GabrielAtum
21 reviews liked by GabrielAtum
A Link to the Past is a very difficult game to judge because it is undeniably a landmark of gaming, a well-crafted adventure for its time and a truly ambitious experience for a Super Nintendo title. But as a kid, I found it incredibly frustrating, so much so that it put me off of the Zelda series for over a decade, and has been the biggest driving force for my apathy of 2D Zelda. It was a franchise that never clicked for me until it made the move to 3D, and despite several attempts to go back to ALTTP over the years, that feeling of apathy remained. Now, finally, having dedicated myself to seeing it all the way through to the end...yeah I still feel the same.
For as much as I did enjoy finally seeing everything this game has to offer, my biggest complaints still ring true: combat is more of a chore than anything else, quickly becoming something I did not feel like engaging with unless absolutely necessary, and as a result, hinders the game's biggest strength, its sense of exploration. I stuck largely to the path I needed to take because trying to get anywhere else was mostly an annoyance. The game can also be incredibly obtuse or downright cryptic with its puzzle solving and progression, easily the most dated aspect of the time period from which it originates, and all of this conspires to leave me in the same place I felt all those years ago, just with less patience for it now.
This review is much harsher than something like A Link to the Past deserves, and I am glad I was finally able to slay those childhood demons by beating it. But I've never had the love for 2D Zelda others do, and if playing through the most revered of them all didn't do it for me, I guess I can safely say they just aren't for me.
For as much as I did enjoy finally seeing everything this game has to offer, my biggest complaints still ring true: combat is more of a chore than anything else, quickly becoming something I did not feel like engaging with unless absolutely necessary, and as a result, hinders the game's biggest strength, its sense of exploration. I stuck largely to the path I needed to take because trying to get anywhere else was mostly an annoyance. The game can also be incredibly obtuse or downright cryptic with its puzzle solving and progression, easily the most dated aspect of the time period from which it originates, and all of this conspires to leave me in the same place I felt all those years ago, just with less patience for it now.
This review is much harsher than something like A Link to the Past deserves, and I am glad I was finally able to slay those childhood demons by beating it. But I've never had the love for 2D Zelda others do, and if playing through the most revered of them all didn't do it for me, I guess I can safely say they just aren't for me.
Dragon Warrior IV
1990
"Honey, wake up!", your wife tells you, "your boss will scold you again if you're late!". You're reminded of the existence of the overbearing and rude shop owner that employs you. How many hours at the counter will you have to spend this time before he is satisfied? Your back hurts, the bed you sleep in is worn out and not very comfortable, and yet you can hardly sleep in and fully recover - you have a wife and child to feed. You get up, get dressed, wash yourself and are now ready for another day at work. "Here's your lunch, honey", your wife tells you as she kisses you on the cheek, "have a good day!"
Taking the lunch, you're on your way to the weapon's shop. An old man stops you, "Torneko my dear", he says, "can you push me to the church? My bones are cranky, and I'll even pay you a couple gold for that." Needing every penny due to the meager pay you receive, you decide to help the old neighbour out. You feel ridiculous pushing an old man to the church, humiliated even, but eventually manage to complete the task. "Thank you dear, this is for you." You receive 9 gold pieces. The idea that you have to do such tasks for a mere 9 gold pieces makes you feel ashamed, thus not feeling like working, you take a little detour to the bar. An old drinking buddy is happy to see you. "Torneko old friend! How are you?", he shouts in a carefree manner that simply irritates you. How can he relax like that while you have to slave away in the weapon's shop? "Have you heard, friend, they say there are many treasures in the cave up north. Nobody goes there because they say it's full of monsters, but I wonder if the rumor is true. That'd be something if we could get our hands on it, eh? You wouldn't have to work for the old shopkeeper anymore, eh?"
Him and his ridiculous fantasies, you think. And suddenly, as if reminding yourself you're not quit as low as to start drinking and spreading rumors in the morning, you remember that you're already thirty minutes late to work. Finally, you decided to leave your daydreaming and already drunk friend alone and make your way to the shop. "You're late. Again. Where were you?" - he doesn't even greet you properly - "Stand in front of the counter and take care of the customers. You get paid on commission, so do your job properly." and as he says that, he disappears into the back of the shop. This is it. Another day of pain.
For hours customer after customer is entering, asking for one of the three items on sale at the shop or looking to sell one of theirs, and you diligently make sure they pay the appropriate price. Despite everything, you do want to do your job properly. After around 8-9 hours, you've finally had enough and ask for your pay from the shopkeeper. "Hmm, your work was worth 109 gold pieces today. See you tomorrow." The day of torture has ended, and it's time to return to the light in your life, your family. You enter your home.
"Welcome back honey, how was work?", she gives you a soft greeting kiss, "I'm glad you are working so hard for us honey, but does working for someone else really suit you? When I married you, you wanted to become the greatest merchant in the world. I know you can do it. That's why I married you! W-Well, it's not the entire reason of course. Fufufu."
Her words are encouraging, but also worrisome. Deep down you understand what she is really saying, She's saying she doesn't want a husband who's stuck in a dead-end job as a cashier at a weapon's shop. You're loved, but for how long will that last while you're humiliating yourself pushing around old men for a few more gold pieces? You go to bed, night falls, but your wife's words linger in your mind. This can't go on for much longer. "I have to do something. I'm done with this monotony, I'm sick of selling weapons for a couple gold coins. I want to provide for my family. I want to show them what I can do. Tomorrow I will do something. I will change something.", you think to yourself half-awake, imagining yourself bringing riches home to your soon-to-be-proud wife. Didn't your friend say something about treasure in a cave in the north? You've never fought with monsters before. You're a bit chubby, not the most athletic person, in fact, you've never won a fight before. But sometimes a man has to take risks. Sometimes a man has to be bold. Sometimes a man needs to want more.
Dawn approaches. This is the day. This is the day that will not be the same as any other. You go to the weapons shop. Not as an employee, but as a customer. You arrive. "A copper sword, please.", you tell your boss. "Torneko, you don't need a copper sword in front of the counter, no one is going to attack you", "well, I don't need the counter today. I'm quitting. But before I go, I need that copper sword.", "You're making a mistake, Torneko. But as you wish."
Leaving your life of monotony behind, you take the first bold step outside the safe confines of the city as suddenly a she-slime draws near. You're grasping the copper sword, of which you have sold hundreds, but have never used one for yourself - until now. You're fighting your fear, your uncertainty, your hesitation. This is it, there is no going back now, with determination you take your first blow.
Welcome to the world of Dragon Quest
Taking the lunch, you're on your way to the weapon's shop. An old man stops you, "Torneko my dear", he says, "can you push me to the church? My bones are cranky, and I'll even pay you a couple gold for that." Needing every penny due to the meager pay you receive, you decide to help the old neighbour out. You feel ridiculous pushing an old man to the church, humiliated even, but eventually manage to complete the task. "Thank you dear, this is for you." You receive 9 gold pieces. The idea that you have to do such tasks for a mere 9 gold pieces makes you feel ashamed, thus not feeling like working, you take a little detour to the bar. An old drinking buddy is happy to see you. "Torneko old friend! How are you?", he shouts in a carefree manner that simply irritates you. How can he relax like that while you have to slave away in the weapon's shop? "Have you heard, friend, they say there are many treasures in the cave up north. Nobody goes there because they say it's full of monsters, but I wonder if the rumor is true. That'd be something if we could get our hands on it, eh? You wouldn't have to work for the old shopkeeper anymore, eh?"
Him and his ridiculous fantasies, you think. And suddenly, as if reminding yourself you're not quit as low as to start drinking and spreading rumors in the morning, you remember that you're already thirty minutes late to work. Finally, you decided to leave your daydreaming and already drunk friend alone and make your way to the shop. "You're late. Again. Where were you?" - he doesn't even greet you properly - "Stand in front of the counter and take care of the customers. You get paid on commission, so do your job properly." and as he says that, he disappears into the back of the shop. This is it. Another day of pain.
For hours customer after customer is entering, asking for one of the three items on sale at the shop or looking to sell one of theirs, and you diligently make sure they pay the appropriate price. Despite everything, you do want to do your job properly. After around 8-9 hours, you've finally had enough and ask for your pay from the shopkeeper. "Hmm, your work was worth 109 gold pieces today. See you tomorrow." The day of torture has ended, and it's time to return to the light in your life, your family. You enter your home.
"Welcome back honey, how was work?", she gives you a soft greeting kiss, "I'm glad you are working so hard for us honey, but does working for someone else really suit you? When I married you, you wanted to become the greatest merchant in the world. I know you can do it. That's why I married you! W-Well, it's not the entire reason of course. Fufufu."
Her words are encouraging, but also worrisome. Deep down you understand what she is really saying, She's saying she doesn't want a husband who's stuck in a dead-end job as a cashier at a weapon's shop. You're loved, but for how long will that last while you're humiliating yourself pushing around old men for a few more gold pieces? You go to bed, night falls, but your wife's words linger in your mind. This can't go on for much longer. "I have to do something. I'm done with this monotony, I'm sick of selling weapons for a couple gold coins. I want to provide for my family. I want to show them what I can do. Tomorrow I will do something. I will change something.", you think to yourself half-awake, imagining yourself bringing riches home to your soon-to-be-proud wife. Didn't your friend say something about treasure in a cave in the north? You've never fought with monsters before. You're a bit chubby, not the most athletic person, in fact, you've never won a fight before. But sometimes a man has to take risks. Sometimes a man has to be bold. Sometimes a man needs to want more.
Dawn approaches. This is the day. This is the day that will not be the same as any other. You go to the weapons shop. Not as an employee, but as a customer. You arrive. "A copper sword, please.", you tell your boss. "Torneko, you don't need a copper sword in front of the counter, no one is going to attack you", "well, I don't need the counter today. I'm quitting. But before I go, I need that copper sword.", "You're making a mistake, Torneko. But as you wish."
Leaving your life of monotony behind, you take the first bold step outside the safe confines of the city as suddenly a she-slime draws near. You're grasping the copper sword, of which you have sold hundreds, but have never used one for yourself - until now. You're fighting your fear, your uncertainty, your hesitation. This is it, there is no going back now, with determination you take your first blow.
Welcome to the world of Dragon Quest
Final Fantasy II
1991
tfw this is one of the lowest games on the site cuz people dont realize this is ff4
Esse é DE LONGE o melhor Pokémon de todos, a trilha sonora é incrível, os gráficos são bonitos até hoje, a jogabilidade não tá tão defasada (pra mim pelo menos) e é um jogo enorme.
*A melhor música de Pokémon tá nesse jogo e é a do National Park.
*A melhor música de Pokémon tá nesse jogo e é a do National Park.
Oh man, oooooh man. This is a special game.
I was getting burnt out by the end of DQVI, to the point where I didn't even beat the final boss.
Knowing that I had the longest DQ game - which reuses/retools a fair few elements of 6 like the classes, style stat, two-worlds etc - was a bit daunting. I thought me DQ journey would end here!!!
But fuuuuuuck if this isn't just the best DQ game. Every little vignette that makes up the islands is bursting with charm. I totally forgot there was even a larger over-arching plot at times and it was great????
Hell, this game is long and ended up taking me around 90 hours, probably longer if I played the PS1 version. Is it a hot take to say that this game actually has really good pacing?
It leans so well into its segmented approach to the adventure, and the inconsistent lengths of each islands are well planned out. If one of the arcs wasn't to my liking, I know that I'd be done with it in like 10 minutes, and the ones that I enjoyed I got to spend a few hours on.
I never felt like I had to stop midway through a dungeon or groan at the thought of a grinding session. But on the note of grinding
GRINDING, I don't like it in RPGs. It sucks. It's awful. Grinding bad.
This game is the closest I've come to actually liking grinding and that's all thanks to the vocations. What's essentially the same system from 6 gets re-tooled and re-balanced in a way that gets me engaged with my party's levelling. Multiple times I'd go backtrack to an area in the middle of a story segment because I knew that I'd have a new spell for my pirate class in three battles, or some new stat buff. It's nowhere near as annoying as DQ6's vocations and it's twice as satisfying.
By the end of the game I felt so involved in my party's abilities. Even in the better DQ games like 3, 4 and 5, I'd always have to stop and think "ooh, who uses spears? What items should I give to this member? Does everyone have the right armour and accessories?"
I knew Maribel, Kiefer, Ruff, Merlyn and Aishe's strengths and weaknesses right off the bat. I got to make these characters my own through Alltrades Abbey. What other games let you control a wolf boy who (in my case) was the master of both the ocean AND sheep?
It's not a shocking observation to say that RPGs are better when you can, you know, role-play in them. But man, DQ7's strength is that it manages to feel so free despite its linearity. A game that breaks up the DQ formula and isn't afraid to double down on it. This is my adventure, these are my party members. I don't want it to end. This is dragon quest baby!!
I was getting burnt out by the end of DQVI, to the point where I didn't even beat the final boss.
Knowing that I had the longest DQ game - which reuses/retools a fair few elements of 6 like the classes, style stat, two-worlds etc - was a bit daunting. I thought me DQ journey would end here!!!
But fuuuuuuck if this isn't just the best DQ game. Every little vignette that makes up the islands is bursting with charm. I totally forgot there was even a larger over-arching plot at times and it was great????
Hell, this game is long and ended up taking me around 90 hours, probably longer if I played the PS1 version. Is it a hot take to say that this game actually has really good pacing?
It leans so well into its segmented approach to the adventure, and the inconsistent lengths of each islands are well planned out. If one of the arcs wasn't to my liking, I know that I'd be done with it in like 10 minutes, and the ones that I enjoyed I got to spend a few hours on.
I never felt like I had to stop midway through a dungeon or groan at the thought of a grinding session. But on the note of grinding
GRINDING, I don't like it in RPGs. It sucks. It's awful. Grinding bad.
This game is the closest I've come to actually liking grinding and that's all thanks to the vocations. What's essentially the same system from 6 gets re-tooled and re-balanced in a way that gets me engaged with my party's levelling. Multiple times I'd go backtrack to an area in the middle of a story segment because I knew that I'd have a new spell for my pirate class in three battles, or some new stat buff. It's nowhere near as annoying as DQ6's vocations and it's twice as satisfying.
By the end of the game I felt so involved in my party's abilities. Even in the better DQ games like 3, 4 and 5, I'd always have to stop and think "ooh, who uses spears? What items should I give to this member? Does everyone have the right armour and accessories?"
I knew Maribel, Kiefer, Ruff, Merlyn and Aishe's strengths and weaknesses right off the bat. I got to make these characters my own through Alltrades Abbey. What other games let you control a wolf boy who (in my case) was the master of both the ocean AND sheep?
It's not a shocking observation to say that RPGs are better when you can, you know, role-play in them. But man, DQ7's strength is that it manages to feel so free despite its linearity. A game that breaks up the DQ formula and isn't afraid to double down on it. This is my adventure, these are my party members. I don't want it to end. This is dragon quest baby!!
coining the term "xenoblade syndrome" for when people think something is the peak of the medium because they haven't engaged with the medium all that much
Mega Man ZX
2006
always give a game you're indifferent to a 2nd chance kids that 7/10 may go to a 10/10
This review contains spoilers
It's hard to exactly state why Dragon Quest V is so important without spoiling the whole premise of the game itself so here it is. Dragon Quest V features probably one of my favorite twists ever in a JRPG, one that both encapsulates the spirit of Dragon Quest while being bold in its own right.
The story unfolds through the life of Abel (the "Hero" of this game, at least that's what people tell me his name is.) where he starts out as a child, unable to even read, as he follows his dad Pankraz along on his journey. Pankraz has true dad energy. He's strong, brave, and caring to his son along with everyone else, and he helps Abel decimate any threat along the way and even heals you. However things go dark a few hours in when after a failed attempt to save Prince Harry from a kidnapping, Pankraz dies to the evil Ladja but before he does he tells Abel his lost mother is still alive and then he gets blasted by a Kafrizzle. Abel and Prince Harry are then sold into slavery until they are in their teens whereby the help of someone else, they are able to escape in a barrel out onto the sea. From there, you get your typical Dragon Quest affair.
Then something happens, the time skips and Abel starts to rule a kingdom on his own, much as his father did. And he gets married to a choice of three different girls. And hey, guess what? She gives birth. Twins! One boy and one girl! And after another time skip, they grow old enough to become party members! And they're pretty good for being children too.
This is when sometime in the late game you learn something from another NPC, and that all this time Abel, your player character is not the almighty chosen one to take down the evil Nizmo that has been causing chaos around the country. No, it's your son instead.
That's when I got Dragon Quest V's message. It hit me like a freight train. Dragon Quest up to this point has always been about you, the player, destined to go out on this journey to a vast unknown land to take down an ambiguous evil entity and be the hero you were always destined to be. But here, Dragon Quest V tells you you're not this grandiose hero, at least not in the cliche "prophesized" way, no, you are a hero because you are like Pankraz.
Pankraz had a heart of gold from the start, he used to be a great ruler of his kingdom but more importantly, he was a true father through and through. He loved his wife and son more than anything, but he died a horrible, tragic death in an attempt to protect his son. All this time, you follow in your father's footsteps. You fall in love, you have children of your own to protect, you help those in need, and you even lead a kingdom of people. Your righteousness completely mirrors that of Pankraz.
So when Dragon Quest V states that it is your son that you raised that is destined to become the chosen one, that's not a cheap shot to get a subversive expectation in the script, it felt earned. Because in the end, your actions lead to that point. You may not be explicitly told you are "the hero", but a real hero doesn't need to be told that he is destined to be great, a hero is someone who is already righteous enough as is. Pankraz was a righteous man who kept his head up high until the end. He was a hero. His successor Abel, much like his father, is a hero in his own way too.
And I think there's something so genuinely wholesome about that, it keeps the essence of Dragon Quest's commitment to you being the hero but in a different more down-to-earth kind of way. I think that's the reason this Dragon Quest especially has stuck with me the most, because that message is just so relatable and pure it makes this almost 29-year-old game stand all of the time skips.
The story unfolds through the life of Abel (the "Hero" of this game, at least that's what people tell me his name is.) where he starts out as a child, unable to even read, as he follows his dad Pankraz along on his journey. Pankraz has true dad energy. He's strong, brave, and caring to his son along with everyone else, and he helps Abel decimate any threat along the way and even heals you. However things go dark a few hours in when after a failed attempt to save Prince Harry from a kidnapping, Pankraz dies to the evil Ladja but before he does he tells Abel his lost mother is still alive and then he gets blasted by a Kafrizzle. Abel and Prince Harry are then sold into slavery until they are in their teens whereby the help of someone else, they are able to escape in a barrel out onto the sea. From there, you get your typical Dragon Quest affair.
Then something happens, the time skips and Abel starts to rule a kingdom on his own, much as his father did. And he gets married to a choice of three different girls. And hey, guess what? She gives birth. Twins! One boy and one girl! And after another time skip, they grow old enough to become party members! And they're pretty good for being children too.
This is when sometime in the late game you learn something from another NPC, and that all this time Abel, your player character is not the almighty chosen one to take down the evil Nizmo that has been causing chaos around the country. No, it's your son instead.
That's when I got Dragon Quest V's message. It hit me like a freight train. Dragon Quest up to this point has always been about you, the player, destined to go out on this journey to a vast unknown land to take down an ambiguous evil entity and be the hero you were always destined to be. But here, Dragon Quest V tells you you're not this grandiose hero, at least not in the cliche "prophesized" way, no, you are a hero because you are like Pankraz.
Pankraz had a heart of gold from the start, he used to be a great ruler of his kingdom but more importantly, he was a true father through and through. He loved his wife and son more than anything, but he died a horrible, tragic death in an attempt to protect his son. All this time, you follow in your father's footsteps. You fall in love, you have children of your own to protect, you help those in need, and you even lead a kingdom of people. Your righteousness completely mirrors that of Pankraz.
So when Dragon Quest V states that it is your son that you raised that is destined to become the chosen one, that's not a cheap shot to get a subversive expectation in the script, it felt earned. Because in the end, your actions lead to that point. You may not be explicitly told you are "the hero", but a real hero doesn't need to be told that he is destined to be great, a hero is someone who is already righteous enough as is. Pankraz was a righteous man who kept his head up high until the end. He was a hero. His successor Abel, much like his father, is a hero in his own way too.
And I think there's something so genuinely wholesome about that, it keeps the essence of Dragon Quest's commitment to you being the hero but in a different more down-to-earth kind of way. I think that's the reason this Dragon Quest especially has stuck with me the most, because that message is just so relatable and pure it makes this almost 29-year-old game stand all of the time skips.
The rpgs i have the most fond memories of are obviously the ones i played as a child. This game is an exception. I played it for the first time last week and i couldn't put it down! Even did all the postgame things i could do, with most games i don't bother with that stuff. I played all dragon quests games that came before it (i want to play them in order), and while i enjoyed them all, this was something else.
The story is great. I don't want to go into any spoilers for this one so let just say that everything came together nicely, and it really feels like a complete journey. Bonus enjoyment if you play this after dq4.
The gameplay is the same as always with this series, which is a good thing for me. The monster catching is something they didn't need to do, as the game was complete even without it. But i'm glad they since it adds ton of extra fun en replayability. That must have cost them a lot of extra development time. It's easy to see how this was revolutionary when it came out and started the monster catching subgenre of rpg's together with the first shin megami tensei. Without experiments like these there wouldn't be any pokémon games.
Some people say this is overrated, but if this can give me so much fun as an adult, i disagree with that. Not many RPG's do that for me anymore. I even think because of the themes of this game, you might have a stronger emotional reaction to it while playing it as an adult.
The story is great. I don't want to go into any spoilers for this one so let just say that everything came together nicely, and it really feels like a complete journey. Bonus enjoyment if you play this after dq4.
The gameplay is the same as always with this series, which is a good thing for me. The monster catching is something they didn't need to do, as the game was complete even without it. But i'm glad they since it adds ton of extra fun en replayability. That must have cost them a lot of extra development time. It's easy to see how this was revolutionary when it came out and started the monster catching subgenre of rpg's together with the first shin megami tensei. Without experiments like these there wouldn't be any pokémon games.
Some people say this is overrated, but if this can give me so much fun as an adult, i disagree with that. Not many RPG's do that for me anymore. I even think because of the themes of this game, you might have a stronger emotional reaction to it while playing it as an adult.
dragon quest v is the best 'dad game' for understanding that, to be a dad, you need at first to be a son. it also understands how important a parent is to the formation of a child. it understands that, while people are gone, they live forever in our hearts and the impact they caused on us will remain till us gone, too. such a powerful experience, i miss the ones that are gone so much, but i love they a lot, too.