It has almost been 10 years since I last played DA2 as a 15 year old and now as almost a 25 year old, going back to DA2 felt like rather weird, but at the same time cozy and comforting. I don't remember much about my experience back then, but I think it most likely mirrored the way I felt about it now. DA2 is surprisingly a good game, even though it was made in 16 months, with lovable cast of characters, likeable protagonist and interesting city to explore. The combat feels better and more impactful than in Origins and it felt easy to build an efficient rotation that would work in every encounter. The story isn't amazing and the timeskips (that I think could have been utilized better somehow) felt jarring, but I still found myself wanting to play a bit more every time I shut off my xbox. This time around I also played the DLC, really liking Legacy, but Mark of the Assassin really missed the mark (hehe) and if I'm being honest, it is my least favorite out of all BioWare DLCs so far. I just couldn't stand Tallis and I just found the story of the DLC very uninteresting and unimportant regarding the bigger picture.

The game doesn't come without its issues though; repeating environments, acts that feel disjointed from each other (every act has its main plot that are all separate from each other, which leaves a bit weird feeling. For example something big that happens in act 2 is never really discussed again in act 3, even though it would have impacted Kirkwall greatly), some rather annoying bugs (Hawke wouldn't drink a health potion no matter what), clunky AI and weird difficulty spikes with some of the bosses prevented this game from really shining. I think DA2 does suffer a little bit from being in a middle of a trilogy, not doing much to it in general, but it is still worth of playing and experiencing at least once.

Chants of Sennaar is a game I never expected to like as much as I did! the premise of the game is simple; you simply go around this mystical tower, translating languages and trying to form links between the inhabitants. the puzzles are never too difficult, but rewarding once you figure them out and give that joy of discovery. the story is quite low-key and leaves a lot to interpretation, but I think it works in a puzzle game like this. the graphics are quite neat, but when I started the game they felt a bit off-putting and the colors were little too bright for my eyes, but the further into the game I went, I really grew to love the overall aesthetic and the world.

my only issue was the forced stealth in couple levels, while none of these sections were too difficult, they still took the enjoyment out of the game. in addition some of the answers felt a bit obtuse at times and I had to search some stuff up, but this wasn't a huge detriment to my enjoyment. ~

far cry primal left me feeling a bit weird. while I enjoyed lot of things in it (sabertooth riding, the unga bunga setting and some of the story beats), it is still a far cry game and a very grindy one. I feel like the story could have been improved (the game just ends after the last boss fight? there's literally no follow up quest or anything) and maybe by dropping far cry from the title, it could have been made more unique. I'm glad I finished it, but I think it was a bit of a missed opportunity. worth of trying at least and way too overhated for what it is.

Botany Manor was such a delight and I enjoyed the time I spent with it so much that I played it through in one sitting! The vibes were super cozy and the environments interesting and full of small details, the summery atmosphere being a cherry on top <3
I loved the way you had to wander around the manor collect the clues, it really feeding into my explorer mindset! the puzzles weren't too difficult and it was really difficult to get stuck, but it still gave you that joy of figuring them out, although couple times I knew what to do, but I just could not get the order right. in addition, the inability to look at the clues in your journal got really annoying eventually, as some plants have many things to keep in mind to make them grow, so I highly suggest you have some paper at hand where you can write some clues down.

all in all, I highly recommend this game and I am really excited to see what the studio will come up with next ~

I picked up Signalis wanting to see what it was all about before it leaves game pass and I gotta say, it starts off really strong! I was hooked from the get-go, but the further I got into the game, all the little things started to really get to me. only having 6 slots for your items (all the items, also including the quest items that there are several of in many areas. even the flashlight takes one spot from your inventory, like really?) started to really annoy me. I felt like the game was mostly just me running back and forth between items and the safe room where you can stash whatever you pick up. also not having a map in one area at the latter half of the game was annoying because the enemies get off the floor after a while and I would have to go back and forth just to find the right room, which meant that I had to go through some unnecessary fights. I do understand why the design choice, but still.

I did really like the puzzles, the story, world and the atmosphere especially! I like the kind of cosmic horror mixed with gore aesthetic they're were going for, but unfortunately it wasn't enough for me to go through the rest of the game and I gave up at around 70% :(

just a cute and cozy game about a frog who needs to find items for her tea party. a perfect game if you don't have much time to play, since the game can be completed quickly, my own playthrough taking around one hour. the art style is cute and the music is nice enough, but despite being a fan of walking simulators, the walking/running speed is too slow, especially if you have to explore around to find the right person to speak to. puzzles could have been a bit more difficult. 3/5, super cute, but nothing too special.

While not as good as the first Coffee Talk, I still enjoyed my time with Episode 2. It did drag a bit at the beginning, it feeling like that the conversations didn't really go anywhere and just went over the same things over and over again, but I did really enjoy the latter half of the game. The new characters were quite nice, but I wished some of the old characters would have appeared a bit more (besides Baileys and Lua) throughout the game. Overall, it was a nice, relaxing experience with a great cast of characters, but the reliance on the walkthrough for some requests (some were quite unclear) and achievements and the repetition of the same topics again and again definitely hindered the experience a bit.

Redfall is such a weird game to review. I think it has gotten unnecessary hate and I've played games worse than this, but at the same time, it is one of the blandest "I'm going to listen to a podcast while I play this game" game that there is. I think it has such a great foundation, some of the story beats are interesting and the world seems cool and I enjoying just taking the sights in, but then again, the combat kind of sucks (almost all the boss fights were horrible and I considered quitting the game lol) the side activities are repetitive and the world just feels really empty. The saddest thing is just the fact that this game could have been really good with (a lot of) tweaks and sometimes the great and cool moments really shine through the bland mass, giving glimpses what could have been.

I have always preferred Bioshock and Bioshock 2 over Infinite and before getting into the Complete Edition yet again (third time playing), I had pretty iffy feelings about the game. I don't think how I feel about Infinite changed after playing it as I still think it's terrible Bioshock game, but I could appreciate it for some things. I think the graphics are quite lovely and I love the atmosphere and aesthetic! I also really enjoyed Elizabeth this time around <3. Other than that? This game was just so mind numbingly boring and the story attempts to be clever but it just feels like it's trying too hard. Plasmids were ass (I used like three and rest of them felt useless) and every area was just shooting gallery after shooting gallery. I'm glad I did finally finish it, but I don't see myself returning to the game ever again.

I also played through the both episodes of Burial at Sea and let me tell you, I went into them expecting something life changing, just as Den of Minerva was as people have been praising Burial at Sea for years. What I got was just...boring and it didn't really make me feel in any way. I do blame myself for having high expectations, but come on, that was it? Yeah it was nice to return to Rapture but I felt like you just went back and forth areas trying to look for items. They attempted to explain some lore behind the original Bioshock but I mostly felt that it didn't add anything to it and all I could think was the saying "wide as an ocean, deep as a puddle". It had some good ideas, but I think it just needed a different structure and more linear levels.

Jusant is a hard game to give a score to, because it is simply a game about climbing, but at the same time it's about so much more. It frustrated me, but it also made me feel so many things. I loved the music and the environments and the little clues that were left everywhere; dried out farms, seashells giving a glimpse to life before and notes explaining the daily life of the people that were once inhabiting the area. The climbing, which is the main gameplay, was simple enough, but kept me engaged throughout the game, it feeling like a giant puzzle. I also enjoyed the rather simple, but gorgeous graphics; once in a while I would just stand at the edge of a cliff, looking at the sprawling desert before me.

I did have some gripes with the game though. The game isn't always great at explaining where it wants you to go, sometimes I had to run around for a while just to see a little rock somewhere I could grab and sometimes the climbing wasn't great either, your character flailing his hands everywhere just trying to grab something. It kind of reminded me of some of the issues I've had with Assassin's Creed before; not being able to grab a ledge that's right there, physics getting wild and things like that. I did also have some stuttering in places, but it never lasted too long and didn't hamper the experience.

It was all worth it in the end though, the ending made me actually cry a bit, it was just really beautiful. I just wished something a bit more from the story (other than the documents and notes) itself, but I'm still happy I played it through. If you're looking for a cozy game with no combat, but you want some challenge once in a while, this is probably a perfect game for you.