff that would've made the experience more solid and tight in my opinion. This game really hits you with the grim reality that nothing really lasts forever and to cherish what you have.
The pixel art here in motion and overall is pretty good even from portable mode on my switch. The soundtrack here has to be one of the most unique things about this game combining lo-fi rhythms and jazz that gives the game a very chill yet melancholic vibe. The characters and writing here feel like real people with how they describe things and answer each other and does a good job of making each NPC feel like its own person. Combat is very simple yet the impacts and hits of each kick and punch are satisfying that get the job done well with multiple techniques to learn and the ability to train up stats. The story or really rather moments with your friends are well written and always something to look forward to whenever they manage to happen.
Nonetheless this game sorta really drops you in with not much info at all to the point, you might have to look up what certain things do or how to get to a certain place. It's very easy to get lost in the first hour or two with no map or sense of direction to where you are exactly. I think my biggest gripe is the "RNG pacing at times considering when you finish the game actually varies and sometimes it finishes quicker and sometimes it can drag on to the point where you're just killing days (like I did) while managing to almost 100% the game as it is. If I can say one thing would be to add a map, some way to tell where and how to trigger some story events and explain the systems the game gives you better.
I don't think there really is a game that lets you act out the fantasy of being a delinquent in a rural japanese town in the late 20th century. The characters and the overall atmosphere really carried this game only marred by the pacing and several lack of quality of life stuff that would've made the experience more solid and tight in my opinion. This game really hits you with the grim reality that nothing really lasts forever and to cherish what you have.
A new adventure
Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line was the sequel to Dragon Quest released originally on the NES in 1987. An ambitious sequel compared to the first game that I feel tries to do much but still manages to accomplish what makes a JRPG fun to play.
The gameplay has expanded to a three person party that consists of a purely physical hero, a mix of magic and physical prince and a purely magical princess that covers a bigger variety of spells than the first game. The world has also expanded to feature more of the world including the continent from the very first game and with that the game still manages to somewhat keep its open ended nature in a way.
That said, the game's map and the open-ended nature gave me some mild frustration with how big the world was and how easy it was to get completely lost without a guide at times. I felt like this game was also a tiny bit grindy at times but it was mostly at the end and it wasn't that long (as far as I know, the switch/mobile version increased the exp you get so it's probably why it didn't feel that bad but still a bit much in a sense).
The game really tries and does do a lot but I found that it almost lacked a bit of focus in certain aspects. It's a very ambitious sequel if you compare it to the first but nonetheless I don't think I found this game as bad as people say it is. It's a simple JRPG in the end of the day and I got what I wanted out of it essentially and the game still kept the DQ charm which is why I thought it was still good despite that.
Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line was the sequel to Dragon Quest released originally on the NES in 1987. An ambitious sequel compared to the first game that I feel tries to do much but still manages to accomplish what makes a JRPG fun to play.
The gameplay has expanded to a three person party that consists of a purely physical hero, a mix of magic and physical prince and a purely magical princess that covers a bigger variety of spells than the first game. The world has also expanded to feature more of the world including the continent from the very first game and with that the game still manages to somewhat keep its open ended nature in a way.
That said, the game's map and the open-ended nature gave me some mild frustration with how big the world was and how easy it was to get completely lost without a guide at times. I felt like this game was also a tiny bit grindy at times but it was mostly at the end and it wasn't that long (as far as I know, the switch/mobile version increased the exp you get so it's probably why it didn't feel that bad but still a bit much in a sense).
The game really tries and does do a lot but I found that it almost lacked a bit of focus in certain aspects. It's a very ambitious sequel if you compare it to the first but nonetheless I don't think I found this game as bad as people say it is. It's a simple JRPG in the end of the day and I got what I wanted out of it essentially and the game still kept the DQ charm which is why I thought it was still good despite that.
2005
Suda's magnum opus, seven killers try to make sense of it all
Killer7 is an action adventure game with elements of rail shooting by Grasshopper Manufacture with the aid of Capcom originally for the GameCube and PS2 with a PC version arriving in 2018. This game manages to nail atmosphere, the characters and manages to nail a graphical style and themes that holds up even today especially now. It manages to be extremely serious and dark yet maintain some weird ass humor that doesn't feel out of place.
I sorta went into this game from seeing the title "killer7" that it was gonna going to be about 7 random killers or something but it ended up being much more interesting in concept as you control 7 "killers/persona" with unique abilities, weapons and personality. The way they're designed is extremely unique and meshes well with the cel shading. The soundtrack here is also solid with the "safe room/harman's room" really manages to sell an eerie and mysterious vibe to the whole concept of what your collective really is. The game itself just oozes style from playing the levels, the shooting and even reloading gives you a third person view of your character doing it to really show off the work the animators did for this game.
I think the on rail controls work well for the most part but they aren't perfect along with some of the enemy variants in certain levels. After a certain point, the levels while really good started to feel a bit stale after I've used ever killer to my heart's content.
I don't really even feel like calling this game but more of an experience at this point. The gameplay bogged it down for me a bit but this game is fucking crazy and makes me see why people love Suda51 as a creator.
Killer7 is an action adventure game with elements of rail shooting by Grasshopper Manufacture with the aid of Capcom originally for the GameCube and PS2 with a PC version arriving in 2018. This game manages to nail atmosphere, the characters and manages to nail a graphical style and themes that holds up even today especially now. It manages to be extremely serious and dark yet maintain some weird ass humor that doesn't feel out of place.
I sorta went into this game from seeing the title "killer7" that it was gonna going to be about 7 random killers or something but it ended up being much more interesting in concept as you control 7 "killers/persona" with unique abilities, weapons and personality. The way they're designed is extremely unique and meshes well with the cel shading. The soundtrack here is also solid with the "safe room/harman's room" really manages to sell an eerie and mysterious vibe to the whole concept of what your collective really is. The game itself just oozes style from playing the levels, the shooting and even reloading gives you a third person view of your character doing it to really show off the work the animators did for this game.
I think the on rail controls work well for the most part but they aren't perfect along with some of the enemy variants in certain levels. After a certain point, the levels while really good started to feel a bit stale after I've used ever killer to my heart's content.
I don't really even feel like calling this game but more of an experience at this point. The gameplay bogged it down for me a bit but this game is fucking crazy and makes me see why people love Suda51 as a creator.
2016
50,000 yen, priceless characters
The Silver Case is an adventure visual novel released by Grasshopper Manufacture for the PS1 in 1999 originally for the Japan audience eventually coming to PC and PS4 in the west in 2016-2017. Managing to make a studio for himself, this was his debut title for his own studio and the first game in the "kill the past" series. The Silver Case is a game that manages to tell a story in a unique way with it's presentation, artstyle, themes and writing that make it a unique experience that gets really crazy during the journey.
The overall stories here are well written along with characters that feel like real people with their own motives. You really learn to appreciate the characters and the way they interact with each other. The game is split into two main perspectives with each of them giving a unique look into the overall plot of the game and how they each connect with each other. The music here by Masafumi Takada does an excellent job of providing the atmosphere of a late 90's modern adventure game with almost a hint of cyberpunk in a sense almost. The presentation here has to be one of the high points this game gets and it's surprising since this game is almost 22 years old at this point. Each case brings a new color theme, background and specific camera angles that change throughout the story that makes each case have a real unique vibe to them including one that is pretty bleak throughout.
Probably the biggest weakest link is just the overall adventure segments here which can drag on a bit while if someone that really wants more story can seem much longer along especially with buildings with multiple floors.
Suda really managed to a tell a story 22 years ago that feels just as relevant as it is now with a few growing pains from being a PS1 title. This game will keep you on your feet throughout and make you understand that you have to "kill the past".
The Silver Case is an adventure visual novel released by Grasshopper Manufacture for the PS1 in 1999 originally for the Japan audience eventually coming to PC and PS4 in the west in 2016-2017. Managing to make a studio for himself, this was his debut title for his own studio and the first game in the "kill the past" series. The Silver Case is a game that manages to tell a story in a unique way with it's presentation, artstyle, themes and writing that make it a unique experience that gets really crazy during the journey.
The overall stories here are well written along with characters that feel like real people with their own motives. You really learn to appreciate the characters and the way they interact with each other. The game is split into two main perspectives with each of them giving a unique look into the overall plot of the game and how they each connect with each other. The music here by Masafumi Takada does an excellent job of providing the atmosphere of a late 90's modern adventure game with almost a hint of cyberpunk in a sense almost. The presentation here has to be one of the high points this game gets and it's surprising since this game is almost 22 years old at this point. Each case brings a new color theme, background and specific camera angles that change throughout the story that makes each case have a real unique vibe to them including one that is pretty bleak throughout.
Probably the biggest weakest link is just the overall adventure segments here which can drag on a bit while if someone that really wants more story can seem much longer along especially with buildings with multiple floors.
Suda really managed to a tell a story 22 years ago that feels just as relevant as it is now with a few growing pains from being a PS1 title. This game will keep you on your feet throughout and make you understand that you have to "kill the past".
2004
The first adventure
Dragon Quest released on the NES back in 1986 and considered to be the grandfather of the JRPG genre. Despite the game being 35 years old and consider one of the earliest JRPGs, the game manages to hold up really well in a simple and extremely open format that let people create some unique experiences within the game albeit with a very simple premise.
This game does something a bit different that I didn't expect after playing a bunch of JRPGs was that it's very open and flexible which lets you really do what you want and at the pace you want, the game be fairly challenging at times despite the combat being 1v1 considering it's just you in the party but the random fights here really fast. The music is decent and the art here for the monsters (at least for the switch version) looked really nice and clean meanwhile the character art is a give or take thing but I didn't mind it that much. The game gives you the simple goal of "save the princess and defeat the evil lord" some items and you're essentially off. The world is small enough that it doesn't feel overwhelming than I thought it'd be and nails a good balance with exploring and progression. Surprisingly enough I didn't have much need to grind and instead you can actually just come back when you're strong enough compared to other JRPGs where it railroads you into a boss with no way to progress until you beat it. With that said, I didn't have to do grinding at all until the end where it was extremely hard to properly do the final boss at a point.
The game gives you tools eventually to curb enemy encounters but it can be a bit much depending on where you end up. I want to say the game might be a bit too simple even though the game gives you appropriate tools but I found the spells in battle lacking except for healing so I mostly just ended up attacking for like 99% of the game.
This game is short, simple and sweet. It's not really a hard game to grasp in terms of the way the systems are and the game does a good job of telling you where to go. They don't really make games where you can literally go anywhere on the world map at the start of a map and despite the simple gameplay, it did the job it was suppose to do which is "become the hero, save the princess, defeat the evil lord" and sometimes that's all you really need.
Dragon Quest released on the NES back in 1986 and considered to be the grandfather of the JRPG genre. Despite the game being 35 years old and consider one of the earliest JRPGs, the game manages to hold up really well in a simple and extremely open format that let people create some unique experiences within the game albeit with a very simple premise.
This game does something a bit different that I didn't expect after playing a bunch of JRPGs was that it's very open and flexible which lets you really do what you want and at the pace you want, the game be fairly challenging at times despite the combat being 1v1 considering it's just you in the party but the random fights here really fast. The music is decent and the art here for the monsters (at least for the switch version) looked really nice and clean meanwhile the character art is a give or take thing but I didn't mind it that much. The game gives you the simple goal of "save the princess and defeat the evil lord" some items and you're essentially off. The world is small enough that it doesn't feel overwhelming than I thought it'd be and nails a good balance with exploring and progression. Surprisingly enough I didn't have much need to grind and instead you can actually just come back when you're strong enough compared to other JRPGs where it railroads you into a boss with no way to progress until you beat it. With that said, I didn't have to do grinding at all until the end where it was extremely hard to properly do the final boss at a point.
The game gives you tools eventually to curb enemy encounters but it can be a bit much depending on where you end up. I want to say the game might be a bit too simple even though the game gives you appropriate tools but I found the spells in battle lacking except for healing so I mostly just ended up attacking for like 99% of the game.
This game is short, simple and sweet. It's not really a hard game to grasp in terms of the way the systems are and the game does a good job of telling you where to go. They don't really make games where you can literally go anywhere on the world map at the start of a map and despite the simple gameplay, it did the job it was suppose to do which is "become the hero, save the princess, defeat the evil lord" and sometimes that's all you really need.
Megaten's best repackaged for a new generation
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is one of my favorite JRPGs of all time. It's a game I always think about and something I always bring up in conversation when I talk about what games people should play in my personal experiences. What the game lacks in story manages to excel in everything else: The world, the soundtrack, the gameplay, a game you really can't lose focus on unless you want to be punished on (at least on Hard mode). I completely understand that the initial price and what it adds and the disappointment from the longtime fans when they realized this remaster was looking more like a "port" compared to other JRPGs remasters like FFX and FFXII to the complete remakes like Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition which costs just as much or less than this version of the game at the moment. Nonetheless despite all that and the little it adds in the grand scope of things, it's Nocturne with voice acting and skill inheritance with the only caveat being Dante is replaced unless you got a DLC.
Gonna start by saying the voice acting here in the remaster is actually solid, there are some really "off" moments with I think one of the main characters not sounding appropriate for the character itself. It shines the most with the most imposing demons and bosses where you can actually feel the "power" of the demon speaking especially in the final boss and the "extra" boss after. Skill inheritance makes things a lot more convenient in terms of fusion and being able to make the demons the way you want them to the point I probably won't return to the PS2 version of Nocturne for this reason alone.
Sadly though this remaster isn't perfect or doesn't do enough to have "remaster" in the title, the game gets an upscale and widescreen support but sometimes the game uses some dynamic resolution during attacks in battles and makes things blurry albeit keeps the game smooth which is important. The game doesn't really add anything here thus being the same game content-wise to the Chronicles version at default which has Raidou and TDE which I'm alright with but it's also disappointing Dante has been relegated to DLC considering it's especially in the version the west was introduced to. The compressed music from the PS2 is still here despite the original reason the PS2 version was compressed to begin with was because of memory issues which shouldn't be a problem with modern consoles. The small nitpicks here are that sometimes when you interact with an item/person, you get a black screen for like less than second and it only got a bit annoying at most and the game only had a few slowdowns during scenes and a certain part of a dungeon but the impact is small since it only lasted a couple of seconds at most.
After 55 hours of playing the Switch version completely in portable mode, I can say the game has never crashed on me once and I was sorta expecting one at some point but it never came. For what the remaster flounders for me which isn't that much, the additions of voice acting and skill inheritance made it worth it in the end. I can say it's the better version of Nocturne but get it when it lowers in price or get it via other means if you want. Despite it all, it's still Nocturne in the end of the day and it's still one of the best JRPGs in the medium of video games.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is one of my favorite JRPGs of all time. It's a game I always think about and something I always bring up in conversation when I talk about what games people should play in my personal experiences. What the game lacks in story manages to excel in everything else: The world, the soundtrack, the gameplay, a game you really can't lose focus on unless you want to be punished on (at least on Hard mode). I completely understand that the initial price and what it adds and the disappointment from the longtime fans when they realized this remaster was looking more like a "port" compared to other JRPGs remasters like FFX and FFXII to the complete remakes like Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition which costs just as much or less than this version of the game at the moment. Nonetheless despite all that and the little it adds in the grand scope of things, it's Nocturne with voice acting and skill inheritance with the only caveat being Dante is replaced unless you got a DLC.
Gonna start by saying the voice acting here in the remaster is actually solid, there are some really "off" moments with I think one of the main characters not sounding appropriate for the character itself. It shines the most with the most imposing demons and bosses where you can actually feel the "power" of the demon speaking especially in the final boss and the "extra" boss after. Skill inheritance makes things a lot more convenient in terms of fusion and being able to make the demons the way you want them to the point I probably won't return to the PS2 version of Nocturne for this reason alone.
Sadly though this remaster isn't perfect or doesn't do enough to have "remaster" in the title, the game gets an upscale and widescreen support but sometimes the game uses some dynamic resolution during attacks in battles and makes things blurry albeit keeps the game smooth which is important. The game doesn't really add anything here thus being the same game content-wise to the Chronicles version at default which has Raidou and TDE which I'm alright with but it's also disappointing Dante has been relegated to DLC considering it's especially in the version the west was introduced to. The compressed music from the PS2 is still here despite the original reason the PS2 version was compressed to begin with was because of memory issues which shouldn't be a problem with modern consoles. The small nitpicks here are that sometimes when you interact with an item/person, you get a black screen for like less than second and it only got a bit annoying at most and the game only had a few slowdowns during scenes and a certain part of a dungeon but the impact is small since it only lasted a couple of seconds at most.
After 55 hours of playing the Switch version completely in portable mode, I can say the game has never crashed on me once and I was sorta expecting one at some point but it never came. For what the remaster flounders for me which isn't that much, the additions of voice acting and skill inheritance made it worth it in the end. I can say it's the better version of Nocturne but get it when it lowers in price or get it via other means if you want. Despite it all, it's still Nocturne in the end of the day and it's still one of the best JRPGs in the medium of video games.
2021
Monster Hunter Rise is an action role-playing game released for the Nintendo Switch on 2021 with a PC/Steam version on the way in the next year. I'd like to also share my personal experience with the series since this game has had a long history with varying entries and experiences. I mostly played the PSP Monster Hunter games for a while before going to Monster Hunter World completely skipping the 3DS era so not all of my experience here is from Monster Hunter World albeit a huge chunk of it. This game manages to nail a lot of things that I would say make the perfect monster hunter game for me despite the easier difficulty compared to the other titles and lack of content to the point it's not even finished yet at the typing of this review. Despite that, this has been one of the most fun action RPGs on Switch that looks and runs surprisingly well on the hardware.
Monster Hunter Rise manages to combine the "good" elements of the modern monster hunter games (World, Iceborne) and the past monster hunter games to create something that manages to please both here. The new additions to this installment with wirebugs and palamutes completely change the way you play the game in a positive way to the point I can't imagine a monster hunter game without them. This game also manages to bring back the more refined and quicker combat of World without the myriad of other problems the game brought in terms of the structure. That said not all weapons have been created equal here and I can't speak for most of them since I mostly played LBG/HBG/LS during my playthrough. The village and characters themselves actually bring a lot more charm than the previous entries could really do at the time with the limited hardware despite Monster Hunter always having charm in their games. The soundtrack also does a good job in doing this as it gives the village a quiet japanese aura to it and the special boss themes here really sell the grand and epic monsters you're fighting throughout the game and especially at the end. Something that manages to impress here is the general graphical and framerate performance of this game manages to keep 30 frames per second while having 4 people pelt a monster on the screen with various effects. The graphics here might make this one of the best looking games on the hybrid console so far with the developers at Capcom utilizing their amazing RE engine.
Despite my extreme enjoyment with this game, there are some things that I found a bit disappointing and felt tedious at times. The Rampage quests are sort of a mixed bag for me, it's a cool idea in concept but then playing it felt boring as you're relegated to tower defense and holding the right trigger until the counter signal comes up in which you can damage the monster in a normal sense. The rewards are worth it but you spend much longer in these quests compared to the normal hunts. Probably the biggest complaint about the game is the game's low difficulty compared to the rest of the series. I can say this is true as I rarely carted so far in the HR hunts solo compared to the previous entries, triple carting is rare even in the random player games you might get into.
I sorta told myself I was gonna wait for the PC release of this game to finally play it but I eventually caved in and bought it for the Switch. I spent 8 hours a day playing it for the first week I got it and I still have a lot to do. Monster Hunter Rise manages to be extremely addicting albeit easy and moves the series forward in a way I really can't see them moving back from.
Monster Hunter Rise manages to combine the "good" elements of the modern monster hunter games (World, Iceborne) and the past monster hunter games to create something that manages to please both here. The new additions to this installment with wirebugs and palamutes completely change the way you play the game in a positive way to the point I can't imagine a monster hunter game without them. This game also manages to bring back the more refined and quicker combat of World without the myriad of other problems the game brought in terms of the structure. That said not all weapons have been created equal here and I can't speak for most of them since I mostly played LBG/HBG/LS during my playthrough. The village and characters themselves actually bring a lot more charm than the previous entries could really do at the time with the limited hardware despite Monster Hunter always having charm in their games. The soundtrack also does a good job in doing this as it gives the village a quiet japanese aura to it and the special boss themes here really sell the grand and epic monsters you're fighting throughout the game and especially at the end. Something that manages to impress here is the general graphical and framerate performance of this game manages to keep 30 frames per second while having 4 people pelt a monster on the screen with various effects. The graphics here might make this one of the best looking games on the hybrid console so far with the developers at Capcom utilizing their amazing RE engine.
Despite my extreme enjoyment with this game, there are some things that I found a bit disappointing and felt tedious at times. The Rampage quests are sort of a mixed bag for me, it's a cool idea in concept but then playing it felt boring as you're relegated to tower defense and holding the right trigger until the counter signal comes up in which you can damage the monster in a normal sense. The rewards are worth it but you spend much longer in these quests compared to the normal hunts. Probably the biggest complaint about the game is the game's low difficulty compared to the rest of the series. I can say this is true as I rarely carted so far in the HR hunts solo compared to the previous entries, triple carting is rare even in the random player games you might get into.
I sorta told myself I was gonna wait for the PC release of this game to finally play it but I eventually caved in and bought it for the Switch. I spent 8 hours a day playing it for the first week I got it and I still have a lot to do. Monster Hunter Rise manages to be extremely addicting albeit easy and moves the series forward in a way I really can't see them moving back from.
Dungeon crawling in a new style
Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan was a first-person dungeon crawler JRPG released for the 3DS in 2012 in Japan and 2013 in the US. It was the first 3DS Etrian Odyssey title released for the system and considered a good "starting point" for fans interested in the series. After a 58 hour long playthrough on normal, I can safely say that this is a very solid JRPG with good amounts of customization to your party, gameplay and incredibly well composed and performed music.
I'll start off by saying this game really nails the first-person dungeon gameplay well to an extent. The main mazes were interesting in design and each had very unique puzzles that made each maze different from the rest and designed well down to the specific interactions you can have in each dungeon. This is also helped by the incredible soundtrack this game has, I was honestly surprised how excellent the soundtrack for a game like this. The game nails each maze's theme with a specific ethereal and calming feel and manages to ramp up the seriousness in the final 2 mazes including a battle theme that might be in my top 10 favorite JRPG battle themes. The bread and butter of this game alongside the dungeons are the classes and the synergy you can have with the subclass system here. Each class here feels really unique in what they bring to your party included some very far out ideas that you really don't see in any other JRPG. There is a lot you can customize here with abilities and passives down to the specific dungeon skills each class has that you'll definitely need trekking through the long mazes. This game is also surprisingly difficult for it being considered "one of the easiest" in the series so really know what you're getting into here but the challenge was really satisfying to get through.
As much as I dug this game, there were some rough edges to the gameplay here in general. The general consensus for the fans of EO games have been "creating the map" by yourself and at first it was a bit tedious. I almost considered dropping the game because I found out the automap feature here only does the floor and not the walls so this is also something to keep in mind if you want to get into this game. Obtaining money was also a big problem when getting gear upgrades was getting costly for the amount of money you got in an hour of gameplay not being able to cover one piece of equipment so you really have to make each upgrade worth it. The final maze was also sorta a disappointment in the way it was structured to make the overall finale a bit more tedious than it had to be.
Despite how tedious it got, I still really enjoyed this game a lot. It had a great class/subclass system with the way you can customize your characters along with stellar soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro. If you can dig making your own map and this game kicking your ass, you'll enjoy Etrian Odyssey IV.
Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan was a first-person dungeon crawler JRPG released for the 3DS in 2012 in Japan and 2013 in the US. It was the first 3DS Etrian Odyssey title released for the system and considered a good "starting point" for fans interested in the series. After a 58 hour long playthrough on normal, I can safely say that this is a very solid JRPG with good amounts of customization to your party, gameplay and incredibly well composed and performed music.
I'll start off by saying this game really nails the first-person dungeon gameplay well to an extent. The main mazes were interesting in design and each had very unique puzzles that made each maze different from the rest and designed well down to the specific interactions you can have in each dungeon. This is also helped by the incredible soundtrack this game has, I was honestly surprised how excellent the soundtrack for a game like this. The game nails each maze's theme with a specific ethereal and calming feel and manages to ramp up the seriousness in the final 2 mazes including a battle theme that might be in my top 10 favorite JRPG battle themes. The bread and butter of this game alongside the dungeons are the classes and the synergy you can have with the subclass system here. Each class here feels really unique in what they bring to your party included some very far out ideas that you really don't see in any other JRPG. There is a lot you can customize here with abilities and passives down to the specific dungeon skills each class has that you'll definitely need trekking through the long mazes. This game is also surprisingly difficult for it being considered "one of the easiest" in the series so really know what you're getting into here but the challenge was really satisfying to get through.
As much as I dug this game, there were some rough edges to the gameplay here in general. The general consensus for the fans of EO games have been "creating the map" by yourself and at first it was a bit tedious. I almost considered dropping the game because I found out the automap feature here only does the floor and not the walls so this is also something to keep in mind if you want to get into this game. Obtaining money was also a big problem when getting gear upgrades was getting costly for the amount of money you got in an hour of gameplay not being able to cover one piece of equipment so you really have to make each upgrade worth it. The final maze was also sorta a disappointment in the way it was structured to make the overall finale a bit more tedious than it had to be.
Despite how tedious it got, I still really enjoyed this game a lot. It had a great class/subclass system with the way you can customize your characters along with stellar soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro. If you can dig making your own map and this game kicking your ass, you'll enjoy Etrian Odyssey IV.
Something very special
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... is a remake/remaster (maybe a mix of both) of Nier Replicant that was only released in Japan in 2010. The original release became a cult classic among many fans for its unique world, characters, world and soundtrack and then the series itself rose more to prominence with the release of Nier:Automata in 2017. I wish to preface this review with stating that I have played Automata before playing this game and didn't really enjoy it at all. What I can say after playing this game though is that this game really hits all the nails on the head for what I wanted in a game like this. It's somewhat close for me to even call it a masterpiece albeit there was some big "pacing" problems here among a lot of other things but even then it didn't really detract that much from the game itself. I will be vague about certain elements of this game for the sake of spoilers. This is a game you should really go in with no prior information.
After playing Automata and Drakengard 1, I can say the combat here is the most satisfying here and surprisingly even fun at times. The weapons have weight and the attacks feel like they actually have an effect on the enemy. That said, you could really make a case for Automata having a better combat system but I sorta preferred the "fun musou" with rewarding dodging and parrying mechanics here. I have to mention the soundtrack here does an excellent job of portraying the world with its melancholy feel with what I feel a bit of the upbeat "fantasy rpg" in it. That also said, the vocalist here for most of the tracks just makes the tracks really stand out compared to different games. The main cast here are very unique variants of your usual party members with one being a potty-mouthed woman that just wants to destroy and a kind-hearted young man with unfortunate circumstances. The story here is also the best part and albeit not me wanting to say much on it, I will say it was worth the 40 hour journey in the end.
This game really does a lot of things right but there are some moderately huge faults with it. Probably the biggest problem is the "pacing". You'll be required to do some tedious stuff for a good chunk of the game and the game really doesn't make it easier for you other than a mechanic they added but even with that, it doesn't completely fix the problem itself. I do sorta wish they condensed it a bit more and fit in certain elements with certain scenes to make it a bit less tedious for people here. Gonna also just say get used to running A LOT in this game. One other complaint I have is when you get to a certain point, the gameplay's difficulty curve just drops off the face of the earth for a good long while. A lot of things would just die in one hit and that demotivated me from participating in combat even more at that point which was a shame.
Honestly with that said, I really enjoyed what this game had to offer. The characters were very likable for me and the game did a wonderful job fleshing them out. Kinda glad I played this but I just wish it would be a bit less tedious to go through. It's gonna be a game I think about replaying then I just think about "THAT part" and it would probably dissuade me.
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... is a remake/remaster (maybe a mix of both) of Nier Replicant that was only released in Japan in 2010. The original release became a cult classic among many fans for its unique world, characters, world and soundtrack and then the series itself rose more to prominence with the release of Nier:Automata in 2017. I wish to preface this review with stating that I have played Automata before playing this game and didn't really enjoy it at all. What I can say after playing this game though is that this game really hits all the nails on the head for what I wanted in a game like this. It's somewhat close for me to even call it a masterpiece albeit there was some big "pacing" problems here among a lot of other things but even then it didn't really detract that much from the game itself. I will be vague about certain elements of this game for the sake of spoilers. This is a game you should really go in with no prior information.
After playing Automata and Drakengard 1, I can say the combat here is the most satisfying here and surprisingly even fun at times. The weapons have weight and the attacks feel like they actually have an effect on the enemy. That said, you could really make a case for Automata having a better combat system but I sorta preferred the "fun musou" with rewarding dodging and parrying mechanics here. I have to mention the soundtrack here does an excellent job of portraying the world with its melancholy feel with what I feel a bit of the upbeat "fantasy rpg" in it. That also said, the vocalist here for most of the tracks just makes the tracks really stand out compared to different games. The main cast here are very unique variants of your usual party members with one being a potty-mouthed woman that just wants to destroy and a kind-hearted young man with unfortunate circumstances. The story here is also the best part and albeit not me wanting to say much on it, I will say it was worth the 40 hour journey in the end.
This game really does a lot of things right but there are some moderately huge faults with it. Probably the biggest problem is the "pacing". You'll be required to do some tedious stuff for a good chunk of the game and the game really doesn't make it easier for you other than a mechanic they added but even with that, it doesn't completely fix the problem itself. I do sorta wish they condensed it a bit more and fit in certain elements with certain scenes to make it a bit less tedious for people here. Gonna also just say get used to running A LOT in this game. One other complaint I have is when you get to a certain point, the gameplay's difficulty curve just drops off the face of the earth for a good long while. A lot of things would just die in one hit and that demotivated me from participating in combat even more at that point which was a shame.
Honestly with that said, I really enjoyed what this game had to offer. The characters were very likable for me and the game did a wonderful job fleshing them out. Kinda glad I played this but I just wish it would be a bit less tedious to go through. It's gonna be a game I think about replaying then I just think about "THAT part" and it would probably dissuade me.
2007
A lot of people grew up on this game and for some people, this game was the epitome of their childhood/teenage years. Happy to see after playing this game for the first time almost 15 years after the game's original release date via the PC version, this game truly holds up well and is the peak of the series for me so far.
Gameplay here is an huge improvement from 1 and 2 just from the huge variety of weapons and equipment you can use that fill almost every niche your FPS needs. I don't think I ever suffered from having to "use the same 3 weapons" syndrome I had playing 1 and 2 here just from being able to use whatever I wanted. The music and setpieces here are also amazing and really give a lot of "finality" to Bungie's final mainline game here. Story was also pretty good and the ending was a good way to wrap out the "trilogy" here.
Biggest complaint here and seems to be a staple of the series is the somewhat HP sponge-like enemies granted it seems a bit less bothersome this time around because of the variety of weapons and the wonky checkpoint system that caused some frustration during my playthrough.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed the campaign here and I'm starting to realize why people love the Halo series so much. I haven't even touched the multiplayer here and people have said this is the peak of that as well for the series. Very worth the buildup playing 1 and 2 just to play this and holds up extremely well almost 15 years later.
Gameplay here is an huge improvement from 1 and 2 just from the huge variety of weapons and equipment you can use that fill almost every niche your FPS needs. I don't think I ever suffered from having to "use the same 3 weapons" syndrome I had playing 1 and 2 here just from being able to use whatever I wanted. The music and setpieces here are also amazing and really give a lot of "finality" to Bungie's final mainline game here. Story was also pretty good and the ending was a good way to wrap out the "trilogy" here.
Biggest complaint here and seems to be a staple of the series is the somewhat HP sponge-like enemies granted it seems a bit less bothersome this time around because of the variety of weapons and the wonky checkpoint system that caused some frustration during my playthrough.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed the campaign here and I'm starting to realize why people love the Halo series so much. I haven't even touched the multiplayer here and people have said this is the peak of that as well for the series. Very worth the buildup playing 1 and 2 just to play this and holds up extremely well almost 15 years later.
1997
Ghost in the Shell is a third person shooter that manages to retain the charm and aesthetic of the movie and eventually anime but with some minor gripes that can make the game quite frustrating.
I think the best part about this game is the vibe and how it feels like you're playing out scenes from the movie/anime here. The cutscenes portraying the story are wonderful here and the soundtrack here is really good as well. Gameplay here takes a bit to get used but then it feels really good, the game is short so there's no meaningless content here.
Only real gripe is having a few slow downs especially during the final boss that made it a bit harder than it had to be and the special effects made seeing some attacks a bit hard to dodge which got me killed a few times.
I've only seen the movie and a bit of the S.A.C anime and this game really nails it here. Fun and pretty faithful to the source material here and a must play if you're a Ghost in the Shell fan.
I think the best part about this game is the vibe and how it feels like you're playing out scenes from the movie/anime here. The cutscenes portraying the story are wonderful here and the soundtrack here is really good as well. Gameplay here takes a bit to get used but then it feels really good, the game is short so there's no meaningless content here.
Only real gripe is having a few slow downs especially during the final boss that made it a bit harder than it had to be and the special effects made seeing some attacks a bit hard to dodge which got me killed a few times.
I've only seen the movie and a bit of the S.A.C anime and this game really nails it here. Fun and pretty faithful to the source material here and a must play if you're a Ghost in the Shell fan.