Grammarhead
The cool story makes it worth the frustrating repetition of entering like 3 multi-digit codes to bring up a web forum, just to be told that the last number you entered has been rescinded and you need to try again
2019
This review contains spoilers
Not what I expected from the creators of Highway Blossoms, and unfortunately, I don't say that in a positive way.
The game advertises itself as "a modern fairy tale", so I was expecting a wholesome love story with supernatural elements. What I got was a story about an evil, ancient, abusive stepmother and four friends' quest to fucking kill her, frequently interrupted by two romance subplots. The tone varies from from saccharine romance to the unsettlingly supernatural to whimsical fantasy to eldritch horror. I didn't like how intense the story gets by the end - it felt so far removed from the game I was advertised.
Maddy and Abigail's romance is kinda lame. They spend a spectral honeymoon together in a magical forest. They visit beautiful locations and blush furiously at every insinuation that they might become an item. For the most part it's devoid of much conflict and it's a little dull. The 18+ scenes don't add anything to their relationship either, although it's a little endearing to know Abigail's a top.
I enjoyed Tara and Morgan's relationship a lot more. They start off as friends with benefits, neither of them wanting to be emotionally vulnerable. But then they slowly begin to trust one one another and realise how much they unwittingly care for each other. They eventually let their masks slip, and find comfort in sharing their feelings. It's a much more compelling dynamic, in my opinion, than Maddy and Abigail's perfect fairytale romance. And it's appropriately balanced with the tension they feel while investigating Maddy's disappearance, keeping their subplot interesting.
Tara herself is a great character, and probably the one aspect of this game I'll remember long after my playthrough. And not just because she's a trans main character. Her over-the-top charisma makes her a delight to watch, even when her jokes don't land. Hell, ESPECIALLY when her jokes don't land. I always love characters like this, so it's no surprise I love Tara.
I wasn't really sold on the fantasy elements we see throughout the story. It feels like the writers threw together 4 or 5 ideas they had without a lot of consideration for how well they mesh together. Like, is Evelyn even connected to the forest, at all? It seems like the simultaneous existence of an unearthly monster and a magical forest is completely coincidental.
The fairies are introduced extremely late for how important they are to the last act of the game, and Geladura doesn't have much of a presence, either. I wish a little more thought was put into what the major payoffs are, and how to effectively set them up and integrate them into the main narrative.
Looking back and writing about it, Heart of the Woods doesn't feel like a single game. The supernatural/fantasy elements and the two love stories feel at odds with each other, and throwing in the idea that "love makes magic stronger" at the end doesn't fix this. Neither story feels developed enough to support the other, and I think THAT'S what's been bugging me ever since I finished Heart of the Woods. Play Highway Blossoms instead.
The game advertises itself as "a modern fairy tale", so I was expecting a wholesome love story with supernatural elements. What I got was a story about an evil, ancient, abusive stepmother and four friends' quest to fucking kill her, frequently interrupted by two romance subplots. The tone varies from from saccharine romance to the unsettlingly supernatural to whimsical fantasy to eldritch horror. I didn't like how intense the story gets by the end - it felt so far removed from the game I was advertised.
Maddy and Abigail's romance is kinda lame. They spend a spectral honeymoon together in a magical forest. They visit beautiful locations and blush furiously at every insinuation that they might become an item. For the most part it's devoid of much conflict and it's a little dull. The 18+ scenes don't add anything to their relationship either, although it's a little endearing to know Abigail's a top.
I enjoyed Tara and Morgan's relationship a lot more. They start off as friends with benefits, neither of them wanting to be emotionally vulnerable. But then they slowly begin to trust one one another and realise how much they unwittingly care for each other. They eventually let their masks slip, and find comfort in sharing their feelings. It's a much more compelling dynamic, in my opinion, than Maddy and Abigail's perfect fairytale romance. And it's appropriately balanced with the tension they feel while investigating Maddy's disappearance, keeping their subplot interesting.
Tara herself is a great character, and probably the one aspect of this game I'll remember long after my playthrough. And not just because she's a trans main character. Her over-the-top charisma makes her a delight to watch, even when her jokes don't land. Hell, ESPECIALLY when her jokes don't land. I always love characters like this, so it's no surprise I love Tara.
I wasn't really sold on the fantasy elements we see throughout the story. It feels like the writers threw together 4 or 5 ideas they had without a lot of consideration for how well they mesh together. Like, is Evelyn even connected to the forest, at all? It seems like the simultaneous existence of an unearthly monster and a magical forest is completely coincidental.
The fairies are introduced extremely late for how important they are to the last act of the game, and Geladura doesn't have much of a presence, either. I wish a little more thought was put into what the major payoffs are, and how to effectively set them up and integrate them into the main narrative.
Looking back and writing about it, Heart of the Woods doesn't feel like a single game. The supernatural/fantasy elements and the two love stories feel at odds with each other, and throwing in the idea that "love makes magic stronger" at the end doesn't fix this. Neither story feels developed enough to support the other, and I think THAT'S what's been bugging me ever since I finished Heart of the Woods. Play Highway Blossoms instead.
Played on the Switch as part of the Ace Attorney Trilogy collection. Would be an easy 4 stars if this game ended with Case 4 like the GBA original did.
2018
This review contains spoilers
AIdol is about an avid idol fan named Hana, who gets contacted by her favourite idol, Aiko. Aiko is an AI, and she needs Hana's help to find her programmer to fix some critical errors in her code. But Hana's just a random fan, and doesn't have those sort of connections. So the A-plot of the story goes nowhere for most of the game while Hana attends an idol convention and makes new friends. And all the while there's a subplot about Aiko's company's PR team that has NOTHING to do with Hana whatsoever. I don't know why it's even in the game.
AIdol takes 3-4 hours to beat. In that time, it tries to explore, by my count, EIGHTEEN different characters. The existence of virtual idols presents some interesting ideas, but the game doesn't have time to explore them because it's juggling so many characters and subplots. Two of the characters with unlockable platonic epilogues get introduced halfway through the game and get next to no screentime. I can't keep track of everyone's names. Hana doesn't work towards her goal of helping Aiko until near the end of the game, when the A-plot is finally delivered with a bunch of exposition.
It's decently written and has its moments, but I think AIdol suffers greatly from being too ambitious for its four-hour-long playtime. I wish the A-plot was more prevalent throughout and the PR team subplot was cut altogether. As it is, I had to play AIdol in short bursts, because it didn't hold my attention. I was actually nodding off at one point and had to take a nap. Not sure if that was entirely the game's fault or due to my shaky sleep schedule, but I found it pretty indicative of my experience. Not a terrible game, just a dull one.
AIdol takes 3-4 hours to beat. In that time, it tries to explore, by my count, EIGHTEEN different characters. The existence of virtual idols presents some interesting ideas, but the game doesn't have time to explore them because it's juggling so many characters and subplots. Two of the characters with unlockable platonic epilogues get introduced halfway through the game and get next to no screentime. I can't keep track of everyone's names. Hana doesn't work towards her goal of helping Aiko until near the end of the game, when the A-plot is finally delivered with a bunch of exposition.
It's decently written and has its moments, but I think AIdol suffers greatly from being too ambitious for its four-hour-long playtime. I wish the A-plot was more prevalent throughout and the PR team subplot was cut altogether. As it is, I had to play AIdol in short bursts, because it didn't hold my attention. I was actually nodding off at one point and had to take a nap. Not sure if that was entirely the game's fault or due to my shaky sleep schedule, but I found it pretty indicative of my experience. Not a terrible game, just a dull one.
They replaced the original Ace Attorney's iconic "Pursuit" theme with a vastly inferior track that disappointed me every time it played. Good game though.
2019
Played on itch.io. Had a lot of fun exploring, collecting items, completing small sidequests, upgrading my abilities, finding secrets, talking to a colourful cast of NPCs, getting lost, climbing sheer cliffs, gliding, fishing, watering, racing, boating, and eventually completing the hike. Might buy it on Steam sometime just to go for all the achievements.
2017
The difficulty is a lot better balanced than the original Bleed - or maybe that's just me getting better. Either way, the addition of a parry system is the missing ingredient the original game needed. Breezy pacing, action-packed bosses, stellar music. Plus, unlockable weapons and characters that actually make the game worth replaying. Thoroughly enjoyed Bleed 2.
2014
My first mainline Kirby game. It introduced me to Kirby's many copy abilities before I jumped into Planet Robobot, which I'm grateful for. Other than that, there's not a lot to say about this game. It's alright.
The addition of the mech adds some much-needed variety to the standard Kirby formula, and it's so much friggin fun to control. I was excited every time I jumped into the cockpit, but never disappointed when I left, because Kirby on his own gives you so much freedom of approach with his copy abilities. I wanted to keep playing well after the credits rolled.
Every case hooks you at the start by directly involving the main cast. As a result, not a single case feels like filler, making the story feel more cohesive than its predecessors. Not to mention that this is probably the most solid lineup of cases in the trilogy. A great ending to a great trilogy of great games.
2014
For a concept that sounds so simple, it's not very intuitive.
It's Mario
Would be a perfectly serviceable Sonic game if it weren't for the following issues:
-Movement feels a little off. Basic hopping between platforms and avoiding boss attacks can be tricky because Sonic takes so long to speed up from a stationary position. Jump boosting is great for gaining speed and keeping momentum, but not for precise movement.
-Not a lot of branching paths to explore.
-Ugly shading on many sprites (including Sonic) and some out-of-place 2-frame animations.
-Music that doesn't reach the standard of the series. I swear this game has 3 boss themes and they're all 10-second loops.
Not a terrible experience, just an unpolished, mediocre one. Also, I think I may have spent more time trying to beat the final boss than I did playing the rest of the game, so make of that what you will.
-Movement feels a little off. Basic hopping between platforms and avoiding boss attacks can be tricky because Sonic takes so long to speed up from a stationary position. Jump boosting is great for gaining speed and keeping momentum, but not for precise movement.
-Not a lot of branching paths to explore.
-Ugly shading on many sprites (including Sonic) and some out-of-place 2-frame animations.
-Music that doesn't reach the standard of the series. I swear this game has 3 boss themes and they're all 10-second loops.
Not a terrible experience, just an unpolished, mediocre one. Also, I think I may have spent more time trying to beat the final boss than I did playing the rest of the game, so make of that what you will.
The game looks shockingly pretty; comparing this art style with Episode I is like night and day. The level design is actually inventive and fun. There are more branching paths to explore, and red rings to collect that add extra challenge and replay value. The new combo moves with Tails grant you so much room to experiment - too bad I need to wait through a 3-second animation any time I activate one of them. Sonic still moves too slowly from a standstill, making precise platforming tougher than it should be. The soundtrack is an improvement for sure, but I'll never understand why they brought back the grating Episode I boss theme for one of the boss fights.
Sonic 4: Episode II ain't too shabby. It's polished, it's breezy, it's a decent time. Just be aware the adventure is short (2-4 hours) and there are better 2D Sonic games out there.
Sonic 4: Episode II ain't too shabby. It's polished, it's breezy, it's a decent time. Just be aware the adventure is short (2-4 hours) and there are better 2D Sonic games out there.
2017
The level design in this game is uninspired and amateurish. I understand the focus is more on combat than platforming, but like... you know when you're playing a game and you see that one enemy that makes you go, "oh no, not THIS guy again"? That was my reaction to nearly every enemy in A Hole New World. The game's main gimmick, the upside-down parallel world you flip between, adds virtually nothing to the game and is never explored to its fullest potential. The bosses (with the exception of the final two) feel more like tests of luck than skill, with bullshit projectiles and attacks that feel impossible to predict, let alone dodge.
Look, it's not horrible. There's a decent sense of progression from the new abilities you collect after every level, and the spritework is surprisingly pretty. If I knew the person who made this game, like, if they were my cousin or something, I'd tell them they did a pretty decent job. Unfortunately, A Hole New World was not made by my cousin.
Look, it's not horrible. There's a decent sense of progression from the new abilities you collect after every level, and the spritework is surprisingly pretty. If I knew the person who made this game, like, if they were my cousin or something, I'd tell them they did a pretty decent job. Unfortunately, A Hole New World was not made by my cousin.