HeroOfTim
(Replay) The fact that I reeeally feel like I missed a lot in this story and I still definitely think it's better than OoT and WW says a lot. A beautifully written, thematically complex story. Light and shadow, the corruptive and tempting nature of power, lingering regrets. Hyrule, despite being the world of light, is a fading shadow of its former self that has not moved on from the past like it has in WW. Ganondorf parallels himself across alternate timelines, Midna's arc is wonderfully fitting, Zant is just all around great. The Hero of Time wanders the earth, only one regret left that he wishes to ease before finally moving on. Zelda dungeons have never had more of a focus on lore and in-universe purpose, and the game has an insane amount of beautiful shots and cinematography. TP, in all of its thematic explorations, is the culmination of the Zelda series, and especially the Hero of Time saga (OoT, MM, WW, TP). I know that every replay after this I will find even more to analyze.
This review contains spoilers
(Replay) When a game has this good a story, one of the best dungeons in the series, and an absolutely masterclass ost, it's a sight to behold.
The Hero of Time, further elevated by Majora's Mask, is far and away my favorite silent protagonist of all time. There's a reason my username is what it is. And furthermore, these two games combined are probably my favorite coming of age story of all time as well. The arc that Link undergoes in this game teaches that maturity is not solely dependent on your age or appearance. Forced to skip most of his impressionable years, Link has to undergo adulthood with the mind of a child and learn what it truly means to grow up. The Sages represent various challenges of adolescence, the situations Link finds himself in force him into responsibilities he shouldn't be ready for yet. And after all his experiences, he matures as a person despite reverting back to the body of a child, and the guardian that represented childhood innocence flies away forever to symbolize this. And let's not forget how well the game sets up Ganondorf's character and the rest of the timeline. The final boss is also still stunning to this day and gives me chills every time.
And yeah Water Temple is goated, no questions asked.
The Hero of Time, further elevated by Majora's Mask, is far and away my favorite silent protagonist of all time. There's a reason my username is what it is. And furthermore, these two games combined are probably my favorite coming of age story of all time as well. The arc that Link undergoes in this game teaches that maturity is not solely dependent on your age or appearance. Forced to skip most of his impressionable years, Link has to undergo adulthood with the mind of a child and learn what it truly means to grow up. The Sages represent various challenges of adolescence, the situations Link finds himself in force him into responsibilities he shouldn't be ready for yet. And after all his experiences, he matures as a person despite reverting back to the body of a child, and the guardian that represented childhood innocence flies away forever to symbolize this. And let's not forget how well the game sets up Ganondorf's character and the rest of the timeline. The final boss is also still stunning to this day and gives me chills every time.
And yeah Water Temple is goated, no questions asked.
(Replay) This week I went from someone who pretended to not like Wind Waker to someone who can't even pretend to not like Wind Waker.
The dungeons suck, let's get it out of the way. There's only one that requires even a little bit of navigational skills. However, regarding the gameplay, I found myself enjoying the Great Sea a lot more this time. It's not great but it's ok. It's fine. I don't have a problem with it.
The Triforce quest is still pretty indefensible but I know that's fixed a bit in the HD version.
As for the story, wowee I don't remember it being this good. I can't decide if I like it more than OoT's or not, but there are some high-ass peaks in this game because of some great dialogue and a fantastic thematic buildup and its connections to the Hero of Time's lore are wonderful. The final boss and ending made me ascend. The game also just has wonderful vibes/atmosphere in general.
The soundtrack also just might be my favorite so far in these replays. Not quite as many memorable songs as OoT, but still lots of amazing originals and the usage of leitmotifs from the game itself and the whole series is 10/10.
Glad I replayed this game.
The dungeons suck, let's get it out of the way. There's only one that requires even a little bit of navigational skills. However, regarding the gameplay, I found myself enjoying the Great Sea a lot more this time. It's not great but it's ok. It's fine. I don't have a problem with it.
The Triforce quest is still pretty indefensible but I know that's fixed a bit in the HD version.
As for the story, wowee I don't remember it being this good. I can't decide if I like it more than OoT's or not, but there are some high-ass peaks in this game because of some great dialogue and a fantastic thematic buildup and its connections to the Hero of Time's lore are wonderful. The final boss and ending made me ascend. The game also just has wonderful vibes/atmosphere in general.
The soundtrack also just might be my favorite so far in these replays. Not quite as many memorable songs as OoT, but still lots of amazing originals and the usage of leitmotifs from the game itself and the whole series is 10/10.
Glad I replayed this game.
A very, very misunderstood game. The gameplay is fine and nowhere near the pile of garbage everybody makes it out to be, aside from a few confusing dungeons (which are forgivable as this is literally an NES game). Endearing story and characters, and great music. On some days I even like this game more than EarthBound.
(Played Master Collection version)
I kinda don't know how to process this. I went in knowing absolutely nothing outside of memes and finished with my head in my hands and wanting to lie down. Don't look up a goddamn thing at any point, ever, just play it. I cannot believe this game came out in 2001 and I cannot believe that 3 is arguably even better.
Gameplay is a vast improvement from the first game, too.
I kinda don't know how to process this. I went in knowing absolutely nothing outside of memes and finished with my head in my hands and wanting to lie down. Don't look up a goddamn thing at any point, ever, just play it. I cannot believe this game came out in 2001 and I cannot believe that 3 is arguably even better.
Gameplay is a vast improvement from the first game, too.
1995
I don't even know how one begins to talk about Chrono Trigger. I have never played a more wonderful, more endlessly beautiful game in my life. A more perfect game doesn't exist. Literally everything here is perfect. The gameplay is fire, the pixel art is gorgeous, the music is possibly my favorite in gaming full stop, and dear lord the story is unbelievable. I have nothing else to say about this utter masterpiece. Words cannot do it justice.
1987
FFI is very cute and fun. It's always a joy to see where the series got its start, and Uematsu was cooking surprisingly hard right from the beginning. It's easy to see how it revolutionized JRPG gameplay as well. Though it's not amazing, the vibes are still wonderful and I can always turn it on and give it another run.
1994
Gameplay is nothing noteworthy in the slightest but the story is nice and gets the job done well. Not much else to say.
1997
While the models haven't aged the best, this game has absolutely stood the test of time. Some of the best plotting I've come across in fictional stories, iconic music, and fun (if flawed) gameplay. Essential for anyone who plays games.
Possibly the greatest fan game of all time. There's a reason some people say it's a better Metroid game than Nintendo has ever made. The gold standard for remakes as well.
1998
Have been excited to play this game for years. I felt a little bit disappointed in the first couple hours but it quickly picked up and by the end I was absolutely on board, sign me up for MGS2 immediately. The last couple hours/final boss in particular are an easy 10/10 and definitely improve the earlier parts with the knowledge of the story they add.
The presentation is absurd for the time, with the best voice acting of the era and fantastic cutscene direction, and the way the gameplay integrates into the story is genuinely unlike anything else.
Speaking of that gameplay, it's................ not good, but I've played worse for sure. Only really frustrated me in one section, and overall, it's intentionally a little primitive. Not a huge detractor at all.
The presentation is absurd for the time, with the best voice acting of the era and fantastic cutscene direction, and the way the gameplay integrates into the story is genuinely unlike anything else.
Speaking of that gameplay, it's................ not good, but I've played worse for sure. Only really frustrated me in one section, and overall, it's intentionally a little primitive. Not a huge detractor at all.
This review contains spoilers
(Replay) Man, I knew I loved this game, but I didn't know I loved it this much.
To get it out of the way, this game has easily the best gameplay in the entire series to me, it's not even close. We'll see if TotK tops it (I doubt it will) but this game has three fantastic dungeons (Great Bay and Stone Tower have been my top 2 in the whole series for a while now, and they probably still are), fun movement, fun minigames, and the game as a whole is a phenomenal exercise in routing that, in my opinion, make it the absolute best 100% run in all of gaming (I 100% every playthrough). Time management IRL is like my favorite thing ever, this game was literally made for me.
But the gameplay isn't even half the reason I love this game. The story is both a masterful continuation of OoT's themes and is also great on its own. Link went through a journey with a child's mind in an adult's body, learning what it truly means to mature and grow up, and now Link has an adult's mind in a child's body. The details of him being able to use all the adult weapons that he couldn't as a child in the last game (like the hookshot and hero's shield) are great at showing his maturity, but he also has to deal with adult responsibilities and fears that he can no longer run away from. We all wish we could go back to those days where we had no real worries or stress (just like how Link in this game is trying to find Navi, the one who represented his carefree childhood innocence and who has now left him). The sad truth is that we can't just run away from or ignore our problems forever (the unstoppable force that is the moon representing this fact on top of the fear of inevitable death), but we can put in the effort to live our lives so that when our fate catches up with us, we won't have any regrets. As so many of the wonderful story moments and side quests in this game try to tell us, strengthening your relationships with those you love is always worth it in the end.
Clock Town has the most humanized and realistic NPCs in all of gaming to me and learning about how much of their lives they've built up, how intricate their schedules and relationships with others are, only to have to watch their varying reactions and responses to all of that being washed away in a single moment during the haunting final hours segments is one of the most immersive experiences I've had in a game in a long time. Even putting aside Clock Town, there are so many tiny details packed into the NPCs of this world, so many interactions and conversations you'll discover for the first time on each playthrough. Some of them gave me chills.
"By doing one good deed, a child becomes an adult." The line that bridges the gap between OoT and MM.
I'm not used to writing reviews as long as this, but the ultimate point is that with great gameplay and an amazing story, MM has always been, and always will be my favorite Zelda, and I'm ranking it higher on my top 10 immediately.
To get it out of the way, this game has easily the best gameplay in the entire series to me, it's not even close. We'll see if TotK tops it (I doubt it will) but this game has three fantastic dungeons (Great Bay and Stone Tower have been my top 2 in the whole series for a while now, and they probably still are), fun movement, fun minigames, and the game as a whole is a phenomenal exercise in routing that, in my opinion, make it the absolute best 100% run in all of gaming (I 100% every playthrough). Time management IRL is like my favorite thing ever, this game was literally made for me.
But the gameplay isn't even half the reason I love this game. The story is both a masterful continuation of OoT's themes and is also great on its own. Link went through a journey with a child's mind in an adult's body, learning what it truly means to mature and grow up, and now Link has an adult's mind in a child's body. The details of him being able to use all the adult weapons that he couldn't as a child in the last game (like the hookshot and hero's shield) are great at showing his maturity, but he also has to deal with adult responsibilities and fears that he can no longer run away from. We all wish we could go back to those days where we had no real worries or stress (just like how Link in this game is trying to find Navi, the one who represented his carefree childhood innocence and who has now left him). The sad truth is that we can't just run away from or ignore our problems forever (the unstoppable force that is the moon representing this fact on top of the fear of inevitable death), but we can put in the effort to live our lives so that when our fate catches up with us, we won't have any regrets. As so many of the wonderful story moments and side quests in this game try to tell us, strengthening your relationships with those you love is always worth it in the end.
Clock Town has the most humanized and realistic NPCs in all of gaming to me and learning about how much of their lives they've built up, how intricate their schedules and relationships with others are, only to have to watch their varying reactions and responses to all of that being washed away in a single moment during the haunting final hours segments is one of the most immersive experiences I've had in a game in a long time. Even putting aside Clock Town, there are so many tiny details packed into the NPCs of this world, so many interactions and conversations you'll discover for the first time on each playthrough. Some of them gave me chills.
"By doing one good deed, a child becomes an adult." The line that bridges the gap between OoT and MM.
I'm not used to writing reviews as long as this, but the ultimate point is that with great gameplay and an amazing story, MM has always been, and always will be my favorite Zelda, and I'm ranking it higher on my top 10 immediately.
I've flip flopped on my ranking of this game many times for various reasons. But after my last replay, I am setting in stone that normie take or not, this is my favorite game in the series.
Yes, the combat/difficulty is hilariously incompetent, which was the main thing holding it back for me before now, but honestly it's just one blemish on an otherwise amazing game. When it comes to gameplay, the map design is great (only topped by Aria and Dawn of Sorrow) and the movement mechanics are not only the best in the series but the best in the entire genre as far as I'm concerned. As for the rest of the game, it's a visual masterpiece with one of the greatest soundtracks in the entire medium of video games. Outside of the combat, this game perfectly appeals to why I personally love this series more than any of them.
Ecclesia, Dawn, the original Castlevania 1, I fully believe these are all better games. But I am satisfied saying that SotN is my personal favorite.
Yes, the combat/difficulty is hilariously incompetent, which was the main thing holding it back for me before now, but honestly it's just one blemish on an otherwise amazing game. When it comes to gameplay, the map design is great (only topped by Aria and Dawn of Sorrow) and the movement mechanics are not only the best in the series but the best in the entire genre as far as I'm concerned. As for the rest of the game, it's a visual masterpiece with one of the greatest soundtracks in the entire medium of video games. Outside of the combat, this game perfectly appeals to why I personally love this series more than any of them.
Ecclesia, Dawn, the original Castlevania 1, I fully believe these are all better games. But I am satisfied saying that SotN is my personal favorite.
2011
For some reason I feel weird putting a rating on this game, but it holds too much nostalgic value to me. I always come back to it and rediscover how much it actually rocks when you look past the cringe parts of the fanbase. The soundtrack is one of my favorites in anything ever.
1994
One of the most perfect video games ever made. Phenomenal atmosphere, and even better gameplay. Downright genius design everywhere, infinitely replayable... I've never been able to get enough of this game.