Gooble
BACKER
2022
Elden Ring is the culmination of the amazing systems- and leveldesign that From Software has made their fame with. Elden Ring is not a game that I believe pays back the amount of time and frustration it asks of me.
Now before you accuse me of being a contrarian for the sake of it, let me explain. I am not saying Elden Ring is a bad game, far from it. It is an amazing experiment and truly a work of great skill and design. I just think the game wants to do too many things at once, and, as someone not entirely familiar with Souls-games, that confusion had an effect on me as the player.
Elden Ring wants to be an open-world with free-form exploration of both your environment and your favorite way to dispatch the enemies ahead of you. Elden Ring also wants to be a punishing game that demands precision and determination. On top of that, it wands to build a new universe divergent from the now-familiar setting type of the Dark Souls trilogy. In attempting to be all of these, I believe it succeeds only in the exploration pillar - and by that I mean only the exploring of the world.
Why is that? Well, to put it simply - Elden Ring makes me feel like I play the game wrong. Whenever I engage in the exploration side of the game, I let myself wander and stumble into new wondrous places that I want to see every nook and cranny of - only to be met with a boss or enemy that I either have no trouble with at all, or I am underleveled for. Whenever I engage with the pleasure-through-overcoming side of the game, I buckle down for a hard fight, but have to grapple with janky lock-on systems or cheesy boss designs with input tracking and long combos. When I want to engage with Elden Ring's story or setting, I am left wondering why I do not care for the stories behind the large ruins that litter the games' landscapes. Don't get me wrong - I am fully aware that I have only played 20 hours of this game and that this game has much more world and gameplay to offer beyond this point. I just feel like 20 hours is plenty of time for a game to prove itself, and Elden Ring didn't.
Elden Ring is a grand experiment that ends in confusion for me, personally. I am happy that everyone derived so much enjoyment from this game, and that the game's open world design will inspire many other in the future. But when a game expects you to look up in wonder at your surroundings, yet makes you feel like you want to look up a guide online, I believe that sense of wonder is lost. At least for me, anyway.
Now before you accuse me of being a contrarian for the sake of it, let me explain. I am not saying Elden Ring is a bad game, far from it. It is an amazing experiment and truly a work of great skill and design. I just think the game wants to do too many things at once, and, as someone not entirely familiar with Souls-games, that confusion had an effect on me as the player.
Elden Ring wants to be an open-world with free-form exploration of both your environment and your favorite way to dispatch the enemies ahead of you. Elden Ring also wants to be a punishing game that demands precision and determination. On top of that, it wands to build a new universe divergent from the now-familiar setting type of the Dark Souls trilogy. In attempting to be all of these, I believe it succeeds only in the exploration pillar - and by that I mean only the exploring of the world.
Why is that? Well, to put it simply - Elden Ring makes me feel like I play the game wrong. Whenever I engage in the exploration side of the game, I let myself wander and stumble into new wondrous places that I want to see every nook and cranny of - only to be met with a boss or enemy that I either have no trouble with at all, or I am underleveled for. Whenever I engage with the pleasure-through-overcoming side of the game, I buckle down for a hard fight, but have to grapple with janky lock-on systems or cheesy boss designs with input tracking and long combos. When I want to engage with Elden Ring's story or setting, I am left wondering why I do not care for the stories behind the large ruins that litter the games' landscapes. Don't get me wrong - I am fully aware that I have only played 20 hours of this game and that this game has much more world and gameplay to offer beyond this point. I just feel like 20 hours is plenty of time for a game to prove itself, and Elden Ring didn't.
Elden Ring is a grand experiment that ends in confusion for me, personally. I am happy that everyone derived so much enjoyment from this game, and that the game's open world design will inspire many other in the future. But when a game expects you to look up in wonder at your surroundings, yet makes you feel like you want to look up a guide online, I believe that sense of wonder is lost. At least for me, anyway.
2018
I think I played this game at the perfect time.
Let me start by saying that, before playing this game, I had sworn off the platforming genre as something that was not for me. These games, I felt, were designed around precision and a linear progression to the end of the level. As someone who mostly enjoys games that encourage multiple approaches to a problem, such as strategy and simulation games, platformers (including Celeste) were too restricting. I was right, but also wrong. Very, very wrong.
Celeste is a game where you play a young woman on a quest to climb a mountain. It is a dangerous, deceptive mountain, that few dare to climb much farther than the first few trails. Why would you, a shy, anxious person, try to do such a thing? Many characters in the game ask you the very same, including the main character herself. Soon you'll figure out that you're doing it because you know you can.
The premise of this game is masterfully reinforced by its mechanics. Celeste is a difficult game. You have a jump a dash. The dash refreshes when your feet touch the ground, bar some exceptions. Using just these two concepts the game puts you through a number of levels that test your ability to read a route through the hazards in your way, and to execute on that route with a high level of precision. I thought I'd despise this. I for sure did not. This is because the game near-instantly puts you back at the start of the segment when you fail. It is so enthralling to try and experiment with different tactics to make your way to the next screen. You will die a lot, but every time you do you learn a tiny nuance of how to progress further. Because you can apply it instantly, you get this sense of determination: Yes, you are currently gnashing your teeth, but goddammit if I am gonna let this mountain get the better of me.
This theme is further reinforced by the aesthetic direction of the game. Music, graphics and writing all work in tandem to reinforce that feeling of triumph and struggle on your way to the top of the mountain. Characters berate you but also comfort you, all the while dealing with their own mental mountain to climb. Your main character struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, personified in an evil alter ego that appears to you at your lowest points. Wind whips across the screen in tough sections, and your direction is ever upwards as you progress through the levels. The music is a masterclass, perfectly guiding the mood of cutscenes and levels to suit the theme of a given moment. Constantly, you're reminded that this is a climb: but you're making it despite the hardships.
Here's where my first sentence of this review comes in: I played this game at the perfect time. During the summer of 2021, I was finishing my Master's degree. I was writing my thesis. It was gonna be a good one, I knew, but I was exhausted. I had been studying remotely for a full year, in addition to all the feelings everyone has been familiarized with over the past 2(!) years. I was close to giving up quite a lot that summer. Not because I couldn't do it, but because I was so damn tired of fighting so much. Celeste was my escape for this feeling, as well as a place where I could experience my own struggle in a safe space: away from others, but most importantly, my own doubts and fears.
As I climbed the mountain, I started realizing what this game meant and still means to me: Celeste reminded me of the fact that being afraid and tired does not mean that you will fail. It just means that you're learning. You don't have to do this alone: You have others that will cheer you on in your climb. But in the end, it's you that will overcome the hardships you face. As long as you don't give up, it's okay to cry, to get angry, to lose hope. In fact, its better to accept that fear and face it head on.
I thought I was never meant to be able to finish Celeste, let alone enjoy it as much as I did. But I love this game. It taught me something very important about myself and the way I want to live. Plus: the final level's soundtrack is a banger.
Let me start by saying that, before playing this game, I had sworn off the platforming genre as something that was not for me. These games, I felt, were designed around precision and a linear progression to the end of the level. As someone who mostly enjoys games that encourage multiple approaches to a problem, such as strategy and simulation games, platformers (including Celeste) were too restricting. I was right, but also wrong. Very, very wrong.
Celeste is a game where you play a young woman on a quest to climb a mountain. It is a dangerous, deceptive mountain, that few dare to climb much farther than the first few trails. Why would you, a shy, anxious person, try to do such a thing? Many characters in the game ask you the very same, including the main character herself. Soon you'll figure out that you're doing it because you know you can.
The premise of this game is masterfully reinforced by its mechanics. Celeste is a difficult game. You have a jump a dash. The dash refreshes when your feet touch the ground, bar some exceptions. Using just these two concepts the game puts you through a number of levels that test your ability to read a route through the hazards in your way, and to execute on that route with a high level of precision. I thought I'd despise this. I for sure did not. This is because the game near-instantly puts you back at the start of the segment when you fail. It is so enthralling to try and experiment with different tactics to make your way to the next screen. You will die a lot, but every time you do you learn a tiny nuance of how to progress further. Because you can apply it instantly, you get this sense of determination: Yes, you are currently gnashing your teeth, but goddammit if I am gonna let this mountain get the better of me.
This theme is further reinforced by the aesthetic direction of the game. Music, graphics and writing all work in tandem to reinforce that feeling of triumph and struggle on your way to the top of the mountain. Characters berate you but also comfort you, all the while dealing with their own mental mountain to climb. Your main character struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, personified in an evil alter ego that appears to you at your lowest points. Wind whips across the screen in tough sections, and your direction is ever upwards as you progress through the levels. The music is a masterclass, perfectly guiding the mood of cutscenes and levels to suit the theme of a given moment. Constantly, you're reminded that this is a climb: but you're making it despite the hardships.
Here's where my first sentence of this review comes in: I played this game at the perfect time. During the summer of 2021, I was finishing my Master's degree. I was writing my thesis. It was gonna be a good one, I knew, but I was exhausted. I had been studying remotely for a full year, in addition to all the feelings everyone has been familiarized with over the past 2(!) years. I was close to giving up quite a lot that summer. Not because I couldn't do it, but because I was so damn tired of fighting so much. Celeste was my escape for this feeling, as well as a place where I could experience my own struggle in a safe space: away from others, but most importantly, my own doubts and fears.
As I climbed the mountain, I started realizing what this game meant and still means to me: Celeste reminded me of the fact that being afraid and tired does not mean that you will fail. It just means that you're learning. You don't have to do this alone: You have others that will cheer you on in your climb. But in the end, it's you that will overcome the hardships you face. As long as you don't give up, it's okay to cry, to get angry, to lose hope. In fact, its better to accept that fear and face it head on.
I thought I was never meant to be able to finish Celeste, let alone enjoy it as much as I did. But I love this game. It taught me something very important about myself and the way I want to live. Plus: the final level's soundtrack is a banger.
2015
When a game demands you replay levels based on a spinning wheel to progress, I don't feel like it respects my time. That's a shame, because I feel the core game loop itself is decent enough. The loop is sadly surrounded by strange decisions, all of which seem to try to tear you away from its main pull (pun intended).
2023
Fire Emblem engage is a game of opposites, quite like its colgate-influenced protagonist.
I am a sucker for tactics RPGs. I will spend hours tinkering away at characters, concocting builds that pique my interest or fit my idea of a character's aesthetic. I also genuinely love the tense trade-off between tactical efficiency and narrative connection that these games allow for when a permadeath mode is available: Do I want to win this battle at all costs, or does a swift victory require a sacrifice too heavy to carry? This tradeoff, it seems, is one that Engage is not interested in.
While Engage's tactics are incredibly satisfying, flashy and fun to experiment with, it gives you very little reason to care about you doing so. While the story of Engage has been derided thoroughly already, I think a part of the discussion that goes underserved is how actively it encourages you to disconnect from its cast of characters in favor of enhancing the puzzle element of Engage's battles.
Let me explain. Engage tosses many mechanics at you to allow you to tweak your characters to your heart's content. Emblem Rings with special powers, class changes, engraving weapons, you name it - Engage begs you to spend its plethora of resources and currencies on various stat upgrades and abilities. That is great: I spent the better part of the early game ranking up my favourite, usally sub-par characters to see if I could turn bronze to gold. For a while, this loop paid off - I saw my faves grow and dominate the battlefield.
Then, Engage picks up the pace and decides it wants to be meaner. Enemies hit harder and take fewer damage. Bosses get not two, but three healthbars. Even the slightest mixup and positioning leaves your character dangerously exposed to a one or two-hit kill. Suddenly, experimentation with what I wanted my characters to do had to make way for what felt like a process of optimizing for what the game demanded of me. I couldn't see my characters as the imperfect warriors they were, instead having to treat them as insufficient game pieces. Pair this with incredibly lackluster story development and support scenes and my mechanical and narrative attachment to Engage's units was wavering.
Don't get me wrong, the mechanics of Engage are great. Maps will throw interesting scenarios at you, challenging you to think of new ways to use your units or plan out your movements around the level. In the beginning, they are also incredibly snappy. There's no downtime of moving characters around without decisions to make, or situations in which you have to dogpile units on a tanky enemy. This starts to become more frequent in later levels, however, when risk is high enough to warrant slow, plodding play and juggling aggro lines. Again, the sheer gaminess of Engage was rearing its head.
Now, I still rate this game quite well. While Engage is a game, it is a damn good one. If you go into it knowing you will get a beautiful, uncompromising puzzlebox of fantasy tactics, you will be satisfied. I was just hoping for something to attach to. I suppose I will have to go and find a different emblem ring to wear.
I am a sucker for tactics RPGs. I will spend hours tinkering away at characters, concocting builds that pique my interest or fit my idea of a character's aesthetic. I also genuinely love the tense trade-off between tactical efficiency and narrative connection that these games allow for when a permadeath mode is available: Do I want to win this battle at all costs, or does a swift victory require a sacrifice too heavy to carry? This tradeoff, it seems, is one that Engage is not interested in.
While Engage's tactics are incredibly satisfying, flashy and fun to experiment with, it gives you very little reason to care about you doing so. While the story of Engage has been derided thoroughly already, I think a part of the discussion that goes underserved is how actively it encourages you to disconnect from its cast of characters in favor of enhancing the puzzle element of Engage's battles.
Let me explain. Engage tosses many mechanics at you to allow you to tweak your characters to your heart's content. Emblem Rings with special powers, class changes, engraving weapons, you name it - Engage begs you to spend its plethora of resources and currencies on various stat upgrades and abilities. That is great: I spent the better part of the early game ranking up my favourite, usally sub-par characters to see if I could turn bronze to gold. For a while, this loop paid off - I saw my faves grow and dominate the battlefield.
Then, Engage picks up the pace and decides it wants to be meaner. Enemies hit harder and take fewer damage. Bosses get not two, but three healthbars. Even the slightest mixup and positioning leaves your character dangerously exposed to a one or two-hit kill. Suddenly, experimentation with what I wanted my characters to do had to make way for what felt like a process of optimizing for what the game demanded of me. I couldn't see my characters as the imperfect warriors they were, instead having to treat them as insufficient game pieces. Pair this with incredibly lackluster story development and support scenes and my mechanical and narrative attachment to Engage's units was wavering.
Don't get me wrong, the mechanics of Engage are great. Maps will throw interesting scenarios at you, challenging you to think of new ways to use your units or plan out your movements around the level. In the beginning, they are also incredibly snappy. There's no downtime of moving characters around without decisions to make, or situations in which you have to dogpile units on a tanky enemy. This starts to become more frequent in later levels, however, when risk is high enough to warrant slow, plodding play and juggling aggro lines. Again, the sheer gaminess of Engage was rearing its head.
Now, I still rate this game quite well. While Engage is a game, it is a damn good one. If you go into it knowing you will get a beautiful, uncompromising puzzlebox of fantasy tactics, you will be satisfied. I was just hoping for something to attach to. I suppose I will have to go and find a different emblem ring to wear.
2022
Tunic is close to being an all time great, but doesn't stick the landing.
Although I can't read the developer's mind, I think Tunic is designed to make you feel like you're 12 years old and playing a big adventure game for the first time. You don't know what the manual says, the in game text makes no sense, but by god if youre not gonna see the game through to the end.
That feeling of wonder and excitement whenever you discover the games' many secrets, solve its puzzles or beat (most) of its bosses is why I love the medium. Sadly, the games' final stretch is a little too obtuse and grating for me personally. Whereas combat is a pallette cleanser inbetween stretches of exploration in the main game, the final hours of Tunic demand you fight a series of incredibly challenging battles. The combat system and camera, however, doesn't always help you with that. Sometimes attack patterns are too relentless or glitch ever so slightly to punish what could have been a well-timed dodge. Other times a big dash from an enemy sends the camera careening off into the distance without you, forcing you to reorient yourself in a splitsecond to avoid punishing damage from a flanking attack. If I enjoyed the combat, I could look past the issues. For me, however, it is not what I played Tunic for.
As for the final puzzles that could give you the "true" Ending, I think ive had my fill as well. Although Tunic's hidden secrets are thrilling to find, it does love hiding things in margins, behind walls and inside hidden nooks. That trick does get a little tiring after a while when you dont get to do it in new environments, instead having to backtrack through zones youve already explored.
All this criticism doesnt take away from the fact that Tunic is incredibly fun for the 10 hours of its 12 hour runtime. I recommend everyone tries it. Perhaps it could be your all-time great! Kick the Heir's ass for me.
Although I can't read the developer's mind, I think Tunic is designed to make you feel like you're 12 years old and playing a big adventure game for the first time. You don't know what the manual says, the in game text makes no sense, but by god if youre not gonna see the game through to the end.
That feeling of wonder and excitement whenever you discover the games' many secrets, solve its puzzles or beat (most) of its bosses is why I love the medium. Sadly, the games' final stretch is a little too obtuse and grating for me personally. Whereas combat is a pallette cleanser inbetween stretches of exploration in the main game, the final hours of Tunic demand you fight a series of incredibly challenging battles. The combat system and camera, however, doesn't always help you with that. Sometimes attack patterns are too relentless or glitch ever so slightly to punish what could have been a well-timed dodge. Other times a big dash from an enemy sends the camera careening off into the distance without you, forcing you to reorient yourself in a splitsecond to avoid punishing damage from a flanking attack. If I enjoyed the combat, I could look past the issues. For me, however, it is not what I played Tunic for.
As for the final puzzles that could give you the "true" Ending, I think ive had my fill as well. Although Tunic's hidden secrets are thrilling to find, it does love hiding things in margins, behind walls and inside hidden nooks. That trick does get a little tiring after a while when you dont get to do it in new environments, instead having to backtrack through zones youve already explored.
All this criticism doesnt take away from the fact that Tunic is incredibly fun for the 10 hours of its 12 hour runtime. I recommend everyone tries it. Perhaps it could be your all-time great! Kick the Heir's ass for me.
2007
Short but so very sweet.
Puzzles are nice and simple, but are just complex enough to have you stop and think for a while. Not only does that heighten the sense of accomplishment when you do solve a section - it also allows you to enjoy the delightful writing and acting for the games' villain (or friend?) GlaDOS.
The game is just an all around delightful package, that does not outstay its welcome whatsoever. Stoked to see what the sequel does with the formula!
Puzzles are nice and simple, but are just complex enough to have you stop and think for a while. Not only does that heighten the sense of accomplishment when you do solve a section - it also allows you to enjoy the delightful writing and acting for the games' villain (or friend?) GlaDOS.
The game is just an all around delightful package, that does not outstay its welcome whatsoever. Stoked to see what the sequel does with the formula!
Red Dead Redemption II was not for me. It pains me to say it, but it didn't work out. I bought a used PS4 especially for this game, and ended up regretting that purchase rather quickly. While I am happy that I did not end up reselling my PS4, I am open to giving away my copy of RDR2 to anyone who'd ask.
While RDR2 is gorgeous and vast, it is also slow as molasses. Committed to its vision to a fault, it focuses you on immersing you into its Western fantasy completely. It doesn't do this through subtle gameplay-design or tone-setting (although it does have both in spades), but through an overbearing fascination with on-rails story missions and long, slow animations. Everything in RDR2 must happen exactly like the designers intended, for better or worse.
Everything I did like is obstructed by Rockstar's religious artistic vision. Cutscenes are interesting and gorgeous, but also way too numerous at the start of the game, preventing you from playing the game for longer than 15 minutes. Characters are layered and lifelike, but often interact with you on mind-numbing escort sections. The combat looks realistic and visceral, but feels clunky and unresponsive because everything has to be meticulously animated to achieve that aesthetic.
This does not mean RDR2 is the worst game to ever exist. The graphics, acting and music of this game are all top notch. Furthermore, I am quite confident in saying that my frustrations with the game are in the minority: I think most players are happy to relinquish some control over their gameplay if they get served an engrossing story or experience. I think most players are right in doing so. Sadly, I could not bring myself to feel the same way.
That's a bummer, because I love Westerns. I'm glad I still have the PS4, though.
While RDR2 is gorgeous and vast, it is also slow as molasses. Committed to its vision to a fault, it focuses you on immersing you into its Western fantasy completely. It doesn't do this through subtle gameplay-design or tone-setting (although it does have both in spades), but through an overbearing fascination with on-rails story missions and long, slow animations. Everything in RDR2 must happen exactly like the designers intended, for better or worse.
Everything I did like is obstructed by Rockstar's religious artistic vision. Cutscenes are interesting and gorgeous, but also way too numerous at the start of the game, preventing you from playing the game for longer than 15 minutes. Characters are layered and lifelike, but often interact with you on mind-numbing escort sections. The combat looks realistic and visceral, but feels clunky and unresponsive because everything has to be meticulously animated to achieve that aesthetic.
This does not mean RDR2 is the worst game to ever exist. The graphics, acting and music of this game are all top notch. Furthermore, I am quite confident in saying that my frustrations with the game are in the minority: I think most players are happy to relinquish some control over their gameplay if they get served an engrossing story or experience. I think most players are right in doing so. Sadly, I could not bring myself to feel the same way.
That's a bummer, because I love Westerns. I'm glad I still have the PS4, though.
2014
As this game is short but incredibly sweet, I'll keep my review for Monument Valley that way as well.
Monument Valley combines excellent geometric puzzles, mobile-friendly controls and serene visual and sound design to create a piece of art that will stand the test of time.
Monument Valley combines excellent geometric puzzles, mobile-friendly controls and serene visual and sound design to create a piece of art that will stand the test of time.
I started Captain Toad on a whim, thinking its cuddly exterior would be perfect for the short train ride I was on. While its inviting aesthetic got me through the door, Toad's adventure surprised me in how incredibly tight its leveldesign is.
Captain Toad's levels are intricate, interactive puzzleboxes that left me delighted in short, digestible bursts. While your options are limited to moving on a horizontal plane and pulling things out of the ground, the game constantly one-ups itself with the amount of ways it can make those simple mechanic sing in harmony with the level's challenge, art and music.
For a week, I looked forward to my commute. Hopping onto a train, unfolding my 3DS and exploring a few levels was a perfect way to unwind. I thoroughly recommend you uncover this treasure for yourself!
Captain Toad's levels are intricate, interactive puzzleboxes that left me delighted in short, digestible bursts. While your options are limited to moving on a horizontal plane and pulling things out of the ground, the game constantly one-ups itself with the amount of ways it can make those simple mechanic sing in harmony with the level's challenge, art and music.
For a week, I looked forward to my commute. Hopping onto a train, unfolding my 3DS and exploring a few levels was a perfect way to unwind. I thoroughly recommend you uncover this treasure for yourself!
2017
You can always count on Mario to deliver.
In Mario Odyssey, Nintendo shows once again that it is the king of incremental design: take a tried and true format and augment it by focusing on one or two things, which you develop to perfection.
The two mechanics that carry this game to greatness are its exquisite movement controls and its focus on opt-in goals. Everything in Odyssey is designed to be smooth: Both in how you control Mario and the goals you are presented with to encourage you to explore the depths of the movement system. None of Odyssey's levels are linear. In fact, they are intentionally designed to beg you to try and find or make shortcuts, lacing jumps you can just about make inbetween the various Moons that are this game's overarching McGuffin. Sometimes, you don't even need a moon to enjoy testing your limits: Mario is just so fun to control that just doing a cool jump, or exploring a difficult to reach section of the level is reward by its own merit. Don't worry though, I have never experienced a moment where my effort in reaching a tough spot were not reward with a moon, some coins or an interesting view or character to talk to.
This sense of freedom, both in movement and objective, is where Odyssey truly develops its adventurous spirit: Who knows what you'll pull off next, or where the next Moon might be hiding? What cool creatures can you morph into using your magic hat (haven't even gotten to this!)? What gorgeous setting will this new level present to you? While I didn't feel the need to keep playing after beating the final level, I was thoroughly absorbed all the way through to that point. The fact that I can return to each level and be confident that there will be new adventures to be had, means I am happy to keep this game in my collection.
Who says you can't go back after your Odyssey has been completed?
In Mario Odyssey, Nintendo shows once again that it is the king of incremental design: take a tried and true format and augment it by focusing on one or two things, which you develop to perfection.
The two mechanics that carry this game to greatness are its exquisite movement controls and its focus on opt-in goals. Everything in Odyssey is designed to be smooth: Both in how you control Mario and the goals you are presented with to encourage you to explore the depths of the movement system. None of Odyssey's levels are linear. In fact, they are intentionally designed to beg you to try and find or make shortcuts, lacing jumps you can just about make inbetween the various Moons that are this game's overarching McGuffin. Sometimes, you don't even need a moon to enjoy testing your limits: Mario is just so fun to control that just doing a cool jump, or exploring a difficult to reach section of the level is reward by its own merit. Don't worry though, I have never experienced a moment where my effort in reaching a tough spot were not reward with a moon, some coins or an interesting view or character to talk to.
This sense of freedom, both in movement and objective, is where Odyssey truly develops its adventurous spirit: Who knows what you'll pull off next, or where the next Moon might be hiding? What cool creatures can you morph into using your magic hat (haven't even gotten to this!)? What gorgeous setting will this new level present to you? While I didn't feel the need to keep playing after beating the final level, I was thoroughly absorbed all the way through to that point. The fact that I can return to each level and be confident that there will be new adventures to be had, means I am happy to keep this game in my collection.
Who says you can't go back after your Odyssey has been completed?
Skyrim is not a perfect game. I don't think it was ever meant to be. What it is, is the ultimate adventure: A game world full of dungeons, caves, ruins and towns to explore, and quests to embark on. It is one of the most open of open-world RPGs. This is a massive blessing, and a minor curse.
Skyrim is a double-edged sword. It features inspiring and numerous quest locations - where the quests are repetitive. It hosts a number of interesting characters and stories - that you have very little impact on as a player. It displays beautiful environments accompanied by enchanting music - that often bug out while combat music from your last quest is still playing. It is filled with amazing world building - tucked away in lorebooks.
This list of contradictions might make it seem like I think Skyrim is a bad game. That is not my point, however. The list above is a representation of the ambition that fueled this game. It is the adventure game that my 11-year old self could only dream of. It lets you go anywhere, do anything. It lets you run amok in a fantasy world. Now that I'm older, the sheen has worn off a bit, but that only reveals how impressive this game is for its time. Besides, most gripes with the game can be corrected with the numerous mods that the dedicated community of fans have developed.
Skyrim is a double-edged sword. It features inspiring and numerous quest locations - where the quests are repetitive. It hosts a number of interesting characters and stories - that you have very little impact on as a player. It displays beautiful environments accompanied by enchanting music - that often bug out while combat music from your last quest is still playing. It is filled with amazing world building - tucked away in lorebooks.
This list of contradictions might make it seem like I think Skyrim is a bad game. That is not my point, however. The list above is a representation of the ambition that fueled this game. It is the adventure game that my 11-year old self could only dream of. It lets you go anywhere, do anything. It lets you run amok in a fantasy world. Now that I'm older, the sheen has worn off a bit, but that only reveals how impressive this game is for its time. Besides, most gripes with the game can be corrected with the numerous mods that the dedicated community of fans have developed.
2018
God of War is a game about reflecting. Not only on yourself, your past or your future; what might be more important is the way your actions reflect on those around you. In discussing this theme, the game tells a wonderful story of parentage, shame and the meaning of godhood.
Throughout God of War's runtime, the game is constantly in dialogue with itself. This discussion is even personified in the game's main characters: Kratos, God of War, has run from his vengeant past and sought refuge in exile in the lands of Midgard. His son, Atreus, is a wide-eyed youngster full of wonder and compassion for everything that happens around him. Kratos, fearful of the effect his past might have on his son, hides himself from Atreus. Meanwhile, Atreus wants to understand what his place in the world is. The tension that emerges is the same tension the games industry as a whole has gone through, exemplified by this series' previous installments.
Kratos is not a good man. Or at least, he seems to believe so. The previous God of War games, while perhaps being good games, were not good examples of storytelling that brought out the best in people. It was vile, vengeant and crude. The story of this game is about redemption as much as it is about fatherhood. Through teaching Atreus to be better, Kratos learns that there is a glimmer of hope within himself that he can foster. Through Kratos' journey, I am convinced that the games' creators show their own journeys as creatives in the videogame industry. They have done wrong, they recognize it, but now they are determined to create games that want us to be better.
Boy have they succeeded in the storytelling department. The gameplay, while incredibly fun, does not reach the same transformative heights. Instead, the game serves you fun, pacy combat gauntlets with interesting exploration puzzles that allow for the building of the games' world and Kratos and Atreus' relationship. I wish more was done with the games' formula, but given the ambition of this game it is understandable. I had tons of fun regardless.
I recommend everyone to play this game, or at least watch a playthrough of it. It is as if the games of the Mountain Dew era spoke to themselves with the lessons they have learned with time. Let's hope the industry keeps learning, and keeps becoming a space in which everyone can experience incredible stories.
Throughout God of War's runtime, the game is constantly in dialogue with itself. This discussion is even personified in the game's main characters: Kratos, God of War, has run from his vengeant past and sought refuge in exile in the lands of Midgard. His son, Atreus, is a wide-eyed youngster full of wonder and compassion for everything that happens around him. Kratos, fearful of the effect his past might have on his son, hides himself from Atreus. Meanwhile, Atreus wants to understand what his place in the world is. The tension that emerges is the same tension the games industry as a whole has gone through, exemplified by this series' previous installments.
Kratos is not a good man. Or at least, he seems to believe so. The previous God of War games, while perhaps being good games, were not good examples of storytelling that brought out the best in people. It was vile, vengeant and crude. The story of this game is about redemption as much as it is about fatherhood. Through teaching Atreus to be better, Kratos learns that there is a glimmer of hope within himself that he can foster. Through Kratos' journey, I am convinced that the games' creators show their own journeys as creatives in the videogame industry. They have done wrong, they recognize it, but now they are determined to create games that want us to be better.
Boy have they succeeded in the storytelling department. The gameplay, while incredibly fun, does not reach the same transformative heights. Instead, the game serves you fun, pacy combat gauntlets with interesting exploration puzzles that allow for the building of the games' world and Kratos and Atreus' relationship. I wish more was done with the games' formula, but given the ambition of this game it is understandable. I had tons of fun regardless.
I recommend everyone to play this game, or at least watch a playthrough of it. It is as if the games of the Mountain Dew era spoke to themselves with the lessons they have learned with time. Let's hope the industry keeps learning, and keeps becoming a space in which everyone can experience incredible stories.
This is my favourite game of all time. And dare I say it, it's a better science-fantasy story than Star Wars.
I had never played the Mass Effect trilogy before the Legendary Edition released. Even when it released, I was hesitant to jump in because I had heard all the commotion around the series' ending when Mass Effect 3 released. I didn't want to commit a lot of time to something that in the end wouldn't reward it. I was so incredibly STUPID!!! My god, I try to keep a certain sense of officiality in my reviews, but I cannot believe I waited this long to play these games.
The Mass Effect games are, sadly, a relic for times past and future. I don't think, with games' budgets skyrocketing and different business models for media succeeding, that a series of this scope and ambition will be released again. The ME trilogy is what you imagine videogame RPGs are like when you are 12 years old. The Milky Way is a wonderful place to explore. Not because it is a vast open map, but because its people are all interesting and lifelike. Cultures developed in a way that makes sense, and characters change and evolve as the story gets bleaker with every installment.
The Reapers are coming, and you're the only one that can stop them. Not because you're some chosen one, but because you were unlucky enough to be granted the knowledge of what civilizations before yours could not use. Noone in the galaxy believes you, and over the course of the trilogy its your destiny to convince others that the only way to survive is to make sacrifices and, hopefully, come together.
You bring the galaxy together by completing cinematic quest after cinematic quest, every one bringing you closer to your allies and the people they represent. You'll have to make sweeping choices, and small personal choices, and all of them reflect on the world and its inhabitants. Most of all, they reflect on your friends. Shepard, as you learn, is not defined by what they do, but what they represent to those who love them.
In the end, Mass Effect is a game about the freedom to choose your own destiny. At every turn, you meet people that have been stripped from their autonomy. As the galaxy descends into madness, people will be more and more willing to sacrifice others to regain some semblance of control. It's no surprise that an old friend will tell you that control is the pinnacle of power. In a time where our own world seems more and more daunting and uncontrollable to most of us, this theme resonated with me to an incredible degree. As Shepard, I could feel like I wish I did when a disease paralyzes a world, when people had to riot to be seen, or when power-hungry maniacs invade others' homes. Mass Effect shows you that the freedom to choose, to make mistakes, to live, is something that isn't given or constant, but something that needs to be protected and cherished. Only when everyone in a society recognizes how fragile our grasp on destiny is, do people have the chance, no matter who they are, to prosper and flourish. This is, in my opinion, not a political statement. Whether you are libertarian or conservative, socialist or capitalist, we all know that in the end, us people need each other to escape the crushing, unfeeling clutches of time.
And then I've only addressed the story and theme at a macro-level. In every mission sequence, there are countless dimensions to the situation because the games take their time making you care about its world. Gameplay, while important, is something I'll gloss over here. It's not the reason you'll play this game. Still, though, as the Legendary edition progresses, the moment-to-moment gameplay develops into a rather fun cover shooter with interesting sci-fi abilities. Again, it won't make you love the game, but it doesn't need to: Mass Effect chooses to focus on your story and the friends you make along the way.
I could wax lyrical about these games forever. I think I will, but not here. I implore anyone to play this game. It is a masterpiece.
I had never played the Mass Effect trilogy before the Legendary Edition released. Even when it released, I was hesitant to jump in because I had heard all the commotion around the series' ending when Mass Effect 3 released. I didn't want to commit a lot of time to something that in the end wouldn't reward it. I was so incredibly STUPID!!! My god, I try to keep a certain sense of officiality in my reviews, but I cannot believe I waited this long to play these games.
The Mass Effect games are, sadly, a relic for times past and future. I don't think, with games' budgets skyrocketing and different business models for media succeeding, that a series of this scope and ambition will be released again. The ME trilogy is what you imagine videogame RPGs are like when you are 12 years old. The Milky Way is a wonderful place to explore. Not because it is a vast open map, but because its people are all interesting and lifelike. Cultures developed in a way that makes sense, and characters change and evolve as the story gets bleaker with every installment.
The Reapers are coming, and you're the only one that can stop them. Not because you're some chosen one, but because you were unlucky enough to be granted the knowledge of what civilizations before yours could not use. Noone in the galaxy believes you, and over the course of the trilogy its your destiny to convince others that the only way to survive is to make sacrifices and, hopefully, come together.
You bring the galaxy together by completing cinematic quest after cinematic quest, every one bringing you closer to your allies and the people they represent. You'll have to make sweeping choices, and small personal choices, and all of them reflect on the world and its inhabitants. Most of all, they reflect on your friends. Shepard, as you learn, is not defined by what they do, but what they represent to those who love them.
In the end, Mass Effect is a game about the freedom to choose your own destiny. At every turn, you meet people that have been stripped from their autonomy. As the galaxy descends into madness, people will be more and more willing to sacrifice others to regain some semblance of control. It's no surprise that an old friend will tell you that control is the pinnacle of power. In a time where our own world seems more and more daunting and uncontrollable to most of us, this theme resonated with me to an incredible degree. As Shepard, I could feel like I wish I did when a disease paralyzes a world, when people had to riot to be seen, or when power-hungry maniacs invade others' homes. Mass Effect shows you that the freedom to choose, to make mistakes, to live, is something that isn't given or constant, but something that needs to be protected and cherished. Only when everyone in a society recognizes how fragile our grasp on destiny is, do people have the chance, no matter who they are, to prosper and flourish. This is, in my opinion, not a political statement. Whether you are libertarian or conservative, socialist or capitalist, we all know that in the end, us people need each other to escape the crushing, unfeeling clutches of time.
And then I've only addressed the story and theme at a macro-level. In every mission sequence, there are countless dimensions to the situation because the games take their time making you care about its world. Gameplay, while important, is something I'll gloss over here. It's not the reason you'll play this game. Still, though, as the Legendary edition progresses, the moment-to-moment gameplay develops into a rather fun cover shooter with interesting sci-fi abilities. Again, it won't make you love the game, but it doesn't need to: Mass Effect chooses to focus on your story and the friends you make along the way.
I could wax lyrical about these games forever. I think I will, but not here. I implore anyone to play this game. It is a masterpiece.
2019
This is the most effective game I have ever played.
In just 2 hours, A Short Hike introduces you to Claire, a young bird who finds herself on a holiday island despite being used to the busy life of the city. You join Claire as she goes on a hike to the top of the island's mountain, so that she can make a very important call. On the way, you meet adorable co-tourists, take in breathtaking views and wander off the beaten path over and over again.
Thanks to its short runtime, A Short Hike can be incredibly generous with its theme. Every detour you take ends in you meeting new people, or a new reward. The game oozes with love for the player and for people in general.
A Short Hike wants you to feel like Claire does as she scales the mountain: You forget your worries of the day and find yourself lost in friendship, wonder and tranquility. I think I can learn a lot from the game and its characters. Most of them are happy to be on the island and enjoy the seemingly simple, small things they do on their days. What you realize is that those small things are part of a greater joyful life, that can only be enjoyed by taking a deep breath and enjoying the view. When you land back in the Cabin, you're not sad the game ends. You're grateful it brightened your evening.
At this point mountains have become a running theme in games I adore. Maybe I should go on hikes more. I'll get there.
In just 2 hours, A Short Hike introduces you to Claire, a young bird who finds herself on a holiday island despite being used to the busy life of the city. You join Claire as she goes on a hike to the top of the island's mountain, so that she can make a very important call. On the way, you meet adorable co-tourists, take in breathtaking views and wander off the beaten path over and over again.
Thanks to its short runtime, A Short Hike can be incredibly generous with its theme. Every detour you take ends in you meeting new people, or a new reward. The game oozes with love for the player and for people in general.
A Short Hike wants you to feel like Claire does as she scales the mountain: You forget your worries of the day and find yourself lost in friendship, wonder and tranquility. I think I can learn a lot from the game and its characters. Most of them are happy to be on the island and enjoy the seemingly simple, small things they do on their days. What you realize is that those small things are part of a greater joyful life, that can only be enjoyed by taking a deep breath and enjoying the view. When you land back in the Cabin, you're not sad the game ends. You're grateful it brightened your evening.
At this point mountains have become a running theme in games I adore. Maybe I should go on hikes more. I'll get there.
2021
This game is cheap, and looks the part too. What's underneath that veneer, though, is an incredibly engaging loop that blends auto-games like Cookie Clicker and autobattlers with the action-roguelike genre. From this recipe you get a game that technically sports sessions of 10 minutes, but will often have you playing "one more round" for hours.
The game is in early access, but already provides plenty of content for you to enjoy. Much of this added content reveals itself as surprises for completing special achievements, which further adds to the hooky nature of the game loop. Every time, you wonder if you get new toys to play with.
Will I remember this game at the end of this year? I don't know. Maybe. For now, though, I am definitely getting my money's worth.
The game is in early access, but already provides plenty of content for you to enjoy. Much of this added content reveals itself as surprises for completing special achievements, which further adds to the hooky nature of the game loop. Every time, you wonder if you get new toys to play with.
Will I remember this game at the end of this year? I don't know. Maybe. For now, though, I am definitely getting my money's worth.