Hug
2018
I liked the combat system of this one a lot. I made the mistake of benching 4 characters for a majority of my playtime as I had no clue what the final boss would be like. Still, I really enjoyed my time with it and I'm looking forward to playing OT2 sometime down the line.
2022
I 100%ed the game as of the 0.2.1 patch. I'm not someone that will 100% a game usually...actually, I've only 100%ed 1 other game, being Hades. That's in my top games of all time.
I hope this paints a picture as to just how brilliant of a game this is. I'm going to be closely monitoring this game and will continue to maintain my 100% as new updates come out.
I hope this paints a picture as to just how brilliant of a game this is. I'm going to be closely monitoring this game and will continue to maintain my 100% as new updates come out.
2022
[Going off total time played on Steam as of writing]
Warm Snow was a delight to play. Reminded me a lot of Hades, though I think this game does enough of its own thing to not be thought of as a Hades-clone. The build variety is the biggest appeal here, and there are a lot of viable playstyles, between the Buddhas, Swords, Sect skills, and Relic items and how they can all interact with each other. It'd be incredibly hard to replicate a run.
Warm Snow was a delight to play. Reminded me a lot of Hades, though I think this game does enough of its own thing to not be thought of as a Hades-clone. The build variety is the biggest appeal here, and there are a lot of viable playstyles, between the Buddhas, Swords, Sect skills, and Relic items and how they can all interact with each other. It'd be incredibly hard to replicate a run.
2023
This game was an incredibly enjoyable experience. The art style is captivating, the world design is brilliant, the combat system was engaging throughout, and there were many lovable characters and moment in the story that made me invested. Honestly one of the most charming JRPGs I've played in a long time.
2022
So I'm a bit of a Megaten apologist...I'll play just about any of the games and will end up having something kind to say about it. This one isn't any different, as the basics of demon fusion and team building that I enjoy in these games are here, but there are absolutely things I didn't care for as well. Still, it wasn't really a bad experience, just not one I see sticking with me for a long time, unlike other entries such as the mainline games or even the first Soul Hackers.
2007
Eternal Sonata is a game I've wanted to play for years, but simply didn't have the means to. Now that I have, I am so glad I got the opportunity.
There's a lot to like about this game, from its charming visual style, its gorgeous music, colorful cast of characters, and battle system that is, for the most part, a joy to engage with. I do think for those with less tolerance for doing the same things over and over, the battles can get pretty tedious however.
The story is quite...unique, I'll say. It was originally the one thing that put me off of the game, but I slowly came to terms with the "it's a dream" plot and ultimately ended up liking that more than I thought.
The tedium near the end of the game is probably the only thing I'd say I really disliked about the game overall, and as a whole I really enjoyed it.
There's a lot to like about this game, from its charming visual style, its gorgeous music, colorful cast of characters, and battle system that is, for the most part, a joy to engage with. I do think for those with less tolerance for doing the same things over and over, the battles can get pretty tedious however.
The story is quite...unique, I'll say. It was originally the one thing that put me off of the game, but I slowly came to terms with the "it's a dream" plot and ultimately ended up liking that more than I thought.
The tedium near the end of the game is probably the only thing I'd say I really disliked about the game overall, and as a whole I really enjoyed it.
2021
When I bought this game, I didn't have too much in the way of expectations. I thought I'd bounce off it pretty quickly...maybe even get a refund. Then I ended up buying this game for PC and Switch, and even gifted it to a friend. I don't regret any of those purchases in the slightest.
This game has quickly became one of my all-time favorites. Everything about this game has been meticulously and purposefully crafted. It knew exactly the type of experience it was going for and nailed it. I loved theorycrafting my team, putting it together, and watching as my effort paid off in the most satisfying way, and I sincerely look forward to playing more in the future, experimenting with different classes and playstyles, customizing my castle base, and going deep into the Realms.
This game has quickly became one of my all-time favorites. Everything about this game has been meticulously and purposefully crafted. It knew exactly the type of experience it was going for and nailed it. I loved theorycrafting my team, putting it together, and watching as my effort paid off in the most satisfying way, and I sincerely look forward to playing more in the future, experimenting with different classes and playstyles, customizing my castle base, and going deep into the Realms.
I loved the variety in playstyles in this game, between the skulls you can obtain along with the powerups. You'd be hard-pressed to have the same run twice.
The story was fine...not like Hades level or anything, but it was cute. I both saw the plot twist coming and was surprised by it, and I won't go into how that makes any bit of sense but alas.
The story was fine...not like Hades level or anything, but it was cute. I both saw the plot twist coming and was surprised by it, and I won't go into how that makes any bit of sense but alas.
So this game is one I was on the fence about for a while before biting the bullet and purchasing it. I got it at a good price on sale, and from the first minute I played it, I did not regret the purchase one bit.
Both the base building and dungeon-diving sections are an absolute joy and the combination works incredible well together.
The aesthetic of the game is one I absolutely enjoy as well. I suppose the closest and most obvious comparison is Happy Tree Friends, since you could take a few screenshots out-of-context and think it's for children, but it's not.
The game was sometimes on the easier side as far as roguelikes go (though I admit I was on the default difficulty), but the final boss did give me a fair shake.
Overall, I very much enjoyed my time with this game and would easily recommend it to roguelite enjoyers who are able to overlook the sometimes buggy nature of the game.
Both the base building and dungeon-diving sections are an absolute joy and the combination works incredible well together.
The aesthetic of the game is one I absolutely enjoy as well. I suppose the closest and most obvious comparison is Happy Tree Friends, since you could take a few screenshots out-of-context and think it's for children, but it's not.
The game was sometimes on the easier side as far as roguelikes go (though I admit I was on the default difficulty), but the final boss did give me a fair shake.
Overall, I very much enjoyed my time with this game and would easily recommend it to roguelite enjoyers who are able to overlook the sometimes buggy nature of the game.
2021
So I'll be blunt and say I have a huge bias for SMT, simply due to the fact that I find the gameplay to be among the most enjoyable of any JRPG series on the market, if not flat-out the most enjoyable. The combat has a lot of depth to it, and I don't think the potential is squandered here. There are many challenging encounters to face, even outside of DLC, and the demon fusion system allows for incredible flexibility in how you handle these challenges.
That said, I do think the endgame was a bit disappointing in a way that I can't help but compare to SMT IV. By the end game, you can have a whole team of perfectly-crafted demons with little-to-no weaknesses and all of the skills they need to handle most any situation, so if you know your way around the compendium, the final bosses will feel underwhelming, even on the hardest available difficulty, which I spent all of my play time on.
Despite this, my love for the series has not waned at all, and everything I love about these games rings true for this one. A killer OST, amazing gameplay, and a world drenched in atmosphere come together to create an experience you just can't find in any other series.
That said, I do think the endgame was a bit disappointing in a way that I can't help but compare to SMT IV. By the end game, you can have a whole team of perfectly-crafted demons with little-to-no weaknesses and all of the skills they need to handle most any situation, so if you know your way around the compendium, the final bosses will feel underwhelming, even on the hardest available difficulty, which I spent all of my play time on.
Despite this, my love for the series has not waned at all, and everything I love about these games rings true for this one. A killer OST, amazing gameplay, and a world drenched in atmosphere come together to create an experience you just can't find in any other series.
1996
It was alright. I liked the map design on a lot of the missions and I found the gameplay enjoyable enough. I don't think the story was particularly great and perhaps that's due to poor translation, but I really couldn't take it seriously.
2016
I am Setsuna may not be the most original game in existence, going so far as to wear its inspirations on its sleeve, but it excels at what it does do. The Chrono Trigger-inspired battle system has room for flexibility and creativity in how you build your characters and approach battles, and the story itself keeps up a consistently great pace. It's short for a JRPG, and while to many that could be its best attribute, to me it left me wanting more in both a positive and negative way.
My biggest criticism for the game is that it leaves few opportunities to truly explore the depths of the battle system they made, as there's really no need to dive too deep into it. Not that the game doesn't pose a fair difficulty for a casual playthrough, but there's a lot of untapped potential here.
As a whole, I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected coming into it.
My biggest criticism for the game is that it leaves few opportunities to truly explore the depths of the battle system they made, as there's really no need to dive too deep into it. Not that the game doesn't pose a fair difficulty for a casual playthrough, but there's a lot of untapped potential here.
As a whole, I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected coming into it.
2005
So I'm not big on Tales to begin with, but if anything that might be why I'm being nicer to this than I would otherwise.
I liked this game more than other Tales games I played, but ultimately I grew wary of it. I got through the main story and 2 and 3/4ths of the character quests before deciding I'd had enough, but hey I got through the main story and saw the credits that's good enough in my book. I kinda don't care about these characters enough to learn more anyway.
I liked this game more than other Tales games I played, but ultimately I grew wary of it. I got through the main story and 2 and 3/4ths of the character quests before deciding I'd had enough, but hey I got through the main story and saw the credits that's good enough in my book. I kinda don't care about these characters enough to learn more anyway.
This is a really neat concept for a game and the execution of it is impressive considering just how different from base Emerald this is. It feels like a complete package as is, but I'm still excited to see what else is in store for this game.
2021
I'm not particularly big on SRPG games, but I liked this one well enough. One thing I enjoyed was a lack of permadeath (that being the sole reason I haven't given Fire Emblem so much as a passing glance despite this game being obviously influenced by the series)