FleeFleet
1993
I recently re-watched snesdrunk's review of Ardy Lightfoot where he describes it as comfort food. That pretty much hits the nail on the head for what this game is like for me: it's nothing exceptional, nor bad, its just comfortable. I've got a soft spot for it as it was a childhood game, but having done a recent playthrough again its flaws and all are a lot more apparent to me now.
Getting the best parts out of the way first, the presentation of the game is pretty cool. The only bit of dialogue is before the first real level of the game, explaining the purpose of the rainbow gems, after which its entirely conveyed through actions and expressions. The character sprite work here is good, everyone expressing a clear emotion in response to a situation or in an effort to give an idea of their personality, ultimately conveying a decent story. Cutscenes also often seamlessly transition to and from gameplay.
The music is perhaps my favourite part of the game. Its just sooo good. They all fit their respective moments and locations and really lend themselves well to enhancing the game's adventurous, long journey vibe. Hard to pick a fave track, its all just really memorable for me.
The gameplay is the majority of what makes up Ardy Lightfoot and unfortunately is also one of its weakest points. Its a simplistic platformer with the addition of a springy tail that lets you jump higher, your enemy eating buddy Pec, and a magic mirror that makes you immune to attacks for a few seconds (for some reason). The controls feel "off"; its hard to explain in words, but Ardy feels too slippery for my liking and too speedy for a game that seemingly doesn't want you to go fast more often than not. That issue blends in with the level design; the game is a breeze up until the pyramid after which random difficulty spikes crop up, namely with the platforming, which combined with the controls makes for an unnecessarily annoying time. Not to mention what appears to be collision detection issues that really ruin vital jumps and attacks. Bosses are similar where they're generally easy (and easy to cheese as well) but the difficulty really amps up with the lengthy final boss fight. All of it becomes a tad more frustrating knowing you only really have two hitpoints (and Pec acts as your first hitpoint, so losing him also makes dealing with enemies more annoying.)
Majority of the levels are kind of samey. The platforming in most of them is generally similar that the only things that can really make a level stand out are its music or a specific set piece. I would say the looks too, but the colour palettes of levels seem to share or have similar colours and tones, which blends them too much in my mind at least. The levels that do stand out most either look more visually interesting or have a particular gimmick to them; the latter part mostly ends up being prominent in later levels though, so the distribution definitely feels pretty unequal.
The gimmicks are really hit or miss, and this extends to both levels and bosses. Some levels like the underground passage are cool cuz of the puzzle element to them or having more interesting platforming, others feel more bullshitty or made worse by the controls and/or collision detection issues e.g. the one throne room section where you have to platform on arrows, god it sucks. Bosses' gimmicks suffer in that they're either easy to exploit or get the boss stuck in a loop, the only exception being the final boss whose 2nd phase has an annoying gimmick instead. The one notable missed potential is with Pec because two of the notable gimmicks grant him an ability important for progression, but there's only really 3 instances of this happening and with only 2 forms. These tended to be the most fun parts for me, so its a shame they didn't utilize Pec more like this.
That's really it, I guess. I'd go more in depth on individual levels but again they're not distinct enough, I'd be just repeating points. I will say my favourite levels were the one section in Throne Room with red Pec, Underground Passage and Catry's Tree Fortress for their music and progression, and Eaten where you explore the creepy and nauseating insides of a monster.
Overall, I don't know if I'd recommend Ardy unless you're curious. I like it, but its also just perfectly "ok". It's a quick playthrough at least.
If the "To be Continued" indicates anything, there were probably plans for a sequel that fell through. Which is unfortunate, because I feel like a sequel really would have ironed out the kinks this game had and be a smoother experience. Alas, it was not to be.
Getting the best parts out of the way first, the presentation of the game is pretty cool. The only bit of dialogue is before the first real level of the game, explaining the purpose of the rainbow gems, after which its entirely conveyed through actions and expressions. The character sprite work here is good, everyone expressing a clear emotion in response to a situation or in an effort to give an idea of their personality, ultimately conveying a decent story. Cutscenes also often seamlessly transition to and from gameplay.
The music is perhaps my favourite part of the game. Its just sooo good. They all fit their respective moments and locations and really lend themselves well to enhancing the game's adventurous, long journey vibe. Hard to pick a fave track, its all just really memorable for me.
The gameplay is the majority of what makes up Ardy Lightfoot and unfortunately is also one of its weakest points. Its a simplistic platformer with the addition of a springy tail that lets you jump higher, your enemy eating buddy Pec, and a magic mirror that makes you immune to attacks for a few seconds (for some reason). The controls feel "off"; its hard to explain in words, but Ardy feels too slippery for my liking and too speedy for a game that seemingly doesn't want you to go fast more often than not. That issue blends in with the level design; the game is a breeze up until the pyramid after which random difficulty spikes crop up, namely with the platforming, which combined with the controls makes for an unnecessarily annoying time. Not to mention what appears to be collision detection issues that really ruin vital jumps and attacks. Bosses are similar where they're generally easy (and easy to cheese as well) but the difficulty really amps up with the lengthy final boss fight. All of it becomes a tad more frustrating knowing you only really have two hitpoints (and Pec acts as your first hitpoint, so losing him also makes dealing with enemies more annoying.)
Majority of the levels are kind of samey. The platforming in most of them is generally similar that the only things that can really make a level stand out are its music or a specific set piece. I would say the looks too, but the colour palettes of levels seem to share or have similar colours and tones, which blends them too much in my mind at least. The levels that do stand out most either look more visually interesting or have a particular gimmick to them; the latter part mostly ends up being prominent in later levels though, so the distribution definitely feels pretty unequal.
The gimmicks are really hit or miss, and this extends to both levels and bosses. Some levels like the underground passage are cool cuz of the puzzle element to them or having more interesting platforming, others feel more bullshitty or made worse by the controls and/or collision detection issues e.g. the one throne room section where you have to platform on arrows, god it sucks. Bosses' gimmicks suffer in that they're either easy to exploit or get the boss stuck in a loop, the only exception being the final boss whose 2nd phase has an annoying gimmick instead. The one notable missed potential is with Pec because two of the notable gimmicks grant him an ability important for progression, but there's only really 3 instances of this happening and with only 2 forms. These tended to be the most fun parts for me, so its a shame they didn't utilize Pec more like this.
That's really it, I guess. I'd go more in depth on individual levels but again they're not distinct enough, I'd be just repeating points. I will say my favourite levels were the one section in Throne Room with red Pec, Underground Passage and Catry's Tree Fortress for their music and progression, and Eaten where you explore the creepy and nauseating insides of a monster.
Overall, I don't know if I'd recommend Ardy unless you're curious. I like it, but its also just perfectly "ok". It's a quick playthrough at least.
If the "To be Continued" indicates anything, there were probably plans for a sequel that fell through. Which is unfortunate, because I feel like a sequel really would have ironed out the kinks this game had and be a smoother experience. Alas, it was not to be.
1994
The red balls, beware of them.
Brain Lord’s an action rpg with a heavy emphasis on puzzles (hence, the title). Clamoring for something like that but you’ve already played every other popular snes action rpg? Brain Lord’s worth a shot.
Story, Characters, and the Vibes:
Brain Lord starts off on a bit of a serious note. Your dad’s journey to find a dragon seems to be in vain as he’s implied to have died, so now it’s up to you to complete the task and continue the dragon warrior bloodline.
But, for the most part? This game actually seems to have a rather laid-back, inviting tone to it for the most part. Your primary objective is to still find a dragon, but you and your tight-knit group of friends still wanna take part in dungeon-related jobs and get that sweet, sweet, reward money. There’s really not much to say about the story, you explore each dungeon for specific reasons, with things getting more serious by the end and requiring you to beat some demon lord. There’s a very explorative atmosphere to it, which made me feel encouraged to inspect every nook and cranny of dungeons.
What really shines is the cast of characters. Your group of adventurer friends are a good bunch, providing nice exposition and hints surrounding each dungeon and town, and NPCs in general are pretty friendly. Sounds rather simple, but what I especially enjoy is how not just you but the world around you is also progressing forward. Your friends take initiative to explore the dungeons themselves, and you’ll often be speaking to them as you progress through various enemies and puzzles.
As such, I found myself quite liking the support cast, especially your group of adventurer friends who felt alive and charming on their own. It helps that the dialogue itself is quite decent and funny at times.
Battles, Puzzles, Dungeons:
While Brain Lord isn’t particularly ambitious or revolutionary in what it sets out to do, it feels disciplined in its mechanics. The gameplay is fairly solid and the game takes no time in making you familiar with how it works.
Fighting is fairly standard, with some nuance provided through a variety of weapon types, each getting the job done and providing for a playstyle that suits you best. Like something strong with some range? Morning Stars sound like the best for you. Want something long-range and fast? Boomerangs! Fairy Jades, little companions you can find or buy that help you out, also add more fun into the mix. There’s about 9 types of fairies, each with their own abilities, such as healing or shooting projectiles, so trying them out and seeing what suits you best (or switching them depending on the situation) is quite fun. Finally, magic is another important gameplay element. Most focus on attacking, though some provide an additional effect or have a different purpose to begin with. It’s a nice addition to make fighting less frustrating.
Puzzles are the meat of this game, so much so I’d say that fighting takes a backseat in this game. While they start off simple, like say moving a rock to a button, they get more complex the more you progress and will certainly give your brain a jog. Of course there’s some frustrations, annoying gimmicks, and a few instances of backtracking, but generally, the puzzles are pretty solid (as they should be for this game anyways, gotta make the title of Brain Lord have meaning!). I should also mention that platforming is also an important aspect to this game, and mainly why you’re given a jump button to begin with. It can be a bit off-putting at first due to the bird’s eye perspective, but it shouldn’t take too long to get used to and master platforming.
While it may be disappointing to know at first that the game has only 5 dungeons, each one is gigantic. With a good amount of floors, puzzles, locked doors and keys, most of your game time is spent in dungeons. As much as I like this structure, it does become apparent that dungeons start to feel like a slog at certain points (shout outs to the ice castle, with its massive amount of loops and backtracking). Gets more frustrating if you don’t like certain gimmicks or puzzles (Dark Zones gave me a headache). I appreciate that each dungeon is distinct with its own sort of atmosphere, supported further by what your objectives are in them and what your friends are doing. For example, the Ruins feel very explorative, with your objective mainly being finding various treasures and such, meanwhile the Ice Castle is filled to the brim with traps as you try and rescue hostages.
Other Aspects:
Brain Lord isn’t visually outstanding (though you may notice some similarities with how The 7th Saga looks. Makes sense, both are by the same creators.), but the main appeal I found was the music and sound design. It’s just really good in the ears, man. I love the music especially, lots of good catchy tunes that stick in my head for days.
While there’s some world building here and there, you’re mainly occupied with two towns, a few roads, and the dungeons. It’s a bit of a shame, as I would have liked to know what this Ouk tribe was or find out more about the Abell civilization. But regardless, I can’t say I dislike what we did get to see of the world at least.
Overall:
Brain Lord has some good, has some bad, but its strengths definitely outweigh its weaknesses. It’s a good time, so give it a shot if you’re looking for some snes games to try.
Brain Lord’s an action rpg with a heavy emphasis on puzzles (hence, the title). Clamoring for something like that but you’ve already played every other popular snes action rpg? Brain Lord’s worth a shot.
Story, Characters, and the Vibes:
Brain Lord starts off on a bit of a serious note. Your dad’s journey to find a dragon seems to be in vain as he’s implied to have died, so now it’s up to you to complete the task and continue the dragon warrior bloodline.
But, for the most part? This game actually seems to have a rather laid-back, inviting tone to it for the most part. Your primary objective is to still find a dragon, but you and your tight-knit group of friends still wanna take part in dungeon-related jobs and get that sweet, sweet, reward money. There’s really not much to say about the story, you explore each dungeon for specific reasons, with things getting more serious by the end and requiring you to beat some demon lord. There’s a very explorative atmosphere to it, which made me feel encouraged to inspect every nook and cranny of dungeons.
What really shines is the cast of characters. Your group of adventurer friends are a good bunch, providing nice exposition and hints surrounding each dungeon and town, and NPCs in general are pretty friendly. Sounds rather simple, but what I especially enjoy is how not just you but the world around you is also progressing forward. Your friends take initiative to explore the dungeons themselves, and you’ll often be speaking to them as you progress through various enemies and puzzles.
As such, I found myself quite liking the support cast, especially your group of adventurer friends who felt alive and charming on their own. It helps that the dialogue itself is quite decent and funny at times.
Battles, Puzzles, Dungeons:
While Brain Lord isn’t particularly ambitious or revolutionary in what it sets out to do, it feels disciplined in its mechanics. The gameplay is fairly solid and the game takes no time in making you familiar with how it works.
Fighting is fairly standard, with some nuance provided through a variety of weapon types, each getting the job done and providing for a playstyle that suits you best. Like something strong with some range? Morning Stars sound like the best for you. Want something long-range and fast? Boomerangs! Fairy Jades, little companions you can find or buy that help you out, also add more fun into the mix. There’s about 9 types of fairies, each with their own abilities, such as healing or shooting projectiles, so trying them out and seeing what suits you best (or switching them depending on the situation) is quite fun. Finally, magic is another important gameplay element. Most focus on attacking, though some provide an additional effect or have a different purpose to begin with. It’s a nice addition to make fighting less frustrating.
Puzzles are the meat of this game, so much so I’d say that fighting takes a backseat in this game. While they start off simple, like say moving a rock to a button, they get more complex the more you progress and will certainly give your brain a jog. Of course there’s some frustrations, annoying gimmicks, and a few instances of backtracking, but generally, the puzzles are pretty solid (as they should be for this game anyways, gotta make the title of Brain Lord have meaning!). I should also mention that platforming is also an important aspect to this game, and mainly why you’re given a jump button to begin with. It can be a bit off-putting at first due to the bird’s eye perspective, but it shouldn’t take too long to get used to and master platforming.
While it may be disappointing to know at first that the game has only 5 dungeons, each one is gigantic. With a good amount of floors, puzzles, locked doors and keys, most of your game time is spent in dungeons. As much as I like this structure, it does become apparent that dungeons start to feel like a slog at certain points (shout outs to the ice castle, with its massive amount of loops and backtracking). Gets more frustrating if you don’t like certain gimmicks or puzzles (Dark Zones gave me a headache). I appreciate that each dungeon is distinct with its own sort of atmosphere, supported further by what your objectives are in them and what your friends are doing. For example, the Ruins feel very explorative, with your objective mainly being finding various treasures and such, meanwhile the Ice Castle is filled to the brim with traps as you try and rescue hostages.
Other Aspects:
Brain Lord isn’t visually outstanding (though you may notice some similarities with how The 7th Saga looks. Makes sense, both are by the same creators.), but the main appeal I found was the music and sound design. It’s just really good in the ears, man. I love the music especially, lots of good catchy tunes that stick in my head for days.
While there’s some world building here and there, you’re mainly occupied with two towns, a few roads, and the dungeons. It’s a bit of a shame, as I would have liked to know what this Ouk tribe was or find out more about the Abell civilization. But regardless, I can’t say I dislike what we did get to see of the world at least.
Overall:
Brain Lord has some good, has some bad, but its strengths definitely outweigh its weaknesses. It’s a good time, so give it a shot if you’re looking for some snes games to try.
1999
gonna write a full review later but basically Lisa is like the best character
2021
This review contains spoilers
Bad End Theater's whole gimmick is about "bad endings". All the choices you make, no matter how many, will always lead to some kind of tragic end for each character.
Bad End Theater makes it immediately apparent that its more or less a puzzle game: you play through each character's story to find out their traits, and by manipulating those traits, you can influence how another character's story is affected. It feels pretty clever, and it makes it more satisfying to try to get the ending you desire. It also keeps the stories feeling interconnected with each other.
My initial motivation while playing was to get a happy ending, or least bad ending, but the game makes it pretty clear that every ending here will be tragic. So, my attention turned towards trying to get all endings. As someone who's not that fond of tragic endings and gets attached to characters easily, the game managed to keep me engaged and encouraged to still pursue every ending possible and see what lies after that.
SPOILER TERRITORY:
Once you find all "true endings" and face Tragedy, it becomes clear there's a meta-narrative going on. It's sweet, I think: to do what you actually want to do, instead of blindly following what "role" others give you. This is a common theme in the four character's stories, each of whom are forced to do their given roles in some way or another without consideration of their own ambitions and feelings, lest they want to suffer the consequences of doing so. The same is true for the narrator of the game, TRAGEDY, who suffered from trying to chase their dreams, alongside their lover.
Yet, the real "true end" for everyone, is not a tragedy they face in the theater, but rather being true to themselves. And that's what this game is really trying to tell you, that you can truly reach your happy ending by being who YOU want to be, by doing what YOU want to do.
Overall, this is a pretty messy review lol, but I wholeheartedly recommend this game. It's short, its got cute art, the story's nice, and Underling's awesome.
Bad End Theater makes it immediately apparent that its more or less a puzzle game: you play through each character's story to find out their traits, and by manipulating those traits, you can influence how another character's story is affected. It feels pretty clever, and it makes it more satisfying to try to get the ending you desire. It also keeps the stories feeling interconnected with each other.
My initial motivation while playing was to get a happy ending, or least bad ending, but the game makes it pretty clear that every ending here will be tragic. So, my attention turned towards trying to get all endings. As someone who's not that fond of tragic endings and gets attached to characters easily, the game managed to keep me engaged and encouraged to still pursue every ending possible and see what lies after that.
SPOILER TERRITORY:
Once you find all "true endings" and face Tragedy, it becomes clear there's a meta-narrative going on. It's sweet, I think: to do what you actually want to do, instead of blindly following what "role" others give you. This is a common theme in the four character's stories, each of whom are forced to do their given roles in some way or another without consideration of their own ambitions and feelings, lest they want to suffer the consequences of doing so. The same is true for the narrator of the game, TRAGEDY, who suffered from trying to chase their dreams, alongside their lover.
Yet, the real "true end" for everyone, is not a tragedy they face in the theater, but rather being true to themselves. And that's what this game is really trying to tell you, that you can truly reach your happy ending by being who YOU want to be, by doing what YOU want to do.
Overall, this is a pretty messy review lol, but I wholeheartedly recommend this game. It's short, its got cute art, the story's nice, and Underling's awesome.
Pretty wholesome short game to pass the time with.
Basic gameplay is just making food (new ones being unlocked depending on level of currently available dishes) for the customers that come. There's no timer on customers' orders or anything of the sort, so its a relatively tense free game bar Frenzy Mode whenever you choose to activate it.
The main focus is really on the customers and their situations, e.t.c. They're all pretty neatly done, with some of their conversations being locked behind certain foods they want to eat, which encourages unlocking new dishes. The writing such as the food descriptions or customer descriptions are also pretty neat :)
It can be pretty slow-paced however as normally one or two customers arrive to eat bar when you start up the game after a while or frenzy mode. It's mostly an issue when you want to get rid of a dish on the counter with another one, since the only method is to get customers to deplete the amount of the dish you made.
Either way its a nice calm time i'd recommend :)
Basic gameplay is just making food (new ones being unlocked depending on level of currently available dishes) for the customers that come. There's no timer on customers' orders or anything of the sort, so its a relatively tense free game bar Frenzy Mode whenever you choose to activate it.
The main focus is really on the customers and their situations, e.t.c. They're all pretty neatly done, with some of their conversations being locked behind certain foods they want to eat, which encourages unlocking new dishes. The writing such as the food descriptions or customer descriptions are also pretty neat :)
It can be pretty slow-paced however as normally one or two customers arrive to eat bar when you start up the game after a while or frenzy mode. It's mostly an issue when you want to get rid of a dish on the counter with another one, since the only method is to get customers to deplete the amount of the dish you made.
Either way its a nice calm time i'd recommend :)
Bastard!!'s quite the unusual fighting game for the snes. It certainly makes quite the first impression: the visuals are really awesome, levels are like 3d fighting arenas, everyone's cursing here and there (they say "bastard" about 4 or 5 times btw), a lot of destructive spells filling the area, yadda yadda.
Unfortunately, when you actually play this game the problems with it become immediately apparent.
Bastard!!'s gameplay isn't particularly that fun as much as the visuals may want you to believe. It mostly boils down to using your basic projectiles to hit your opponent according to the direction they're moving towards. But by God is it actually hard to hit them. Characters usually move fast enough to avoid getting hit by most projectiles, so trying to only use the basic projectiles in a fight would probably take more time than necessary (I remember as a kid it would take me about half an hour to finish each fight in story mode lol).
What you really need to do is use your special spells to beat your opponent. A few are kinda useless but for the most part they do a great deal damage to end a fight in about a few minutes. You can also try doing a melee attack by moving to the other side and hoping you come across the opponent, and yes its not really easy to do. Sadly, as good as the spells are the button inputs for most I found way too complex for my liking. I'm not particularly great at fighting games, so perhaps more experienced players would be better able to handle them, but personally I just opted to use the Easy Spell Input hack, which makes it easier to activate spells. Regardless, depending on how skilled you are this game will take you like 30 minutes at least or 6 hours at most. Bleeeghh
When it comes to the story, this game provides minimum details. It's not a big deal considering the main focus is the gameplay, but if you do want to experience a more detailed story then I would suggest the manga or animes. The dialogue does come across quite funny though, considering all the cursing and lack of much context.
As said before, the game looks visually impressive. This extends to the portrait art and out of battle sprites as well, all of which look good. The font of the english fan translation I found a little hard to read, but no doubt it fits with the aesthetic of the game and series in general. Music's also great, a lot of tunes I found really catchy.
Overall, Bastard!!'s worth a try if you're interested in checking out more unique or unusual fighting games, or are a fan of the series.
Unfortunately, when you actually play this game the problems with it become immediately apparent.
Bastard!!'s gameplay isn't particularly that fun as much as the visuals may want you to believe. It mostly boils down to using your basic projectiles to hit your opponent according to the direction they're moving towards. But by God is it actually hard to hit them. Characters usually move fast enough to avoid getting hit by most projectiles, so trying to only use the basic projectiles in a fight would probably take more time than necessary (I remember as a kid it would take me about half an hour to finish each fight in story mode lol).
What you really need to do is use your special spells to beat your opponent. A few are kinda useless but for the most part they do a great deal damage to end a fight in about a few minutes. You can also try doing a melee attack by moving to the other side and hoping you come across the opponent, and yes its not really easy to do. Sadly, as good as the spells are the button inputs for most I found way too complex for my liking. I'm not particularly great at fighting games, so perhaps more experienced players would be better able to handle them, but personally I just opted to use the Easy Spell Input hack, which makes it easier to activate spells. Regardless, depending on how skilled you are this game will take you like 30 minutes at least or 6 hours at most. Bleeeghh
When it comes to the story, this game provides minimum details. It's not a big deal considering the main focus is the gameplay, but if you do want to experience a more detailed story then I would suggest the manga or animes. The dialogue does come across quite funny though, considering all the cursing and lack of much context.
As said before, the game looks visually impressive. This extends to the portrait art and out of battle sprites as well, all of which look good. The font of the english fan translation I found a little hard to read, but no doubt it fits with the aesthetic of the game and series in general. Music's also great, a lot of tunes I found really catchy.
Overall, Bastard!!'s worth a try if you're interested in checking out more unique or unusual fighting games, or are a fan of the series.
While 1 was a fairly simple "idle clicker" game, Moonlit Memories takes things up a notch for a more bold approach to presentation and story.
Visuals have been updated with each character having their own portraits and the new diner looking more visually pleasing (and refreshing to boot). Instead of having to increase customers' satisfaction to unlock more conversations, this time the game has an "episode" system and an overarching narrative instead.
The gameplay is the same as in the 1st game, although this time cleaning dishes is now done manually. It seems annoying at first, but it quickly becomes apparent that the game has a faster pace to it, with customers coming in more frequently; cleaning dishes as such can act as a breather since leaving them as is stops customers from entering. It's small things, but there's thought put into it as far as I can tell, and that's neat.
The change in the approach to story-telling I find interesting. Characters' stories intertwine and each has some form of character development by the end of the game (there's even bonus episodes too, which is neat), and it overall leads to a better sense of familiarity with each of them than with those of the first game. It's executed well overall, and while it loses some of the calmness the original had, it has an enthusiastic and optimistic side to it instead (if that makes any sense, haha).
Overall, if you liked 1, then you'll definitely enjoy Moonlit Memories a lot more. They really improved on the concept as a whole and it shows.
Visuals have been updated with each character having their own portraits and the new diner looking more visually pleasing (and refreshing to boot). Instead of having to increase customers' satisfaction to unlock more conversations, this time the game has an "episode" system and an overarching narrative instead.
The gameplay is the same as in the 1st game, although this time cleaning dishes is now done manually. It seems annoying at first, but it quickly becomes apparent that the game has a faster pace to it, with customers coming in more frequently; cleaning dishes as such can act as a breather since leaving them as is stops customers from entering. It's small things, but there's thought put into it as far as I can tell, and that's neat.
The change in the approach to story-telling I find interesting. Characters' stories intertwine and each has some form of character development by the end of the game (there's even bonus episodes too, which is neat), and it overall leads to a better sense of familiarity with each of them than with those of the first game. It's executed well overall, and while it loses some of the calmness the original had, it has an enthusiastic and optimistic side to it instead (if that makes any sense, haha).
Overall, if you liked 1, then you'll definitely enjoy Moonlit Memories a lot more. They really improved on the concept as a whole and it shows.
2008
It's me. I'm the Mad-Jack stan.
I don't how to really write a more in-depth review for this game at the moment, but it makes for pretty fun fashion management game either way.
It's a good, chill time-passer with a lot of clothing options from different types of brands available, with some other extra content to add some challenge or just be fun little side events. Also love customizing the player character lol. I'd totally recommend it.
I don't how to really write a more in-depth review for this game at the moment, but it makes for pretty fun fashion management game either way.
It's a good, chill time-passer with a lot of clothing options from different types of brands available, with some other extra content to add some challenge or just be fun little side events. Also love customizing the player character lol. I'd totally recommend it.
2008
It's been a few years since I played it to really talk about it in depth, but regardless:
It's a solid enough game with a generally likeable cast and interesting time travel shenanigans, but it ultimately just feels like a forgettable experience. Not much about it really stood out to me.
Mini spoiler rant but I also didn't really understand the villain's actions and motivations prior to the path he ended up going in leading to the events of the story. Perhaps I just didn't understand it at the time, but it didn't feel satisfying either way.
I'd recommend it for a casual playthrough, I first played it on my phone so it was easy enough to play it on my own pace or to just pass the time before doing something else. Otherwise it's up to you if you're interested enough.
It's a solid enough game with a generally likeable cast and interesting time travel shenanigans, but it ultimately just feels like a forgettable experience. Not much about it really stood out to me.
Mini spoiler rant but I also didn't really understand the villain's actions and motivations prior to the path he ended up going in leading to the events of the story. Perhaps I just didn't understand it at the time, but it didn't feel satisfying either way.
I'd recommend it for a casual playthrough, I first played it on my phone so it was easy enough to play it on my own pace or to just pass the time before doing something else. Otherwise it's up to you if you're interested enough.
Desta's a vibe; from the art to the music, it's mostly a comfy time, but it really nails when to bring up the tension at the right times.
The gameplay is basically strategy turn-based dodgeball, with rogue-lite elements. You mostly need to beat your enemies and utilize the different skills Desta obtains as well as learning how to effectively use their teammates. It appears simple for the most part, yet the variety in skills and teammates makes for an addicting experience as you try to figure out the most effective strategies in dealing with enemies. This is probably best represented in challenge mode, where you're given a set of skills and characters for each challenge, really displaying how handy each skill and teammate can be in what sort of situation. The rogue-lite aspect does feel like the weakest part of the gameplay however. Never really felt like utilizing it much until after I was done with the main story, and it does somewhat break the pace of the narrative too.
Speaking of, the game is narrative-heavy; through playing ball, the goal of Desta is to explore their memories in this dream world and face conflicts with loved ones they've left unresolved; they're talking it out with people through a game of ball. While I've not had the same experience Desta has had, I definitely related to a lot of the themes and situations they've had with their friends and family, and how the dream world prepared them to talk to them, to clear up misunderstandings and unresolved feelings. The game really emphasizes the different kind of conflicts that can arise between different relationships, and the importance of communication between people to solve these issues rather than prolong them for longer than necessary. I really enjoyed it and the characters.
My major gripe would be that I wish the main game was longer, but I'm satisfied with the story and I found the gameplay addicting enough to replay it and engage with the roguelite aspects. Art's a vibe, adore the music, and its a nice lookin game. I recommend it.
The gameplay is basically strategy turn-based dodgeball, with rogue-lite elements. You mostly need to beat your enemies and utilize the different skills Desta obtains as well as learning how to effectively use their teammates. It appears simple for the most part, yet the variety in skills and teammates makes for an addicting experience as you try to figure out the most effective strategies in dealing with enemies. This is probably best represented in challenge mode, where you're given a set of skills and characters for each challenge, really displaying how handy each skill and teammate can be in what sort of situation. The rogue-lite aspect does feel like the weakest part of the gameplay however. Never really felt like utilizing it much until after I was done with the main story, and it does somewhat break the pace of the narrative too.
Speaking of, the game is narrative-heavy; through playing ball, the goal of Desta is to explore their memories in this dream world and face conflicts with loved ones they've left unresolved; they're talking it out with people through a game of ball. While I've not had the same experience Desta has had, I definitely related to a lot of the themes and situations they've had with their friends and family, and how the dream world prepared them to talk to them, to clear up misunderstandings and unresolved feelings. The game really emphasizes the different kind of conflicts that can arise between different relationships, and the importance of communication between people to solve these issues rather than prolong them for longer than necessary. I really enjoyed it and the characters.
My major gripe would be that I wish the main game was longer, but I'm satisfied with the story and I found the gameplay addicting enough to replay it and engage with the roguelite aspects. Art's a vibe, adore the music, and its a nice lookin game. I recommend it.
1992
I've played the fastrom version of this so that might affect my opinion on this a little bit. Similarly I can't really compare this to other versions of 1 (as this is the only one I've played and finished). Anywho:
Prince of Persia is one of those cinematic platformer games with an emphasis on puzzle solving and one on one combat. It's one of those games I had as a kid but never was able to beat until just recently, and I had a good time!
The controls can feel quite awkward at first, as movement feels like there's delay to it. Cinematic platformers try to imitate a feeling of realism (or something like that) to the movement and jumps, so it takes some time to get used to. I wouldn't blame anyone for being offput by it because wrong timing can mean an easy death, and there are a lot of ways to die in this game. I don't really mind it too much personally, the most annoying thing will always be jumping from ledge to ledge. Combat controls are a bit easier to handle since you're primarily guarding and attacking with your sword; the game eases you into more difficult enemies with faster attacks, so with enough practice you'll do fine.
The actual platforming, puzzles and levels are fun. It starts off pretty basic and for the most part the puzzles revolve around making use of your run and jump to get across platforms or anything related to pressure plates that open doors; add in some enemies scattered here and there for battle spice. Eventually more and more levels have some sort of interesting gimmick or event to them that keeps things refreshing. The level settings are also pretty nice, and distinct from each other, which also keeps from making the game feel too dull.
On that point, I'm very fond of the sprite work and music in this game. It just looks real nice, and the music is a vibe (especially the dungeon levels' music, imo. I love it.)
The story is pretty simple where the prince has to defeat Jaffar to save the Princess and Persia within a 2 hour limit. It's portrayed well in visuals and music. Not much else to say really I just enjoyed it lol.
Don't have much else to add, but I would recommend the game if you're interested in classic Prince of Persia. It's gonna be a lot of trial and error due in part learning the controls, but if you can deal with that then you're good to go.
Prince of Persia is one of those cinematic platformer games with an emphasis on puzzle solving and one on one combat. It's one of those games I had as a kid but never was able to beat until just recently, and I had a good time!
The controls can feel quite awkward at first, as movement feels like there's delay to it. Cinematic platformers try to imitate a feeling of realism (or something like that) to the movement and jumps, so it takes some time to get used to. I wouldn't blame anyone for being offput by it because wrong timing can mean an easy death, and there are a lot of ways to die in this game. I don't really mind it too much personally, the most annoying thing will always be jumping from ledge to ledge. Combat controls are a bit easier to handle since you're primarily guarding and attacking with your sword; the game eases you into more difficult enemies with faster attacks, so with enough practice you'll do fine.
The actual platforming, puzzles and levels are fun. It starts off pretty basic and for the most part the puzzles revolve around making use of your run and jump to get across platforms or anything related to pressure plates that open doors; add in some enemies scattered here and there for battle spice. Eventually more and more levels have some sort of interesting gimmick or event to them that keeps things refreshing. The level settings are also pretty nice, and distinct from each other, which also keeps from making the game feel too dull.
On that point, I'm very fond of the sprite work and music in this game. It just looks real nice, and the music is a vibe (especially the dungeon levels' music, imo. I love it.)
The story is pretty simple where the prince has to defeat Jaffar to save the Princess and Persia within a 2 hour limit. It's portrayed well in visuals and music. Not much else to say really I just enjoyed it lol.
Don't have much else to add, but I would recommend the game if you're interested in classic Prince of Persia. It's gonna be a lot of trial and error due in part learning the controls, but if you can deal with that then you're good to go.
The oracle duology intended to focus on one aspect each that make up the basic gameplay of a typical zelda game, puzzle solving and action. Ages is the one that focuses on the puzzles, though for clarification sake it's more like a 60% to 40% ratio of puzzle solving to action respectively, if that makes sense. Regardless, the spotlight is on the puzzles, and the rest of the game revolves around them:
Obvious stuff out of the way, the controls are solid and while it being a gbc game proved a barrier to me initially (due to not having played many games from that system as well as feeling too weird on a pc), the audio and visuals really grew on me. I think my only major complaint really is the lack of enough buttons (more on the system than on the game) which led to a lot opening and closing of the menu just to alternate between items. It’s particularly frustrating during boss fights since it breaks the tension, but at the least its the case with only a few of them.
You’d think a name like Labrynna would be pretty on the nose about the overworld being structured like a labyrinth, but progression in the land actually seems quite linear. The typical gameplay loop is being given access to a limited area initially, being only able to continue onto the next objective by utilizing your items or a new gimmick to access and traverse through a new area. This is made further interesting through the time travel mechanic accessed by the Harp of Ages. If you’re familiar with A Link to the Past, its like the traversal between the light and dark worlds. It feels more well-utilized here due to being present from very early on in the game, as well as being required to solve almost every major obstacle in the way that blocks progress. Furthermore it’s more apparent how actions in the past can affect the present, and the major consequences these can have makes it all the more fun. Time travel is a bit limiting at first however, requiring you to use designated portals to traverse between the past and present; you do gain access to two new songs for the Harp however, ultimately leading to free traversal anywhere on the overworld. I do wish these songs were available earlier as later points in the game can get frustrating due to excessive walking around to find and use a portal, but it’s not a deal breaker. The overworld itself is interesting otherwise with neat locales, the Zora Seas being my favourite.
Dungeons are primarily about puzzles of course. This isn’t to say you should be lax about enemies, but your ability for puzzle solving is the main thing that’s going to be tested. That also makes them easily the best and most fun part about the dungeons; the game is not chill about amping up the difficulty of these puzzles the more you progress and the process of trying to figure them out and solving them made it extremely satisfying for me. This extends to the bosses as well, who require some thinking to learn how to beat; a few go a little further by feeling more like a “regular dungeon puzzle” than an actual “boss battle”, if that makes any sense. Items are also well utilized and most are often necessary for areas outside of the initial location you get them in.
While the game generally does a good job of having challenging yet satisfying gameplay, some parts of the game, mostly in the latter half, can feel unnecessarily frustrating. It’s a mix of progression feeling too obtuse at times and/or complicated methods requiring the use of multiple mechanics and/or items that can become annoying after a while. Some examples in my case: Crescent Island can be really annoying since you lose all your items initially and have to get them back. It’s made a little worse by the constant back and forth due to being unable to have two items at the same time until right around the end of that whole fiasco. Rolling Ridge got really frustrating since it requires a lot of going back and forth between goron npcs to get access to the next dungeon. It’s made more complicated by having to also travel between the past and present and some sections within the area having enemies (albeit, simple enemies, but still annoying.) One particular section requires two items to use in conjunction every single time. Moreover you have to do a few minigames with the gorons, and the dancing minigame man, just no. It gets overwhelming. Mermaid’s Cave was very tedious; it's the first to integrate the time mechanic into its puzzles but since time travel is only allowed on the overworld, it makes for a lot of annoying backtracking made worse by enemies always respawning. Speaking of, some new enemies are also introduced which are annoying to beat quick. You also get the mermaid suit, allowing you to dive underwater, but this mechanic is unfortunately pretty awful initially due to swimming now requiring have to tap the arrow buttons constantly. It ended up being my least favourite dungeon due in part having gotten stuck on how to progress for a long while as well. Jabu Jabu’s Belly seems to be notorious for being one of the most frustrating, hardest dungeons in the series apparently. I actually like it more than Mermaid’s Cave, but it is challenging due in part the non-linear progression here requiring changing the water levels. It also feels pretty long and if you’re not used to how swimming works you’re gonna hate it even more.
The story isn’t really that noteworthy, usually involving some crisis in new areas Link has to solve to progress. There are some characters that make frequent appearances but besides the Maku Tree they’re also nothing really special, including the Oracle of Ages herself; this is more on me for making expectations prior to playing, but I’d have thought Nayru would have more of a presence and perhaps be the one guiding Link. Ah, well, it is what it is. I want to say Veran is a notable main villain, but my reasons really just come down to her being a rare female villain for this series and her funny as hell final boss form. As to be expected from a non-Linked version, the story ends on a cliffhanger; the story truly concludes if you play a Linked Game of Seasons. It certainly has me excited to play that.
I’m too tired to really go indepth much on the dungeons right now, but to make a quick summary: Spirit’s Grove is relatively simple with basic puzzle mechanics, good for a first dungeon, same for the Wing Dungeon (plus points for being where you get the Roc’s Feather, one of my fave items from the game). Moonlit Grotto is where the puzzles start feeling more advanced, and had me thinking a good few minutes here and there. The path to getting to Skull Dungeon is pretty annoying but the dungeon itself is fine otherwise; it introduces another fave item, the switch hook, leading to my favourite puzzle gimmick. Crown Dungeon mostly is made up of the red and blue block mechanic ever so present in alttp dungeons, the boss here was super annoying though, but the concept was fun by heavily involving the cane of somaria. I’ve already spoke on Mermaid’s Cave and Jabu Jabu Vore, Ancient Tomb initially felt pretty frustrating but it quickly grew on me, I’m inclined to say it was cuz of the previous dungeons that I was feeling more down if anything. The boss here is tougher two, with three phases, but I liked it. The Black Tower is mostly just going up some rooms fighting a variety of enemies till you get to the Turret that’s kind of just blah with its puzzle. Veran is the final boss with a total of three phases, one of which you already fight before (its fine but requires constant menu switching that really breaks the pace), the 2nd form is a winged version of her that’s kind of funny to look at and its also relatively simple, the final form of her as a turtle is fucking funny and stupid lmao but the bee and spider form are pretty rad; that final phase is still relatively simple though, with the spider requiring the additional use of the bomb.
Overall, Ages is definitely a game I’d recommend. I think one major barrier might be that if you haven’t played Zelda in a while or never before then it might prove more frustrating due to having to deal with both challenging puzzles and learning to deal with different sorts of enemies; for that reason, some might recommend to play Seasons first. Regardless, give it a try still, its a good time.
Obvious stuff out of the way, the controls are solid and while it being a gbc game proved a barrier to me initially (due to not having played many games from that system as well as feeling too weird on a pc), the audio and visuals really grew on me. I think my only major complaint really is the lack of enough buttons (more on the system than on the game) which led to a lot opening and closing of the menu just to alternate between items. It’s particularly frustrating during boss fights since it breaks the tension, but at the least its the case with only a few of them.
You’d think a name like Labrynna would be pretty on the nose about the overworld being structured like a labyrinth, but progression in the land actually seems quite linear. The typical gameplay loop is being given access to a limited area initially, being only able to continue onto the next objective by utilizing your items or a new gimmick to access and traverse through a new area. This is made further interesting through the time travel mechanic accessed by the Harp of Ages. If you’re familiar with A Link to the Past, its like the traversal between the light and dark worlds. It feels more well-utilized here due to being present from very early on in the game, as well as being required to solve almost every major obstacle in the way that blocks progress. Furthermore it’s more apparent how actions in the past can affect the present, and the major consequences these can have makes it all the more fun. Time travel is a bit limiting at first however, requiring you to use designated portals to traverse between the past and present; you do gain access to two new songs for the Harp however, ultimately leading to free traversal anywhere on the overworld. I do wish these songs were available earlier as later points in the game can get frustrating due to excessive walking around to find and use a portal, but it’s not a deal breaker. The overworld itself is interesting otherwise with neat locales, the Zora Seas being my favourite.
Dungeons are primarily about puzzles of course. This isn’t to say you should be lax about enemies, but your ability for puzzle solving is the main thing that’s going to be tested. That also makes them easily the best and most fun part about the dungeons; the game is not chill about amping up the difficulty of these puzzles the more you progress and the process of trying to figure them out and solving them made it extremely satisfying for me. This extends to the bosses as well, who require some thinking to learn how to beat; a few go a little further by feeling more like a “regular dungeon puzzle” than an actual “boss battle”, if that makes any sense. Items are also well utilized and most are often necessary for areas outside of the initial location you get them in.
While the game generally does a good job of having challenging yet satisfying gameplay, some parts of the game, mostly in the latter half, can feel unnecessarily frustrating. It’s a mix of progression feeling too obtuse at times and/or complicated methods requiring the use of multiple mechanics and/or items that can become annoying after a while. Some examples in my case: Crescent Island can be really annoying since you lose all your items initially and have to get them back. It’s made a little worse by the constant back and forth due to being unable to have two items at the same time until right around the end of that whole fiasco. Rolling Ridge got really frustrating since it requires a lot of going back and forth between goron npcs to get access to the next dungeon. It’s made more complicated by having to also travel between the past and present and some sections within the area having enemies (albeit, simple enemies, but still annoying.) One particular section requires two items to use in conjunction every single time. Moreover you have to do a few minigames with the gorons, and the dancing minigame man, just no. It gets overwhelming. Mermaid’s Cave was very tedious; it's the first to integrate the time mechanic into its puzzles but since time travel is only allowed on the overworld, it makes for a lot of annoying backtracking made worse by enemies always respawning. Speaking of, some new enemies are also introduced which are annoying to beat quick. You also get the mermaid suit, allowing you to dive underwater, but this mechanic is unfortunately pretty awful initially due to swimming now requiring have to tap the arrow buttons constantly. It ended up being my least favourite dungeon due in part having gotten stuck on how to progress for a long while as well. Jabu Jabu’s Belly seems to be notorious for being one of the most frustrating, hardest dungeons in the series apparently. I actually like it more than Mermaid’s Cave, but it is challenging due in part the non-linear progression here requiring changing the water levels. It also feels pretty long and if you’re not used to how swimming works you’re gonna hate it even more.
The story isn’t really that noteworthy, usually involving some crisis in new areas Link has to solve to progress. There are some characters that make frequent appearances but besides the Maku Tree they’re also nothing really special, including the Oracle of Ages herself; this is more on me for making expectations prior to playing, but I’d have thought Nayru would have more of a presence and perhaps be the one guiding Link. Ah, well, it is what it is. I want to say Veran is a notable main villain, but my reasons really just come down to her being a rare female villain for this series and her funny as hell final boss form. As to be expected from a non-Linked version, the story ends on a cliffhanger; the story truly concludes if you play a Linked Game of Seasons. It certainly has me excited to play that.
I’m too tired to really go indepth much on the dungeons right now, but to make a quick summary: Spirit’s Grove is relatively simple with basic puzzle mechanics, good for a first dungeon, same for the Wing Dungeon (plus points for being where you get the Roc’s Feather, one of my fave items from the game). Moonlit Grotto is where the puzzles start feeling more advanced, and had me thinking a good few minutes here and there. The path to getting to Skull Dungeon is pretty annoying but the dungeon itself is fine otherwise; it introduces another fave item, the switch hook, leading to my favourite puzzle gimmick. Crown Dungeon mostly is made up of the red and blue block mechanic ever so present in alttp dungeons, the boss here was super annoying though, but the concept was fun by heavily involving the cane of somaria. I’ve already spoke on Mermaid’s Cave and Jabu Jabu Vore, Ancient Tomb initially felt pretty frustrating but it quickly grew on me, I’m inclined to say it was cuz of the previous dungeons that I was feeling more down if anything. The boss here is tougher two, with three phases, but I liked it. The Black Tower is mostly just going up some rooms fighting a variety of enemies till you get to the Turret that’s kind of just blah with its puzzle. Veran is the final boss with a total of three phases, one of which you already fight before (its fine but requires constant menu switching that really breaks the pace), the 2nd form is a winged version of her that’s kind of funny to look at and its also relatively simple, the final form of her as a turtle is fucking funny and stupid lmao but the bee and spider form are pretty rad; that final phase is still relatively simple though, with the spider requiring the additional use of the bomb.
Overall, Ages is definitely a game I’d recommend. I think one major barrier might be that if you haven’t played Zelda in a while or never before then it might prove more frustrating due to having to deal with both challenging puzzles and learning to deal with different sorts of enemies; for that reason, some might recommend to play Seasons first. Regardless, give it a try still, its a good time.
Gonna try keeping this review short, I'm actually finding it hard to say much about this game because all of its positives are pretty immediately noticeable from the get go that you're better off seeing it for yourself by booting up the game than to read a description of what makes it good. The other thing is that, doing this replay after having played the sequels already, the faults with this game are abundantly clear and it's hard to write a review that isn't just extensively dunking on this game and how the sequels improved on it so much.
Regardless, it was still a fun time. The combat is unique and solid and aesthetics are on point, the writing is charming and funny even if the emotional moments could use a little more oomph. The graphics, artwork and music, god, love it so much. The game really stands out for how unique it is, I don't think I've ever really played an rpg like it or the series in general. And it manages to be both fun and addicting. I got immediately hooked on to it back when I first played it, and I was still thoroughly engaged this time too. For a first timer to the series, this is still a pretty solid entry to get into.
That said, the faults are pretty frustrating with this game; they're more noticeable if you've played the other games, but even for someone's first time there's too many annoyances to it that really should have been taken care of from the start then be dealt with in the sequel:
As addicting as the combat can get, the lack of an escape button (that, y'know, doesn't require a battle chip) and no way to lower the encounter rate in any way leads it to become kind of a drag halfway through. The encounter rate isn't particularly high, but the uniqueness of the combat also means you can't really just button mash it thoughtlessly so things just start feeling slower in general. This is further exacerbated by the navigation of the Net and dungeons as well as some of the puzzles involved in said dungeons: all battle network games include the Internet as its main cyberworld area, with BN1 taking a more labyrinth type approach where the Net more or less feels like a huge dungeon of its own. Unfortunately this maze-like approach, the same look to every net area, and the lack of an in-game map actually made me start to dread exploring the Net in later parts of the game where failing to properly navigate your way around just means more random encounters to deal with. Regular dungeons aren't as expansive but their focus on puzzles means you can get stuck for a while doing them, again meaning you'll keep facing the same enemies on and on which gets extremely repetitive. This was my experience with the waterworks dungeons primarily leading me to loath it so much, but the Powerplant comes close 2nd for its trial and error focused puzzles.
This isn't to say most of the dungeons are this frustrating; I actually liked most of them quite a bit, but again, due to the issues with random battle encounters this also means most of them start to feel like a drag by the time you're done with them. At the least, your health regenerates after every battle and you can save anytime anywhere.
The writing is generally nice but as said before the emotional moments just don't have as much impact on me as later games do. I'll cut this game some slack though since by the end of it, it does feel like they've already planned to develop these characters further and move the plot forward in sequels.
I mostly ended up ranting, oops! Ultimately, I do think this game is still a solid playthrough. I'd recommend it for anyone's introduction to the series though I can understand wanting to quit or skip it for the sequel. For people that are already BN fans, this is a hard to one to get back to replaying lol. It's been about 4 or so years for me since I played BN1 so my experience with it this replay felt fresher at least. But there's not much reason to come back to this title than any of the other ones really.
Regardless, it was still a fun time. The combat is unique and solid and aesthetics are on point, the writing is charming and funny even if the emotional moments could use a little more oomph. The graphics, artwork and music, god, love it so much. The game really stands out for how unique it is, I don't think I've ever really played an rpg like it or the series in general. And it manages to be both fun and addicting. I got immediately hooked on to it back when I first played it, and I was still thoroughly engaged this time too. For a first timer to the series, this is still a pretty solid entry to get into.
That said, the faults are pretty frustrating with this game; they're more noticeable if you've played the other games, but even for someone's first time there's too many annoyances to it that really should have been taken care of from the start then be dealt with in the sequel:
As addicting as the combat can get, the lack of an escape button (that, y'know, doesn't require a battle chip) and no way to lower the encounter rate in any way leads it to become kind of a drag halfway through. The encounter rate isn't particularly high, but the uniqueness of the combat also means you can't really just button mash it thoughtlessly so things just start feeling slower in general. This is further exacerbated by the navigation of the Net and dungeons as well as some of the puzzles involved in said dungeons: all battle network games include the Internet as its main cyberworld area, with BN1 taking a more labyrinth type approach where the Net more or less feels like a huge dungeon of its own. Unfortunately this maze-like approach, the same look to every net area, and the lack of an in-game map actually made me start to dread exploring the Net in later parts of the game where failing to properly navigate your way around just means more random encounters to deal with. Regular dungeons aren't as expansive but their focus on puzzles means you can get stuck for a while doing them, again meaning you'll keep facing the same enemies on and on which gets extremely repetitive. This was my experience with the waterworks dungeons primarily leading me to loath it so much, but the Powerplant comes close 2nd for its trial and error focused puzzles.
This isn't to say most of the dungeons are this frustrating; I actually liked most of them quite a bit, but again, due to the issues with random battle encounters this also means most of them start to feel like a drag by the time you're done with them. At the least, your health regenerates after every battle and you can save anytime anywhere.
The writing is generally nice but as said before the emotional moments just don't have as much impact on me as later games do. I'll cut this game some slack though since by the end of it, it does feel like they've already planned to develop these characters further and move the plot forward in sequels.
I mostly ended up ranting, oops! Ultimately, I do think this game is still a solid playthrough. I'd recommend it for anyone's introduction to the series though I can understand wanting to quit or skip it for the sequel. For people that are already BN fans, this is a hard to one to get back to replaying lol. It's been about 4 or so years for me since I played BN1 so my experience with it this replay felt fresher at least. But there's not much reason to come back to this title than any of the other ones really.
2021
A lovely little game about a kid's first time doing shopping, and maybe even do a little explorin'.
Co-open is a very cozy and comforting game, with a generally warm atmosphere to it all, be it through the visuals, the music, or the characters. While the goal is to pick up whatever you want and take it to the counter for purchasing (this can be done at any time and is the only way to reach the ending), you're subtly encouraged to explore the rest of the store and whatever areas are available to you, while talking to and maybe even helping out different characters you meet. Most of the characters actually already know you in some way or another, so there's always a sense of familiarity with them, and they're also just generally pleasant people to talk to.
Further encouragement for interaction is given through collectibles: helping out characters gets you a collectible from them ( they're very neat and cute~) and you can also find different numbers scattered around in the store, even on items you have in your pockets or the collectibles; these are phone numbers, which after calling them get added to your phonebook. Doing all of these were really fun, a lot of them felt like little puzzles and encouraged you to observe and find any secrets you can in the store.
I don't really have any complaints honestly, so I'm going to just gush more about the things I really liked from the game
I'm fond of going to the mall every now and then, so looking through all the available things to purchase and their descriptions felt very familiar and comforting in a way lol. The cats were also really cute (but got kind of scarily big if you fed them too much).
It's hard to pick a favourite location, I really liked all of them, but I'd say the library park was my favourite. The cool autumn weather could really be felt here, it was generally a pleasantly structured place, it has my favourite characters out of them all, and it has my favourite track of the game for sure. I will say though, the most fun I had exploring were the vents, and the cold storage area (which was more like a mini snow park really).
On that note, the staircase, forbidden garden and vents do feel kind of creepy to be in. I think its more to do with the music, I like the vibe though, keeps it distinct.
Grandma is awesome and cool.
Overall, pretty short game, I'd definitely recommend if you wanna just have a cozy warm time.
Co-open is a very cozy and comforting game, with a generally warm atmosphere to it all, be it through the visuals, the music, or the characters. While the goal is to pick up whatever you want and take it to the counter for purchasing (this can be done at any time and is the only way to reach the ending), you're subtly encouraged to explore the rest of the store and whatever areas are available to you, while talking to and maybe even helping out different characters you meet. Most of the characters actually already know you in some way or another, so there's always a sense of familiarity with them, and they're also just generally pleasant people to talk to.
Further encouragement for interaction is given through collectibles: helping out characters gets you a collectible from them ( they're very neat and cute~) and you can also find different numbers scattered around in the store, even on items you have in your pockets or the collectibles; these are phone numbers, which after calling them get added to your phonebook. Doing all of these were really fun, a lot of them felt like little puzzles and encouraged you to observe and find any secrets you can in the store.
I don't really have any complaints honestly, so I'm going to just gush more about the things I really liked from the game
I'm fond of going to the mall every now and then, so looking through all the available things to purchase and their descriptions felt very familiar and comforting in a way lol. The cats were also really cute (but got kind of scarily big if you fed them too much).
It's hard to pick a favourite location, I really liked all of them, but I'd say the library park was my favourite. The cool autumn weather could really be felt here, it was generally a pleasantly structured place, it has my favourite characters out of them all, and it has my favourite track of the game for sure. I will say though, the most fun I had exploring were the vents, and the cold storage area (which was more like a mini snow park really).
On that note, the staircase, forbidden garden and vents do feel kind of creepy to be in. I think its more to do with the music, I like the vibe though, keeps it distinct.
Grandma is awesome and cool.
Overall, pretty short game, I'd definitely recommend if you wanna just have a cozy warm time.
I'm not too hot on Plat (and I'm probably never gonna play D&P quite honestly) but I'll admit its one of the more cozier feeling pokemon games I've played.
Tbh I feel a lot of nothing for Sinnoh as a region, the stand-out places really being the snowy areas leading up to snowpoint city (its very annoying to go through though) and the rainy swamp area between pastoria and hearthome. I don't really care much about the cities either. The main exception would be the whole area where the battle frontier and resort area e.t.c. are located, they had a nice look to them and felt cool to explore. Shoutout to the Distortion World, its just cool and actually hyped me up for the climax of the main story lol.
Speaking of which, while it seems like they were generally trying to put more writing in from gens 1-3 it feels a lot more apparent with gen 4. You get a pretty good amount of lore regarding Sinnoh's history and its myths and legends, which includes information on the legendaries, the lake guardians, e.t.c. Similarly certain characters have consistently notable story roles which also often neatly ties in with the lore surrounding sinnoh (does lowkey kind of become an exposition dump by rowan and Cynthia in particular but its whatever), definitely more than what previous gens tried at least. Same goes for more minor like gym leaders, who typically have a little more to their roles to at least leave a memorable impact on the player.
Barry got pretty annoying though admittedly. He was pretty charming at first and immediately made himself distinct as a rival but I got very exhausted from his typical gimmick by the end of the game.
Up to this point in the series, Team Galactic is definitely the most interesting villain team. Cyrus is genuinely a very interesting character, who while doesn't waste no time to make the player hate him you get a pretty good idea of his mindset and later on bits of his backstory that led him to be like this. What he does ultimately sucks, but I can't say I don't feel pity for him, or even feel like I've had similar thoughts to him when I was in a worse situation before. The galactic commanders are less interesting, moreso because they lack enough screentime but I expected as much going off previous villain team commanders. Still, Jupiter and Mars in particular were kinda cool.
A big issue I have with the story is how surprisingly early it ends. Usually I'd expect it to end before the elite 4 but here it ends before the eight gym lol. It kinda just messed the pacing for me, and I mostly lost motivation to continue after it wrapped up. It just feels not right, like I get that they felt this was the right pacing for them but still its like, too soon? its weird, bleh, i don't like it
The new pokemon are cool, probably some the best starters in this series and I had a bit of trouble making a finalized team because I enjoyed a lot of the pokemon I used.
Additional note I guess is that I liked the contests and beat them all (yayyy) and I'm still in the process of beating the battle frontier but its a lot less frustrating than emerald's. I've also been a lot more invested in the post game than I typically am for these games, no real specific reason besides that the new areas that unlock are pretty fun to take a look through.
Fuck whoever thought making glameow, the skunk and misdreavus or whatever D&P exclusive lmao hate that hate that
Tbh I feel a lot of nothing for Sinnoh as a region, the stand-out places really being the snowy areas leading up to snowpoint city (its very annoying to go through though) and the rainy swamp area between pastoria and hearthome. I don't really care much about the cities either. The main exception would be the whole area where the battle frontier and resort area e.t.c. are located, they had a nice look to them and felt cool to explore. Shoutout to the Distortion World, its just cool and actually hyped me up for the climax of the main story lol.
Speaking of which, while it seems like they were generally trying to put more writing in from gens 1-3 it feels a lot more apparent with gen 4. You get a pretty good amount of lore regarding Sinnoh's history and its myths and legends, which includes information on the legendaries, the lake guardians, e.t.c. Similarly certain characters have consistently notable story roles which also often neatly ties in with the lore surrounding sinnoh (does lowkey kind of become an exposition dump by rowan and Cynthia in particular but its whatever), definitely more than what previous gens tried at least. Same goes for more minor like gym leaders, who typically have a little more to their roles to at least leave a memorable impact on the player.
Barry got pretty annoying though admittedly. He was pretty charming at first and immediately made himself distinct as a rival but I got very exhausted from his typical gimmick by the end of the game.
Up to this point in the series, Team Galactic is definitely the most interesting villain team. Cyrus is genuinely a very interesting character, who while doesn't waste no time to make the player hate him you get a pretty good idea of his mindset and later on bits of his backstory that led him to be like this. What he does ultimately sucks, but I can't say I don't feel pity for him, or even feel like I've had similar thoughts to him when I was in a worse situation before. The galactic commanders are less interesting, moreso because they lack enough screentime but I expected as much going off previous villain team commanders. Still, Jupiter and Mars in particular were kinda cool.
A big issue I have with the story is how surprisingly early it ends. Usually I'd expect it to end before the elite 4 but here it ends before the eight gym lol. It kinda just messed the pacing for me, and I mostly lost motivation to continue after it wrapped up. It just feels not right, like I get that they felt this was the right pacing for them but still its like, too soon? its weird, bleh, i don't like it
The new pokemon are cool, probably some the best starters in this series and I had a bit of trouble making a finalized team because I enjoyed a lot of the pokemon I used.
Additional note I guess is that I liked the contests and beat them all (yayyy) and I'm still in the process of beating the battle frontier but its a lot less frustrating than emerald's. I've also been a lot more invested in the post game than I typically am for these games, no real specific reason besides that the new areas that unlock are pretty fun to take a look through.
Fuck whoever thought making glameow, the skunk and misdreavus or whatever D&P exclusive lmao hate that hate that